+++ The Renault – Nissan – Mitsubishi ALLIANCE has confirmed a €23 billion investment in electrification over the next 5 years as it seeks to strengthen the partnership between the 3 brands. The money will be spent on expanding the common electric platforms available to brands within the Alliance from four to five after the introduction of a small EV platform for use from 2024 for European models such as the forthcoming Renault R5 and newly announced replacement for the Nissan Micra. Both cars will be engineered by Renault and built in its ElectriCity network of plants in northern France. The new CMF-B EV platform was described as a “game-changer” by Renault CEO Luca de Meo, who said it reduces costs by 33 % compared with the platform currently used by the Renault Zoe. “It will be the key to democratise electric cars”, he said. “For the very first time, EVs will be able to compete with internal combustion engines in this segment”. Renault said more than 60 % of components will be carried over from the CMF-B platform, which underpins cars such as the Renault Clio and Nissan Juke. The platform will underpin 5 cars from Nissan, Renault, Alpine and Dacia and volumes will reach 250.000 cars a year, de Meo said. The relatively low volumes suggest it will be a Europe-only platform. The CMF-EV platform that underpins the delayed Nissan Ariya and the new Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric will be global and eventually span 15 models for five brands, including Nissan, Renault, Mitsubishi, Infiniti and Alpine, totalling 1.5 million sales by 2030. The platform will be used by around half of the 35 pure EV models that the Alliance intends to sell globally by 2030. “The adaptability allows us to develop sedans to SUVs and sports cars on this platform”, Makoto Uchida, CEO of Nissan, said. The Alliance has previously said the platform can accommodate cars from 4.0 meter to 4.7 meter in length and can fit batteries of 40 kWh, 60 kWh and 87 kWh. The 3 Alliance brands are also sharing software platforms. It will roll out the Google automotive ecosystem in its cars, starting with the Mégane E-Tech Electric and rolling out to Nissan and other brands. “The Alliance will also be the first global mass-market OEM to introduce the Google ecosystem in its car”, it said in a statement. The Alliance will launch its first so-called ‘software-defined’ vehicle in 2025 using powerful central computer chips that can be updated over the air and allow the brands to “unbundle software from hardware”, de Meo said. That will allow the company to reduce the development time for digital services from “more than one year to one week”, de Meo said. The Alliance said 3 million cars are already connected to the Alliance Cloud and that will rise to 5 million new connected cars per year by 2026. The 3 companies also clarified their common battery strategy and promised production capacity of 220 GWh in the future. Nissan and Renault have signed agreements with Chinese maker Envision to partner on new plants in Sunderland and in France to supply batteries. The Alliance promised a reduction in battery costs of 50 % in 2026 and 65 % by 2028 from current levels. It also gave further details on its planned solid-state roll-out from 2028, led by Nissan under the Alliance’s ‘leader-follower’ strategy. The so-called ASSB (all-solid-state battery technology) cells will be ‘mass produced’ by then at a cost of $65 per kWh, Nissan promised, making them suitable for a wide array of applications. +++
+++ ALPINE has confirmed that its upcoming electric performance SUV will be called the GT X-Over and enter production at the firm’s Dieppe factory in 2025. The new model, which will use the same CMF-EV architecture as parent company Renault’s new Mégane E-Tech Electric, is 1 of the first 3 electric vehicles Alpine will launch as it becomes an all-electric brand. The others are a hot version of the new Renault 5 supermini and an all-electric replacement for its A110 flagship sports car, due in 2026. The newly named GT X-Over was previewed last year as Alpine confirmed plans to launch the hot 5 as its first EV in 2024. A silhouette sketch hinted at its positioning as a high-riding grand tourer, which could provide the French brand with a rival to quick premium EVs including the Porsche Macan EV and Lotus Type 132. It will use the Mégane E-Tech’s 218 hp single electric motor at the front, but Renault engineering boss Gilles le Borgne has hinted at a more potent, 4WD set-up for the Alpine car: “In the rear, we will have a big surprise”. Alpine says the new model will “combine the brand’s competitive know-how and the group’s experience in electric vehicles, with all the excellence in sports vehicles that defines the Alpine brand”, which suggests that keeping weight down and providing engaging dynamics will remain a focus, in spite of its more mainstream positioning than the A110. Alpine has committed to transforming its Dieppe production line to prepare it for the new model’s arrival. It will be the first EV to be built in the Normandy region of France, in line with a wider Renault Group programme called ‘Re-Nouveau France 2025’, which aims to strengthen the company’s industrial and technological activities in its home country. As part of the transformation, the factory itself has been renamed from Usine Alpine Dieppe (Alpine Factory Dieppe) to Manufacture Alpine Dieppe Jean Rédélé, to honour the Renault dealer who founded the Alpine brand in 1955. Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo said: “Over the past 12 months, Alpine has succeeded in setting a new dynamic in motion and upholding its commitments. It can be seen today in Dieppe, where the future GT Alpine X-Over will be made, thus giving a clear vision of the future and solid prospects for the historic, industrial site. Alpine’s ambition must remain high, where only the most passionate strive to be, those driven by the quest to attain perfection. This level of excellence must be like oxygen for Alpine”. +++
+++ The BMW i3 is set to end production in just 6 months time, after a run of nine years and around 250.000 units sold. In an interview, a BMW spokesperson confirmed the final example of the compact electric five-door is due to roll off BMW’s production line in Leipzig, Germany in July ahead of a reorganisation of the manufacturing facility in preparation for a start of production for the upcoming third-generation Mini Countryman during the second half of 2022. Previewed in concept car form in 2011 prior to a launch in 2013, the i3 was the first BMW model to offer a pure-electric driveline, preceding the larger, Chinese-produced BMW iX3 SUV introduced in 2021. The quirky hatchback, with its rear-hinged rear doors and expensive carbonfibre construction, will be indirectly replaced in the BMW line-up by the iX1, an electric version of the third-generation X1. The 5-seat SUV, set to launch this year, was originally planned to be produced at a new manufacturing facility in Debrecen, Hungary. However, delays in construction to the greenfield site mean the i3 successor will now be produced at BMW’s Regensburg factory until 2024, according to Autointernationaal sources. As with the next X1 and new Mini Countryman, the new entry-level i model is based on BMW’s FAAR platform; a move that also signals the end of production for the aluminium-intensive DriveLife platform that underpins the i3. As well as the iX1, BMW says it will rely on a new second-generation version of the Mini Electric to fill the void left by the departure of the i3. The new Mini model, due out in early 2023, is being developed in a joint venture between BMW and Chinese car maker Great Wall Motors called Spotlight Automotive. It is set to be produced at a new Spotlight Automotive factory that’s currently under construction in Zhangjiagang, China. The spearhead of BMW’s electric car initiative, the rear-wheel-drive i3 was initially sold with the choice of a single-motor electric drivetrain or a range extender (REx) drivetrain, combining a 647cc two-cylinder petrol motorcycle engine and an electric motor. In both cases, it used a 22.2 kWh lithium ion battery and developed maximum power of 170 hp. A subsequent facelift in 2017 raised the battery capacity to 33.3 kWh. In the same year, the i3 S, a performance model boasting wider tracks and 184 hp, was added to the line-up. BMW confirmed production of the i3 surpassed the 200.000 mark in October 2021. By the end of production in July 2022, officials expect it to have surpassed 250.000 units. A BMW spokesman explained that BMW’s expanding EV range was a factor in the decision to take the i3 off sale: “By the end of this year the BMW Group will have 6 BEV models on the market, with that number growing to 13 in 2023. Today’s customers wanting a fully-electric city car perfectly tailored for urban driving or a compact but spacious vehicle for an active lifestyle will be perfectly served by the Mini Electric or the upcoming BMW iX1. These cars will attract even more people to fully-electric driving. Therefore, after a decade of setting the standard in its class and leading the way for today’s generation of electric cars, the decision has been taken to discontinue BMW i3 production from summer 2022”. +++
+++ CITROEN has ended production of the C1 after 17 years, with the last model rolling off the production line at Kolín in the Czech Republic. The French firm has sold 1.2 million examples of the city car since its 2005 launch, attributing its success to its stylish design, urban driving dynamics and everyday practicality. The C1 has been taken out of production due to a “change in priorities for the group”, with the Stellantis-owned manufacturer “looking ahead to the future of urban mobility”. Citroën said changes to working patterns, the introduction of restrictions in city centres and the need for more space and versatility have required a refocus. It told that it has no direct replacement for the C1 on the way any time soon but anticipates that the launch of the more affordable C3 C You will effectively plug the gap. The new model is cheaper than the C1 was in its range-topping specification yet features more competitive equipment. “For that money, you’re getting a bigger boot, 5 seats, LED headlights and more safety equipment”, a Citroën spokesman told. “For people who want a practical and affordable 5-door, we hope the C3 will take existing C1 business when those customers are up for renewal. We think they will be pleasantly surprised by the amount of equipment and space”. Citroën also anticipates that customers who use their cars only to drive around city environments will consider the forthcoming Ami Electric quadricycle. The end of C1 production means Toyota now solely owns and uses the Kolín factory, where it will build its new Aygo X city car. +++
+++ LAMBORGHINI is preparing to update the Urus for the first time since it was launched in 2018, and it has now been confirmed that a power hike and reduced kerb weight are among the changes. Company CEO Stephan Winkelmann told that there will be two important rounds of updates for the Urus before 2024. “We have 2 steps”, he said. “The first is the facelift, which adds more power and less weight (this is the idea) for the performance-oriented car. And then in 2024 we will have all our line-up hybridised, and the Urus is an important part of this”. That means that, as well as the updated 2023 modelyear Urus weighing slightly less than 2.200 kg at the kerb, it will pack more than the current car’s 650 hp courtesy of revisions to its twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, though likely only slightly more, given it is already the most powerful car from the Volkswagen Group to use this engine. It is likely the updated car will be named the Urus Evo, as was the case when the Huracán was similarly uprated in 2019. Following this round of updates, the Urus will receive a plug-in hybrid in 2024 before it is replaced in the second half of the decade by an all-electric successor. Electrification will be key to maintaining the Urus’s strong sales figures worldwide. It has been Lamborghini’s bestselling model for the past three years, outselling the Huracán by almost 2-to-1 in 2021. However, increasingly stringent emissions regulations risk the SUV falling out of favour, particularly with urban buyers, in various markets. The PHEV variant of the Urus is likely to feature a variation of the powertrain used by its Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid sibling. Mating the Volkswagen Group’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 to an electric motor, the system produces combined outputs of 680 hp and 900 Nm and offers an electric-only driving range of 30 km while cutting CO2 emissions down to 90 g/km. As well as the electrified Cayenne, the Urus also shares its MLB Evo underpinnings with the Audi Q8, Bentley Bentayga and Volkswagen Touareg, each of which now offers a PHEV option. “After the hybrid car, the Urus will be fully electrified”, confirmed Winkelmann, adding that it will be a “completely new car”. He did not confirm a timeframe, but given the firm’s first EV is scheduled to launch in 2028 and the Urus successor will be the second, it is unlikely to arrive long before 2029. It is not clear if the Urus will be updated again in its current lifecycle. Winkelmann’s comments follow the beginning of winter testing for the updated Urus. A thick layer of snow and heavy camouflaging on the prototype caught by my photographers make substantial styling tweaks difficult to spot, but the front air intake area looks to have been reshaped around the lower half and, more prominently, the leading lip of the bonnet and bumper have been reshaped. The prototype’s side panels look to be less aggressively sculpted than those of the current car, although this could be an intended effect of the camouflage wrap, and while the rear-end design looks to have been left untouched, we can expect a reshaped lower diffuser and new brake-light designs to feature. Expect additional changes for the updated Urus to bring subtle improvements to the cabin environment, infotainment system and chassis, and for them to be accompanied by a slight price increase. +++
+++ TOYOTA sales grew by 10.6 % in 2021 as the Japanese car maker retained its position as the world’s bestselling brand for a second consecutive year. Combined with its premium brand Lexus, Toyota sold a total of 9.6 million units last year. It outsold Volkswagen, its closest competitor, by around 4.8 million. Toyota’s growth in sales has been attributed to its supply-chain preparation and stockpiling before the entire automotive industry was gripped by shortages of semiconductors and other electrical components. The firm achieved significant growth in the sales of electrified vehicles. It sold a total of 2.6 million last year, representing growth of 33.8 %. Toyota told that the RAV4 is now its bestselling model, ahead of the Corolla, which previously held the crown. Around 2.4 million of the Toyota vehicles sold were hybrids, an increase of 27.4 % year on year, while just 14.407 were fully electric. The Toyota Motor Group’s overall sales reached 10.5 million when combining Toyota, Lexus and its other subsidiaries, Daihatsu and Hino. It outsold Volkswagen Group by 1.6 million units. The company achieved significant growth in several international markets. Asia was its largest market, with 3.1 million units sold for growth of 13.2 %. North America was the second-best market for Toyota, with 2.6 million vehicles sold for growth of 11.3 %. The firm made history in the US in 2021, becoming the country’s bestselling manufacturer, ending General Motors’ 90-year domination of the market. In Europe, the Toyota Motor Group sold just over 1 million vehicles, representing 7.1 % growth. Despite the boost in sales, Toyota has still been hit hard by the chip crisis, exacerbated by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. “Despite the impact of the parts supply shortage that has occurred since September, due in part to the spread of Covid-19 in South-East Asia, an expansion of the electrified vehicle line-up and strong sales contributed to performance”, Toyota said. It has been hardest hit since September and believes it’s unlikely that it will reach its production target of 9 million vehicles. Toyota will release its earnings results for the third quarter of 2021 on 9 February. +++
+++ The electric rebirth of one of VOLKSWAGEN ’s best-known and biggest-selling vehicles will show that “people who love cars” work at the company, said CEO Ralf Brandstätter. The ID.Buzz van, a retrofuturistic reimagining of the original Type 2, will be revealed on 9 March as the latest entry into the rapidly expanding family of MEB-based EVs. Brandstätter said that it will be “definitely the most emotional of our electric models” and will play a key role in Volkswagen’s push to become “the most desirable brand for sustainable mobility”. The largest ID-badged EV will use the same MEB platform as the ID.3 / ID.4 / ID.5 and it will be the first in the line-up to be available in passenger-carrying and commercial forms. In an attempt to give it the same flexibility of purpose that defined the Type 2, it will also be offered in California camper van form, although it remains unclear whether Volkswagen will fit out this variant itself or leave that to third-party contractors, as was the case with the earlier Type 2. Previews of the ID.Buzz reveal styling that stays largely true to the well-received concept from 2017, albeit slightly more straight-edged to maximise interior space, with a minimalist frontend design that links it to other ID models and various cues nodding to its predecessors. It will be built in standard and long-wheelbase formats alongside the new ICE-powered Multivan at Volkswagen’s plant in Hannover. It is expected to offer the same array of batteries and rear- and four-wheel-drive powertrains as other MEB EVs, showing “how flexible and versatile our modular electric drive system is”, said Brandstätter. The concept’s 374 hp 4WD set-up is likely to be toned down for the range-topper, however, to equal the ID 4 GTX’s 299 hp. Volkswagen could soon launch an electric successor to the long-departed Golf Cabriolet. Work on an ID.3 convertible concept is under way, and the reduced development costs brought by a shared platform make a business case much more feasible. Brandstätter confirmed that a hot 4WD version of the ID.3 is inbound. It will be based on the aggressive-looking 333 hp ID.X concept but is likely to take the GTX badge and 299 hp powertrain into production. +++