+++ BENTLEY will unveil the most powerful car in its 105-year history on Tuesday, 7 May. It will be the third model from the brand’s reinvigorated Mulliner coachbuilding division, after the Bacaclar and Batur. Only 16 examples will be built. Bentley said the new car will receive its “most potent” W12 engine to date, pushing it past the 740 hp and 1.000 Nm of its outing in the Batur. The marque added that this will be one of the final appearances of the W12, which has featured in its cars since the Continental GT arrived in 2003. More than 105.000 examples of the powerplant have been built since then, making it the most abundant 12-cylinder engine of the modern era. Discounting the bespoke Mulliner cars, all future Bentleys are set to be electrified. The firm will start by using plug-in-hybrid powertrains with V8s, before launching its first battery-electric car in 2026. Bentley has yet to confirm further details about the new Mulliner model, but a preview image released by the firm suggests the car will further progress the new design language introduced with the Batur. It features a similar rear lighting set-up but gains a sloping ducktail spoiler, suggesting the car may have a more sporting character than its predecessor. Mulliner has been instrumental in Bentley’s recent success. As well as limited-run supercars, it also offers extended customizing for the Bentayga, Continental and Flying Spur. More than half of the brand’s order book in 2023 comprised Mulliner-fettled cars, which contributed to Bentley’s second-best financial performance to date. +++
+++ BYD has revealed an outlandish hot hatch concept at the Beijing motor show, previewing an electric family car that it will launch later this year. It’s called the Ocean-M, and while the production version will no doubt be available without the touring car-style body kit, low-profile tires and big brake discs, the concept gives a good idea of what to expect. Beneath the aero addenda lies a circa 4,3 meter long hatchback with an aggressive front end, distinctive LED lighting, electronic pop-out door handles and swollen arches. In shape and size, it is clearly envisioned as a rival for the MG 4, the Volkswagen ID.3, the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric and the Smart #1. Technical details aren’t forthcoming, but BYD said the Ocean-M rides on a new EV platform with a motor mounted at the rear, taking its power from a new generation of cell-to-body batteries; no doubt using BYD’s trademark Blade composition. The platform is thought to be an evolution of the e-Platform 3.0 that underpins the Atto 3, Seal and Seal U, likely dubbed 4.0. Despite talking up its “performance genes” and referring to the hatchback as a “pure-electric steel cannon”, BYD has given no indication of the Ocean-M’s power output. The most powerful rear-driven EV the Chinese brand currently sells is the 313 hp single-motor version of the Seal. If that motor is carried over into the Ocean-M, it would line it up neatly to contend with the new Volkswagen ID 3 GTX and Cupra Born VZ. No doubt the Ocean-M will also be available in more efficient, less performance-focused trims, with the Atto 3’s 204 hp motor likely to be deployed. The Ocean-M is expected to be the eigth car that BYD launches in Europe, following the Atto 3, Dolphin, Seal, Seal-U, Han, Tang and upcoming Sea Lion crossover. BYD has confirmed plans to put the Ocean-M on sale in China. The European price is expected to start at 55.000 euro. +++
+++ The National Highway and Trafic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into FORD ’s BlueCruise hands-free driver assist system in the wake of two fatal crashes. The agency noted a few commonalities between the crashes. They both have involved the Mustang Mach-E with BlueCruise active, and they both occurred at night with the Fords colliding with stationary vehicles in the lane they were traveling in. Only one of the reports shows up in NHTSA’s table of incidents, at least at the moment. That crash took place in San Antonio, Texas, on a 3-lane highway with a 110 kph speed limit. The Mach-E rear-ended a car that was stationary in the middle lane with the lights off. The driver of the car that was rear-ended died from the crash. It is worth noting that BlueCruise is a hands-free driving assist that requires the driver to still be attentive and ready to take over if needed, just like systems from GM and others. Furthermore, there is no recall or advisory in effect for Ford vehicles equipped with any level of BlueCruise as of yet, as the investigation was only opened last week. So owners don’t need to do anything or avoid using BlueCruise at the moment. This is also as good a time as any, though, to remind users of all hands-free driver assist systems from all manufacturers that you still have to pay attention and be ready in case of emergency. The same goes for less advanced driver assist systems such as adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane-keeping functions. +++
+++ Mike Johnstone, LOTUS ’s chief commercial officer and the brand’s most senior executive in Europe, is leaving the company. Johnstone is officially still the firm’s commercial boss, responsible for all products and reporting directly to China-based CEO Qingfeng Feng, and is simply on a leave of absence from the business, but his departure will be announced in due course. He is understood to have made the decision himself, and is said to be planning to remain in the automotive industry in some capacity, having identified unspecified opportunities already. Johnstone’s departure follows the publication of Lotus Technology’s first results as a listed company on 8 April. These revealed a loss of close to €700 million in 2023, and showed that the firm is barely 5% on the way to its sales goal of 150.000 units in just 4 years’ time. The firm’s share price has halved since the IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in late February. Feng is rarely seen or heard in public, and Johnstone has been positioned as the main face of the brand since his appointment. Johnstone joined Lotus from Geely-owned sibling brand Volvo a year and a half ago and has overseen a significant restructure of Lotus’s operations and footprint. Lotus Technology is soon to open a new headquarters in London and Hethel-based Lotus Cars has been repositioned as a factory supplying the sports cars into Lotus Technology rather than as the base of the brand. The Eletre and Emeya are electric cars built in China, where the bulk of the firm’s production will take place. +++
+++ The NEVS EMILY GT , a 1.000 km electric saloon developed by former Saab engineers in Sweden, could enter production within the next few years. The project was rescued from a financially enforced ‘hibernation’ last December by Canadian start-up EV Electra, and its CEO has now claimed to have bought a factory in Italy. CEO Jihad Mohammad said: “Yes, we did make an offer to buy an automotive factory in Italy and finally it was approved yesterday (not the Maserati factory), and in this new venue we will build electric cars that will make everyone shocked. We have more than a few models now, after multiple acquisitions that happened in the last 2 months, and one more is happening this week that will allow us to be on top of our game. “I promised my team not to give more details, since our investors need to know before everyone else. Then an official press release will clear all the questions”. It is still uncertain whether these ‘shocking’ EV Electra production cars will be Emily GTs (of which EV Electra has previewed 4 variants: a saloon, shooting brake, coupé and cabriolet), or its own models. In a separate post today featuring a rendering of the Nostrum supercar (previously known as the Quds), Mohammad wrote: “Next week, we start choosing our dealers that we will work with everywhere so we can announce them in May, and they will start having show cars in June. Delivery to customers as promised will start in August 2024 for 2025 models”. It appears that Mohammad’s previously stated desire to produce cars at Saab’s old home in Trollhättan will not happen, having failed to agree a deal with the factory’s new owner, Swedish investment company Stenhaga Invest. At one point, the EV Electra CEO had even suggested that a new factory could be built alongside the old one. He has also hinted that EV Electra is investigating business of some kind in China. +++
+++ SMART has begun design work on a new version of the Fortwo city car, with design chief Gorden Wagener saying it is “crucial” to the brand’s image. During that interview with Wagener, the brand confirmed that development of a new Fortwo has begun under the codename Project Two and indicated that the #2 name had been reserved for the production car. “It is a crucial part of the brand”, said Wagener, amid the expansion of Smart’s SUV line-up with the new #5. Engineers at Smart (a 50:50 Mercedes-Benz and Geely joint venture) are currently working on finding or creating a suitable platform for the #2. Recent reports suggest that Geely is actively seeking to collaborate with other firms to justify the business case for a revived Fortwo. Smart CEO Dirk Adelmann was quoted as saying: “2 months ago, we began working on a new, dedicated platform to underpin a future Smart 2-seat city car, but we need partners to make its business case feasible”. Mercedes design boss Wagener stressed the challenge of building the car profitably, telling: “It is not good for the business model. This is why it was discontinued after 3 generations, but it was always in the hearts of Smart fans”. Notably, the previous-generation Fortwo (and the larger Forfour), axed in 2023, shared its platform with the outgoing Renault Twingo. Wagener added that the #2 would remain a similar proposition to its predecessors in terms of styling. “The stronger the brand is, the more you can play with it”, he said. “At Smart, we have that freedom”. He also hinted that the brand’s remit could expand far beyond city cars and SUVs, saying: “We’ve got this new SUV, so what else is left? A sports car, a two-seater, a limousine? We will have to see”. +++
+++ The new VOLKSWAGEN CALIFORNIA campervan will be officially revealed on 7 May, boasting extensive upgrades that will see the model into its 7th generation. We saw the Volkswagen Multivan-based California concept in August last year, which Volkswagen said previewed the “future of the camper van” in near-production form with significant changes. Set to move over to VW’s car-derived MQB architecture, the new California will also gain a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time. On the concept, the van’s powertrain combined a 150 hp 1.4-litre petrol engine with a 115 hp electric motor for a combined 218 hp. It draws EV power from a 13 kWh battery which should give an engine-off range of around 40 km. One of the big updates to the Ford Transit Custom Nugget rival is a second sliding door, which resolves a key grievance for current California owners in right-hand-drive markets because the outgoing T6.1 model only opens on the right-hand side, which can complicate kerbside drop-offs. Having the pair of sliding doors also allows for the kitchen (with larger worktops, a hob, a cool box and a sink) to be accessed from outside the vehicle for the first time. This gives owners “the feeling of more living space”, the brand says. Built-in extendable awnings give a further increase to this living area. The concept brings with it modern touches including colour-adjustable LEDs that light up the cupboards and the awning arms to “bathe the vehicle’s terrace” in light. A removable camping light is also fitted. There’s even a built-in shower that attaches to the boot’s open hatch. But the key feature (one that the brand says makes the concept “the ideal camper van for the modern age”) is a new removable tablet device. This controls “all of the features relevant for camping”, such as raising the pop-up roof and providing information on the fresh and waste water levels, the interior lighting functions, power supply status, refrigerator and auxiliary. It can even be used to watch movies and television. The California Concept also benefits from its Multivan sibling’s flexibility. This includes the ability to vary the interior layout with easy-to-move lightweight chairs (the T6.1’s rear bench has been replaced by three individual seats) and tables, and there’s a fold-out double bed. Like its predecessor, the California Concept gets rotating front seats and the traditional pop-out rooftop sleeping area, with space for another two to sleep. The Multivan’s platform means the standard California is the biggest it’s ever been, growing in overall length by 412 mm to 5.304 mm and in width by 40 mm to 1.941 mm. That extra size offers more living space, comfort, safety and flexibility, its maker says. It is expected to be called the Multivan California, given how closely related the pair will be. The increased size also opens up new storage possibilities. Much of this is because the Multivan uses an electronic parking brake instead of a manual handbrake, leaving space for drawers and a removable dry-composting toilet in the space left behind. Production of the next-generation California will begin at Volkswagen’s Hanover plant in Germany next year, the firm confirmed in a statement. When it arrives, prices are expected to open at a significant premium over the T6.1. As for the long-awaited all-electric California based on the Volkswagen ID.Buzz, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles CEO Carsten Intra confirmed in March that this will arrive in 2025. Speaking at the company’s annual press conference, he said: “We want to expand the range around the business with our camper models and offer what people really like in our products, what we call the ‘California feeling’. It includes digital services for the California community, new services to complement the purchase of a vehicle and the presentation of a new California vehicle based on the Volkswagen Multivan. This is what we are planning for later this year”. +++
