+++ A promotional video for a new BMW concept car, called the Skytop, has been leaked online ahead of its official unveiling. A svelte Targa-style coupé, it appears to preview an eventual replacement for the 8-series. It retains that car’s long wheelbase and swooping silhouette but introduces several new design cues, with more clearly defined body lines and slim led lights.
Up front, it reintroduces BMW’s traditional shark nose, converging around a new, more angular interpretation of the kidney grille. It is steeply raked, with an aggressive-looking lower-bumper area. The rear end appears to take inspiration from the Z8, with softer lines and a pair of thin LED brake lights. A pair of bold exhaust tailpipes indicates BMW’s intent to continue building combustion-engined cars. These are situated below a pair of red reflectors, mirroring the arrangement of the Z8’s rear fascia. It is possible that the Skytop hints at a more luxurious take on BMW’s range-topper, given its distinctive Aerodisc-style wheels and swish leather-lined interior. Crystals feature prominently and are embedded into the bucket seats’ headrests, on the gear selector, and on the rotary iDrive controller. Several details of the concept suggest it is not far from being a viable production car, such as the towing eye cover on the front bumper and the presence of a reversing camera. +++
+++ Everyone is currently talking about the slump in demand for ELECTRIC CARS . With all the problems, from the charging infrastructure to the lack of electricity and battery recycling, many people have always suspected that electric cars would never materialise. However, according to a study by Dataforce, the dip in demand should soon be over. Demand for electric cars is still expected to stagnate in 2024, but market researchers are already forecasting rising market shares for 2025 in their EU Passenger Car Report 2024. Last year, 16 percent of new vehicles sold in Europe were purely electric cars (BEVs), according to the data. According to the infographic from Dataforce, a slightly declining share of BEVs is expected for 2024. However, the figure is expected to rise to 23 per cent as early as 2025, then to 33 percent 2 years later and to 48 percent in 2029. According to the analysis, more BEVs will then be sold than combustion engines. This is because the combustion engine is expected to steadily lose market share: from an impressive 64 percent last year to 55 percent next year and then further down to 34 percent in 2029. As a reminder: from 2035, the European Union only wants to allow zero-emission cars. For hybrids and plug-in hybrids, Dataforce sees a minimal increase from 18 to 19 percent, but then a slight decrease to 16 percent towards the end of the decade. The reason given for the forecast is that the cut in electric car subsidies will cause demand for BEVs to fall in the first few months of 2024. However, stricter EU requirements for CO2 fleet emissions will force a recovery by 2025 at the latest. These limits were still 116 g/km in 2020, but will fall to 94 g/km in 2025, to 50 g/km in 2030 and to 0 g/km in 2035. The research team also argues that technical progress, economies of scale and new competitors (presumably from China) will lead to price reductions for electric cars. Range and charging characteristics are also expected to improve significantly according to the study. In addition, CO2 taxes would make fossil fuels increasingly expensive. In the short term, however, the future prospects for electromobility are bleak. For example, the industry association VDA is forecasting a 17 percent slump in BEV sales in Germany in 2024 compared to the previous year. In February, the VDA forecast sales of 451.000 BEVs for 2024 as a whole. Some German analysts are even more pessimistic, predicting only 350.000 new BEVs. That would be a third less than in 2023, when 524.000 electric cars were sold. From January to April, 111.005 BEVs were sold in Germany; the BEV market share was 11.8 percent. For the year as a whole, the forecast is just under 13 percent. But the Dataforce market researchers’ argument does make sense. The EU limits are forcing car manufacturers to lower CO2 fleet emissions. If the consumption of combustion engines does not fall dramatically or PHEV sales increase (for which the official emissions are unrealistically low), manufacturers will have to sell more electric cars through improved products and/or price reductions. Of course, all this only applies if the EU does not row back on the CO2 targets. +++
+++ Ok, here we go again. The N Vision 74 refuses to die. Multiple reports suggest HYUNDAI plans to put its modern take on the DeLorean into production, and the gossip keeps piling up. South Korean media say the hydrogen supercar is happening. For real this time. It’s supposedly coming out in 2026, four years after the concept car debuted. The Hyundai flagship sports car is apparently known internally as the N74 and is being developed with a rear-wheel-drive layout. The street-legal model is said to be a 2-door coupe with gullwing doors and design cues from the 1974 Pony; the brand’s very first car. While the concept had to make do with ‘just’ 671 horsepower, the subsequent production model will allegedly pack at least 765 horsepower. The N74 will be able to hit 100 kph in 3 seconds flat. The N74 will reportedly go after the Nurburgring record for production cars, which won’t be easy considering the Mercedes-AMG One did a lap of the Green Hell in only 6 minutes and 35.183 seconds. The report goes on to mention that Hyundai’s dedicated supercar will do two laps of the Nordschleife at full tilt before running out of juice. Hyundai will reportedly limit production to only 200 units and build these cars from 2026 until 2028. Prototype testing is apparently slated to start as early as this August. The N74 is said to cost an estimated 500 million won, which works out to about €340.000 at current exchange rates. The idea behind the car is not necessarily to make a profit but to prove hydrogen can be an exciting technology. It remains to be seen how many people will be willing to fork out this kind of money for a Hyundai. With the Ioniq 5 N, the company has already proven battery-powered EVs can be exciting. The firm now wants to replicate that with a hydrogen fuel cell performance vehicle. As always, I take the information with the proverbial pinch of salt. An N74 would be an interesting alternative to the current crop of ICE, plug-in hybrid, and EV supercars. Not just because of its unusual powertrain but also thanks to its excellent design. +++
+++ The all-new, all-electric JEEP WAGONEER S will be unveiled on 30 May. However, the brand has decided to build anticipation for the flagship SUV’s world debut by sharing some photo’s of the car completely undisguised, practically revealing the design in full, as well as some key performance figures.
To be fair, not much was left to the imagination about the Wagoneer S even before this point. Images of the imposing yet sleek-looking electric car were accidentally shared by Jeep’s parent company Stellantis on social media earlier this year, and we got a look inside at the interior shortly after. But what did we learn from these new photo’s? For starters, the Jeep Wagoneer S is capable of 0-100 kph in 3.6 seconds; one tenth of a second quicker than earlier estimates and the Hellcat V8-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, which was the brand’s quickest model, until now. The Wagoneer S is that quick because it produces 600 hp and 837 Nm of torque, and comes with 4-wheeldrive. Jeep says it also offers a range of more than 480 km, though an exact figure has yet to be announced, and it’s the same with the battery size; at least some things are still under wraps. The Jeep Wagoneer S will be the first car sold in Europe to use Stellantis’s new STLA Large platform, which serves as the underpinnings for the new Dodge Charger unveiled in March. The same architecture is also going to be used by brands like Alfa Romeo and Maserati for their future EVs. The design of the Wagoneer S hasn’t changed all that much since we saw the concept in 2022. The signature 7-slot grille is narrower than on other Jeeps, but stretches across the front of the car and is illuminated by LEDs, while a light bar sits above it. The squared-off wheel arches help to make the Wagoneer S look suitably tough, and at the rear there’s a massive floating roof spoiler, plus a full-width light bar, as you’d expect. Inside, there are 4 screens on the dashboard: a digital driver’s display, a central touchscreen, a separate screen for the climate controls and one just for the front passenger. To put it another way, there’s 45 inches of displays up front in the Wagoneer S, not counting the head-up display which will be offered as well. Meanwhile the centre console features the ‘Selec-Terrain’ drive mode toggle, with a choice of Sport, Eco, Snow, Sand and Auto modes available. A dual-pane openable sunroof is standard, and a 19-speaker McIntosh sound system will be available, much like with the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe. The Wagoneer S is due to go on sale in North America later this year, however it won’t be landing on our side of the pond until some time in 2025. +++
+++ KIA unveiled the all-new EV3, the smallest member of its fully electric lineup that will be offered in global markets. The sub-compact SUV promises a driving range of up to 600 km and quick charging capabilities. The production-spec Kia EV3 looks very similar to the previewing concept from last year, adopting styling cues originally introduced by the EV9 flagship. Toned-down features include the revised led graphics on the lighting units, the slightly tweaked bumpers, the conventional mirrors and the thicker pillars. The EV3 measures 4.300 mm long, 1.850 mm wide and 1.560 mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2.680 mm. Compared to other Kia products, the EV3 is 105 mm longer than the e-Soul and 120 mm shorter than the e-Niro. This footprint places it in the heart of Europe’s B-SUV (subcompact) segment, against the likes of the Peugeot e-2008. The Kia EV3 rides on the widely used E-GMP architecture, and is available with a single electric motor and 2 battery options. The standard model has a battery capacity of 58.3 kWh, while the Long Range variant upgrades to a larger 81.4 kWh unit. The latter is responsible for an estimated WLTP range figure of 600 km, which is far more than what you get from similarly-sized EV rivals. The single electric motor produces 204 hp and 283 Nm of torque. According to Kia, the EV3 accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 7.5 seconds and has a top speed of 170 km/h. +++
+++ InfluenceMap, a company specialising in analysing the environmental impact of companies, has just published a report in which it ranks the MOST POLLUTING CAR MANUFACTURERS . The research is based on an analysis of current data, as well as industrial plans and initiatives that should be put in place in the near future to reduce CO2 emissions. The last place in the ranking goes to Toyota. The Japanese manufacturer obtained the worst score for climate lobbying and the third worst score for its plan to produce electric cars by 2030. The lobbying score is awarded according to precise criteria. InfluenceMap assesses how active a carmaker is in directly promoting environmental initiatives and how many associations it belongs to in the fight against climate change. For this parameter, InfluenceMap awards a grade from A to D, and Toyota was ranked precisely with a D. But it is not the only manufacturer to be considered inactive in this respect. Most manufacturers did no better, and even Tesla, which unlike Toyota came out on top, received a poor grade because of the few green initiatives it is putting in place. In terms of production plans, InfluenceMap rated the strategies of only 3 of the 15 automotive groups analysed as satisfactory. The analysis was based on the effectiveness of the various plans in achieving the targets set by the International Energy Agency, which wants at least 66% of sales to be electric cars by 2030. Current forecasts, given the pace of growth, do not go beyond a more moderate 53%. In this respect, the lowest-rated brands are Honda and Suzuki, which rank behind Toyota. Tesla, which is the only manufacturer among those analysed to have 100% electric sales in 2030, has benefited from an all-battery range to take the top spot. The ranking : Tesla, Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen,
Mercedes, Nissan, BMW, Hyundai-Kia, Honda, Renault, Stellantis, Tata Motors, Suzuki, Mazda and Toyota. +++
+++ Rather than showcasing autonomous driving technologies or a futuristic design language, RENAULT ’s new ‘U1st Vision’ concept has a much higher purpose: showing how vehicles like this, featuring ‘pop-up’ modules, can bring vital services like healthcare to people, wherever they are. Technically, the U1st Vision (‘you first vision’) was created by the Software République: a collaboration between 7 companies, including the Renault Group, working together on an “open innovation ecosystem dedicated to intelligent, secure, and sustainable mobility”. A total of 22 companies contributed to U1st Vision, which is not meant to be a replacement for ambulances, before you pipe up. Instead, it’s designed to provide preventive care, such as diagnosis and monitoring of illnesses, in a one-stop mobile service, thereby providing a solution to the issue of ‘medical deserts’. Software République believes that, fully equipped with a wealth of interconnected medical devices, the “health pop-up” module could take care of up to 85 per cent of regular medical tests. This would help alleviate pressure on hospitals and other clinics, while also reducing traffic and CO2 emissions. This is just one of many potential applications for the U1st though, as the fully modular setup could be adapted for other services depending on the needs of a specific community, and easily scalable to meet high demand, too. Serving as the underpinnings for the U1st Vision is an EV-dedicated skateboard platform, designed specifically for light commercial vehicles. It’s currently being developed by Flexis – a separate company also created by the Renault Group, plus truck manufacturer Volvo and shipping and logistics company, CMA CGM. The U1st Vision concept will be on display at the VivaTech conference in Paris from 22 to 25 May. While Software République hasn’t said whether we’ll see something like the U1st Vision actually on the road in the future, Flexis will launch its family of ‘revolutionary’ next-generation electric vans in 2026. +++
