Ford is understood to be readying an ST version of its new Puma SUV, and now what look like prototypes of the model are being tested on the road. It’s clear despite the disguise that this is no ordinary Puma, as it sports a prominent lower bodykit wrapping around the car from the splitter-style front bumper to a new rear bumper designed around a twin exhaust tailpipe – the same as the Fiesta ST. Bigger wheels appear to hide larger diameter front brakes, too, while the Puma seems lower to the ground than stock, suggesting a bespoke suspension setup. Ford global development boss Hau Thai-Tang told Autocar earlier this year that the Puma “would be a good place for us to look” in expanding the ST range beyond the Fiesta and Focus in Europe. Thai-Tang stopped short of confirming the model for production, but it is understood that the project is set to be given the green light, with the Puma ST sharing its key running gear, including a 197bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo engine, with the Fiesta ST. Early development mules have already been seen testing at the Nürburgring. An ST version of the Puma (as rendered below by Autocar) would be unlikely to vary drastically from the ST Line version of the car, which was revealed back in April. But we can expect a bespoke chassis setup, possibly including an optional limited-slip differential, selectable drive modes and a launch control function. Thai-Tang said Ford is keen to continue leveraging its Ford Performance arm for road car development, but the company would not simply look to create an ST version of each car. In addition to its two European hot hatches, Ford also makes ST versions of its Edge and Explorer large SUVs. “We look at creating STs by very objective measures to make sure it is credible as an ST,” said Thai-Tang. “Do we have the right building blocks (on which to base it)?” A new Focus RS is also understood to be in development, but it’s unlikely to appear before 2022, after the Focus’s mid-life update. “We have nothing to announce but we recognise the importance of that car,” said Thai-Tang. It is understood that hybrid power is one consideration for the Focus RS. “We’ll see where we go,” Ford’s automotive president Joe Hinrichs said. “The world is changing on powertrain and propulsion. No hints, but there’s a lot to talk
Origin: Ford Puma ST: Prototypes of new hot crossover spotted
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2021 Mercedes-Benz EQ S: new prototypes show design
Mercedes-Benz is preparing to take on the Tesla Model S, Porsche Taycan and the next-gen Jaguar XJ with the plush new EQ S electric saloon, which has now been spotted testing in near-production form for the first time. The latest addition to Mercedes’ EQ electric vehicle line-up will join the EQ C SUV and a production version of the EQ A hatchback concept in showrooms in 2021. According to company officials, its name implies a level of luxury, comfort and features consummate to the company’s traditional S-Class saloon. The EQ S heads what the engineering boss of Mercedes-Benz’s EQ sub-brand, Michael Kelz, suggests will be a 10-strong electric vehicle model range by the middle of the next decade. But in a departure from the EQ C, which is based on existing underpinnings from the GLC, and the EQ A, which is set to adopt a modified A-class platform, the range-topping EQ S will be the first EQ model to be based on Mercedes-Benz’s dedicated MEA (modular electric architecture). Among the key engineering solutions included in the aluminium-intensive MEA platform is a flat floor structure. These most recent EQ S prototypes confirm the production shape of the future flagship. It is described as being between roughly the size of the third-generation CLS. In terms of proportions, it uses a much shorter bonnet and more heavily raked windscreen than the current S-Class. In combination with the flat floor structure and a close to three-metre-long wheelbase as well as less intrusion from the gearbox and transmission tunnel than in conventional combustion engine models, this is expected to provide the EQ S with greater interior space than the existing Mercedes-Benz range-topper. The heavily curved roofline and relatively shallow glasshouse is similar to that seen on the latest CLS. The fastback-style rear houses a liftback-style bootlid similar to that fitted to the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-door. The EQ S is expected to be powered by twin electric motors – one acting on the front axle and the other at the rear – providing permanent four-wheel drive. In the upcoming EQ C, this set-up delivers more than 400bhp and some 516lb ft. A lithium-ion battery boasting a capacity of around 90kWh is planned to provide a range of between 400 and 500km (248-311 miles). Mercedes-Benz has confirmed the EQ S will be produced at its main Sindelfingen factory on the outskirts of Stuttgart. It is the third German plant earmarked to produce an EQ model, with the EQ C set to be built in Bremen and the EQ A planned to hail from the company’s compact car plant in Rastatt. An additional EQ model, likely a yet-to-be-revealed GLB-based EQ B SUV model positioned below the EQ C, will also be produced at the Smart factory in Hambach,
Origin: 2021 Mercedes-Benz EQ S: new prototypes show design
2020 BMW 5 Series previewed as prototypes begin testing
Prototypes of the facelifted BMW 5 Series have begun testing on public roads ahead of a planned introduction in mid-2020. Although it’s still heavily disguised, the updated executive model will clearly receive a bolder look in keeping with styling developments brought to both the latest 3 Series and facelifted 7 Series. The move is part of a broader strategy at BMW that aims to give each model its own individual appearance. Among the new design elements expected to be brought to the 5 Series are a more prominent kidney grille, redesigned headlights and a more heavily structured front bumper that incorporates newly designed air vents, including vertical air curtain ducts at the outer edges. Changes at the rear are likely to be less significant, although the plastic wrap adorning the spied prototypes hints at styling revisions to the tail-lights, rear bumper, tailpipes and area around the numberplate. Inside, the 5 Series is expected to receive new digital instrument graphics as well as a revised central display housing the infotainment functions. Today’s 5 Series will get BMW’s latest iDrive 7.0 operating system as part of a running change from this month onwards, suggesting the 2020 model will carry this on until the introduction of an iDrive 7.5 system in the eighth-generation 5 Series model due in 2023. The prototype shown here is propelled by a plug-in hybrid powertrain, shown by the mandatory identification on its front doors as well as the flap for the charging port integrated into the front-left wing. The current G30 5 Series is already sold with a plug-in hybrid setup in the 530e. This has a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor developing a combined 248bhp and providing an electric-only driving range of up to 40 miles. As part of a push to take its plug-in hybrid drivelines into the performance car class, BMW is said to be planning a new 545e model running the same set-up as the 745e. This would use a more powerful turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine and electric motor making a combined 388bhp and yielding an electric-only range of up to 36 miles. In further developments, BMW plans to equip all petrol engines with a particulate filter, while the diesels will receive new selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology, according to Munich
Origin: 2020 BMW 5 Series previewed as prototypes begin testing
New 2021 Range Rover: first prototypes seen testing
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} The next generation of Land Rover’s flagship Range Rover isn’t due for another two years, but we’re already seeing prototypes of the new car on British roads. Despite wearing bodywork of the existing model, which has been on sale since 2012, we can clearly see that the body has been adapted to fit over a modified platform with different suspension and exhaust components visible. Alongside this, we can see stretched rear arches and a cutout in the rear bumper, necessary to accommodate the slightly longer wheelbase of the new underpinnings. This prototype is registered as a petrol model, but there’s no indication of what capacity the unit powering it is. It’s safe to assume that Jaguar Land Rover’s all-new Ingenium straight-six will feature in the range, alongside a V8 rumoured to be adapted from BMW’s 4.4-litre unit as production of the outgoing ‘AJ’ 5.0-litre supercharged motor winds down at Ford’s Bridgend factory, closing next year. With competition from the Bentley Bentayga and Rolls-Royce Cullinan as well as upcoming, more mainstream models such as the BMW X8 , Land Rover’s task with the fifth-generation Range Rover is to create a vehicle that surpasses all of these rivals. It will attempt do so using not only its unique heritage but also technological advancements in powertrains, autonomous driving systems and infotainment. Last year the firm revealed that the upcoming Range Rover, alongside the next Range Rover Sport, will use an all-new aluminium-intensive architecture. To prepare for these models, its Solihull plant has gone through a major refit to accommodate the advanced technology that will be used in future Range Rovers. As a result, production of the Discovery has moved from Solihull to Jaguar Land Rover’s new plant in Nitra, Slovakia, also freeing up room for the potential production of the first electric Range Rovers. The new Range Rover platform will be significantly lighter than the current model’s D7u architecture, and the lightest of all Jaguar Land Rover platforms. Called Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA), the aluminium platform will be used on all future Jaguar Land Rover models ranging in size from the Jaguar XE to the Range Rover. By the middle of the next decade, next-generation versions of Jaguar Land Rover’s transverse-engined models are even expected to be switched to MLA too. MLA’s weight saving is crucial to allow for the extra heft of battery packs for electric and hybrid models, plus the technology and drivetrains that MLA has been designed to accommodate. It is understood the next Range Rover, codenamed L460, will closely the size of the current car, which is 4999mm long, 1983mm wide and 1920mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2922mm. That is slightly smaller than the Bentayga except in terms of height, where the Bentley SUV sits lower. The exterior design will be evolutionary, given the Range Rover’s iconic look and the company’s keenness to capitalise on this. The current generation is softer and less angular than the third-generation model, and this pattern is set to continue. Luxury rivals such as Rolls-Royce and Lagonda, Aston Martin’s revived marque, are readying electric models for launch, perceiving a perfect synergy between peaceful electric powertrains and luxury motoring. However, even though MLA can accommodate a fully electric drivetrain, as well as petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid variants, it is understood that the next Range Rover will not initially be offered with one. Instead, Land Rover wants the first electric Range Rover to be a stand-alone model. This will be a tall estate with more car-like qualities than other models in the line-up, and more limited off-road prowes. Electric variants of other Range Rovers will ubsequently be offered as part of normal model line-ups, including a version of the full-size Range Rover set for launch before 2022 and aimed chiefly at Asian megacities. While Land Rover readies an electric Range Rover, the new model will continue with plug-in hybrid technology recently introduced in an update to the existing Range Rover. The MLA’s plug-in hybrid set-up is understood to include an electrified back axle alongside a four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine, with the electric-only range increased above the 31 miles of the current P400e. There will also be changes to the pure-combustion-engined line-up. Currently, there are 3.0-litre V6 and 4.4-litre V8 diesels and supercharged 5.0-litre V8 and 3.0-litre V6 petrols – all sourced externally and all to be axed. The new straight-six Ingenium petrol and diesel units are being built at its engine plant in Wolverhampton. In the Range Rover, these will be mixed with 48V mild hybrid technology in most versions to improve performance and economy. Real-world testing of the straight-six diesels has shown NOx emissions to be no higher than 80mg/km – well under the limits of new regulations. Even
Origin: New 2021 Range Rover: first prototypes seen testing
Cadillac shows off track-ready prototypes of its new V-Series cars
Cadillac teased a pair of track-ready prototypes of its CT4-V and CT5-V early June, taking them for an unexpected spin in front of attendees at the Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Island. Mark Reuss, president of General Motors; and Ken Morris, vice-president of GM product, drove the heavily-camouflaged prototypes, which the company said “represent the next step in Cadillac’s V-Series performance legacy.” The cars are a step up from the CT4-V and CT5-V that were unveiled last week, which make 320 horsepower and 355 horsepower, respectively. Although GM didn’t reveal any performance numbers, Motor Authority spoke with a Cadillac spokesman who spelled out the forthcoming models as wearing badges along the lines of V-something-something, and suggested this higher-performance CT4-V will use a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 producing more than 400 horsepower. Meanwhile, the track-ready CT5-V will likely come with a twin-turbo 4.2-litre V8 with more than 500 horsepower, or the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 from the CTS-V that makes 640 horses. Reuss told the publication that future Cadillac V models will also come with electrification, due to customer demand, although no timeline was given and it isn’t expected to be in the very near
Origin: Cadillac shows off track-ready prototypes of its new V-Series cars
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