+++ A next-generation BMW X5 development car has been spotted being testing at the Nürburgring, showing its new design more clearly. The next-generation X5 will use the same platform as the 7 Series, on the CLAR (cluster architecture) platform. This platform supports steel, aluminium, carbonfibre and magnesium construction, so it’s likely there will be a sizeable reduction in weight compared with the lightest of the current X5s, the xDrive35i, which tips the scales at 2.030 kg. A plug-in hybrid X5 will follow the standard X5 sometime after its introduction, as will a performance-orientated, 600 hp-plus X5 M variant. BMW’s aim of launching performance variants earlier in the lifecycle of its models means that the X5 M could arrive not long after the regular X5. Sources close to BMW also report that the next X5 line-up will feature a combination of four, six and eight-cylinder engines. It will launch at roughly the same time as its arch rival, the next Mercedes GLE. The facelifted version of the current X5, which has been around since 2013, is due to make an appearance in the coming months, when the model is due to have a mid-life refresh. The X5 will no longer be the flagship of BMW’s non-coupé SUV range, when the X7 makes its debut in 2018. +++
+++ Automotive deliveries in EUROPE have topped a new record for March, a grand total of 1.92 million new vehicles have been registered on the continent, which stands as a jump of 10.5 percent over the same period last year, as well as a new all-time record for any month. Impressive as it may be, it will be even more because Europe has now surged above the United States and actually came close to the world’s largest auto market: China, which posted a 2.02 million sales figure in March. Europe has 5 very large markets, with Italy taking point in terms of average increases 17.4 percent more than in March 2016, then came Spain (12.7 percent), Germany (11.4 percent), and United Kingdom (8.4 percent). No less than 16 out of 30 markets on the Old Continent experienced double-digit growth and only five were on a negative trend. Greece was the all-time champion for the month, as they come from a large recession to a 49.5 percent jump. With such big numbers for the countries, naturally car brands also had great figures, with 26 marques out of a total of 52 getting not only big numbers, but also the best ever sales on the continent, irrespective of month. Volkswagen has remained at the top with a 3.9 percent surge, seconded by Ford with no less than 15.9 percent while Renault moved past Opel/Vauxhall for the final podium place. According to figures from JATO Dynamics, the Volkswagen Golf has dropped one rank to the Ford Fiesta, now the continent’s top selling model. +++
+++ “Nuts”. That’s how FERRARI chief Sergio Marchionne described the thought of turbocharging V12 engines in future vehicles. With that blunt opinion, Marchionne confirmed Ferrari will always offer a naturally aspirated V12 engine. The statement also casts out fears of downsizing or even killing off the V12 entirely. However, hybrids are all systems go for the future. ‘‘We will always offer a V12”, Marchionne told. “Our head of engine programs told me it would be absolutely nuts to put a turbocharger on the V12, so the answer is no. It will be naturally aspirated, with a hybrid system”. Ferrari has been hinting at electrifying and hybridizing V12 engines for years. In 2012, Ferrari proclaimed hybrid tech will secure the future of the naturally aspirated V12 engine. Though, back then, Ferrari imagined a certain amount of green credibility with hybrid systems. Today, Marchionne paints a stark contrast to that idea. “The objective of having hybrid and electrics in cars like this is not the traditional objective that most people would have. We’re not trying to make 2 targets. We’re really trying to improve the performance on the track”. Complaints seem to be few and far between regarding hybrid Ferraris, including the bonkers Ferrari LaFerrari, which uses a hybrid system to maximize performance at the track. But, future hybrids will be even more aggressive in order to meet looming European Union emission restrictions. “The EU6C legislation will be a challenge, but we have a solution”, said Ferrari technical chief Michael Leiters. “After that comes the 2021 Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle legislation (ULEV), which will be met with the hybrid V-12 powertrain”. So take heart, fans of the Prancing Horse. Your favorite supercars won’t lose their V12 wail any time soon. +++
+++ The company with the three-pointed star logo a.k.a. MERCEDES currently has the GLA and the GLC out in the market. But if customers are still not satisfied with both models, or find the GLA too cramped or the GLC too pricey, then don’t you worry. Insiders have received information from Stuttgart saying that there will be another model that will join these two tentatively called the GLB. Rumours say that this mini G-Class is supposed to be a middle version of the GLA and the GLC. More sources say that the GLB will combine styling cues inspired by military vehicle design with a more contemporary touch. Optional styling packages will be available for customers to choose from as well. The GLB measures 4.600 mm in length, that is 180 mm longer that the new generation GLA. The SUV will probably go on sale in 2019. Since Mercedes is adding more models to the A- and B-Class families, we all know that the company aims to strengthen its compact model portfolio. Just recently at the Auto Shanghai, they unveiled a concept car that is an A-Class Sedan, which was said to be produced and sold in the United States according to sources. It is launched alongside the next generation CLA that is supposed to get its new look from the four-door AMG GT that has not been released yet. Another version of the A-Class Sedan, with a long wheelbase will also be available in China as rear legroom continues to be an issue for them. As for the C-, E-, and S-Class models, they are all supposed to get upgrades in terms of the engine – all with the new inline six that was first installed in the S-Class. To further boost the car’s performance and to cut down fuel consumption, Mercedes engineers will be integrating a 48 volt electronic architecture in the upcoming models. But the focus isn’t just on the performance as they are also giving the interiors a full-on upgrade. Another news that hasn’t been confirmed yet is that the next generation SL will be having a fabric top, and a 2+2 seating layout. But with all the good news comes bad news as well, there have been rumours going around that the SLC, S-Class Coupe, and S-Class Cabriolet will die out and aren’t going to be having successors. The GLE, on the other hand, will be getting exterior and interior upgrades: adopting a sportier design with a more elegant cabin. Whereas the GLS will get a Maybach derivative so it can be at par with the Bentley Bentayga and such. The new G-Class models will be arriving in showrooms later this year, but not in the United States. +++
+++ NISSAN is finally getting serious about its in-house tuner Nismo. A week ago, Nissan announced the establishment of a new Nismo department focused specifically on road car development. The goal is to boost Nismo sales primarily through the expansion of the lineup. Around 15,000 Nismo models were sold worldwide in 2016. Nissan wants this to grow to 100,000 by early next decade. Nismo boss Takao Katagiri said more body styles are coming, including possibly a pickup truck for the United States. The only Nissan pickups sold there are the Frontier and Titan. Considering the Frontier is on its last legs, the Titan is more likely to be the donor for any Nismo pickup. As recently as the 2016 Detroit auto show, Nissan showed off a high-performance Titan concept. While the concept, dubbed the Titan Warrior, was based on the heavy-duty Titan XD, we could imagine some of its upgrades, such as the carbon fiber body panels and off-road suspension, being transferred to the lighter-duty Titan to turn it into an F-150 Raptor rival. Katagiri also said some dealers will receive dedicated Nismo showrooms. There are already 26 of these dealers in Japan but none yet overseas. Nismo will also look at offering more factory-approved upgrades for regular Nissan models as well as running performance driving schools, Katagiri said. Currently in the U.S., they have Nismo versions of the 370Z, GT-R, Juke and Sentra. And elsewhere there are Micra, Note and Patrol Nismo models, too. +++
+++ A hot SEAT Ateca Cupra development car has been spotted testing at the Nürburgring as the 300 hp super-SUV is prepared for its market launch. The pepped-up Ateca, first spotted in prototype form at a Seat facility last year, has Cupra wheels, large brakes, quad-exit exhausts and more aggressive bodywork. The car is expected to be powered by the 2.0-litre petrol engine used in the 300 hp Leon Cupra. It is not clear if this engine will be tweaked to deliver different performance characteristics. In the four-wheel-drive Volkswagen Golf R, for instance, the same engine makes 310 hp. A 0-100 km/h time of 6.5 seconds is expected for the Ateca Cupra. A glimpse of the car’s rev counter suggests that it’ll have an 8000 rpm redline. +++
+++ To understand why the UNITED STATES auto market isn’t growing, consider a top-of-the-line MPV from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles now costs about $50,000. With twin second-row touch screens, reclining third-row seats, a vacuum and automated parallel parking, the Chrysler Pacifica packs plenty of features to justify a hefty expense. But this big a price tag puts the prototypical family vehicle out of reach for most Americans. After U.S. auto sales fell in each of the first three months of the year, the annualized sales pace, adjusted for seasonal trends, probably slowed in April to about 17.1 million, from 17.4 million a year earlier. With marginal buyers beginning to balk due to sticker shock, Ford cautioned last week it’s not going to be able to count on price increases to boost North American profits the rest of this year. “At some point that will be one of the aspects that will continue to drive down the volume”, Bob Shanks, Ford’s chief financial officer, said in an interview. “It will become tougher”. The average new-car price in the U.S. rose about 2 percent over the past year, according to data from TrueCar’s ALG. That’s an increase more consumers may have been able to stomach when borrowing costs were low and loose credit made pricier pick-ups and SUVs more attainable. Industrywide sales have declined 1.5 percent this year through March, according to researcher Autodata. “Honestly, the average American doesn’t come into a new-car dealership”, said Steven Szakaly, chief economist of the National Automobile Dealers Association. “We’re only selling new cars to about 5 percent of the U.S. population”. As inflation generally outstrips wage increases and young adults find themselves buried under student debt, new cars are becoming less feasible for some would-be buyers, said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst with Cox Automotive. “It’s not just the price of the cars, it’s the price of everything else”, she said. “The price of things like health care, shelter: all of that is fighting for the budget”. If vehicle purchases per million driving-age Americans were the same as in 2000, the industry would be selling almost 20 million new light vehicles a year; well beyond last year’s record of just under 17.6 million. Instead, the U.S. auto sector is on pace for its first year of decline since 2009. “We’re starting to see the slowdown in 2017 we’ve been anticipating”, said Jessica Caldwell, executive director of industry analysis for car-shopping website Edmunds. “These year-over-year declines may become more typical as the year progresses”. With the exception of Nissan, the biggest automakers in the U.S. are projected to report declining U.S. sales for the month of April, according to a Bloomberg News survey of analysts. Fiat Chrysler and Honda may post declines of more than 5 percent, according to analysts’ average estimates. In an effort to keep new vehicles moving off the lots, automakers have ratcheted up discounting. Spending on incentives last month through April 16 reached a record for the month of $3,499, according to J.D. Power. Heavy discounts and ample supply of used vehicles coming off leases are depressing used-car values. The NADA Used Car Guide’s price index declined in March to the lowest since September 2010, fueling concerns about the fallout for automakers, lenders and car-rental companies. “Sales have been pretty strong, credit has been pretty stable and all that’s transitioning right now”, Jeff Brown, the chief executive officer of auto lender Ally Financial, said last week in a phone interview. One factor supporting higher new car prices has been the lack of competitive pressure from two- and three-year-old vehicles, the like-new cars typically sold as part of certified pre-owned programs. But that’s starting to change. About 3.6 million vehicle leases are projected to expire this year (and more than 4 million next year, according to auto-auction company Manheim) supply is increasing and giving shoppers on the fringe of the new-car market some options. “We’ve definitely seen that some of the demand has shifted from new to used”, Jason Kulas, CEO of Santander Consumer USA, said last week on a conference call. +++