+++ Mercedes and BMW have taken a step forward in the realm of automotive technology, offering ‘Level 3’ autonomous systems to their customers. However, BENTLEY won’t offer a system of its own, as it says the technology is a step backwards in terms of safety. The British automaker’s soon-to-depart CEO, Adrian Hallmark, recently called Level 3 systems “dangerous”. Whereas Level 2 systems take over some of the controls while driving (steering and managing speed), they require the driver to stay focused on the road at all times. Level 3 systems allow drivers to take their attention off the road, so that they could read a book behind the wheel, for example. However, the systems require drivers to be ready to take over control of the vehicle at all times, which can be a problem. “We think Level 3 is dangerous from all the testing analysis that we have done because it relied too much on recovery of attention and intervention from the driver”, Hallmark said. As a result, Bentley will focus on ‘Level 2 Plus’ and ‘Level 2 Plus Plus’ systems. That will include remote parking assistance and something called “highway assist”, though Hallmark did not clarify what will make that better than a Level 2 system. Unfortunately, although Levels 1 through 5 are clearly defined, the meaning of the “pluses” appended to each number is up to automakers to define. For example, Tesla calls Autopilot a ‘Level 2’ system, and FSD a ‘Level 2 Plus’ system. While Hallmark calls Level 3 autonomous technology the “most risky phase of autonomous” development, that risk might not lie exclusively with road users. Mercedes, which offers Level 3 autonomous technology in the U.S., has said that it will accept legal liability for accidents that occur while the product is in operation. Liability is something that has been notably difficult to pin on automakers offering Level 2 systems. And recent reports on the technology have found it to be lacking. However, just because Hallmark believes that Level 3 systems are more dangerous than Level 2, this doesn’t mean that he thinks that progress should stop. He claims that “Level 4 is much safer”. Vehicles with these systems require no input from the driver in certain areas (such as a divided highway), but they retain a steering wheel and other human-oriented controls. Automakers have not yet managed to offer such a system to consumers, though. In part, that’s because there is no regulation to control them, unlike Level 3 autonomy, for which there are United Nations regulations. But automakers are still working towards these increasingly self-operated vehicles, and Bentley’s parent company, Volkswagen, has signed a deal with Mobileye to bring Level 4 autonomous vehicles on public roads by 2026. +++
+++ Last month, a report claimed BMW was planning to drop the Z4 as well as the 8-Series Coupe and Convertible. While nothing is official, it wouldn’t be particularly surprising as all 3 models sell in limited numbers. Those models might not be the only ones on the chopping block as the 4-Series is not expected to receive a new generation. This means there aren’t plans to develop a 4-Series based on the CLAR architecture. While the 4-Series as we know it might be dying, it’s not exactly game over. Far from it as we can expect an i4 Coupe and Convertible based on the Neue Klasse architecture. As a result the 4-Series would effectively live on, just with electric power. However, even that isn’t set in stone as they’re “already hearing about conversations in Munich regarding the prospect of offering a regular 4-Series in the future”. They suggest this model, if approved, could be 4 to 5 years away and would likely have a long enough lifecycle to justify its development. However, a petrol-powered M4 seems off the table for now. That would be a disappointing development, but BMW M hasn’t been shy about their electrification plans. With all that being said, it seems like the models aren’t going away anytime soon. The M4 and 4-Series will remain in production until June of 2028. The next-generation i4 is then slated to go into production in July. Of course, with everything so far down the road, it’s hard to be certain what the future holds. +++
+++ As one door closes, another one opens, the old saying goes. It’s a maxim Henrik FISKER will be telling himself right now to stay positive as his company circles the drain, but for some Ocean owners those doors are staying firmly shut, and the NHTSA has been forced to investigate. In the latest blow for the beleaguered startup, the NHTSA has announced that it will look into the effectiveness of the door latch system on the Ocean after the Office of Defects Investigation received 14 complaints of failure. Drivers reported that they couldn’t open either the front or rear doors, and some even claimed that the doors still wouldn’t open when the emergency backup mechanism was used. The door debacle brings the number of NHTSA open investigations involving Fisker to 3 cases. A safety probe into a loss of braking performance was opened in January of this year after drivers alleged that their Oceans would lose braking power on low-traction surfaces or bumpy ground. The fault leads to longer braking distances, and in one case is blamed for an Ocean crashing and causing injury to one of its occupants. That was followed in February by an investigation into unintended vehicle movement. This time users told regulators that their Oceans wouldn’t shift into Park or the intended gear, potentially resulting in the SUV rolling away. NHTSA files say one injury has been related to the defect. Will the Fisker brand even live long enough to see the outcome of these investigations? The situation is looking dire after talks between Fisker and a major automaker believed to be Nissan broke down. Fisker had been looking for investment cash, plus access to a U.S. production site and the opportunity to share future development costs, but for unknown reasons the big automaker backed out of the deal. Fisker also failed to secure $150 million of funding from other investors that it had provisionally announced while the talks with the automaker were still ongoing. It has been delisted from the New York stock exchange after its share price fell too low and recently appointed advisors to prepare for bankruptcy. But the sad tale has a silver lining for drivers willing to taker a gamble on an EV bargain. Fisker last week slashed prices of its unsold Ocean’s by up to 39 percent, dropping the cost of an entry-level model to just $25.000 in the United States. +++
+++ Fears surrounding Americans’ willingness to adopt electric vehicles came starkly into focus in 2023. After years of struggling with supply lines, automakers were finally able to produce EVs en masse, but they seemed to do little more than clog up dealer lots. However, the FORD MUSTANG MACH-E proves that consumers do want EVs, but pricing is a major issue. While the growing number of EVs on dealer lots remains a concern industry-wide, and the segment’s growth is expected to slow in 2024, Ford’s electric crossover has bucked the industry trend in recent months and its sales have skyrocketed. In February, Ford launched discounts of up to $8.100 on 2023 model year vehicles in order to clear them off lots. Soon after, weekly sales of the Mustang Mach-E more than tripled and, during the busiest, most recent weeks, they have increased 6-fold. “The effect on model movement has been dramatic and immediate”, Cloud Theory reports. “Weekly counts, which had been in the 300s, jumped meteorically to above 1.000 (and to more than 1.800 in the latest week)”. While it may not be surprising that consumers prefer cars when they cost less, it highlights a difficulty facing the EV segment. Over the course of the last year, consumer concerns around electric vehicles shifted away from range and are now focused on price. Some of the buyers who are the most open to buying an EV (18-to-34-year-olds) are being prevented from buying them due to high prices. However, automakers are having a hard time meeting consumer demands. Ford loses thousands of dollars on every it EV it sells before incentives. While it can lean on its internal combustion vehicles to offset those losses, the company’s CFO has said that its electric division will have to be profitable on its own for the business to work. “Across the board, there’s a need for, and a direction toward, a reduction in pricing at a time where that doesn’t make a lot of financial sense for the manufacturers”, Rick Wainschel, vice president of data and analytics at Cloud Theory, told. “I think Ford had to do what they did; they’re really in a bit of a bind to clear out those Mach-E’s. It was a necessary evil, in a way. But it worked”. Even with the price-cut, Wainschel warms that Mustang Mach-Es still spend longer on dealer showrooms than internal combustion vehicles. However, the improving performance does at least suggest that consumers want EVs if the price is right. +++
+++ Battery-electric vehicles on the roads of NORWAY could soon overtake petrol-powered vehicles but it may take 3 or 4 more years before they outnumber diesel vehicles. Norway remains a leader in battery-electric vehicle sales and since the start of this year, roughly 90 percent of all new vehicles sold in the country have been BEVs. The country is also on track to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2025, becoming the first nation to do so. While new BEV sales have easily out-paced those of petrol and diesel models in recent years in Norway, data from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration reveals there are approximately 776.003 petrol cars on the nation’s roads, 1.068.929 diesel vehicles, 339.724 hybrids and 700.358 BEVs. Think-tank Cicero senior researcher Robbie Andrew said BEVs will soon outnumber petrol cars. “If that trend is continued for the next 12 months and given that sales of pure-petrol cars are negligible now, this time next year there will be more BEVs on the road than pure-petrol cars, and probably before the end of this year”, He added it could take a few more years before BEVs eclipse diesel vehicles on Norwegian roads. BEVs may outnumber the total of petrol and diesel cars in the country as early as 2029. In January, BEVs accounted for 92.1% of all new cars sold in Norway. This figure slipped slightly in March to 89.3% due in part to rising interest rates and tax exemption cuts. In 2023, the government removed a value-added tax exemption on BEVs that cost more than 500.000 Norwegian crowns (€42.000), making them more expensive. Despite this change, tax exemptions on BEVs still cost the Norwegian government 43 billion crowns last year. +++
+++ The POLESTAR 7 has been confirmed as the next model under development by the Swedish automaker. CEO Thomas Ingenlath has named it as the future successor to the Polestar 2, although no specific debut date has been provided. While the number 7 is typically associated with larger vehicle segments, for Polestar, it has nothing to do with the model’s footprint. The Chinese-owned automaker follows a chronological naming strategy for all of its models since the debut of the Polestar 1 back in 2017. Ingenlath didn’t delve into specifics about the design of the new model, stating, “What type of car and how we will do it, we can discuss when it’s time”. However, he confirmed that it will be “comparably positioned” to the Polestar 2 within the future lineup. This suggests that it will likely retain its status as Polestar’s entry-level EV offering, positioning it as a rival to the Tesla Model 3. The CEO hinted that the Polestar 7 could be radically different from its predecessor: “As much as we might build a very similar car, because it has a different number we won’t have this natural trap where we’re boxed into that concept of what the car had been”. Using the Volkswagen Golf as an example, he said that having a long model line with double-digit generations is “very limiting in terms of innovative power”. As for the underpinnings, the Polestar 7 could potentially ride on a variation of Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), which is already shared among various models, including the Polestar 4. With advancements in technology expected by the time of its release, it may offer a blend of long-range capabilities and competitive performance credentials. The Polestar 2 was introduced in 2020 and received a mid-lifecycle update in 2023. It remains Polestar’s best-selling product with over 150.000 units sold in 26 markets. The end of its lifecycle is expected close to 2027, meaning that the debut of the Polestar 7 is at least 3 years away. The company is fresh out of a divorce with Volvo, resulting in a significant reduction of Volvo’s stake in Polestar to 18 percent, while Geely became the majority owner. Ingenlath downplayed reports of financial troubles, stating that Polestar has the ability to secure funding from alternative sources. A total of $1.3 billion is needed for Polestar to establish production of its upcoming EVs, with $950 million already sourced as a form of a 3-year loan. The CEO is confident they will “manage the last remaining bit” of $350 million. Ingenlath acknowledged that the recent decline in EV demand could potentially affect Polestar’s future. However, he emphasized that Polestar operates differently from companies like BYD and Tesla, which focus on high-volume production: “We aren’t BYD. We aren’t Tesla. We don’t have factories and volumes that go into the millions. We have a very clear premium, luxury target audience and a portfolio that is catered to that. We aren’t in the volume game of the mass market”. +++
+++ PORSCHE has enjoyed major success with its Cayenne for the past 20 years, but its days as the brand’s SUV flagship are numbered. Come 2027 it’ll be outranked by the all-electric K1, revealed for the very first time in these spy shots looking just like a German Ferrari Purosangue. Don’t worry, K1 is just the codename; both it and the heavy disguise panels seen on this early prototype will be swapped out in time for the production debut three years from now. The rear quarter window is misleading too, giving the posh SUV a more upright look than it will reveal later. But the basic body structure is the real deal and this car even appears to be wearing production lamps, rather than the placeholder light units we’d normally expect to see at this stage of development. A spy photo team says the K1 looks long, low and wide in the metal, with enough real estate between the front and rear axles to make space for a small third row of seats we know will be stashed in there. Unlike the new Macan EV, which features a fashionable split headlight setup, the K1’s LED lights are all housed together allowing for an almost entirely smooth front fascia. The lower bumper has vertical vanes, a bit like the ones seen on the facelifted 911 that will be revealed later this year, though there’s no central grille intake because the K1, like the Taycan, runs only on electricity. But while the Taycan rides on Volkswagen’s J1 platform, the K1 (hmm, coincidence?) will debut a brand new SSP Sport architecture, which is an enhanced version of the main SSP platform that will be used by lesser VW Group brands. Porsche confirmed the existence of the K1 project last year, showing a teaser picture of an SUV under a cover, though it didn’t go into details about motor setups or power levels. However, given that the latest Taycan Turbo GT generates up to 1.108 hp, we can surely expect the most expensive versions of the K1 to come with 4-figure horsepower ratings. It will battle the Range Rover EV and maybe even steal a few sales from Ferrari’s first ever electric vehicle. +++
+++ The TESLA Cybertruck might get all of the press but the Model 3 might be about to steal some thunder. If sightings are to be believed, Tesla is about to host a somewhat surprise unveiling of the Model 3 Ludicrous (M3L for short). Here’s what I know about that event and the performance sedan that’ll come from it. The Model 3 Ludicrous has been somewhat of an open secret for some time. For the most part, everything we’ve learned has come from sightings and code breakdowns. Today’s news is much the same, but there’s at least one big difference: several cars have shown up at the same location, including what appears to be the personal Cybertruck of Franz Von Holzhausen, the lead designer at Tesla. Tesla could pull the wraps off of this new performance version of the Model 3 at any time. When it does happen, we expect Tesla to stick with its dual-motor setup for the sedan. At the same time, it’s likely that it’ll make somewhere north of 600 hp. That idea comes from the fact that leaks appear to show the M3L will get the same 4D2 rear motor as the Model S. If true, it could make a total of 625 hp. That’s significantly more than even the top version of the BMW M3 which makes 550 hp. Granted, the Tesla will weigh more but it should make for an interesting comparison if the leaks are right. What seems all but confirmed is that the Model 3 Ludicrous will get unique bucket seats, various driving modes, adaptive suspension, unique wheels, and of course, a Ludicrous badge at the back. +++
+++ When Chinese smartphone manufacturer XIAOMI launched its first vehicle, the all-electric SU7, about a week ago, it sparked massive interest from local buyers. The sedan promises to offer technology and performance rivaling the best from Tesla and Porsche, all at a fraction of the price. The days following the launch, however, have been far from smooth, with extended wait times for deliveries, accusations of failing to honor a money-back guarantee and reports of several crashes tarnishing the otherwise popular debut of the EV. Despite a starting price of around €40.000 at current exchange rates, the base model SU7 offers more than 700 km of range and 299 hp. That led the company to receive 50.000 orders within 27 minutes of the launch, and 88.898 orders within 24 hours. That’s certainly an impressive feat, but the volume of orders is leading to some issues. Consumers will have to wait a long time to get their car. Those who ordered an SU7 Pro (which gets up to 830 km of range on the CLTC cycle) will have to wait 18 to 21 weeks (around 4 to 5 months) to get their vehicles. Worse still, those who ordered the top of the range SU7 Max, which promises to deliver 800 km of range and 673 hp, will have to wait as long as 30 weeks, or 7 to 8 months, to actually receive their vehicle. For buyers who were turned off by the wait times, there could also be problems. Singtao reports that consumers who want to cancel their order are complaining that they are unable to get their deposits back. Xiaomi promised that customers’ 5.000 yuan deposit could be refunded within 7 days of a customer placing their order. However, some of the 469 customers who requested a refund say the policy is not being honored. Xiaomi seems to be suggesting that this could be down to user error. The company clarified that customers could lock their orders in before the 7 days had elapsed, which makes the order non-refundable. The company has now made it more difficult to lock in an order on its website, in an attempt to make it harder to do it accidentally. The final difficulty that Xiaomi has had to deal with since launching the SU7 is the people driving it. Photos and videos of drivers losing control of demonstrator vehicles have started emerging on Chinese social media. With the most powerful version of the car offering drivers 673 hp and instant electric torque, it perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise that some of the people who are test-driving it are surprised by its get-up-and-go. Some have questioned whether the speed with which evidence of the car crashing has emerged is a sign that its traction control system is underdeveloped. However, the plethora of Ford Mustang crash videos on the internet prove that new automakers aren’t the only ones who struggle with a reputation for crashing. +++