+++ AUDI ’s finalised plans for the all-new A4 include an electric-only 4-wheeldrive performance RS model and a hybrid RS4 to top a line-up underpinned by 2 different platforms, according to well-placed Ingolstadt insiders. One platform will be used for combustion-engined hybrid variants and the other for pure-electric models. The 6th generation A4 is due to go on sale in 2023. Volume-selling versions of Audi’s long-running BMW 3 Series rival will continue to be sold in Limousine and Avant bodystyles based on a modified version of the existing MLB platform, which underpins a wide variety of other Volkswagen Group models. The Audi A4 Avant has now broken cover for the first time on public roads, giving clues to a design overhaul that will bring it into line with Audi’s newer models, including the e-Tron line of EVs. A low, wide front grille, slimline headlights and a more rakish roofline look to be the key differentiators from the current car, and while this mule’s distinctive circular rear lights may not make it to production, I would expect a redesign at the back, too. The new A4 will offer a range of upgraded petrol and diesel engines equipped with either mild- or plug-in hybrid assistance and offered in both front- and 4-wheeldrive (Quattro) layouts. Markus Hoffmann, head of R&D at Audi, said: “We already have electrification modules today, from mild hybrids to plug-in hybrids, and we will be focusing even more intensively on electrification in the cars that follow”. Electrification will extend throughout the range, all the way up to the successor to the RS4, which will retain today’s twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine but is in line to receive electric assistance that will lift its output beyond the 450 hp and 600 Nm ft of the existing model. Also under development at the German car maker is the new pure-electric A4 e-Tron. Set to challenge the Tesla Model 3 and newly unveiled BMW i4, it is based around the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture that has been developed in a joint engineering programme between Audi and Volkswagen Group sibling company Porsche. The PPE platform used by the A4 E-tron will be shared with the upcoming Q6 e-Tron, as well as an electric version of the second generation Macan currently under development at Porsche. The architecture will also underpin the new A6 e-Tron, recently revealed in concept form and which, like the A4 e-Tron, will be sold alongside its combustion-engined namesake until petrol and diesel are discontinued. The new electric A4 is set to adopt broadly similar exterior styling to its combustion-engined siblings but will be differentiated visually by a blanked-off grille and other unique design elements to further improve its aerodynamic efficiency. Although not yet confirmed, it is likely to feature a 5-door layout with a liftback-style tailgate similar to today’s A5 Sportback, following the lead of the A6 E-tron. The A4 e-Tron will be sold with a choice of single-motor rear-drive and dual-motor 4-wheeldrive (Quattro) layouts when it arrives in 2024. The line-up will be crowned by an electric RS performance model from the Audi Sport division, packing up to 477 hp and 800 Nm. Audi is committed to introducing up to 20 new pure-electric models by 2025. But with the existing A4 accounting for roughly a fifth of annual global Audi sales in recent years, a move to electric power exclusively for its successor was considered too premature by Ingolstadt decision makers, who have said the company will produce petrol and diesel A4s through to 2030. Dimensionally, the new A4 is said to be little changed over today’s model, which stretches to 4.772 mm in length, 1.847 mm in width and 1.435 mm in height. By comparison, the A6 e-Tron concept is 4.939 mm long, 1.960 mm wide and 1.457 mm tall. Among the changes made to the MLB platform used by petrol and diesel versions of the new A4 is a modified rear structure to package a 14.4kWh (usable) lithium ion battery. Set to feature on upcoming plug-in hybrid A4 models, it is the same battery used by plug-in versions of today’s Q5, A6 and A7. It is also found in the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid and Panamera E-Hybrid. Details remain scarce, but the same battery currently fitted to today’s larger models gives a WLTP electric driving range of up to 70 km, which Audi could seek to boost nearer to the 100 km claimed EV range of the new MercedesBenz C-Class. Further developments for the MLB platform include a new electric architecture with 48V capability. This enables the adoption of additional functions such as the Dynamic All-Wheel Steering system used by the A6, A7, A8, Q7 and Q8, as well as new level two autonomous driving functions currently being developed by Audi’s Car.Software division. It also provides the base for a range of new digital and connectivity features. Among them is near-field communication functionality being developed by Audi and Huawei. This enables contactless payment for refuelling or charging, tolls, parking, drive-through dining and other services from within the car via the MyAudi app. The new A4 will run an updated version of the current model’s aluminium-intensive multi-link front and rear suspension, with adaptive damping on selected models. Earlier speculation suggested the next A4 would receive rear air springs, although they may be reserved exclusively for the A4 e-Tron. The key combustion engine for the 2023 A4 is a fifth generation version of the Audi developed turbocharged 2.0-litre 4 cylinder EA888 petrol unit. First introduced in 2008, it is being re-engineered to meet stiff new Euro 7 emission regulations with a number of innovations, including newly developed fuel injection and particulate filter systems. The reworked combustion engines for the A4 are set to be mated exclusively to either a 7-speed dual-clutch or a 8-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox to guarantee maximum efficiency and bring emissions down as far as possible. The 6-speed manual gearbox available on today’s model will be made redundant as part of plans to reduce parts complexity. The PPE platform underpinning the new A4 E-tron will be predominantly the same structure used by the A6 e-Tron, but with a shorter wheelbase and narrower tracks. A development of the J1 platform used by the Audi e-Tron GT and Porsche Taycan, it can accommodate battery packs of various capacities. The largest version is set to provide the new Audi model with a range of up to 700 km, together with an 800 Volt system that offers charging at speeds of up to 270 kW. +++
+++ Toyota has hinted at plans to launch a new iteration of the PRIUS , one of its longest-serving models, alongside its first battery-electric cars. The Prius was launched in 1997, initially in saloon form, as the first mass-produced hybrid car. Some 24 years later and in its fourth generation, it remains one of the best-selling hybrids worldwide, comparing favourably with its Camry, C-HR, Corolla, Highlander, RAV4 and Yaris siblings, which all use variations of the ‘self-charging’ hybrid technology it pioneered. But Toyota has so far remained tight-lipped on the model’s future, even as it confirms that hybrid powertrains will continue to play a key role in its electrification strategy over the coming years. Asked if the Prius is still an important part of Toyota’s line-up and whether there will be another generation, product and marketing boss Andrea Carlucci told: “It remains the pioneer into electrification, and has been clearly, for Toyota, an icon. It started our journey back more than 25 years ago. “It has to keep a role, and we have to make sure it will always be a front-runner with that kind of technology, so (although I can’t disclose much) we don’t want to waste our icon, even for the future”. Carlucci hinted at the continued viability of full-hybrid powertrains over the coming years as EV charging infrastructure expands. “When we look at Europe”, he said, “we define a region where we might have an acceleration; but globally, as we try to demonstrate the different solutions, we still have a centre of gravity around the hybrid. So the Prius remains clearly iconic and stands for what we are: hybrid and a leader in electrification”. The Prius has been on sale in its current form since 2016 and, based on the 6-year lifecycles of the previous iterations, is up for renewal in 2022. Toyota has given no clues as to what to expect of a successor, but it has confirmed that it’s working on a new Europe-specific ‘E3′ vehicle architecture that can accommodate electric, plug-in hybrid and full-hybrid powertrains, using elements of its existing GA-C and incoming bZ platforms. Such a set-up could be used for a Mk5 Prius, which could feasibly be sold for another lifecycle in Europe with its current hybrid powertrain, given the ban on new ICE car sales won’t come into effect until 2035. Making that scenario more feasible is the fact that Toyota has just revealed an updated version of its hybrid powertrain with improved efficiency and performance over the current system. +++
+++ The British government has offered a series of incentives to EV manufacturer RIVIAN in an effort to encourage the US start-up to build a new factory near Bristol in Somerset. According to people familiar with the negotiations, the government has offered to build a new M5 motorway junction, develop training facilities and reinstate a disused railway line at the Gravity business park near Bristol, where Rivian could invest £1 billion in a new factory. The UK is in competition with Serbia and “at least one other European country” to secure Rivian’s investment and a decision could come within several weeks. The site also reports that government officials have been in discussions with Rivian executives in recent days and that Rivian’s approval would be a significant boost for prime minister Boris Johnson’s ‘Levelling Up’ development plans. Johnson is said to be “closely involved” in the talks, as are executives from Amazon, which holds a substantial stake in Rivian and has committed to buying 100.000 of its electric vans. It is not yet confirmed whether Rivian would build batteries, vehicles or both at the site. Rivian’s car line-up comprises the technically identical R1T pick-up truck and R1S SUV from launch. Sat atop a bespoke, skateboard-style platform, the duo are said to offer a maximum range of more than 640 km, a 0-100 kph time of 3.0 seconds and impressive off-road ability. They will be priced from the equivalent of €40.000 in the US and it could reasonably be expected for European versions to roughly maintain that pricing structure if localised production is secured. Given that large SUVs and trucks are far less in demand in Europe than in the US, though, it could be more likely that the factory would build local-spec versions of Rivian’s bespoke Amazon delivery van. News of Rivian’s potential plans for a UK-based production outpost comes shortly after Nissan announced plans to drastically upgrade and futureproof its Sunderland factory with a dedicated battery facility and a new production line for a new electric crossover which will replace the Leaf. Stellantis also recently provided a boost for UK manufacturing with the announcement that the long-uncertain future of its Ellesmere Port facility had been secured: it will now build small electric vans for Citroën, Peugeot and Opel / Vauxhall. If Bristol is chosen as the final location, Rivian’s factory will only be around an hour from the ex-Honda factory in Swindon, which closed earlier this year. Notably, the Bristol site in question has previously been linked to Tesla. +++
+++ Global car giant STELLANTIS has said it will generate €20 billion in revenue from software-enabled products and subscriptions in 2030, as it gears up for a new era of over-the-air updates and artificial intelligence (AI). The firm, which owns Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, Peugeot and Vauxhall, announced that it will invest more than €30 billion to 2025 to execute the “software and electrification transformation”. In the short term, it will mean that by 2024, the majority of all new vehicles will be fully updatable over the air. Today, Stellantis has 12 million monetisable connected cars globally. By 2026, this is set to grow to 26 million vehicles and make €4 billion in revenues, and by 2030 it will reach 34 million vehicles and €20 billion in annual revenues. The firm has identified 5 areas in which to grow its software and connected services business: services and subscriptions; features on demand; data as a service and fleet services; vehicle pricing and resale value and conquests; and service retention and cross-selling. It has also announced 3 new AI technology platforms, to be deployed from 2024: STLA Brain, STLA SmartCockpit and STLA AutoDrive. STLA Brain is over-the-air capable with 30 modules rather than today’s 10. Stellantis said it “breaks today’s bond between hardware and software generations, enabling software developers to create and update features and services quickly without waiting for a new hardware launch”. These over-the-air updates will “dramatically reduce costs for both the customers and Stellantis, simplify maintenance for the user and sustain vehicle residual values”, added the company. The second platform, STLA SmartCockpit, is intended to “seamlessly integrate with the digital lives of vehicle occupants to create a customisable third living space”. It is developed in partnership with Foxconn and delivers AI-based applications such as navigation, voice assistance, e-commerce marketplace and payment services. Finally, STLA AutoDrive, developed in partnership with BMW, will offer level two, Level 2+ and Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities and will be continuously upgraded through over-the-air updates. The partnership with Foxconn aims to design new flexible semiconductors for both Stellantis and third-party customers. Stellantis said the 4 families of chips will cover more than 80 % of the firm’s micro-controllers’ needs, helping “to greatly simplify the supply chain”. These chips are set to be in Stellantis vehicles by 2024. The project will be a welcome development given the global shortage of semi-conductors. While it will not help the current crisis, it will go some way to safeguard Stellantis from repeat issues in the future. The company has also announced it will launch a usage-based insurance programme next year, leveraging its data collection capabilities. Stellantis boss Carlos Taveres commented: “Our electrification and software strategies will support the shift to become a sustainable mobility tech company to lead the pack, leveraging the associated business growth with over-the-air features and services, and delivering the best experience to our customers. With the 3 all-new AI-powered technology platforms to arrive in 2024, we will leverage the speed and agility associated with the decoupling of hardware and software cycles”. Talking about the tie-up with Foxconn, Tavares added: “Our software-defined transformation will be powered by great partners across industries and expertise. With Foxconn, we aim to create 4 new families of chips that will cover over 80 % of our semiconductor needs, helping to significantly modernise our components, reduce complexity and simplify the supply chain. This will also boost our ability to innovate faster and build products and services at a rapid pace”. +++
+++ TOYOTA will increase the powertrain flexibility of its future European models with a single platform able to accommodate hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric propulsion, according to the firm’s European CEO, Matt Harrison. Dubbed the E3 platform, it will reportedly combine various elements of Toyota’s global compact platform (TNGA-C) and the e-TNGA platform used in the company’s forthcoming electric-only models. Toyota currently doesn’t have the capability to build EV-only models in Europe, and the new E3 architecture (said to stand for Emotion, Engagement and Energy) combines elements from existing platforms manufactured on this continent, which would give the brand the ability to produce pure-electric cars here. As it stands, the firm’s only pure EV (the forthcoming BZ4X crossover) will be built in Japan and imported. The new platform will, it is claimed, allow Toyota to build a mixture of hybrid and EV-powered models at its plants in Turkey and Derbyshire, UK, in the near-future. Nothing is confirmed, but it is thought that models such as the next-generation C-HR would be prime candidates for the E3 platform, allowing them to feature various electrified powertrains to suit the needs of different customers. “We are convinced that the journey to carbon neutrality will not be only electric, it will be eclectic that is to say, it will embrace multiple technologies and fuels which all lead to the same destination”, Toyota’s European CEO, Matt Harrison, told. By basing the new platform partly on existing structures within the brand, Toyota can minimise costs and timeframes for launching new models, It can also use existing factory lines with less adaptation required: the Turkish and British plants already build TNGA-C based models, such as the Corolla, and have a combined output of more than 450.000 units a year. The strategy is similar to that of the Stellantis group, which sells a number of models with the choice of petrol, diesel, hybrid or fully electric powertrains. However, no model within the group is available with both EV and hybrid powertrain choices – individual brands must decide which electrified option suits its customers’ needs. +++
+++ Kaizen: a single word of Japanese that sets TOYOTA apart. It means ‘continuous improvement’, and it came back to mind late last month when Toyota became the first car maker to declare it was back to full production capacity, having overcome the chip crisis’s challenges. Toyota’s primacy today owes everything to tragedy, the 2011 earthquake that triggered a tsunami and subsequent meltdown of the nuclear powerplant in Fukushima having laid bare the fragility of its supply chain. It took production six months to recover, and kaizen demanded lessons be learned; 500 priority items, semiconductor chips among them, were found as risks. Counterintuitive it might seem for a firm that pioneered and perfected just-in-time manufacturing to build 4-to-6 month stockpiles of key parts in case of natural disaster, but that’s exactly what Toyota asked its suppliers to do. It also renegotiated its contracts to better reward suppliers. All car makers factor in cost-tightening over the lifetime of parts, reasoning that efficiencies will be found. Toyota notably returned a portion of this to its chip suppliers in return for them keeping stocks at the high levels it demanded. What’s more, at no point in the pandemic did Toyota break these contracts; in the face of no customers, almost every other car maker did, leaving the chip makers free to take their business elsewhere. Anecdotally, many were happy to do so, such were the rock-bottom prices some car firms paid. Those 2 stories reveal a human side to the firm that’s perhaps shrouded by the fact that it’s the world’s biggest car maker but which shouldn’t be overlooked. There are many examples of Toyota’s transformation under Akio Toyoda, but I have one stemming from hearing first-hand his brief but now poignant speech at the 2019 Tokyo motor show. He recalled his great-grandfather inventing a fabric loom that was revolutionary for stopping automatically if just a single thread broke, highlighting its ingenuity for preventing faulty products being made and empowering workers to focus beyond the machinery. Kaizen was born. He spoke then about how manufacturing was really about developing people and how the changing world was about to unleash an era in which “non-crisis” would be alien. It was a rallying call, making clear that although kaizen had never left room for complacency, transformation in the near future could be achieved only by human endeavour. He couldn’t have foreseen what Covid-19 would do to the world just months later, but now more than ever, the power of Toyota’s founding ethos is reaping rewards. +++
+++ The number of new cars registered in the UNITED KINGDOM was up 1.7 % year on year in November, ending 4 consecutive months of decline. New figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show that 115,706 new cars were registered last month, up from 113.781 in the same period last year. The trade body noted, however, that this small uptick “must be viewed in the context of a weak 2020, when lockdowns impacted registrations”. It also highlighted that, with the ongoing semiconductor shortage throttling new car output, the market remains 31.3 % down on the pre-pandemic 5-year average. Petrol cars claimed the largest share of the market, at 43.3 % of all models registered, while diesel cars claimed just a 5.1 % share. More striking was a significant uptick in electrified vehicle registrations, with demand for plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) climbing 39.7 % year-on-year and battery-electric cars (BEVs) by 110 %. PHEVs claimed a 9.3 % market share overall, while BEVs accounted for 18.8 % of registrations, equating to 21.726 units; more than double the proportion sold in November 2020. So far this year, the SMMT reports that 1.538.585 new cars have been registered in the UK, and around 1 in 6 has some form of plug-in drivetrain. Add in full hybrids (which have a 9.0 % market share) and some 26.5 % of the new car market is electrified. The SMMT has repeated its call for Britain’s EV charging network to be rapidly upgraded and expanded to cope with the increasing popularity of electrified vehicles. It said there is “just one standard on-street public charger installed for every 52 new plug-in cars registered over the course of this year” and that Britain’s charger-to-vehicle ratio is “one of the worst among the top 10 global electric vehicle markets at the end of 2020”. The SMMT has called on the government to impose binding targets for the improvement of the country’s charging infrastructure to keep pace with growing EV demand and the phasing out of ICE vehicles over the coming years. SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said a slight uptick in new car registrations doesn’t mean the industry is well on the road to recovery: “What looks like a positive performance belies the underlying weakness of the market. Demand is there, with a slew of new, increasingly electrified, models launched, but the global shortage of semiconductors continues to bedevil production and therefore new car registrations. “The industry is working flat out to overcome these issues and fulfil orders, but disruption is likely to last into next year, compounding the need for customers to place orders early”. Hawes’ comments come as lead times for most mainstream new cars are significantly longer than usual, with many manufacturers severely constrained by a lack of necessary components. He also renewed his appeal for an improved EV charger network: “The continued acceleration of electrified vehicle registrations is good for the industry, the consumer and the environment but, with the pace of public charging infrastructure struggling to keep up, we need swift action and binding public charger targets so that everyone can be part of the electric vehicle revolution, irrespective of where they live” +++
+++ After the launch of the XC90 successor and the 3, VOLVO and Polestar will each turn their attention to introducing new entry-level electric SUVs in the coming years. Volvo is understood to be working on a premium-oriented compact crossover in the vein of the Mercedes-Benz EQA and DS 3 Crossback E-Tense. The model will play a key role in the brand’s ambition for EVs to account for 50 % of its global sales by 2025. Previously tipped to take either the XC20 or C20 moniker into production, it has now been confirmed to follow the XC90 replacement in adopting a new name and, like that car, will sit high off the ground but feature a streamlined silhouette to maximise efficiency. Notably, Zeekr claims it can charge at speeds of up to 360 kW, which allows for 120 km of range to be added in just 5 minutes. However, the 001’s 550 hp twin-motor drivetrain is likely to remain the preserve of performance-focused models. Other headline features of the SEA architecture include its automatically lowering suspension, facial recognition functionality and ‘full-life’ over-the-air update compatibility. Polestar’s second SUV, the 4 which is due in 2023, will sit between the 2 and 3 in terms of size and feature similarly rakish proportions to the flagship model but it will be positioned as a more mass-market proposition. It will sit lower to the ground than the 3 and even has a more heavily curved roofline, but Polestar boss Thomas Ingenlath said it will not “compromise much” on interior space. Its size and positioning (Polestar has hinted at a price of around €62.000) suggest it will be closely related to Volvo’s existing C40 Recharge and, as such, could use the same CMA architecture as that car and its 2 stablemate. This would mean the option of front and all-wheel drive, and a choice of either 64 kWh or 78 kWh batteries. +++