+++ Audi has launched a new brand for electric cars in China, called simply AUDI , as part of an expanded joint-venture operation with long-time partner SAIC. The new brand, which is aimed at younger, tech-oriented Chinese EV buyers, was revealed along with the new E electric estate concept. Planned to go into production in 2025, the E is the first of 3 new AUDI models, the others being a saloon and SUV set for introduction in China in 2026 and 2027. The expansion of the joint operations of Audi and MG owner SAIC aims to harness the former’s reputation for design and engineering with the latter’s speed-to-market capabilities and local expertise. Significantly, the first AUDI model was developed in just 18 months; less than half the time of traditional Audi models. Audi CEO Gernot Döllner emphasised that the Audi-SAIC partnership provides a foundation for a “new generation of advanced, intelligent vehicles, which will be exclusive to China”. “The joint platform allows us to address a promising yet demanding segment with state-of-the-art connected vehicles”, he said. Unlike existing Audi models, the E forgoes the brand’s traditional 4-ring emblem, signalling a fresh direction in both design and branding. At 4.870 mm in length, 1.990 mm in width and 1.460 mm in height, it’s slightly longer, wider and taller than the new A5 Avant, albeit with a longer wheelbase (2.950 mm), which is claimed to provide it with greater interior space and accommodation. The styling of the E concept combines flamboyant led light designs with clean and largely unadorned surfacing, to provide it with a more monolithic appearance than more recent models from the main Audi brand. Based on the new Advanced Digitalised Platform developed by Audi and SAIC, it features an 800 Volt electrical architecture and a dual-motor drivetrain that delivers a combined 775 hp and up to 800 Nm of torque. With Quattro 4-wheeldrive and torque vectoring capability, AUDI claims a 0-100 kph time of 3.6 seconds. A 100 kWh battery also provides the E with a range of more than 700 km under China’s under CLTC test standards (525 km in WLTP). Details of the charging rate are yet to be revealed, but the first AUDI model is claimed to offer a 300 km replenishment in electric energy stores in 10 minutes on a high-powered DC charger. Other features being touted for the upcoming production version of the new estate are 4-wheelsteering and air suspension. Inside, the E has a single free-standing curved touchscreen and seating for 4 on individual seats front and rear. Reflecting the car’s luxury positioning, the cabin also features a combination of natural fibres and wood trims. +++
+++ BENTLEY ’s first electric vehicle will arrive in 2026 as “the world’s first true luxury urban SUV”, according to the British firm, and it will be one of 10 EV and plug-in hybrid models to be launched in the space of a decade. The debut EV from the Crewe-based firm had been due next year but, in a manner similar to other car firms, Bentley has pushed its timescales back, including its ambition to become electric-only, which is now set for 2035. Instead, it will continue to develop PHEV technology and now extend the life cycle of its PHEV cars beyond 2030 until 2035. Bentley boss Frank-Steffen Walliser said the firm was adapting to “today’s economic, market and legislative environment” and called the new strategy “a major transformative plan for tomorrow”. Bentley revealed its bold Beyond100 business strategy in 2020, with a plan to launch its first EV in 2025 and become an EV-only brand by 2030. But with slower-than-expected demand for EVs in the luxury segment, former Bentley boss Adrian Hallmark indicated earlier this year that the timing would be pushed back until 2032/33. The revised Beyond100+ strategy has now laid out a clear plan, which includes an “ambition” to be building only full-electric cars from 2035 onwards and continuing with its successful line-up of PHEV models until then. Following the discontinuation of the firm’s fabled W12 engine, the Continental GT and Flying Spur are now offered purely with a V8 PHEV powertrain. Under the new Beyond100+ plan, the 2026 EV will begin a decade-long programme of launching a new EV or PHEV model every year. Bentley has not yet indicated whether each of those vehicles will be an entirely new model or if some will be powertrain variations, but it hints at a significant expansion of the company’s line-up beyond the current range of 4 model lines. Beyond saying that its first EV will sit in a new segment, Bentley has previously given few firm details about the model, but the announcement of the Beyond100+ business plan provides new information. Along with a preview sketch hinting at the car’s roofline, Bentley has described the vehicle, which will be revealed in 2026 and go on sale the following year, as “the world’s first true luxury urban SUV”, adding that it will create an “entirely new segment”. The model will be designed, developed and produced at Bentley’s Crewe factory. This confirms Autointernationaal.nl’s earlier reports that the new EV will be a “segment-straddling crossover”, and it will be less than 5 metres long, making it Bentley’s smallest vehicle to date. The new luxury electric SUV would effectively be positioned below the Bentayga in the firm’s SUV line-up. “This first BEV is definitely a milestone for Bentley”, said Walliser. “As the Continental GT and the Bentayga, back in the days, really defined a known sector, a new segment, where no competition was, so that’s again a task for this first EV. It will not replace a car: it will be an additional car in our fleet, and it will be something really different to what we offer today”. Focusing on a luxury SUV for urban use will help to offset the extra weight and size required by the batteries in an EV. While the company has yet to give firm details of the model’s range, Bentley technical boss Matthias Rabe said: “No customer will complain about the range”. He added: “For us it’s also important that the range is good under normal driving conditions, not just with a constant low speed, but also with higher speeds”. Rabe also promised: “We don’t just want to create any electric car. It has to be a true Bentley”. He said the firm had looked to its heritage fleet “to really learn what makes a Bentley a Bentley, from the driving feeling and all the senses of that car. We’ll use that to create our first electric Bentley, so the sound and all that will be typical Bentley. We are really impressed and excited about that. It will be a true Bentley”. On the subject of sound, Rabe said that “we are all car guys and sound is extremely important, but it has to come naturally”, ruling out the introduction of synthetic engine noises. But he hinted that the firm is working on “something in a very interesting way for sound. I can’t say more because nobody else is doing it right now. It will be really exciting”. As previously reported by Autointernationaal.nl, the new model will sit on the Volkswagen Group’s new PPE bespoke electric platform, which has been co-developed by Audi and Porsche and is used for the new Q6 e-Tron and Macan Electric. This could hint at the broad size and performance of the Bentley EV. However, Walliser (who previously worked at Porsche) recently said it would be “completely wrong” for Bentley to develop a model that was “anything like” one that the Stuttgart-based firm would produce. The PPE platform allows for a range of layouts, including single- and twin-motor options, the latter offering all-wheel drive. It can also accept a range of battery sizes and motor types, while its 800V architecture enables ultra-fast charging. Bentley design chief Robin Page has already said the new model will retain many of the firm’s historic design cues while featuring a new front-end design to reflect the lack of a combustion engine. Extensive offerings from Bentley’s Mulliner customisation division are also likely to be key to making the model a true luxury car. Notably, the decision to produce an ‘urban SUV’ distances Bentley’s first EV from new electric rivals such as the Rolls-Royce Spectre saloon. The Beyond100+ business plan also includes what Bentley has termed a “fundamental reinvention” of the manufacturing infrastructure at its long-running Crewe plant. This will “secure” its future as the home of “the next generation of products”. The new investment programme in the 85-year-old site will, Bentley says, be largely self-funded. It will include a new design centre, paint shop and EV assembly line, which, the firm claims, will set new benchmarks in “digital, flexible and high-value manufacturing operations”. Bentley says the aim is to turn the plant into a “dream factory” for its fully electric future. According to Bentley, all of the new vehicles that will be produced between 2026 and 2035 will be “designed and developed” in Crewe, although that leaves open the possibility that some models could be manufactured, in whole or part, at another VW Group site. Currently, all of the firm’s models are assembled in Crewe, although bodies for the Continental and Bentayga are produced elsewhere. While the initial Beyond100 plan called for 5 electric cars in 5 years from 2025 until 2030, Bentley has not confirmed how many of the 10 models due between 2026 and 2030 will be EVs and how many will be plug-in hybrids. Rabe has, however, ruled out offering cars with a choice of PHEV or EV powertrains. He said: “That would be the wrong answer for a luxury platform. The packaging demands are so different that in the luxury segment you would never reach the optimum if you did that. If we did that, it would not be the best, and we want to do the best in all we do”. Walliser previously hinted that some of Bentley’s future models will be “surprising” and “more extreme” than its current line-up, although he added that such cars wouldn’t be the firm’s initial focus. Rabe also said the firm could continue to offer new pure-combustion models in the future. A new pure-combustion variant of the Bentayga is due next year and Rabe hinted that “exciting special” ICE models could follow. +++
+++ Here we go again. For anyone who remembers president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, his administration spent the better part of 2 years threatening major tariffs on auto imports from EUROPE . “In any scenario you can think of, German automakers are going to be at the center of the storm, if you believe Trump’s rhetoric”, Jacob Kirkegaard, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said in Hoyal’s report. “German automakers are going to literally be in Trump’s bull’s-eye: he is going to ‘end them,’ if you believe what he has historically said”. In 2023, about 400.000 cars were exported from Germany to the U.S., according to the German Association of the Automotive Industry. But hold on. In the world of tariffs, one set of tariffs usually creates retaliatory tariffs. Nobody knows how Germany would respond to new U.S. automotive tariffs. Secondly, Volkswagen, Mercedes and BMW all generate significant production of key vehicles at their U.S. plants in Tennessee, Alabama and South Carolina. BMW’s Spartanburg assembly complex (the company’s largest plant in the world) has been cranking out crossovers and other vehicles for 30 years. As I reported last week, Japanese automakers face the same kind of dilemma with president Trump Part 2. Yes, import business could suffer, but their U.S. operations could flourish. +++
+++ Is there a more confusing, esoteric car company than HONDA ? One capable of astonishing ambition and technical innovation, yet also of missing industry trends and producing anonymously uninspiring models. Here’s a firm bold enough to enter Formula 1 just a year after producing its first 4-wheeled vehicle, take on Ferrari with the NSX and push hot hatch boundaries with the Civic Type R. It has even built a luxury jet. Yet it also produces distinctly beige fare such as the e:Ny1, was late to diesel engines and SUVs, and squandered early technical leads in hybrid and even electric vehicles. In Europe, Honda is far removed from its mid-2000s peak of more than 100.000 annual sales, eclipsed by ambitious rivals and now lacking the EV range required to push volume in the era of the zero-emission vehicle mandate. Honda is not alone among Japanese car firms in being hesitant about EVs, but its line-up lacks the truly market-pleasing combustion models that rivals such as Toyota can fall back on. Honda’s recent EV efforts exemplify its frustratingly uneven approach. The defiantly different Honda E won plaudits for its distinctive design when it was launched in 2020, but the tiny car was doomed by a low range and high price and is already out of production. It was followed by the e:Ny1, a compact SUV that fails to shine in almost any aspect. In the US, Honda’s only EV, the Prologue, is built by GM on one of the US firm’s platforms as part of a now-canned partnership. And yet, at a time when numerous rivals with larger EV line-ups are rolling back their ambitious targets, Honda remains committed to selling only battery-electric or hydrogen fuel cell cars by 2040. Honda’s plans to do so revolve around a new line of at least 7 models that will sit on a new bespoke platform, featuring new batteries, new compact electric motors and a focus on efficiency. Previewed at the start of this year with the radical Saloon concept, the line is called the 0 Series; representing a desire to go back to Honda’s starting point and create new EVs from scratch. But can Honda realistically expect to go from zero and overhaul rivals currently far ahead of it in EV development in a single model generation? We put that question to Toshihiro Mibe, the firm’s long-time R&D boss who was named CEO in 2021 as part of a push to return Honda to an engineering focus. “I don’t think we’re lagging behind when it comes to EVs”, he insists. “We’ve been working on the technology for EVs for a long time, but we believe it was not good to increase the number of units when the market has not been profitable and there hasn’t been infrastructure such as charging stations. But now, as society is starting to move from the early stage to the widespread adoption stage, the time has come to invest in our EV strategy. It’s not like we don’t have the technology to produce EVs, and we can compete globally with other car makers”. Basically, while the 0 Series may mark a reset of its EV approach, Honda isn’t throwing out all of its car-making knowledge. “We know we are not a top-runner in EVs”, adds Katsushi Inoue, who heads the firm’s Electrification Business Development Unit. “But rather than creating something completely different, we believe that our basic strength in automobiles can also be utilised in EV production”.Much of the groundwork for Honda’s new-era EVs is being done at the firm’s Automobile R&D Centre in Tochigi, where it is refining new production techniques and approaches that it will introduce on the 0 Series. The mantra here is ‘thin, light and wise’. What that means in practice is thinner battery packs to allow for vehicles that sit lower yet offer more interior space; are lighter to offer ‘sporty’ handling and increased efficiency; and are wise through the use of software-based platforms to offer connected technology and semi-autonomous driving. The most visible sign of Honda’s new approach is the vast 6.000-tonne megacasting machine that now occupies a large workshop space. Megacasting moulds large sections of car in a single piece of aluminium. Honda will initially use it for battery packs, reducing the number of parts required from more than 60 to just 5, saving a lot of weight on the car as well as time and complexity in manufacturing. It is, just as significantly, substantially cheaper too. Megacasting machines are complex, uniting whirring robot arms with thick mould presses that look like the sort of thing Boba Fett would deploy to freeze bounties, so it has taken a lot of work to refine. With the Tochigi development unit now running, work will soon begin to install six megacasts at a US plant in Ohio, where the 0 Series models will be built. Honda isn’t alone in developing megacasting: it’s already used by Tesla, and Toyota as well as Volvo will soon introduce it on production cars, which perhaps explains why it was also keen to highlight other technology as we toured Tochigi. That included friction stir welding and CDC (constant DC chopping) welding, which fall under the marginal gains mantra of increasing rigidity and efficiency. The work in Tochigi isn’t just about developing new production methods: Honda is also looking to rethink its production lines, with a new ‘flex cell’ approach, in part to allow combustion-engined and 0 Series models to be produced in the same plant. The new system essentially breaks the car production process into a number of cells instead of one long line, so that if demand varies it can more easily shift production capacity between different car types. Doing that requires some complex AI wizardry to plot how autonomous machines can whizz parts and part-assembled cars round the factory floor. The 0 Series models will start arriving in 2026 with the production version of the Saloon (you can expect a closer preview at CES in January) with a goal for entry-level versions to offer about 500 km of range and ‘sporty’ handling. Just as significant as the hardware is the new software platform: like many car firms, the focus is on software-defined vehicles that can be updated with new functions and features. Honda is thinking bold, envisaging for example a system that lets users put on a VR headset and join their friends for a virtual ride-along. Of course, Honda isn’t abandoning its roots just yet: thanks to its various divisions, it’s the world’s biggest manufacturer of combustion engines. Mibe notes Honda’s current hybrid line-up is “doing well”, adding that “we believe this will be our main business until 2030”. There will also be direct crossover too: the new e-axle that will be used on the front axle of some 0 Series models will be shared with future hybrid Hondas. The company has already confirmed the return of the Prelude as a hybrid-only coupé for Europe. Another facet of Honda’s future plans has been a string of partnerships with other manufacturers: as well as the now-scrapped tie-up with GM, there’s Afeela, a 50/50 EV joint venture with Sony. The cars it produces are tipped to use the same platform as the 0 Series, but Honda denies there will be crossover. “The interior user interface has been developed using Sony’s technology, so the positioning is different”, says Inoue. He adds that “I think the price will be higher”, but quickly points out that nothing is confirmed or official yet. However, the most notable partnership is the one with Japanese rivals Nissan and Mitsubishi. Exact details are still being ironed out, but Mibe says joint development has already begun on software and talks are ongoing for collaboration in “various other areas”. While Honda has generally ploughed its own furrow, it has had a number of alliances in its history (think back to its sometime tie-up with Rover) and the recent moves show just how serious the firm is about accelerating development in new technology areas. Of course, unlike many car firms Honda isn’t just working on electrification in a single space. It remains a huge motorbike manufacturer, and also builds power products, generators, lawnmowers, robots and even luxury jets. So its plan involves developing a mobile power pack (a swappable battery) for use by electric motorbikes and ‘mini-EVs’; likely to mean quadricycles or vehicles that fall under Japan’s kei car rules. “We are aiming to be carbon-neutral as a company by 2050, so we will introduce carbon-neutral technology not only to cars but also motorcycles and power products”, says Mibe. As is often the case, China is a different story: Honda is aiming to become EV-only there by 2035, and will launch 10 EVs (mostly bespoke to that country) by 2027. The brand remains strong in its homeland of Japan and the US, so beyond electrification its big challenge in the coming years will be trying to restore its footing in the European market. In recent years Honda has struggled with exchange rate fluctuations (a key factor in the firm’s decisions to shutter its European factories in Swindon and Turkey), a line-up focused on the US and Japan, and being caught flat-footed by the shift away from diesel. But despite no longer having a manufacturing presence here, Mibe insists that “car culture is mainstream in Europe, and there will be no withdrawal from sales”. The firm insists the 0 Series has been developed with an eye on Europe, and not just in terms of powertrain. With the company not intending to offer all 7 planned cars in each market, that could create room for more European-flavoured models. “We want to release a car that can compete in Europe”, says Mibe. “Although we ceased production in Europe due to changes in the market, I believe there will continue to be opportunities there. We aim to shine in Europe again in the future”. Regardless of its experience, Honda is playing catch-up in the EV world, and now faces far stiffer and more varied competition than when it first shook up the market in the 1980s. So can the firm reassert itself? It will certainly be tough, but not quite an impossible dream. This is a company, after all, that went from not making cars to winning F1 grands prix in just 2 years, and has a history of developing truly pioneering game-changers. Perhaps Honda is at its best when innovation is forced upon it. +++
+++ Land Rover parent firm JLR has confirmed that it has taken more than 2.900 orders for its new range-topping Defender Octa, ahead of deliveries kicking off next year. Described as a “no compromises” Defender, the 635 hp V8 off-roader has been developed to work equally well as a high-performance SUV on- and off-road. Improved approach and departure angles together with increased wading depths dovetail with the car’s 3.8-seconds 0-100 kph time in what is the most powerful Land Rover Defender to ever make production. “We want it to be as fun on the Stelvio Pass as it would be on a Dakar Rally stage”, JLR’s director of Special Vehicle Operations Jamal Hameedi told at the car’s unveiling earlier this year. JLR also said that it has a waiting list of over 48.000 clients signed up worldwide for the Range Rover Electric, which will come to market in 2025. In the brand’s second quarter financial results, it revealed that it has sold 5 Range Rover Sport SV Celestial models at around €350.000 each (Dutch pricing), and in India, 12 special Range Rover SV Ranthambore Edition cars found homes at €600.000 each. JLR has announced an 8th successive profitable quarter, although pre-tax profit was down 10 percent on the same period in 2023, to €465 million, due to temporary supply constraints on aluminium. But profits for the first half of 2024 were up 25 percent on the first half of 2023 to €1.3 billion. The brand has also investedabout €300 milllion so far, half of the expected total, in its Halewood plant in Merseyside to ready the facility for electric car production. +++
+++ LAND ROVER will launch the first electric SUV based atop its new EMA platform in spring 2026 and it will be the replacement for the Range Rover Velar. The marque’s first EV will be the Range Rover Electric due next year. That flagship model (and the Range Rover Sport Electric due shortly after) will use the same MLA underpinnings as the current ICE cars, while smaller SUVs will use the new, electric-first EMA architecture. It’s expected that EMA will be used for electric replacements for the Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, as well as a smaller Land Rover ‘Defender Sport’ off-roader and a second-generation Velar, which is the only one to have been spotted testing so far. EMA-based models will be built at JLR’s Halewood plant on Merseyside, into which the firm is investing €600 million to prepare it to produce electric cars. While sibling brand Jaguar has confirmed that it will launch the first EV of its new era in 2026, timelines for Land Rover’s electrification push had been unclear, particularly as the brand recently rowed back on earlier plans to launch 6 electric models by 2026 in light of fluctuation demand for EVs. But now JLR boss Adrian Mardell has confirmed that the first EMA-based Land Rover (likely to be the marque’s third electric car) will be on the road in less than 2 years. “We’ve been clear that that Jaguar will be the third architecture to launch”, he said. “We’ll first have MLA BEV, with the Range Rover BEV later next year. Then it’s the first vehicle off EMA, which will probably be springtime in 2026. Jaguar will be after that”. Mardell went on to confirm a planned late summer 2026 launch for Jaguar’s electric GT, which will be previewed by a concept on 2 December. The first prototype for the Velar EV was spotted winter testing a few months ago, wearing what looked to be a production-spec design and seemingly almost ready for an unveiling, but Mardell didn’t offer any hint as to when the wraps might come off. The current Velar is already 7 years old, but it is not yet clear whether JLR intends to keep it in production until its replacement arrives. It is the slowest-selling model in the Range Rover family, notching up just 10.000 sales in the 9 months to September of this year, half that of the Evoque and around a quarter of the amount of full-sized Range Rovers sold. It does, however, comfortably outsell the Discovery and came in just above the Discovery Sport. Details of the next-generation Velar remain firmly under wraps, but clearly the company remains committed to the model’s more overt road-going focus than the other models in the Land Rover line-up. Notably, on spy images its body looks long enough behind the rear axle to accommodate a third row of seats. JLR has yet to give any indication that it plans to upsize the Velar, but a roomier interior would certainly mark it out more clearly from the Discovery Sport, which is seen as key to boosting sales. The next Velar will also be more overt in its positioning as a luxury SUV, in line with JLR’s ambition to carve out each of its core model lines (Jaguar, Discovery, Defender and Range Rover) into distinct brands with their own design languages, values and target markets. JLR previously confirmed that it will introduce hands-free, eyes-on driving functionality with the launch of the first model on the EMA platform. Known in the industry as Level 2+, this the final step towards autonomous driving, where the car fully takes over. The capability for greater autonomy comes with JLR’s adoption of US tech specialist Nvidia’s Drive chip-and-software combination. The new Range Rover model, to be built at Halewood, is the first to use the new tech, a spokesperson told. He didn’t, however, confirm that this model is the Velar. Car makers believe hands-free capability will become increasingly popular among customers, with many willing to pay monthly for the convenience. JLR has also committed to offering level-three hands-off, eyes-off technology in the future. Tom Stringer, product strategy director, said: “I think for the modern luxury customer, Level 3 will be a really important part”. He added that it’s a “possibility” by the end of the decade. +++
+++ Under the watchful eyes of an eager audience at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, MAZDA unveiled the Iconic SP: a striking, next-generation 2-seater concept designed to carry the rich legacy of Mazda into the future. Clad in an elegant new Viola Red colour, peppered by camera flashes from the world’s media and with a dramatic form reminiscent of that of a musical instrument, the Mazda Iconic SP immediately captured global attention, earning headlines across the planet. Now, a year later, Naohito Saga, Executive Officer at Mazda’s R&D Strategy Planning Division, and Masashi Nakayama, General Manager at Design Division, describe it as a career highlight, hinting at the concept’s deeper significance for Mazda beyond its debut. “This concept is not just one of those empty show cars. It’s been designed with real intent to turn it into a production model in the not-so-distant future”, says Nakayama. “Standing by the car, you should be able to picture what sort of engine would be housed under the bonnet. That’s how committed we were to crafting this concept car. The more time you spend looking at it, the more the car will reveal to you”, Saga expands further. “In the development process, everything from position of the doors and tyres, to the length of the vehicle, the seating position of the occupants and visibility was meticulously researched before reaching the final specifications”, he says. “It really shows how much we wanted to make it a car that manifests Mazda’s commitment for the future, especially in terms of sustainability and the future role of our rotary engine technology”. In terms of design, the Iconic SP emphasizes minimizing character lines and reducing the play of light, aiming for a look that is both dramatic and exciting. The unique and beautiful proportions, forms crafted by master artisans, and meticulous Japanese craftsmanship are the distinct qualities of the Kodo design language. Due to this striking presence, much of the conversation naturally revolves around the Mazda Iconic SP’s design. Yet, it’s crucial not to overlook the profound impact of its new two-rotor rotary EV system, specially designed for this concept car. Mazda’s innovative rotary engine is highly scalable, running on fuels and generating electricity from carbon-neutral sources. Its compact size, too, allows the Mazda Iconic SP to be housed in a low-profile package akin to a midship sports car, promising an exhilarating driving experience. A combination of a dual-rotor rotary engine and an EV system provide the Mazda Iconic SP with a maximum output of 370 hp. “There are quite a few energy sources for carbon-neutral fuel”, says Saga on the breadth of fuel sources available to petrol and diesel vehicles. “There are different synthetic fuels, made using hydrogen and CO₂, and biofuels, made from raw materials including plants, which are compatible with petrol and diesel engines respectively”. Amid the industry’s gradual shift towards electrification, this advanced rotary engine innovation could emerge as a crucial long-term solution. “The rotary engine can be very compact and very powerful at the same time”, says Saga. “That’s one advantage, but also it can be powered by various types of fuels, and that could give us an edge in the race to find a feasible solution for the future of mobility”. According to Saga, no matter which carbon-neutral fuel becomes mainstream, the rotary engine can adapt. This means that, by using fuels with low CO₂ emissions in the refining process, the Mazda Iconic SP’s powertrain has the potential to reduce emissions by up to 90%. Likewise, Mazda is also advancing a next-gen technology to capture CO₂ from exhaust emissions. It’s theorised that this project could take Mazda one step further and see it evolve into a carbon-negative manufacturer. “Today, we are competing in the Super Taikyu endurance racing series in Japan to test the potential of carbon-neutral fuel, but in the future, we intend to experiment with technology to capture CO₂ as well”, says Saga of its racetrack roots. He suggests that, if this proof of concept goes to plan, it could play a role in the development of Mazda’s future range of vehicles. An exciting prospect indeed. It was during the 2023 Japan Mobility Show last year when Mazda’s newly appointed President and CEO, Masahiro Moro, announced that “Mazda will always focus on delivering vehicles that remind people that cars are pure joy and an indispensable part of their life”. All before revealing the much-anticipated Mazda Iconic SP: “an iconic model that exemplifies our commitment to the future”. Interior details include Bio Weave bio-composite detailing, made from plant-derived fibres and dyes, and materials created from oyster shells; a speciality of Hiroshima. An exciting statement, you’ll agree, and one that cues Mazda up for an ambitious future fuelled by challenger spirit. “We want every Mazda owner to be proud of the car that they drive and lifestyle that they lead with it”, says Nakayama. “We believe our design is one of the most important elements; but if it’s just about the looks and has no consideration for our environment, no one wants to drive it”. For Saga, Nakayama and Mazda as a whole, it’s just as vital that you drive a Mazda not just for its looks, Nakayama says, but “because the company is leading the way in sustainable technology”. And, with the Mazda Iconic SP at the helm, the future is theirs for the taking. +++
+++ TESLA remains in the crosshairs of a safety probe by the NHTSA over its Full Self-Driving software capabilities. NHTSA in October opened an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles with Full Self-Driving software after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash, during conditions including sun glare, fog and airborne dust. The NHTSA told Tesla in May that its social media postings could encourage people to see Full Self-Driving as a robottaxi “rather than a partial automation/driver assist system that requires persistent attention and intermittent intervention by the driver”. +++
+++ VOLVO is gearing up to launch the ES90 as its first electric saloon early next year, and it will serve as a premium flagship for the firm’s next wave of five advanced EV models. The new BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE rival is a sibling model to the combustion-engined S90 and will be revealed next March at an event in Stockholm, Sweden. It has been developed with a focus on the Chinese market, although it will be sold worldwide. The ES90 will be closely related to the EX90 and, much like that model, will serve as a technological figurehead rather than a driver of sales volume. It will be followed in 2026 by the new EX60, which will sit on a new-generation platform and, as the EV equivalent of the bestselling XC60 in the core medium SUV segment, will be key to growing Volvo’s electric car sales. Volvo currently has 3 further EVs in development. The new platform beneath the EX60 will accommodate a wider range of body styles, potentially including an electric estate. And while Volvo is still focused on ultimately becoming an EV-only brand, it has delayed plans to end the sale of plug-in and mild-hybrid models and is instead set to refresh and renew its combustion-engined line-up in the coming years. The ES90 will be the fifth series-production electric Volvo model to be offered in Europe, following the EX30, XC40/EX40, C40/EC40 and EX90, but the first that isn’t an SUV (Volvo also offers the EM90 MPV in China). That reflects the current sales dominance of SUVs but, speaking recently, Volvo boss Jim Rowan said the firm will continue to offer a diverse line-up in future. “We have MPVs as well as sedans and wagons and of course SUVs”, he said. “We’re in a nice position as a company that we have that spread”. Rowan added that even though SUVs are likely to continue to make up the bulk of sales, there was enough profit to justify launching an electric saloon. “We’re 1% of the car market and we’re in premium”, he said. “There is still a demand for premium saloons in the electric age. We see more of that demand in China, but there’s still demand in other parts of the world”. Rowan noted that Chinese premium buyers prefer saloons with “really long leg room” in the back and said the ES90 will be developed with that market as a core focus. Volvo’s preview image of the ES90 confirms that the model will feature a similar side profile to that of the current hybrid S90 and it will also take styling cues from the EX90, including the closed-off grille, ‘Thor’s hammer’ headlights and upright rear lights. The ES90 will sit on the bespoke electric SPA2 platform that is used by the EX90 and it is likely to be a close technical relation to that model. Information leaked last year shows that it has been developed under the codename V551 and will be produced at a plant owned by Volvo parent Geely in Zhejiang, China. The leak reveals that the ES90 will be 4.999 mm long, making it marginally longer than the S90, and have a wheelbase of 3.100 mm to maximise interior space. It will be offered in single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor all-wheel-drive forms. Power outputs are likely to match the EX90’s, suggesting that the all-wheel-drive model will be offered with 408 hp as standard and 517 hp in Performance form. It is also likely to offer many of the EX90’s safety features, potentially including the lidar scanner, and have a similar, near-€100.000 price. Power will come from a 111kWh battery that will offer up to 600 km for the single-motor model. As with the EX90, the vehicle will be built around an advanced Volvo Cars Superset ‘tech stack’, which effectively comprises all of the software and hardware for the drive, infotainment, autonomous functions and other systems. That set-up will be used on all future models and offers over-the-air updates. The goal is that it will eventually allow updates to be rolled out across all Volvo models. The XC60 has long been Volvo’s best-selling model, with Rowan describing it as the “workhorse” of the line-up, so it is notable that Volvo has waited for EV technology to develop before launching an electric equivalent. But that model, the EX60, will arrive in 2026 and Volvo chiefs have previously described it as a “huge boost” in the firm’s electrification plans. Notably, the EX60 will be the first model to use the new SPA3 platform, which is effectively a heavy development of SPA2. It will feature deeper integration of the core computing software stack, but the primary focus is that it’s designed to be far more scalable: Volvo says it can accommodate cars smaller than the EX30 and larger than the EX90. The platform will enable the use of parts produced by megacasting, a process that Volvo will introduce at its main Torslanda factory in Gothenburg. This will allow entire sections of cars to be produced as single parts rather than as large numbers of individual parts, with the rear floor section of the EX60 likely to be the first to benefit from it. This method cuts production costs, increases rigidity and makes the parts lighter. Few technical details of the EX60 have been revealed but, like the ES90, it will be offered in single and dual-motor forms and use the same advanced infotainment system. The arrival of the ES90 and EX60 will give Volvo an amount of 6 EVs in the European market. 3 further models are also in development, with Rowan saying that “some of them will be an electrification of our current models and some will take us into new segments”. The only models in Volvo’s current combustion line-up that aren’t confirmed to get a direct electric equivalent are the S60 saloon and the V60 and V90 estates. Volvo has a rich history of estates, but the demand for such models has waned in recent years and they aren’t popular in the crucial Chinese market. However, when asked about electric estates recently, Rowan hinted that the firm is “looking at that”. The prospect of electric estates could be heightened by the new SPA3 platform, because with all cars based on a single platform and tech stack, it would be easier to produce different variants on the same production lines, which would enable Volvo to expand its line-up more efficiently. Erik Severinson, Volvo’s planning chief, recently told that “we have almost underestimated the power” of having a single tech stack and platform. He added: “If you do all your cars with unique technological solutions, you’ll spend all your time and efforts just keeping stuff updated. It’s a hell of a work just to manage your variant complexity. But if you have them all on the same tech stack, it creates freedom to make the cars better. “That’s why SPA3 and the tech stack is such an important part of our journey. If we have that architecture in all our plants, and all our products based on it and a single computing system, we can focus on making the cars better. That will give us a lot of flexibility going forward”. Volvo recently rowed back on its aim to sell only EVs by 2030, which Rowan described as a “pragmatic” move that reflected the slowdown in EV sales growth. The firm is now aiming for EV and PHEV models to account for at least 90% of sales by 2030, with the rest mild hybrids. Partly in response to that, Volvo is set to refresh much of its combustion line-up in the coming years, following the revamped XC90 that was unveiled earlier this year. This could include substantial updates for the current XC60, which dates from 2017, and the XC40. Although Severinson declined to comment on individual products, he highlighted strong sales of the XC60 and said: “In times of unpredictability, flexibility is important. We have very strong plug-in hybrid offerings and that is something we will continue to invest in to make sure we maintain our strong position with those products”. +++