+++ The BMW 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ is one of the German firm’s most iconic designs and it’s set to be revived for the 21st Century. We’ve previously seen BMW pay tribute with the 3.0 CSL Hommage concept car back in 2015, but this time there’ll be a real, road-going car you can buy. CEO of BMW’s M division, Frank van Meel, posted an image of the camouflaged car to his Instagram page. The front has been entirely redesigned, as has the back. We see it sporting a similar grille to the Hommage concept, a smaller design to that of the current M3 and M4. The headlights are also a different shape and there are new air intakes sitting beside a revised lower grille section. Towards the rear we see a roof-mounted spoiler and bootlid spoiler; both of which are a nod to the original 3.0 CSL. The rear lights and the bumper also look like they’ll be different to those on the M4. The whole body is likely to be crafted from carbon-fibre and there’ll be developments underneath, too. We recently saw the new M4 CSL being revealed with a 3.0-litre twin-turbo, straight-6 engine producing 550 hp and 650 Nm. A new exhaust system was specially developed for that car and we could see the same powertrain in the 3.0 CSL, albeit with even more power. The current M4 is available with four-wheel drive in xDrive guise, but we expect the 3.0 CSL to be solely offered with a traditional rear-wheel drive layout. The biggest change will come with the introduction of a 6-speed manual transmission, hinted at by a part of the camouflage that says ‘6MT FTW’. Given that transmission’s supposed torque limit of around 600Nm, it will be interesting to see how, or if, BMW incorporates a more potent powertrain. Numbers will be limited if the ‘I like it rare’ wording on the bonnet is anything to go by. It’ll command a significant premium over the new M4 CSL’s price tag. The full reveal should happen by the end of the year to mark the 50th anniversary of the start of BMW’s M division. +++
+++ Back when the CADILLAC CT6 was the new hotness for the brand still trying to stand up to its full height, rumors abounded of a new model well above that to challenge the rarified trims among German luxury competition. The most oft-repeated portion of that rumor was that the model would cost well more than €250.000 in the Netherlands. When Cadillac’s electric turn gathered momentum, we began hearing about a sedan called the Celestiq that would be the pride of the fleet. It doubled the potential starting price of the previous flagship, as recently as this month being touted as costing more than €270.000. A report in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) suggests that is correct. Citing “people familiar with the matter”, the paper said, “the Celestiq price tag could run well beyond €400.000 in the Netherlands, depending on added features”. In itself, that’s not outrageous. Throw in a lot of options, and several superluxe models from makers like Aston Martin, Bentley and Rolls-Royce cost more than €400.000 in the Netherlands. The story is that we’re talking about Cadillac, and these kinds of numbers would represent huge changes for the brand’s pricing and options. If the WSJ is even close in its assessment, the Celestiq could start around at double the price of the Escalade in the Netherlands. The report says Cadillac plans to build fewer than 500 Celestiqs per year, every one by hand, in GM’s Global Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Those tidbits will help keep the sedan “a world-class Cadillac with nothing but the best in craftsmanship, design, engineering and technology”, in the words of GM President Mark Reuss, and “a very exclusive and bespoke product and priced accordingly”, as a rep told. Standard and optional features will include seating for four, a touchscreen that runs the length of the instrument panel, all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, a SmartGlass roof that can be selectively tinted in four quadrants over the occupants, and Ultra Cruise said to be capable of hands-free motoring on more than 2 million miles of paved roads in the U.S. and in 95% of driving conditions. A debut is scheduled for next month; production is expected to start in late 2023. +++
+++ The chief designer of French premium brand DS AUTOMOBILES wants to delete all screens from the interior of future cars, because they’re “not very sexy”. Thierry Métroz said he and the DS team are looking to “revolutionise” the interiors of the brand as the current trend to have a lots of screen is “a little bit stupid”. “Our target is to delete all the screens in our future interiors”, he said. “The problem with the screen is when you switch off your screen, you’re just left with a rectangular black surface with all the fingerprints. It’s not very sexy; it’s not very luxury”. He added: “It’s a big trend at the moment to have a lot of screens, but I think it’s a little bit stupid, because in fact to have not any more dashboard, only a big screen, isn’t our philosophy inside DS”. Métroz said DS is looking at what new technology could replace the now-customary screen, adding that he wants to use something “less intrusive” that adds “more serenity”. “Of course we need to deliver the information for the driver”, he added. “It’s a big challenge”. Métroz also hinted at what future DS models could look like, as the brand looks to become electric-only from 2024. Currently, its models are defined by a large front grille, as seen on the recently revealed DS 7, but electric cars don’t need a front air intake. Métroz said this gave designers “more freedom” with a new part of the car to design. He pointed to the Aero Sport Lounge concept as what the future is expected to hold for the brand, adding that a big design focus is on lighting up the front-mounted DS badge. “We have a free surface to imagine a new design”, he said. “It’s an opportunity for us to reinforce the front light signature. Currently, we’re working only with the headlamps, but now we have the opportunity to design the lights all around the emblem and to create a new light effect on the front end. It’s a very exciting moment for designers”. +++
+++ New car registrations in EUROPE fell 13% year on year in May, as 15 countries including Germany, France, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom recorded double-digit declines. Registrations across 27 European markets totalled 935.854 cars, according to Jato Dynamics. The market analyst said it was the second-lowest May result since 1985 and just ahead of 2020, which was severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Year to date, new registrations moved to 4.482.463, a year-on-year decline also of 13%. Jato attributed the drop in May to the ongoing global shortage of semiconductors and the war in Ukraine. Electric vehicle production, which had sustained promising levels of growth in previous months, has been impacted by the supply crisis, claimed Jato. “The EV boom continues, but it seems that the industry has reached a peak in terms of what it can supply in the current climate”, said Jato global analyst Felipe Munoz. EV and PHEV registrations rose by 3.6% from May 2021 to 179.000 vehicles, while EV market share increased from 16.2% to 19.2%. Jato said that the overall sales standings for May were affected by reduced vehicle availability, with shortages meaning some brands are currently producing more cars than others are able to. “Due to ongoing shortages, availability is having a significant impact on the composition of the rankings and brands that are producing more vehicles are seeing this reflected in their sales performance”, said Munoz. Hyundai-Kia retained a high market share, at 10.1% of the total. The company sold 94.800 units in May, representing a 10% rise compared with 2021, thanks to the continued success of the Tucson. “It’s remarkable to see Hyundai-Kia secure such an impressive result while other OEMs are struggling to absorb the combined impact of surging inflation, the geopolitical situation in Ukraine and an ongoing chip shortage”, added Munoz. The Peugeot 208, meanwhile, was Europe’s bestseller for the second consecutive month. The small hatchback achieved 15% growth year on year, shifting 18.254 cars across the continent. It was followed by the Opel/Vauxhall Corsa (18.166; +16%) and the Fiat 500 (17.790; +1%), while the Volkswagen T-Roc (16.671; 0%) and the Volkswagen Golf (14.937; -35%) rounded out the top 5. Next came the Hyundai Tucson (13.883; 0%), the Fiat Panda (13.806; +16%), the Ford Kuga (13.762; +47%), de Ford Puma (13.418; -5%) and the Toyota Yaris (12.448; -28%). +++
+++ It’s been just 2 (really long) years since we saw the HYUNDAI Prophecy concept that led to the Ioniq 6. Looks like the production Ioniq 6 is finally close to a reveal, the automaker posting daily teasers on a devoted Ioniq 6 site. The site doesn’t reveal how many teasers there will be, so the drip could continue for a few more days or a fortnight or more. Also, the most recent image shows a car with a camera for a side mirror, so we could be in line for another production-ready concept on the reveal date instead of the final retail McCoy, or a version meant for international markets. Prototypes from last year showed admirable connection to the concept and looked production ready, but another proto discovered in Norway a couple of months ago had been wrapped in more camouflage. Last year, the Korea Economic Daily reported internal Hyundai documents spoke of delaying Ioniq 6 production by 2 or 3 months “for a significant redesign and longer mileage to appeal to young, trendy drivers”. Supposedly, Hyundai has extended the length of the Ioniq 6 by 20 millimeters, installed the larger 77.4 kWh battery shared with the Ioniq 5 and fitted a “lighting grille” that could act as a kind of LED communication device with those outside the car. We saw a kind of grille like that on the Hyundai Seven concept at the LA Auto Show; seems the Ioniq 6 front fascia would need quite the rework to get one in. The paper said production will begin in May or June of this year, making an imminent reveal right on time. There are also two teaser shots with the “parametric pixel” design hallmark of Ioniq vehicles, one with pixels in the lower front fascia that could be the “lighting grille”, the other of the spoiler above the sloping decklid. That treatment will be echoed in the double-stacked row of individual LED DRLs under the main headlights, and in the individual LEDs under a clear cover for each taillight. Hyundai’s “electrified steamliner” will come with a 218 hp single-motor RWD powertrain or a 313 hp dual-motor AWD variant, the most economical of those promising a range beyond 480 km. +++
+++ BMW performed some serious surgery during the facelift of its X7 earlier this year, but it looks like MERCEDES is playing it safe with the refresh of the GLS, its competitor in the large luxury SUV space. While the X7 gained a controversial split-headlight arrangement Mercedes has chosen to retain the same basic front end layout, and only add some small tweaks to help the now 3-year-old SUV keep buyers interested. The upgrade plan fairly closely mirrors that of the plusher Mercedes-Maybach GLS. The 2 vehicles will features different grilles from one another to make Maybach buyers feel better about the additional money their dealer persuaded them to spend, and it’s likely that those grilles will be carefully re-styled to make the new cars easily identifiable as 2024 models. We can also see the revised shape of the air intakes in the front bumper of this black GLS, which has an extended section of mesh running behind the license plate and across almost the full width pf the bumper. Strangely, the headlights appear unchanged from the ones fitted to current cars. Disguise covering the rear light clusters suggest Mercedes is planning to make some more illuminating changes at that end of the GLS. Zooming in on the images reveal that the new rear lamps are the same shape as the existing units, but it it looks like the triangle and rectangle motifs seen when the car is running might be ditched for a more fashionable slim light bar. Inside, we’re not expecting huge changes because the GLS already has a large media screen that blends seamlessly into a digital instrument display that’s almost as big. But the MBUX infotainment screen could go bigger again, and it’s likely to benefit from software and connectivity improvements and to ditch the old touchpad controller. There will be under-hood improvements too, no doubt, which could potentially include a four-cylinder option for the first time, though Mercedes hasn’t confirmed this. Developed using F1 know-how, the company’s latest 2.0-liter turbo motor puts out 408 hp in the Mercedes-AMG C 43 and 381 hp in the SL 43, making it a solid stand-in for the 367 hp mild-hybrid 3.0-liter inline-6 currently fitted to the GLS 450. The 4 cylinder even out-torques the V6, generating 520 Nm compared with 500 Nm. On the other hand, Mercedes may stick with the 450’s existing engine and the 489 hp 4.0-liter V8 in the GLS 580. +++
+++ We’ve seen a hatchback, we’ve seen crossovers, and we’ve seen a minivan. One of the body styles missing from VOLKSWAGEN ’s growing range of ID-branded electric cars is the sedan, and the Wolfsburg-based company filled that gap by unveiling a concept called ID.Aero. Volkswagen first floated the idea of an ID-badged sedan when it unveiled the ID.Vizzion concept in 2018. While some styling cues have been carried over from the Vizzion to the Aero, including the arch-shaped roof line accented by bright trim, designers have completely reinvented the sedan’s front and rear ends. The front fascia was moved in a more realistic-looking direction and given styling cues shared with other members of the ID range, including the ID.4. These changes also bring it in line with the ID.Space Vizzion concept from 2019. Out back, the ultra-thin light bar was replaced by a bigger unit and the rear bumper was given a more elegant design. Volkswagen stresses that the ID.Aero remains a concept, but the sedan appears nearly ready for production. We haven’t seen its interior yet, however. I’m told the cabin is spacious, which you’d rightfully expect: the Aero stretches nearly 5,2 meter long and it’s built on a relatively long wheelbase. The swoopy sheetmetal hides the modular MEB platform that also underpins the aforementioned 4, 3, and Buzz, among other electric cars in the Volkswagen cosmos. Power comes from a 77 kWh lithium/ion battery pack, though there’s no word yet on whether the Aero is rear- or all-wheel-drive. Its maximum range rating checks in at 625 km on the optimistic testing cycle used in Europe. It sounds like Volkswagen will offer several region-specific variants of the ID.Aero. Production for the Chinese market will start in China during the second half of 2023, and the company’s plant in Emden, Germany, will begin building a European version in 2023 as well. As for the United States, an earlier press release mentioned a North America-bound model due out in 2023 but details about it remain vague. +++
