+++ Electric motors and water usually make uneasy bedfellows, but most combustion engines aren’t exactly fond of swimming either. HORSE POWERTRAIN , though, thinks it has an answer for hybrid off-roaders that want to take a dip. The company’s new B20 is a waterproof engine that can keep running while submerged in up to 1.1 meter of water. The 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder combustion engine is designed specifically for HEVs, PHEVs and range-extender EVs, making between 190 and 252 hp, depending on spec. Torque ranges from 300-380 Nm, while the whole thing weighs a relatively modest 130 kg. But more interesting than the its power rating is its IPX8 waterproof rating. Horse, which was founded in 2024 by Renault and Geely, has fitted the B20 with sealed electrical components and sensors, plus dedicated sealing between the engine and transmission. When the engine detects that it’s underwater, its control system can automatically alter throttle response or limit power depending on conditions. That should help it keep running and prevent your ambitious river crossing into a call to the coastguard when your SUV eventually washes out to sea. The engine’s almost as clever on land. Horse says it can cope with 100 percent grades, meaning a slope that climbs 1 meter vertically for every meter travelled horizontally. That’s a 45-degree incline, the kind of ascent only the most extreme production SUVs can tackle. And it’s incredibly efficient. The Miller-cycle engine (which keeps the intake valve open on the start of the compression stroke) uses direct injection, specially designed pistons and high-tumble intake ports to achieve a claimed 48.4 percent thermal efficiency. That compares with around 25-30 percent for most straight ICE engines and 40 percent for the Miller-cycle engine in Toyota’s Prius. An active dual-cooling system is designed to keep temperatures under control during prolonged climbing and other high-load situations. This isn’t all theoretical, either, or an engineering exercise that might only see production 10 years down the line. The B20 was first shown at the Beijing Auto Show earlier this year and has already appeared in the Chinese-market Geely Galaxy Cruiser 700. There it forms part of a plug-in hybrid system paired with Horse’s 3-speed hybrid transmission. +++
+++ The bubble era is officially over: MERCEDES has just been spied testing a new electric E-Class that’ll replace the unloved and underbaked EQE. Just like the smaller C-Class, the new E-Class Electric will sit alongside a combustion version with similar styling. Due to be revealed in 2027, it’ll rival BMW’s updated i5 and the existing Audi A6 e-tron, and cost from around €75.000 in The Netherlands. I’ve known for some time that Mercedes has wanted to more closely align its electric and combustion models, but the recent C-Class Electric was designed before this new mandate. Instead, the new E-Class will be first model to show just how closely Mercedes will align its ICE and BEV models. The E-Class’s changes over the existing EQE are obvious from its underlying proportions. These reveal a more traditional 3-box saloon shape, defined by the length of the bonnet, placement of the driver’s seat and rear boot lid. All appear to be much closer to what’s on offer in the existing E-Class, rather than the EQE’s jelly-mould look. The petrol and BEV E-Classes will have different front-end styling, though, because the BEV will feature the next iteration of the brand’s illuminated grille from the C-Class and GLC. The prototype also reveals the first sight of the production car’s lighting, carrying similar double-star motifs to those already seen on the S-Class. However, look beyond the nose and you’ll see a boxy bootlid and thin, horizontal rear lights. These also reveal something very different to Mercedes’s current design language, with lots of thin horizontal layers making up the various functions. Without getting too nostalgic, these could be a nod to the ribbed rear lights of Bruno Sacco-era Mercedes models from the seventies and eighties. This is a significant departure from the existing E-Class rear lights that integrate yet more 3-pointed lighting motifs, and could even preview the styling ideas of Mercedes’s new head of design, Bastian Baudy. The new E-Class will share its screen with the new C-Class and GLC: a huge 39-inch-wide pillar-to-pillar display that’s either captivating or distracting, depending on your point of view. It stands to reason that the E-Class will feature a similar set-up, and by extension, come with a relatively limited set of options in order to dramatically change the cabin’s general design. However, space inside will be improved, thanks in large part to a flat floor in the second row that’ll be unlocked by the new E-Class’s BEV platform, as well as more headroom thanks to the boxier shape of the roof and rear window. The new E-Class could have class-leading range of around 900-1.000 km. I expect this to be derived from a larger battery than the 94 kWh unit currently available in the C-Class, potentially around 110-120 kWh in order to reach that 1.000 km benchmark. E-Class Electric models will be launched with a range of different motor layouts, including a high-performance dual-motor set-up. There’s also scope for integration of the wickedly powerful Axial Flux motors from high-end AMG models; these could breach 1.000 hp if we were to use the AMG 4-Door GT63 for reference. +++
+++ MERCEDES-BENZ has patented a control system for something most SUVs never try: staying afloat. The filing describes a 2-axle, 2-track off-roader that can roll into a lake or river, level itself on the surface, and climb back onto shore without outside help. The patent credits inventor Joerg Kneip and lists Mercedes-Benz Group as the applicant with the German patent office. The document remains a pure patent play, with no production program attached so far. Lift comes from removable inserts made of foam or inflatable material that sit inside each wheel arch. A control unit can inflate or deflate them individually at each corner to balance the vehicle and react to changing loads or currents, instead of relying on a single flotation chamber around the body. Storage for the deflated inserts sits where a spare tire would normally be, and the vehicle’s onboard air compressor would inflate them before a water crossing. The idea builds on top of the off-road focus already seen in vehicles like the G-Class, which is built for serious wading depth but not true amphibious running. Once the SUV is buoyant, the wheels keep working. The patent describes tires that continue to turn and steer while off the ground, with adaptive suspension tweaking their angle so they behave like rudders. The same motors that move the vehicle on land also push it through the water. The control unit can send different levels of forward or reverse torque to each wheel to correct for currents, uneven drag, or a crooked approach to the bank. That per-wheel torque management also handles the transition between water and shore. The system directs power to specific corners to keep the SUV pointed where the driver wants and to limit sideways drift as it changes from floating to rolling. +++
+++ PORSCHE ’s restructuring will lead to thousands of job cuts and a re-jigging of its line-up, focusing more heavily on models that will boost profitability and simplify its offering. One of these could be a new supercar, potentially following in the footsteps of the Audi Nuvolari and serving as the brand’s first proper supercar since the 918 Spyder launched in 2013. Company boss Michael Leiters has said Porsche’s line-up currently includes too many variants and that there’s more overlap between models than he’d like. Moving forward, Porsche will work more closely with other VW Group brands to save costs, including launching a new model on Audi’s Premium Platform Combustion architecture to replace the combustion-powered Macan. 3 years ago, Porsche unveiled the Mission X concept, previewing what could have spawned an all-electric successor to the 918 Spyder and served as a rival to the McLaren W1 and Ferrari F80. However, this vehicle has yet to see the light of day, and it’s appearing increasingly unlikely that it ever will. Porsche is now favoring a mid-engined supercar using technology from the limited-run Audi Nuvolari, which itself borrows components from the Lamborghini Temerario. Such a model would be in line with Leiters’ plans for Porsche to refocus on its highly profitable sports cars, including the 911. Recently, we’ve already seen Porsche launch special 911 GT3-based models including the new 100 Jahre Nürburgring, 911 GT3 Bergsport and 911 GT3 S/C. A potential new supercar rivaling vehicles from Ferrari and McLaren could be the perfect addition to the company’s family. It’s understood that Porsche’s supervisory board will decide on the possible future for a new halo supercar after the company’s current summer break. Regardless of what happens with this potential new model, the 911 will remain the core of Porsche’s future line-up and will not transition into an EV. The German brand will also double down on its efforts to build highly customized vehicles through the Sonderwunsch program and plans to significantly boost capacity for these models, identifying them as a key driver of future profits. +++
+++ For many years, the ROUND HEADLIGHT seemed destined to disappear. First came rectangular lamps, then complex polyellipsoidal units, and later ever-thinner light strips that appeared to close a chapter in automotive history for good. Yet a look at some of the newest models suggests something has changed. Today, the circle no longer exists to house a reflector or a bulb. Instead, it has become a lighting signature: a graphically defined ring that evokes the past while using entirely different technology. It is one of the more curious cases in which progress chooses to revive a historic shape. For decades, the round headlight was not a styling choice but a technical necessity. Circular reflectors were simple to manufacture and provided effective illumination, becoming one of the most recognizable elements of cars such as the original Fiat 500 and classic Mini. Over time, however, that shape became part of certain models’ identities. The Mini, in particular, turned round headlights into one of its defining styling signatures, to the point that even today it would be hard to imagine it with a completely different front end. Starting in the 1960s, the rectangular headlight became a symbol of modernity. Lower front ends, improved aerodynamics and greater design freedom convinced nearly every automaker to move away from the circle, which suddenly seemed tied to an outdated idea of the automobile. Many popular models followed that path. Think, in different eras, of the transition from the Fiat Ritmo to the Fiat Tipo, and earlier still, Pio Manzù’s front-end design for the 127 compared with the first 128. Citroën and Peugeot also equipped many models with rectangular, trapezoidal, or faired-in headlights. The goal was a clearly more technological image than before. The arrival of LEDs changed the rules completely, because the light source no longer needed to take a specific shape and designers could use illumination as a graphic element. That is how the circle returned to center stage: no longer as a technical constraint, but as a design language. The new Renault 4 E-Tech, the Fiat 500 and the Mini all reinterpret the same principle. They do not recreate the old round headlight; they simply trace its illuminated outline, creating an immediate connection to the model’s history. The paradox is that the rectangular headlight, considered for more than 20 years a symbol of the future, now feels far more tied to the past than the luminous circle drawn by LEDs. +++
+++ The SKODA SUPERB is set to be phased out due to shrinking demand for saloons and estate cars and as part of the Volkswagen Group’s massive line-up reduction, according to company boss Klaus Zellmer. The Octavia has been a core part of the Czech firm’s line-up since it was launched 30 years ago, while the larger Superb was launched in 2001. Both models are currently in their fourth generation. Skoda has already shown the Vision O concept that previews a next-generation electric Octavia, which is set to arrive before the end of the decade on the VW Group’s new SSP platform that will also be used for the next Volkswagen Golf. Notably, the Vision O sits between the current Octavia and the larger Superb in terms of dimensions. The Volkswagen Group is embarking on a major cost-cutting programme, with plans to reduce the number of models offered across its various brands by around 50% by 2035. That is driven by a desire to achieve higher economies of scale and higher volumes for its individual remaining models. Skoda is one of the most profitable brands within the VW Group stable, posting record sales and profits in the first half of this year with margins of around 8.5%. Speaking to a select group of media, Zellmer said Skoda currently had the biggest model portfolio it has ever had, because it is “catering for a market still divided between combustion drivetrains and electric vehicles, and everything in between such as mild hybrid, full hybrid, plug-in hybrid”. Zellmer added “the end game is electric, there’s no doubt”, but said “we will find out” if the transition would happen naturally by 2035, the current target date for the European Union to phase out non-zero emission new car sales. He said that focusing on electric cars would take out some complexity from the line-up. But asked if Skoda’s success means it wouldn’t trim models from the line-up, Zellmer said “that’s not a given”. He hinted that a focus on range reduction could be Skoda’s saloon and estate line-up. “We’re very proud of the Superb, and we love the Octavia”, said Zellmer. “With both models we’re very safe in the market: the Octavia has led its segment since 2016. The big question is going forward: saloons and limousines and combis (estates) are not on the rising path. The next-generation SSP platform caters for wiggle room to go up to Superb dimensions. We’re currently looking into whether we still need the full monty, or whether we will have a smart way to cover both segments and target groups”. While the Vision O was presented as an electric concept, Skoda is considering a range-extender powertrain as an option. While the production version was initially intended to replace the existing Octavia, the slowing pace of EV uptake might prompt Skoda to extend the lifespan of its combustion models. Skoda has sold more than 7 million Octavias in the 30 years it has been on sale, along with more than 1.6 million examples of the Superb. Zellmer said one notable change with the new VW Group strategy is that the combined portfolio will now be considered. That means each brand could potentially focus on individual market segments. That has already been going on to some extent, notably with the decision that only the Volkswagen brand would develop an electric city car (previewed by the Every1 concept, below) on the forthcoming entry-level version of the MEB platform, although Skoda is considering options for an electric Fabia. Zellmer also highlighted the newly launched Skoda Peaq as the group’s only mainstream electric seven-seat SUV, saying: “We’re trying to make sure our footprint overall in the market is big, and we’re not standing on each other’s feet. These portfolio decisions might be surprising from a single brand point of view, but if you put the group potential together it makes sense”. Asked if he had any concerns about the impact of the VW Group’s cost-cutting measures on Skoda, Zellmer said efficiency had long been a focus of the brand, and it already operated on “a very lean trajectory with our business model”. But he added: “But it’s like sports: you have your fitness programme, and if you stop training and looking at your diet and everything that keeps you competitive, you’re going to lose”. +++