+++ Historic American car brand DETROIT ELECTRIC , now based in the United Kingdom and backed by Chinese funds, has outlined plans for 3 new cars. Impressively, the electric car startup is promising to introduce the 3 cars over the next 3 years. They include a sports car, sedan and SUV. Detroit Electric’s original plan was one that mimicked Tesla’s start. The company developed an electric sports car based on a donor Lotus chassis and started building the first examples in late 2015. Profits from the sale of the sports car were to be used to develop future models. Instead, Detroit Electric will tap into a $1.8 billion capital injection from a joint venture formed with China’s Far East Smarter Energy Group earlier this year to accelerate its product plans. The 3 new cars are in the early stages of development. Detroit Electric is looking to recruit up to 200 engineers by next spring to accelerate development. The company will also expand its current headquarters in Leamington Spa with a new R&D facility. This will work alongside an existing engineering hub in China. Production will take place in both the U.K and China, with higher volume models like the sedan and SUV likely being sourced from the latter. Detroit Electric is hoping to sell its cars worldwide. It’s too early to talk specs but Detroit Electric is looking to offer a driving range of between 500 and 800 kilometers on a single charge, depending on the vehicle. Note, this is likely on the more lenient European cycle so should be lower if rated by the EPA. +++
+++ EURO NCAP is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and with the latest generation of Ford Fiesta getting a 5-star rating the safety outfit is taking the opportunity to show how things have improved in its 2 decades of testing. In September 1997, the Euro NCAP programme began with a series of tests (including the third-generation Fiesta) that really challenged the car industry and forced it to raise standards. “When you compare the impact testing for the Ford with 20 years later, you don’t have to be an expert to recognise a distinct progression in car safety”, said Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham Research. “The dummy in the 1997 model endures a heavy head-strike against the B-pillar and there is serious intrusion in the side impact test too. The structure was just not stable. Today however, the 2018 Ford Fiesta offers far, far greater levels of protection to its occupants”. The Euro NCAP team still has warnings to offer manufacturers, however. The new 2018 Ford Fiesta might have got a 5-star rating in the test, it doesn’t come with autonomous emergency braking as standard, unlike some rivals which do. Avery continued: “That one of Europe’s best-selling vehicles is a 5-star Euro NCAP car is good news. However, its AEB system is only available as an option, which is a shame as fewer than 5 percent of car buyers take up additional safety packs. For this reason the Seat Ibiza remains our top safety choice of the superminis launched so far in 2017”. Euro NCAP has been busy in its birthday month, with 3 other superminis on test, which also come with the optional safety pack warning: The Kia Rio achieved a 5 star Euro NCAP rating, but only when the optional safety pack is purchased. Without it, says the organisation, the Rio is a 3-star Euro NCAP car. The Kia Picanto scored only 3 Euro NCAP stars, rising to 4 with the optional safety pack. The electric Opel Ampera-e was awarded 4 Euro NCAP stars, with tests on the front seats and head restraints demonstrating marginal protection against whiplash injury in the event of a rear-end collision. +++
+++ GENESIS is gearing up to launch what might be its most important vehicle to date: the G70. The compact sedan will serve as the new entry-level model in the Genesis lineup and will compete against the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The G70 will debut in Olympic Park in Seoul, South Korea, on September 15. “Normally you would go to an international motor show to do this, but we chose deliberately Seoul, as this is our place of origin”, Genesis chief Manfred Fitzgerald says. The sedan goes on sale in the U.S. in early 2018. The G70 is expected to share components with the rear-wheel-drive Kia Stinger. Right now, Genesis only has 2 vehicles in its stable. The larger G80 is based off the previous Hyundai Genesis while the G90 is the successor to the old Hyundai Equus. By the end of 2021, Genesis will have launched 3 sedans, 3 SUVs, a sports coupe and a dedicated electric vehicle. The GV70 SUV will be based off the same platform as the G70 sedan. +++
+++ KIA is launching the most fuel-efficient car it has ever sold in Europe, with the debut of the new Niro PHEV plug-in hybrid. Joining the existing sub-Sportage Niro hybrid, the enlarged batteries give it an electric-only range of 50 kilometers and CO2 emissions of just 29 gram/km. There is, of course, a catch. It only does 29 gram in the very narrow window that’s part of the official test cycle. In real-world driving, if you don’t regularly recharge the batteries, it will be little more environmental friendly than the regular Niro hybrid. It might even be a bit less fuel-efficient, due to the extra weight (it’s swelled to almost 1,600 kg). But then, a normal Niro can’t run as a full EV for many kilometers either: if your daily commute is short and you’re able to charge the batteries every night, it could effectively give you everyday EV motoring, with an engine there waiting for when you need to cover longer distances. Kia is charging 20 percent more for the Niro PHEV, which sounds steep. However, it’s well-stocked with goodies such as sat nav, black leather seats, climate control and aero-tuned alloys. Kia proudly says the new Niro PHEV is the world’s first compact crossover plug-in, and is so special, it even has its own special body colour in the range: Gravity Blue. If that’s not for you, 5 other hues are available. And if, for some reason, you like the look of it but aren’t bothered about economy, you’re in luck: a brand new petrol engine combines with the more powerful electric motor to give it a 0-100 km/h time better than the standard car. +++
+++ Earlier this year, there were reports that Geely Holding Group, a Chinese manufacturer, is working something out with Proton, a Malaysian automaker. Proton once owned the British sports car manufacturer LOTUS . This month, it has finally been revealed what both companies were setting out to achieve: a 65 million dollar transaction, that is Geely’s acquisition of a controlling stake of 51 percent in Lotus, scheduled to be finalized by the end of September. Lotus has been around for 65 years already, and that whole time, the small company had a pretty wobbly existence. But the deep-pocketed Chinese might actually be the future of the company, according to specialists. Back in 2010, Geely’s founder Li Shufu decided to acquire Volvo. And when it did, it provided the Swedish company the necessary investment, but at the same time, it retained the engineering and the same team that was behind the company, that specialized in what they do. This is exactly what Geely should do as they acquire Lotus. This means that Lotus should retain its team and continue what they are doing, by providing technologies and engineering conceptions that will help Geely’s brands. These will include the lightweight chassis and body designs, and electric powertrains they have been developing. The British company specialized in helping larger companies lose weight, tune suspensions, and improve aerodynamics. What Lotus should focus on developing next would be the introduction of electric cars, and electric sports cars I must say. And this will not be an issue for them as their engineers have been working with EV technologies. In fact, they even helped Tesla build and produce the Roadster from 2008. Back in June, Jean Marc Gales, chief executive officer of Lotus since 2014, says that Geely’s plan is probably the best thing that has happened to the company so far. He also said in an interview with Bloomberg that it would be awesome if they are the first company to develop an electric car that is also extra light in weight. Gales then added that 2 to 3 years from now, battery-powered cars will be able to perform much better, as technology improves. However, before this falls into place, the British automaker must deal with Brexit first. This means that the company must expand its market range outside the European Union, where already half of its production goes. Let us hope that when the Chinese billionaire Geely finally takes over Lotus, the British specialty car maker will be rescued, after years of trying to revive the company’s 55-acre factory complex located in eastern England. +++
+++ Despite its recent breakthrough in sparkless ignition gasoline engines, MAZDA has no plans to abandon the rotary engine which its executives insist is still being developed for future applications. “We’re still continuing development of the next-generation rotary engine”, Mazda engineering executive Mitsuo Hitomi told during a recent tech briefing on the sparkless ignition engine, which Mazda refers to as a Spark Controlled Compression Ignition (SPCCI) engine because it still uses spark ignition in some situations. Hitomi also admitted that Mazda can’t get its latest rotary engine, referred to as Skyactiv-R, to meet existing emission regulations, adding that the automaker is investigating various emission control systems. Solutions to other rotary issues such as accelerated wear of seals and excessive oil consumption are a “focus point” of the latest engine, Hitomi revealed. Hitomi also told that Mazda is looking at using the rotary as a potential range extender, presumably for an extended-range electric car. Last fall at the Tokyo auto show, Mazda unveiled the RX-Vision concept, a design study that might foreshadow a rotary-powered sports car. During the reveal of the well-received concept, Mazda said a production version would have to have rotary power, probably turbocharged. When might we see a production version? The year 2020 is a good bet. It’s Mazda’s centennial. It’s also the year Tokyo hosts the Olympic Games. Mazda execs have previously hinted at something special to mark both occasions. +++
+++ For NISSAN Z-car fans hoping for an all-new version of their favorite sports car, it appears that a longer wait is in order. The latest news indicates that the current 370Z will stick around for at least a couple more years. Former Nissan Australia managing director Richard Emery provided a bit of insight into the current Z car, and it’s clear the car is still not much of a priority for the brand. “Even we don’t know”, he said. “And we would know if there was something pending, so there’s nothing pending. Not anytime soon”. The comments follow up the most recent report in April of this year. At that time, Christian Meunier, senior vice president of Nissan Sales, Marketing, and Operations said the 370Z “is not a priority for us”, before adding “I hope we can make a successor”. A lot of rumors have swirled around the 370Z. Notably, Nissan was supposedly poised to introduce a new Z-car concept at the 2017 Tokyo motor show. Although Emery didn’t comment on the possibility of a new concept car, it doesn’t sound like Nissan has something planned for Tokyo after all. The concept was presumed to preview the next-generation Nissan Z ahead of the sports car’s 50th anniversary in 2019. Additionally, it’s been rumored the Z will take the form of a sporty SUV like the Gripz or become a lighter sports car akin to the IDx concept. Meunier also said Nissan is committed to developing its halo car, the GT-R, over the Z. For now, the 370Z will soldier on with minimal changes. +++
+++ PORSCHE could be plotting a mainstay ‘purist’ version of its 911 sports car. Company research and development (R&D) boss, Michael Steiner, hinted at a stripped-back variant in similar vein to the 911 R, though this time it wouldn’t be a limited-run model. “There’s potential for more purist versions of sports cars with no limitation”, he said. “What we learned from the 911 R is that there are more and more customers who enjoy pure, fun-to-drive sports cars. Porsche always has some limited as well as unlimited sports cars. For pure sports cars, there’s no need for limitation”, he added. The highly sought after 911 R was considered the ultimate 911 for the road, like how the GT3 is optimised for track use. Equipped solely with a manual transmission, and little else in terms of comfort and convenience, the special edition focused heavily on driver enjoyment rather than all-out performance. Steiner wouldn’t mention whether this new ‘purist’ variant would be introduced in the current generation or next, though the fact that the all-new 911 is at least a couple of years away has many thinking it’s more likely to be the former. +++
+++ SEAT is holding a competition to pick a name for its new large SUV. The Spanish carmaker is set to announce the final shortlist in its competition to find a new name for its large SUV. The company says that 10,130 proposals were received from around the world, and following the company’s naming tradition, nine place names from around Spain were selected as possibilities: Abrera, Alboran, Aran, Aranda, Avila, Donosti, Tarifa, Tarraco and Teide. Following the announcement of the shortlist on 12 September at the Frankfurt motor show, voting will open at seat.com/seekingname until 25 September for Seat fans and others to pick their favourite for the new car. +++
+++ SKODA has responded to what it calls “strong demand for petrol power” with the addition of a new 1.5-litre TSI engine to the Octavia range. The 150 hp unit (an updated version of the existing 1.4 TSI engine) features Active Cylinder Management (ACT), a system first introduced on the new Superb. A 6-speed manual gearbox is fitted as standard, but customers can opt for a new 7-speed DSG transmission, which replaces the 6-speed unit found in the 1.4 TSI. In manual hatchback guise, the new Octavia 1.5 TSI has CO2 emissions of 113 g/km, while the DSG version emits 114g/km CO2. The estate versions are slightly less efficient. A manual Octavia 1.5 TSI hatchback will sprint to 100 km/h in 8.2 seconds. This is 0.1 seconds slower than the 1.4 TSI, but the payback is an improvement in fuel economy, thanks to the ACT technology. The Octavia was updated in January 2017, with new exterior styling, a reworked interior and technology upgrades. Since its launch in 1996, the Octavia has been Skoda’s consistent best-seller, with more than 5 million units sold globally. In May, the 1.5-millionth third-generation Octavia rolled off the production line in Mladá Boleslav. +++