In this week’s collection of motoring murmurs, we hear why BMW isn’t building another B-Class rival, how Hyundai is ready for any market eventuality, and more. Munich’s MPVs make way for high-riders Don’t expect to see a replacement for BMW’s 2 Series Active Tourer and seven-seat Gran Tourer, at least for some time. BMW’s product management vice-president, Peter Henrich, claims the current MPVs have “done an excellent job in bringing new customers to our brand” but are now “not at the centre of what our brand today stands for”. “We will see about moving Gran Tourer customers to our SUVs,” he added. Volkswagen tightens its grip on power Volkswagen sales boss Jürgen Stackmann says the firm has no concerns over battery supply limiting its ability to produce 100,000 ID 3 electric cars per year from 2020 onwards. Some car firms are struggling to secure enough batteries to meet demand, but Stackmann said VW’s supply was secure “as far as you have security in life and business. We will have stable and good supply for the volumes we want to build.” Volvo grabs the green pump Volvo won’t follow Mercedes down the diesel hybrid route, according to UK operations director David Baddeley. “There will either be petrol, petrol hybrid or full battery electric,” he said. “Go back two or three years and we were 98% diesel in the UK. Now we are 60% diesel and moving quickly. You’ve got to anticipate these changes.” Hyundai: Fail to prepare, prepare to fail… New Hyundai UK boss Ashley Andrew claims the allure of the brand is that it has “completely future-proofed itself, whichever way it goes” in terms of powertrains. “If the market goes towards battery-electric vehicles, we have them; if it goes towards hydrogen quickly, we’ve got that. Not only that, we’ve got the intellectual
Origin: Autocar confidential: Hyundai won’t be caught short, BMW ends its ‘Gran Tour’ and more
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Autocar confidential: Volvo’s views on saloons, Lexus holds on to hybrids and more
In this week’s stroll through motoring’s backstage area, we hear how Volkswagen plans to revolutionise online car buying, why Lexus thinks hybrids are still so important and more. Volkswagen’s quick click Volkswagen aims to introduce a new car-buying experience with the ID 3 EV, which will be launched in September, with sales boss Jürgen Stackmann saying the firm plans to enable “10 clicks to a finished car” when ordering one. But although it is moving towards online buying, he said dealerships will still be key: “In China, people do everything on their phone – except buy cars. You still need to touch and test a car.” Honda looks forward with the e The Honda e features a classic bonnet design, despite lacking an internal combustion engine – and that’s because it’s the best shape for visibility. Designer Ken Sahara said of the EV: “At first, we tried to make it more futuristic and did several sketches with a shorter front. But from a functional perspective, a (steeply raked) A-pillar just makes bad visibility, so we used the two-box shape.” Volvo can handle saloon buyers A stronger focus on an engaging driving experience is now a “prerequisite” for any new mid-sized saloon, reckons Volvo’s UK operations director, David Baddeley. “The segment has moved in a more dynamic direction,” he said. “If driving dynamics aren’t a big need for you, you’re much more likely to end up in an SUV. The market has differentiated and now you need dynamics.” Lexus hybrid-ges the gap Lexus thinks that traditional hybrids are just as worthy as the new breed of plug-in hybrids from rivals. UK boss Ewan Shepherd said: “We believe hybrid is the tech for now. It is much more practical for someone coming out of a diesel or petrol. The infrastructure in cities is not there yet to make electric and plug-in hybrid
Origin: Autocar confidential: Volvo’s views on saloons, Lexus holds on to hybrids and more
Autocar confidential: five-digit EV sales still a way off for Jaguar, Seat finds a more premium audience and more
This week’s selection of snippets from the automotive sphere brings news of Seat’s continuing rise towards premium status, a bright future for McLaren and Nissan’s worries that governments could be doing more for autonomy. London longing for electric Jaguars UK sales of the Jaguar I-Pace will double to around 3000 units in the next 12 months, according to UK boss Rawdon Glover, though he predicted that five-digit sales of the EV would be at least five years away. More than 40% of I-Pace sales are within the M25. Seat not so simple any more The Seat Tarraco and stand-alone Cupra brand are pushing buyers into higher, hitherto unseen price points for the firm, much to boss Luca de Meo’s delight. “We’ve been on a journey, first to get people to consider our cars for more than £20,000 and now more than £30,000. It is working. There was no future in selling our cars for 15% less than similar ones,” he says. McLaren gives customers what they want McLaren’s Special Operations department has tripled its business in the past two years, and CEO Mike Flewitt sees no reason why that trajectory won’t continue. “We’re seeing it again with Speedtail that people who buy exclusive cars want to make them individual,” he said. “Our bespoke content offering is hitting new heights.” Governments make autonomy a no-go? Peter Bedrosian, Nissan Europe’s product planning chief, says it’s government legislation, and not technology, that is slowing the advancement of autonomous vehicles. “It’s not the know-how holding us back – a lot of policy needs to change before we introduce level-three autonomy and above,” he said. “It requires a big change in legislation and infrastructure, because it profoundly changes cars. We’ll be ready for level three by 2019 and, depending on policies, 2020 for level four and above.”
Origin: Autocar confidential: five-digit EV sales still a way off for Jaguar, Seat finds a more premium audience and more
Autocar confidential: Skoda takes the high road, Ferrari keeps it traditional and more
Ferrari, Skoda and Toyota lead the snippets from our automotive newsgatherers this week, with electrification being high on the agenda for all involved. Maranel-ectrification is a stretch Don’t count on seeing an all-electric Ferrari for a long time yet. Michael Leiters, Ferrari technical chief, said there are two big issues with the tech: sound and weight. “It’s not fitting right now for a Ferrari,” he said. “We’re studying, yes, to learn better but there is no decision yet.” The first Ferrari hybrids will arrive later this year. Three’s the magic number Skoda is content to keep its UK line-up of SUVs to three over the coming years, according to boss Bernhard Maier. Despite some rivals expanding their range further, Maier said: “I think we have everything our competitors do. What are we missing? We don’t always have to bring the same kind of cars. Our line-up is profitable and successful, and customer feedback is that our vehicles are spot on.” Toyota and Lexus make a power play Toyota and its luxury marque, Lexus, will outline their electrification plans at this year’s Tokyo motor show in October. Until now, the brands’ focus has been on hybrids but announcements are expected at the show about electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The brands’ models, which are built on a new global architecture, can be adapted to different powertrains with relative ease. Courting controversy The judge responsible for many of the Dieselgate lawsuits at a regional court in Stuttgart, Germany, has been replaced due to suspected bias at the request of Volkswagen. The judge’s wife is the owner of a VW diesel car affected by the emissions scandal and has sued the German car maker in a district
Origin: Autocar confidential: Skoda takes the high road, Ferrari keeps it traditional and more
Autocar confidential: Mercedes-AMG’s delayed hypercar, Audi plans a special delivery and more
This week, we’ve got the lowdown on the the delay in launching Mercedes-AMG’s hypercar, Infiniti’s next step, Seat’s position in the VW Group, and more. Affalterbach needs its filter back Mercedes-AMG’s flagship hypercar, the One, has reportedly been delayed while the company works to fit a particulate filter – to ensure WLTP emissions certification – without dropping the power output below 1000bhp. AMG boss Tobias Moers admitted the problem to Autocar but said there has been “great progress” in implementing a fix. “We’re figuring out when the first customers will get their cars in the next few weeks,” Moers said. Audi’s new ‘hot’ hatch Audi reckons shared autonomous cars could revolutionise takeaways – by arriving with your food already on board. The firm’s AI:ME urban concept car features a food storage unit and subscribers can request a car and food using an app. The autonomous car stops at the restaurant and is loaded up with the food en route to arriving for use. Infiniti looks eastwards After announcing it will pull the plug on Europe later this year, Infiniti is betting the farm on China. At the Shanghai motor show, the brand said it will build its first electrified model in China, for China. Its target is to triple sales in China in the next five years with a number of locally made cars. VW Group remains Seated Seat may still be “very much a regional brand”, but a sale has never been on the table because it is so intertwined with the VW Group’s technology, according to group CEO Herbert Deiss. “It also makes sense within the group because it attracts a different kind of customer than anyone else.” That different kind of customer is a younger one – Seat owners are the youngest of any VW Group
Origin: Autocar confidential: Mercedes-AMG’s delayed hypercar, Audi plans a special delivery and more
Autocar confidential: Morgan’s factory expansion plans, BMW’s hydrogen doubts and more
In this week’s report from the motoring grapevine, we hear why BMW isn’t prioritising hydrogen technology development, how Morgan will use some of the funds from its recent cash injection and more. No solid plans Solid-state battery technology remains several years away from production reality, according to new Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius. Speaking to Autocar, he claimed that none of the suppliers developing it “are currently at the stage where we can go out and say ‘please sell me these’”. Källenius reckons we won’t see a solid-state production EV before 2025. Citi limits The Skoda e-Citigo, launching this year as the Czech firm’s first electric model, will feature a range of around 186 miles. That will make the city car, based on the Volkswagen e-Up, “more than competitive in its class”, according to Skoda boss Bernhard Maier. New plot for old plot Morgan has built on only half of the 10-acre site where its Malvern factory is located. This means there’s plenty of room for the new museum, visitor centre, design studio and production increase (from 750 to 1500 units) it has proposed. The plans have received council backing. Not cooking on gas While Audi is ramping up its hydrogen programme, BMW’s product management boss Peter Henrich doesn’t see fuel cells “lifting off in the near future”, pointing out that infrastructure challenges with hydrogen remain. Any success fuel cells have is “very much dependent” on the speed of battery development, he
Origin: Autocar confidential: Morgan’s factory expansion plans, BMW’s hydrogen doubts and more
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