+++ AUDI ’s growing SUV ranks are set to swell further with the addition of a new Q9 model in the future. Audi launched the Q8 as its flagship SUV in Shenzhen, China, earlier this month. At the time, CEO Rupert Stadler refused to rule out the possibility of an even larger and more luxurious model to sit above it if the expected customer demand is there. “The customers will tell us what they want in the future”, Stadler told when asked if Audi was planning a Q9. “Time will tell”. Stadler has since been suspended from Audi’s supervisory board, following his arrest as part of the investigation into the diesel emission manipulation scandal. Board member Abraham Schot has assumed the role of acting chairman. Asked the same question, Audi design boss Marc Lichte said: “We have so many ideas, so many ideas …”. Stadler confirmed a plug-in hybrid Q8 would join the line-up and said a high-performance RS version was likely. “I think the concept looks good”, he said when asked if Audi Sport will turn its attention to the Q8. Audi believes there is space to expand on price and positioning and challenge the likes of the Range Rover, which operates largely unchallenged in the pricecategory below the likes of the Bentley Bentayga. It’s here that Audi thinks it can grow and challenge Land Rover. The marque believes a Q9 could offer something different from Land Rover, being as much about technology as luxury and status. If it makes production as expected, the Q9 would be a direct rival to the Range Rover as the Q8 is to the Range Rover Sport. While Audi ultimately plans to launch a Q9 to sit atop its SUV range, it currently has no plans to launch an entry-level SUV smaller than the Q2. Any such a model would be difficult to make profitably. The Q2 is already one of the smaller SUV models on the market and, in the company’s eyes, the job of an entry-level Audi is well served by the A1, a second-generation version of which was recently revealed. “I think we are well equipped with Q2 because this is already a premium product at the right price point”, said Stadler, when asked of plans for a Q1. “The A1 is our car for very young people. Possibilities below that get tighter”. +++
+++ Fully AUTONOMOUS cars may never be allowed on the roads, according to a senior member of BMW. Ian Robertson, BMW’s special representative in the UK, believes that regulation will ultimately curtail autonomous features. “I think Governments will actually say ‘okay, autonomous can go this far’ ”, he said. “It won’t be too long before Government says, or regulators say, that in all circumstances it will not be allowed”. Robertson also said he thought humans would always be responsible for life-and-death decisions: “Even though the car is more than capable of taking an algorithm to make the choice, I don’t think we’re ever going to be faced where a car will make the choice between that death and another death”. BMW has significant experience with autonomous vehicles. Robertson explained the company operates several fleets of self-driving cars, including one in Germany that regularly runs 1,000 km between Munich and Trieste in northern Italy. Each of the company’s self-driving cars logs 40 terabytes of data every day, 20 times the amount of information recorded by an Airbus A380 as it crosses the Atlantic. Even so, Robertson said “the technology is not mature right now”. He explained: “The measure of success is how many times the engineer has to get involved. And we’re currently sitting at around 3 times every 1,000 km. Sounds pretty good, however that’s 3 times too many. It has to be perfect”. Robertson also said regulation needs to change for autonomous vehicles to be allowed on the road: “The Highway Code actually prevents autonomous driving. It is not allowed. And the Highway Code is a fundamental part of lots of other regulation”. +++
+++ BMW is considering giving its next-generation M3 an active rear-wheel steering system to enhance agility and boost high-speed stability. The car, now testing on public roads in development form and due to go on sale in 2020, would inherit the active technology from the 5 Series and 7 Series. If the hardware does make the cut and is fitted to the super-saloon, the M3 would be the only car in the upcoming 3 Series range (due later this year) to feature it.
BMW’s upcoming Mercedes-AMG C 63 rival can use the active steering technology because it’s built on BMW’s latest CLAR structure. This platform uses more aluminium and high-strength steel to save weight and improve chassis rigidity. CLAR already underpins the 5 Series and 7 Series, as well as M division models, and in the M3 it will be accompanied by extra carbonfibre parts, the largest of which will be an all-carbon roof. BMW has ruled out using a carbon core, like in the 7 Series, in the next 3 Series models, due to the complexity of the production process and significantly higher demand for the smaller saloon. But the new car is still pipped to weigh less than the recently revealed 1.585 kg M3 CS. The use of more exotic materials will enable the weight loss despite a small growth for the M3, with an expected 20 mm growth in wheelbase and 60 mm expansion in total length. It’s understood that BMW isn’t interested in offering a part-time 4-wheeldrive system like the one used on the new M5, largely due to the weight penalty it would bring. Power will be sent rearwards from an extensively updated version of BMW’s twin-scroll turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-6 engine. The M3 CS, the run-out version of today’s F80 M3, produces 460 hp, but a figure of 470 hp is predicted for the standard version of the next M3. While not confirmed, part of the performance increase could come from the use of a water injection system like the one employed by the M4 GTS, enabling reduced cylinder temperatures for more efficient running. This suggestion is backed by comments from Bosch, the company that developed the system. It revealed that the technology would be featured on more models from 2019. However, packaging challenges brought by the requirement for a water tank may prevent its use. Comments from company vice-president Dirk Hacker revealed that BMW is investigating using electrification, likely in the form of gearbox-mounted electric motors, in M models to boost torque and reduce emissions. But insiders have told that the M3 will retain a pure combustion engine system in a bid to save weight and prevent costs from spiralling. The car’s petrol powerplant will therefore be the only source of drive through a standard-fit 6-speed manual gearbox or optional 8-speed automatic. The latter will enable the best performance figures, thanks to an electronic launch control system. My previous sighting of a test car for the BMW M3 gave away little as to how the car will look, with the test lights fitted to the car not representative of the LED lights due for the production model. The only giveaways that this is an M3 test car are the large brake rotors and quad-tip exhaust system. The overall shape is familiar and suggests that the new M3 will evolve the look of the current car in a similar vein to the latest 5 Series and M5 models compared with their predecessors. There will also be big improvements to aerodynamic efficiency, with the final design heavily influenced by wind tunnel research. Along with the reduced wind noise that this more slippery shape will afford, the car’s stiffer CLAR underpinnings will reduce the amount of vibration transmitted through the chassis and into the car to enhance overall refinement. BMW is also expected to dial back the spring rates of the regular 3 Series models in order to make each model more supple over bumps; a response to the more comfortable set-up used by Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The more rigid BMW structure may also allow M division engineers to give the M3 a more compliant ride in its most comfortable mode without hampering the car’s overall dynamic ability, making it a better all-rounder and potentially more forgiving in low-grip scenarios. Inside, the next M3 will follow the new M5’s footsteps and swap its dashtop infotainment screen for one that’s more tidily integrated into the dashboard. The iDrive system is expected to retain a rotary control knob because it has been praised for its ease of use in current cars. The M3 will also gain significantly more advanced driver assist features, but former sales and marketing boss Ian Robertson has hinted that most BMW models will steer clear of the full autonomous hardware suites to be used on i5 and i7 due from 2021. M models, in particular, will still possess a very driver-centric character. Beneath the M3, the most significant M model in terms of sales, BMW’s best engineers will also be called on to work on a range of M division-fettled cars. These will include a rear-wheel-drive M340i M Performance model that will feature a 360 hp version of BMW’s inline 6-cylinder engine. There will also be a four-wheel-drive M340d xDrive M Performance car, which will be equipped with a 320 hp version of the company’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre inline 6-cylinder diesel engine. The M3 will continue to form the basis for the technically identical M4 Coupé, while the aforementioned M-worked 3 Series models will lend their hardware to a 2-door M440i M Performance coupé and M440d M Performance coupé. These models are also due to arrive in showrooms in 2020 and are part of a 26-model onslaught of M division-tuned cars that aims to more extensively rival the growing ranges of Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport. +++
+++ Look out of the plane window when approaching Beijing from the west, near Ulanqab, and on a clear day you’ll notice the desert is broken by black squares. Were the plane to lower its altitude, the shapes would identify themselves as industrial solar farms, generating millions of kilowatts of electricity to power homes. For years, CHINA has been the world’s largest manufacturer of solar panels and a leading investor in renewable energy. The economic superpower has now set its sight on electric cars, with the aim to become a global leader in the sector. To see how the largest car market in the world is gearing up for an electric revolution, I travelled to Beijing and spoke to some of the country’s biggest and newest players. China’s Government will say the drive towards electrification is to reduce the deadly air pollution in cities, and to an extent this is true. In Beijing, air quality regularly reaches dangerous levels, with the smog hiding high-rise buildings and forcing people to stay indoors. Official estimates suggest up to a third of the air pollution is caused by vehicles. But there is also industrial politics at play. China relies heavily on oil imports from abroad, and its domestic vehicle manufacturers haven’t been able to take on rivals from Japan, Europe and the US. With electrification, it’s hoping to become a major force, and this is where its traditional manufacturers come in. Changan is one of China’s ‘Big Four’ domestic car makers. Last year, the state-owned firm sold over 2.87 million vehicles, equating to roughly 10 % of China’s 28.8 million new vehicle sales. Of that total figure, only 770,000 were new energy vehicles (NEVs; China’s definition for alternative fuel vehicles that encompass hybrids, PHEVs, EVs and hydrogen cars) but this is set to grow rapidly in the future. Wei Li, vice president of new energy vehicles at Changan, told: “By 2020, we are aiming to sell 30,000 new energy vehicles. By 2025, we are aiming to sell 820,000 new energy vehicles”. Li said the company is also looking to have its entire line-up electrified by 2025. To help, the Government is ploughing billions into new energy vehicle developments. Previous estimates suggest up to 400 billion RMB (52 billion euro) is being spent on NEV subsidies between 2015 and 2020. Another 25 billion RMB (3,3 billion euro) is being spent on developing the charging infrastructure. If investment in the sector is the carrot in this equation, then the stick comes from another policy adopted by Chinese regulators. “Many cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen have licence plate restrictions for new internal combustion cars”, Li told me. “It can take years to get registration for a normal car. But NEVs do not have similar restrictions, making it much easier for people to buy and register a car”. China’s centrally planned economy also means the country can mobilise quickly towards new technologies. “This year, the Government in March announced that it will build 800,000 charging stations”, Li added. “Also, there is support for automotive companies to build their own stations. Changan alone will build 4,000 to 5,000 charging stations this year. For China, these aren’t very big numbers we’re talking about”. It’s not just in sheer volume and economies of scale that the country hopes to win international fortunes. The country is also home to some of the biggest lithium-ion battery manufacturers in the world, including BYD, Wanxiang and Lishen; placing China years ahead of the likes of Europe, which still has no battery manufacturing facilities. This kind of manufacturing capacity is why financial expert Goldman Sachs estimates China could account for up to 60 % of global new energy vehicle sales by 2030. It’s already home to the largest manufacturer and seller of NEVs. BYD, or Build Your Dreams, which has been manufacturing lithium/ion batteries for 23 years and has an 18 % share of the world’s lithium battery market cornered, sold 114,000 NEVs worldwide in 2017. “Our sales target for 2018 is to sell 200,000 NEVs worldwide”, says Mia Gu, brand communications manager for BYD. In China, NEV buyers are also given tax incentives by local governments, where they only face between 0 and 50 % of the vehicle tax, which in China is based on the vehicle cost. “This is necessary as one of the Government goals is to have 5 million NEVs on the road by 2020”, says Gu. It’s not just the established manufacturers in China that are looking to shake up the EV game. Today, the country has over 300 new energy vehicle start-ups, born from tech, ride-hailing and even mobile app companies, each aiming to cash in on the electric revolution. One of them is Weltmeister (German for ‘world champion’). Founded in 2015 by ex-Geely and Fiat executive Freeman Shen, it’s one of China’s most promising and ambitious start-ups. Its EX5 SUV is already in production with deliveries starting later this year for its 10,000 pre-orders. The SUV has some very impressive figures: a 500 km range and a fully connected, hi-tech interior, all for 112,000 RMB, or 15,000 euro (tax not included). Shen believes the start-ups have an edge over traditional makers. “The problem is all electric cars in China are based on a traditional platform”, he said. “Manufacturers with combustion platform look at what assets they can use in EVs; anything from components to brand image. So a lot have trouble convincing buyers they are now an EV company. We don’t”. With a factory already built in Wenzhou capable of producing 100,000 units a year, Weltmeister is going to be one of the first NEV start-ups to bring a new model to the market. It’s also eyeing China’s growing ride-sharing economy. “We have a platform strategy that can vary between different users”, Shen told us. “We can turn the EX5 into several versions, including a car specifically built for ride-sharing use, called EX5 Pro. Weltmeister is, I believe, the first in the world to do so”. The pace of development for Weltmeister has been phenomenal. When he started the company 3 years ago, Shen recruited 300 former colleagues from Volvo, Fiat and Geely. His workforce has now grown to 1,500, with 10,000 pre-orders booked and over 20 billion RMB (2.5 billion euro) in investment. With the whole nation seemingly geared towards electrification, it’s hard to see how China won’t become a global player in the electric market. But the country’s economic history has shown that rival trade blocs in Europe and the US are often quick to impose trade penalties on Chinese goods. Chinese solar makers now face tariffs from abroad after being accused of oversupplying the market at artificially low prices. While electric cars may not face similar measures, there’s no denying that 300 start-ups plus a host of traditional manufacturers may mean oversupply and stiff competition, especially as Western makers set up shop in China, too. Could there be troubles ahead? Wei Li of Changan said: “It could be the case that not all these start-ups are here after 5 years”. Weltmeister isn’t worried. “China has a huge gap for affordable electric cars with a good user experience. Millions want this and that’s where we come in”, Shen said. “China is big enough for us. For a while, at least”. +++
+++ DS will make its biggest assault on the mainstream new car market with the launch of the 3 Crossback, which is due to be revealed at the Paris motor show this October before arriving on roads as an Audi Q2 rival. Slotting into one of the world’s fastest-growing segments, the compact SUV comes with promise of attracting new buyers to the brand. It could potentially overtake DS’s longstanding top seller, the 3 hatchback, despite costing more to buy. DS’s Paris show car will be a fully electric model (used to emphasise the brand’s electrification plans) but when the 3 Crossback goes on sale, it will also offer pure combustion-engined versions. This will give it a wide variety of powertrain options, as per the PSA Group’s plan to broaden the reach of each car it makes. Using PSA’s Compact Modular Platform (CMP) underpinnings, which can be adjusted to eCMP form for electrified powertrains, the 3 Crossback is due with a familiar range of turbocharged 3 and 4-cylinder engines, including the 1.2 Puretech and 1.6 THP petrol units. The smaller engine will come in the entry-level car, which is predicted to start from about 28,500 euro in The Netherlands. That would undercut the Q2 (31.850 euro) and be about 8,000 euro more than the 3 hatchback. Although diesel has suffered a heavy sales decrease in recent months, demand for the fuel type remains strong enough that it’s likely the 3 Crossback will be offered with the PSA Group’s 1.5 BlueHDi engine. The aforementioned combustion engines will almost inevitably account for the bulk of 3 Crossback sales, but the launch of an electric model (DS’s first) will set the premium French brand on a path laid out by its parent company to become a builder of only electrified cars from 2025. The 3 Crossback EV will therefore be a pivotal model in the brand’s future growth plans. DS plans to launch a new car every year between now and 2025, with each one arriving with an electrified variant. CMP-based cars will spawn EV variants, while larger models based on EMP2 underpinnings, such as the larger 7 Crossback SUV, will use hybrid drivelines. Autointernationaal.nl understands that the 3 Crossback could eventually indirectly replace the 3 hatchback, which only comes in 3-door form, but this wouldn’t happen until that model reaches the end of its lifecycle. A spokesman told that “profitability is key” with regard to the future range, suggesting that the future DS line-up will lose models that are not based on its CMP (and eCMP) or EMP2 structures. This mirrors streamlining plans for the wider PSA Group. DS is also pushing to emphasise its premium rank within the PSA Group (which also includes Peugeot, Citroën and Opel/Vauxhall) by applying a completely bespoke design language to its models. DS first showed its new look with the new 7 Crossback. Sightings of 3 Crossback development cars suggest the smaller model will inherit much of that car’s design, including its slim lights and wide-mouthed front grille. Peugeot has demonstrated the effectiveness of launching SUV models; its strong sales growth represented more than twothirds of PSA’s 2017 sales. DS’s more expensive products mean it is unlikely to challenge for the top spot, but executives will be hoping the 3 Crossback can turn the company’s recent sales downturn on its head. Demand for DS models declined by a significant 38.5% last year, largely due to a heavy decrease in sales in the Chinese market. +++
+++ The Terzo Millennio concept LAMBORGHINI introduced last year wasn’t merely a rolling display of technology. It has inspired a limited-edition hypercar the firm has already been shown to select few prospective buyers, according to a recent report. Lamborghini calls the car LB48H. It borrows styling cues from the Terzo Millennio but it swaps the concept’s battery-electric powertrain for a hybrid set-up. There’s no word yet on whether it’s a mild hybrid, a standard hybrid, or a plug-in hybrid. I’d bet on the latter, though. Interestingly, the LB48H’s design, drivetrain, and technology will preview the Aventador’s successor, which we expect to see around 2020. This has happened before. Remember the 2007 Reventon? The blacked-out, limited-edition model gave the world an early look at the Aventador introduced in 2011. Lamborghini will allegedly show the LB48H in New York and in Tokyo in the coming months, and production will begin before the end of the year. If that’s accurate, we might get our first glimpse of it in August during the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Of course, Lamborghini hasn’t commented on the report. Lamborghini will make just 63 examples of the car, a number likely chosen because Ferruccio Lamborghini founded the company that bears his name in 1963. Pricing will start in the vicinity of 2.5 million dollar. +++
+++ The largest energy storage system comprising electric car batteries in Europe has been switched on today in Amsterdam, where it will help power the Ajax football team’s Johan Cruijff Arena. NISSAN has supplied the equivalent of 148 new and used Leaf batteries to the location as part of a collaboration with technology firms, including electric power company Eaton, and local authorities. The battery cells enable the storage of energy captured by the 4.200 solar panels on the roof of the stadium. Nissan said the 3 MW and 2.8 MWh storage technology, which will help to flatline the stadium’s demand from the Dutch electricity grid, would provide “reliable and efficient energy” to the stadium and its neighbours. During low-energy periods, it can even contribute to the grid. Nissan said the new system “creates a circular economy for electric vehicle batteries”. The company’s energy boss, Francisco Carranza, said “re-purposing the batteries of Nissan electric vehicles can contribute to making the whole energy system more efficient and sustainable”. Henk van Raan, director of innovation at the Johan Cruijff Arena, said that the system will assure the arena with “a considerable amount of power, even during an outage”. He said the stadium will also “contribute to a stable Dutch energy grid”. The Dutch power system is the latest of several investments made by Nissan to extend the usability and life of its electric car batteries. Earlier this year, it began a project with the British government to install 1000 vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging points across the UK over the 3 three years. Carranza said: “We’re putting our electric ecosystem at the heart of a sustainable future, transforming the way we drive and the way we live”. +++