American start-up Fisker has announced a partnership with Electrify America that will give drivers of its 2020 Ocean SUV access to “the largest open fast charging network” in the US. Fisker claims that Electrify America’s 350kW rapid chargers, which are compatible with all mainstream electric vehicles (EVs), are capable of delivering more than 200 miles of range in as little as 30 minutes. The network is currently under development, with plans to be operating in 45 of the 50 states by December 2021. The announcement comes as the company gears up to unwrap the futuristic Tesla Model Y rival at the CES exhibition in Las Vegas on 4 January 2020. The Ocean will be offered primarily to customers through a leasing programme, with prices starting from $379 (£295) per month, after a deposit of $2999 (£2335), for the cheapest of the five trim levels. Prospective customers can pay a fully refundable $250 (£194) deposit now via Fisker’s smartphone app to secure a reservation. Fisker says it will sell a “very limited” number of Oceans outright at the request of several global customers. The California-based company claims its first series production car is “the world’s most sustainable vehicle”, with recycled, vegan and other natural products used throughout. A full-length solar roof is said to offer 1000 additional zero-emissions miles per year, while recycled fishing nets, t-shirts, bottles and tyres feature throughout the interior and exterior to lessen the model’s well-to-wheel carbon footprint. The Ocean is also claimed to offer “the highest five-star safety rating”, with Fisker drawing attention to the prominent side impact protection beams. It’s unclear, however, whether the SUV has yet been tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which conducts crash tests in the US. The Ocean rides high and has modern, utilitarian styling. Flared wheel arches hint at its performance potential, while narrow headlights and chrome detailing are a nod to the 2018 Fisker Emotion concept. It features what the firm calls “captivating design touches that have been traditionally reserved for supercars in the past”. Prominent styling details include a front-mounted radar in place of a grille, a large front air intake, flared wheel arches and a futuristic headlight design. Fisker has also confirmed that the side indicators double as charging indicators, turning green when the battery is full. Also featured is a targa-style removable roof section which Fisker says offers the open-air benefits of a convertible “without compromising the rugged and safe structural integrity of an SUV”. The battery is claimed to provide a range of up to 300 miles. The Ocean will be available in four-wheel drive form, with an electric motor mounted on each axle. Fisker also claims that the SUV’s interior will offer class-leading space, a large head-up display and an intelligent user interface. The company is also at work on developing solid-state battery technology, which it says would allow future vehicles to gain 500 miles worth of charge in as little as one minute. Fisker Inc. was formed in 2016, succeeding the bankrupted Fisker Automotive company that launched the Karma range-extender luxury saloon – now re-engineered and on sale as the Karma Revero GT – in
Origin: 2020 Fisker Ocean can gain 200 miles of range in 30 minutes
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Porsche 911 to gain manual gearbox option
Porsche has released a new seven-speed manual gearbox option for the 911, which, since launch, has been offered exclusively with an eight-speed PDK automatic. The new option has so far only been released to the US market, where a Porsche spokesman said there is increased demand for manual models, as demonstrated by the success of the six-speed 991-gen GT3 range-topper. Porsche’s representative also said that the 992-generation 911 became available much later in the US than it did here, hence the staggered global roll-out of different drivetrain options, and that we can expect the manual option to arrive in the UK in the first half of 2020. Both the mid-range Carrera S and top-spec 4S, in Coupé and Cabriolet guises, can be equipped with the manual gearbox, with no word on whether it will be soon made available on the entry-level Carrera variant. There’s no word on UK pricing yet, but the manual gearbox is being offered to American 911 buyers as a no-cost option. Choosing it also brings the firm’s Sport Chrono timing package, which includes uprated engine mounts, a sport suspension setting, rev-match function and steering wheel-mounted drive mode selector. As with the old 991-generation 911, the manual-equipped 992 receives a mechanical limited-slip differential with torque vectoring functionality as standard. This replaces the electronically adjustable unit fitted to PDK-equipped models. Porsche claims a 0-60mph time of approximately four seconds and a top speed of 190mph, with the manual version tipping the scales at 1496kg, at least 9kg less than the automatic model. While Porsche only offers 992-generation 911 with a PDK gearbox in the UK, the limited-run Speedster, a retro-styled performance variant of its predecessor, is offered exclusively with a manual
Origin: Porsche 911 to gain manual gearbox option
New BMW X5 M and X6 M gain 616bhp Competition variants
BMW M has revealed the third generation of its performance SUV flagships, the X5 M and coupé-styled X6 M, with both available in Competition form for the first time. Detailed ahead of their public debut at November’s LA motor show, both are set for a market launch commencing in April next year. A spokesperson has confirmed that the UK will only be able to order the Competition variants, priced from £110,610 for the X5 M and £113,310 for the X6 M. They will rival the Porsche Cayenne and Cayenne Coupé in Turbo forms, and are both powered by BMW M’s now familiar twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8. The standard X5 M and X6 M put out 592bhp, which is 25bhp more than both outgoing models. However, in keeping with the tradition set first by the latest M5, the Competition models boost this output to 616bhp. Torque is pegged at 553lb ft in all variants. The motor in both is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox with all-wheel drive and an Active M differential, said to help deliver the power through the wheels over any terrain. BMW claims super-stiff engine mountings boost response and refinement, while the engine oil supply system has been designed to cope with extensive track use. The result is a 0-62mph time quoted at 3.9sec for both cars, and a 0-124mph time of 13.7sec for the X5 M and 13.5sec for the X6 M. The Competition models drop the 0-62mph sprint down to 3.8sec, while the 0-124mph sprint is 13.4sec for the X5 M and 13.2sec for the X6 M. All models hit the same 155mph limiter unless you spec the optional M Driver’s Package, which raises the top speed to 180mph. Conversely, BMW quotes between 21.7mpg and 22.6mpg, depending on model and spec, with CO2 figures ranging from 284-296g/km. Competition models also feature the M Sport exhaust upgrade as standard (it’s optional on the regular cars), which is said to offer even greater aural thrills than the base M models’ already uprated exhaust system. This being a full-fat M model, there’s also substantial chassis upgrades. Alongside the Active M differential, the xDrive all-wheel drive gives a rear-biased power delivery, with even more power shifted to the rear in the 4WD Sport drive mode. Standard-fit adaptive suspension with electronic dampers and an active roll stabilisation system are drafted in, as is Servotronic steering with a specific M tuning. The X5 M and X6 M’s braking system also offers two settings for pedal feel. Both the X5 M and X6 M benefit from the usual array of M-specific design details, including larger air intakes, ‘gills’ on the front wing, drag-reducing exterior mirrors, a rear spoiler and a diffuser element surrounding the four-exit tailpipes. Competition models add specific M light alloy wheels (21in front, 22in rear) and unique badging. The interior features a host of new menu functions to allow extensive configuration of the drive modes. Specific set-ups can be saved and accessed via M buttons on the wheel, while M-specific instrument readouts and M performance seats complete the roster of changes. Competition cars get unique leather upholstery,
Origin: New BMW X5 M and X6 M gain 616bhp Competition variants
Next-gen Mercedes-Benz C-Class to gain S-Class tech
The next Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been redesigned from the ground up, with highly efficient new hybrid drivetrains and advanced autonomous driving technology set to be some of its key draws. Having experienced a sharp drop in C-Class sales in recent years because of the universal gravitation of buyers towards SUVs, the German maker is providing the fifth-generation model with many of the developments being readied for the new S-Class. The new C-Class, codenamed W206, will challenge the recently facelifted Audi A4 and new BMW 3 Series when it arrives in UK showrooms in 2021. As evidenced by the latest prototypes, the design of the new C-Class is a clear evolution of the styling seen on today’s model. Although its exterior features a new-look front end with more angular headlights, the new car’s proportions, dimensions and overall silhouette remain very close to those of the model it replaces. The starting point for the new C-Class is Mercedes’ MRA (Modular Rear Architecture) platform. It offers a number of advances over the earlier version of the steel and aluminium structure. These include, according to insiders, more advanced electrical architecture that supports a 48V system, which is key to providing the 2021 model with a new range of plug-in hybrid drivetrains. The MRA structure uses a double-wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension, with adaptive damping likely to be offered as standard across the range in most markets, including the UK. The new C-Class will continue to provide the option of rear air springs on selected models. As well as being used by the C-Class saloon, estate, coupé and cabriolet, the new platform will underpin successor models to the GLC and GLC Coupé, with a choice of both rear-wheel drive and optional four-wheel drive. New all-terrain model As an addition to the existing line-up, Mercedes has given the green light to a new Audi A4 Allroad rival in the C-Class All Terrain model. Based on the standard estate, it will receive more rugged styling, with unique bumpers and wheel-arch cladding, increased ride height and beefed-up underbody protection measures already brought to the larger E-Class All Terrain. The engine line-up for the fifth-generation C-Class will consist primarily of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines featuring a choice of EQ Boost mild-hybrid and EQ Power plug-in hybrid functions in combination with either a starter/generator or gearbox-mounted electric motor. New electric motor and battery technology should increase the efficiency of future hybrid drivetrains, although the plug-in C-Class is likely to continue to offer the 31-mile range of the current C300de at the start of sales. Despite the focus on efficiency, Mercedes is also planning successor models to today’s C43 and C63. The C43’s 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol engine will adopt mild-hybrid tech, but the C63 is set to continue with an updated version of today’s 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine, with up to 550bhp in a new range-topping C63 S 4Matic+. That will use a fully variable four-wheel-drive system rather than today’s rear-driven set-up. In a bid to make the new C-Class the most advanced car in its class, Mercedes will bring in the very latest autonomous driving features to set what one source involved in its development has described to Autocar as “new standards in human-machine interface in the automotive field”. Leading the push is a new Drive Pilot function with level three functionality. Due to make its debut on the seventh-generation S-Class in 2020, it will allow hands-off driving at speeds of up to 80mph for extended distances. This brings a whole new range of sensor functions, including long-range lidar, multi-mode radar, the latest ultra-sonic sensors and a new stereo camera from Korean supplier LG. It also provides the basis for a new level four automated valet parking function developed by Mercedes in partnership with Bosch. It allows the new C-Class to negotiate parking garages and manoeuvre into free parking spaces – all via a smartphone app interface. Advanced adaptive cruise control will allow the C-Class to follow the car ahead at speeds of up to 130mph, slowing down automatically when speed limits change. It will also support the usual active lane change, lane keeping, emergency stop and brake assist with cross-traffic functions. To make the most of these functions, the C-Class’s new interior will be inspired by the earlier Concept EQ. It will feature large digital displays incorporating both the instruments and infotainment functions as well as new touch-based controls in a less bulky dashboard. This will also provide a greater feeling of interior space, it is
Origin: Next-gen Mercedes-Benz C-Class to gain S-Class tech
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