Bristol City Council is consulting on proposals to introduce the UK’s first no-diesel zone by 2021, as part of a drive to improve air quality in the area. The so-called Clean Air Zone has been devised as a means of delivering “the fastest possible improvement in air quality against targets for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) legal limits”, according to the council. If implemented, the measures would see privately-owned diesel vehicles banned from entering a designated section of the city centre between 7am and 3pm every day. A wider charging zone would be in constant operation for high-emission commercial vehicles, including buses, taxis, HGVs and LGVs, with suggested costs yet to be announced. A diesel vehicle scrappage scheme would launch at the same time, to encourage Bristol drivers to swap into less polluting cars. The announcement comes two years after Bristol City Council was ordered by the government to produce a plan for bringing the area’s NO2 levels to within legal limits. It has been suggested that the Clean Air Zone could help to achieve this by 2025. Bristol Mayor Marvin Rees said: “These ambitious plans demonstrate our commitment to tackling air pollution so we meet legal limits within the shortest time, without disproportionally affecting citizens on lower incomes, which would happen with a blanket approach to charging vehicles. “Protecting the most vulnerable people from pollution is central to these plans and we have ensured that all impacts have been carefully considered. If approved, mitigation measures will support those most affected, especially those living in the most deprived communities.” The predicted cost of implementation of the scheme totals £113.5 million, with comprehensive upgrades to the city’s ANPR network, road marking and signage necessary to its successful operation. The proposals will be fully detailed and debated at a meeting of Bristol City Council’s cabinet on 5 November. The final business case is due to be submitted to government in February next
Origin: Bristol City Council plots diesel vehicle ban
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Lamborghini plots all-electric four-door GT for 2025
Lamborghini’s fourth model line, a 2+2 grand tourer inspired by the 2008 Estoque concept, is due to be given the green light to arrive by 2025 – and, in a shock development, could become the brand’s first fully electric car. The four-seater, which has been chosen after being evaluated against a possible third mid-engined supercar, will sit alongside the entry-level Huracán supercar, the range-topping Aventador and the Urus SUV. Early debates questioned whether the 2+2 would be front or mid-engined, but a far more radical approach is now under serious consideration, according to Lamborghini RD boss Maurizio Reggiani. “If you look at the timing for a fourth model line, there is the potential that this will be the right time for a full-electric vehicle,” he said. Reggiani added that such a car could use a platform from the broader Volkswagen Group, of which Lamborghini is a member. The most likely candidate would be a development of the current PPE architecture, the high-end electric platform used by the new Porsche Taycan and upcoming Audi E-tron GT. Such a move would help Lamborghini achieve the necessary economies of scale to reduce the significant cost of developing a pure-electric model with the capabilities expected of a Lamborghini. Reggiani touched on the perennial issue of how to combine performance and range but said: “Performance will be important (in a 2+2). We must be fast but not quite in the same way as we need to be in our super-sports cars. A fourth model line will be something a little bit different.” A range of at least 350 miles would be expected of a grand tourer, and possibly much more given the maturity of the EV market by 2025. It’s also hard to imagine Lamborghini buyers accepting 0-62mph acceleration beyond 3.0sec. Previously, Lamborghini had eschewed anything but its naturally aspirated V10 and V12 powertrains, but given the demands of legislation, it recently unveiled the limited-production Sián – its most powerful and fastest-accelerating car yet and also its first hybrid. The Sián uses the Aventador’s 6.5-litre V12 mated with a 48V gearbox-integrated electric motor, collectively producing 808bhp. Power is not stored in a conventional lithium ion battery but rather generated by a supercapacitor unit three times as powerful as a cell of the same weight and three times lighter than a battery with the same output. A regenerative braking system sends power to the supercapacitor unit under deceleration and acts as a power boost. Although the Sián is a hybrid, many elements of this system – not least the innovative supercapacitor technology and regenerative braking – could be carried over to an electric car. Talking about the introduction of a fourth model line, Reggiani said: “We first need to establish and consolidate the Urus line. It took 10 years to establish our V10 model, from when the Gallardo launched in 2003 through to the Huracán, so we need to make sure we do the same with the Urus.” He added: “There’s a minimum of four years in advance of launching a model to develop it.” That means such a car must start progressing from 2021 at the latest to be ready for 2025. The styling of the grand tourer will reflect the aggressive lines common among Lamborghini’s lineup. But given its cruising credentials, it’s set to have a more mature design, more closely aligned to the Urus than the Aventador and Huracán and with strong influence from the Estoque, despite that concept now being 11 years old. The realisation of a fourth model line relies much on Lamborghini’s growing sales, particularly of its Urus. Considered the Italian firm’s cash cow, the Urus will give Lamborghini the financial security to continue producing extravagant supercars and now, as well, fund the development of a fourth model line. The SUV formula has already had a dramatic impact. In the first six months of 2019, Lamborghini sold 4554 cars, a 96% rise on the same period last year. The Urus accounted for almost 60% of its sales. The 2+2 is most likely to be built, like the Urus, at the Sant’Agata Bolognese plant. Three more pioneering Lambos Miura: The first two-seat supercar to feature a rear/mid-engined drivetrain layout, the Bertone-designed Miura is among the most revered Italian cars ever made and regarded as the genesis of modern supercar development. Sesto Elemento: Based on the Gallardo, the Sesto Elemento is a limited-run 562bhp track car composed largely of carbonfibre and weighing less than a tonne. Just 20 were made and they sold out before completion at nearly £2 million each. With a high-output electric motor on each wheel, this concept previewed Lamborghini’s future powertrains. Key features included self-healing bodywork, a kinetic energy recovery system and a structurally integral battery
Origin: Lamborghini plots all-electric four-door GT for 2025
Autocar confidential: Alfa plots next-gen Giulia, Pininfarina’s usable hypercar and more
In this week’s round-up of automotive gossip, we hear how Volkswagen’s inching nearer to a brand-wide electric revolution, why Pininfarina thinks its Battista has the edge over the Aston Martin Valkyrie and more. New plan for Milan’s sedan Sales of Alfa Romeo’s critically well-received Giulia are not strong, saloons being a declining segment – and FCA’s European design boss Klaus Busse says Alfa is already thinking about what kind of vehicle might replace it. “We have an idea, but it’s too early to share,” he said. Vorsprung durch tech-quick Audi exterior design chief Andreas Mindt said the E-tron GT, the firm’s Tesla Model S-rivalling flagship electric saloon, is a “miracle”, owing to its short development time. He added that “our competitors will be shocked” by the performance of the production version, due next year with Porsche Taycan underpinnings. Pininfarina’s 1900bhp runabout Pininfarina boss Michael Perschke reckons the forthcoming 1900bhp Battista EV shouldn’t be compared with track-focused machines such as the Aston Martin Valkyrie. Perschke said the Valkyrie is “designed with a different purpose: it’s a collector’s item for crazy guys who want a track tool, but are probably never going to use it to its best. Our purpose is to give you a car you can drive on a daily basis and, if you want to go on a race track and clock more than 200mph, it’s doable.” Volkswagen’s new ‘green’ house Volkswagen is converting its Zwickau factory in Germany from Golf and Passat assembly into its first home for electric car production. The site should be ready in the next couple of months. In time, up to 330,000 electric cars a year will be built there for VW, Audi and Seat, the first being the VW ID hatch due next
Origin: Autocar confidential: Alfa plots next-gen Giulia, Pininfarina’s usable hypercar and more
Land Rover plots comeback with hybrid-led new model blitz
Land Rover will this autumn kick off an extremely significant two-year period of consolidation and expansion, following a turbulent 18 months, that will define the brand for the next decade. A great deal of the activity will relate not just to the launch of four new vehicles but also increased electrification within its line-up. Although the marque’s pure-electric vehicles are still some years away – with sibling brand Jaguar leading the group in this market segment – all new Land Rover models from late 2019 will be offered with the option of mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid drivetrains, allowing it to leave its diesel difficulties behind. Perhaps the most important addition during that time will be the all-new Mk5 Range Rover, imagined by Autocar above, which is expected to be unveiled in 2021. The mainstream version of the new flagship will be a plug-in hybrid based on an all-new aluminium platform, dubbed MLA. It has been designed to be much lighter than the current Jaguar Land Rover aluminium architecture, as well as accommodating conventional engines and/or electric drive. Autocar understands that there will be an all-electric Range Rover 5, but it will be targeted at city users, particularly in east Asia. The vast majority of sales, however, are expected to be of the plug-in hybrid version, which will combine the new straight-six Ingenium engine with twin electric motors – one assisting the front wheels and one driving the rear axle. Land Rover engineers hope that the combination of the new architecture and downsizing the engine will offset the weight of the battery pack, which will offer around 40 miles of pure-electric driving. A mild-hybrid Range Rover 5 will use a very similar set-up to the upcoming Range Rover Sport, so expect 300- 400bhp versions of the new straight-six Ingenium engine assisted by both a 48V electric supercharger and a twin-scroll turbocharger. Kinetic energy that would otherwise be wasted is harvested and stored in a small battery that, in turn, powers the engine’s electric supercharger. The upshot of this electrification push is that JLR should easily meet its 132g/ km EU CO2 target in 2021. This target is less stringent than the 103g/km applied to its Volvo rival because JLR is a smaller-scale manufacturer of large cars selling fewer than 300,000 vehicles in the EU. As such, the UK government successfully argued, it needs more leeway in meeting fuel economy targets. However, the EU fleet CO2 targets for 2025 (15% lower than 2021) and 2030 (31% lower) are far more onerous, and it’s possible an expanding JLR will lose its derogation, making large-scale sales of plug-in hybrids essential from 2024 onwards. And here, for once, JLR is confidently on the front foot, as its prepares to roll out the new MLA architecture. Elsewhere in the line-up, Autocar understands that the Range Rover Sport is getting a significant mid-life hybrid makeover now as a vote of confidence in its enduring appeal. Sales continue to be very strong and a replacement is thought to be at least three years away. Further out, it’s thought that the first globally targeted Land Rover EV will be the so-called ‘Road Rover’, which will be much lower and more aerodynamic than other Range Rovers. Despite JLR’s new ‘Project Charge’ cost-cutting efforts, Autocar understands the Road Rover is still on the company’s model cycle plan and will most closely compete with Porsche’s next-generation electric Macan and be twinned with the next-generation Jaguar XJ. The future, MLA-based Velar could also be offered in pure-electric form, but that next-generation model is thought to be more than four years away from launch, and remains at the planning stage. In the shorter term, the long-awaited Defender will be revealed to the public this year. It will be sold in mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid forms. Fears that a plug-in Defender, with an electrically powered rear axle, would be compromised off road are, Autocar understands, misplaced. An electric motor offers maximum torque from step-off and the torque delivery is far more controllable than with a conventionally driven rear axle, greatly improving off-road performance. There’s no firm news on a pure-electric version of the Defender, but it remains a possibility. However, a plug-in hybrid with 35 miles of silent and emission-free electric range could be as useful off road as in a city centre. In the immediate future, the new Range Rover Evoque, which rolls on a completely re-engineered platform and has received praise for its refinement and poise, is already available with a mild-hybrid set-up, assisted by a belt-driven starter/generator. Early next year, though, the Evoque plug-in hybrid will arrive using a three-cylinder engine, a 48V hybrid system and an electrically driven rear axle. The three-cylinder engine alone develops a healthy 197bhp and 148lb ft of torque from 1.5 litres. In addition, the electric motor on the rear axle
Origin: Land Rover plots comeback with hybrid-led new model blitz
Lexus plots new entry-level compact for 2021
Lexus is developing a new entry-level compact model to replace the ageing CT 200h, according to the firm’s European boss. Plans to release a model that is smaller in size than the new UX SUV were confirmed by Pascal Ruch at the 2019 Geneva motor show, after UK boss Ewan Shepherd first hinted at such a car earlier this year. Despite being introduced back in 2011, the CT 200h is set to remain on sale for another two years. The new model is therefore expected to arrive in 2021 and will almost certainly be based on Toyota’s new TNGA platform, which should offer significantly better interior packaging than today’s car. What’s not clear yet, however, is whether Lexus will retain the CT 200h’s hatchback bodystyle or move to something more crossover-shaped. We know it will be offered with some form of electrification, and it’s possible that such a car could be Lexus’s long-awaited first EV. Ruch also claimed that Lexus is well-placed for the upcoming hybrid revolution, while at the same time revealing that petrol-electric models remain a significant minority of the brand’s global output. Despite Lexus being known in Europe as a hybrid brand, Ruch said that only 182,000 of its record global 2018 sales of 698,000 vehicles were petrol-electric. One reason for that was some restrictions on battery supply; another is that the big US market has a Lexus hybrid share of just 10%. The longer-term plan is for Lexus to move to a 50% hybrid production share globally, Ruch added. Europe is the biggest market for Lexus hybrid models, with petrol-electric cars accounting for more than 75% of the 76,000 sales. In the UK, Lexus sales are nearly 100% hybrid. The plan is for European sales to continue five years of growth and expand to 90,000 units in 2019 – assisted by the new UX compact crossover – and then 100,000 units in 2020. “Europe has a great strategic importance for Lexus because it’s seen as a leading region for technology and design,” Ruch said. “Our hybrid sales are highest in Europe, China and Japan will electrify (internal combustion engines) and the wider US market is really now starting with hybrids.” Ruch told Autocar that the Toyota group was leading the European market in terms of fleet CO2 and was “well on the way” to meeting the upcoming 2020/21 EU CO2 regulations. “We will be focusing on a core strategy of plug-in hybrids, some EVs and, eventually, fuel cell vehicles,” he said. Indeed, new figures from automotive analyst Jato Dynamics show that the Toyota brand posted a fleet average of 99g/km CO2 in 2018, beaten only by Tesla and Smart
Origin: Lexus plots new entry-level compact for 2021
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