+++ BMW currently has 3 electric SUVs on offer, 2 of which are built on existing internal combustion-engined vehicle platforms, while 1, the iX, is a bespoke EV. The manufacturer is clearly looking to add more EV high riders, and a new application with the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt) hints at where the manufacturer plans to go next. BMW has asked for trademarks on iX6, iX7, iX8 and iX9, adding to the iX1, iX3 and iX4 that we already knew about. Out of all of these nameplates, BMW only currently sells the iX1 and iX3, with the iX4 believed to be the next model to debut. All the new models are larger than the iX3 and iX4, and while we have some idea how big an iX7 or iX8 could be, iX9 is a mystery to us. BMW may have simply trademarked iX9 so that another manufacturer doesn’t take it and there are actually no plans to make a vehicle larger than today’s X7, but it’s still an intriguing prospect: what type of vehicle could the iX9 be based on? And if you were wondering what an iX8 might look like, well, it contains an even number so it’s most likely going to be a coupe-like version of the iX7. The only one of these larger electric SUVs that we have heard about via rumors before is the iX6, which will debut in 2028, as a more rakish version of the a new iX5 that will enter production at the end of 2026. The most recent addition to the range of BEV high riders is the iX1, which is the electric version of BMW’s smallest crossover, the front-wheel drive-biased X1, which shares its underpinnings with the current Mini. It is currently far too early to speculate upon when each of the iX models will debut, or if BMW even has plans to make the bigger iX8 and iX9 models, but the manufacturer is clearly preparing for the future and a possible range of nine electric crossovers and SUVs. It is very likely that BMW may launch an iX4 based on the current-generation model, and even M versions of both it and the iX3, but aside from that we really don’t know much at the moment. +++
+++ FORD reported strong demand for new vehicles in the United States in September amid inflation worries, with sales of its electric models tripling over last year. “Demand remains strong with new retail orders rapidly expanding”, Andrew Frick, Ford vice president, said in a statement. Shares of the automaker were up 6% in morning trade as broader markets gained on easing U.S. Treasury yields. Ford’s bullish commentary comes days after an inflation warning from the country’s largest used-car retailer, CarMax, which said softness in used consumer purchases spilled into last month. Analysts are warning that red-hot demand for cars and trucks may lose steam in the coming quarters as rising interest rates discourage consumers from paying more money for vehicles. However, inventory shortages were still at play for major automakers in the third quarter. “September and Q3 sales are coming in exactly as expected. They are still stuck in low gear mostly because of inventory shortages”, Cox Automotive analyst Michelle Krebs said. Ford sold 142.644 vehicles in September, down 8.9% as compared to a year earlier, though sales of EVs were up 197%. More than 50% of retail sales were coming from previously placed orders and retail orders for 2023 model-year vehicles were up 244%. Its peers General Motors reported on Monday a 24% jump in quarterly sales while Toyota’s U.S. sales declined 7.1% to 526.017 vehicles in the same period. The carmaker, which aims to catch up with electric vehicle (EV) industry leader Tesla, saw its EV sales triple over last year powered by sales of pickup truck F-150 Lightning. “F-150 Lightning remains one of Ford’s fastest-turn in vehicles on dealer lots, turning in just 8 days”, Ford added. Sales of the Maverick small pick-up (photo) were even hotter, with it spending just 5 days on dealer lots. Sales of the Mustang Mach-E and Bronco were also particularly strong. +++
+++ 4 years and 20.000 SUVs assembled later, the LAMBORGHINI URUS recently went through a mid-cycle update bringing a hot Performance derivative. The base model has earned the “S” suffix and both flavours of the LM002’s spiritual successor pack a devilish 666 horsepower. Should you want even more oomph, the plug-in hybrid spotted here will add quite a few raging bulls. My spies caught a fully camouflaged prototype with a towing dynamometer. The yellow high-voltage stickers denote the Urus is equipped with a hybrid powertrain. It can easily be identified that it’s of the plug-in hybrid variety by a fuel cap on the left-side rear fender. It conceals the charging port where owners will feed juice to the unknown battery pack. In the case of the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, the electrified liftback uses a 17.9 kWh pack for 50 kilometers of zero-emissions range in the WLTP cycle. However, it’s unclear whether the Urus PHEV will indeed inherit the electrified bits from the range-topping Panamera. Putting a Lamborghini badge on this hardware could come along with some notable upgrades to justify what will certainly be a hefty premium. As a refresher, the Porsche with an extremely long name pairs a twin-turbo V8 4.0-liter engine with an electric motor to deliver a combined 700 hp and 869 Nm of torque. Logic tells me the hybrid Urus will become the range-topping version, positioned above the Urus S and Performante in terms of power, performance, and price. The combined output could reach 830 hp, thus making it a substantial 130 hp punchier than the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. As far as weight is concerned, it’ll certainly gain some fat over the Urus S (2.197 kg) and the Urus Performante (2.150 kg). Restyled bumpers are likely on the agenda, along with fresh alloy wheel designs and possibly new colors to make the PHEV stand out from the ICE duo. Inside, expect new upholstery and trim along with dedicated hybrid/electric screen menus in the instrument cluster and infotainment. The folks from Sant’Agata Bolognese have pledged to electrify all three model lines by 2024, which means the Urus will receive the PHEV treatment sometime next year when we’ll also see the Aventador replacement with a new V12 combined with an electric motor. The Huracan will lose its naturally aspirated V10 in favor of a twin-turbo V8 with an e-motor. +++
+++ Global passenger PLUG-IN ELECTRIC CAR SALES continue to expand at a healthy rate towards new records. Some 847.580 new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered in August, which is 60% more than a year ago and not far from a record level (it’s actually the best “off-peak” month, as the peaks are usually in the last month of a quarter). Market share increased to 15%, including about 11% for battery-electric cars and 4% for plug-in hybrids. BEVs were up 66%, while PHEVs were up by 47%. However, according to the article, PHEVs outside of China are down 9%. Meanwhile, conventional hybrids are finally up (after months of decline), but only by 6% year-over-year. That’s the highest growth rate since March 2022. So far this year, 5.780.291 new passenger plug-in electric cars were registered globally (13% marketshare), which opens the way to exceed 10 million units in 2022 (for the very first time). Battery-electric cars did 4.1 million (9.2% marketshare) and PHEVs sold about 1.7 million (3.8% marketshare). For reference, in the twelve months of 2021, some 6.5 million plug-in electric cars were sold. The Tesla Model Y was the star of the show in August, with 64,780 units (best off-peak result). But BYD also can be pretty happy with 5 models in the top 10 (at least if we count BEVs and PHEVs together, as in the data source). The whole top 10 for the month consists of: Tesla Model Y – 64.780, BYD Song (BEV + PHEV) – 42.522, BYD Qin Plus (BEV+PHEV) – 35.716, Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV – 33.877, Tesla Model 3 – 31.529, BYD Han (BEV + PHEV) – 25.994, BYD Dolphin – 23.486, BYD Yuan Plus (BEV) – 18.518, Volkswagen ID.4 – 17.246 and GAC Aion S – 11.683. So far this year, the Tesla Model Y remains the top-selling plug-in car model, while the next 3 models (Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV, Tesla Model 3 and BYD Song family) are relatively close to each other. The whole top 20 consists of: Tesla Model Y – 409.378, Wuling Hong Guang Mini EV – 278.838, Tesla Model 3 – 268.157, BYD Song (BEV + PHEV) – 239.739, BYD Qin Plus (BEV + PHEV) – 198.326, BYD Han (BEV + PHEV) – 148.512, BYD Dolphin – 102.620, Volkswagen ID.4 – 99.880, BYD Yuan Plus – 92.776, BYD Tang (BEV + PHEV) – 79.211, Li Xiang One EREV – 75.397, Chery QQ Ice Cream – 72.094, Chery eQ1 – 68.153, GAC Aion Y – 67.793, Hyundai Ioniq 5 – 67.781, Changan Benni EV – 64.553, Hozon Neta V – 59.637, GAC Aion S – 58.471, Kia EV6 – 54.896 and Ford Mustang Mach-E – 51.447. In August, BYD noted another huge record (173.867 plug-in electric cars including 82.678 BEVs), which is significantly more than in the case of Tesla (101.778). Volkswagen is third with 40.387. Next came: SAIC-GM-Wuling – 38.435, Geely – 28.911, GAC – 27.064, Chery – 26.586, BMW – 24.679, Mercedes-Benz – 23.344 and Dongfeng – 22.626. The top 3 brands year-to-date are BYD (which extends its advantage), Tesla and the SAIC-GM-Wuling joint venture. +++
+++ RIVIAN is on track to meet its production target of 25.000 vehicles this year with a record third quarter. Shares of Rivian rose nearly 8% in premarket trading on after the announcement. Rivian’s positive update came after bigger rival Tesla blamed logistical hurdles for missing market expectations for the number of cars it handed over to customers in the third quarter. Tesla shares closed down 8.6%, wiping out more than $71 billion from the company’s market value in one session, or over $5 billion more than what Rivian has lost this year. With a total of 14.317 vehicles produced so far this year, Rivian has to make more than 10.500 units in the last 3 months of the year to meet its production target. “We view the reiterated FY22 production target as the most important component of the release, providing incremental comfort in the company’s ability to increasingly navigate the challenging supply chain backdrop”, Truist Securities analyst Jordan Levy said. Irvine based Rivian halved its annual production target from 50.000 units in March, as it battled supply chain snarls. Last week, a court rejected a joint proposal to secure local incentives for Rivian’s $5-billion manufacturing plant in Georgia, where the company proposes to produce 400.000 vehicles annually. Rivian currently makes the R1T pickup truck, the R1S sports utility vehicle and delivery vans for Amazon at its factory in Illinois. +++
+++ After seeing the new TOYOTA CROWN for the first time a few months ago, American journalist wrote: “Its form would hit the bullseye as an electric crossover, another of the shapely, lifted lozenges balancing the dictates of aerodynamics, packaging, and market tastes. The Crown even has a flat underfloor, the grubby bits from the front bumper to the rear suspension hidden behind aero panels”. In response a question about that, Toyota told it had no plans to bring an electric Crown to the U.S. The company is ready to admit it’s taking the midway step, however. CEO Akio Toyoda told at a dealer conference in Las Vegas that the U.S.-market Crown will get a plug-in hybrid form. The step lends credence to a report from April of this year, citing insiders as saying Toyota plans PHEV and battery-electric versions of the new crossover. In the report, though, the Crown PHEV was only for the Japanese market and would debut next year; the EV would arrive in early 2024. If the report was accurate, it’s impossible to know what’s occurred between then and now, just as much as it’s impossible to know what’s going to occur over with a potential EV version in 18 months. Toyota will put the Crown on global markets whenever it goes on sale, so it’s possible the PHEV comes here but an EV trim does not. The finer question about a Crown PHEV is what powertrain it will get. At the moment, the automaker dubs its PHEVs which are sold in the United States “Prime” and makes them the most powerful trims in their respective model lineups. The sportiest Crown for now is the Hybrid Max variant, expected to make around 340 horsepower. The hitch is that Toyota’s U.S. lineup doesn’t include a Prime model right now that makes even that much power, never mind making more. The hybrid powertrain in the new Lexus RX 500h, which is the same as in the Crown Hybrid Max, produces 371 hp, but there’s no plug on the Lexus, either. The Lexus RX 450h+ PHEV gets up 306 total horsepower, the base Crown hybrid makes 245 hp, the Toyota RAV4 Prime makes 306 hp, putting a lot of numbers on the ground for a Crown PHEV to play hopscotch with. Instead of shooting at the winning number, the Crown PHEV could focus on its mantle as Toyota’s historic technology leader and debut the automaker’s solid-state batteries. The firm has been throwing money at the advanced battery tech and production facilities to satisfy demand, and earlier this year said the packs would go on sale in 2025 in a hybrid model, not an electric vehicle. Stay tuned. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN ’s born-again International Harvester Scout is beginning to take shape. While official details remain few and far between, an unverified report claims that the model is being developed as a true off-roader and that it won’t arrive as the product of badge engineering. Jeff Bade, a prominent member of the vintage Scout community, wrote that he spent time talking to some of the engineers and designers tasked with bringing the project to fruition and got the chance to check out early prototypes. While he didn’t share photos of what he saw, he reported that community and history are “very important” to the folks in charge of resurrecting the Scout and they want to stay as true to the original as possible. That doesn’t mean putting AMC’s 258-cubic-inch straight-6 back into production; instead, the SUV and pickup variants of the Scout will land as true off-roaders designed to venture far off the pavement. They won’t be city-friendly crossovers. I know that the models in the rebooted Scout range will exclusively be offered with an electric powertrain, but Bade learned that they won’t ride on an existing platform like the MEB architecture that underpins the ID.Buzz, among other models. This suggests (but certainly doesn’t confirm) that they’ll use a platform developed specifically for the project. He added that the aftermarket is “very important” to the Scout team, and that owners will have the option of customizing and working on their truck. “This is not going to follow a Tesla philosophy”. Finally, it sounds like affordability will play an important role in shaping the new Scout models. Of course, that’s a relative term. Affordable compared to a Jeep Gladiator, which carries a base price of $39.000, or compared to a Rivian R1T, which costs $73.000? Affordability and electric technology tend to be mutually exclusive, so it will be interesting to see how Volkswagen strikes a balance between the two. “This will not be a 40-plus-year-old truck; we already have that”, Bade summed up, adding that “it’s still early so obviously things are going to change, and some details were not known and realistically haven’t been decided”. As far as official details are concerned, I know that the Scout models will be developed and built in the United States with an eye on the North American market. The first prototypes will make their debut before the end of 2023, and production will tentatively start in 2026. Volkswagen hopes to sell approximately 250.000 Scouts annually. +++
