+++ The new AUDI RS5 AVANT is due in 2025 as a fearsome sports estate that will kick off a move into electrification by the Audi Sport performance division. The first plug-in hybrid from Audi Sport is a successor to today’s pure-V6 RS4 Avant that takes a new name in line with Audi’s plan to give odd numbers to combustion cars and evens to EVs. The equivalent electric model, badged RS4 e-Tron, is expected to launch by 2026. The new RS5 Avant has now been spotted testing for the first time, with the yellow warning sticker and visible charging flap giving away its electrified innards. While it gets a new name and a new look inside and out, Audi’s fast family wagon is set to keep its 2.9-litre V6, but with the addition of an electric motor boosting output beyond the 450hp and 600 Nm of today’s version. The next-generation A5 will continue to use the VW Group’s MLB platform, but with modifications to allow plug-in hybrid versions (including the RS5) to accommodate a larger 14.4kWh battery which gives the current A6 PHEV an electric range of 70 km. Notably, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 (one of the RS5’s closest rivals) has also made the switch to a plug-in hybrid powertrain and now produces a colossal 680 hp and 1.000 Nm to match the outright pace of its V8-engined forebear. BMW will provide a rival in the form of the next-generation M5, which will also use a plug-in hybrid powertrain and offer an estate body for the first time since 2007. Audi’s first take on the fast PHEV will wear its performance billing on its sleeve, with heavily flared arches and huge, 5-spoke sports wheels covering large-diameter drilled brake discs. There is also a prominent air outlet behind the front wheel arches, and the front end looks to have been sculpted with an eye on optimizing engine cooling and airflow. Saloon and Avant estate bodystyles will be offered for the standard A5, with each unlikely to grow in size compared with the current A4. For reference, it stretches to 4.772 mm in length, 1.847 mm in width and 1.435 mm in height. Only the estate has been spotted testing so far in full-bore RS guise, and it is not yet confirmed if Audi plans to offer a saloon version, as AMG does with the C 63. Meanwhile, volume-selling versions of the A5 will be available with a range of upgraded petrol and diesel engines with either mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid assistance, and four-wheel drive. Further developments for the MLB platform include a new electric architecture with 48 Volt capability. This enables the adoption of additional functions such as the Dynamic All-Wheel Steering system used by the A6, A7, A8, Q7 and the ICE Q8, as well as new Level-2 autonomous driving functions currently being developed by Audi’s Car.Software division. It also provides the base for a range of new digital and connectivity features. Among them is near-field communication functionality being developed by Audi and Huawei. This enables contactless payment for refuelling or charging, tolls, parking, drive-through dining and other services from within the car via the MyAudi app. Autointernationaal.nl understands the new A5 will run an updated version of the current model’s aluminium-intensive multi-link front and rear suspension, with adaptive damping on selected models. Earlier speculation suggested the next A5 would receive rear air springs, but these may be reserved exclusively for the electric A4. The key combustion engine for the 2023 A5 is a fifth-generation version of the Audi-developed turbocharged 2.0-litre 4-cylinder EA888 petrol unit. First introduced in 2008, it is being re-engineered to meet stiff new Euro-7 emission regulations with a number of innovations, including newly developed fuel injection and particulate filter systems. The reworked combustion engines for the A5 are set to be mated exclusively to either a 7-speed dual-clutch or 8-speed torque-converter automatic gearbox to guarantee maximum efficiency and bring emissions down as far as possible. The 6-speed manual gearbox available on today’s model will be made redundant as part of plans to reduce parts complexity. +++
+++ The organisers of the GENEVA MOTOR SHOW have revealed a full list of exhibitors for the 2024 edition, which will kick off at the end of next month in a much smaller and more public-focused format than in previous years. Renault, Dacia, MG, BYD and Lucid will be the only mainstream car manufacturers at the show, which returns in 2024 after a 5-year hiatus, but several well-known lower-volume brands (including Kimera, Microlino, Silence and Totem Automobili) feature in the full list of 29 exhibitors, as well as commercial vehicle firm Isuzu. Confirmed new car reveals so far include the Renault 5 E-Tech, the new MG 3 and a new model from Microlino. The winner of the 2024 European Car of the Year award will also be announced. The 2024 running of the Geneva motor show will be more overtly aimed at the public than in previous years, with the introduction of four new ‘experiential’ zones designed to showcase the overarching theme of the show: ‘Auto. Future. Now’. There is an Adrenaline Zone dedicated to high-performance vehicles and motorsport, while the Design District will host exhibitions from Pininfarina and storied designer Frank Stephenson, the Mobility Lab will showcase different forms of personal and shared transport, and the Next World area has been designed in partnership with Polyphony Digital to provide a vision of ’the future of automotive’. As part of that exhibition, Polyphony will display a range of GT Vision concepts designed by car makers for its Gran Turismo racing games. Show boss Sandro Mesquita told this push for “bespoke content for the public” is designed to help show goers “decode the theme of Auto Future Now”. He said the different show zones will evolve year by year according to emerging themes and technologies, but “the brands will stay the stars of the show”. Organisers aim to sell 200.000 tickets for this year’s event, which runs from 26 February until 3 March. Dates for the 2025 running will be confirmed at the end of this year’s event. The Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) aims to “increase the number of brands that are present” in following years, said president of the organisation Alexandre de Senarclens, acknowledging the absence in 2024 of all Stellantis, VW Group and Hyundai Motor Group brands, among others. “We want to be back as the main international motor show in the world”, he said. “We had a very important place in that industry before, and we want to regain that. “We are convinced that we have an important role to play in the revolution of the motor industry, so the idea is to convince not only the public but also all the other brands that will not participate in 2024”. He said GIMS aims to show non-attending car makers that “you do not only sell cars on the internet. The public needs to see and grasp the new models”. De Senarclens believes that the trend towards manufacturers hosting “small events to promote products on the internet” is “not sufficient”. “We are convinced that the motor show will be back and will be bigger in the years to come, and especially for Geneva, which has a special position as an independent place, not related to national constructor brands”. As part of its bid to make exhibiting in Geneva more attractive, GIMS is providing ‘plug-and-play’ show booths to attendees this year, which minimise set-up costs and time commitments. Bosses stopped short, however, of detailing the cost of attendance for manufacturers. Mesquita previously told: “We will have four sizes and exhibitors rent the stand and can then personalise it with their corporate identity”. He added: “We never asked them to build cathedrals, but we understand they may want to keep control of their image, so we won’t impose plug-and-play booths for everyone. At the end of the day, what’s important is the product. That’s the hero, so we want to give them the best platform to showcase it”. +++
+++ MG’s parent company, SAIC, is planning to launch its premium electric car brand IM MOTORS in Europe, Autointernationaal.nl understands. IM Motors (founded in late 2020 as a tie-up between SAIC, e-commerce giant the Alibaba Group and R&D specialist the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Group) delivered the first examples of its L7 executive saloon in late 2021. The L7 packs a 93 kWh battery that yields a range of up to 600 km, and uniquely can be topped up using a wireless inductive charger at rates of up to 11 kW. The brand has since launched the LS6 and LS7 SUVs, which compete with the Tesla Model Y and Model X, respectively. They are priced between €37.000 and €60.000 in their native China. The EV brand made headlines last year when it inked a technical partnership with Audi, which will see the German brand use its platforms for a range of Chinese-market EVs, as an alternative to the Volkswagen Group’s delayed SSP architecture. IM Motors is expected to rival the likes of BYD and Tesla upon arrival in Europe. IM’s launch is likely to come sometime in 2025, after MG refreshes its line-up with the new MG 3 and MG HS, an updated version of the 4 and the second-generation Marvel-R. It is possible that SAIC would first need to establish its European factory (which may be based in the United Kingdom) before it can profitably build the new models for right-hand-drive markets. It is not yet known whether the new models would retain their IM branding in Europe, or whether they would be badged as MGs. Several models badged as MGs are actually from alternate SAIC brands: the next-generation MG HS will be a re-styled Roewe RX5. Australian magazine Wheels previously reported that the IM LS7 and L7 were “under strong consideration” for sale in Australia with an MG badge. A spokesperson for MG told: “IM Motors are currently operating in China selling premium electric vehicles. There has been no confirmation of an European launch and MG Motor cannot comment on the brand at this point. SAIC Motors will be providing more information on this in due course”. +++
+++ MASERATI has delayed the launch of the next-generation Quattroporte, casting doubt over whether the saloon’s electric successor will hit showrooms by mid-2025, as initially planned. The 7th-generation Quattroporte, which will be built at parent company Stellantis’s Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy, is due to be a smaller, more luxurious, battery-powered replacement for both the current Quattroporte and its Ghibli sibling. It was due to be launched in early 2025, but today the brand confirmed it has put production plans “on hold”. “We are keeping our suppliers and partners posted on this point”, it said in a statement. Maserati decided to delay the EV because of “the need to take zero risks on the performance level of the new car”, a spokesperson told, hinting at the need for further development work before it is signed off. It is understood supplier pricing negotiations are one of the reasons for the setback. Reports suggest Stellantis wants to reduce costs by some 6%. The new Quattroporte is now not expected to be unveiled until the second half of next year at the earliest. This is the latest knock to the Italian marque’s electrification program. It previously shifted back build schedules for the Folgore electric versions of its Granturismo and Grecale, though deliveries of each are set to begin in the coming months. By 2030, Maserati aims to have an electric-only line-up, but has no new series-production combustion models left to launch before then. The next-generation Maserati Quattroporte Folgore will be the brand’s third electric car. It will be its first model to be offered without a combustion option, and will play a key role in shaping the brand’s future as it pushes to ditch combustion power by 2030. CEO Davide Grasso said Maserati’s hotly anticipated Porsche Taycan rival is “unmistakably a Maserati” but also “such a disruptive design project”, suggesting it will take inspiration from the latest Granturismo and Grecale but adopt a radical new look defined by its electric underpinnings, likely to be chiefly influenced by a focus on aerodynamic efficiency. Grasso stopped short of naming any key rivals but he suggested the new EV saloon can stand out on the basis of its overt luxury appeal and “Italian flair”, which will be crucial in cementing the firm’s credentials as a bona fide luxury brand and helping it to maintain the healthy profit margins it achieved in 2022. The new saloon will be more towards the Quattroporte end of the spectrum than the Ghibli and come with a lofty price to match, as Maserati moves away from targeting volume sales in the mainstream executive segment. “We’re making the choice of not doing that”, Grasso told. “As a luxury brand, you want to choose what not to do, and then you choose what to do. This is not where I’m going to play. We are not for everybody. We are for those that are willing to pay a premium to have a unique performance and luxury experience”. Grasso pointed to the Grecale as a good example of how to translate Maserati’s luxury credentials into a more accessible, volume-friendly package. He highlighted its driver-focused cockpit, rear leg room and attention to detail as differentiators from rivals. “We have freed ourselves up from thinking about volume”, said Grasso. “Volume is a consequence of what we do. The driver is profitability, because without profitability and quality, luxury doesn’t exist”. All clues point to the Quattroporte EV being a sibling to Alfa Romeo’s upcoming electric Giulia, expected to be based on the recently revealed STLA Large platform and potentially sharing its promised 1.000 hp range-topping powertrain in a fearsome Trofeo variant. This platform can accommodate batteries large enough for 800 km of range, as well as high-performance motors with the potential to make it Maserati’s quickest car yet. The new Quattroporte’s positioning also indicates a target price of about €175.000 in the Netherlands, especially given that it will be sold in electric form only (the Granturismo Folgore costs €198.350). +++
+++ TESLA celebrates its Model Y as the best-selling car in 2023; the first for an electric car. The financial figures for Q4/2023 and the year as a whole show how the high-flyer has become a constant market player. Increases in turnover and profit of almost 20 percent are impressive. However, a closer look at the balance sheets also reveals some growing pains. First, the most important financial figures: With a turnover of 96.8 billion dollars and a profit of 15.0 billion dollars, 2023 will go down as another year of growth for Tesla, as expected. The Texan company turned over 19 percent more money in the past twelve months than in 2022. As usual, the automotive sector generated the lion’s share of 82.4 billion dollars, but at 15 percent, it grew slightly below average compared to Tesla’s other business areas (such as the charging infrastructure and energy business). The fact is, things are moving at a somewhat slower pace. From 2021 to 2022, Tesla increased its annual turnover by 51 percent. Annual profit is also higher than before. But it is not an enormous leap from the 12.6 billion dollars from 2022 to 15 billion dollars (+19 percent). Especially when reading in the balance sheets that the figure is primarily due to a one-off tax benefit of 5.9 billion dollars from the fourth quarter. Without this, the annual profit would have fallen short of the 2022 result. That passage in the annual report reveals how much Tesla has cut back on profitability in favor of a higher market share. The US electric car manufacturer has pursued this course since the beginning of 2023 with a brutal price war tactic. The strategy is reflected particularly clearly in the operating margin, which fell from 12.1 and 16.8 percent in 2021 and 2022 to 9.2 percent within the last 12 months. While Tesla emphasized in its annual report a year ago that it had the highest operating margin among volume manufacturers, the company left the new percentage figure uncommented. Instead, Tesla emphasized that free cash flow in 2023 remained strong at 4.4 billion US dollars, “even as we focused on future growth projects with our highest capital expenditures and R&D expenses in company history”. By comparison, free cash flow amounted to 7.6 billion dollars at the end of 2022. The 4th quarter contributed the most to Tesla’s 97 billion dollar annual revenue: 25.2 billion dollars in revenue (+3 percent compared to Q4/2022), of which 21.6 billion dollars came from the automotive business, is a new quarterly record, albeit a close one. The GAAP surplus between October and December was exorbitant in view of the aforementioned one-off tax effect: The 7.9 million dollar profit is an absolute outlier on the year (Q1: 2.5 billion dollars; Q2: 2.7 billion dollars; Q3: 1.9 billion dollars) on the upside (+115% YoY). They alone account for more than half of the annual profit. A look at the operating income ($2.1 billion, -47% YoY) and the operating margin (8.2%) is more valid for the performance in the 4th quarter. Both figures indicate that after a dip in the third quarter with comparatively narrow profits and a slump in the margin, things are picking up again, but only slowly. Tesla states that for them, increasing vehicle deliveries plays a significant role in growth. The production and delivery figures for the 4th quarter of 2023, and therefore for the year as a whole, were published earlier this month. The manufacturer delivered a record 484.507 vehicles in Q4/2023, increasing full-year deliveries to 1.808.581 vehicles; an increase of 38 per cent compared to 2022. China accounted for almost exactly one-third of deliveries (603.664 vehicles). Meanwhile, Tesla’s global production increased by 35% (Q4/2023: 494.989 vehicles, achieving 1.845.985 vehicles over the full year 2023). The biggest growth driver was the Model Y. “In 2023, we delivered over 1.2 million Model Ys, making it the best-selling vehicle, of any kind, globally”, Tesla says in its annual report. As the Model Y and Model 3 volume models are otherwise only reported together, this comment provides a rare insight into the US manufacturer’s internal sales statistics. The Model Y accounted for two-thirds of Tesla’s total sales last year. Since the Model S and Model X accounted for less than 70.000 units of total sales in 2023, it can be deduced that the Model 3 accounted for slightly more than 500.000 deliveries. The small Tesla saloon is built in Fremont, USA, and in Shanghai for the global markets, but there was a production pause of several weeks in China when Tesla switched to the revised Model 3 Highland. Elsewhere in the annual report, Tesla reveals what it may have with the highest investment expenditure in the company’s history mentioned above. The ramp-up of the Cybertruck will take longer than for other models, as its production is complex, Tesla announced. The manufacturer states the annual production capacity for the electric pickup at the plant in Texas as “over 125.000” in the current annual report, in addition to 250.000 units of the Model Y. Since, according to Tesla, capacities in Shanghai (from over 750.000 to over 950.000 units recently) and Berlin (from 250.000 to 375.000) have also increased and 650.000 vehicles can still be produced in Fremont, the manufacturer’s theoretical total capacity has increased from 1.9 to 2.35 million cars per year in the past 6 months. In retrospect, Tesla emphasizes the performance of its Fremont plant for 2023: “Before Tesla purchased the Fremont factory, the record output of the previous owner was nearly 430.000 vehicles made in a single year. In 2023, the Tesla Fremont factory produced nearly 560.000 vehicles thanks to our 20.000 Fremont-based employees”. The production facility in Shanghai has recovered from the planned downtime in Q3. “Production of the updated Model 3 ramped to full speed in less than 2 months”. Berlin continues to increase its weekly production rate and production volume. The US manufacturer cites further successes in the past year, including progress in software for autonomous driving and a further reduction in manufacturing costs per vehicle to “just above 36.000 dollars”. However, there is gradually a natural limit to cost reduction, which the carmaker is approaching with the existing vehicle range. That is why Tesla also emphasises that it will bring its next-generation platform, which is currently under development, to the market “as quickly as we can”. According to unconfirmed information, it will serve as the basis for a new compact electric vehicle from mid-2025, which will roll off the production line in Texas. Interestingly, Tesla does not mention any delivery targets for 2024 in its current annual report; neither in absolute figures nor as a percentage. A year ago, it stated that the company was targeting 1.8 million cars for 2023. For around 3 years, the company has repeated that it aims for an average annual increase in deliveries of 50 percent over a multi-year horizon. Tesla provided nothing of the sort this time, stating: “Our company is currently between 2 major growth waves: the first one began with the global expansion of the Model 3/Y platform and the next one we believe will be initiated by the global expansion of the next-generation vehicle platform. In 2024, our vehicle volume growth rate may be notably lower than the growth rate achieved in 2023, as our teams work on the launch of the next-generation vehicle at Gigafactory Texas. In 2024, the growth rate of deployments and revenue in our Energy Storage business should outpace the Automotive business”. Is Tesla being modest? Not quite. The carmaker also states: “This new platform will revolutionize how vehicles are manufactured”. +++
+++ TOYOTA is preparing to expand and electrify the Land Cruiser line-up over the coming years, introducing an affordable, urban-focused derivative and a range-topping luxury model, to establish the name as a brand in its own right. The new electric cars will follow the new ‘core’ Land Cruiser. That model arrives later this year with pure-diesel and mild-hybrid engine options and it is likely to be the final combustion-powered version of Toyota’s venerable offroader, launched in 1951. Positioned either side of this new ‘J250’ model in marketing terms, the 2 new electric Land Cruisers will broaden the model line’s appeal by taking it into both more affordable and more luxurious territory, respectively. Hinting at the rationale behind this new expanded line-up, Toyota’s chief branding officer, Simon Humphries, said the company is “exploring new approaches to mobility that not only enhance the Land Cruiser experience but also further people’s freedom in motion”. Humphries added: “Our customers trust in us to keep Land Cruiser relevant and thriving toward the future”. Previewed as a concept but looking nearly production ready, the Toyota Compact Cruiser is a squat, rugged family SUV that attempts to offer the spirit of the Land Cruiser in a smaller, more affordable guise. Toyota said the concept was designed to “show how the ‘Cruiser’ moniker can adapt to an all-electric and ultramodern environment”, with a focus on young city buyers “who en joy active outdoor leisure interests”. Humphries said Toyota is evaluating how to make the Land Cruiser line-up “more affordable” and “within reach of even more people around the world” as it electrifies. The new compact model will serve as a more style-focused, utilitarian alternative to the similarly sized Toyota bZ4X, no doubt commanding a small premium to take it into contention with more premium-oriented rivals like the upcoming ‘baby’ Land Rover Defender and Mercedes’ ‘little’ G-Class. It was designed at Toyota’s ED2 development centre in Nice, France; notably by the same team responsible for the radically styled Aygo X and C-HR concepts. Those 2 concepts evolved into near-identical production cars, suggesting the showroom version of the Compact Cruiser will stay true to the concept. The visual relationship with the new combustion-powered Land Cruiser is clear. So, too, is the influence of the seminal J40-generation Land Cruiser of the 1960s, lending credence to reports that the FJ Cruiser name (used from 2006 until 2022 for a similarly conceived retro off-roader) will be revived. The Compact Cruiser’s blocky, upright proportions and squared-off arches are clear nods to both its 1960s ancestor and the later FJ. A range of go-anywhere accessories (including a roof rack, auxiliary lights and branch deflector wires) hint at a degree of comparable off-road ability. It is expected to ride on a variation of the E-TNGA platform that underpins the BZ4X, which produces up to 218 hp and has a 71.4 kWh battery, giving a claimed 415 km maximum range. The BZ4X is available with both single- and twin-motor powertrains. However, Toyota says the concept is all-wheel drive, suggesting that arrangement will be standard, in line with the car’s rugged billing. At the other end of the expanded line-up will be the much larger and more luxurious Toyota Land Cruiser SE. It will be entirely unrelated (technically and visually) to the utilitarian, off-road-focused Land Cruisers that have gone before. It was displayed as a concept at the Tokyo show as part of a line-up that previews a totally overhauled range of Toyota EVs arriving in the second half of the decade. Other vehicles in this reimagined line-up include production versions of the FT-SE sports coupé, EPU pick-up and FT-3E crossover. At the heart of this new family of electric cars lies a ‘gigacasted’ chassis comprising 3 modular sections: front, centre and rear. This will dramatically improve manufacturing efficiencies by minimising the number of individual components used in each car while allowing Toyota to build models with very different proportions atop the same platform. The drivetrain and ancillary systems will be downsized as far as possible in a bid to reduce material usage, improve interior packaging and cut costs. The Land Cruiser SE (which could launch in 2026 to mark the Land Cruiser’s 75th anniversary) will be equipped with Toyota’s new ‘Performance’ prismatic battery, which is said to be 20% cheaper to make than the pack in today’s BZ4X while potentially doubling the range and being substantially smaller. A ‘High-Performance’ battery option due by 2028 will cut costs by a further 10% and bump the range to as much as 1.000 km in certain models. Expected to be among the largest and heaviest cars in Toyota’s new-look line-up, the luxury Land Cruiser is unlikely to tout the loftiest range figures, but will no doubt still exceed the range of most electric SUVs on sale today. Despite the SE’s radically different design and road-focused billing, Toyota remains committed to the core values of the Land Cruiser brand and says the SE will offer “highly responsible handling” in off-road situations, aided by the “high-torque driving characteristics of a battery-electric vehicle” and its modern monocoque, rather than ladder-frame, construction. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN design boss Andreas Mindt has quickly outlined his vision for the marque with the ID.2all and the ID.GTI concepts, which show a return to a more friendly and familiar design look for VW. Coming as part of its goal to be a ‘loved brand’ once more, production versions will go on sale in 2025. Mindt, who has been in his current position for less than a year, was one of the key designers of the 7th-generation Golf and rejoined Volkswagen after moving to other brands within the group. He led exterior design at Audi and was design chief at Bentley in his 2 most recent roles. Here, he tells his plans for this new design philosophy that sees the firm return to being “the nice guys”. He says: “We’re a ‘love’ brand, with trustable design, a strong identity and authenticity and built on 3 pillars: stable, likeable and with a ‘secret sauce’, which is about delivering more than people expect and with a sense of humor”. Question: The ID.2all is a very European car. Is global design a thing of the past? Answer: “Global design became complicated and unnecessary. Current ID line-up has a global design feel but that will change We now have seven regions with specific portfolios: Europe, South America, North America, FAW in China, SAIC in China [the last 2 are joint ventures], our own new design centre upcoming in China and our sub-brand in China for Jetta. Even in China, all tastes are different, the traffic looks different, the people look different: it’s like travelling between Finland and Portugal. We have the same values across the world but certain design elements are different. You don’t put your fishing rod in the same lake”. Q: Were the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5 created as global cars? A: “I think so, yes. Maybe the thinking has changed over the years. China changes every year and every time you go there, you don’t believe what you see, especially after Covid. You fly back to Germany and it feels like a medieval country! You have to change your approach to that”. Q: Will the ID.2 make it to China? A: “There is not a plan, no. The physical buttons in the interior, below the touchscreen have no relevance in China”. Q: Where does the ID.2 sit alongside the Golf? A: “With the ID.2all, we wanted to create a true, proper Volkswagen. This was the task we had. We did the analysis of our brand and what it stood for and came up with our 3 values (stable, likeable, secret sauce) and that matches a Golf from 50 years ago. This was our base and we did a design to match that. The ID.2all was the result. It looks like a Golf (today and in the future) but also with elements of the Mk.4 Golf and the original Beetle. When you analyse what needs to be done for a proper VW, you come back to a Golf”. Q: You have history yourself designing the Golf… A: “I was in a team that worked on the 7th generation Golf. A team of 3 of us led it: Philipp Römers (now Audi exterior design boss), Marc Lichte (now Audi design boss) and myself. We were fighting like hell for this car. “The idea with it was to combine all the best bits of generations of the Golf, baked into one model. I can talk for 2 hours to explain why the Golf Mk7 is on the spot”. Q: How does the cost of the ID.2all interior work out compared with an existing car with its simplified design but higher-quality materials? A: “The cost might stay the same but we up the quality as you save costs with less complex interiors. The money you take out of it you put back into the materials. There are too many derivatives today, with the amount of colors and also wheels. We’re moving away from that (personalisation to create) a different car for everyone. In the USA, you buy a car off the yard of a dealer. Nobody orders it. We’ll simplify and combine options with packages, so you don’t spend two hours on a configurator and have no idea what you’ve ordered. It is our task to reduce and I see design as part of that. I’m most proud to get rid of the plastic parts, to get this close to production and not see cheap plastic parts. I learned this at Bentley, when you sit in it and feel wonderful because of the materials. Everything that looks leather is leather, metal is metal, wood is wood: authentic materials make you feel good”. Q: We’ve seen GTI in the EV era with the recent concept, but what about R? A: “R is four-wheel drive, coming from history. It needs certain technical elements. In certain segments, it’s not possible as it needs 4WD and the best engine possible. GTI is smaller cars. GTI and R are different things for different customers. “We had GTX, but there is a spirit about GTI that people get excited about. GTIs are jeans and trainers, useful and still smart, not a boy racer. R is a suit. I see Mk6 and Mk7 GTIs in white with the red stickers and I love them”. Q: Is there room for more specialist models in the Volkswagen range? A: “Of course. But we need to do our homework and cover all the important segments and make them really good. That’s our number one goal now. But I have a lot of skunkworks. Often we do this and turn the result into a boring limousine, because you have to develop an idea. Sometimes we spend the week designing Lamborghinis together but then turn them into a VW and see the result. Sometimes you need this. You need to change your roles to find new stuff or the whole team gets stuck swimming in your own soup and the results are all the same. You need to do stuff like that, creativity exercises. Even I need this myself to give a good result to everyday work”. +++