UK car production fell 16.5% year-on-year in November, for which the Society of Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has blamed weakened overseas demand and widespread factory closures. A total of 107,753 cars were built in the UK last month, compared with 129,030 in November 2018. The SMMT attributes the deficit to “soft consumer and business confidence, weak demand in overseas markets and model production changes”. The decline rounds off a turbulent year for the UK’s automotive sector; new car output has fallen consistently since January, except in September, when marginal growth was recorded. The number of new cars built in 2019 so far is 14.5% less than at the same point in 2018. November’s figures show the lasting effects of a number of pre-emptive factory shutdowns that took place at the end of October, when the UK had been scheduled to leave the European Union (EU). That was in addition to a number of previous shutdowns that took place in April for the same reason. Domestic demand for new cars fell by 26.6% in November, with export rates falling 14.2%. The SMMT notes that more than 80% of new cars built in the UK are shipped abroad, including 54.7% bound for the EU. Commenting on the latest figures, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes repeated his desire to see the Government reach a mutually beneficial trade deal with the EU. He said: “UK car production is export-led, so we look forward to working with the new Government to deliver an ambitious trade deal with the EU. “To ensure our competitiveness at a time of dramatic technological change, that deal needs to be tariff-free and avoid barriers to trade – which, for automotive, means that our standards must be aligned. This can be achieved if Government and industry work in partnership to re-establish the UK as a great place to invest and ensure that automotive keeps delivering for
Origin: UK car production down 16.5% in November
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Lexus UX 300e revealed as firm’s first production EV
Lexus has revealed its first electric production car, the UX 300e, at the Guangzhou motor show in China, with the compact SUV due to go on sale in the UK in 2021. The electric version of the regular UX crossover, understood to be based on the electric Toyota C-HR offered in China, features a front-mounted motor that produces 201bhp and 221lb ft. Power comes from a 54.3kWh under-floor battery offering a claimed range of around 250 miles and fast charging at speeds of up to 50kW. The styling of the regular UX has been largely maintained, including the brand’s distinctive large front grille. It does gain new aerodynamic-influenced wheels, with the charging port located on the rear pillar where the fuel filler usually is. The UX 300e features a number of drive modes so that the performance of the electric motor can be better managed, along with paddle shifters to control the regenerative braking modes. Lexus says the UX 300e, built on Toyota’s GA-C platform, has been developed with a focus on on-road performance, and the goal of offering a quiet and refined driving experience. To balance the new powertrain, extra bracing has been added with the dampers reworked to maintain optimum weight distribution. According to Lexus, the UX 300e’s powertrain draws on learnings from the firm’s long-running hybrid system, and features a temperature management system that balances power at low and high temperatures. There has also been a focus on refinement, Lexus claiming it has added insulation to reduce wind and road noise, with an Active Sound Control system that “transmits natural, ambient sounds to communicate the driving conditions”. The UX 300e is due to go on sale in China next year, with UK sales following in 2021. Pricing has yet to be finalised. Lexus and parent firm Toyota will launch three EVs by the end of
Origin: Lexus UX 300e revealed as firm’s first production EV
Production of Hyundai’s Santa Cruz truck confirmed for 2021
Hyundai Santa Cruz Crossover Truck Concept Hyundai has dropped another bread crumb leading to the upcoming Santa Cruz compact pickup with the announcement it will come together at the brand’s production plant in Alabama. The South Korean automaker has been teasing its truck(ish) product with detail after detail, ever since it introduced the concept to the world way back in 2015 at the Detroit Auto Show. Honestly, with all this teasing, we’re starting to feel like the younger sibling at our older brother’s birthday party: teetering somewhere between exasperation and excitement, tears of joy or pain ready to fall at any moment. There’s still no sign of the production version of the Santa Cruz, which Hyundai says will be quite different in design than the concept, but we know it’ll be bodied like a ute and have a ladder frame. Now, Hyundai Motor Co. has confirmed it will drop a casual US$410 million to bring its Montgomery, Alabama plant up to spec for Santa Cruz production.Open since 2005, Montgomery is Hyundai’s first U.S. location. The expansion builds on a total investment of US$1.1 billion in the plant in the last 18 months. The Santa Cruz will bring in another 200 positions to the facility, with an additional 1,000 jobs for regional suppliers and logistics companies. When it finally arrives, the Santa Cruz will likely be the smallest pickup truck on the U.S. market, but that could change. Production is scheduled to begin in Alabama in
Origin: Production of Hyundai’s Santa Cruz truck confirmed for 2021
Lexus to reveal first production EV at Chinese show
Lexus will reveal its first series production electric car, which Autocar understands will be an electric version of the UX crossover, at the Guangzhou motor show in China later this month. The Japanese firm hasn’t given any firm details of the machine ahead of the 22 November reveal, but says it is “specifically crafted to suit the needs of audiences in China and in Europe.” But the machine will be based on the electric Toyota C-HR, a sister crossover to the UX, that is currently offered in the Chinese market. The machine will likely be named the UX Electric. Lexus and parent firm Toyota are due to launch three electric models by the end of 2021. Lexus showcased a dramatic EV concept called the LF-30 at the Tokyo motor show recently, which was intended to preview the general style of its future battery electric cars. The LF-30, which is similar in size to the Jaguar I-Pace, uses a new EV architecture being developed by Lexus and Toyota, which is planned to be introduced from
Origin: Lexus to reveal first production EV at Chinese show
Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion confirmed for 2021 production
Volkswagen has previewed a new addition to its ID electric vehicle family ahead of its public debut at the Los Angeles motor show. The ID Space Vizzion is an estate variant of the ID Vizzion luxury saloon that was revealed in early 2018, and it has been confirmed for production late next year. The ID Space Vizzion is described as “a wagon of tomorrow that combine the aerodynamic characteristics of a gran turismo with the spaciousness of an SUV”. The concept makes use of an extended version of the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, and the firm promises it will be capable of up to 367 miles on a single charge under the WLTP testing regime. Volkswagen claims a “completely digitised cockpit” alongside the use of sustainable materials such as ‘Appleskin’, an artificial leather made partially from residual matter of apple juice production. It has been confirmed that different variants of the production car will be offered in North America, Europe and China, although it’s not clear yet how different these region-specific models will be. The concept’s unveiling will take place at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, US on 19 November, with attendees invited to examine the ‘accessible and unlocked’ concept in detail, suggesting that it will feature a fully finished interior. Volkswagen will display four other MEB-based concepts at the event, likely the ID Crozz and ID Roomzz SUVs, ID Buzz Cargo van and ID Buggy off-roader. The firm unwrapped its first production-ready MEB electric car, the ID 3 hatchback, at last month’s Frankfurt motor show. That will soon be joined by a production version of the ID 4 SUV, which we recently saw undergoing pre-production testing in heavy
Origin: Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion confirmed for 2021 production
New VW ID Space Vizzion confirmed for 2021 production
Volkswagen has previewed a new addition to its ID electric vehicle family ahead of its public debut at the Los Angeles motor show. The ID. Space Vizzion is an estate-style variant of the Vizzion electric luxury saloon that was revealed in early 2018. It’s confirmed for production late next year. The Space Vizzion is described as “a wagon of tomorrow that combine the aerodynamic characteristics of a Gran Turismo with the spaciousness of an SUV”. It makes use of an extended version of Volkswagen’s MEB electric platform, with VW promising the concept will be capable of up to 367 miles on a single charge under the WLTP testing regime. VW claims a “completely digitised cockpit” alongside the use of sustainable materials such as ‘AppleSkin’, an artificial leather made partially from residual matter from apple juice production. VW has confirmed that different variants of the production model will be offered in North America, Europe and China, although it’s not clear yet how different these region-specific cars will be. The unveiling will take place at LA’s Petersen Automotive Museum on 19 November, with attendees invited to examine the ‘accessible and unlocked’ concept in detail, suggesting that it will feature a fully finished interior. Volkswagen will display four other MEB-based concept vehicles at the event, likely the Crozz and Roomzz SUV concepts, Buzz Cargo van and ID Buggy off-roader. The firm unwrapped its first production-ready electric car, the ID 3 hatchback, at last month’s Frankfurt motor show. That model will soon be joined by a production version of the ID 4 electric SUV, which we recently saw undergoing pre-production testing in heavy
Origin: New VW ID Space Vizzion confirmed for 2021 production
Electric turbochargers to enter production in 2021
Electric turbochargers are finally coming to a production car near you.Garrett Motion is readying its first electric turbocharger for 2021, to be used on production vehicles. This will be the first real electric turbo ever to sit under the hood of a mainstream car or truck.Electric turbochargers arent really all that new even now, you can pick one up on eBay for a few hundred dollars and strap it to your Civic for some extra power, though theres no guarantee it wont grenade into a million pieces.Nor is Garrett the only industry player to consider electric forced induction. In fact Audi was the first to introduce an electric compressor on a production vehicle, on its SQ7, where it was used to eliminate lag on the 4.0-litre sequentially turbocharged diesel V8.Think of Audis unit more like an electric supercharger, running off electricity generated by the motor instead of a belt from the engine; its separate from the actual turbos. Garretts is a true turbocharger, however, as it uses an electric motor in between the two halves of the turbo to compress air into the engine before the hot exhaust gases get to the unit. This eliminates the small amount of time it takes for the exhaust gas to get around the various pipes and into the turbocharger.According to Garrett, the E-Turbo can spool the engine to target torque in one second, compared to the 4.5 seconds of a conventional turbo. It can also work in reverse, so to speak. Because the electric motor is built into the turbo, at higher RPMs when the exhaust gasses are flowing enough to turn the turbo by itself, the electric motor can use that energy to regenerate electric power for the
Origin: Electric turbochargers to enter production in 2021
Volvo and Geely to merge engine production efforts into new company
The 2019 Volvo XC60Volvo Volvo Cars and Chinas Geely plan to merge their engine operations into a standalone company, a step the Swedish automaker says will cut costs as it shifts to a fully electrified lineup.The combined unit would supply two million diesel and gasoline-powered engines, compared with the 600,000 Volvo produces today, giving the two companies more scale to reduce material costs.It could also supply other car manufacturers, though none have expressed interest yet, Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said, save for Geely-owned Lotus sports cars.Global automakers are walking a financial tightrope as they spend billions to develop electric vehicles that IHS Markit forecasts will grow from 2 per cent to 12 per cent of new-car production by 2030. At the same time, slowing sales, trade wars and tightening emissions regulations in China and Europe are pinching profits. Forming a standalone supplier will free up Volvo to focus on electric powertrains and platforms in-house without starving its internal combustion engine business of resources, Samuelsson said.Its not like the combustion engine is going to be a growing business, he said in a phone interview. The right thing to do is to consolidate and seek synergies. And the earlier you do that, the stronger you will be.Volvo said no jobs will be eliminated in forming the new supplier, which will employ about 3,000 Volvo workers and 5,000 from Geely, including people in engineering, procurement, manufacturing, information technology and
Origin: Volvo and Geely to merge engine production efforts into new company
Byton M-Byte electric SUV breaks cover in production form
Chinese start-up company Byton has revealed a near-production-ready version of its first model, the M-Byte electric SUV. The M-Byte has been in development for two years. Launching on the Chinese market initially, with customer deliveries set to get underway in the middle of 2020, it’s planned to arrive in Europe in 2021 at a starting price of €45,000 (£40,280). That’s slightly more than the expected European price of the new Tesla Model Y. The production car bears a strong resemblance to the concept that was revealed earlier this year and retains that car’s distinctive 48in curved ‘Shared Experience Display’, the largest infotainment screen yet fitted to a production car. The screen forms part of what Byton calls “a digital lounge feeling” and allows passengers to access connectivity services and vehicle controls. The display can be controlled via an 7.0in screen located in the centre of the steering wheel or an 8.0in tablet mounted between the two front seats and is covered by a layer of shatter-proof glass to minimise risk of injury in a collision. Other defining features of the interior are a flat floor (made possible by the lack of a transmission tunnel), a floating dashboard, rotating front seats and a comprehensive list of personalisation options. The M-Byte range opens with the 72kWh entry-level model that’s driven by a single, rear-mounted motor producing 268bhp and capable of 360 miles on the WLTP test cycle. An optional larger-capacity battery offers a range of up to 460 miles. The range-topping four-wheel-drive variant has a 95kWh battery that yields a 435-mile range as standard and uses a motor on each axle for a power output of 402bhp. All versions of the M-Byte are capable of 150kW rapid charging and can therefore be topped up to 80% capacity from empty in as little as 35 minutes. Byton claims to have taken more than 50,000 reservations worldwide and has already subjected the M-Byte to a number of test processes, including stringent crash tests to US and EU standards. The pre-ordering process for US and European customers, however, will not open until early next year. Byton CEO Daniel Kirchert said: “We’re on the verge of starting series production, and the feedback from media and especially from our future customers is of great relevance to us. “Today’s unveiling of the Byton M-Byte also shows the effort paying off for the team, which has worked relentlessly on the car for over two years. Within that short amount of time, we have taken a smart electric car from an initial idea on a white sheet of paper to series-production readiness, while also building a coherent infrastructure with locations on three continents and an efficient industry 4.0 production facility in
Origin: Byton M-Byte electric SUV breaks cover in production form
Fore! Next-gen Volkswagen Golf almost ready for production
The new Golf – still camouflaged The Volkswagen Golf nameplate has been around for 45 years, popping up in family driveways and autocross courses alike in a variety of body styles over that time. This year will see the introduction of its eighth-generation, with VW promising a digital, intelligent, and connected new car.By way of a camouflaged teaser image, the company has announced that development work on the Gen 8 Golf has entered the final testing phase. While the black-and-white wrap confuses our eyes as to its details, theres no mistaking this for anything other than a Golf a two box hatchback design houses five doors and a familiar set of peepers. Fans should expect a sharpened and modernized version of the current car, in other words.Close examination of this testing mule reveals little, save for the round dots of forward-facing parking sensors embedded into its front fascia. That feature currently shows up in high-zoot Golfs in this country. Its fuel filler door is in roughly the same location as the existing Golf but is of a slightly different shape on this test car. Headlights are of a different shape than the Gen 7 car, cutting slightly upwards as they meet the grille instead of following those bodylines as they do today. Keyless entry nubs pepper the door handles and some sort of forward-facing camera presumably for driver aids is perched above the rearview mirror. As expected, the stern German behind the wheel reveals nothing.Klaus Bischoff, head of Volkswagen Design, says At this time, we will not disclose all details of the new Golf but you can already perceive its elegant proportions, before going on to exhort that The next generation will be a genuine eye-catcher.The countdown to the debut of number eight has already begun the new Golf will celebrate its world introduction this
Origin: Fore! Next-gen Volkswagen Golf almost ready for production
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