+++ AUDI has been making fast wagons for 30 years, starting with the 1994 RS2 Avant built together with Porsche. And that won’t stop anytime soon. When asked by journalists whether there is a future for speedy estates, RS 6 GT technical project manager Nils Fischer said: “I would definitely say yes, for sure”. The limited-run RS6 Avant GT special edition is described by Audi as a “model that reaches its maximum”. However, the company is strictly talking about the outgoing C8 generation. A follow-up to the current super wagon is coming before 2026, at which point the German luxury brand will only launch EVs. It means there’s still time for a final RS6 generation with a combustion engine. Audi Head of Research & Development Stephan Reil has already confirmed the next RS6 will keep the gasoline engine but with an electric motor thrown into the mix. Even the outgoing model has a small dose of electrification with twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 using a mild-hybrid setup. Its successor is expected to employ a plug-in hybrid system, but sadly, built around a V6. When the next-generation model arrives, it’ll go by another name. Audi has announced the A6 models with a combustion engine will transition to the A7 family. It effectively means an RS7 Avant is coming, as weird as that might sound. That will enable Audi to launch purely electric A6 models, including an RS6 as a wagon variant to the spied RS6 sedan. Car paparazzi have already caught on camera prototypes of an A6 Avant e-Tron testing with the full production body. That electric wagon will ride on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture Audi developed with Porsche. The first model to utilize the hardware is the second-generation Macan, which has up to 630 hp and 1.200 Nm on the Turbo model. So expect healthy numbers from a future RS6 Avant e-Tron. The smaller RS4 Avant will also live to see another generation with a different name. The future RS5 Avant will employ a plug-in hybrid arrangement, per an announcement made by former Audi Sport Head of Development Oliver Hoffmann in 2019. At the RS6 GT’s global debut, a company spokesperson said we should “stay tuned” for performance-oriented Avant models. Audi Product Marketing Manager Kenneth Dose assured enthusiasts fast wagons are here to stay: “I think the past has proven that there was a past for the wagons, and when we look at the cars and how beautiful cars like that still can be developed, we think there’s definitely a future”. The competition isn’t abandoning potent wagons either. BMW finally has an M3 Touring in its ever-growing M portfolio and will soon bring back the M5 Touring. The former isn’t sold in the United States, but multiple reports state the latter might just get a US visa. Bavaria’s large estate is going to debut later in 2024 with a plug-in hybrid V8 rumored to make over 700 hp. Come 2025, a beefier M3 CS Touring will hit the market. At Mercedes, the AMG C 63 has lost its brawny V8 in favor of an intricate plug-in hybrid powertrain based around a 4-cylinder, 2.0-liter engine. Although the German luxury trio has been obsessed with launching SUVs of all sizes, it’s not giving up on good ol’ estates. The exciting ones will all be electrified to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations, albeit the M3 Touring won’t get a charging port in its current generation. However, BMW M has confirmed an electric M3 sedan is planned on the Neue Klasse platform, so an equivalent wagon seems like an educated guess. The 2020s are likely going to represent the last full decade of fast wagons with a combustion engine before everything becomes electric. Some of the cars might survive into the early 2030s, but the clock is already ticking for ICE power in a performance estate. +++
+++ It’s no secret: Manual-transmission cars are a dying breed. The 3-pedal, shift-it-yourself gearbox is available on just a small handful of new vehicles, and while there has been some recent good news with regards to market share, it’s only a matter of time before the stick shift is gone forever. BMW ’s M division is one of the few brands that still offers a manual option, but it warns the choice will disappear soon. In an interview, BMW board member Frank Weber confirmed M’s stick shift days are numbered. “They are fun products, but let’s be honest, the volumes are getting smaller and smaller”, Weber said. “And so it doesn’t make sense to develop them anymore. If you want a manual M, you need to buy it now”. BMW has said in the past customer preference has driven the company to continue to offer manual transmissions, building a strong niche as competitors turn their backs on purists. “We have customers who travel 25.000-30.000 kilometers a year and don’t want to stand in traffic changing gear”, Weber added. Enthusiasts seem to be taking Weber’s advice. BMW told us last month that over 50 percent of new M2 buyers went for the 6-speed, while around 20 percent of M3 and M4 buyers opted for the manual. BMW saw enough demand in the market to launch a manual version of the Z4 back in December, joining its Toyota-badged Supra sibling, which launched a stick variant in 2022. While there are plenty of sticks to choose from in the BMW lineup right now, I shouldn’t expect them to stick around for longer than a product cycle, if Weber’s statements are anything to go by. It’s not all bad news in the world of BMW. Weber told the M3 Touring sold 3 times more than expected, leading the company to develop a new M5 Touring. +++
+++ DS is preparing to launch a brand new flagship electric car to begin a new era of it selling only plug-in hybrids and EVs. The DS 9 replacement wears a high-riding fastback body, similar to fellow Stellantis brand Peugeot’s new e-3008 crossover. Its roofline is more rakish than that of the future-looking Aero Sport Lounge concept, which was described by DS design chief Thierry Métroz as “a prelude to our next creations” and a “manifesto” for more sustainable luxury cars. It’s expected to be the first of 2 new DS models entering production at Stellantis’s factory in Melfi, Italy, 2025 and will be twinned with the successor to the Opel Insignia. All models being produced at Melfi will use the STLA Medium platform, which made its debut under the e-3008. This provides a strong hint at the specifications of the new DS full-electric cars. The platform is for cars between 4.3 and 4.9 meter long, meaning it could underpin the replacements for every model in the DS line-up bar the ‘3’, which would have to use the STLA Small architecture. STLA Medium allows for EV power outputs between 210 hp and 384 hp, utilizing either a single motor mounted at the front or a motor on each axle (providing four-wheel drive). Currently it offers battery capacities of up to 98 kWh, yielding up to 700 km of range. The e-3008 also offers a 73 kWh (usable capacity) pack that delivers 520 km between charges. However, these figures are subject to change, as energy density improves with developments such as new battery chemistries. Energy efficiency, rather than outright performance, will doubtless be the priority for the new DS. Former DS CEO Béatrice Foucher previously told that the silhouette of this next model, striking a compromise between a hatchback and an SUV, was meant to “provide the best energy management”. She added that it would have an “eye-catching” interior, drawing on the MI 21 concept unveiled in June 2023. Initially designed as an internal experiment and seen privately by Autocar before DS executives decided to test the waters with the public, the MI 21 was inspired by the art deco movement. It features a litany of novel design features. The doorcards and seats, for example, are made from pleated pieces of a silk-like textile. A single large speaker is placed in the footwell between the driver and the passenger, reducing the amount of wiring needed for the stereo and therefore improving sustainability. The infotainment system and instrument panel aren’t displayed on screens but are instead projected across a large glass panel by three small nodes in the dashboard. This projection system has two focal lengths that allow the driver to focus on the instruments and blur whatever their passenger is doing (watching a film, for example) and vice versa. These functions were controlled using physical gestures detected via ultrasonic sensors on a glass panel on the centre console, as well as voice commands. Autocar has contacted DS for comment on the new spy shots of its forthcoming fastback EV. Regardless of the form it takes when it enters production, the next DS model is instrumental to the French premium brand’s future. It has quietly toiled away in Stellantis’s 14-brand portfolio, recording very few sales. Foucher was replaced as CEO of DS last July by Fiat and Abarth boss Olivier François. +++
+++ The brilliant but under-appreciated KIA Stinger was one of the last affordable rear-wheel-drive internal-combustion sedans. Alas, it was too pure for this world of consumers who think FWD and RWD are abbreviations found on a VCR remote. The gasoline Stinger was discontinued last year, but if you’re kicking yourself for the missed opp, fear not. A new report out of South-Korea says that the Stinger’s unofficial successor is in the works, and it’s electric. The car, code-named GT1, will be built on Hyundai-Kia’s next-generation EV platform. It is scheduled to roll out of Kia’s Hwaseong Plant 3 in 2026 and has been tentatively named the EV8. The information comes from a leaked production schedule. The EV8’s platform is called eM, which it will share with a large SUV, the Genesis GV90. The EV8 will use a 113.2 kWh battery pack, good for a range of approximately 700 to 800 km. That’s more capacity than even a Lucid Air Grand Touring’s 112 kWh. Dual motors on the top-spec will supply 340 hp to the front wheels and 272 hp to the rear, for a combined 612 hp. Entry trim levels will have a single 218 hp motor driving the rear wheels, while AWD models will have a second 218 hp motor driving the front wheels as well. The first eM platform cars (the Kia EV8 and Genesis GV90) are expected to roll out in 2026. While we will miss the Stinger name, the new moniker hints that pricing will start between the EV6 and EV9’s base prices. +++
+++ LYNK & CO , the Chinese automotive brand co-owned by Geely and Volvo, announces a significant expansion into European markets. As part of this plan, the manufacturer has appointed SEEAG, a seasoned automotive group, to serve as the importer and distributor for Southeast Europe. While currently operational in Sweden, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France and Italy, the collaboration with SEEAG opens doors to new markets, starting with Romania and Greece. Further expansion is slated for Slovenia, Croatia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, and Moldova by the end of 2024. “With this strategic rollout, we will expand our footprint in the European market, solidify our brand as a major provider of flexible mobility (and of course, deliver great cars. SEEAG is a reputable player in the industry, with strong infrastructure and operations) an ideal partner as we venture into these new territories”, Nicolas Lopez Appelgren, CEO of Lynk & Co, comments. Lynk & Co’s business in Europe hasn’t been exactly successful so far, though. In 2021 alone, the company lost about €100 million. Sales in China have been steady and a number of different models are available in the country. In Europe, only the 01 crossover is currently sold. When it was launched in 2017, the model became the fastest-selling car in history with 6.000 orders placed in just 2 minutes 17 seconds. +++
+++ STELLANTIS chairman John Elkann denies rumors of possible new alliances. ‘There are no plans under study concerning Stellantis’ merger operations with other manufacturers,’ the Group’s number one told recently, explaining that the company’s priority is to implement the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan. Another important commitment of Stellantis, its president recalled, is the Tavolo Automotive promoted by Mimit, which “sees the Italian government united with all the players in the supply chain in the achievement of important common objectives to tackle the electric transition together”. In view of Elkann’s statements, it is worth remembering that the Dare Forward 2030 was presented by Stellantis in March 2022 and is built around 3 pillars: Ethics (-50% carbon footprint by 2030), Technology (electrification and digitisation of the range) and Value (7 business units to dedicate to the plan). The goal is to double net revenues to €300 billion by 2030 (compared to 2021) and record double-digit adjusted operating profit margins throughout the decade, becoming Carbon Zero by 2028. One of the most recent milestones of the plan concerns the investment in software with a new centre in Poland (the 8th worldwide) and the STLA Large platform that will be used by several high-end models, such as the new Alfa Romeo Giulia and Chrysler Halcyon. A new meeting of the Automotive Table is planned for February. In the meantime, Carlos Tavares, Stellantis CEO, has in recent days returned to the charge against the Meloni executive, claiming that car production in Italy is at risk. Paolo Capone, Ugl general secretary, commented on his words, calling for “the convening of a table between the government and the social partners to relaunch the sector in Italy”. There is therefore great attention on this issue, which is still under discussion. +++
+++ Late last year, reports emerged suggesting that an updated Model Y would be coming about midway through 2024. However, TESLA has now officially denied those reports, saying that the update won’t be arriving this year. The Model Y is Tesla’s most popular vehicle worldwide, so it would make sense for the automaker to want to keep it fresh by updating it, much like others in the industry do. And so, it made sense when reports indicated that, like the Model 3, the crossover would get mild exterior and interior design updates, some new tech, and greater range. Unfortunately, consumers will have to wait for the update, which is reportedly code-named Juniper. Tesla reportedly shared it with its delivery advisors to communicate with customers asking about the update. “We heard your feedback that some customers are waiting to place their Model Y order as they anticipate a refresh similar to the Model 3”, the statement reads, under the heading ‘Model Y Refresh Talking Points’. “It is important that we communicate transparently that there is no refresh for Model Y launching this year”. While transparency is a laudable goal, the automaker’s message points at some discomfort it may be feeling on its sales charts. As the brand’s best-selling vehicle, it is important for customers to continue buying the Model Y, and that they not hold out for a new version. So, no surprise there that the automaker proclaims that “there is no better time for customers to start driving” the Model Y because of several incentives that are available in a lot of countries. In addition, Tesla recently announced that customers who bought one of the brand’s vehicles when it was being offered with free lifetime Supercharging can transfer that feature to a new Model S, 3, X or Y. They can also transfer FSD to a new vehicle, too. +++