+++ AUDI is set to ditch its current powertrain naming strategy, which will see an end to a system which uses numbers that are vaguely associated with power outputs. First introduced in 2017, the number strategy will be dispensed with altogether starting with the all new Q6 e-Tron. The phase-in process for the number removal started quietly with the launch of the Q8 e-Tron, but while the brand’s flagship electric SUV doesn’t display numbers on its boot lid, the designations are still noted in pricing and press materials. Florian Hauser, Audi’s Head of Sales & Product Marketing for Battery Electric Vehicles, explained that a big focus for the brand going forward is to make things easy for its customers: “When we talk about simplicity, we don’t just talk about the options and the configuration process (in contrast to older Audi models, the Q6 has just a handful of option packs to choose from), we are really thinking of getting the leanest engine program for the Q6 which still refers to our customer demands”. With fewer powertrains to choose from, Audi will be able to simplify the naming structure of its range based on the number of driven wheels and a choice of 1 or 2 power outputs, with a regular 4-wheeldrive version of the Q6 simply known as ‘Quattro’ going forward. “And if it’s a performance model with Quattro, then it’s ‘SQ6’ ”, says Hauser. “If you think about what’s coming next, when we talk about rear-wheel drive it’s just a Q6. For smaller and bigger batteries we could think about a suffix behind the ‘6’, for example ‘Performance.’ And so we don’t need the numbers anymore, so we won’t show them”. While it’s confirmed that subsequent EVs going forward will ditch the numbering strategy, the system is also set to be removed from the boot lids of its internal combustion cars too, though it’s still in discussion internally as to whether it will also disappear from the configuration pages. Audi’s numbering structure was designed to separate powertrains according to their power outputs, but the inconsistent groupings (and the seemingly arbitrary choices of the numbers themselves) made the system confusing for many people. For example, the ‘30’ powertrain represented cars producing between 110 hp and 130 hp, but ‘45’ ran from 230 hp to 252 hp. +++
+++ BENTLEY ’s design director of the past 5 months, Robin Page, can be reasonably described as a Bentley ‘lifer’, even though he was busy designing Volvo cars for a decade immediately before he took up his current role. Page worked in Bentley’s Crewe HQ for 17 years of his early career, rising to become head of interior design between 2001 and 2013, the crucial years that produced the seminal Continental GT and launched Bentley into the modern era. Now Page returns at another vital moment, just as the company gears up to launch the first of 5 electric models that will make up its model range by 2030. To complicate matters, Bentley has recently had several design bosses arrive and depart in short order, so this is as much a time for steadiness as high creativity, as he tells in an exclusive interview. Question: What stage have you reached with the first of Bentley’s pure-electric models? Answer: “We’re finishing the last refinements on the first car right now, and for various reasons time has been quite tight. Most of the work was done well before my arrival, but there have been some opportunities to influence a few things”. Q: Does arriving in a new job make you want to change things? A: “Not necessarily. But it’s certainly interesting to come at projects with fresh eyes, almost as if you’re seeing them on a motor show stand for the first time. We’re squeezing in a few detail changes, but mainly we’re proceeding normally with our second and third cars”. Q: You’ve suggested that Bentley EV styling needs specific features and that is one of the reasons the first electric model has been delayed. What sort of things? A: “You have to be honest about the fact that an EV doesn’t need a full, open grille so there’s an opportunity for a new kind of front feature, a chance to play with lights perhaps. Then, of course, your car has to be distinctive from a distance: you want people to recognize the new full-electric Bentley for what it is. We’ll have failed if it just looks like a heritage car. That is why I need more time to make the first electric model look perfect. There are iconic elements in every successful Bentley in history. Ignore those and people will say what you’ve built isn’t a Bentley. That it has lost its identity”. Q: Do you have any plans for a concept to announce a new design era? A: “I’m definitely keen to do a car that shows our new design expression and tries some new ideas, but you have to time any concept carefully: there’s always the concern someone will copy you and get your ideas into production earlier than you. There are 2 ways a company like Bentley can use concepts: via a small run of very special cars like the Batur, or as a one-off on a stage with an event running around it. We’re discussing what will work best at the moment”. Q: You were at Volvo for 10 years. What is the ideal job tenure for a top designer? A: “I’ve always thought 5 to 10 years is a pretty good time. You need time to make a difference and to see the cars safely into production. To eat the meal you cooked, if you like. I think that’s the way our CEO, Adrian Hallmark, is thinking too”. Q: Do you have freedom to cooperate with other VW Group members? A: “There’s a lot of freedom, though you have to respect some key points: wheelbases, overhangs, crash structures and so on. But these things still leave you a great deal of scope. And working closely with Audi, as we do now, is a strength. It creates opportunities we didn’t have before, when we worked with Porsche. Bentley’s profitability, the fact that it can pay its own way, gives it great status in the group too. I’d say we are in an excellent place”. +++
+++ The BMW i4 is already a relatively capable electric performance car in M50 guise, but a new quad-motor variant is set to blow that model out of the water. BMW hinted at a quad-motor version of the i4 back in 2022, but since then it’s been quiet; focusing on a series of M car releases with the M3 Touring, M4 CSL and XM. The focus is back on the compact executive electric car now. The grille and bumper design are taken from the BMW M3 and M4, placing an onus on additional cooling rather than aerodynamic efficiency. The grille inserts will be similar to the M4 CSL’s, as does the lower splitter. Wider wheel arches are utilised to help provide space for an electric motor for each wheel, not to mention a wider track to help improve stability and traction. The wheel arches on the front feature the same piece of trim as seen on the M3 and M4, rather than the air vent placed lower down behind the front wheel. The rear of the quad-motor car looks unchanged from the dual-motor i4 M50, although the rear tyres are significantly wider than the set you get on the i4. BMW says the car’s “wide wheel arches permit the integration of specifically manufactured high-performance front and rear axle designs”. With 544 hp and 795 Nm from its 2 electric motors, the i4 M50 is no slouch, but the quad-motor powertrain could offer twice the thrust from its 4 electric motors. Frank Weber, head of BMW development, told in 2023 that the next generation M3 will be offered with all-electric power (alongside a petrol-powered equivalent) and its four electric motors could provide up to 1.360 hp. BMW says the quad-motor’s all-wheel drive xDrive system “opens up completely new possibilities for infinitely variable, extremely precise and at the same time very fast distribution of drive torque”. In other words, you can expect the new car’s chassis to be extremely dynamic and highly adjustable. Dirk Häcker, Head of Development at BMW’s M division says, “Electrification opens up completely new degrees of freedom. We can already see that we can exploit this potential to the maximum, so that our high-performance sports cars will continue to offer the M-typical and incomparable combination of dynamics, agility and precision in the locally emission-free future”. The current i4 M50 uses a 80.7 kWh battery pack but we could potentially see this new car use the 105.6 kWh battery found in larger BMW EVs such as the i7 and iX, which would help counter the extra electrical consumption of the motors. BMW does say all four motors will be able to recoup energy from braking, sending electric back to the battery. However, it’ll likely struggle to match M50’s range of 510 km. The i7 and i4 both use variants of the CLAR modular platform where the iX has received its own bespoke architecture. It’s unclear which the new car will be based on, although with the quad-motor M3 set to use the upcoming Neue Klasse platform, it seems like a safe bet that’ll underpin this hot i4 too. Having said that, I expect an improvement on the M50’s performance, undercutting its 0-100 kph time of 3.9 seconds. +++
+++ LOTUS today announced a bespoke service, Lotus Chapman Bespoke, following popular demand around the world. The service will provide customers with the capability to customize their Lotus products, from custom badges and trims to complete one-off personalisation of an entire vehicle. Initially launching in China from 25 April, the bespoke service will then roll out around the world over the coming months. Clive Chapman, son of Colin and Director of Classic Team Lotus, commented; “Together my parents shared an extraordinary adventure. Their dynamic personalities created innovative designs for the drivers to enjoy. Now the drivers can enjoy creating their own innovations with Lotus Chapman Bespoke”. The Lotus Chapman Bespoke name honours Lotus founders Colin & Hazel Chapman who started the business in 1948. A pioneering innovator, many of the designs, technologies and innovations seen in motor-racing today were first developed by Colin Chapman. Lotus has always carried that rebellious spirit: As a true originator, he ignored the status quo and was famous for carving his own path, in his own style. Qingfeng Feng, CEO, Lotus Group commented; “The story of Lotus is the story of a bespoke carmaker. The first cars were hand-drawn and hand-built at home by Colin Chapman, and that spirit lives on in us today. Bespoke connects our founders with the drivers of today. Now you can finish your car in your way, the same way Colin himself would have done. This is why Lotus Chapman Bespoke carries the name of our founders, Colin & Hazel Chapman, the highest accolade we could award”. With Bespoke, there are 3 levels of personalisation and customisation to choose from: 1) Tailor-made: choose your own unique combination from within a broad palate of colors and designs, and finish with exclusive personal touches and details. 2) Collection: choose from a selection of limited-edition designs, bought to life in partnership with partners, artists and likeminded luxury brands. 3) One-off: As the name suggests, build a car as unique as you are. Ben Payne, vicepresident Design at Lotus, commented; “Many of our customers are looking for a bespoke experience; be that colour, texture, fabric, detail. We are excited to see their individuality stamped on our cars around the world”. +++
+++ MERCEDES is currently testing the all-new second-generation EQC, getting into fighting shape to take on premium electric SUVs like the forthcoming Audi Q6 e-Tron and BMW’s ‘Neue Klasse’ SUV. There will also be a AMG-tuned version, which will probably try to give the all-electric Porsche Macan a run for its money. The current EQC was the first unique, mass-produced all-electric model developed by Mercedes when it launched in 2019. It was a trailblazer but it came with certain compromises in terms of range and efficiency, and is now overshadowed by newer rivals. Yet the EQC has proven to be popular, making this all-new version that much more important to get right. Designed to sit alongside the petrol-powered GLC, the EQC will actually share very little with its combustion engined sibling and instead make the move to a totally bespoke EV chassis. I’m all but certain this will be Mercedes’ new MB.EA architecture that’s due to be put into production in 2025, and serve as the backbone of much of Mercedes’ future EV line-up. The modular MB.EA platform will give the new EQC a much more efficient base to work from compared to the first generation model, and allow it to use more advanced battery packs and more intelligently packaged electric motors. It’s also expected to feature an 800 Volt electrical architecture, just like the Porsche Macan, which helps both charging and performance capabilities. The result should be a substantial improvement on the current EQC’s 408 km range. The current car comes with dual motors and all-wheel drive as standard, but single-motor variants may serve as the entry point to the new EQC range, as is the case with the EQE SUV, and the recently facelifted EQA and EQB. Much of the line-up will probably still feature dual motors, especially the hot AMG version. The Mercedes-AMG EQC also features a bulging bonnet, aggressive front bumper and large ventilated brake discs that sit behind even larger rims. AMG is sure to have made some tweaks to the chassis and lowered the ride height as well. The front end will probably feature some vertical struts to evoke the ‘Panamerica’ grille on AMG’S combustion-engined cars. Spy pictures of the regular second-gen EQC show it will feature a balanced overall silhouette, keeping the windscreen relatively upright in contrast to the EQE’s short bonnet and extreme windscreen rake. While the windowline does drop sharply, the roofline only tapers gently towards the back of the car, which should benefit rear headroom. The new EQC will also introduce a new generation of Mercedes digital interfaces and interior design, and will be optimised to seat 5 passengers. I expect the new EQC will be revealed some time in early 2025, with production due to commence later that year. +++
+++ RENAULT chief executive Luca de Meo has shared an unprecedented ‘letter to Europeans’ ahead of June elections for the European Parliament, pleading for politicians to turn away from rules that are hobbling the auto industry, and to concentrate instead on measures to support sustainable competition. In his letter, De Meo lists a number of “simultaneous challenges” facing Europe’s automotive industry, starting with the need to meet ‘net zero’ by 2035. “No other industry faces an ambition on this scale”, he says. Other challenges include the digital revolution, that de Meo predicts will mean software accounting for 40 percent of the value of a car by 2030, up from 20 percent today. The Renault boss also takes a big swipe at the 8 to 10 new European regulations introduced by parliamentarians every year. “Cars are required to be more sophisticated, more fuel-efficient, and less costly all at the same time. They need to comply with new standards and meet new environmental and social requirements involving an array of tests and inspections”, he says, claiming that EC rules have already had an effect that is totally counterproductive: “passenger cars are now 60 percent heavier on average. Since the 1990s, this policy has objectively favored premium models to the detriment of more mainstream models”. De Meo says that adapting to the EC’s regulatory constraints has cost many jobs in Europe as manufacturers have been forced to relocate production, and cites a report showing the last thirty years have seen 40 percent of automotive jobs lost in France, while vehicle prices have increased 50 percent. The outspoken CEO also points to a strategic imbalance in competition, comparing industry incentives in the US and strategic planning in China, with an ever-increasing framework of new regulations in the European Union. According to de Meo, while China dominates and the US stimulates, Europe’s focus is on environmental and other rules. “On average, between 8 and 10 new regulations will be introduced every year by the various European Commission directorates between now and 2030”, he says, claiming that auto businesses struggle to meet deadlines and must dedicate up to 25 per cent of R&D budgets to implementing new rules. “Building cars in Europe costs more”, he says. “A C-segment car made in China has a cost advantage of between €6.000 and €7.000 (around 25 percent of the total price) compared with an equivalent European model”. De Meo says China is handing out increasingly large subsidies to manufacturers thought to be anywhere up to €160 billion, while the US has injected $40 billion in tax credits to green manufacturing. Meanwhile, “compared with Europe, energy costs are twice as low in China and 3 times lower in the US. At the same time, wage costs are 40 percent higher than in China”, he claims. The Renault chief executive’s letter calls for a raft of responses from the next European Parliament, including the development of a Europe-wide automotive industrial strategy, and an end to the current system “with the continuous rollout of new standards, fixed deadlines and threat of fines for non-application”. He also calls for the European Parliament to adopt a principle of “technological and scientific neutrality”. “This means no longer dictating ‘technological’ choices to industry. It means setting goals for industry but not how to get there”, he says, saying this was the old approach that has been “sadly abandoned” in the race towards green goals. e-Fuels and Hydrogen are among the technologies de Meo wants to have the freedom to explore, but he’s also explicit about the need to promote small, affordable European cars. He wants Europe to encourage cooperative projects to develop and market small home-grown cars, and encourage consumers to buy them through bonuses such as reserved parking spaces, cheaper parking and reserved charge points. “If all the parking spaces in Paris were sized for small city cars, the space saved would be equivalent to 55 football stadiums in the same city”, he says. “They would also be an ideal alternative in the international arena: compact cars are between 20 and 30 percent cheaper than average; they could create a growth surplus for Europe (€500 million in GDP per year) and create over 10.000 jobs in industry. “Before the electoral campaign gets under way with its attendant arguments, I wanted to make my voice heard, not to get involved in policy but to contribute to a decision on the right policy”, the Renault boss writes. “From 6 to 9 June, EU citizens go to the polls to elect their parliament for the next 5 years. Straight after these elections, a new commission will take office in Brussels”, he continues, “and it is the elected members of the European parliament who will debate and approve the most important decisions for the years to come”. De Meo calls his proposals “ambitious but practical”. “They show that the European automotive industry could rapidly emerge as the solution to the challenges facing the continent”, he says. “We are ready to cooperate with all the institutions and stakeholders involved to take these ideas forward. The prosperity of Europe is at stake”. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN has only just unveiled hot GTX versions of its ID.3 and ID.7 Tourer, but it seems the blitz of new performance EVs isn’t over yet. On March 21st, Volkswagen will tear the covers off a highly potent version of the ID.Buzz. The reveal of the new ID.Buzz GTX will take place during the annual press conference for VW’s commercial vehicles division. The car’s front end will feature the same unique lighting signature as the new ID.3 GTX and ID.7 Tourer GTX. Also, it will sport a redesigned, slightly less friendly lower bumper. That won’t be the only design change VW will make, as the car will also receive some larger rims and GTX badging. The biggest changes will be under the metal. The ID.Buzz GTX will probably use the new 79 kWh battery from the ID.3 GTX hot hatch, but rather than being rear-wheel drive, it should benefit from the same 340 hp dual-motor setup with all-wheel drive you get in the other Volkswagen GTX offerings. All-wheel drive traction and extra oomph should make for a drastic increase in performance compared to the regular car, which takes over 10 seconds to do 0-100 kph. I expect the ID.Buzz GTX will also receive higher top speed than the 145 kph V-max of the standard model. The 408 km range, however, will take a hit due to the extra power and the weight of the additional electric motor on the front axle. As the GTX models are designed to be the range-topping variants in the all-electric VW line-up, the ID.Buzz GTX will probably receive all the equipment featured on the current top-spec models, plus some sporty touches for the interior like bucket seats and GTX-badged steering wheel. +++
