+++ ALPINE ’s return to form will, in the fullness of time, see the company produce not only an SUV but also a hotter version of the well received A110 sports car. Known internally as the ‘Sport Chassis’ model, the range-topping A110 will have as much as 300 hp from a tuned version of the standard car’s 1.8-litre engine. This will fire the tweaked A110 from 0-100 km/h in less than 4 seconds, though it’s not clear whether the electronically limited 250 km/h top speed will be boosted, too. The A110 is already an extremely light car due to its widespread use of aluminium. However, Alpine’s engineers reckon they can suck up to 50 kg out of the car by paring back on the interior trim; with a target weight of just 1.030 kg. The chassis and suspension will also be “between 15 and 20 percent” stiffer on the Sport model, though the brakes will remain the same as the base car due to the slight reduction in kerbweight. Programming for the dual clutch gearbox and steering, exhaust and ESC systems will be revised to deliver yet more response, especially in Track mode. Prices and specs for the Alpine A110 Sport model haven’t been established but expect a 10 to 15 percent premium over the Pure model, which will cost 62,000 euro in The Netherland. The Sport version could appear as early as the summer of 2018, given that work on the car is already close to being signed off. +++
+++ The upcoming all-electric ASTON MARTIN RapidE may seem like a direct rival to the Tesla Model S but according to boss Andy Palmer, the RapidE won’t target Tesla buyers. During an interview, Palmer said customers of the RapidE won’t be interested in the mind-boggling straight-line performance of the Model S and instead place a greater emphasis on luxury. “Most of the people who buy a Model S are buying it fully loaded. They’re not limited by their cash; they’re limited by the offer. We’re looking to those guys looking for something above Tesla. That customer probably isn’t looking for ‘Ludicrous mode’. Our offer will have very credible acceleration (equal to a petrol Aston Martin) but you’ll be able to drive the car rapidly all the way around the Nürburgring without it derating or conking out on you”, Palmer said. The British automaker has been developing and testing the all-electric RapidE for quite some time now and will limit production to just 155 units. Rather than chasing huge sales figures, the car is a short-term answer to demand for an electric Aston Martin and in the future, could be superseded by an EV developed from the ground up. According to Aston Martin, the RapidE will be based on the performance-oriented Rapide AMR and therefore receive a more aggressive design than a typical Rapide. The car is being co-developed with Williams Advanced Engineering and is set to launch in 2019. +++
+++ AUDI has a facelifted TT in the works. Both the Coupe and Roadster are expected to go on sale later in 2018. I expect the facelifted cars to feature mildly updated lights front and rear, as well as quality and trim improvements inside. It’s likely Audi will choose to keep the current car’s Virtual Cockpit setup, which replaces the central screen available elsewhere in the model range. Space and practicality will be unaffected. However, the facelifted TT will sport semi-autonomous driving technology. In terms of engines, I expect the revised TT to carry over the current range unchanged, possibly with the addition of VW’s 1.5-litre TSI four-cylinder Evo unit. With 150 hp it’d represent a new entry point into the TT range, with a lower list price and improved running costs. +++
+++ BMW ’s M division is to take the fight to Mercedes- AMG and Audi Sport by staging a major expansion of its line-up. A series of new M and slightly softer M-Performance models is planned, with the overall aim of clawing back the sales advantage currently being enjoyed by the performance divisions of its arch-rivals. At the heart of M’s new-car development progamme is the sixth-generation M3 and its mechanically identical sibling, the second-generation M4 Coupé and Cabriolet. The next BMW M3 is tentatively scheduled to make its world debut at the 2019 Frankfurt motor show, prior to the start sales in early 2020. The architect of the plan to broaden the M line-up is Frank van Meel, the 51-year-old Dutch-born engineer poached from Audi Sport (formerly Quattro) in 2014 to lead BMW’s performance car division. Van Meel described the new M3 as a linchpin in BMW M’s plans to match Mercedes-AMG with combined global sales of M and M-Performance models of more than 100,000 per year in the longer term. “Along with the M5, the M3 is a crucial car for BMW M”, he said. “It wasn’t the first fully fledged M car but it continues to stand for everything the brand is based upon”. Based on the new 3 Series, the M3 is set to adopt the latest evolution of BMW’s CLAR platform, a structural basis already used by the 5 Series and 7 Series and their M variants, the M5 and M760iX. Through the greater use of aluminium and high-strength steel, the new platform is claimed to play an integral role in reducing the weight of the new M3 despite an increase in its exterior dimensions. In addition to the new platform, BMW M is also planning to provide the new M3 with a number of lightweight carbonfibre components as standard in a bid to further bring the car’s weight below the 1.585 kg of the recently unveiled M3 CS. Although nothing is official, the new M3 is expected to follow the lead taken by the latest M5 in featuring a carbonfibre roof as standard. Earlier reports suggested the new M3 would be powered by a petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain with a gearbox-mounted electric motor providing additional performance via an extra driving mode. However, sources at BMW M say those reports were wildly speculative. The latest word from M division’s Garching headquarters is that the M3 will stick with a conventional combustion engine in the form of an upgraded version of BMW M’s twin-turbo 3.0-litre inline 6-cylinder unit mated to either a standard-fit 6-speed manual or an optional 8-speed automatic. Details remain scarce, although a combination of both mechanical and software developments are claimed to raise power by nearly 10 percent beyond the evolution of the engine used by today’s M3 at around 475 hp. That’s 25 hp more than today’s M3 Competition and 15 hp more than the new M3 CS. The same sources have told that the next M3 is likely to remain rear-wheel drive, with earlier plans to provide it with a fully variable 4-wheeldrive system similar to that offered on the new M5 now ruled out because of cost and weight. Full-blown M variants of the recently introduced third-generation X3, second-generation X4, upcoming 4th-generation Z4 and resurrected 8 Series feature among the hot new BMW models already undergoing development at BMW M’s workshops. The new 8 Series is set to sire 2 new M models in coupé and cabriolet bodystyles that will act as upmarket replacements for the existing M6 Coupé and Cabriolet. Also slated for launch within the next two years, according to well-placed BMW M division sources, are a number of new mid-range 4-wheeldrive M-Performance models. These include powered-up variants of the new X2, next year’s 6th generation 3 Series and the all-new X7; models that are aimed at providing stiff competition to Mercedes-AMG’s upcoming GLA 35, C43 and GLE 43, among others. Other new BMW M cars are on the drawing board but have yet to be officially committed to production. Among them are M-Performance variants of the upcoming 4 Series GT as well as the second-generation 4 Series Coupé and Cabriolet; all due out in standard guise in 2019. BMW M’s strategy has been described as the most ambitious yet undertaken by the performance division. Hot on the heels of the recently revealed new 600 hp M5, it plans to add up to 26 new or enhanced models by the end of 2020: 11 hardcore M models and 15 M-Performance variants. As well as concentrating its efforts on bolstering the line-up with fresh new models, BMW M is also planning to sharpen its appeal through the launch of image-leading track-based variants within each model line. This will echo the approach taken with the recent introduction of the M3 CS and M4 CS. They will be complemented in 2018 by a similarly conceived version of the M2, which is also planned to receive a 400 hp version of BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine together with various aerodynamic and weightsaving measures to enhance its performance potential. BMW M has turned its attention to more affordable models, too. Nothing is official, but in a bid to match the likes of the Audi S3 and upcoming Mercedes-AMG A35, early development work has started on an M-Performance variant of the third-generation 1 Series, which forgoes the rear-wheel drive of today’s model for front-wheel drive. As with a similarly conceived M-Performance variant of the newly unveiled X2, it is set to be offered exclusively in 4-wheeldrive guise featuring a powered-up version of BMW’s turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder, which, in a first for an official BMW M model, will be mounted transversely. Van Meel played an integral role in the widening of Audi’s performance car portfolio with a combination of both S and RS models. Now he has applied this similar strategy to BMW M’s activities using a modular drivetrain strategy and technology drawn from other areas of BMW’s vast operations. This includes the sourcing of lightweight carbonfibre technology originally developed for the company’s i-branded models. Van Meel said: “BMW itself has significantly more models than BMW M. But we are looking at where we can expand our programme in the future. There is huge potential for growth. We are looking at all BMW models to see if we can make an M or M-Performance model out of them, although there must be sufficiently large customer demand before we commit. With M-Performance, we can reach buyers not possible with classic M models”. +++
+++ FORD ’s executive chairman is confident that China will lead the electric vehicle revolution. Ford executive chairman William C. Ford Jr. said the carmaker’s plan to introduce 15 electric of plug-in hybrid models in China by 2025 is a sign of its confidence in the market. “When I think of where EVs are going, it’s clearly the case that China will lead the world in EV development”, Ford Jr. said. In recent times, the Chinese government has announced a host of measures which it hopes will cement the country’s position as the most prosperous market for electrified vehicles. One of the measures adopted is to offer global automakers enticing financial incentives to sell EVs in the country, all while heavily taxing ICE vehicles with high emissions. What’s more, China now requires car manufacturers to build a certain number of ‘green’ vehicles or risk losing their right to sell diesel and petrol vehicles in the country. The likes of Volkswagen, Daimler, and General Motors are joining Ford with unprecedented investments in China. In fact, VW and its Chinese partners intend on launching 25 electrified models in the Chinese market between 2020 and 2025. Interestingly, Ford has discovered that many Chinese buyers are less concerned than most with the range of electric vehicles as the majority of their driving is done within cities. +++
+++ The JAGUAR XE SV Project 8 recently set a lap record for production sedans at the Nürburgring as the model lapped the green hell in 7 minutes and 21.23 seconds. That’s significantly faster than the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio but it doesn’t mean the British brand is ready to take on the competition. Jaguar doesn’t have any plans to offer a V8 engine in either the XE or XF. The only exception is the XE SV Project 8 which features a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 that produces 600 hp and enables the all-wheel drive model to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds before hitting a top speed of 321 km/h. When asked about the possibility of high-performance models, Jaguar design director Ian Callum told: “We work volume out proportionally” and “If we do an M3 version of XE, for instance, they’ll take the proportion of M3 to 3-Series and work it back from there”. Callum went on to say he doesn’t agree with this approach but “I’m not the one making those decisions”. While we shouldn’t the company to introduce direct competitors to the BMW M3 and M5, Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations has plans to introduce at least 1 model every year so we can expect an assortment of high-performance variants in the future. +++
+++ The new LAMBORGHINI Urus will attempt a lap record for production SUVs at the Nurburgring in spring 2018, the engineering boss has confirmed. R&D chief Maurizio Reggiani told the sledgehammer SUV would bid to be the fastest crossover around the Nordschleife once the weather improved. “We are doing it”, said board member Reggiani. “We need to wait for a warmer season with good weather. We will be back in the spring”. With a thundering 650 hp and 850 Nm of thrust from the Audi-developed but Lambo-tweaked 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8, the Urus will not be short of firepower for its record bid. The company quotes a 0-100 km/h time of 3.6 seconds and 305 km/h top speed, making it the fastest SUV on sale. The current Nurburgring lap record for an SUV is held by the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, whose 7 minutes 51.7 seconds laptime leapfrogged the Range Rover Sport SVR’s. Reggiani told he’s confident the Urus will beat that time comfortably. “We will do it”, he smiled. All a bit pointless? Certainly. Few owners will ever take their SUV on track. But it’s telling that manufacturers continue to care about such bragging rights; and a new record in spring 2018 would be a handy fillip for an important new launch for Lamborghini, as European customers wait for a summer 2018 delivery slot. +++
+++ Jaguar is gearing up to launch its I-Pace in the second half of 2018 and a new report is suggesting LAND ROVER will eventually receive its own version of the electric crossover. In an interview, Land Rover Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern confirmed the variant was inevitable. He declined to say when the model will be launched or how it will be positioned but the designer confirmed the vehicle will have to be capable off-road. That’s not much to go on but focusing on the model’s off-road capabilities would be one way to distinguish it from the Jaguar I-Pace. The model would also have unique styling with plenty of Land Rover DNA. There’s no word on what Land Rover’s version of the I-Pace will look like but McGovern said electric powertrains open up a number of possibilities as the elimination of a conventional engine frees up a significant amount of space. As he explained, “Do you want to utilize that space for all types of innovative features. Do you put all that extra space inside? That does fundamentally change the volume and proportions of the vehicle, which is crucially important to design”. Assuming Land Rover’s variant remains faithful to the I-Pace, we can expect the model to have a 90 kWh battery and an electric powertrain that develops approximately 400 hp and 698 Nm of torque. This should enable the crossover to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in around 4 seconds and have a range in excess of 354 km on a single charge. +++
+++ MASERATI could return to Formula One as early as next year, taking over naming rights for the Haas team. Sources insist Sergio Marchionne, who is CEO of both Ferrari and Maserati’s parent company, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, is preparing to send the Modena brand back to the Formula One fray for the first time in nearly 60 years. The deal will give Haas, the sport’s only US team, its first major sponsor after 2 self-funded years in the sport, with Maserati paying a rumoured 20 million euro a season to paint its Trident on dark blue engine covers. Effectively, the deal would pay all of Haas’s Ferrari V6 powertrain costs. Like Alfa Romeo’s sponsorship of perennial back marker, Sauber, it would effectively see Maserati paying Ferrari 20 million euro a season, via Haas. The Maserati-Haas outfit will be the fourth “Italian” team on the 2018 Formula One grid, though only Toro Rosso and Ferrari will actually be based in the country. There is another connection that could be useful to Maserati, with the Haas chassis development and construction contracted to Maserati’s near neighbor (and sometimes collaborator), Dallara, while the team also leases wind-tunnel time from Ferrari. Far from following through with its threat to withdraw from Formula One, Ferrari seems to be doubling down on the sport at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ expense, creating a 3-team voting bloc against the FIA’s proposed changes to its 2019 engine regulations. Both Haas and Sauber already ran Ferrari powertrains, though only Haas used a current powertrain this season as the cash-strapped Sauber fought on with a 2016 power unit. The new deals will see both teams use current Ferrari powertrain developments, paid for by Ferrari’s former owners, FCA. Maserati has been contacted for an official comment, but its spokespeople knew nothing of the deal. Marchionne hinted that his Formula One deal-making might not be over. “Is it possible for the Haas arrangement to turn into something other than what we have today? The answer is potentially ‘yes’ ”, he said. “But we’re very far away from a resolution on that matter, but it’s possible. We’ll see, time will tell”. The Maserati brand has a glorious Formula One history, albeit a long time ago, with the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio winning its last of its 2 driver’s championships in a 250F in 1957. It has 9 Grand Prix wins to its credit, all in the post-war 250F that was still a Formula One force in private hands into 1960 and helped Maria Teresa de Fillipis become the first woman to race in Formula One Grand Prix in 1958. The 250F was also entered grands Prix by private teams after the demise of the factory team and saw action in the hands of World Champions like Sir Jack Brabham, Phil Hill and Mike Hawthorn, along with other big-name racers Carroll Shelby, Masten Gregory, Roy Salvadori and Jo Bonnier. Its last official efforts in Formula One were as an engine supplier to the British Cooper team, whose V12-powered Cooper-Maserati T81 won the Mexican and South African grands Prix with John Surtees and Pedro Rodriguez in 1966 and 1967. It also has 2 Indianapolis 500 wins to its credit, with Wilbur Shaw dominating in both 1939 and 1940 in a supercharged, straight-eight 8CTF. He was leading in the same car in 1941, too, but a badly fitted wheel broke and the crash ended his career. Maserati’s driving roster is a Who’s Who of the early years of the Formula One World Championship, including Fangio, double world champion Alberto Ascari, Louis Chiron (of Bugatti Chiron fame), Stirling Moss and Peter Collins. While its chequered financial history kept it out of the sport in the 1970s and 1980s, former Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo fought furiously against Maserati involvement in single-seater racing. Its closest call was as naming rights engine provider for the failed A1 championship, though di Montezemolo torpedoed that deal at the 11th hour. It made a serious tilt at the Le Mans 24 Hour race, with Ferrari’s full approval, but the long-bodied MC12 hypercar failed to pass the “spirit of the regulations” test of the governing body, the ACO. It consoled itself by using the glorious-looking, Enzo-based V12 to dominate the FIA GT championship for the first decade of this century, winning 5 team titles in a row from 2005 and 4 drivers’ championships, then using the same car to win the FIA GT1 title in 2010. Maserati has seen its sales boom since it was fully reabsorbed into the FCA fold from Ferrari management, with sales growing from below 10,000 a year less than a decade ago to more than 42,000 last year on the back of its first SUV, the Levante. +++
+++ SELF DRIVING startup Delphi Automotive is changing its name to Aptiv and intends on slashing the cost of self-driving cars by over 90 percent. Company chief executive Kevin Clark said that Delphi Technologies will focus on traditional engine components while Aptiv will focus on autonomous vehicle technologies. As it stands, Aptiv estimates that the cost of self-driving hardware and software costs between 70,000 and 150,000 euro per vehicle. However, in an interview, Clark said the company intends on slashing this to roughly 5,000 euro by 2025. Clark asserts that one of the most significant areas of saving in the future will be the greater use of vehicle platforms created exclusively for electric vehicles with self-driving abilities. “Looking 5 to 10 years out, given the amount of software going into the car, the complexity of self-driving systems and infotainment systems, the basic architecture of the vehicle needs to be rethought”, Clark said. While Aptiv is confident that it can dramatically slash the costs of self-driving hardware and software, it doesn’t expect to see autonomous systems become the norm on individually-owned passenger cars before 2025. Instead, fleet operators will be the first to adopt the technology in large numbers as they’re capable of absorbing the costs. +++
+++ Former VOLKSWAGEN executive Oliver Schmidt has been sentenced to 7 years in prison and fined 400,000 dollar by a US District Court for his role in the Dieselgate scandal. Schmidt was the firm’s emissions compliance manager for the US from 2012 until February 2015. He had returned to Germany but was arrested at an airport in Florida in January. In August, he pleaded guilty to 2 charges related to the emission scandal: conspiracy to defraud the US to commit wire fraud and to violate the Clean Air Act; and violating the Clean Air Act. A third charge, relating to wire fraud, was dropped. Schmidt’s defence attorney had appealed for a maximum sentence of 40 months, with a 100,000 dollar fine. But in the Eastern District of Michigan United States District Court, federal judge Sean Cox told Schmidt: “It is my opinion that you are a key conspirator in this scheme to defraud the United States. You saw this as your opportunity to shine”. Both the 7-year sentence and fine were at the top end of sentencing guidelines. In a letter addressed to Cox ahead of the sentencing, Schmidt wrote: “I am truly embarrassed/ashamed to be standing in front of you”. He added that he felt he had been “misused by my own company in the diesel scandal”. When he entered his guilty plea, Schmidt said he learned in summer 2015 about the ‘defeat devices’ VW had installed on diesel vehicles that allowed them to pass laboratory emissions tests, and that he had failed to disclose the existence of such devices. Schmidt is the second Volkswagen employee to be sentenced to prison in the US for his role in the scandal. In August, James Liang, VW’s former head of diesel competence, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and fined 200,000 dollar. Volkswagen pleaded guilty in March to 3 criminal charges related to the scandal, receiving a 2.8 billion dollar fine and 3 years of probation. +++