+++ Last July, ALFA ROMEO boss Jean-Philippe Imperato said his Italian concern would develop a new battery-electric vehicle in the U.S. that would launch here in 2027. It would take the new top spot in the lineup, being larger than the Stelvio, full of tech and full of performance. During the launch of the Tonale in Japan, the boss shared provisional specs of the “high-performance SUV”. The pack of some unknown size would juice motors putting out from 300 to 800 horsepower in the standard range, and around 1.000 horsepower in a Quadrifoglio trim. Here’s the big stat: an 800 volt architecture would enable “recharging times of 18 minutes max”. I’d sure like to know the qualifications required to get an 18 minute charge. Porsche advertises the Taycan’s 93.4 kWh Performance Battery Plus as being able to go from 5% state-of-charge to 80% in 22.5 minutes when the sedan’s been optioned with the $460 On-Board DC Charger. Naturally, that’s under ideal conditions and when plugged into a charger that can feed the Taycan at its max 270 kW rate. When veteran hypermiler Wayne Gerdes took a Taycan across the U.S. in 5 days, he said his first charge at a 350 kW Electrify America unit took 22 minutes to get the battery from 6% to 82%. Knowing that the initial few percent and those last 20% take longer than the meaty bit in the middle, I guess Imperato’s time assessment leaves out the time-consuming portions of charging the battery near empty and close to full. But hey, 4 years is a long way away in the EV-verse. The CEO said the Alfa Romeo will compete with the BMW X5, a SUV almost exactly 25 centimeter longer than the Stelvio, which is currently the largest product in the portfolio and the bestseller in the U.S. The Italian might not share a traditional SUV shape with the German, Imperato having said that aerodynamic needs could lead to a shape between a sedan and a crossover. If things are on track in Milan, executives approved the design before the end of 2022. We’ll begin to see what Alfa Romeo’s EV-only future when the brand’s first dedicated EV shows in 2025. +++
+++ We’ve seen the concepts, studied the tech, and now it’s show time for the folks at Ingolstadt. AUDI has been hinting at its new-generation electric cars with numerous concept cars (from the A6 e-Tron to the newly unveiled Activesphere) and in the next few years, we’ll see these ideas reach showrooms as part of the brand’s most ambitious product launch plan yet. The next few years will be transitional for Audi as it steps towards full electrification, with a series of ground-up EVs arriving alongside new combustion-engined models. The firm’s design boss Marc Lichte said: “We’re working on EVs and successors to the ICE models. We’re about to see the biggest product launch in the history of Audi with more than 20 cars in the next 2,5 years. That’s why we’re focusing on cars like the Activesphere concept, which is our last show car for the next few years so that we can focus on series production”. Of course, many of these will be derivatives within core model lines, but we’re certain to see revamps across the entire portfolio and new pure-electric Audis within the next 3 years or so. The aforementioned Activesphere will be one of the latter, and pitched as an EV alternative to the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes G-Class. The firm’s forthcoming PPE platform (co-developed with Porsche) will form the basis of this and other EVs. Its 800 Volt electronic architecture enables rapid charging at up to 270 kW, with big 100 kWh batteries expected for top-spec variants. This should provide over 640 km of range from a single charge for certain models in the range. Buyers will have the choice of single or dual-motor options with Quattro four-wheel drive, and rapid RS editions will top the range. According to Lichte, these performance flagships will adapt the brand’s EV design language with the muscular looks befitting of an RS. “For me, RS is a combination of performance, functionality and stance”, he said. “I love the RS 6 because of the wide track, and I can promise you that this will continue with our EVs. There is a glimpse of this in the e-tron GT concept car: that car shows what I’m talking about here”. The first Audi to emerge with PPE underpinnings will be this year’s Q6 e-Tron, which will rival the Tesla Model Y as a swept back coupe-SUV. An all-electric A6 e-Tron saloon is also expected to join the fray in 2023, ahead of a more practical Avant version next year. Further up the range, Audi’s flagship luxury saloon will be reinvented as an EV, in the form of the A8 e-Tron. This will draw heavily from last year’s PPE-based Grandsphere concept, albeit with a more conventional cabin than the show car’s space-age layout. Battery powered versions of other core models are expected too, although Audi will launch new combustion-engined variants alongside these – the last of which will enter production in 2025. Despite costlier pure-electric drivetrains, the firm promises to keep its EV pricing broadly in line with their conventionally-powered equivalents, which will be less adventurous in their designs. “It’s a lot easier to apply elements from cars like the Activesphere to EV platforms. The electric platforms give us more freedom, and the ICE cars will be more traditional”, said Lichte. +++
+++ The reborn BIZZARINI firm has unveiled its first all-new car, which will arrive later this year in limited numbers, powered by a Lamborghini-derived V12. Called the Bizzarrini Giotto, the supercar is dedicated to the firm’s original founder, Giotto Bizzarrini, an engineer and test driver who played a vital role in developing the Ferrari 250 GTO and the original Lamborghini V12. The Giotto features a design similar to the Bizzarrini 5300 GT of 1964 but with bespoke carbonfibre bodywork, narrow LED headlights and dual, bonnet-mounted air vents. It also has a wrap-around windscreen and a teardrop-shape rear end to maximise aerodynamic efficiency. It has a composite body (which Bizzarrini said meets worldwide safety standards) and technology derived from motorsport. Testing is scheduled to begin in 2024. Bizzarrini will “look to its heritage” and make use of a Lamborghini-derived naturally aspirated V12. The engine will be rear-mid-mounted and mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Technical specifications for the Giotto will be revealed later this year, with all of its engineering aspects overseen by Bizzarrini CTO Chris Porritt, a former engineering lead at Aston Martin, Tesla and Rimac. Porritt said: “We have a very clear vision for the Giotto, defined ultimately by how it makes a driver feel. We now very deliberately and authentically recreate Giotto’s vision, choosing not to chase acceleration times or lap records but to develop a car that appeals to those experienced drivers seeking purity, authenticity and rarity. This is vocal and emotive, it’s mechanical and it’s tactile. But it’s also incredibly practical and luxurious, delivered with the personality and emotion of a bespoke Italian brand”. No pricing information has been detailed, but Bizzarrini’s revived 5300 GT commands a price tag of €2.5 million in the Netherlands and is limited to just 24 units. It’s powered by a 5.3-litre Chevrolet V8, producing 416 hp for a 0-100 kph sprint of 4.2 seconds and a top speed of around 300 kph. +++
+++ Just when you thought the grilles on BMW models couldn’t get any bigger, the German brand has filed a patent for a new one-piece front fascia that incorporates the headlights into a seamless panel that could replace the conventional grille as we know it. Documents filed with the World Intellectual Property Organisation reveal that the new panel could integrate the vehicle’s headlights, as well as a possible interpretation of the brand’s kidney grille, plus the sensors needed for driver-assistance systems. The documents point towards a material covering the panel that can switch from opaque to transparent depending on the setting. This means when the car’s headlights are off the panel could offer smooth, slick appearance; when lights are needed, certain areas of the ‘grille’ can turn transparent, allowing for light to pass through. There’s also potential for various daytime running light patterns to be presented. It’s called ‘light conductive tech’ and will also allow for a depiction of BMW’s trademark kidney grille. Similar to the brand’s E-Ink technology, recently seen on the i Vision Dee concept from CES 2023, this ‘grille’ could be a digital rendering of BMW’s dual inlets. The company’s future EVs will not need a conventional grille for cooling. Simple patent drawings show the extent to which this panel could spread across the front of future cars, with multiple states of the system highlighted. These include ‘Off’, where the interactive panel shows no graphics or lighting. According to the drawings, ‘On. 1’ shows a pair of slim DRL units at the extremes of the panel, while ‘On. 2’ gives us a glimpse as to how BMW thinks the system could work to show one of its trademark styling features. The brand has received lots of attention in the past for its challenging styling surrounding grilles on its cars, including the illuminated kidney grille on the X6, and the large twin panel on the 4 Series coupe (smoothed over in the all-electric i4), so it seems like a logical next step for BMW. However, many patent drawings are filed yet the tech never comes to fruition or becomes a production reality. It seems that BMW has thought ahead with its potential new design, though, as the filing also suggests that the new panel could be heated to avoid icing over of the display in colder conditions. +++
+++ GENERAL MOTORS expects its earnings momentum to grow this year on higher production volumes after reporting a better-than-expected profit in the last 3 months of 2022. The Detroit automaker reported fourth-quarter adjusted profit of $2.12 a share on Tuesday, beating analysts’ projection for $1.67 a share. That surpassed a $1.35 per share a year ago but came in below $2.25 per share in the third quarter. Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes for all of 2022 came to $14.5 billion, at the high end of GM’s November forecast of $13.5 billion to $14.5 billion. For the current year, GM sees adjusted profit in a range of $10.5 billion to $12.5 billion, or $6 to $7 a share; above analysts’ projections for $5.70 per share. The company is counting on continued demand for its highest profit margin SUVs and pick-ups and increased vehicle production levels as pandemic-era supply chain problems fade. It expects its sales volume to grow by 5% to 10%. That bullish outlook comes despite signs of a price war in the increasingly competitive market for electric vehicles. “We expect that our momentum will help us deliver strong results once again in 2023”, Mary Barra, GM’s chief executive officer, said in a letter to shareholders. “In fact, we have all the essential ingredients to deliver EBIT-adjusted in a range of $10.5 billion to $12.5 billion thanks to our strong operating performance”. Shares of GM rose 4.6% in premarket trading to $37.95 as of 7:32 a.m. in New York. The stock was up about 8% this year as of the close on Monday. The company’s revenue in the latest quarter totaled $43.1 billion, above analysts’ projection for $40.5 billion, on a 41% increase in US vehicle sales volumes. Electric-vehicle market leader Tesla last week said its revenue in the 3 months to December 31 came to $24.3 billion. Traditional rival Ford reports its earnings on Thursday. Ford cut prices on Monday of its Mustang Mach-E crossover EV just over 2 weeks after Tesla reduced sticker prices on its all-EV line-up. That sparked concerns among investors about a negative price spiral for battery-powered cars that make up an ever-larger share of the US market. Barra said in her letter to shareholders that the company is accelerating production of its newest electric vehicles, the Hummer EV pickup and SUVs and the Cadillac Lyriq, which are built using cells made by the Ultium battery joint venture with LG Energy Solutions. “2023 will also be a breakout year for the Ultium Platform”, she said. “This keeps us on track to produce 400.000 EVs in North America from 2022 through the first half of next year”. Company Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson said on a call with journalists that the company will increase production of EVs in the first half and step up the pace even more in the second half of 2023. That’s likely to please investors who’ve have been waiting for GM to boost sales of its Ultium vehicles, which have sold in very small amounts during the past year. Jacobson also said the company sees enough strength to avoid layoffs, showcasing GM’s operational strength at a time when other manufacturers, including 3M and Goodyear Tire & Rubber, have begun to shed jobs. The automaker posted operating income from its home market in North America last quarter of $3.65 billion in the quarter, up from $2.17 billion in the year-earlier period. In China, the world’s largest market, it earned $201 million, down from $244 million a year earlier. Cruise LLC, GM’s self-driving car unit, lost $524 million in the quarter and cost the automaker $1.9 billion for the year. The business is expanding to Phoenix and Austin, Texas and rolling out a robotaxi business. +++
+++ The GENESIS X CONCEPT 2+2 grand tourer that debuted in March 2021 began as an internal design exercise. We said then that Genesis needs to build it. Over the next 18 months, we were treated to follow-ups in the X Speedium Coupe Concept, a shooting brake with more accommodations made for back-seaters, and the X Convertible Concept shown at last year’s L.A. Auto Show. Seeing the droptop variant was like finding a gorgeous new example of a species going extinct, the Genesis (conceptually) replenishing an ecosystem that once included the Mercedes-Benz S-Class convertible and Jaguar XK but is now down to the BMW 8 Series, and will soon see the return of the Maserati GranCabrio. Now Peter Lanzavecchia, chairman of Genesis’ national dealer advisory council, says that the X Convertible Concept is going into production. Lanzavecchia said that Luc Donckerwolke, chief creative officer for the entire Hyundai Motor Group, gave dealers the news at the body’s annual meeting. The dealer body chairman told dealers have been trying to get a “performance GT coupe” from the automaker, and have been buzzing about the idea of one entering production “even before Donckerwolke addressed dealers about its planned arrival”. It’s not clear if this means the X grand tourer with the fixed roof is also going into production, or if the X Convertible with its folding hardtop is the only one headed to market. We’d like to see both, but either way, hooray for me. As we would have expected from seeing the first car in the trilogy, the convertible is a flagship. Even knowing that, though, Lanzavecchia’s comment that “I don’t know if it’s going to be over $200,000 or $300,000, but I guarantee we’re going see a lot of Bentley Continental convertible trade-ins on that when it comes to our showrooms”, is unexpected. The G90 sedan that starts at about $90.000 is the most expensive model the brand offers here at the moment. He added that “sales volume might be extremely limited”. Based on these rough outlines, we’re talking about South Korea’s version of the Cadillac Celestiq. A Luxury Brand with an EV in a segment it has never played in that costs more than double it’s most expensive traditional offering. Bring it. Last April, Genesis applied with the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property and the British intellectual property office to trademark the name “X Speedium Coupe”. The name referred to second, shooting brake concept, but could be applied to the first hardtop X concept as well. 2 months later, anonymous sources told The Korean Economic Daily that Genesis would launch a One of One division that would open up the options menu from small items like custom leather to modifying anything from “the powertrain and transmission to seating arrangements, interior and exterior colors, and other options”. The automaker still hasn’t announced One of One, if that’s happening. But an X Speedium Coupe or Convertible would fit right in. +++
+++ JAGUAR will give the first preview of its new, all-electric future later this year, the firm’s acting CEO has revealed, ahead of the brand’s EV rebirth starting in 2025. Speaking as Jaguar Land Rover announced improved results in the third quarter of its 2022-23 financial year, Adrian Mardell said that the process of reinventing Jaguar (labelled Project Panthera) is running on schedule, and that the investment required in engineering to maintain this progress is viable. He also suggested that Jaguar Land Rover will give an early glimpse of Jaguar’s future later this year, instead of in 2024 as expected. “Our intention to pivot Jaguar to full EV brand remains in place”, Mardell said. “We already have advanced models which are being tested under research in several markets and we will finalise the model line-up over the next 3 to 6 months. We’ll begin to share that information, perhaps with a sneak preview, later this year. You will see a first Jaguar product in 2025 and then further products after that”. Mardell said that JLR is already drawing on technical partnerships with key technology providers in the project, and that more will follow. “Our business model is about partnering; we don’t want to do everything ourselves. We’ve announced several partnerships already: companies like nVidia, Wolfspeed. We’re doing a lot of work with parent group Tata companies and that will continue. We will be making announcements of further partnerships in the course of this year. We feel very confident around Jaguar; the investment is affordable”, Jaguar Land Rover reported improved cash flow after a quarter when it increased the production of its key Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Defender models. The firm also has more than 210.000 orders backed up, including more than a full year’s production of the Range Rover. +++
