FCA subsidiary Maserati has postponed the presentation of its first electrified sports car until September 2020 due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Originally, the event was to take place in May. As a result, the relaunch of the brand has also been postponed.
Weiterlesen
Fiat Chrysler has completed the production lines for the electric version of the Fiat 500 at its Mirafiori plant in Turin and has started production of the pre-series. Production of the hybrid version of the Maserati Ghibli has also started.
Weiterlesen
Maserati is clarifying its electrification strategy: the Italian brand will introduce hybrid and purely battery-electric drives in all new Maserati models. Besides, all the electrified vehicles will be developed and built entirely in Italy.
Weiterlesen Maserati has started testing its first all-electric drive system, which is to be fitted to the brand’s models from 2021. The Italian luxury car manufacturer is placing a particular emphasis on the “characteristic” sound of its e-motor.
Weiterlesen
It is looking like Fiat Chrysler might buy the use of a Tesla technology for its brands’ electric cars. During a conversation with stock analysts, FCA boss Mike Manley revealed that his company was considering this option. It would not be the first partnership between the two companies.
Weiterlesen
Fiat Chrysler is building a battery assembly centre at its Mirafiori plant in Turin, Italy in which FCA is initially investing 50 million euros. It can also be expanded later for future projects.
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The era of Sergio Marchionne is nearing its end, but before the head of Fiat-Chrysler quits his job next year, he wants to ready all brands for an electrified future. His 5-year plan calls for a move away from diesel and into electric and hybrid models.
Weiterlesen
Fiat Chrysler wants to phase out all diesel models over the next four years, according to a report by the Financial Times. This includes all passenger cars made by FCA labels Fiat, Chrysler, Maserati, Alfa Romeo and Jeep.
Weiterlesen
Hyundai’s next electric SUV: The Kona may be next in line for electrification at Hyundai and at a fairly affordable 35,000 euros, Auto Bild reports. A 50kWh battery pack shall allow for up to 500km range (NEFZ) by fall 2018. Also, a video shows Hyundai’s Kona unveiled for the first time.
electrek.co, youtube.com (video)
Maserati to borrow from Chrysler: The Italians want electrification or better parts of it and decided to use Chrysler’s PHEV drive tech from the Pacifica for their upcoming Levante plug-in hybrid. Maserati reasoned that developing a dedicated drive would be too costly as they calculate the PHEV version will account for less than 10 percent of Levante sales. As reported, the Italians also plan hybrid versions of their Ghibli, Quattroporte, GranTurismo and GranCabrio as well as a fully electrified Alfieri.
carscoops.coml, caradvice.com.au
EU for stricter control of OEMs: A majority of EU countries unite behind a draft for new exhaust emission tests and type approval rules as ministers approved the proposal. It asks the European Commission to carry out spot checks and fine manufacturers if they are found to be cheating. The rule rolls in the wake of Volkswagen’s diesel fraud and must only be waved through by the EU parliamentarians. Effectively, it will move power from national authorities like the German KBA to Brussels but reserves the right to review such decisions.
europe.autonews.com
Science for racing: As part of its Sparrowhawk project, Coventry University is building a new platform, supposed to significantly simplify the outlay and to reduce costs of niche car production, including electric and autonomous vehicles. Based on its creation, the uni considers to launch its own sports car including an all-electric drive that could be produced as early as 2019.
coventrytelegraph.net
Smooth swap: Nissan is to take the starting place of its successful ally, Renault e.dams in the Formula E from next season. The French wish to fully focus on the Formula 1.
motorsport-total.com
No future for Lexus CT200h in the States: Due to a drop-off in sales, Lexus will discontinue the CT200h hybrid in the U.S. by 2018. In contrast, the compact car shall stay in the stores in other markets.
blog.caranddriver.com, carscoops.com, hybridcars.com
Audi poaches Volvo exec: Peter Mertens has been appointed to lead technical development at Audi. The carmaker looked outside the VW Group to fill the position, after the two previous technical development chiefs had to step down after the VW emission scandal.
autonews.com, audi-mediacenter.com
Z5/Supra Hybrid update: The sports car jointly developed by BMW and Toyota will be built by Magna Steyr in Graz and will launch in 2018. And it looks as though the hybrid version might draw on technology from Toyota’s recent TS050 LMP1 Le Mans race car. Meanwhile, Autocar gives a first glimpse of the car’s design.
autocar.co.uk
New Nissan SUV concept: The Japanese unveiled a fuel-cell-powered SUV at the Guangzhou Auto Show. The TeRRA SUV is equipped with three electric motors. While the rear features two in-wheel motors, the front is powered by the same technology as the Nissan Leaf.
indiacarnews.com
E-Maserati confirmed: According to Autocar, Maserati is planning on releasing an electric version of its Alfierie two-seater in 2020. It will hit the road roughly one year after the debut of the petrol-powered version. Moreover, it will most likely be the first model to sit on a new “electrically capable Maserati chassis.”
autocar.co.uk
Singulato in pictures: The subsidiary of Chinese carmaker Zhiche Auto (we reported) has published photos and videos of its upcoming electric crossover. The design is definitely something. Production will be outsourced until 2020, after which Singolato hopes to build 200,000 units per year in its own factory.
designboom.com
Tesla poaches Microsoft designer: Andrew Kim, designer of HoloLens and Xbox One S, now takes the position as lead designer at Tesla. What tasks he will be in charge of exactly has not been made public.
electrek.co, slashgear.com
Swedish start-up Uniti raised more than 1m dollars for its small electric city car. The crowdfunding campaign will finance the production of a first prototype next year and get the company ready for market entry. The gull-winged vehicle is said to sell for about 22,000 dollars.
electrek.co, mynewsdesk.com, fundedbyme.com (crowdfunding campaign)
Volkswagen SUV with plug: According to Autocar, VW will present its new SUV concept at the Geneva Motorshow in March. The T-Cross is based on the VW Polo and is said to build on the carmaker’s MQB platform – just like the T-Roc study shown in 2014. The T-Cross is said to also be available as a plug-in hybrid.
autocar.co.uk
Maserati hybrid update: The manufacturer has to keep an eye on its CO2 emissions record, which is why it will not only fit the Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte with plug-in hybrid drivetrains (we reported), but alo the GranTurismo and GranCabrio. Only the Alfieri will keep its combustion engine.
autocar.co.uk
Tesla misses sales target in China: The EV maker lowered sales expectations in the country to 5,000 units this year. 2015 it had hoped to sell at least 10,000 vehicles, but sold only 3,025 in the first nine months.
nikkei.com, greencarcongress.com
Kandi gets new partner: The Kandi Technologies Group has signed a strategic partnership with Chinese car dealer Pang Da for the distribution of the former’s electric cars. The deal i.e. includes the set-up of joint sales teams that will share marketing resources.
cnn.com
Under scrutiny: British consumer protection agency Consumers’ Association tested emissions of some 300 cars. 95 percent of diesel and 10 percent of petrol cars exceed NOx limits. Hybrids are unfortunately no exception. It turns out that even the Peugeot 508 RXH diesel-hybrid is dirtier than previously said.
which.co.uk
New Mahindra EVs: The Indian manufacturer will present electric variants of its Maxximo and Verito at the New Delhi Auto Show next month. The e2o featuring inductive charging technology will also be on display.
indiatimes.com
Swedish flagship sedan revealed: Volvo took the wraps off the all-new S90 premium sedan, which will make its public debut at the Detroit Motor Show in January. The S90 is based on the Scalable Platform Architecture (SPA) first used by the XC90 and will likely feature the same powertrains, including the T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid with a total power output of around 400 hp.
autoblog.com, carscoops.com, autocar.co.uk
Chevy Bolt caught undisguised: Chevrolet’s upcoming Bolt EV has been spied fully uncovered at a photo shoot ahead of its official debut at the CES in January. It looks like the final production version is quite significantly different from the concept car unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year.
autoblog.com, greencarreports.com
Maserati plugs in: The Italian luxury carmaker will launch its first-ever SUV Levante in 2016, according to Autocar. Plug-in hybrid drivetrains will be offered in the Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte from late 2017 or early 2018, with appearances in the Alfieri and Granturismo replacement likely.
autocar.co.uk
Skoda SUV launch scheduled: Skoda’s seven-seat SUV, tentatively named Snowman, will make its official debut at next year’s Paris Motor Show and will hit the streets by the end of 2016. According to German Auto Bild, Skoda also plans to roll out a plug-in hybrid version.
worldcarfans.com; autobild.de (in German)
Hybrid supercar from Poland: The Polish company Arrinera SA is working on a sports car named Hussarya GT4, which will be presented next month at the Autosport International in Birmingham. A hybrid version called Hussarya 33 with a total system output of as much as 1,000 hp is also in the cards.
auto.oe24.at, wirtschaftsblatt.at (both in German)
Joint EV from Japan? Toyota and Mazda are planning to issue an electric model together, Motoring reports. The new EV would apparently have the size of a BMW i3 and target U.S. and Japanese markets. It could be the first result of the new partnership the two companies announced recently.
motoring.com.au
Passat PHEV pricing: The new VW Passat GTE is now available to order in Germany. Prices start at 44,250 euros and go up to 45,250 euros for the station wagon. Range for the hybrid Passat is given as 50 kilometres while the system comes with 219 hp.
autobild.de (in German)
Piquet wins Moscow ePrix: Nelson Piquet Jr. has won the latest race of the Formula E and extended his championship advantage with only one event remaining. Sebastien Buemi lost his second place in the Moscow ePrix after his e.dams-Renault team was penalised for an unsafe release.
autosport.com, fiaformulae.com, youtube.com (highlights)
Preview of Maserati-SUV: Patent drawings that surfaced on the internet give a first impression of the Maserati Levante SUV, which is scheduled to debut at the NAIAS 2016 in Detroit. The SUV is believed to be offered as a PHEV variant by 2017 (we reported).
autoblog.com, autoweek.com (Detroit 2016)
Spied: The Maruti Swift Range Extender has been photographed close to Maruti’s factory in India. It is aid to run 25.5 kilometres in pure electric mode. The next generation Swift might be offered as a mild hybrid for the Indian market by 2017.
indianautosblog.com
All-electric Opel? The German GM subsidy also known as Vauxhall apparently has plans to build a small EV to be sold by 2017, several media report. Internally, the new model is known as BEV (for battery electric vehicle) and is said to be cheaper and smaller than the Ampera/Volt. Opel has not commented on the story yet.
uk.news.yahoo.com, just-auto.com
GM to ramp up Volt production: The U.S. carmaker wants to invest 450 million dollars in its Detroit-Hamtramck plant and nearby battery assembly facility to expand its production for the 2016 Chevy Volt. In order to do so, GM will introduce a second shift and create another 1,400 jobs.
detroitnews.com via greencarreports.com
Lexus NX debut: The production version of Lexus’ concept LF-NX will premiere at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition later this month. A teaser image of the hybrid SUV called NX does not reveal much but it looks as if the finished product will strongly resemble the initial study.
greencarreports.com, autoexpress.co.uk
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www.siemens.com/hannovermesse
X5 eDrive in the USA: BMW will show an updated version of its concept hybrid SUV at the New York Auto Show this month. It remains unclear, however, what exactly the update entails as the performance data remains unchanged.
green.autoblog.com
Electric Alfa Romeo 4c: Not quite, but the French start-up Pariss Electric claims its electric sports car will be able to compete with Alfa’s latest offspring. Like its idol, the Pariss Electric is made from carbon and weighs just 800 kilos. So far, just one prototype has been made but the company says it has received already 60 orders.
technologicvehicles.com
Maserati vs Tesla: Top Gear’s Jason Barlow puts up tradition against innovation when comparing the Maserati Ghibli with Tesla’s Model S. Yet, despite all its Italian class, the Maserati does not stand a chance against the “Silicon Valley interloper (that) has changed everything.”
topgear.com
