+++ BMW ’s M performance car division will give the 7th generation M5 a new hybrid drivetrain that is set to boost its reserves to “over 700 hp” and offer “limited electric drive compatibility”, a source close to the German car maker has confirmed. Due on sale in 2024, the new super-saloon is among a series of M models that will switch from a conventional petrol engine to plug-in hybrid power in a move that will provide it with a hike in power and performance. Details remain scarce just under 2 years out from the new M5’s launch, but Autointernationaal has received information that suggests it will adopt a rear-mounted electric motor among a raft of major engineering changes. The in-house-produced synchronous unit is claimed to operate in combination with a further-developed version of BMW’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 engine used by today’s sixth-generation BMW M5 and codenamed the S63. The adoption of the electric motor is set to increase the M5’s reserves by more than 200 hp and up to 300 Nm to somewhere in the region of 800 hp and over 1.000 Nm. As with today’s M5, drive will be channelled through an 8-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox with steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles, while a fully variable xDrive 4-wheeldrive system will bring a distinctive rear-biased apportioning of power in the car’s more performance-focused driving modes. Early installations of the drivetrain in prototype versions of the new M car are said to use a lithium ion battery similar in capacity to the 12.0 kWh unit found in the BMW 545e xDrive. Mounted low beneath the rear seat, it operates at 354 Volt and can be charged at up to 11 kW. Whether it will be used for production versions of the next M5 remains to be seen, although suggestions are that BMW M is developing its own performance battery with ultra-rapid discharge properties. Captured in these exclusive photographs testing on roads around BMW M’s headquarters on the outskirts of Munich in Germany, the next M5 also adopts a heavily reworked chassis. Key distinguishing features on the early prototype revealed here include widened front and rear tracks. Further clear giveaways to the new M model’s identity include the performance brake system and quad tailpipes. The decision to provide the M5 with hybrid power comes after rival Mercedes-AMG launched the GT63 E-Performance 4Matic+. It uses a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine in combination with a rear-mounted electric motor, developing a combined total of 840 hp and 1.300 Nm. Recent media reports suggested BMW M was planning to equip the next M5 with a pure-electric drivetain. Although this has been ruled out, Autointernationaal can confirm that BMW M is planning its own version of the upcoming i5 EV saloon, which is likely to be called i5 M60. BMW M’s first 2 electric models, the BMW i4 M50 and iX M60, are now on sale. +++
+++ General Motors will invest $81 million to build its future CADILLAC CELESTIQ electric flagship sedan at GM’s Warren Technical Center, the company said. The Celestiq, which will share battery cells, motors and other components with the Cadillac Lyriq, is slated to begin production in the Detroit suburb in late 2023. The vehicle will be hand-assembled in extremely low volumes: around 400 units a year. “If done properly, the Celestiq could become the kind of top-of-the-line model that used to make Cadillac the choice of celebrities and royalty”, said Sam Fiorani, AFS vice president of global vehicle forecasting. GM said the Celestiq, which is expected to sell for well over $100,000, will be the first production vehicle built at the Warren Tech Center, which was designed by famed Finnish architect Eero Saarinen and his father Eliel Saarinen, and opened in 1956. The Celestiq will use more than 100 3D-printed components, including both structural and cosmetic parts printed in polymer and metal, the company said. +++
+++ KIA ’s Sportage plug-in hybrid took the top spot in 2 comparative tests by German auto magazines. Auto Motor und Sport compared 4 plug-in hybrid vehicles (the Kia Sportage, Toyota’s RAV4, the Opel Grandland and the Volvo XC40) in 7 categories, including the cars’ bodies, safety and comfort. The Kia Sportage plug-in hybrid earned the top scores in comfort, driving dynamics and cost, taking the top spot overall with a total of 649 points. Toyota’s RAV4 ranked second with 615 points, followed by Opel’s Grandland with 603 points and Volvo XC40 with 566 points. In the review, the magazine said the Kia Sportage plug-in hybrid has a rear seat space that is wide and comfortable. Auto Bild, another German auto magazine, also gave Kia’s Sportage plug-in hybrid the highest mark in a comparison with Opel’s Grandland. Kia’s plug-in hybrid got higher scores in 5 out of 7 categories including body, driving dynamics and cost, beating Opel’s with an overall 559 points. The Grandland received a total of 533 points. Auto Bild described the Sportage plug-in hybrid as offering a smoother driving experience, and said it was more comfortable for drivers because it has a bigger interior space. +++
+++ LAMBORGHINI cars will continue to “look like spaceships” as the firm enters the electrification era, according to design boss Mitja Borkert. The Italian supercar maker will switch to a fully hybridised line-up for next year and, like all car makers, will make full-electric cars, too. It has already launched the Lamborghini Sián and Lamborghini Countach as limited-run electrified creations based on the Aventador, but the next series-production V12 supercar will swap those 2cars’ low-capacity supercapacitor device for a more conventional hybrid set-up. “We will always create cars with emotional performance”, said Borkert, speaking at the Milan Monza motor show. “They will always look like spaceships, always be inspiring, always cars that with whatever technology they have will have the sound and the emotion to touch you. We have a clear future declared by Stephan Winkelmann (Lamborghini CEO) and we are heading to the future. We finish with pure internal combustion this year and start hybrid next year”. Borkert said electric cars were eventually necessary at Lamborghini as “we are living on the same planet as everyone else”, but it was important regardless that the firm looked forward to evolve. “We need to always use new technology. There’s always a new generation” of buyers coming through, said Borkert. The switch to electrification has also opened up new design opportunities, he said – for example, “with the muffler, we can use that area for aero… in a very cool way”. Borkert added: “I’m convinced we can introduce smart aero in the future”. He also dismissed the suggestion that batteries created packaging issues and would alter the proportions of Lamborghinis. He said the electric Lamborghini Terzo Millennio concept car continued to inspire the firm’s 17-strong design team in designing future models. +++
+++ Race car driver David Donner will compete in the 2022 edition of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb to help Porsche recapture a record that it lost to sister company Bentley in 2019. The 3-time winner will try to earn a 4th victory by breaking the production-car record in a PORSCHE 911 TURBO S. Donner explained he came up with his plan to bump Bentley down into second place during a dinner with Porsche collector Jim Edwards and magazine editor Pete Stout in 2021. Stout and Donner had already worked together: Their 911 GT2 RS set a record in the Time Attack 1 category at the 2020 edition of the race, and Edwards just happened to have a 911 Turbo S with the Lightweight Package on order. The time to beat is 10 minutes and 18.48 seconds; it was set by a Continental GT. While breaking a record at Pikes Peak is easier said than done, Donner sounds like the right man for the job. He was crowned King of the Mountain 3 times, and he set the record that Bentley broke (10 minutes and 26.89 seconds) in 2014 in a 991-generation 911 Turbo S. The 992-generation model is quicker and more powerful. Florida-based Champion Motorsport made a handful of modifications to the Turbo S to prepare it for racing. It stripped the interior and added a roll cage, a racing seat, a six-point harness, a fuel bladder, and a fire suppression system. It did not make any major mechanical changes, so power for the coupe comes from a twin-turbocharged, 3.7-liter flat-six rated at 640 horsepower and 800 Nm. It spins the 4 wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. It’s not fully stock, though: it exhales through a less restrictive exhaust system, and it was remapped to cope with the altitude it will need to race at. The summit is at 14.115 feet, after all. Visually, the Turbo S wears a unique livery called “Print isn’t Dead”. It’s a wrap that features high-resolution images. The 100th edition of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is scheduled to take place June 26. Donner’s 911 Turbo S won’t be the only cool car racing up the mountain this year: Acura’s new Integra will make its competition debut alongside the NSX Type S and the TLX Type S, and New Zealand drift star Mad Mike built a highly-modified Mazda3 that’s fitted with a 1.200 hp 4-rotor Wankel engine. +++
+++ With big is beautiful still the mantra for many Korean drivers, small-car specialist RENAULT KOREA MOTORS faces a challenge in the local market. So as the carmaker commits to the Korean market, new CEO Stephane Deblaise’s priority is designing a new car that suits Korean tastes and taking it to foreign markets with similar preferences. “Korean customers prefer big cars over small cars, and there are no such cars in our lineup. So we are thinking about making a big car here in Korea and then exporting such a model overseas to markets that also show high demand for big cars”, Deblaise said during a press conference with local reporters on Friday. Renault Korea will also be introducing its first battery electric vehicle (BEV) using Chinese carmaker Geely’s eco-friendly car platform in 2026. Deblaise said that he has a “concrete plan” for the BEV, which will be launched in Korea. He added that he shared his plan with Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo. “I cannot tell you about it in detail, as I am still working on it. But I can tell you that on June 21, I will be having a very important meeting with Luca and the executives of Renault Group about it. If they accept my suggestion, then our BEV development journey will begin”, Deblaise said. While some say that Renault Korea’s timeline for electrification is far behind other carmakers, the head of Renault Korea said that the company isn’t late in introducing its first BEV in 2026. Rather, he said it’s a perfect time, as BEVs are still not cost-effective enough for customers. “Globally, OEMs are turning their heads toward hybrid cars again. Take China for example. They have been very driven for the past six to seven years to develop BEVs, but now their focus is changing to developing hybrid models. This is because hybrid cars are a good alternative in reducing carbon emissions until BEV technology is further worked on”, Deblaise explained. Renault Korea will launch its XM3 hybrid later this year. XM3 is already proving successful in foreign markets including Europe, as 11.179 units have been sold there alone during the first quarter of this year. It has become the bestselling hybrid model among Renault brands. Meanwhile, Korean customers are also looking forward to a full change of Renault Korea’s popular models SM6 and QM6, as it has been more than 5 years since they have been introduced. “As you know, the years 2020 and 2021 were a difficult time for Renault Samsung, and so we were not able to introduce new cars. But 2024 to 2025 will be our renovation phase. We call the project we are working on for this period ‘Project Aurora’ because it is the light of our future. My goal as the CEO of Renault Korea is to have Renault Group as one leg and Geely as another to successfully walk through the project”, Deblaise said. In May, Renault Korea announced that Geely Auto of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is acquiring a 34.02 percent stake in Renault Korea Motors. With an above-30 percent share in the Korean carmaker, which recently dropped “Samsung” from its name upon the termination of its contract with the firm, Geely Auto will be the second-largest shareholder. Deblaise, who served as Renault’s advanced project and cross-car line program director until recently, assumed his new role starting on March 1. +++
+++ The president of RUSSIA , Vladimir Putin ordered his government on Thursday to quickly come up with new measures to support the domestic car industry, which has seen sales crater since the invasion of Ukraine. Amid a crunch on demand from Russian buyers and severe logistics problems as a result of Western sanctions, car sales slumped a record 83.5% in May, according to Association of European Businesses (AEB) data. “I would like to ask the government to tell us in detail what swift measures it is taking to support the auto industry and stabilize the internal market”, Putin said in a meeting with officials broadcast on state TV. Interfax news agency quoted him as saying the government should come up with an updated plan before September 1. Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said Moscow would allocate 20.7 billion roubles ($377 million) this year to support demand for cars, Interfax reported. Some 10.2 billion roubles would be spent on resuming car loans with the rest split between support for preferential leasing rates as well as discounts for electric and gasoline-powered vehicles. “This is what should be implemented in the near future in order to stimulate the market for precisely those products that are freely produced and can be supplied to our consumers”, the agency cited him as saying. Russian statistics agency Rosstat says car prices have jumped nearly 50% since the start of the year, slamming demand in a country where household incomes have declined while inflation hovers near 20-year highs. In recent weeks a string of officials have warned about a possible demand slump that could accentuate the economic crisis, already expected to be the worst in at least 2 decades. Despite a high-profile import substitution drive, Russia’s auto industry had remained heavily reliant on foreign investment and equipment. Lada-maker Avtovaz, Russia’s largest car manufacturer, halted production for more than 2 months citing a shortage of electronic parts. French auto giant Renault struck a deal in May to sell its majority stake in Avtovaz to a Russian science institute, reportedly for the symbolic sum of just one rouble, with a 6-year option to buy it back. +++
