Tag Archives: MimboloveReports
The new-gen BMW 2-Series has started shedding its camo, as it is expected to be unveiled before the end of the year. So, the new M2 shouldn’t be too far behind, right?
Well, if this rumor turns out to be correct, this won’t be the case as we won’t see the first production units on the road before early 2023.
Quoting undisclosed sources, BMWBlog reports that the new M2 will hit the assembly line in December 2022. By then, the upcoming 2-Series will be more than a year old.
Also Read: BMW M Reportedly Plotting 1,341 HP Electric iM2 For Their 50th Anniversary
The premium subcompact sports coupe will still be rear-wheel drive, unlike the 2-Series Gran Coupe that is built on a front-wheel drive biased platform. Nevertheless, an M-tuned xDrive all-wheel drive system might be introduced, like on the bigger M3 and M4.
The engine is understood to be shared with the latest M3 and M4 too, albeit with less power, possibly inn the region of 450 HP. In the M3/M4, the 3.0-liter twin-turbo straight-six unit pumps out 473 HP, while in the Competition models it is good for 503 HP, according to BMW. Which could be an understatement, as dyno tests have revealed that the mill is actually more powerful.
It is still too early to tell whether the new M2 will feature the huge kidney grille design of its larger brethren. However, from what we can tell by the spy images, although it’ll be larger than the current model’s, it won’t be as big as the one in the M3 and M4.
Production of the 918 Spyder ended in 2015, yet a new Porsche hypercar won’t be coming anytime soon as the German carmaker has put its plan for a new flagship model on the back burner, shifting its attention on EV technologies.
Porsche’s CEO Oliver Blume said that while a flagship hypercar is still on the cards, other projects such as the development of pure electric cars and their relevant technologies are a priority for the company.
Read Also: Porsche Developing High-Performance Battery Cells For Performance And Motorsport Applications
“We will return to Le Mans with a prototype, with which we will be able to win the big classic races like Le Mans, Sebring, and Daytona. Ferrari has already joined in the past few weeks, so it will be a very close, tough competition and we are very happy about it,” Blume told Autocar.
Ever since Porsche announced that it will return to Le Mans in 2023, there’s been talk of a road-going version of the new endurance racer. However, Blume’s latest comments indicate that the German carmaker will wait until the battery technology is sufficiently advanced in order to engineer a new electrified hypercar.
“In terms of following the 918, a hypercar is always something we are thinking about at Porsche, but for the next few years, our concentration is on the electrification of our model range.”
“Before 2025, we won’t have a hypercar. Later on, it might be possible.”
Porsche announced it’s working on its own battery cell technology with silicon anodes instead of graphite ones, which will allow the battery pack to comfortably operate at higher temperatures, making them suitable for high-performance applications.
“The battery will be the ‘cylinder’ of tomorrow, so we still have to investigate high-power, high-density cells. We will invest in these cells, and when we have the right cell for a high-power car, then will come to the point, but I don’t think about this car before the second half of the decade.”
A 47-year-old Swedish business consultant has been charged with spying on several Swedish companies including Volvo and Scania.
The consultant is suspected of having transferred material from computers to memory sticks as well as taking pictures of computer screens with the intention of selling them to the foreign power.
“The man was apprehended whilst meeting a Russian diplomat where he had just received 27,800 Swedish crowns ($3,360) from the diplomat,” said prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist, per Reuters. “While a consultant at his former workplaces, I allege that he obtained material with the purpose of providing information to a foreign power, in this case Russia.”
Also Read: FBI Warns Automakers That China Is Placing A Priority On Stealing Electric Car Tech
Scania has confirmed that the man, who remains publicly unnamed, had worked for it as a consultant. Volvo declined to comment to the media. If found guilty, he could face up to six years in prison.
Industrial espionage, especially in the automotive space is a growing concern. Indeed, as recently as late last year, Lordstown Motors was accused of corporate espionage. Not only have automakers reportedly spied on each other to gain market advantages, but nations also spy on these industries, according to the FBI.
As an automaker heavily invested in autonomous technology, artificial intelligence, as well as the owner of a defense division, there are many reasons why Volvo might have been targeted here. Of course, exactly what information is suspected of having been stolen and sold to Russia has not been made clear.
Stellantis is reassuring enthusiasts following news that the SRT team has been disbanded.
While there’s no longer a small group of people dedicated to building SRT models, the engineers behind those vehicles have been retained and are continuing to do what they do best – just as part of the company’s larger engineering team. In effect, it’s an organizational restructuring and not the end of SRT altogether.
In a statement to MotorTrend, the company said SRT “products have delighted enthusiasts for nearly two decades, and Stellantis will continue to sell and develop the next-generation of Dodge/SRT-branded vehicles, as well as Jeep and Ram vehicles that [utilize] high-performance SRT technology.” That’s reassuring news as SRT was one of the few bright spots in the FCA era.
Also Read: Stellantis Axes SRT Division But Keeps Its Engineers For Future Performance Models
There’s no word on what we can expect in the future, but it’s natural to assume there will be a new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT. The company unveiled the three-row Grand Cherokee L last month and is slated to introduce the standard Grand Cherokee later this year.
Furthermore, we can expect three “buzz” models to be produced at Brampton Assembly as part of the automaker’s agreement with Unifor. While there’s no guarantee these will be SRT variants, the plant builds the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger.
Longer term, the company is slated to embrace electrification for their high-performance models. As we reported earlier this year, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis acknowledged the Hellcat V8’s days are numbered.
However, the performance associated with Hellcat models is here to stay. As Kuniskis explained, the “crazy people are going to take the electrification – that has now become accessible from a price point [in the future] – and make that performance-based instead of economy-based.”
In the wake of rampant odometer fraud, The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) wants to impose new requirements for 2021 and beyond regarding the disclosure of a vehicle’s mileage to potential buyers.
For those that don’t already know, odometer fraud is when you roll back an odometer to make it appear as if it has less mileage than it actually does, thus deceiving any potential buyers about the condition of the vehicle. This is a little more difficult to perform on newer vehicles, but is still possible on many older vehicles, which is where the NHTSA’s new requirements come in.
Read: Odometers Rollback Are More Common Than You Think, Could Impact 1.6 Million Vehicles
Here are the new rules:
Beginning January 1st, 2021, you will be required to disclose the amount of miles on a vehicle’s odometer for every transfer of ownership for the first 20 years of the vehicle’s life. This will begin with vehicles from the 2011 Model Year, so Model Year 2010 and older vehicles will still be subject to the previous 10-year disclosure requirements, and as such, are exempt from extended Federal odometer disclosure requirements.
It won’t be for another 20 years until Model Year 2011 or newer vehicles will be exempt from the odometer rules, so to comply with Federal law, anyone transferring ownership of a Model Year 2011 or newer vehicle will be required to provide a disclosure of the vehicle’s mileage to its new owner.
To summarize, Model Year 2010 and older vehicles will continue to be exempt from federal odometer disclosure requirements, and sellers of Model Year 2011 vehicles must continue to disclose odometer readings until 2031, and longer if the vehicle is newer.
The final ruling for these requirements took place all the way back in September of 2019, which goes to show how long it takes for these types of preventative regulations to take effect.
The average age of vehicles is older than ever, and the NHTSA felt they needed to take action in order to prevent a further increase in an already bad odometer fraud problem.
See Also: Average Age Of Vehicles In The U.S. Increases To 11.9 Years, And It Could Get Worse With COVID
The video below shares some useful tips on how to avoid odometer fraud.
[embedded content]
What do you think of the new requirements, will they help solve the issue?
The initial plan, as far as the UK was concerned, was to ban the sale of all internal combustion engine vehicles (including hybrids and even plug-in hybrids) by the year 2040.
A faster transition to 2035 then became feasible, but not without some backlash from within the industry. It was just two months ago that SMMT CEO Mike Hawes spoke about how concerned the industry was whether or not they could meet a 2035 deadline.
Well, if you thought that was tough, wait until you start getting ready for 2030, which is how soon the UK is now reportedly looking to enforce its internal combustion ban, as reported by Autocar.
Read Also: UK Study Shows EVs Are Cheaper To Own Over Their Lifetime Than ICE Cars
This report comes just as UK sales of electric and hybrid cars overtook those of diesel-powered vehicles between April and June of this year, with 33,000 new EVs and hybrids registered, compared to 29,900 diesel cars – this serves as an indicator that the Britain’s new car buyers are ready to leave internal combustion engines behind.
“2030 is an ambitious but achievable date by which to phase out the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles, one that would give a new lease of life to the UK car industry whilst combating climate breakdown and cleaning up the air that dangerously pollutes so many of our towns and cities,” said Labour minister Matthew Pennycook.
“But as well as accelerating the phase-out, the government must also set out a credible plan to get there – one that backs the low-carbon jobs and industries of the future and ensures that workers and communities are properly supported in the transition to a fairer and cleaner economy.”
Our take
Even if the UK does enforce an internal combustion engine ban this decade, that doesn’t mean your gasoline or diesel-powered vehicle will suddenly be worthless. The ban is only applicable to brand new cars, so if you own a used model, you’ll still be able to use it to get around, although we imagine the government will tax you for it pretty heftily.
Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer Xpeng is looking to cash-in on the growing demand for EVs by entering the U.S. stock market.
Following in the footsteps of Nikola and Fisker, as well as other Chinese automakers Nio and Li Auto, Xpeng that is backed by e-commerce giant Alibaba and Xiaomi Corp made its debut on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Thursday under the ticker symbol XPEV.
Xpeng was initially planning to roll out 85 million American Depositary Shares (“ADS”) but it bumped its offering to 99,733,334 shares at $15 each, raising $1.5 billion. Upon opening, the company’s shares soared to $23.10 per ADS, a 54 percent increase, per Reuters, closing at $21.22 by the end of the day.
The startup’s Vice Chairman Brian Gu told Bloomberg News that the adoption rate of electric vehicles is rapidly increasing thanks to competition among automakers.
“There’s a big inflection point we see in the capital markets looking at new energy and smart EV phenomenon,” Gu said. “Smart EV is a global product. We have aspirations to be a global company.”
The brand’s car range
Xpeng currently sells two models in the Chinese market. The brand’s first production model was the G3 SUV and it was recently joined by the Xpeng P7, a sedan boasting an intriguing design and promising range. Prices for the G3 and P7 start at approximately $21,000 and $32,000 in China after local incentives. Barrons reports that Xpeng has sold approximately 20,000 vehicles to date.
The car manufacturer also has an advanced driving assistance system that it has developed for its vehicles.
Read Also: China’s Xpeng Raises $500 Million In Latest Funding Round
“Our XPILOT 3.0 is expected to offer the highest level of autonomous driving capabilities in commercially available passenger vehicles today,” the automaker detailed in its IPO filing. “Through our proprietary software, core hardware and data technologies, we are able to develop and deploy innovative products rapidly and efficiently, which gives us an advantage over our competitors in China.”
Seeing a new EV manufacturer being listed publically in the United States is becoming an increasingly frequent occurrence. In addition to Nikola and Fisker, the likes of hydrogen truck maker Hyliion, pickup maker Lordstown Motors, as well as subscription-based EV maker Canoo have all merged with special purpose acquisition companies to go public in recent months.
General Motors’ Holden saga is far from being over in Australia despite The General having announced the death of its Aussie brand earlier this year.
Many Holden dealers are not satisfied with the compensation package offered by GM and chances are the negotiations will carry on for a while. That, however, does not stop the U.S. carmaker from preparing for a post-Holden future in Australia.
In a press release, GM announced its new venture GMSV (General Motors Specialty Vehicles) is scheduled to commence trading in Australia and New Zealand in the fourth quarter of 2020.
See Also: GM Kills Holden Brand As It Withdraws From Right-Hand Drive Markets
Effectively replacing HSV (Holden Special Vehicles), GMSV will get support from the Walkinshaw Automotive Group (WAG), which will continue to re-manufacture the Chevrolet Silverado range at its Clayton, Victoria premises. WAG also says it looks forward “to working closely with GM on future models and projects.”
Australian Corvette fans will be glad to learn that one of those future models is the all-new C8. Confirmed for Australia and New Zealand in December 2019 as a right-hand-drive model for the first time, the mid-engined sports car became uncertain Down Under after GM announced it would pull the plug on Holden.
Now, however, GM has stated that the Corvette C8 will come to Australia next year in RHD form under the new GMSV brand. The Corvette and Silverado will be the halo models of the new brand of U.S. imports, and a number of existing Holden or HSV dealerships will be rebranded GMSV.
“I am proud to be announcing GM Specialty Vehicles which represents an important new investment by GM in Australia,” GM Holden Interim Chairman and Managing Director, Kristian Aquilina, was quoted as saying by Cars Guide.
“The initial product line-up will feature the latest Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LTZ, with other derivatives, including the Silverado 2500 and spectacular mid-engine Corvette anticipated to follow in 2021.”
For now, it is not clear what other models GM will bring to Australia, but GMSV will probably be more than just a two-model brand. Other vehicles that could be under consideration are the new Chevrolet Tahoe SUV as well as electric GMC Hummer and Cadillac models.
Ford has reportedly secured around 230,000 reservations for the all-new Bronco.
In the two weeks since reservations books for the Bronco opened up after its online reveal on July 13, automotive enthusiasts have been clamoring to lock in a reservation. All 3,500 First Edition models were quickly accounted for, prompting the automaker to double production to 7,000 units. As it turns out, though, it is not just the First Edition that shoppers have been reserving.
According to an administrator from the Bronco6G forum, approximately 230,000 reservations for the Bronco have been placed since July 13. The administrator doesn’t state were this number comes from, other than claiming it comes from a “reliable” source. Mind you, the number does not account for the Ford Bronco Sport.
Read More: Newsflash – The 2021 Ford Bronco Is Even Cooler Than It Looks
This figure comes roughly a week after a Ford spokesperson told Car and Driver that “reservations have been so popular that some Bronco customers may not receive their Bronco until 2022.”
The Ford spokesperson added that the first deliveries are scheduled for spring 2021. It was also confirmed that customers with reservations will have their Broncos built before production of stock units bound for dealerships commence.
Of course, securing 230,000 reservations for the Bronco does not mean Ford has sold that many. Those looking to reserve a Bronco can do so with a $100 refundable deposit, but it won’t be until this December that customers are able to convert this into an order through their selected dealership.
Nevertheless, the positive reception to the Bronco bodes very well indeed for Ford’s latest SUV – plus it should put Jeep on high alert.
Peugeot 5008 is a name that we haven’t heard much in a while, but it remains the company’s flagship crossover, slotting on top of the platform-sharing and smaller 3008.
Unveiled in 2016, with new looks and the PSA EMP2 platform beneath the skin, it is expected to be facelifted before the end of the year, and in 2022, a new generation should arrive, with more SUV-ish looks defined by sharp angles.
Speaking to AutoExpress, Peugeot’s chief of design, Gilles Vidal, said: “When I say square in relation to the 5008, it shouldn’t be a boring square. There’s a place, for sure, to make it more practical and then generate a design that is still amazing, but not through dynamism. It’s another kind of sexy.”
Watch Also: Peugeot’s 5008 Feels Like A Minivan With A High Driving Position
The new 5008 should be a moneymaker for Peugeot, as people are still into crossovers and SUVs, favoring them over the usual family estates or minivans.
“The 5008 is bought by young adults who have kids”, added Vidal. “So, the bigger car is bought by the families, but often the people with more means, more money, are buying the smaller one [the 3008].”
It is still way too early to speak about underpinnings or powertrain choices, considering that we have yet to see the mid-cycle variant of the crossover, but the British website believes that the new-gen will be based on an evolution of the EMP2, dubbed the EMP2 V4. The architecture is compatible with part- and full-electric powertrains, in addition to mild hybrids, gasoline and diesel engines, so it will be interesting to see which route has been chosen for the new 5008.
Note: Current Peugeot 5008 pictured in the gallery