+++ Despite having announced the completion of the first Valkyrie hypercar, ASTON MARTIN may be delaying deliveries of the car because of electronics issues. Internal sources who wish to remain anonymous say that the challenges of getting certain systems to work have delayed initial deliveries of the model. Aston Martin then confirmed to the outlet that, although the first model was completed early in November, it has not yet been handed over to its new owner. Aston Martin downplayed the delay, though. “The first customer car has completed its shakedown, with documentation now being prepared for delivery in the next few days”, it told, adding that the first Valkyrie will be shipped “without any compromises”. It further wrote that production was continuing “at pace”. The spokesperson wouldn’t comment on any electronic issues but went on to say that Aston Martin expects double-digit Valkyrie deliveries before the year ends in a few weeks. To be sure, the hypercar is a complicated beast. “The Aston Martin Valkyrie program has tested everyone who has worked on it to the limit but the commitment to the dream has produced a truly incredible car, an F1 car for the road”, said Aston Martin CEO Tobias Moers in November. The company expects to build just 150 examples of the Valkyrie coupe (with more convertibles to follow), all of which have already sold. The cars are being built in a special production area reserved especially for the Valkyrie program and each one takes 2.000 hours of labor to complete, according to the automaker. Powered by a hybrid V12 powertrain, Valkyrie drivers will have access to 1.155 hp. The result of a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey, the car proudly features technology derived from Formula 1 racing. +++
+++ The AUDI R8 will be replaced but it could prove to be quite different than the outgoing model. Audi has been building the R8 since 2006 and over the course of 2 generations, it has proven to be the perfect flagship performance car for the brand. However, the German automaker is all-in on electrification and during a recent interview, Audi Sport’s head of product marketing, Linda Kurz, revealed that the ‘R’ brand will transition to all-electric power. Kurz said that the automaker’s “next challenge” will be to “transform the R segment, and the R segment is going to be fully electric. This is our job for the next decade”. Importantly, Kurz did not state if the R8 will get a direct successor and simply suggested that future R-badged models will be electric. She also didn’t specify when an electric R car could launch, other than stating that the R segment will transition to all-electric within the next decade. A report out of Germany in October claimed that the R8 would survive into a third-generation and that it would ditch the current model’s naturally-aspirated V10 in favor of a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 related to the mill of the Lamborghini Urus and other VW Group models. The report stated this model could also feature some form of hybridization and deliver around 700 hp. It was also suggested that an all-electric version of the R8 could be offered to customers. During her interview, Kurz added that 80 per cent of the brand’s RS lineup will feature some form of electrification, including a number of all-electric RS models. +++
+++ BMW has caused quite a lot of controversy with the design of the hybrid Concept XM but is promising that other future models will follow its design lead. The Concept XM will soon spawn a production variant and is just the second model to be developed exclusively by the BMW M division. It will serve as the company’s flagship SUV, sitting above the X5 M and X6 M in its line-up. It also happens to look unlike any other BMW before it. Following the unveiling of the super SUV at a special event in Miami featuring rapper Nas, BMW M boss Frank van Meel told that some of the Concept XM’s design features will be used by other BMW models, including its illuminated kidney grilles. “We’re defining new elements and new material that could be used, say in the M5 or other high-end vehicles”, van Meel told. “We will definitely see more and more illuminated kidney grills. Also, the way we define our lighting with the diamond-like focused lights, and the working headlights hidden behind darkened glass. That’s something we want to keep with the series production car, and that is also something that defines the new language of luxury for not only M, but also BMW”. Van Meel added that BMW M was prompted to develop the model by customers wanting to experience a new level of performance. “It’s an answer to a question a lot of people posed to us, ‘What do you have above X6 M, X5 M? We want to have something like the Lamborghini Urus, Mercedes G-Class AMG. Where are you? We need you!’ ”. While the design of the Concept XM has triggered a lot of debate, it is shaping up to be quite an extraordinary vehicle. While BMW has yet to release full powertrain specifications for the production variant, we know it will launch with a twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine supplemented by an electric motor and pumping out 750 hp and 1.000 Nm, making it the most expensive BMW M car and giving it 100 hp more than the Lamborghini Urus. +++
+++ At the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Airflow Vision Concept took the starring role on the CHRYSLER stand. More than a year later, Stellantis used its EV Day to show what looked like a running, rolling evolution of the Airflow Vision Concept, but the automaker didn’t reference any names for the product. Finally, at one point during the company’s Software Day this week, the company brought the production-looking battery-electric crossover out once again, only this time it has a name: Chrysler Airflow. The Stellantis roadmap contains blank spots in the 2022 and 2023 new reveal columns for the Chrysler brand. The Airflow could be one of Chrysler’s new debuts in 2024. The automaker hasn’t offered any details, so the most that can be done with the Airflow is to examine the pieces that Stellantis had already spoken of and see which ones fit. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles filed a trademark application for the Airflow name in 2019 and 2021. The 5-seat production vehicle will ride on STLA Medium platform and be about the size of the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4. The STLA Medium architecture will serve premium offerings for the C and D segments, will fit battery backs between 87 kWh and 104 kWh and 2 sizes of e-motors; a smaller motor producing from 170 to 245 horsepower, and a bigger motor putting out anywhere from 204 to 447 hp. Maximum range could be as much as 700 km, depending on battery and motor combination. The platform slots between the STLA Small and STLA Large, a fourth STLA Frame platform serving trucks and vans. Just before a 4-minute video segment that showed Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares driving the Airflow, the automaker’s head of software said, “It’s closer than you think and more than a pure concept”. The video shows a range of screens lining the instrument panel, plus a couple more in the back, as well as what look like plush materials and the obligatory panoramic sunroof. With the company aiming to hit €20 billion in revenue from software by 2030, it said, “The Chrysler Airflow Concept shown in the Stellantis Software Day presentation represents the future of connected vehicles”. The first we’ll see of that could be the three new software platforms planned to roll out in 2024, all of them powered by AI. CES 2022 isn’t far off, and Stellantis has told us there’s a big announcement for 2022. If either of those events formally declare the Chrysler brand will get something new and fresh and cutting edge to sell alongside the Pacifica and 300, we figure there will be more than just a little applause. +++
+++ The boss of GENERAL MOTORS said that the automaker learned valuable lessons last year when it stepped in to boost emergency production of ventilators to treat severely ill Covid-19 patients. The company was able to help a small West Coast ventilator maker start large-scale production in about a month. That gave GM the confidence that it could speed up other tasks, such as bringing electric and other vehicles to market faster, CEO Mary Barra said. “Doing the ventilator project was kind of a game changer from a General Motors perspective, from a culture-change perspective”, Barra said. Barra said that in the past, the GM management team would have resisted when told they needed to help a company that builds 250 ventilators per month accelerate production to 30.000 in 150 days. “They would have looked at me like I was crazy”, she said. Instead, employees approached the problem as if their loved ones might need the breathing machines, and accomplished the goal, Barra said. Still the company was accused by former President Donald Trump of moving too slowly. In March of last year, GM put hundreds of workers on the project to help Ventec Life Systems of the Seattle area ramp up its production at a time when there were fears that the country would run short of the breathing machines. GM put up capital and converted an electronics factory in Indiana to help make the ventilators with a speed that one supply chain expert said was “lightning fast”. Barra said the company now uses the same approach for its own electric vehicles, software, and partially automated driver-assist systems. The company, she said, is “days away from getting the Hummer into the first customer’s hands”. Also at the event, Barra gave a strong hint that Michigan may get an electric vehicle battery factory. When asked if the state has a chance to get a plant, she said discussions are ongoing. “In the not-too-distant future, we’ll be able to answer that question”, Barra said, adding that it an announcement would likely come in weeks, not months. GM has announced plans to build four North American battery factories. Locations of 2 have been announced: Lordstown (Ohio) and Spring Hill (Tennessee). Barra also took a mild shot at Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk. When asked about Musk’s criticism of a Biden administration plan to give bigger tax credits to buyers of union-made electric vehicles, she said it’s much more difficult to build cars for the broader mass market versus selling luxury vehicles to a slice of buyers. In a veiled dig at Musk’s levels of hyperbole, she said, “I’m not going to get into a match on that type of stuff because I actually mean what I say and say what I mean. When I say something, I really mean it and I’m an engineer, so I am going to execute it”. She said GM’s stock is undervalued when compared with Tesla, Rivian and Lucid Motors; all relatively new companies with big market valuations that focus solely on EVs. “Sometimes the iconic, traditional company, even though they’re innovating quickly, gets looked at with a different lens”, she said. Barra also said she doesn’t think GM will return to having huge stocks of vehicles on dealer lots, now that it has managed through a global computer chip shortage with lower inventory. While there are some customers who want to buy a vehicle immediately, others want to order online and avoid going to a dealership, and GM will serve them both, she said. Her comments came after the company announced 2 more steps to make sure it has raw materials for the transition from petroleum to battery power. The company announced a deal with MP Materials to supply rare earth metals and finished magnets for the electric vehicle motors from a new factory to be built in Fort Worth (Texas) starting in 2023. It’s also negotiating what is likely to be a joint venture with Vacuumschmelze (VAC) of Germany to build a U.S. factory to make electric vehicle motor magnets. Production is to start in 2024 and will create “hundreds of new jobs”, the companies said. The companies didn’t announce financial terms of the deals. Shilpan Amin, GM’s head of purchasing and supply chain, said it has a parts supply agreement with MP Materials with no GM capital investment. The capital structure of the venture with VAC is still being worked out, but the companies said they would build a plant together. At present there are no factories in the U.S. equipped for large-scale production of electric vehicle motor magnets, Amin said. MP said 90% of the supply now comes from China. The moves come as automakers scramble to line up parts supplies for what is expected to be a dramatic shift from internal combustion engines to zero emission electric power during the coming decade. GM, for instance, has a goal of selling only electric passenger vehicles by 2035. +++
+++ We’ve seen the next-generation MINI Hatch a few times, but under significant amounts of vinyl camouflage. But apparently Mini got careless, and someone snagged photos of a completely undisguised prototype. While the front end is a pretty predictable update, the rear end and interior are major departures. The face will be familiar to anyone who has seen a current Mini. The grille is quite large and composed of a large contrasting frame and a body color filler in the middle, with a couple small openings at the top and bottom. It does appear to be a bit smaller overall compared to the current model, and with a thinner frame. The headlights are still round as ever, but appear a bit larger, and now they feature little lines at the top and bottom that almost look like cute eyelids. Interestingly, the hood no longer has holes cut out for the headlights, and the cut lines are higher up. The profile, as far as we can tell, is still typical Mini. The only real change there is the replacement of the pull handles with flush-fitting units. At the back is where the major exterior changes take place. The lozenge-shaped taillights of the past are gone in favor of angular trapezoidal units. They feature black-lined overlays, and they blend into the black trim piece that stretches across the hatch. The lights appear to be a part of the hatch, too, and will likely swing up with the hatch when opened. The rear fenders look wider than before relative to the greenhouse, giving this new Mini a lower, wider appearance. This particular prototype has an S badge in what looks like a yellow-green color, so I believe this may actually be an SE electric model. Moving to the inside, the new Mini holds on to some classic design cues, but reimagines them with modern technology and a minimalist theme. The dash is dominated by a huge, thin circular display, which evokes past round displays and gauge clusters from classic and more modern Minis. There’s no gauge cluster in front of the driver, either, so the center screen will likely feature driving information in addition to other infotainment functions. The driver does at least get a head-up display, so there will still be the ability to have speed and other info directly in front of the driver. I’m glad to see that the big touchscreen is accompanied by a set of physical controls below it, and they look chunky and stylish as is Mini’s style. I’m expecting the next-generation Mini to be revealed sometime next year, likely as a 2023 model. It will continue to be available with internal combustion engines, as well as an electric variant. But it will likely be one of the last internal combustion Minis, since the brand aims to be fully electric by 2030. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN has announced plans to invest a staggering €89 billion into e-mobility and digitalization. €21 billion will be invested at plants in Lower Saxony and the company’s Hanover facility will go all-electric in the “medium term”. The plant will build an assortment of different models including the first Artemis vehicle, the ID. California, the ID. Buzz AD, and MOIA shuttles. The plant will also be tasked with manufacturing bodies for a new Bentley. Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg plant will be responsible for “full production of the ID.3 from 2024”. The facility will also build Project Trinity, starting in 2026. It’s billed as a competitive next-generation battery electric vehicle with Level 4 semi-autonomous driving technology. Elsewhere, the Leipzig plant will build 2 new Porsches based on the PPE architecture. The company didn’t say much about them, but one of the models is the next-generation Macan. Over at Audi, the Neckarsulm plant will build the new “E6 model family”. Likewise, the Brussels plant will begin making the Q8 e-tron in 2026. If that wasn’t enough EVs, Volkswagen revealed plans to build compact electric vehicles in Martorell and electric crossovers in Pamplona starting in 2025. Both of the plants would make vehicles for multiple brands, but plans haven’t been finalized as the “final decision depends on the general conditions and government incentives”. Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess stated: “In the New Auto world, our business model is undergoing radical change. Volkswagen is being transformed from a traditional automotive manufacturer to a vertically integrated Group with strong brand groups and world-leading technology platforms”. He added: “Wolfsburg, our Group’s long-established headquarters, will be central to the transformation, because we can only safeguard our strong position long term if Wolfsburg is successful”. Volkswagen also said they expect 25 % of sales to come from electric vehicles by 2026. That number should increase in the following years as even more electric vehicles are introduced. +++
+++ VOLVO said it had launched an investigation into a cyber security breach and the theft of some research and development data that could impact the company’s operation. A spokesperson for the firm, majority owned by China’s Geely Holding, said it had been approached by a third party, but declined to give any further details. “Investigations so far confirm that a limited amount of the company’s R&D property has been stolen during the intrusion”, the Swedish carmaker said in a statement. It added that “there may be an impact on the company’s operation”, without specifying what that might be. It said it did not see an impact on the security of its customers’ cars or their personal data. The Gothenburg-based company said it had implemented security countermeasures to prevent further access to its property, while notifying relevant authorities. “Volvo is conducting its own investigation and working with a third-party specialist to investigate the property theft”, it said. +++