+++ The Renault Group has set a revenue target for the ALPINE sports-car brand that could translate to about 150.000 annual sales by 2030. Alpine, which also includes Renault’s racing activities, has sold just 2.518 cars through the end of October in Europe, but it has only a single model, the mid-engine A110 sports coupe, which is set up for low volume production and will be replaced by a range of full-electric models. Renault CEO Luca de Meo said that he expects it will take several decades to turn Alpine into a global player from a niche builder. “Expanding the Alpine brand is a 20 years’ journey, as you need 2 or 3 generations of models”, de Meo said in an interview at Renault headquarters in Paris last month. De Meo said Alpine has several advantages, including an electric-only lineup that builds on shared technology and other assets, that will help it succeed in the fiercely competitive premium segments. “It is closer to business models such as Polestar, because it’s leveraging a lot of assets but still has unique technological bricks”, de Meo said. A coming C+ segment crossover that Alpine is developing, for example, will use the Renault-Nissan CMF-EV platform, but substantially modified. “We have changed the rear axle, added active torque vectoring, and use premium chemistry for the battery and a more sophisticated electric motor”, de Meo said. De Meo is no stranger to transforming sporty sub-brands or trim levels into standalone brands. He tested this approach by separating Abarth from Fiat in 2007 and later carved out Cupra from Seat in 2018, giving Cupra its own model range. Last year, Renault renamed its Formula One works team Alpine to accompany its endurance-racing efforts, and this is giving the brand a boost in global recognition, de Meo said in November. De Meo said that while Alpine, which was started in the 1950s as a private tuning company for Renault cars, has been known mainly in Europe, Formula One has tens of millions TV viewers per race globally, and this is opening up new opportunities for the brand. According to Formula One’s own figures, total TV audience for the series in 2021 was 1.55 billion. As the brand gains global recognition (and launches a range that will include more and larger vehicles than what was previously announced) Alpine could expand into in North America and China, De Meo said. Eventually, sales outside of Europe could reach 50 percent of the total, he said. He also did not rule out a future listing, as sports-car brands Ferrari and Porsche have done successfully. At Renault Group’s capital market day on November 8, Alpine announced its financial targets: to increase revenues on average by 40 percent a year from 2023 to 2030, with intermediate targets of 2 billion euros annually by 2026 and 8 billion euros by 2030. The brand is led by CEO Laurent Rossi. Asked last month if the 2030 revenue target would translate to 200.000 annual sales at an average invoice of 40.000 euros, or 120.000 sales at a 65.000 euro average, de Meo said the target would be “in between” those figures. “I think that this will be the volume span, given that we will have a range of 5 or 6 cars, between dedicated Alpine models and derivatives of Renaults”, he said. The first new Alpine is to be a “hot hatch” related to the coming Renault 5 full-electric small car, but the brand’s global expansion is likely to be driven by midsize and large crossovers, due respectively in 2027 and 2028. De Meo said that one option on the table for the crossovers, which he says could be sold in the U.S. and Chinese markets, is to build them in South Korea, given the country’s free-trade agreements with several international markets. In the November plan presentation, Alpine said the platform for these 2 crossovers would come by partnering with a “leading EV player”. Volvo and Polestar both offer electric crossovers, and both are subsidiaries of Geely, the Chinese company that is becoming Renault’s partner in the Horse combustion-engine joint venture and also has a 35 percent stake in Renault’s factory in Busan, South Korea. De Meo said Alpine is still scouting for options on the platforms. +++
+++ BENTLEY also saw a record-breaking result as sales increased 4 percent to 15.174 units. The company said this “significant achievement” was driven by new model introductions, increasing demand for Mulliner personalization, and new plug-in hybrids. The Bentayga remains the brand’s best-selling vehicle and accounted for 42% of total sales. The company says this made it the “most successful luxury SUV in the world”. Bentley sales were up in most major markets, except in China where they fell 9% to 3.655 units. Despite the drop, the country remained Bentley’s second-largest market behind the United States. +++
+++ Most of the carmakers positioned on the industry’s upper echelons ended 2021 on a high note, and many posted even better sales figures in 2022. BUGATTI announced that they set new sales records in 2022 and noted that the future looks bright. Bugatti is one of the smallest car companies so its record might not initially sound impressive: it delivered 80 cars in 2022, which is exactly the number it predicted at the beginning of that year. If that seems like a rounding error, keep in mind that every car it offers is a hand-built, limited-edition model with a price tag pegged well into the 7 digits. Viewed in that light, making and delivering 80 cars is an impressive feat. That number includes the 400th example of the sold-out Chiron, the last nine units of the Chiron Super Sport 300+, and the 10 planned examples of the Centodieci. Bugatti points out that 80 cars is a record for the Molsheim factory, which was inaugurated in France in 2005. Bugatti has its work cut out for the coming years. It needs to build the final units of the Chiron, the 99 examples of the Mistral and the 40 units of the track-only Bolide. All of these cars are sold-out so the firm currently doesn’t have a car to sell but that’s set to change soon: Bugatti-Rimac CEO Mate Rimac pledged to release more details about Bugatti’s future in the second half of 2023, and he added that “Bugatti will honor its rich motorsport heritage and its connection with the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which celebrates its centenary year”. +++
+++ BYD has unveiled the first 2 models from its new Yangwang premium EV brand, saying they will compete against models from traditional luxury car makers such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, with prices set to start at around one million yuan (around €185.000 in the Netherlands) when sales begin in China later this year. The Shenzhen-based company unveiled the U8, a hardcore off-roader in the mould of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, and the U9, a rakish Audi R8-rivalling sports coupé. The 2 new EVs form an integral part of BYD’s efforts to broaden its scope and become a global car maker with offerings in all car segments, following record-breaking sales in the Chinese market over the past 12 months. In 2022, BYD became the world’s leading maker of electrified cars, including pure-electric ones and plug-in hybrids, selling nearly 2 million cars in 2022. BYD chief executive Wang Chuanfu said the new Yangwang brand “will reshape the contours of the global luxury car market” before revealing BYD’s sales target of 4 million cars in 2023. Both the U8 and the U9 use proprietary EV technology, including lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) batteries developed by BYD itself. Details to the capacity of the battery and projected range haven’t yet been disclosed, although Chuanfu told the media that both will be set new standards in the luxury-car class. The styling of the initial Yangwang models has been overseen by BYD’s head of design, Wolfgang Egger, the former Alfa Romeo and Audi design boss. The U8 and U9 boast what Egger described as a “gate of time and space” design lineage, which is reserved specifically for Yangwang models. At 5.300 mm in length, the upright U8 is 483 mm longer than today’s G-Class. It also rides on a wheelbase that’s 410 mm longer than the long-running Mercedes’, at 3.500 mm. At its unveiling in China, BYD confirmed the U8 it will come as standard with 20 inch wheels shod with 275/60 R20 tyres. The U8 is based on a newly developed ladder-frame chassis and powered by 4 individual electric motors in a drivetrain layout mirroring that of the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQG; an electric take on the G-Class. BYD said each motor develops between 300 hp and 326 hp and a maximum torque of between 320 Nm and 420 Nm. Total output is pegged at more than 1.100 hp, and the SUV is claimed to have a 0-100 kph time of “less than 3.0 seconds”. An electronically controlled 4-wheel drive system provides an individual apportioning of drive to each wheel, allowing the U8 to perform tank turns in similar fashion to that displayed by Mercedes with a prototype of its EQG recently. Other features revealed by BYD is a tyre-pressure-control system that allows the U8 to continue driving at speeds up to 130 kph with a flat tyre. BYD has been less forthcoming on details to the U9, but it has confirmed the 4-wheeldrive sports car will also receive four individual electric motor in a drivetrain layout that is claimed to provide it with a 0-100 kph time of “less than 2.0 seconds”. +++
+++ Released for 2008, the current-generation DODGECHALLENGER remains America’s favorite muscle car in spite of its age. Sales increased by 1% in 2022, and the big coupe ended the year ahead of the Ford Mustang while outselling the Chevrolet Camaro by significant margin. Dodge sold 55.060 units of the Challenger in 2022, up from 54.314 in 2021. To add context, the company’s annual sales totaled 190.795 cars in 2022 including 80.074 examples of the Charger (its best-selling model) and merely 55.433 units of the Durango (a 16% drop from 2021). For those keeping track of zombie cars, Dodge also sold 194 units (!) of the Journey, 4 examples of the Dart and a single Viper. While the original Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro were designed as pony cars, the current-generation models are generally lumped into the muscle car category and marketed as the Challenger’s direct rivals. Sticking to this logic, the Challenger easily outsold its rivals: 47.566 of the Mustang found a home in 2022, down from 52.414 in 2021, and Chevrolet sold 24.652 examples of the Camaro, up from 21.893 in 2021. Both models are offered as a coupe and as a convertible (the Challenger is coupe-only; at least from the factory). The Challenger’s success defies most conventional business models: The average car doesn’t live to see its 15th birthday, let alone celebrate it by outselling its main rivals. It also performed better than numerous mainstream models including the Jeep Cherokee (40.322 units), the Jeep Renegade (27.549 units), the Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV (38.120 units combined) and the Nissan Leaf (12.025 units). Age isn’t the only impressive factor here: The Challenger competes in a shrinking segment of the industry that many of Dodge’s rivals have given up on. In spite of its success, the Challenger has nearly reached the end of its life. Dodge confirmed it will can the model before the end of 2023, and most sources agree that a direct replacement isn’t in the pipeline. Instead, its spot in the range will be filled by the production version of the electric Charger Daytona SRT concept unveiled in 2022. EVs remain a niche in our market, and the new coupe will inevitably cost more than the model it replaces due to its drivetrain, so it will be interesting to see if Dodge can continue beating Ford and Chevrolet; especially as production of the new Mustang ramps up. As for the Camaro, it sounds like the heritage-laced nameplate will morph into a sub-brand. +++
+++ An SUV and even an MPV are candidates to follow the Afeela saloon as Sony and HONDA flesh out the line-up of their new EV brand, the brand’s CEO has said. “We’re thinking about the second and third models. We need a line-up. Not only one unit, finish”, said Yasuhide Mizuno, chairman and CEO of Sony Honda Mobility, following the launch of the brand at CES this week. Afeela models will be sold in Europe as well as Japan and the US, Mizuno said. An SUV, a second saloon and possibly an MPV are under consideration, Mizuno said. Sony has previously shown concepts of a saloon and an SUV at previous CES events in advance of hooking up with manufacturing partner Honda. However, an MPV could make sense if the brand manages to advance its plan to roll out widespread hands-free driving, Mizuno revealed. “An SUV is the usual next step, but maybe an MPV”, he said. “It depends on autonomous driving development. If we reach level 3 of level 4, then perhaps everybody needs a ‘party car’ “. Follow-up models will arrive fairly quickly after the saloon, a rival to the likes of the BMW i4, Mercedes-Benz EQE and Tesla Model 3. “If we go for 5 years with just one model, everyone will forget Sony Honda Mobility. ‘Sony Honda Mobility? Very sad story’, they will say”, Mizuno joked. Mizuno explained that the brand will use the Honda’s forthcoming electric e:Architecture platform, due for introduction around the same time as the Afeela saloon in 2026. Honda will be responsible for battery sourcing and the ultimate range, charging and power specifications. The Afeela saloon will be built in the US in an unnamed Honda facility and will be launched there first. Japan will follow in the same year, before European sales begin in late 2026 or early 2027. The Afeela will be a “high-value” car rather than premium but will be aimed at wealthier buyers to reflect the extra cost of creating a car that Sony and Honda aim to be upgradeable over much of its life via its software. The car features 45 sensors, including a Sony lidar unit that will help it become more autonomous as regulations and software develops. The production model will use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Digital Chassis technology, which will include a high-powered chip still in development. Sony and Honda said this provides computing power measuring 800 TOPS (trillion operations per second) to enable extended hands-free driving. The concept previewing the Afeela saloon features a sleek roofline, no door handles, digital wing mirrors and black 21 inch wheels. A ‘media’ light bar is positioned at the front and can interact with both people and other vehicles, which Sony described as “an interface for a new era”. Sony and Honda will leverage Sony’s partnership with games designer Epic Games to create augmented-reality features that will add an entertainment function as well as increasing safety for drivers. The company wouldn’t elaborate further on this but hinted at an advanced head-up display. +++
+++ It’s official: the MAZDA MX-30 electric car with the rotary engine range extender will finally be revealed this week. It will be shown on January 13 at this year’s Brussels Motor Show in Belgium. Very little was revealed with the announcement except the logo shown at the top of this post, which had been seen earlier after being dug up in trademark filings. It clearly combines the shape of a rotary engine’s rotor with the lower-case letter “e,” neatly indicating what will power the car. Additionally, Mazda said the range-extended MX-30 will go on sale in Europe this spring. Previously, Mazda has said it will be sold in the U.S. for the 2023 model year, so, assuming nothing complicates the launch, it should be available in a similar time frame, perhaps slightly later. I expect the overall output of the range-extended MX-30 to be the same as the full electric model with 145 horsepower and 271 Nm of torque. No changes should be necessary to the electric motor since there’s a lot of space under the hood, particularly for a very compact engine like the planned rotary. Based on conversations with Mazda representatives in the past, the rotary model’s electric range will probably be reduced compared to the regular EV. This is because some of the EV’s 35.5 kWh battery pack would have to be removed to make space for a fuel tank. Of course the trade-off would likely be greater overall range and the convenience of fast refueling from widespread gas stations. +++
+++ PEUGEOT will launch 5 new electric versions of existing models in the next 2 years before introducing a new family of ‘BEV-native’ cars from 2025. The brand has already launched or revealed electric versions of the 208, 2008, 308 and Rifter and it plans to offer an electric variant of all its models by the middle of the decade. An electric version of the new 408 is already confirmed to be in the works, but this latest announcement from the brand strongly suggests new electric versions of the popular 3008 and 5008 could also be on the cards, as well as potentially updated versions of current EVs, including the e-208, e-2008 and e-Rifter. The upcoming electric e-308 will launch in the coming months and is likely to remain on sale in its current form into 2025, and the 508 is unlikely to receive a pure-electric version in its current form, given its age. “The 5 new models coming in the next 2 years are inevitably going to be off the current models that we’ve got, to a certain extent”, said Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson. “And you will start to see all that we’ve seen on Inception from 2025/2026 onwards”. The new Inception concept is a bold statement of intent for future Peugeot EVs based on parent company Stellantis’s new STLA architecture. Revealed at the CES show in Las Vegas, it gives the first clues to a ground-up rethink of Peugeot’s approach to exterior design, interior layout and performance capabilities. The first Inception-inspired production car is likely to be revealed in 2025 and launched in 2026. New electric Peugeot models launched before that time will continue to be based on either the CMP or EMP2 modular platforms, which underpin the brand’s current range of passenger cars. Recent spy images suggest the 3008 is in line to be remodelled as a rakish-roofed coupé-SUV in the next couple of years, and an electric version of this new model (or variant) would count as one of those 5 new models. Peugeot has yet to officially confirm plans for a new crossover. However, if it launches electric versions of its 3008 and 5008, it will be well placed to rival some of the best-selling EVs in Europe, including the Kia Niro EV, Hyundai Kona Electric, Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID 4. Before the new family of STLA models arrives from 2025, Peugeot EVs are expected to be broadly similar, technically, to the current cars. The most powerful motor option currently produces 156 hp, while the largest battery available (a 51 kWh item) gives a range of around 400 km in the e-308. Any e-3008 and e-5008 models could receive a power and battery capacity boost to account for their added size, weight and long-distance billing, but Peugeot remains tight-lipped about improvements it could make to its current-generation EV hardware. +++
+++ A self-described former TESLA fanboy, Bob Perkowitz was among the first few thousand people to reserve a Model S way back in 2009. He took delivery in 2012 and eventually upgraded to a 2017 edition of the same sedan. He was planning to buy a 2022 model, too. Then things went off the rails. Perkowitz is one of many Tesla owners rethinking their allegiance to the brand as Elon Musk becomes an increasingly erratic and polarizing figure online. Tesla’s CEO has always been outspoken, but in recent months (and particularly after he bought Twitter) the persona on display to his 125 million Twitter followers has shifted from that of the occasionally irreverent, visionary entrepreneur to something decidedly more belligerent and political. Perkowitz’s newfound distaste for Tesla stems from what he says are Musk’s right-wing views, his tumultuous Twitter acquisition, and his radical emphasis on free speech, which Perkowitz believes will allow misinformation to run rampant on Twitter. “Elon was a really good reason to buy the car”, Perkowitz told. “He had a great brand. He is not such a great brand anymore”. Alan Lasoff, of Calabasas, California, is currently leasing a Model Y, but won’t be getting another when his term expires. For him, the decision boils down to what he sees as the billionaire’s hypocrisy and amplification of conspiracy theories. “He told everybody he’s buying Twitter because he wants it to be sort of apolitical, and on the eve of the election he says you should vote for Republicans”, Lasoff told. “He can have his opinion, but the thing I really despise in people is hypocrisy”. John Byrne, a software CEO in Maryland, hadn’t been a huge fan of his 2020 Model X for some time. He said it was creaky, vibrated at times, and was of an overall build quality that didn’t justify its $95,000 price tag. But Musk’s behavior since the Twitter saga (particularly his broadcasting of right-wing views and attack on Anthony Fauci) was the final straw. Byrne traded in his car for an electric Audi in late 2022. “I don’t want to be a brand ambassador for them anymore”, Byrne told. Some recent studies back up the anecdotes. The research firm Morning Consult found that Tesla’s net favorability rating among Democrats dropped by 20% between October and November. Favorability among Republicans improved slightly. According to Matthew Quint, a brand expert at Columbia Business School, consumers are more likely to react poorly to a car company being controversial than another type of business. That’s because a car is a long-term purchase that represents its owner to the outside world wherever they go, unlike, say, a can of Goya beans. Moreover, Quint said, the 5-figure outlay involved will make someone think harder about whom they’re enriching and whether they agree with their views. The turnaround among some fans comes at a trying time for the company. After years of Teslas flying off of the shelves, the company is facing big questions about if consumer demand is waning. Amid those concerns, investor fears about Musk’s preoccupation with Twitter, and slowing sales growth, Tesla’s stock plummeted 65% in 2022. Plus, Tesla is dealing with an aging product line while it faces unprecedented competition in the EV space, Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, told. Still, it’s unclear whether Musk’s outbursts will deal a significant blow to Tesla’s sales going forward. Things could balance out if Musk repels progressives while simultaneously selling lots of conservatives on his cars, Quint said. And if Musk wants to blunt the impact of his words, all he has to do is tone things down, Quint said. Perkowitz agrees. He’s been looking at the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Polestar 2 as electric alternatives, but he’s holding out hope that he’ll be able to buy a Model S in good conscience. “I’ve been kind of stalling waiting for Elon to come to his senses and say something that makes sense”, Perkowitz said. “But if he doesn’t do it soon, I’ll be driving the Polestar”. +++
+++ If you’ve even casually looked into the world of Japanese domestic market (JDM) vehicles, you’re probably familiar with the TOYOTA Century. Known as Japan’s Rolls-Royce, the ultra-luxury car has endured for decades as a chariot for the country’s ultra-elite and royalty. In its time on the market, Toyota has barely wavered from the Century’s original design, but a new report from Japan’s Best Car Web states that the automaker is planning a Century SUV with a reveal date this year. The current Century sedan shares some parts with earlier Lexus LS models, but it’s unclear how Toyota would configure a potential SUV model. Best Car Web reports that it will come with a 3.5-liter hybrid V6 instead of a V8 and four-wheel drive with a rear e-axle. Those keeping score at home will note that the engine is the same as from the Lexus LS 500h and LC 500h. The publication notes that the SUV won’t be as stately as the sedan since it lacks a V8, but it also claims that Toyota will sell the Century SUV for personal use. Apparently, the V8 is overkill for personal use, and Toyota wants to push buyers up from the Crown to the Century SUV, so a V6 is a better choice. Best Car Web said the Century SUV is planned for production in 2023 and will go on sale in about a year. The publication said an eyewitness account of the vehicle claims that it is reminiscent of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV at around 5,1 meter long and 1,95 meter wide. Though we now have the Toyota Crown, we’ve never had, and will likely never have, the Century sedan. That clouds its fate here as an SUV, though it’s conceivable Toyota brings it to compete with the Range Rover and Cullinan, both of which sell here in reasonable numbers. Best Car Web estimated a surprisingly reasonable price tag for the Century SUV. They think it will cost between 10 million Yen (around $76,000) and 15 million yen (just shy of $114,000). Those numbers are similar to the new Lexus LX 600, making it less likely that Toyota will bring it here to compete. +++
+++ Chinese electric vehicle brand ZEEKR aims to double sales in 2023 to about 140.000 vehicles and plans to expand sales in Europe, chief executive Andy An told. Zeekr, a brand created by Chinese automaker Geely, sold 72.000 vehicles in 2022, mostly in China. Its 001 model, priced at about 300,000 yuan ($43,600), competes with Tesla’s Model Y and other luxury models in the increasingly competitive Chinese market. Tesla has cut prices and trimmed production in China as it faces intensifying competition from Chinese brands such as Zeekr. Tesla sales in December fell to the lowest level in 5 months. A second Zeekr model, the 009, will go into production this month. Zeekr sees opportunity for growth in Europe, An said in an interview at the CES 2023 annual technology conference in Las Vegas. Later this year, Zeekr plans to begin selling vehicles there with assisted driving systems engineered with Mobileye, he added. Zeekr and parent Geely have a European base with Volvo, which Geely owns a majority stake in. Zeekr and Waymo, Alphabet’s robotaxi unit, showed a prototype of an autonomous ride service vehicle at CES. An said Zeekr plans to build vehicles for Waymo in China, but U.S. production is a possibility, “depending on the market situation”. Zeekr is not planning to enter the U.S. consumer market, An said. Last month, Zeekr filed for a U.S. initial public offering, without providing details on the size or timing. Reuters previously reported Zeekr was aiming to raise more than $1 billion in the IPO and seeking a valuation of more than $10 billion. +++
