+++ ALPINE is bringing back the A310 as a rakish, 4-seat electric sports car, and bosses have confirmed the model will remain true to the principles of lightness and agility that have come to define the French firm. The revived A310 is 1 of 7 new electric cars set to be launched by 2030 as part of a wholesale reinvention program for the Renault Group’s sporting brand. It will be based on the same Alpine Performance Platform (APP) as the forthcoming electric A110 coupé, due in 2027, and is expected to serve in effect as a more practical alternative to the flagship 2-seater, in a relationship mirroring that of the Porsche 718 Cayman and 911. The performance-oriented APP architecture has been conceived to be as configurable as possible and will underpin a compact 4-seater that Alpine bosses say will tout engaging driving dynamics to make it “an icon of future sports cars”. Alpine marketing director Bruce Pillard said: “If all our future models are going to be electric, they’re going to be true Alpines. They will have the DNA of agility and lightness. Even if it’s an electric car with a battery inside, you’re going to feel the lightness. That’s very important”. Design director Antony Villain added: “We want to do a 2+2 sports car, and of course some time in the past we had the A310, so we will bring together these 2 ideas as a first intention. Our work now is to frame the APP platform that we’re working on, and the final design will be finished in a year and a half”. The decision to make the A310 a 4-seater comes in line with Alpine’s transformative initiative to move away from being a niche manufacturer to becoming a key volume player on the world stage. A diversified 7-strong line-up will comprise the Renault 5-based A290 hot hatchback, A110 (in both coupé and roadster forms), A310, GT X-Over crossover and even D- and E-segment luxury range-toppers all due within the next 7 years. Pillard said the A310 is emblematic of Alpine’s bid for mass appeal: “The A110 is limited in volume because it’s a 2-seater, and we know that adding 2 more seats in a car will make a huge difference”. That the cars are electric is “not the problem”, Pillard added, but the focus is on giving them each a distinctive character (and therefore appeal) for customers. Villain said the “vast expertise” that Alpine has at its disposal, including its Formula 1 race team and recently appointed CEO Philippe Krief, formerly of Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, will be instrumental in achieving this. Villain added that Alpine is working on taking the next A110 “to the next level” for the electric era, saying that he wants the trademark 2-seater to be a “reference point for the next 50 years”. +++
+++ The 6 BMW Neue Klasse EVs set to arrive between 2025 and 2027 will feature more design overlap than the brand’s existing line-up, according to group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk, but he insisted they will maintain individual identities. The radical new design language was previewed by the Vision Neue Klasse concept and will first be seen in production form in 2025 on the next-generation 3 Series saloon. That will be joined by an electric X3 equivalent, and then 4 more cars will follow in the space of 24 months. Current BMW models all feature distinct design identities, particularly with variations of the German brand’s trademark kidney grille. Asked if that approach would carry over to the 6 Neue Klasse cars, van Hooydonk told: “That’s a philosophy we will try to uphold”. But he added: “Since they will come in such short succession, you will see a strong overlap, perhaps stronger than when you do a whole model generation in 10 years, which is what we used to do. “We used to have 10-year cycles, often starting with the 7 Series and then trickling down, and then the last one would come 10 years after the first one. Now the change will come in a relatively short space of time, so it will feel like we turn the pages all at once. 2 years isn’t a long period of time, so it will appear as if they have grown together a little more, but you will still recognize individual characters”. Van Hooydonk hinted that the order in which the 6 EVs will be released will be dictated by “lifecycle mainly” but also “where we feel demand is strongest for change or technological update”. +++
+++ CHINA ’s passenger vehicle sales returned to growth in August year-on-year, as deeper discounts and tax breaks for environmentally friendly and electric vehicles boosted consumer sentiment even as economic growth remains weak. Car sales jumped 2.2% in August from the same month a year ago to 1.94 million units, data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) showed on Friday, the first year-on-year gain since May. Sales rose 8.5% from July. For the first eight months, sales were up 1.8% at 13.38 million units. Buoyed by hefty discounts, Tesla’s share of China’s electric vehicle (EV) market almost doubled in August to 13.2 percent from 7.5 percent in July. Tesla sold 64.694 cars in China in August, the data showed, while deliveries of its China-made Model Y hit 65.316 last month, topping the CPCA passenger vehicle model sales. Lower rates on existing mortgages are likely to help revive the auto market, said CPCA Secretary General Cui Dongshu, even as slowing economic growth hits consumers’ pockets. China’s major banks will start to lower interest rates on existing loans for first-home purchases, one of a series of measures aimed at boosting the economy and the key debt-riddled property sector. Chinese automakers continued to bet on overseas markets, as domestic growth eased, with exports surging 31% in August on-year following a 63% jump in July, the data showed. Sales of new energy vehicles (NEVs), which have underpinned China’s auto sales growth, were up 34.5% in August, accounting for 36.9% of total car sales. Sales rose 11.8% in August versus July. Rivalries in China’s automobile market, the world’s largest, have intensified as automakers struggle with weakening demand, deepening price competition. A price war initiated by Tesla at the start of the year is continuing, with the American EV maker announcing additional cuts after slashing prices twice last month. However, the company introduced its restyled Model 3 a starting price 12% higher than the previous, base rear-wheel drive model. +++
+++ OPEL is undergoing a design revolution. We’ve just seen the future-gazing Experimental concept, while the Astra is now one of the better-looking hatchbacks and the Mokka these days is a style-led SUV. Now the firm is readying a new small crossover for 2024 to sit alongside the latter model as a practicality-focused offering for buyers who want more space and utility, and the new car could even revive a name from the brand’s past: Frontera. Speaking to Opel’s chief operating officer, Uwe Hochgeschurtz, about Opel’s heritage, it was to him that the German brand could revive some significant nameplates from Opel’s history, including the likes of Calibra, Rekord, Ascona, Monza, Frontera and Senator. Hochgeschurtz has previously talked openly about potentially reviving the Manta name (likely for a production SUV inspired by the Experimental concept), citing the emotion this would bring to a new product. He replied to the question by saying, “I would be surprised if you will not find one of your names in one of our future products”, and when pushed further, outlining that the market is moving towards SUVs and only one name in the list referenced an SUV, Hochgeschurtz replied, “You are like my kids when they ask about their Christmas presents. I don’t tell them and they ask if it is big or small, black or white. You are smarter than my kids…” With his comments hinting that the new model could indeed be called Frontera, the car was recently caught testing. This replacement for the Crossland will wear the brand’s now trademark Vizor grille and feature solid surfacing to bring it into line with the rest of the models in Opel’s line-up. The Crossland replacement will retain the outgoing car’s taller roofline and team this with a boxier profile in a bid to focus firmly on practicality, rivalling family cars from Dacia (such as the Jogger and Duster) and the Citroen C3 Aircross. At the rear, Opel’s latest offering will feature a flat tailgate, while the overall design is intended to convey a chunky, more robust look in comparison with the fashion focused approach of the Mokka. Buyers can expect a good level of luggage room and interior space, despite the fact the new Crossland replacement will have a relatively compact footprint. And as with the Jogger, Opel’s new small SUV could be offered with 3 rows of seats to maximise usability. The improved packaging will be made possible by a switch to parent company Stellantis’s CMP platform, which is used for the Corsa and Mokka models. The current Crossland is still based on the older PF1 platform (dating back to PSA’s ownership of Opel), which isn’t compatible with any form of electrification. But moving to CMP means the new car will offer pure-petrol, mild-hybrid petrol and full EV powertrain options. The petrol engine will be Opel’s 1.2-litre 3-cylinder turbo, likely in 100 hp and 130 hp outputs, with the potential for a 6-speed manual or an automatic gearbox. As part of a raft of updates to its bestselling Corsa, Opel admitted earlier this year that a new 48 volt mild-hybrid option will join the range at a later date, so it’s almost certain the new crossover will also feature this powertrain, too. It is likely to be an electrified version of the 1.2-litre unit, producing 136 hp and paired with an 6-speed automatic transmission that houses the car’s compact electric motor. Opel also said earlier this year that it would offer a fully electric version of its entire line-up by 2024, while the CEO of sister brand Opel, Florian Huettl, outlined that “With the successor to the Crossland, we will make the fun of battery-electric driving available across our entire model range, and give our customers access to locally emissions-free mobility in every one of our models”. He stopped short of confirming it as the next Crossland, hinting at a possible name change for the model. The CMP platform that many Opels are based on was recently upgraded, adding a bigger 54 kWh battery for additional range and a more powerful 156 hp motor. Again, this tech will be available in the Corsa, but it will be sold alongside the original 50 kWh battery and 136 hp motor combination, so it’s possible that Opel could also take this approach with its newest SUV, giving buyers a more budget-focused EV option. Only the smaller battery and less powerful motor combination is offered in the Mokka Electric, with a claimed range of 336 km, so expect a similar figure for the 50kWh equipped Crossland replacement. The punchier 54 kWh car could offer as much as an extra 40 km of range. Both vehicles will benefit from 100 kW rapid- charging capability, meaning a 10-80 per cent top-up will take around 30 minutes. This new technology underneath the car’s skin will be joined by a total tech overhaul inside, with the small SUV likely to feature Opel’s Pure Panel infotainment set-up. In the Mokka there are 7-inch digital dash and infotainment screens on offer, increasing to a 10-inch touchscreen with a 12-inch dashboard panel depending on trim level. It’s likely that the Level, GS and Ultimate range structure will be carried over from other Opel models. +++
+++ STELLANTIS is targeting a 50% weight reduction in batteries by 2030 in a bid to lighten electric cars nearer to their combustion-engined equivalents. “The battery today is just too heavy; the vehicle is too heavy. We shouldn’t be going backwards”, said Ned Curic, head of engineering and technology, at the opening of the company’s new Mirafiori battery technology centre in Turin, Italy. Curic said the company’s goal was to halve the weight of the battery pack through the introduction of new lightweight battery technologies and more efficient cell packaging. Stellantis earlier this year invested in Silicon Valley company Lytten, which is developing lighter lithium-sulphur batteries. As well as reducing weight, these cut costs and carbon emissions by using less exotic materials than lithium ion batteries. Curic also cited sodium ion batteries as another potential alternative. Sodium ion is touted as a much cheaper option and is being developed by Chinese battery makers such as CATL. Just how heavy EV batteries are today was revealed in a recent teardown of the BYD Seal saloon by Swiss bank UBS as part of a report in battery costs. The lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery pack in the standard 62 kWh Seal accounted for 470 kg of the car’s overall 1.941 kg weight. More expensive nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) batteries are lighter and more energy-dense, but the 60 kWh pack in the Renault Mégane Electric still weighs 394 kg of the total 1.783kg, UBS reported. The new Mirafiori facility will enable Stellantis to design, develop and test battery packs, modules, high-voltage cells and software for upcoming models from Alfa Romeo, Citroën, Fiat, Peugeot, Opel and more. Stellantis has spent €40 million developing the facility, which repurposes a section of a former Fiat factory. It has 32 climatic test chambers, enabling it to test up to 47 battery packs in parallel. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGENboss Thomas Schäfer has confirmed that the Golf name and high performance R models will live on in Volkswagen’s electric era, with an all-electric Golf R a possibility in 2028 making use of the Volkswagen Group’s advanced new SSP architecture. Speaking at the Munich Motor Show, Schäfer said, “The iconic names that it’s definitely decided will be carried into the future are Golf, Tiguan and GTI. That is given. The others, we look at a case-by-case basis, but these 3 are done. We will put the Golf probably directly on SSP [Scalable Systems Platform] . We have a renewed Golf next year and then that’ll carry us nicely into a time where we can make the decision whether we bring it straight away or a little bit later. But there will be a Golf and it will be a true Golf in terms of package, driveability”. That means that following a revised Golf Mk 8.5 in 2024, the next all-new Golf will be on the new Scalable Systems Platform due “in 2028, probably”, according to Schäfer. While a GTI version of the new all-electric Golf would seem to be a given after Schafer’s comments about the importance of the GTI name, Schäfer was asked if there was likely to be an R version of the 2028 Golf. “GTI is two-wheel drive. The R technically is the four-wheel drive”, he said. “It’ll probably only be with the SSP platform because with R you need to really put another level on. To do that with MEB+ (the upcoming iteration of VW’s current all-electric platform) would be a stretch, and it’s got to be 4-wheel drive in that space. So we decided we keep that on. We have the R line anyway, but we’re going to have all the ICE models that will still be available as an R in a Golf, but then we’ll switch to SSP”. That would also mean the end of the recently launched sporty, four-wheel drive GTX models, with Schäfer admitting, “GTX was just an interim for the battery electric one, but we’re probably going to merge that in the long run”. Volkswagen’s ID name could also come under threat when the brand’s ICE and BEV line-ups merge by 2033, although the recently-facelifted ID.3 looks set to be replaced by the new Golf EV in 2028. “ID.3 will run out by then so there will be a minimal overlap, if at all, and then that’s fine”, said Schäfer. But could the ID badge disappear completely? “It was a name that was necessary at the time to differentiate from the ICE vehicles”, said Schäfer. “We probably don’t need that going into the future if eventually by 2033 we are done. What’s the point of naming everything double? “But that’s not 100% clear whether we drop it completely or go back to some individual names because of our regional span and the models and everything. It’s brain science, I promise you”. Despite the challenges in deciding what to do with the ID name, Schäfer did hint that the ID.3 name could live on with a different model. “If there’s another ID.3, a different body shape then, going into SSP, that’s not decided”. Apparently, the debate over the future of the Golf name extended to the ID. GTI Concept, revealed at the Munich Motor Show, as Schäfer revealed. “The Golf had lots of debates”, he said. “Whether this is the new Golf (the GTI) from a shape point of view. The interior is as big as a Golf, but the exterior is not really as big as a Golf. And from a package and everything, it’s not 100% Golf. And I said, “Okay, then let’s not call it Golf, because it’s not a Golf”. The new GTI concept, based on the forthcoming small ID.2 electric car, due on sale in 2025 with a proposed price point of €27.500 in the Netherlands, was never likely to be called Polo either, as Schafer explained: “It’s a bit bigger than Polo. I think you would limit your earnings prospects if you call it a Polo, because the car is more than a Polo. We taught our customers Polo is a much cheaper car. This car starts at €27.500. So to call it Polo, I think, is not right”. +++
+++ The Golf R is Volkswagen’s current performance halo car, but the move to electrification opens the door for the automaker to explore a range of other options. Its ID-branded EVs come in all shapes and sizes, from hatchback to minibus, and the compact packaging that comes with electric motors may make it somewhat easier to come up with quick people haulers. The automaker’s latest concept shows how a sedate electric sedan goes from mild to wild without much hassle, though we might not see anything like it on sale. The VOLKSWAGEN ID.X PERFORMANCE is based on VW’s ID.7 electric sedan but brings a range of power and handling upgrades along with aggressive appearance changes. The car gets carbon fiber front and rear diffusers and 20-inch wheels. VW said its engineers reworked the ID.7’s suspension configuration, adjusting the toe and lowering the car by almost 2.5 inches. A prominent carbon wing caps off the rear deck lid. Volkswagen installed a dual-motor drive system with 560 hp and a temporary boost function. The automaker said the synchronous front motor and asynchronous rear motor provide low drag losses and short-term power overload that make it ideal for the boost feature. The driver controls the system using the gauge cluster display screen. The car can charge at up to 200 kW. Though many concept cars are intended for production, this one will likely be yet another VW enthusiast tease that doesn’t go anywhere. The automaker often builds one-offs for fan events, and this car was built for an ID Driver’s Club event in Locarno, Switzerland. The brand has previously shown off other hot EV concepts at the event and has been known to do similar vehicles at other enthusiast shows. Volkswagen is nearing the release of the ID.7 and recently opened orders for the car in Germany. +++
