Chevrolet has now officially presented its first electric model for the Chinese market. The Chevrolet Menlo EV is an SUV with a range of up to 410 kilometres (in the outdated NEDC), which is expected to be launched in China in the first half of the year.
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Fisker reloaded: EMotion is the name Henrik Fisker chose for his new electric model. It has been unveiled in full and is said to feature graphene-based batteries with a 400 mile range. They have been developed by Nanotech, Fisker Inc’s power pack division. The electric car is aggressively styled from the outside but the designer promises the interior to provide legroom comparable to that of a luxury sedan – like Tesla. Launch is set for 2017.
autocar.co.uk, electrek.co, insideevs.com
Future Mobility to come true: Tencent’s EV unit will invest 1.9bn dollars into a facility in China to make 300,000 electric cars and batteries a year. A schedule has not been given but with Foxconn as a backer as well as BMW i8 designer Carsten Breitfeld it is likely Future Mobility will succeed.
scmp.com
Further future mobility: Guangzhou Auto plans to invest in its new energy vehicle business and thus seeks to sell up to 15bn yuan (2.2bn dollars) worth of shares. State-owned GAC said the proceeds would be used in 10 projects, with nearly 1/3 of the funds to be spent on R&D.
reuters.com
New Zoe for UK: Renault’s best-selling electric car and its latest 41 kWh battery can be ordered on the Isles now. Prices start at 17,845 GBP after incentives and deliveries will begin in January.
autoexpress.co.uk
Next-gen Bentley: Two Bentley Continental prototypes were caught on camera cruising around the Nurburgring. The new model will also be introduced as plug-in hybrid variant reportedly.
carscoops.com
Tuning Teslas Model X: There is a tuning kit for Tesla’s SUV on display at SEMA. It comes from Unplugged Performance, which already restyled the Model S inside-out.
carscoops.com
Tesla secures credit line: To rake in the cash for investments for i.e. the Gigafactory, Tesla has signed a 500 million dollar credit line deal with a group of banks, including Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, a.o. The agreement could be raised to 750 million dollars. Meanwhile, Tesla has bought another facility building in Fremont, California, to extend its production line. The state also considers giving Tesla a 15 million dollar tax break to further investments in Fremont that could create some 4,400 jobs.
fortune.com, teslamotors.com (credit line), bizjournals.com (Fremont), cbslocal.com (California)
VDL world premier: VDL Bus & Coach took the wraps off its Citea SLFA Electric at the UITP in Milan over the weekend. The electric articulated bus measures just over 18 metres in length and is fitted with a fast-charging system using a pantograph. The German city of Cologne has ordered eight units.
vdlbuscoach.com
Stepping up production: China’s Guangzhou Auto is investing 2 billion yuan (322 million dollars) in a new facility in the country, reserved to the production of electric and hybrid vehicles. Starting in 2018, the company plans on building some 100,000 vehicles there annually.
reuters.com
Porsche 911 hybrid takes shape: According to Motoring, the next-gen Porsche 911 will go hybrid and could take the shape of the “Carrera 4 with electrically-driven front wheels and petrol-powered rear wheels.” The Porsche 911 plug-in hybrid could become available in about three years.
motoring.com.au
Lexus summer sale: Private and business customers in the UK can now benefit from a 1,000 pound boost in the Finance Deposit Allowance when buying a new Lexus hybrid. The deal is valid for new vehicle purchases ordered and proposed for finance through Lexus Connect until the end of June.
autovolt-magazine.com
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French-German battery alliance? At an EU summit in a few weeks, Germany and France want to present common flagship projects, i.e. in the field of e-mobility. According to German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel, the development of a new generation of batteries for EVs could be one such project.
yahoo.com
Hyper-hybrid Ferrari unveiled: The Italians take the wraps off their race track version of the LaFerrari, called the Ferrari FXX K. The hybrid is said to deliver a maximum output of 1050 hp and 900 Nm of torque. Prices and production numbers haven’t been announced yet.
worldcarfans.com, hybridcars.com
7-Series drivetrain details: According to the Spanish website “motor.es”, more than one version of BMW’s 7-Series will become available as a plug-in hybrid. Possible variants are the 730e and 740e, as well as a long version of the latter (740Le).
motor.es via indianautosblog.com
Germany passes e-mobility measures: Yesterday, the country’s cabinet approved a national energy efficiency programme (NAPE), which amongst others includes tax breaks for EVs used as company cars, an EV procurement initiative on a national and federal level, as well as a field test for the use of electric drivetrains for heavy duty utility vehicles.
reuters.com, bmwi.de (NAPE, in German)
Dutch EVs? Sports car manufacturer Spyker has filed for financial restructuring, which was approved by a Dutch court. The company´s restructuring plan sees Spyker merge with an unnamed U.S. based electric aircraft manufacturer. The latter’s technology will supposedly be used for the sports cars.
autonews.com, motorauthority.com
Chinese-made REx model: Guangzhou Auto introduces its Trumpchi GA5 REV to the Chinese market. The car combines an electric engine with an output of 44 kW and a one-litre range extender with 30 kW. Pricing starts at 132.800 yuan (21,600 dollars) after subsidies of central and local governments.
carnewschina.com
