+++ BENTLEY is known for its luxury vehicles, but the brand has a long racing pedigree. That’s clear today as the company has introduced the Le Mans Collection, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of their win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2003 as well as the race’s 100th anniversary. Available in Continental GT and Continental GTC form, the Le Mans Collection draws inspiration from the #7 Speed 8 that won the race 2 decades ago. As a result, the special edition features a Verdant green exterior with a Moonbeam racing stripe as well as a matrix grille with a painted “7” in Arctica white. The special touches don’t end there as the car sports “24h” badging as well as the Blackline and Styling specifications, which add black and carbon fiber components. Other highlights include Moonbeam pinstripes and black 22 inch wheels, which are backed up by a carbon ceramic braking system with red calipers. The race-inspired design continues in the cabin with leather and Dynamica seats as well as a matching steering wheel. Buyers will also find Hotspur contrast stitching, Hotspur seat belts, and special sill plates. They’re joined by piano black and carbon fiber trim, which are separated by a chrome pinstripe. The real coup de grâce is a revamped rotating display, which has one side that incorporates an engine valve from the Le Mans winning Bentley Speed 8. As the automaker explained, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine was removed from the car after the race and preserved. Now, “24 of the 32 valves from the engine have been bisected to create 48 artifacts for this exclusive collection of ultimate Grand Tourers”. Elsewhere, the 12hour analogue clock has been replaced by a 24 hour one. The model also sports 6 wreaths to mark the brand’s 6 wins at Le Mans. Power is provided by a twin-turbo 6.0-liter W12 engine that produces a thunderous 659 hp and 900 Nm of torque. It enables the Le Mans Collection to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 3.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 335 km/h. Production will be limited to 48 units globally, although there’s no word on pricing or availability. +++
+++ If the DS 9 is not your cup of tea, this imaginary vehicle might do the job as a spiritual successor of the “goddess”, featuring retractable wings as the original from the 1965 film. Those who love cars and French films will certainly remember the flying Citroen DS that was driven by the villain in the 1965 film “Fantomas Unleashed” starring Louis de Funès. In a surprise move, DS Automobiles published an official sketch with an imaginary modern version of it. Don’t get your hopes up as this sketch was not intended to preview a future concept or production vehicle. Instead, it was created to highlight the opening of a new temporary exhibition called “On the Move with Louis de Funès”, which celebrates all the iconic cars used in the famous actor’s films. Still, the fact that the sketch was created by the DS Design Studio in Paris makes it quite interesting, as the latest example of the automaker’s evolved styling language. The low-slung model with a luxurious Grand Tourer body style incorporates the wings and rear spoiler of the original, but everything else is different. The front end features a long hood with led headlights housed in fender inserts and a sharp splitter below the covered grille with the DS emblem. The large-diameter multi-spoke alloy wheels look like turbines, while the size of the single door suggests it could open upwards. As for the surfacing, it sends Mazda vibes as is the case with the shape of the lighting units. Thierry Metroz, DS Automobiles design director, said: “DS made history beyond the car industry. It is part of French heritage and as such, holds an important place in French cinema. We answered the request from the Louis de Funès Museum by designing a modern DS in tribute to the Fantomas DS. Geoffrey Rossillon, in the exterior design team led by Frédéric Soubirou, created the drawing”. The premium Stellantis brand’s current flagship is the much more conservative DS 9. While DS Automobiles tries to remind everyone of the spirit of the original DS, we don’t expect a similar production offering anytime soon. The flying car was not the only DS that appeared in Louis de Funès films, so there could be more classic beauties in the museum. Among the exhibits, there will be actual vehicles, posters, photos, and props from the films. For those interested, the exhibition held at the Musée National de l’Automobile in Mulhouse, France, will remain open until November 5, 2023. +++
+++ LEXUS is set to unveil the successor to its luxurious minivan, the LM, exactly 4 years after its original debut. The new LM will make its grand entrance at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show on April 18 and has been teased by the automaker with a single photo. Notably, this unveiling marks a milestone for the LM as it will be the first time the opulent minivan is made available in Europe, having been exclusively offered in select Asian markets such as China until now. The exact nature of the teased model, whether it is a facelift or an entirely new generation of the Lexus LM, remains unclear. Nevertheless, from the shadowy photo revealing the rear profile, it appears that the exterior has undergone significant revisions. Most notably, the D-pillar and taillight clusters have been completely reimagined, alongside a bold new rear spoiler. The Lexus LM was introduced in 2019 as a more luxurious version of the Toyota Alphard. The outgoing Lexus LM, which stands for Luxury Mover, is based on the third-gen Toyota Alphard / Vellfire. The large minivan measures 5.040 mm long and is available in either a 7-seater or 4-seater configuration, with the latter featuring a large screen for the rear passengers. In terms of powertrains, the LM 300h is equipped with a hybrid 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, while the LM 350 is powered by a 3.5-liter V6. With the arrival of the new LM in Europe, it is expected that the minivan will be electrified to comply with the continent’s stringent emissions regulations. According to Lexus, the new model is set to deliver the “ultimate hospitality and comfort” and will serve as its “flagship MPV”. As the brand’s only minivan offering, the LM stands out in a lineup dominated by SUVs. We’ll know more about the new LM at the upcoming Shanghai Auto Show on April 18th. Minivans are a popular choice in China and other Asian markets, where the Lexus LM will face plenty of competition. However, in Europe, the market for luxury minivans is more limited with only a few light commercial van-based proposals as potential rivals to the new Lexus model. +++
+++ PORSCHE is working with a partner to develop new battery cells that will go into its next hypercar, but the technology is still years away from being ready, according to Michael Steiner, the company’s head of research and development. “We are in the middle of developing our own next-generation battery cell”, Steiner told recently. “With our subsidiary company, Cellforce Group, we have samples of such batteries in the same size cells we use for the existing Taycan. So it’s not just a research thing, it’s real”. Steiner said that it expects to know what these cells will be capable of in the context of a production vehicle within the next 2 years. Porsche will then have to develop the technology further to get it ready to go into the highest-performance variants of its existing models. “And when we are good enough in terms of volumetric energy density (really important for supercars) then there might be a chance to show what could be done on the road with, let me say, close to racing performance”, said Steiner. “So I have a car like that in mind, we have that in mind, but we need some additional improvement on the tech side from our point of view that makes sense”. Although Porsche has previously said that it would be ready with a follow-up for the 918 Spyder in 2025, Steiner said that the company hasn’t yet started developing such a car. As such, it will take another 2 to 3 years, on top of the battery development time, to get the car ready for full production. Although it is clear that the hypercar will be powered by batteries, Steiner did not clarify if it will go all-electric, or if it will add an engine to make it a hybrid, like the 963 racecar that is going to Le Mans this summer. In December, Porsche CEO Oliver Blume confirmed that the automaker has every intention of making a follow-up to the 918 Spyder, and he said that the model will showcase “cutting edge” technology. At the time, he said that the car wouldn’t be ready until at least 2025, and now it seems that the timeline is closer to 2027. +++
+++ A member of the GAZ automobile group, the Gorky Automobile Plant, has filed a lawsuit against Volkswagen in RUSSIA . The plant is looking to recover 28.4 billion roubles ($347.7 million at current exchange rates) over issues stemming from the German automaker’s exit from the country. The Gorky Automobile Plant had a contract to assemble vehicles for Volkswagen, but the Russian government’s decision to invade Ukraine and the subsequent international sanctions against the country, forced the automaker to exit the market. Details of the lawsuit, which was filed with the Nizhny Novgorod regional court last week, have yet to be published. This is the second lawsuit that VW faces in Russia from the GAZ Group. In a separate suit, filed late last month, GAZ wrote that VW’s efforts to exit the market put its interests at risk. In that case, it is seeking 15.6 billion roubles ($191 million USD) in damages over a terminated contract related to its plant in Nizhny Novgorod. Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, a Russian court agreed to freeze all of VW’s assets in the country, while the dispute is sorted out, which has slowed the German automaker’s efforts to exit Russia. At the time of the first lawsuit, Volkswagen’s Russian subsidiary said it was surprised by the legal action since it and GAZ had ended their partnership “on mutually-agreed terms”. Meanwhile, the Volkswagen Group said it had been in the process of selling its stake in the Russian subsidiary to a “trustworthy Russian investor”. Among the assets being sold was a plant at which 4.000 people worked. Volkswagen said it hoped that the freeze would not delay a transaction. +++
+++ Siegfried Wolf, an Austrian entrepreneur and member of the supervisory board of Porsche SE, the holding group that owns Volkswagen, has allegedly been in contact with Russian president Vladimir Putin in an effort to revive Russia’s beleaguered automotive industry. According to a 3-page letter obtained by German newspaper Der Spiegel, Wolf proposed a plan to use Volkswagen plants that the company is trying to divest itself from to resurrect the iconic Russian auto brand, VOLGA . In the letter that dates back to January, Wolf suggested that the new Volga vehicles would be based on Skoda models, but “completely redesigned externally” to incorporate classic Volga design features. The letter purportedly sent by Wolf recommended a project that would require a substantial 60 billion rouble investment (roughly $735 million at current exchange rates) from Russia, aimed at producing around 270.000 vehicles annually. The project aimed to revitalize the beleaguered Russian automotive industry, which has struggled since facing international sanctions. In exchange, Wolf’s project promised to create or preserve 12.000 jobs. Putin reportedly expressed support for the plan. The project’s operator would be PromAvtoKonsalt, a Russian company that Der Spiegel says is owned by Wolf himself. While Wolf claimed that he has a “fundamental agreement with the top management of Volkswagen” concerning the proposed deal to revive Russia’s automotive industry, this assertion is now called into question. Volkswagen’s board of directors, speaking to Der Spiegel, stated that they had “no knowledge whatsoever” of the letter or “its irritating contents”. While PromAvtoKonsalt was one of the prospective buyers for Volkswagen systems in Russia, the company clarified that no commitments were made to individual interested parties before the sale process was completed. Subsequently, Volkswagen announced that the Russian dealer group Avilon Automotive had “met the previously defined criteria as best as possible”. However, the alleged interference by a member of the supervisory board of the company that owns Volkswagen in its Russian dealings is concerning for all parties involved. In the past few months, Volkswagen has encountered legal issues in Russia. GAZ, a company that had contracts with Volkswagen to manufacture new vehicles in Russia prior to the sanctions, has sued Volkswagen twice since March when the decision not to sell to PromAvtoKonsalt was made. These legal disputes have had major repercussions, including the freezing of Volkswagen’s Russian assets and the potential jeopardy of its deal with Avilon Automotive. Der Spiegel also reports that there have been allegations of collaboration between Schäffler, an automotive supplier on whose board Wolf also sits, and GAZ since March to prepare for automobile production. However, Schäffler has denied these claims. +++
+++ Automakers are pouring billions into electric vehicle development and we’re already starting to see the fruits of their labor. The latest advance comes from VOLKSWAGEN , which has introduced their new APP550 drive unit. Designed to offer higher performance and improved efficiency, the APP550 will be launched in the fourth quarter. It’s slated to produce 286 hp and around 550 Nm; depending on the vehicle’s gear ratio. Volkswagen says the improved performance can be chalked up to a variety of different factors including an “enhanced stator with a higher effective number of windings and a larger wire cross-section”, The company also used a more powerful magnet and reinforced the unit to “withstand the considerable torques produced”. Engineers didn’t just focus on performance as they also paid attention to efficiency. As part of this effort, they “optimized a number of components in the powertrain, including the thermal management system”. In particular, the powertrain features a cooling system that doesn’t rely on an electrically driven oil pump. Instead, “heated oil is cooled by the vehicle’s coolant circuit, which keeps the drive at operating temperature”. Volkswagen also noted the outside of the stator is equipped with a heat sink. We’ll likely hear more about the APP550 later this year, but Volkswagen said the drive system will be produced at their Kassel plant. It’s expected to be used in the ID.7, which debuts on April 17th. +++
