+++ After an extensive final development phase, BMW has signed off its hydrogen fuel-cell powered iX5 Hydrogen for production in Munich. However, the innovative SUV won’t be produced on a large scale. Instead, a small number of units will roll off the production line to be used as demonstration vehicles in 2023. The experimental model is powered by a pair of electric motors (one at each axle), which have a combined output of 374 hp. They’re the company’s fifth generation eDrive motors, which also feature on the i7 and iX electric cars. However, instead of pulling stored electrical energy from a battery pack like a conventional electric car, the iX5 generates its own electricity through a chemical reaction between stored hydrogen and oxygen from the air, via a fuel cell capable of generating up to 125 kW. Waste heat from the system is used to warm up the cabin when needed. The fuel cell, developed in partnership with Toyota, is supplied by two 700-bar storage tanks occupying the space used by the gearbox and driveshaft in the combustion-engined X5. Together, the tanks can hold 6 kilogrammes of hydrogen. BMW has chosen its Munich Research and Innovation Centre to build the iX5, using platforms supplied by the firm’s Spartanburg plant in the USA. To accommodate the 2 hydrogen tanks, a new floor pan is installed along with the car’s bespoke 400 Volt electrical system, battery and under-bonnet fuel cells. The finished vehicles will visit selected regions next spring to publicise the zero-emissions powertrain solution. The iX5 completed its winter testing regime earlier this year near the Arctic Circle, and was able to offer maximum performance despite temperatures dropping as low as -20°C. The fuel-cell tech guarantees a long range regardless of the prevailing weather, says BMW; unlike a traditional battery electric vehicle, whose usable range generally decreases in colder conditions. Refuelling takes a matter of minutes, too, which is a huge saving over the charge-times of most conventional electric vehicles. Other potential advantages of hydrogen-electric vehicles over traditional EVs include towing capability and passenger comfort, due to the lack of a heavy lithium-ion battery pack and the stiffer suspension required to support it. The iX5 project could be an indication of BMWs development road map, and the firm could put the car into large-scale production depending on market conditions and infrastructure support. The brand even hints that, if the current infrastructure issues are remedied, it could introduce hydrogen fuel cell technology on other vehicles in its line-up, such as the iX3, iX and i4. Milan Nedeljković, BMW’s board member for production, said: “Production of the BMW iX5 Hydrogen and the BMW-developed fuel cell systems demonstrates our supreme flexibility and unrivalled knowhow in the field of small-scale manufacture. It shows we already boast the necessary expertise for integrating hydrogen technology into the BMW iFactory production system as an additional type of drive”. The iX5 comes with cosmetic alterations that mark it out as one of the company’s eco models; some of which have been 3D-printed. It adopts BMW’s trademark i-Division styling changes and blue accents plus a unique blue-tinted radiator grille, a set of lightweight 22 inch alloy wheels and a revised rear diffuser with blanked-off exhaust outlets and blue trim. To further boost the iX5 Hydrogen’s eco-points, BMW has fitted it with aerodynamically efficient alloy wheels wrapped in sustainable tyres. They’re made from natural rubber and rayon, extracted in compliance with the Forest Stewardship Council’s (FSC) standards. +++
+++ FORD ’s F-150 pick-up looks set to retain its crown as America’s bestselling vehicle for the 41st consecutive year. After launching an electric version last year, it received nearly 200.000 orders for the Lightning opened and had to close its order book in a bid to catch up. “That surprised us. I think it surprised a lot in the industry, how ready people already were for electric vehicles”, says Darren Palmer, who heads up Ford’s electric vehicle (EV) program. The level of demand forced Ford to take some drastic action to boost the number of Lightning trucks it can produce in Michigan. “They’re actually building a factory almost the same size alongside the one that’s producing at the moment”, Palmer told. “We had to cut the walls open again and start again”. Despite recently committing $50 billion to its EV program over the next 4 years, the success of an electric F-150 was never certain. Linda Zhang, the Lightning’s chief engineer, previously told she initially had to convince her colleagues to buy the vehicle. Now it’s winning over customers who never owned an EV, as well as younger drivers who hadn’t previously bought a Ford, said Palmer and Zhang. Coping with the surge in demand has been a “huge piece of work”, Palmer says: “It will take most of this year and some of next year just to convert the reservations, and I trust we haven’t had it open for a year and a half”. A wave of positive reviews for the Lightning meant even more orders are likely to follow, he adds, but first it has to convert a multitude of existing reservations. Palmer couldn’t confirm when this would happen. In the meantime, Ford will try to increase production from the existing factory to double its annual output to 150.000 annually. Coping with demand hasn’t been helped by supply chain issues brought on by the pandemic. The Wall Street Journal reported in September that Ford had been forced to halt the delivery of some of its vehicles due to a shortage of the automaker’s famous blue badges. A bigger issue has been the ongoing shortage of semiconductor chips, although Palmer says Ford is prioritizing supplies for its EVs. Still prices for the trucks have been forced up by a wave of obstacles, increasing the F-150 Lightning Pro by $5,000 last month in the second price rise this year. Geopolitical factors helped influence the company’s decision to move some production closer to home, coming alongside a massive supply chain restructure after $1 billion of unexpected costs last quarter. Palmer thinks the Lightning will go down in history as the vehicle that brought EVs into the mainstream in the US. He says there’s more to come, with a renewed focus on in-car technology in the next phase of Ford’s EV program. “The things we’re going to bring in the next 3 years are just mind blowing. They’re doing things that vehicles never did before”, he adds. +++
+++ As electric vehicles enter the market, misconceptions abound regarding the cars and how automakers can remain profitable while ditching the internal combustion engine, says Mark Reuss, GENERAL MOTORS ‘ president. GM is looking to position itself as a leader in electric vehicles, putting billions of dollars toward electrifying its fleet and promising a future without fossil-fuel emissions. But Reuss said that being a legacy car company competing with the likes of Tesla, Rivian and Lucid can create confusion among both consumers and industry experts. Reuss recently sat down with a journalist to set the record straight on a few aspects of the EV market as he sees it today. Some automakers have been making the transition to electric lineups with a pit stop: hybrids. Toyota, for example, has invested in hybrids in addition to electric products and has faced skepticism from the industry as a result. “We’re not going to dilute our investment with hybrids”, Reuss said, adding that the automaker expects its EV business to be profitable by 2025. GM stopped producing its last hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt, in 2019. “If you look at some of the other companies that are doing or have signaled that they’re going to have an all-electric lineup, the profitability picture is quite different”, Reuss said. Next to Reuss’ computer in his office at GM’s Tech Center is a blue bumper sticker that says “coexist”. It’s not the typical Coexist bumper sticker that features various religious and cultural symbols: this one has internal-combustion-engine parts and battery parts, signaling GM’s approach to integrating its powertrain engineers. “That’s the attitude”, Reuss said. “People go back and forth”. GM’s crosstown rival Ford, meanwhile, recently decided to split its gas-powered and EV businesses into separate operational divisions in a bid to allow the EV business to operate independently while the gas-powered side of the business continues to feed Ford’s bottom line. Many people worry that aging electrical infrastructure can’t handle an influx of charging car batteries. Reuss says GM and others in the industry are already working to solve this problem with energy storage and vehicle-to-grid energy-sharing technology. For GM, that’s being handled by a new department dubbed GM Energy, which Reuss said would offer a product designed to send unused energy back to the electrical grid at peak hours. “People say: ‘Oh, there’s no way the grid can support EVs’ “, Reuss said. “No, that’s not true”. Reuss said it can be frustrating to see drivers rate vehicles based on the charging experience alone. While he acknowledged that the plug-in infrastructure has a long way to go, he said GM has built its EVs to drive as far as a gas-powered vehicle between charges. He added that GM, through partnerships with charging companies and other fueling stations, was also working on ways to improve charging so drivers can focus on the work engineers have put into the driving experience for vehicles like the Cadillac Lyriq and the GMC Hummer EV. “It’s all coming”, Reuss said. “Is it perfect yet? No”. Even as the EV-charging industry heats up, startups that flooded it over the past several years are facing harder times. A spate of mergers and acquisitions is likely to lower the number of companies, but Reuss said that’s not necessarily a bad thing. “I don’t think that’s unhealthy”, Reuss said of the activity. “Not everybody should be able to make money at it just like that. That’s why I think partnerships can be very, very good”, he added. “The people who realize that and put the money in the right places for people will benefit”. +++
+++ LAMBORGHINI boss Stephan Winkelmann says the firm needs to transition to the “new world order” within the next decade, “without destroying the dreams of the customers”. The German, who in 2020 returned to Lamborghini for his second spell as CEO, is heading up major changes at the firm, including overseeing its last combustion-engined model. Autointernationaal.nl caught up with Winkelmann to discuss his to-do list, the brand’s place during a global recession and future plans as it heads into the electrified age. Question: You were at Lamborghini for a long time, then left from 2016 to 2020. Now you’re back, does this feel like home? Answer: “The longer you stay in a company, the more you get close to the company. With Lamborghini, it was love at first sight. So we could develop the brand, the products, the strategy in a time where you can see the results coming and you see the output of the input. This is giving you confidence (or not) but it’s giving you the value of the effort you put in. Lamborghini is easy to like”. Q: Do you prefer it now that you can focus 100% on Lamborghini (Winkelmann had a stint as president of Bugatti)? A: “I have to say that Bugatti was an incredible experience. It’s a gem, this brand. And I think that we just started to do some of the things which were important, in my opinion, for the brand and for the model line-up. And I hope that everything they’re doing next continues to value the brand, but at the end of the day, the reality is that I’m back at Lamborghini. I love the job, and I have no wish to be somewhere else”. Q: What things remain on your to-do list? A: “The biggest effort we have in front of us is the transition from the old world to the new world without destroying the dreams of the customers. This is the job for this decade until the beginning of the 2030s. It has to be done”. Q: What does Lamborghini mean to you with reference to electrification? A: “We’re not selling mobility, we’re selling dreams. So you have to keep the dream alive, you have to keep the promise that cars are performance orientated. And it’s not only about the longitudinal acceleration, about numbers, but also about the motion and the lateral acceleration. I think this is going hand-in-hand with the new generation of customers stepping into this type of world and accepting it more than maybe 10 or 20 years ago”. Q: Where is the focus for Lamborghini as we approach that age of electrification? A: “There are 4 pillars in my head. Design and performance, these are things that we have always done. The other 2? It is the perceived performance. So how you feel, how engaged you are. Like a pilot. The other one is the sound. These are the things that are the most challenging, so the sound is something where we have to see what is coming up. I don’t want to say it’s easy. It will be different from today. We are already working on perceived performance. I think that the software is going to take major steps to help us improve lateral acceleration and the direction of the contact between machine and driver. These things are paramount for success”. Q: Is there room within Lamborghini for a Porsche Taycan rival? A: “Well, for this model it will be an idea of a 2+2 GT. With more ground clearance, I’m sure about that. I think that this is a good choice and can be a new body style, a new design approach, but still very much a real Lamborghini”. Q: Now that Audi is saying goodbye to the V10, how will the Hurracan replacement be different as a result? A: “The difference with the current Hurracan will be huge not only in terms of design, but also in terms of powertrain because we will have a hybridisation system. We will have a completely new engine. But we are not revealing how many cylinders”. Q: What is Lamborghini’s peak sales figure, in an ideal world? A: “It depends on the segments. It’s clear that if you have a segment like the SUV segment, even if it’s the top end, you have a bigger market. But you always have to pay attention to the fact that you have to sell less than demand. You have to pay attention to the residual values. Today, if you buy a Lamborghini you have to wait at least 18 months. And if you want to buy one immediately, a used car, you have to pay more than the sticker price. And so there must be a balance between the wealth in the world, which is growing constantly, and the amount of cars we are willing to build. Another thing is we have a high, high capital-intensive business and much more than the other luxuries or accessories like fashion, watches, jewellery. Because the technology is proceeding at a speed which was unknown in the decades before, we have to be rock solid. And we always have to find a balance between the request of the market and the need of us to be able to reinvest in the future. The Urus was one of these moves designed not to dilute the value of the brand, but growing out of the core, which is the super sports cars. A real number I cannot give you because it will always change. And also when we get a 4th model, we will go north”. Q: What is Lamborghini’s relationship like with the rest of the VW Group? A: “There are benefits of this so it’s a good relationship. The future is even more about software and all about digitalisation. And then we will have a huge advantage than similar size companies, which will not get this extra benefit and this technology, to apply them to a quality and to a quantity which the market is demanding”. Q: In a world where many people are struggling with their finances at the moment, is there an issue with Lamborghini selling such expensive cars? A: “We are not immune to a big crisis. And it’s also a matter of social responsibility if you are an entrepreneur who has to lay off people because of all the economic reasons, if you then want to be seen in a car like ours. “Like the self-rewarding after Covid, when that was exploding and everybody was pushing into our type of brands, we have not reached the end of it. Every month, we are selling more cars than we are able to deliver, so the order bank is increasing. There will be a tipping point for sure”. Q: Societies around the world are now paying much more attention to things such as ostentatious wealth and the environment. Does that present a danger to Lamborghini in the future? A: “This is on us and our customers, because we always have to be ahead of the wave. So sustainability and performance (for me sustainability, for you performance, and vice versa) are the keys for success. And let’s be honest, the discussion about sustainability is very emotional. We are selling fewer than 10.000 cars in a world that is selling more than 70 million cars every year. “But our brand is much bigger than the footprint of the brand. So we have to be extra careful. This is why we already started being CO2 neutral in our plant at Sant’Agata”. +++
+++ LUCID MOTORS is offering workers an $18.000 discount to buy an Air by the end of the year, the electric vehicle startup confirmed. This week, Lucid began offering all full-time regular U.S. employees a “stipend” to buy the Lucid Air Grand Touring, according to an internal e-mail. The Grand Touring is the current range-topping model now that the Dream Edition has sold out, though the more powerful Air Sapphire will soon retake the crown. The Grand Touring starts at at $154,000. Employees who purchase a Grand Touring and take delivery by December 31 will receive $500 each pay period (which covers 2 weeks) until the payments total $18,000, provided they continue to work at Lucid. The company also said availability and configurations are limited. “We have always wanted to find the right time to help reward our employees who were interested in driving a Lucid Air every day”, Lucid spokesperson Nat Lingo told. “With our recent ramp up, we have been able to honor this request from our team”. The program could help Lucid juice delivery numbers before year-end, as it ramps up production of its flagship Air sedan. As of the third quarter, Lucid had produced a total of 3.687 vehicles this year, and is targeting building between 6.000 and 7.000 vehicles in 2022. It has not yet given 2023 guidance. Meanwhile, Lucid saw reservations drop from 37.000 in Q2 to 34.000 in Q3, which CFO Sherry House attributed to a mix of deliveries made and customer cancellations. Even with reservations declining, the company has thousands of reservations to fulfill, including an order for up to 100.000 vehicles from Saudi Arabia’s government. A former employee told that despite employee interest, this type of program was not offered earlier due to the company’s order volume. Unconfirmed reports have said startup Rivian has also introduced an employee purchase program. +++
+++ The MASERATIGranTurismo has returned for a second generation, bringing both electric and V6 powertrain options in an effort to shake up the luxury GT segment and reestablish Maserati as a leading sports car manufacturer. The 2+2 electric Granturismo, called Folgore (for lightning), is equipped with more than 760 hp and 1.300 Nm of torque, can sprint from 0-100 kph in just 2.7seconds, and has a WLTP official range of 450 km. Priced from nearly 240.000 euro in the Netherlands, it is Maserati’s long-awaited answer to the Porsche Taycan and will arrive as part of the marque’s rapid-fire electrification push, which will phase out combustion power entirely from 2030. The Folgore is powered by a 93 kWh T-shaped battery, hooked up to 3 in-house-built motors (1 on the front axle and 2 at the rear), which allow for both rear- and four-wheel drive. The battery can be charged at speeds of up to 270 kW, putting it among the fastest-charging EVs on sale. A flexible new architecture, unrelated to that used by the old V8-powered Granturismo, will form the base of the Folgore and its V6 sibling. The bespoke chassis will also be used on other Maseratis, including the already revealed Grecale Folgore, with the battery placed low and along the centre of the chassis for the optimal weight distribution (the Folgore gets 50:50) and centre of gravity. The V6 car has its engine just behind the front axle, while the drivetrain takes up the space used by the battery. The Folgore weighs 2.260kg and its V6 sibling is 1.795 kg (78kg less than the lightest, MC-spec GT from the previous generation). Maserati’s head of global product, Massimo Capaldi, said he expects the Folgore to attract a new type of customer to the brand as well as, the company hopes, nabbing Tesla Model S Plaid and Audi RS e-Tron GT buyers. The firm’s goal is to have a “completed” electric range by 2025, including an electric version of the Maserati MC20 flagship supercar. However, Capaldi told that Maserati was not yet ready to ditch combustion completely for the Granturismo, which he called the “pillar of the brand”, hence the launch of the petrol version fitted with the same twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre Nettuno powerplant used in the MC20, albeit detuned. Costing around 10.000 euro less than its electric sibling, the Granturismo Nettuno gets 550 hp (80 hp less than the MC20), 620 Nm and a 0-100 kph time of 3.5 seconds in top-flight Trofeo form. A Modena variant with 500 hp and 600 Nm will also be available. Its closest rivals (the Aston Martin Vantage, McLaren GT and Ferrari Roma) are currently on sale with V8s only. Noticeable differences between the V6 and EV models include a subtly tweaked front bumper and quad pipes at the rear. The V6 car also has a bigger boot than the EV, in which space is given up to accommodate its rear motors. However, the most defining difference, apart from the powertrain, is the sound. In place of the Nettuno’s charismatic V6 exhaust note, the Folgore will have external and internal speakers that will pump out a “unique” soundtrack, similar to a fusion of electric whirrs coupled with a V8 engine. “It is a new concept that can’t be likened to anything else”, said chief engineer Davide Danesin. But the feature Danesin is most proud to showcase is the Vehicle Domain Control Module (VDCM), which allows drivers of all abilities to get the most out of both cars. Developed in-house, it adjusts the level of electronic support according to the drive mode selected: Comfort/Max Range (depending on the powertrain), GT, Sport or the most extreme setting, Corsa. “This is a good thing today, but also a huge investment for the future”, said Danesin. “You can really let the system provide [the help to use all the performance] with any skill level”. Despite the technical reinvention, the new Granturismo bears a strong visual resemblance to the previous car, which bowed out in 2019. The sleek, long-bonnet, cab-back stance remains, even on the engineless Folgore version, with a new treatment for the front and rear end bringing the GT most obviously into line with Maserati’s new design language, as pioneered by the MC20 and Grecale. The changes inside promise to be much more dramatic. Maserati will lift the covers early next year but early details revealed include a smaller steering wheel, a new 12.0 inch digital dashboard and a pair of infotainment screens stacked in the centre of the dashboard (top for entertainment and bottom for “comfort” features). The screens flank physical buttons that control the automatic gearbox. The staple analogue clock has been replaced by a digital display with interchangeable faces. Final prices for the 2 Granturismo variants will be revealed closer to their respective launches: the V6 car will arrive in spring 2023 and the EV in the second half of the year. The limited-run First Edition car (expected to command around a 60.000 euro premium) is already proving “very popular”, according to Maserati, but the firm has yet to fully outline its sales aspirations for the second-generation GT family. +++
+++ Cash-strapped MCLAREN has recently sold some of its prized heritage car collection to Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat Holding to raise capital. The supercar maker was forced to seek an injection of funds after identifying “certain technical upgrades” on its Artura hybrid supercar that triggered delivery delays, McLaren said earlier this week during its third-quarter earnings. Its main shareholder (with Mumtalakat owning a near 60% stake) agreed to support the company with an additional €115 million, the company said. A McLaren spokesman confirmed the sale of some heritage vehicles to the company’s main shareholder in return for the cash infusion, without elaborating on the details of the cars sold. McLaren’s heritage vehicles count 54 rare Formula 1 racing cars and F1 supercars, according to its 2021 annual report. The same report states that the company sells cars from its collection from time to time. “We are in active talks with all shareholders regarding a recapitalization of the group,” McLaren said on the call, indicating the additional funds won’t be enough. It’s also continuing talks for potential partnerships. McLaren reported a loss of €250 million in the 9 months through September, compared with a €80 million loss a year ago. Liquidity at the end of the third quarter declined to €100 million, down from €195 million. The British marque has sought emergency financing multiple times over the past few years from shareholders amid long delays in the launch of the Artura. The latest round of fundraising comes just months after its shareholders (which also include investment firm Ares Management Corporation and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund) gave €145 million through convertible preference shares. +++
+++ TESLA is offering a $3,750 credit to US customers on Model 3 and Model Y cars until the end of the year. It’s a rare move for the automaker, whose CEO, Elon Musk, has often said that Tesla wouldn’t discount new cars. Tesla has seen an uptick in order cancellations due to long delivery wait times, leading some customers to change their minds about a car purchase between the time they placed car orders and the date of delivery. The report also said that some customers are pushing electric vehicle deliveries into the start of 2023 to take advantage of the Biden Administration’s new EV tax credit. The credit, which takes effect in 2023, is part of the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden in August and extends current federal tax credits. The credit is worth up to $7,500, and Tesla’s Model 3 & Model Y are both eligible beginning in 2023. By trying to push new vehicles out the door by the end of the 4th quarter, Tesla may be looking to avoid another disappointing quarter of deliveries. In the third quarter, Tesla reported delivering 343.000 electric cars, falling short of analysts’ expectations of 364,660 deliveries. +++
+++ TOYOTA is committed to maintaining and expanding its Gazoo Racing sports car offering, but has no plans to electrify the line-up in the immediate future. The ‘GR’ performance line-up currently comprises 4 cars: the GR Yaris, GR Supra, GR 86 and GR Corolla. Each of these is a highly bespoke proposition based around a pure-combustion drivetrain, engineered in close collaboration with engineers from Toyota’s racing outfits. The brand has been tight-lipped about its future performance car plans, however, since hinting at a compact electric convertible in the vein of the MR-2 in late 2021. Sibling brand Lexus, meanwhile, is working on an electric successor to the hallowed LFA supercar, complete with a trick four-wheel drive system and a manual gearbox. Speaking to journalists at Toyota’s annual Kenshiki forum in Belgium, the brand’s European product boss Andrea Carlucci outlined GR’s importance to Toyota’s forward strategy: “Clearly for for GR, the strategy is very clear. We want to continue our journey, and we are looking at several options. To be frank with you, at the moment, looking at the response we got with ICE (of course, I’m talking about GR Yaris but also the GR86, which are an immediate success), we’re very satisfied. And there is no reason to change that direction. “Electrification, in general terms, can come and we have to go as far as we have to go, when we wouldn’t be allowed any more to stay with ICE. Of course, we will have to move into the new era. What I want to say is that we have a full commitment to continue developing, and of course the solution cannot just be BEV”. Toyota will have 6 bespoke electric cars on sale in Europe by 2026, and plans to go carbon-neutral in Europe by 2040, but has been vocal about its belief that battery-electric cars are not the only means of achieving reduced emissions. Aside from continuing to develop hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell drivetrains, the company is also investing heavily in refining hydrogen-combustion technology, which it says could be a more cost-effective and resource-efficient means of reducing emissions, given existing engines can be converted relatively easily. This has particularly significant implications for sports cars, which could be adapted to run on hydrogen (and thus have their emissions output drastically slashed) without losing their charismatic exhaust notes and performance characteristics. Toyota has showcased the potential of the hardware in an adapted Corolla race car and a GR Yaris rally prototype. Future GR-badged sports cars could therefore retain a combustion engine if the technology can be developed to the point of roadworthiness and commercial feasibility. But Carlucci did say “seriously starting the hydrogen application into our line-up is not so close”. He added that the GR brand is “a fabulous opportunity for us to connect with people, and is a fabulous opportunity for us to learn, because all that is tested in motorsports, essentially is brought back to street-legal cars like the GR vehicles”. +++
+++ New car sales in the UNITED KINGDOM grew by 23.5 percent year-on-year in November 2022, but remained 8.8 per cent lower than November 2019’s figures. Fleet registrations were up 45.4 per cent compared with November 2021 at 74.184 units. Private registrations only grew 2.7 per cent to 64.292, while business registrations grew 112.2 per cent, but this represents a tiny market share at 4.413 units. The figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveal that electric vehicles now account for more than 1 in 5 new cars sold: their registrations grew 34.2 percent in November 2022. Registrations of plug-in hybrids fell 5.8 percent, however. B segment hatchbacks were the most in-demand type of car, but the bestselling car of the month (and the year-to-date) was the Nissan Qashqai. The SMMT is anticipating a 15.4-per-cent new car market growth next year, calling for this to be aided by investment in EV incentives and charging infrastructure. Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: “Recovery for Britain’s new car market is back within our grasp, energised by electrified vehicles and the sector’s resilience in the face of supply and economic challenges. As the sector looks to ensure that growth is sustainable for the long term, urgent measures are required, not least a fair approach to driving EV adoption that recognises these vehicles remain more expensive, and measures to compel investment in a charging network that is built ahead of need. “By doing so we can encourage consumer appetite across the country and accelerate the UK’s journey to net zero”. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN GROUP boss Oliver Blume has given the go-ahead for a substantial investment in the MEB (Modularer E-Antriebs Baukasten) electric car platform, setting up a fundamental revision of the German car maker’s electric car strategy up to and beyond 2030. The reported €1.5 billion investment, which encompasses the development of more advanced battery cell, power electronics and inverter technology among other changes, comes as the Volkswagen Group begins to roll back on plans originally initiated by former CEO Herbert Diess, following an internal review of future electric car expenditure and processes, much of which has now been placed on hold for further consideration by its board members. The internal review identified the 4-year-old MEB platform, which supports both single-motor rear- and dual-motor four-wheel drive, as a central pillar in instilling greater competitiveness, economies of scale, production efficiency and profitability into the company’s planned electric models. The investment in the structure is aimed at extending its production life well beyond that of earlier strategy planning, which called for the MEB platform to be phased out during the latter half of this decade in favour of the SSP (Scaleable Systems Platform) structure. Blume is claimed to have already initiated steps to integrate the battery cell technology originally envisaged for the SSP structure into an updated MEB platform, known internally as MEB-EVO. It centres around a so-called ‘unified cell’ to be used across the Volkswagen Group as part of cost amortisation efforts for the company, which sold 366.000 electric cars during the first 9 months of 2022. Other changes planned for the MEB platform include an increase in charging capacity. Nothing is official yet, although an internal document is claimed to reveal the upgraded MEB structure will support charging at speeds of between 175 kW and 200 kW. This represents a significant increase on the peak 135 kW of existing MEB-based models. Despite the investment, though, the updated MEB platform is expected to retain a 400 Volt electric architecture in the interests of cost competitiveness. The decision to invest in the MEB platform will mean the introduction of the SSP structure (which has been conceived around a more advanced 800V electric architecture, allowing a charging capacity of up to 350 kW) is delayed until 2028 at the very earliest. Confirmation of this was first aired by Volkswagen brand CEO Thomas Schäfer at the recent 2022 Los Angeles motor show, where he told: “We’re not 100% sure what comes when. But what we know is that everything slides back a bit by, say, 2 years”. Plans for the construction of a new manufacturing site in Warmenau, close to Volkswagen’s Wolfsburg headquarters in Germany, specifically for SSP platform models have also been abandoned, in a move that is claimed to provide savings of up to €2 billion. First used by the Volkswagen ID.3 at its European market launch in September 2019, the MEB platform currently underpins 6 electric Volkswagen models, including the ID.4, the ID.5, the Chinese-market ID.6 (also a SUV) as well as the recently introduced ID.Buzz and ID.Buzz Cargo. It is also used for the Audi Q4 e-Tron, Q4 e-Tron Sportback and Chinese-market Q5 e-Tron, as well as the Skoda Enyaq iV and Enyaq iV Coupé, and the Cupra Born. In addition, the MEB platform is also set to be used by Volkswagen’s first dedicated electric-powered saloon: a production version of the Volkswagen ID.Aero concept, to be revealed in prototype guise at next month’s 2023 CES show prior to going on sale in Europe during the second half of next year under the likely name ID.7. Further models to be based on the MEB platform include 2 new crossover-style offerings from Ford, both set to be produced in Cologne, Germany. Additionally, Skoda has announced plans for 3 new MEB-based models by 2026, while Cupra says it will add a new MEB model in the form of a production version of its Tavascan concept to its line-up in 2024. A modified version of the existing MEB platform with a shortened wheelbase and smaller battery module known to insiders as the MEB-Small is also confirmed to form the basis of the upcoming ID.2 and ID.2X; an entry-level hatchback and crossover pairing that are being developed in a three-way engineering programme between Volkswagen, Cupra and Skoda and, on current planning, set to make production in 2025. Under the previous electric car platform strategy orchestrated by Diess, the MEB structure was envisaged to be phased out in 2025. However, Blume’s decision to give the green light to additional investment in the existing structure will enable it to continue to play a pivotal role in the development of future electric models, including Volkswagen’s Project Trinity autonomous-capable saloon. Originally conceived on the SSP structure, the new Tesla Model 3 rival (which, sources suggest, is being lined up to be named the ID.8 when it goes on sale in 2026) will now be based on MEB-EVO. The new saloon, which is planned to spawn an Audi sibling model, is seen as a lynchpin in the Volkswagen Group’s ambitious electric car plans. MEB platform models are currently produced in six Volkswagen Group manufacturing plants, including the company’s Zwickau, Dresden and Hannover sites in Germany and Skoda’s Mlada Boleslav plant in the Czech Republic as well as at its Chinese joint venture operations with FAW in Changchun and SAIC in Shanghai. 2 additional German MEB manufacturing sites will be added in 2023. Volkswagen’s traditional Wolfsburg plant is already being geared up to produce the facelifted ID.3 hatchback and its Emden factory is currently in a pilot production phase for the upcoming ID.7 saloon. At this stage, Volkswagen is looking to build the production version of Project Trinity, the ID.8, alongside the facelifted ID.3 at its recently upgraded Wolfsburg plant. To accommodate the ID.7 at its heavily restructured Emden site, Volkswagen has already announced plans to shift production of the upcoming 9th-generation Volkswagen Passat to Skoda’s Kvasiny plant, where it will be produced alongside the fourth-generation Skoda Superb. Plans have also been announced to produce MEB-based models at a third Chinese joint venture run between Volkswagen and JAC in Anhui, China. A recent visit by Blume to Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant in Tennessee has also led to speculation that MEB-based models could also be produced in the US. +++
