+++ ASTON MARTIN has begun its teaser campaign for the refreshed Vantage V8 and given us a date for the debut: February 12. Last year, Aston’s product and market strategy director, Alex Long, told: “We’ll see in our sports car and GT range much more breadth and separation between one end and the other, where today they’re quite similarly positioned. We’ll see a much broader operating range”. The changes coming for the Vantage will plant its flag at the “complete hooligan” end of the spectrum, according to chief creative officer Marek Reichman, while still maintaining composure. We can expect new, dual-level headlights, a different hood with new vents and shut lines, a reworked taillight arrangement and a vented rear bumper compared to the current car. Aston Martin promises audiences the Vantage V8 is “Engineered for real drivers”. A voiceover explains: “As soon as you sit in the driving seat, you must understand your car. It’s that connection that lets you get to the limit. You are no longer 2 separate things. You are both responding to each other and completely speaking the same language”. +++
+++ European Commission investigators are to inspect CHINESE AUTOMAKERS in the coming weeks as part of a probe into whether to impose punitive tariffs to protect European electric vehicle (EV) makers, 3 people involved in the process said. The inspectors will visit BYD, Geely and SAIC, 2 sources said, with one of them saying the investigators will not visit non-Chinese brands produced in China, such as Tesla, Renault and BMW. The probe, launched in October and scheduled to last 13 months, seeks to determine whether cheaper, Chinese-made EVs benefit unfairly from state subsidies. Called protectionist by China, the investigation has escalated tensions between Beijing and the EU. The European Commission, China’s commerce ministry, BYD and SAIC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Geely declined to comment but cited its October statement that the company followed all laws and supported fair market competition globally. One source said the investigators have arrived in China, while another said visits are scheduled for this month and February. The visits are for verification work (on-site inspections checking responses the automakers gave to questionnaires), 1 source said. European Commission documents for the probe say it is in the “initiation stage”, with verification visits due by April 11. The sources asked not to be named as details of the visit were confidential. Last week, China opened an anti-dumping investigation on brandy imported from the European Union, a step that appeared targeted at France, which backs the EV probe. Popular Chinese models exported to Europe include SAIC’s MG and Geely’s Volvo. Chinese-made vehicles’ share of the European Union’s EV market has risen to 8% and could reach 15% in 2025, with these EVs typically selling for 20% less than EU-made models. In October, China’s Great Wall Motor said it was the first automaker to submit responses to the EU subsidy investigation. Relations between China and the EU have been strained by factors including Beijing’s closer ties with Moscow after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The EU is seeking to reduce its reliance on the world’s second-largest economy, particularly for materials and products needed for its green transition. At the same time Chinese EV makers, from market-leader BYD to smaller rivals Xpeng and Nio, are stepping up efforts to expand overseas as competition intensifies at home and domestic growth eases. Many have made sales to Europe a priority. China is estimated to have overtaken Japan as the world’s largest auto exporter last year, shipping 5.26 million vehicles valued at about $102 billion, a Chinese auto association said this week. +++
+++ ELECTRIC VEHICLES were already considered unappealing by a section of the car-buying public. Now their image could take another hit as rental giant Hertz dumps 20.000 of them, mainly Teslas, for petrol-powered cars. Hertz, the largest U.S. fleet operator of EVs, has blamed the sale on high repair costs and weak demand for the vehicles it offers on rent. Analysts and industry experts believe the move will affect the second-hand market for EVs and dissuade buyers who are already rethinking big purchases due to higher borrowing costs. “The larger impact of Hertz EV fire sale is the perception hit to the technology”, said Karl Brauer, a used-car market analyst. “Mainstream consumers are already hesitant to buy an EV and this news only supports their concerns”. The higher costs associated with repairing EVs stem from a lack of sufficient expertise in dealing with such vehicles and challenges in getting the replacement parts as they are still very new, industry experts said. Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr flagged elevated costs caused by damages to certain EVs, particularly Teslas, last year at a conference. In announcing the liquidation of Hertz’s EV fleet, Scherr also blamed the high repair costs on Tesla for not offering to discount bulk purchases of replacement parts the way other automakers do. Car rental firms Avis and Enterprise also did not respond to a query on their EV strategy. CEO Scherr said Hertz limited the torque and speed on the EVs and offered them to more experienced users to ensure easier rides after certain renters had front-end collisions. Growing pains for startups and legacy automakers that are new to the technology also mean that EVs have been facing more problems than petrol-powered cars, according to a survey last year by nonprofit Consumer Reports. The survey, covering owner responses on more than 330.000 vehicles, showed that EVs from the past 3 years had 79% more problems than conventional cars. For many EVs, there is no way to repair or assess even slightly damaged battery packs after accidents, which forces insurance companies to write off the cars with a few miles, leading to higher premiums and undercutting gains from going electric. German rental firm Sixt said on Tuesday it signed a multi-billion-euro deal with Stellantis to buy up to a quarter of a million vehicles. The deal will also see Stellantis provide some EVs to the German mobility service provider, but the companies did not offer further details. Hertz’ move underscores a wider shift in the EV landscape. After pledging billions of dollars for their EV ambitions in recent years, legacy automakers have pulled back their production plans as demand slows. EV sales growth in North America is expected to slow to about 27% this year from a scorching 72% in 2023, according to market research firm Canalys. Hertz may have to dispose of the EVs at hefty discounts due to the higher miles they have covered as well as visible damage such as nicks, scratches and dents, according to experts. “Having rented several Model 3s from Hertz over the past 6 months, my observation is some of them are cosmetically pretty rough”, said Scott Case, CEO of EV research firm Recurrent Auto. Nearly all of the more than 500 used EVs the company currently has on sale are Teslas, with some Model 3 compact sedans being listed for as little as $21.000; half the price of a new car and up to $10.000 lower than cars of similar mileage at other sellers. Such a cut-price sale would likely reverberate across the second-hand market of EVs, which already command a lower price than conventional used cars. The value of used EVs has dropped 33.7% between October 2022 and October 2023, even as the overall used car market dropped only 5.1%. Hertz could, however, benefit from the $4.000 tax credit for some used EVs under the Inflation Reduction Act, which brings down the price of some vehicles it is trying to sell well below many gas-powered cars. Some experts also said the high repair costs of EVs are a short-term challenge that comes with any technology and will ease as more of those vehicles hit the road. “The infrastructure has to catch up with the transition, and that will bring the prices down”, said Lynne McChristian, director of the Office of Risk Management and Insurance Research at the University of Illinois. +++
+++ HONDA believes hydrogen fuel cell technology has a role to play in the future of the passenger car, once the ‘battery EV era’ is fully under way. Honda, along with Toyota and Hyundai, has long been a proponent of the hydrogen car, launching the FCX Clarity globally as far back as 2008 and following it up with a second generation which ran from 2017 to 2022. More recently, it has launched a fuel cell version of the current CR-V in the United States and Japan, developed in partnership with General Motors. And now, the brand suggests that FCEV cars could become a mainstay of its global line-up. Inoue Katsushi, who heads up Honda’s electrification efforts following stints leading the brand in Europe and China, gave his vision for the future of hydrogen cars: “What I have in my mind is that the battery-EV era comes first, and the next phase is fuel cell cars. “The fuel cell era might take some more time”, he said, suggesting 2040 is more realistic than 2030. Tellingly, the company has said that 100% of its car sales will be either battery-electric or hydrogen fuel cell by 2040, though has not said what it expects the split to be. There are no plans to launch hydrogen versions of any cars in the new 0 Series family of electric cars. Inoue said slow sales for the original Clarity model are not a sign that the market will never be there for such a car. “In those days, the infrastructure was not good enough, and it was an experimental model and the cost was too high”, he said. “So it’s not our only commercial basis, but with the commercial vehicles, the FCEV powertrain is going to be expanded, for sure, but it will take some time”. “Our next generation fuel cell is competitive enough”, he added, referring to the system in the new CR-V, which will be detailed in the coming months. Inoue said the wider roll-out of FCEV cars will be possible once the infrastructure exists to support it, along with the supply chain and market demand, which is why Honda is first focusing its hydrogen efforts on the commercial vehicle and industrial sectors. “Think about it: the fuel cell business comes from commercial vehicles first, then it’s coming to passenger vehicles,” he theorizes. “The commercial vehicle business is going to start earlier (we’ve already started in China and some other countries), but it comes to passenger vehicles later, not now”. Honda has partnered with Isuzu to develop a new FCEV lorry called the Giga Fuel Cell, and recently began testing a prototype on public roads in the run up to a planned market launch in 2027. Honda is also working with Mitsubishi and chemical company Tokuyama Corporation on a project to develop power stations which run on fuel cells recovered from vehicles. The objective of this program, Honda said, is “to reduce the economic burden on customers installing and operating stationary fuel cell systems, which will contribute to the decarbonisation of electric power”. Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe concurred: “We think fuel cell technology can be applied to heavier vehicles instead of just passenger cars”. He said Honda will use hydrogen “for larger vehicles or non-mobility”, because “most of them use diesel. That can be replaced by fuel cells”. Toyota has also shifted its fuel cell focus to commercial vehicles and industrial applications, with technical chief Hiroki Nakajima recently attributing slow demand for its Mirai to a fledgling fuelling network: “”We have tried the Mirai, but it has not been successful”, said Nakajima. “Hydrogen stations are very few and difficult to realize, so the Mirai is smaller in volume”. The brand has, however, just launched a fuel cell-powered version of the Crown saloon in Japan. Hyundai, meanwhile, is seeking to “popularize hydrogen” by 2040, partly by ensuring FCEVs achieve price parity with BEVs by the end of this decade. +++
+++ Massimo Frascella has resigned from his post as design boss of JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover). Working under creative chief Gerry McGovern, Frascella oversaw the fruition of some of JLR’s most recognisable model lines, including the Land Rover Defender and Land Rover Discovery. He was also instrumental in the development of the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, as well as their SV variants. JLR said in a statement: “His creative contribution to the business has been significant and is an excellent demonstration of how creativity can successfully transform and build brands”. McGovern added: “Massimo Frascella, JLR design director, has decided to leave JLR to pursue new opportunities. We would like to thank Massimo for his significant creative contribution to JLR and we wish him every success in the future”. Frascella left Kia to join JLR in 2011, taking the role of Land Rover exterior design chief. He was promoted to design director for the 4×4 brand in November 2020, and rose to JLR design director in May 2021. It is not yet clear what the future holds for Frascella, but he leaves JLR having successfully steered it into the 2020s with distinct, fashionable identities for each of its sub-brands; critical to the revamp of its sales and marketing for each, under the new ‘House of Brands’ banner. +++
+++ Italian luxury sports carmaker LAMBORGHINI sold over 10.000 vehicles last year for the first time, its chairman and chief executive Stephan Winkelmann said on Tuesday. “I am so incredibly proud to announce that we have reached another historic milestone”. Supported by the success of its Urus, Lamborghini has in recent years expanded its output, relying on solid demand from wealthy car lovers. The carmaker, a subsidiary of Germany’s Volkswagen, delivered a total of 10.112 sports cars and SUVs last year, up from over 9.200 vehicles in 2022. Rival Ferrari, which will release 2023 data later this year, including those on car sales, shipped more than 13.200 cars in 2022. Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) was the region that saw the biggest increase in deliveries for Lamborghini last year, with a 14% rise to nearly 4.000 vehicles, the slide showed. Sales in the America region rose 9% to 3.465, while they grew 4% in the Asia Pacific region to 2.660. Lamborghini’s range also includes 2 super-sports cars, the Huracan 10-cylinder and the Revuelto 12-cylinder, its first plug-in hybrid model, which was presented last year. The line-up is set to become all hybrid in the course of 2024, with the new Urus and a new car replacing the Huracan. +++
+++ MG has confirmed that it will unwrap the next-generation ‘3’ at the Geneva motor show on 26 February. The Chinese brand made the announcement on X, posting an undisguised image of the new supermini’s front end. Trademark filings from September previously revealed the exterior design of the new ‘3’, confirming that it has taken influence from both the larger ‘4’ and the new MG Cyberster flagship sports car. Unlike those cars, though, the new 3 is set to stay true to its affordable billing by sticking with petrol power rather than switching to a pricier electric drivetrain; a decision seemingly corroborated by the new car’s lengthy front overhang, sizeable grille and a filler cap at the rear that’s clearly too small to accommodate a CCS charging socket. The petrol-engined supermini is an increasingly rare breed in Europe, following the exits of likes of the Ford Fiesta, Kia Rio and Nissan Micra. Its successor is tipped to adopt emissions-reducing mild-hybrid technology, which (together with wider inflationary pressures and the introduction of heavily updated interior and driver-assist technology) will make it a more expensive proposition, but bosses are keen that it remains one of the market’s most affordable new cars. British salesfigures don’t stack up to convert the MG 3 to electric power, hence its continuation as a petrol model, commercial director Guy Pigounakis told recently. “Developing a small electric car is only marginally cheaper than developing a bigger car”, he said. “Then half the price is battery, so it becomes a €28.500 car, which is unaffordable”. The new MG 3 with mild hybrid technology is expect to cost less than €20.000 in the Netherlands. +++
+++ If the performance is repeatable, there’s good news ahead for the battery-electric PORSCHE MACAN and anyone who buys it. The automaker took 2 prototypes to Southern California. The plan: A very unscientific out-and-back range test at 110 km/h. The 2 Macan EVs represented 2 of the coming trims. The top version will have about 610 hp and more than 1.000 Nm. During the test in Normal driving mode, the climate control’s Eco setting wasn’t used because that let the cabin get “unbearably hot rather quickly”. At the end of the test, Macan’s gauges showed 477 km covered and 11 km left in the “tank”. On a leaderboard of real-world DC fast-charging rates among production EVs, tallying how many kilometers an EV’s pack replenishes in an hour and how long it takes to add 160 km, the Taycan 4S is 4th on the list of kilometers replenished per hour of DC fast-charging, at 1.084 km. The sedan is second in the rank for how long it takes to add 160 miles, at 8 minutes and 41 seconds. The Macan’s 100 kWh battery is of greater capacity than the Taycan’s 93 kWh pack. At a max charging rate of 270 kW for both vehicles, depending on the Macan’s chemistry, the Taycan’s numbers should still be instructive. The Macan EV’s lower trim did even better than the 610 hp version. +++
+++ STELLANTIS has taken a step towards drastically reducing the price of its future electric cars by partnering with a company that produces sodium ion batteries. Sodium ion has been touted by several manufacturers as a more cost-effective battery chemistry that could pave the way for much cheaper EVs in the near future. For example, Dacia boss Denis Le Vot has said the next-generation electric Sandero could use the technology and Chinese giant BYD recently signed a $1.2 billion contract to build the world’s largest sodium battery factory in Xuzhou, with an eye on specifically powering small cars and scooters. Stellantis has invested in Amiens-based Tiamat, a spin-off of the French National Centre for Scientific Research, which is claimed to be the first company in the world to commercialize a sodium ion battery. Tiamat will use the revenue generated in its latest funding round, which included Stellantis’s undisclosed investment, to build a new sodium ion battery factory in France. This new factory will first build batteries for power tools and energy storage devices but will scale up to eventually produce “second-generation” cells for battery-electric cars. No timeframe has been given. Stellantis said the implications of its new partnership will be significant for its future vehicles: “Sodium ion technology offers a lower cost per kilowatt-hour and is free of lithium and cobalt. Abundantly available sodium offers benefits in increased sustainability and material sovereignty”. The multinational giant has previously vocalised a plan to cut battery weight in its EVs by 50% by introducing new lightweight technologies and more efficient cell packaging. It also recently invested in American company Lytten, which is developing lithium-sulphur batteries. Tiamat has said sodium ion is a “stable chemistry for simple, safe, fast and performing solutions”. It’s aiming to achieve charging times of just 5 minutes and claims its batteries (with an impressive power density of 2 to 5 kW per kilogram) retain up to 80% capacity after 5.000 charge cycles. Ned Curic, chief engineering and technology officer at Stellantis, said: “Exploring new options for more sustainable and affordable batteries that use widely available raw materials is a key part of our ambitions of the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan that will see us reach carbon net-zero by 2038. Our customers are asking for emissions-free vehicles that offer a combination of robust driving range, performance and affordability. This is our North Star, as Stellantis and its partners work today to develop ground-breaking technologies for the future”. Stellantis aims to secure around 400 GWh of battery capacity to support its ambition to achieve a 100% EV mix in Europe and a 50% EV mix in the Unitec States by 2030. It claims to have secured supplies of “EV raw materials” to take it through to 2028 from a range of global partner firms. +++
