+++ BMW is set to transform its futuristic looking hybrid coupe. The German brand has given the first glimpse of the new i8 Roadster, which was confirmed last year. The roadster will feature a more targa-style drop-top with elements behind the seats remaining intact, similar to that seen on the Mazda MX-5 RF and Porsche 918 Spyder. BMW has focused on the aerodynamics, leading me to believe the convertible roof won’t compromise performance too much. Also present are the eye-catching butterfly doors from the coupe. The Bavarian automaker hasn’t revealed any information regarding performance, but it is expected to have the same 1.5-litre turbocharged 3-cylinder petrol engine and the electric motor, which combine for 362 hp and 570 Nm, from the standard i8. However, BMW has stated that they have shaved 0.1 L/100 km off the claimed fuel use, bringing the figure to a flat 2.0 L/100 km for the roadster, which would suggest BMW has cut the weight of the roadster version. Look to the upcoming 2017 Frankfurt motor show in September for the potential reveal, with a production version due in 2018. +++
+++ HONDA is seemingly looking to expedite its electric vehicle development through this latest crucial collaboration with a major automotive technology company. Honda and Hitachi Automotive Systems (HAS) have agreed to form a new joint venture that will develop, produce and commercialize electric vehicles. Both companies are investing 5 billion yen initially into the new company, with HAS taking a majority 51 percent stake to Honda’s 49 percent. The new deal is probably part of the strategy of Honda’s self-set ambitious goal of selling two-third electrified models by the next half-decade. That was announced back in October last year when Honda established the new Electric Vehicle Development Division. Honda CEO Takahiro Hachigo previously explained to the media the company will introduce 2 electric vehicles in 2018, though it’s still unknown if they will be marketed through Honda or the newly co-owned brand. The first one will have “a high-density, lightweight battery pack, integrated heat management and the evolution of energy transfer functions, both to and from the vehicle”, complete with better practicality through “greater freedom in the design of vehicle packaging”. The model should see a first official release at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September or later at the Tokyo Motor Show. +++
+++ HYUNDAI is planning an i20 N hot hatchback to rival for the forthcoming next-generation Ford Fiesta ST, the newly launched Polo GTI and the Toyota Yaris GRMN. The Korean brand’s performance sub-division is about to launch its first product, the i30 N 5-door hatchback. And it will follow up that car with 2 more launches in the next 18 months: the Veloster N (unlikely to be sold in Europe) and a hot version of the style-focused 5-door i30 Fastback. It is understood that the priority after those 2 vehicles is to get a hot i20 to market, helping to support Hyundai’s increasingly successful efforts in the World Rally Championship with the i20 WRC. The director of N, ex-BMW M division man Albert Biermann, is enthusiastic about the idea of fast superminis. When asked at a recent event in Korea if N could expand its line-up to include cars smaller than the i30, Biermann replied, “Of course. Why would we limit ourselves to C-segment? There are tons of hot superminis out there – Polo GTI, Fiesta ST, Peugeot 208 and even Toyota now is doing one (Yaris GRMN). There’s a good market out there”. The hot i20 will use a tuned version of the car’s 1.6-litre turbocharged engine that’s likely to produce around 200 hp. It’ll be front-wheel drive, and some versions are likely to feature an electronic front differential. Hyundai is likely to take a similar approach with the i20 to the one it is pursuing with i30; the 5-door version of the i20 N will be relatively subtle, allowing more extreme styling modifications on the ‘niche’ version of the car, the 3-door. +++
+++ ROLLS-ROYCE has ruled out producing hybrid cars in the future, with CEO Torsten Müller-Otvös saying the brand will only introduce battery technology when it’s developed enough for an all-electric machine. Müller-Otvös said he is convinced that electric powertrains are the future of motoring, but added that the luxury firm’s customers would not accept the “compromise” of hybrid technology. He also said that Rolls-Royce will only launch an electric car when the technology has developed enough. “Electrification is the way forward, and there will be no in between steps for us like hybridisation”, said Müller-Otvös. “It is the propulsion system for the future, make no error. There is a time, nobody can predict when, when there will be no combustion engines. That will take a long, long time, but it will happen”. Explaining why Rolls-Royce would not invest in hybrid technology, Müller-Otvös added: “The Rolls-Royce brand is not, in a way, a game-changer when it comes to revolutionary technology. Our customers are doing so for reasons of utmost luxury, so there can be no imperfections. Compromises when it comes to technology, or operating our products, are unacceptable. People are more interested in highly reliably substance than to be a test field for new technology”. Müller-Otvös also noted that access to technology developed by BMW, Rolls-Royce’s parent company, would be a great asset when it did start work on an electric powertrain. Last year, Rolls-Royce unveiled a Vision 100 concept, as part of the BMW Group’s 100th anniversary. That was an all-electric machine with autonomous technology. But Müller-Otvös said that, while autonomous tech “will come” to Rolls-Royce cars, it was not a priority. “For our customers it’s not really a requirement because many have chauffeurs. So for that reason, it exists already. I haven’t had a single customer say to me: ‘Torsten, when is the autonomous Rolls-Royce coming?’ ”. +++
+++ TESLA said production shortfalls hindered sales during the second quarter. The Silicon Valley auto maker said it sold about 22,000 Model S and Model X cars during the period ended in June, up about 53% from a year earlier. With 47,100 vehicles delivered in the first half, Tesla just met its goal of delivering 47,000 to 50,000 vehicles. But the quarterly results were short of the average estimate of 23,655 deliveries, according to 4 analysts surveyed. Tesla said sales could have been stronger if not for a “severe production shortfall” of battery packs, which until early June caused production to average about 40% below demand. “Once this was resolved, June orders and deliveries were strong, ranking as one of the best in Tesla history”, the company said in a statement. The company said it expects to deliver more Model S and Model X vehicles in the second half than in the first 6 months, “provided global economic conditions do not worsen considerably”. Tesla’s jump in second-quarter sales bucks the trend among auto makers such as General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobilies, which earlier Monday reported steep sales declines in June compared with a year ago. Tesla is far smaller than those auto makers by sales, but it aims to become more of a mainstream player with the rollout of its newest car, the Model 3, which at $35,000 is far less expensive than its 2 existing models and is central to the company’s plans to sharply increase total sales. CEO Elon Musk said Tesla plans to hit a rate of 20,000 Model 3s a month in December, in line with his previous pledge of having 5,000 vehicles a week by year’s end. In February, Musk suggested the targets were set for suppliers, knowing they could slip. “These are parts orders and the parts need to arrive, then you can turn into a car and the car needs to be delivered to customers”, he said in February on an earnings conference call. “None of these things occur instantaneously”. “This is definitely scaling back,” said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst for the automotive researcher Kelley Blue Book. She likened Musk’s early statements about production to stretch goals instead of plans. The Model 3 is part of Musk’s strategy to boost production next year to 500,000 from about 84,000 last year, turning the auto maker into a more mainstream player from a niche luxury brand. General Motors, for example, sold 10 million vehicles last year. Enthusiasm for Tesla and its new model has helped push the company’s shares to record highs, giving the Silicon Valley auto maker a market capitalization higher than GM and Ford. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN ’s French operations falsified sales figures. The French division gave inaccurate information about roughly 800,000 sales. Sales of nearly a million Volkswagen vehicles tallied in France have been called into question as a report has revealed that the company’s French division provided “inaccurate information” to headquarters. Volkswagen’s French division misreported sales data for roughly 800,000 units sold dating back as far as 2010. A Volkswagen’s corporate auditors report is claiming that it was done to inflate sales performance figures. The audit determined that some vehicles were not actually registered by customers for long periods of time (ranging from months to years in some cases) after they were supposedly sold, and that some alleged sales were not corroborated by contracts. It is not clear from this report whether any of the company’s quarterly or yearly sales figures have been rendered inaccurate as a result of these misleading figures. Volkswagen spokespersons declined to comment on the report, citing its internal nature. Jacques Rivoal, head of Volkswagen’s French operations, resigned after the auditors’ report was delivered to Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Müller. +++
+++ VOLVO Cars remains firmly on course for another record year in retail sales after posting an 8.2 percent increase for the first 6 months of the year. Total sales in the first half of 2017 amounted to 277,641 cars, compared to 256,563 cars a year earlier. Global retail sales in June came in at 54,351 cars, an increase of 5.7 percent compared to the same month last year. Strong demand for the new 90 series cars continues to be an important factor in Volvo’s positive sales performance, while the first generation XC60 remains the best-selling model overall. The Asia Pacific region reported sales growth of 27.3 percent in June to 13,769 cars. Sales in China, Volvo’s largest market, increased by a very healthy 30.9 percent to 10,113 cars. For the first 6 months, growth in the Asia Pacific region amounted to 22.6 percent, while China was up 27.6 percent for the period. The result was supported by strong demand for the locally-produced XC60, S60L and S90 models. First-half sales in the EMEA region were up by 6.6 percent to 164,128 cars sold, as the region continued to see strong demand for the new V90 and XC90 as well as the XC60. Strong performing markets include Sweden, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. June sales in the region were up 3.9 percent. The Americas region reported sales of 41,277 cars for the first 6 months of 2017, of which 34,102 in the United States. The most popular model in the region is the XC60, followed closely by the XC90. Globally, the Volvo XC60 was the best-selling model in June with 16,905 cars sold (2016: 15,536), followed by the Volvo V40/V40 Cross Country with 9,434 cars sold (10,142). The XC90 was third with 7,972 sold cars (8,280). +++