+++ It’s no secret that the growth of the ELECTRIC VEHICLE sector cooled through the first few months of the year, but according to market research firm Rho Motion, they have rebounded strongly, and alongside PHEVs, sales jumped by 21% in July compared to the same month a year prior. The data reveals that 1.4 million EVs and PHEVs were sold around the world last month. Of these, roughly 880.000 were sold in China, which was a significant 31% jump year-on-year. Demand for PHEVs skyrocketed across China in July, soaring by 70% from last year. It’s not just in China where sales have increased. Sales of EVs grew by 7.1% in July across the United States and Canada. Things weren’t so pretty in Europe, where sales fell 7.8% in July. The drop-off has been particularly significant in Germany, down 12% across the January-July period. “The EV market has definitely been a mixed bag so far this year”, Rho Motion data manager Charles Lester said. “Globally sales have been strong and are continuing to flourish in China and North America, and fledgling EV markets. However, EU’s sales are stalling, especially in Germany and EU tariffs on Chinese EVs are likely to impact this even further. Despite the region’s woes, France and the UK are weathering the storm and have grown their domestic markets. We would expect to see these trends play out over the rest of the year unless drastic measures are put into place”. One of the biggest beneficiaries of a rebound in demand for EVs and PHEVs was BYD. It reported a sales increase of 13% for its battery-electric vehicles and 44% for its PHEVs. “BYD continued to have record sales of plug-in hybrids again this month, which is a key contributor as they have a large volume of vehicles that they sell”. Lester noted. Rho Motion added that vehicles with range-extender powertrains are also selling in strong numbers, although it didn’t specify just how many were sold. +++
+++ Texas filed a lawsuit Tuesday against GENERAL MOTORS over years of alleged abuse of customers’ data and trust. New car owners were presented with a “confusing and highly misleading” process that was implied to be for their safety, but “was no more than a deceptively designed sales flow” that surrendered their data for GM to sell. The suit contends that at no point was selling driving data ever even suggested as a possibility, putting GM in violation of the state’s consumer protection laws. Texas attorney general Ken Paxton is seeking a jury trial and at least $10,000 per offense (every GM car sold in the state since 2015) and a hefty add-on of $250,000 in cases where the victim was over 65. Texas seems to be flying high after a recent $1.4 billion settlement from Meta over other privacy concerns. This may well be a way to solve any pending budgetary issues in the Lone Star State. +++
+++ The debut of the LAMBORGHINI Temerario is getting closer and closer. The anticipation for the successor to the Huracan, which will be unveiled on 16 August in the glamorous setting of Monterey Car Week in California, is obviously very high among all enthusiasts. We already know several things about the new Lambo, especially the engine. About its lines, however, there is more doubt, although Lamborghini designer Mitja Borkert gives us an idea in a new teaser. The ‘father’ of the Temerario has drawn the silhouette of his new creature. The lines are those to which Lamborghini has accustomed us in recent years, namely taut but balanced at the same time, with the unmistakable mid-engined configuration. The Temerario should also be distinguished by the various hexagonal elements on the bodywork, as well as the distinctive shape of the front and rear headlights. Although there are no images of the interior yet, it is plausible to expect a design in line with that of the Revuelto, with fully digital instrumentation, a central infotainment display and an adequate number of physical controls to ensure that the driver’s attention remains on the road at all times. Goodbye V10, welcome V8. Powering the Temerario will be a new twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, which Lamborghini has already presented in all its details. The combustion engine will be flanked by three electric motors, for a total of 900 PS and 730 Nm of torque. The drive will be all-wheel drive, managed by an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and will offer the possibility of driving in fully electric mode. In essence, the plug-in hybrid operation will be similar to that of the Revuelto, with the electronics prioritising the driving experience and sportiness, and the focus on overall efficiency taking a back seat. +++
+++ Swedish electric-vehicle maker POLESTAR moved one step further in avoiding major tariffs imposed on Chinese-made cars on Wednesday when the automaker began production of its ‘3’ in the United States. Steep tariffs recently imposed by U.S. and Europe on cars made in China have prompted many automakers to speed up plans to move parts of their production to other countries. Polestar, majority owned by China’s Geely, has been manufacturing its vehicles in China and exporting to overseas markets. The Polestar 3, made in Volvo’s U.S. plant in South Carolina, will be sold to customers in the U.S. and Europe. “If you look at the bulk of volume that we will produce of Polestar 3, of course, the majority of that volume will be here coming out of the South Carolina factory”, chief executive Thomas Ingenlath told. Production at the plant was expected to reach full volume in two months, he said, but declined to disclose Polestar’s capacity at the facility. Deliveries to U.S. customers from the plant will begin next month followed by deliveries to Europe, Ingenlath added. Polestar sold 3.555 units of its ‘2’ in the U.S. during the first half of the year. The company also plans to build its ‘4’ (a SUV-coupe) at a South Korean plant of Renault Korea, part owned by Geely, in the second half of 2024 for Europe and the U.S. Until then, deliveries of the 4 in the U.S, expected to start later this year from China, will attract tariffs. The U.S. and South Korea production have been part of Polestar’s plan for some time to spread out where it makes its cars. Production in Europe has also been part of its ambition. Ingenlath said that the company hope to partner with an automaker to produce its cars in the region in the next three to five years, similar to its existing partnership with Volvo and Renault. The transition to U.S. production comes as high interest rates to tackle inflation have soured consumer appetite for EVs, prompting companies, including market leader Tesla, to slash prices and leading to job cuts and delayed production plans. Going ahead, Polestar, which cut jobs earlier this year, will focus on reducing the cost of materials and logistics, and increase efficiency to reign in costs in order to push cash flow to break even in 2025, Ingenlath said. +++
+++ ‘Rebellious’ and ‘Radical’. That is how RIMAC defines the next model to be unveiled at Monterey Car Week. We still don’t know whether it will be an extreme version of the Nevera or a brand new hypercar, but we certainly won’t have long to wait to find out. In addition to a new teaser, a strange countdown has started on the Croatian manufacturer’s website. The teaser photo shown on Rimac’s social profiles is certainly interesting, as it shows a part of the front area of the car. The profile of the nose appears to be similar to that of the Nevera, although the shape of the splitter and the protruding green aerodynamic element seem to be completely new compared to the ‘production’ hypercar. In the text accompanying the post, the words ‘Radical’ have a capital ‘r’, meaning that the name of this particular version (or the model name itself) could be just that. But what exactly is it? Hard to say, although a track variant will probably not be presented. After the launch of the Time Attack in summer 2023, in fact, the birth of an even more extreme car seems unlikely. Further thickening the mystery is the countdown on Rimac’s official website. Here there is no real countdown, but a sort of countdown of the pixels missing until the model’s unveiling. As the hours go by, then, the car could be taking more and more shape, with the official unveiling possibly taking place very soon indeed. Certainly, it will not be easy for the Croatian manufacturer to improve on the formula of the Nevera, the electric hypercar with four motors and 1.914 hp. Never say never, however, in the extravagant world of battery-powered super sports cars. +++
+++ SUBARU will bring 2 new electric cars to Europe by 2026 as it seeks to build on the early success of the Solterra in pursuit of a bigger slice of the European car market. The expansion of the Japanese firm’s line-up is part of an €9 billion electrification investment package, which will result in 7 new EVs being introduced worldwide; 3 of which will be SUVs developed with technical partner and 20% stakeholder Toyota, as was the BZ4X-based Solterra. In keeping with the current Subaru line-up (the Crosstrek, Forester, Solterra and Outback), all future additions are expected to be practicality-focused high-rise hatchbacks, most likely with 4-wheel drive, as that has been identified as a particular point of appeal for the brand’s core demographic. The arrival of Subaru’s new EVs, plus a new generation Forester later this year, will kick-start a “period of growth” after many years of modest sales volumes. Subaru forecasts its global sales to nudge 1 million in 2024. Subaru’s image has drastically evolved over the past 20 years. +++
+++ The production version of the VOLKSWAGEN ID.GTI concept will prioritise “go-kart” handling and fun over outright power, according to the firm’s technical chief. The sporty variant of the forthcoming ID.2all is due to go into production in 2026 and will be the first electric Volkswagen to use the GTI badge. Performance variants of the current electric ID line-up have used the GTX branding but Volkswagen boss Thomas Schäfer confirmed last year that the GTI badge would join the Golf in going electric in the future. Speaking at the recent GTI Fan Fest event in Wolfsburg, which celebrated 50 years of the Golf and 48 years of GTI cars, Volkswagen technical boss Kai Grünitz hinted that the model wouldn’t focus purely on acceleration and outright power, which are easy to achieve with an electric powertrain. “GTI is alive and we’ll keep it alive in the future”, said Grünitz. “The GTI badge is about passion, and when we started looking at ideas for an electric GTI, we knew it’s about more than just power”. Speaking about how it will be positioned, he said: “With an electric car, adding a lot of power is really easy, but do we need 300 hp or 350 hp? With a GTI, what’s more important than power is drivability. It will be a real go kart. I’ve driven a prototype and it’s really amazing”. The production version of the ID.GTI will sit on the entry-level variant of the MEB platform that will also underpin a range of models from Cupra and Skoda. The concept shows it will feature a number of traditional GTI design cues. It will also serve as a precursor to the next-generation fully electric Golf, which is due around 2027 as the first model to sit on the Volkswagen Group’s advanced SSP platform. Speaking at the GTI Fan Fest about that car, Volkswagen design chief Andreas Mindt said: “We started with the design and we promise that when you see the first sketches, you’ll see that this is a real Golf. It will be the authentic face of a Golf. +++
