Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 details announced The new PHEV will have an electric range of 36 miles Peugeot has revealed details of its forthcoming plug-in hybrid – the 2008 GT Hybrid4 – which will feature a range of up to 36 miles on a single charge. The new SUV features a 13.2 kWh battery, powering two electric motors, which combine with a 200hp 1.6-litre petrol engine to produce 300hp (220kW). As such, the 0-60mph time is just 5.9 seconds, thanks in part to the all-wheel drive system and eight-speed EAT8 automatic transmission. Charging will take less than two hours from a 7kW charge point, via the Type 2 inlet on the car’s rear flank. Emissions are rated as 29 g/km CO2, which when combined with the electric-only range, gives the 3008 Hybrid4 a BIK rating of 10% from April next year. Peugeot has confirmed that a front-wheel drive version of the 3008 PHEV will come along at a later date, with a single 80 kW electric motor placed on the front axle, working with a lower-powered 180hp petrol engine, for a combined 225hp (165kW). The 3008 GT Hybrid4 will be joined by PHEV versions of the 508 Fastback and 508 SW estate, plus the new 208 and 2008 will both be offered with pure-electric powertrains, as Peugeot electrifies its line-up.
Origin: Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 details announced
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Toyota and Suzuki confirm details of new ‘Alliance’
Toyota and Suzuki have announced plans to acquire a financial stake in eachother’s operations, as part of a move towards a collaborative development programme. Toyota plans to take a 4.94% stake in Suzuki at a cost of £743,328,000 for 24,000,000 shares of common stock. Suzuki, meanwhile, will invest roughly £372,000,000 in Toyota. The deal is awaiting approval from the foreign competition authorities. The difference in investment amounts reflects Toyota’s inflated value; in 2018, the company became the first Japanese firm to achieve annual sales of 30 trillion yen (£232,340,271,000), while Suzuki achieved roughly a tenth of that, at 3,871.5 billion yen (£28,273,533,075). A statement from Toyota read: “The two companies intend to achieve sustainable growth, by overcoming new challenges surrounding the automobile sector by building and deepening cooperative relationships in new fields while continuing to be competitors, in addition to strengthening the technologies and products in which each company specializes and their existing business foundations. “Specifically, to take up challenges together in this transitional era, the two companies plan to establish and promote a long-term partnership between the two companies for promoting collaboration in new fields, including the field of autonomous driving.” In March, the two companies announced the first details of a new wide-ranging collaboration, which will involve Toyota producing Suzuki-badged hybrid vehicles based on the RAV4 and Corolla estate for the European market. The deal will include Suzuki vehicles being built at Toyota’s Derbyshire plant. The two Japanese firms signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a partnership in 2017, and have now agreed ‘concrete details’ of the deal. The two firms say the agreement will bring together “Toyota’s strength in electrification technologies and Suzuki’s strength in technologies for compact vehicles”. The agreement is also designed to help both firms “grow in new fields”, and will include joint collaboration in production and electrified vehicles. Toyota and Suzuki say they will “continue to fairly and freely compete against each other”. Both firms have given details on a number of specific projects in which they will collaborate, split into three strands. Toyota will supply its hybrid powertrain system to Suzuki at a global level, and will supply Suzuki with two new electrified vehicles based on the RAV4 and Corolla wagon for the European market. The two new models, both due on sale in late 2020, will be additions to Suzuki’s current range, rather than replacing any current model. The Corolla-based vehicle will be built at Toyota’s Burnaston plant in Derbyshire alongside the new Corolla, with production starting in late 2020. The hybrid powertrains will be made at the firm’s Deeside engine plant. The addition of the new model is not expected to add to the 3200 people employed across the two sites. Toyota has invested more than £2.75 billion in its UK operations, and the head of the firm’s UK manufacturing division, Marvin Cooke, said the move “demonstrates Toyota’s trust in the capability of our workforce to deliver the highler levels of superior quality products.” He added: “Seeking to produce additional volume for other manufacturers is one example of all the efforts we are making to keep our UK manufacturing operations as competitive as they can be.” Toyota will also adopt Suzuki’s newly developed compact vehicle engines in the European market. These engines will be manufactured at Toyota’s facility in Poland. Toyota said it was too early to determine which models would get the engines. The two firms will work to develop hybrid vehicles for the Indian market. Suzuki will also supply Toyota with two compact vehicles based on the Ciaz and Ertiga for the Indian market, and four vehicles in the African market. In addition, Toyota and Suzuki have agreed to collaborate on the development of a C-segment SUV for India, with Toyota taking on production of the Suzuki Vitara Brezza for that market. Toyota boss Akio Toyoda said: “We believe that the expansion of our business partnership with Suzuki – from the mutual supply of vehicles and powertrains to the domains of development and production – will help give us the competitive edge we need to survive this once-in-a-century period of profound transformation.” Suzuki boss Osamu Suzuki added: “We appreciate the kind offer from Toyota to let us make use of their hybrid
Origin: Toyota and Suzuki confirm details of new ‘Alliance’
New Vauxhall Corsa: UK pricing and spec details announced
A GM-based Corsa was all but finished by that point and it could have been launched, but the ‘toolbox’ of newly available PSA technology, including access to BEV hardware, plus licensing costs that would have been payable to GM, meant starting again was “a no brainer”, according to Adams. “We hand-picked our most experienced designers and engineers,” said Adams. “This is not a committee car.” He added that Opel’s design and engineering team had learnt new methods on the way but that the company couldn’t work within such a timeframe with every new model. “You’d kill people with the intensity of the work,” he said. PSA sees Vauxhall and Opel as a good fit with its French brands, noting that their respective British and German heritage means they’ll achieve sales volumes in their home markets that Peugeot, Citroën and DS won’t be able to match. PSA CEO Carlos Tavares has overseen a surprising turnaround of fortunes in an extremely short space of time. Opel-Vauxhall returned a £750m profit last year, its first in two decades. That has come from a mix of cost reduction, extra buying power and a reduction in discounting rather than a notable sales increase. Both Adams and new Vauxhall CEO Steve Norman say Opel-Vauxhall has much more autonomy within the PSA Group than under GM, where it made products that sold not only in Europe but also, with Chevrolet, Holden or Buick badging, in other regions. “You can’t micromanage success”, says Adams, who added he was pleased to find that PSA CEO Carlos Tavares was “extremely focused on brand values”. That approach has allowed Opel-Vauxhall to deviate from other PSA brands and inject its own DNA into the Corsa’s design. Deliveries of the new Corsa start at the end of this year in internal combustion form, with the Corsa-e electric variant arriving a few weeks later. The new Corsa-e can be ordered from this week and will cost £26,490 including the government grant. QA with Steve Norman, Vauxhall CEO Is the Corsa representative what of we should now expect from Vauxhall? “It’s what the brand has needed for some years now, and this will be the precursor for the new Mokka, which will be much more radical still in terms of design.” Is it correct that the small platform means a pure-electric option, while large platforms can have a plug-in hybrid powertrain? “For the moment, yes. What’s interesting in the Corsa-e is that there won’t be an option with less than 136bhp. One of the things that concerns people is that Vauxhalls have become a bit staid, and we need to inject something back into it. This will be quite a fast car.” Do you think there’s a shift in how the business runs day to day? “I wasn’t there in the GM days but the people who work for me were – they think the change is total. They are given freedom to act, that’s the big difference.” “When Carlos Tavares entered into this, he was convinced Opel was undersold in Germany and that Vauxhall was undersold in the UK, and on that I think he was right.” Lawrence Allan and Matt
Origin: New Vauxhall Corsa: UK pricing and spec details announced
Land Rover Defender: details of new Defender family leaked
Vital statistics of Jaguar Land Rover’s all-new Defender family have been leaked online. The big news is that there will be three versions of the new Defender. The first two versions – the 90 and 110 – will be launched for the 2020 model year. What appears to be a series of screen slides, detailing the three-model Slovakian-built Defender family, the engine line-up as well as the trim and options have been covertly photographed and uploaded to Land Rover enthusiast forum Disco4.com. It’s not known where the leak took place, but it appears to be an internal JLR briefing. Like all future JLR models, the Defender family is based on the new aluminium MLB platform, which can be engineered as a conventional mild hybrid, a plug-in hybrid and a pure EV version. There’s no detail as to whether all Defenders will be mild-hybrids as standard and just one plug-in hybrid will be offered in 2020 and 2021. The Defender 90 is described in the slides as the ‘halo image icon’ of the Defender family and is aimed at ‘the young, affluent fun seekers’. The shortest Defender will be available in 5 and 6 seat options, which suggests that a three-abreast front seat is possible. The 90 is also a surprisingly compact machine, measuring just 4.323m long. It is marginally the tallest of the three versions, at 1.927m. The wheelbase measures a just 2.587m. All three Defenders are the same width at 1.999m, though there’s no detail on whether this is measured across the mirrors. Also on sale in 2020 will be the new Defender 110. Land Rover describes this as the ‘definitive’ model in the family. It will be available in 5, 6 and 7 seat forms. It’s aimed at ‘couples, the self-employed and adventurers’. The 110 is 4.758m long and has a rather longer 3.022m wheelbase and is a tad lower at 1.916m. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the Defender 130, which is destined for launch in 2022 and so unlikely to be seen testing until the very end of 2019. This is designated by JLR as a ‘Premium Explorer’ for ‘families and active lifestyle and travel’ and will come with eight seats. The 130 is a significant 5.1m long, although it has the same 3.022m wheelbase as the 110, suggesting a long rear overhang and substantial boot space. Under the bonnet of the 90 and 110 models, there will be a choice of three petrol and three diesel engines in 2020 and 2021 and all Defenders will come as standard with an autobox and all-wheel drive. The diesel units will be offered in D200, D240 (four cylinder) and D300 300bhp (straight-six) forms, with 0-62mph times of around 10.0secs, 8.3secs and 7.4secs respectively. It’s understood the D300 will be the only diesel engine offered in North American markets and arrives for the 2021 model year. Three petrol Defender engines – the P300, P400 and the P400e Plug-in Hybrid – will be on sale immediately. These are thought to all be straight-six units, and will be sold in the US, where many States use the same onerous ‘SULEV’ pollution regime as California. According to the leak, the plug-in P400 offers a torque boost from 400Nm to 645Nm and a 5.9sec 0-62mph time, Autocar understands. There will be three base models in the Defender line-up, the first-year production X, Standard and, for 2021, the X-Dynamic. The high-end X will offer a fixed spec and ‘limited options’ for 2021, before being offered with a wider spec for the 2021 model year. The Defender X will be sold in powerful P300 and P400e petrol forms in 2020, with the D300 diesel being added to a lengthened options list in 2021. The Defender ‘Standard’ will be available with the full range of engine options from launch, aside from the D300 which arrives in 2021. Customers will be able to select a further three specification levels: S, SE and HSE. According to the leaked presentation slides, the ‘Standard’ specification Defenders will get 18in wheels, LED headlamps, 8-way adjustable fabric front seats, a 140W audio system with six speakers, a 7in instrument cluster and a 10in touchscreen. ’S’ specification Defenders add front fog lamps, 12-way adjustable ‘semi-powered’ seats in ‘Performance’ fabric and a 12in digital instrument cluster. The SE gets 20in ‘Apollo’ wheels, Premium LED headlights with high beam assist, powered rear-view mirrors and a passive entry system, 14-way adjustable electric front seats, a 370W Meridian audio system with 10 speakers and automatic parking. Defender HSE models gets Matrix LED headlamps, 18-way adjustable Windsor leather electric memory seats with climate control and what JLR calls a ‘Drive Pack and Park Pack’. The launch ‘X’ model gets darkened 20in wheels and taillights, more highly-specced front seats and a ‘Co-Pilot’ pack. On top of this, JLR will offer four option packs (Capability, Interior Upgrade, Exterior and Convenience) as well as stand-alone options. Accessories – badged as Explorer, Adventure, Urban and Country – will also be offered by dealers. Clearly, JLR is looking to take advantage of the
Origin: Land Rover Defender: details of new Defender family leaked
New Vauxhall Corsa: full engine range details released
A GM-based Corsa was all but finished by that point and it could have been launched, but the ‘toolbox’ of newly available PSA technology, including access to BEV hardware, plus licensing costs that would have been payable to GM, meant starting again was “a no brainer”, according to Adams. “We hand-picked our most experienced designers and engineers,” said Adams. “This is not a committee car.” He added that Opel’s design and engineering team had learnt new methods on the way but that the company couldn’t work within such a timeframe with every new model. “You’d kill people with the intensity of the work,” he said. PSA sees Vauxhall and Opel as a good fit with its French brands, noting that their respective British and German heritage means they’ll achieve sales volumes in their home markets that Peugeot, Citroën and DS won’t be able to match. PSA CEO Carlos Tavares has overseen a surprising turnaround of fortunes in an extremely short space of time. Opel-Vauxhall returned a £750m profit last year, its first in two decades. That has come from a mix of cost reduction, extra buying power and a reduction in discounting rather than a notable sales increase. Both Adams and new Vauxhall CEO Steve Norman say Opel-Vauxhall has much more autonomy within the PSA Group than under GM, where it made products that sold not only in Europe but also, with Chevrolet, Holden or Buick badging, in other regions. “You can’t micromanage success”, says Adams, who added he was pleased to find that PSA CEO Carlos Tavares was “extremely focused on brand values”. That approach has allowed Opel-Vauxhall to deviate from other PSA brands and inject its own DNA into the Corsa’s design. Deliveries of the new Corsa start at the end of this year in internal combustion form, with the Corsa-e electric variant arriving a few weeks later. The new Corsa-e can be ordered from this week and will cost £26,490 including the government grant. QA with Steve Norman, Vauxhall CEO Is the Corsa representative what of we should now expect from Vauxhall? “It’s what the brand has needed for some years now, and this will be the precursor for the new Mokka, which will be much more radical still in terms of design.” Is it correct that the small platform means a pure-electric option, while large platforms can have a plug-in hybrid powertrain? “For the moment, yes. What’s interesting in the Corsa-e is that there won’t be an option with less than 136bhp. One of the things that concerns people is that Vauxhalls have become a bit staid, and we need to inject something back into it. This will be quite a fast car.” Do you think there’s a shift in how the business runs day to day? “I wasn’t there in the GM days but the people who work for me were – they think the change is total. They are given freedom to act, that’s the big difference.” “When Carlos Tavares entered into this, he was convinced Opel was undersold in Germany and that Vauxhall was undersold in the UK, and on that I think he was right.” Lawrence Allan and Matt
Origin: New Vauxhall Corsa: full engine range details released
New Honda e: powertrain details of BMW i3 rival revealed
Honda has revealed further details of its new electric city car, the Honda e, ahead of its dynamic debut later this year. The new machine, which is available to order before deliveries commence in 2020, will arrive with a 50:50 weight distribution and a low centre of gravity due to the placement of its batteries low within the wheelbase. Power will be sent through the rear wheels, while the car will ride on four-wheel independent suspension. The e will use a liquid-cooled 35.5kWh battery Honda claims should deliver more than 125 miles of range. Rapid-charging should allow for an 80% charge in less than 30 minutes, although Honda has yet to reveal the exact maximum charging capacity of the car. While the estimated range is substantially lower than that offered by rival EVs such as the 282-mile Kia e-Niro and 193-mile BMW i3, Hitomi said it was necessary to keep the batteries small to fulfil its city car role. “We believe the range is sufficient for this segment of car,” said Hitomi. “Some potential customers might not be satisfied, but when you think about bigger range and a bigger battery, it has drawbacks in terms of packaging. It’s a balance.” The e will make its first UK appearance at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed. It will take to the event’s hillclimb course, with another on display on the Honda stand. Honda says the e that will appear at Goodwood will be “95% true” to the production version. The latest version of the NSX hybrid supercar will also appear on the Japanese firm’s Goodwood stand. The e is the production version of the Urban EV concept, which was revealed at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show, and Honda has confirmed that many of that car’s features will reach the final model as standard. These will include the camera wing mirror system, which Honda claims reduces aerodynamic drag by around 90%. That is said to improve the efficicency of the entire vehicle by 3.8%, playing a significant role in maximising range. The camera system will feature two modes: a normal mode and a wide mode with an extended field of view, and Honda claims they reduce blindspots by at least 10% compared to mirrors. A special water-repellent coating will be used to stop water obscuring the driver’s vision. Honda recently began taking orders for the e, ahead of first deliveries beginning in spring 2020. Mirroring the process of rivals such as Tesla and Peugeot with the e-208, potential customers are invited to cough up a reservation fee of £800 to get “priority status” on the order books. Those customers will be invited to place a full order later this year. The e’s pricing is still yet to be announced, but as with most reservations, the fee is refundable if buyers change their mind. A near-production version of the e was shown at this year’s Geneva motor show, dubbed the e Prototype. Honda has confirmed the ‘e’ name will stay for the production version and revealed a selection of available paint options for customers at launch. The firm believes the car’s retro design will give it an Apple-style appeal to customers. It maintains the styling of the Urban EV, albeit with the addition of an extra set of doors. While Honda has yet to reveal full technical details of the car, its designers told Autocar at the Geneva show that it would offer “more than” 98bhp and 221lb ft of torque. Honda has said there are more than 6500 people in the UK who have expressed interest in the e so far. Pricing has yet to be set, but Autocar understands a ballpark figure is £35,000. Project manager Kohei Hitomi said the machine had been the subject of an internal “battle” over whether to put it into production, with the positive reaction to the concept being a key factor in it gaining approval. The car is slightly shorter than the Jazz and around 100mm taller than the Mini hatchback. It is built on a new platform designed for A and B-segment electric cars, with underfloor batteries produced by Panasonic that are similar to those used in the US-market Accord plug-in hybrid. The rear-mounted electric motor drives the rear wheels, which employ torque vectoring to give a smoother response and improved handling in tight corners. As well as featuring cameras instead of rear-view mirrors, there are also flush door handles to further boost aerodynamic efficiency, while the charging port is mounted centrally in the bonnet. The cockpit of the e prototype is dominated by two 12in touchscreens, built into a dashboard finished with a wood-effect trim. The seats – including a two-seat bench in the rear – are covered in polyester, which, as with the wood effect, is designed to make the interior feel like a living room. The e will be built in Japan and go on sale in selected European markets in late 2019, with others following in 2020. It will also be sold in Japan. Hitomi said it is “important” the car is affordable but he added: “A low price is not always a guarantee of success. When you look at Apple
Origin: New Honda e: powertrain details of BMW i3 rival revealed
Aston Martin details James Bond-inspired DB5 continuation
When Aston Martin announced that it was planning to create 25 ‘continuation’ replicas of the DB5 used in the James Bond film Goldfinger, the big question was how it would deliver on the original car’s huge tally of gadgets. Now the firm’s Works Division has shown us several of the gadgets under development in the programme, led by Academy Award-winning special-effects creator and Bond film veteran Chris Corbould. While the finished cars, which will be delivered to customers next year, will have more features, we have been shown three: the replica machine guns that will pop out from behind the front indicator lights, the oil-spray system that deploys from behind the taillights and the smoke screen. Paul Spires, Works Division’s president, confirmed that the finished cars will also have rotating numberplates, a sliding ‘bulletproof’ rear deflector and a representation of the original DB5’s famous ejector seat, although one that won’t actually be capable of firing passengers out of the car. A simulated radar tracking screen and an identical centre console to the film car’s will also feature. Corbould said he had to think “for about a second and a half” when asked to work on the project, but admitted that there have been serious challenges in making features that are both convincing and repeatable. “If we were doing an oil slick in a film, then we could fill the boot with equipment and put out about 50 litres in a couple of seconds,” he said. “Here it has to fit into a much smaller space, and it has to be able to work again and again.” There was also the need to consider health and safety. Although the Goldfinger DB5s won’t be road legal, Spires said that the company does have to make sure they won’t harm anyone. “We have had to make all of this work within the limitations of health and safety,” he explained. Corbould has worked on every Bond film with the exception of Octopussy since The Spy Who Loved Me, and admits to working on the forthcoming 25th outing of the franchise. The decision to produce a corresponding 25 of the Goldfinger cars – each priced at £3.3 million including VAT – suggests we can expect to see 007’s long-running connection with Aston
Origin: Aston Martin details James Bond-inspired DB5 continuation
Kia details UK prices and specifications for updated Niro
Revised versions of the Kia Niro hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) are now on sale in the UK, priced from £24,590. Four trim levels are available, each powered by the firm’s 1.6-litre GDi petrol engine. Hybrid models receive a 1.56 kWh lithium-ion polymer battery pack, with plug-in variants using a larger 8.9 kWh unit. Prices range from less than £25,000 for entry-level ‘1’ trim, to £31,945 for top-spec plug-in hybrid versions. Revealed at the Geneva motor show, the compact SUV’s facelift adds greater connectivity and a tweaked exterior design. Both the hybrid and plug-in hybrid Niro receive new front and rear bumpers inspired by the electric e-Niro, with new LED daytime running lights as standard and Kia’s ‘ice-cube’-styled projection headlights. LED headlights and foglights will be available as options. New paint colours and alloy wheel designs have also been added to the range. Bigger changes can be found inside, where Kia has upgraded the dashboard with soft-touch materials and added red-orange and plum colour trim packs. The manual handbrake has been replaced by an electronic parking brake and the steering wheel gains paddle shifters to take manual control of the six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The 8.0in touchscreen infotainment system can now be upgraded to a 10.25in widescreen and the 4.2in instrument cluster can be exchanged for a 7.0in Supervision display. Kia’s UVO Connect telematics system has also been added to the range, providing always-connected functionality such as live traffic information, fuel prices and charging station information through an integrated SIM card. The updated Niro is now available with optional stop and go cruise control and active lane keep assist functionality for the first time. “The Niro has become a key growth driver for Kia in Europe and is a cornerstone of our electrified product strategy,” Emilio Herrera, Kia Europe CEO, said. “New enhancements to quality and design and the adoption of our ‘connected’ UVO system will make the Niro family an even more compelling proposition.” The Niro is now one of Kia’s best-selling European models, with over 14,000 hybrid and PHEV models sold in the UK alone since its introduction in
Origin: Kia details UK prices and specifications for updated Niro
Polestar reveals more details about its upcoming 2 EV
2020 Polestar 2Supplied / Polestar Gradually — very gradually a cynic might say — we’re getting a handle on this whole Polestar project. In San Francisco, not far from the Silicon Valley startups that seem to influence so much of Polestar’s modus operandi, the Swedish/Chinese upstart peeled away yet another layer of the onion that is its first all-electric car, the Polestar 2. What this latest layer revealed is an interior worthy of its German — and, not forgetting Tesla, its American — competition, a little more detail on the pricing/range equation and a whole bunch on how Polestar plans on flogging its emissions-reduced performance future. First and foremost, Polestar in Canada will, no surprise here, focus its attention on the sophisticated hubs of Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto, places where its new sales language — one doesn’t go to a dealer anymore, you visit a space and you certainly don’t “option” your car, you “curate” it — will find a welcome home. Initial “Launch” cars will cost $69,000 and will include everything but the Sport Package (20-inch tires and Ohlins suspension) and leather seats (the standard seat coverings are vegan, by the way). That’s for the 78 kilowatt-hour version that boast a 275-mile EPA-assured range and 500 kilometres EU rated range (if you’re wondering why those numbers don’t convert, it’s because, like all continental ratings, their EV testing standards are a little more, uhm, liberal). Rumours of a shorter-range, possibly 40 kWh, version are exactly that; rumour. China will be getting an entry-level version but the cheapest 2 we Nord Americanos will see will be a stripped 78-kWh version that will undercut the launch version by some 10 grand. It will also only arrive after the “Launch” version, which is due in about a year from now. One last interesting little tidbit: At least initially, the 2 will be available for traditional purchase or lease as well as the “subscription” basis that the company is pushing so hard. The big news from this latest (of what is sure to be many) reveal was a quick peek at Google’s new embedded — as opposed to projected, i.e. from your phone — in-car infotainment system. Called Android Automotive — yes, I easily confused it with Android Auto too — it is an even more seamless integration of the Google user interface into the touchscreen, which, unsurprisingly, looks an awful lot like Volvo’s 11-inch portrait-oriented screen. We’ll be covering its operation in tomorrow’s Motor Mouth, but we’ll leave you with this little tidbit. The Polestar 2 doesn’t require a key. You don’t even have to push a button to start it. Your phone is the key and a weight sensor in the driver’s seat is the electric motor’s on/off switch. Tres
Origin: Polestar reveals more details about its upcoming 2 EV
Canadian gov’t outlines EV incentive details, list of 27 eligible models and trims
Charging an electric carGetty The Canadian federal government April 17 released details regarding the incentives it plans to roll out to buyers of zero-emissions vehicles across the country. The incentives, worth either $2,500 and $5,000 depending on the vehicle’s range, will be drawn from a pool of $300 million over three years, Transport Canada said in a release, and apply to a list of new vehicles purchased or leased on or after May 1, 2019. The release also listed new zero-emissions vehicle sales targets for the country of 10 percent of new light-duty vehicle sales by 2025; 30 percent by 2030; and 100 percent by 2040. To be eligible for incentives, a vehicle must have a base-model manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of less than $45,000 for passenger vehicles with six or fewer seats, and less than $55,000 for vehicles with seven or more seats, the ministry explained. For eligible vehicles with six or fewer seats, higher-priced versions (trims) are eligible as long as the final manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $55,000 or less, and for vehicles with seven or more seats, trims with a price up to $60,000 will qualify. Vehicles can still qualify even if delivery, freight and other fees, such as vehicle colour and add-on accessories push the sale price above those limits. That added window makes eligible many more vehicles than critics first assumed when the $45,000-MSRP threshold was first announced. The rebate will be $5,000 for battery electric, hydrogen fuel cell, or longer range plug-in hybrid vehicles with a range of 50 km or better per single charge; and $2,500 for shorter-range plug-in hybrid vehicles with a range under that distance. The list of eligible vehicles currently includes some 27 models and trims, including the Audi A3 e-tron; Chevrolet Bolt and Volt; Chrysler Pacifica plug-in hybrid; Ford Fusion Energi and Focus Electric; Honda Clarity plug-in hybrid; Hyundai Ioniq, Kona and Sonata EVs and hybrids; Kia Niro, Optima and Soul EVs and hybrids; Mini Cooper Countryman plug-in hybrid; Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV; Nissan Leaf Plus; Toyota Prius Prime; VW e-Golf; and smart fortwo. “We are working with Canadians across the country to support practical and affordable solutions to fight climate change, Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, was quoted. The transportation sector is key to Canada’s economy—but it also accounts for a quarter of our emissions. Making sure Canadians have access to options to get where they need to go in a cleaner, cheaper, faster way will protect our environment and grow our economy.” The new federal program will also fund continued expansion of electric vehicle charging stations. The incentive program was rolled out as part of Budget 2019, and is still subject to Parliamentary
Origin: Canadian gov’t outlines EV incentive details, list of 27 eligible models and trims
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