Volvo boss Hakan Samuelsson says the firm will become a fully electric car brand within the next 20 years – with the exact timeline will be determined by customer demand. The firm has just unveiled its first electric model, the XC40 Recharge, and is aiming for EVs to account for half of its sales by 2025. The firm will unveil one full electric car per year between now and then, while every new car it launches will feature an electrified powertrain. Asked whether it was a case of if or when Volvo become an electric-only brand, Samuelsson said: “It’s when.” But he added: “the ones who will decide (the timing) in the end are the customers. The higher the percentage of all-electric cars the faster we will shut down the combustion engine (programme). If only a small percent (of sales) are combustion engines we will probably stop faster.” Asked if he had a prediction on when thet point would be reached, Samuelsson highlighted Volvo’s vision to become carbon neutral by 2040, noting “that would be impossible if you still have combustion engines. Let’s see if that vision comes true.” Volvo has yet to confirm which EVs will follow the XC40, but is committed to offering electric versions of existing models, rather than launching electric-only machines as some rivals are doing. To do that it is developing platforms that can accept both full electric and hybrid powertrains. The XC40 is built on the firm’s new Compact Modular Architecture platform, while Volvo is also working on a new version of its larger platform, called SPA2, which is currently used for the XC60, XC90 and S60 models. That platform is due in 2021 or 2022, and will likely first be seen on the next-generation XC90 large SUV. Sister firm Polestar, with which Volvo shares architectures and development, is currently finalising the Polestar 2, which is built on the CMA platform, and is working on a large SUV-style machine that will be badged the Polestar 3, making it likely the second Volvo EV will be a similar-sized machine. The XC40 is the only model currently based on the CMA platform, but Samuelsson said that “I wouldn’t rule out that we will expand that with other models of this size.” He added that the firm could also consider introducing new nameplates comprised of smaller and bigger cars in the
Origin: Volvo targets becoming Electric-only firm within 20 years
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Audi targets BMW X4 with new Q3 Sportback
Audi has launched a rival to the niche-filling Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupé and BMW X4 in the form of the new Q3 Sportback. Arriving in the UK in the autumn and set to be priced from an estimated £35,000, it shares its mechanicals and interior with the standard Q3 but adopts a more striking coupé-cum-SUV exterior look. The Sportback receives a raft of specific design elements, including a 29mm drop in roof height and a slight, 16mm increase in external length. Although it’s actually a fraction narrower than the Q3, it gets a new 3D-profile grille and distinct styling lines aimed at creating the illusion of increased width. The model keeps the same ride height as the Q3, but with different surfacing to lower the car’s hip point. Details such as a large roof spoiler, unique bumpers and a standard gloss black trim package also mark the model out. LED headlights are standard, with full-matrix LEDs available as an option. Designer Seulah Park claimed the design reflects the decision to use the Q3 Sportback tag rather than the previously considered Q4 name. “We wanted this to be more aggressive and sportier, but we want them to be thought of in the context of a family, like a brother and sister,” she said. The interior is largely unchanged from the regular Q3’s, even down to the driver’s seat sitting at the same height. The Q3 Sportback gets a few new technology features, including a ‘car-to-x’ system that can tell you when traffic lights ahead will turn green and integration of Amazon Alexa voice control. Rear head room is reduced by the sloping roofline, but adjustable backrests and sliding rear seats allow the same claimed 530-litre boot capacity as the Q3. In its mechanical set-up, the Q3 Sportback isn’t dramatically different from the Q3. However, there is a steering system with new hardware and a variable ratio aimed at balancing ease of turning for bigger inputs with a precise feel in lower steering angles. The standard suspension set-up is the same as the Q3’s. A no-cost option sport suspension system can be added, along with cost-option adaptive dampers. At its launch, the Q3 Sportback will be available with three engine options. The sole petrol choice will be a 227bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder TFSI, alongside two 2.0-litre diesels with 148bhp and 187bhp. The most powerful two engines are mated exclusively to a seven-speed automatic gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive, while the 148bhp diesel has a six-speed manual ’box and front-wheel drive. In early 2020, Audi will add a new mild-hybrid petrol engine, a 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit, in the 35 TFSI variant. It continues to feature cylinder-on-demand tech but, when mated with the automatic gearbox, it uses a 48V mild-hybrid system that, on its own, is claimed to save 0.38 litres of fuel per 62 miles. The integrated starter/generator feeds a compact lithium ion battery, recuperating power during deceleration to allow engine-off coasting and more stop/start activation. Performance and fuel efficiency figures for all four engine options will be available at a later
Origin: Audi targets BMW X4 with new Q3 Sportback
Mercedes-Benz targets Audi Q3 with rugged GLB concept
Mercedes-Benz has previewed a new G-Class-inspired rugged compact SUV at the Shanghai motor show with its Concept GLB. Scheduled to go into production later this year, with five or seven seats, the GLB features a boxy off-road design and variable four-wheel drive that Mercedes hopes will combine to give the car some Land Rover Defender-style cachet as one of its more distinctive models. The GLB will serve as a rugged rival to the Land Rover Discovery Sport, BMW X1 and Audi Q3. As well as being offered with petrol and diesel engines, by 2021 the GLB will be available as an electric variant, dubbed the EQB. The new SUV is described by Mercedes as offering class-leading levels of versatility, and will be positioned between the upcoming second-generation GLA and the recently facelifted GLC. The GLB follows the A-Class hatchback and saloon, China-only long-wheelbase A-Class Saloon, B-Class, CLA, CLA Shooting Brake and GLA as the eighth model to be based on the firm’s MFA architecture. “We asked ourselves whether there is space between the GLA and GLC,” said Britta Seeger, Mercedes-Benz board member responsible for sales. “The GLB is the answer to this question: a durable and practical SUV with nonetheless compact dimensions.” The Shanghai concept is said to provide a close preview of the production version of the GLB, although a number of styling elements have been added to the exterior in a bid to provide it with a more rugged and upmarket appearance than that of its forthcoming showroom sibling. Among the concept car flourishes are widened wheel-arch cladding, reworked sills, additional lights incorporated into its glass roof and a cargo box nestled within its roof bars. At 4634mm in length and 1890mm in width, the concept is a considerable 149mm longer and 34mm wider than the Q3. The wheelbase is 2829mm – some 100mm longer than that used by the A-Class hatchback. The Concept GLB receives a luxurious interior swathed in a combination of nappa and nubuck leathers, walnut trim and elements milled from solid aluminium. Predictably, the production version of the new SUV will be less opulent, although the basic layout will remain unchanged. “As with the exterior, we’ve taken some liberty with the concept to provide a more luxurious feel,” said Mercedes-Benz interior design boss Hartmut Sinkwitz. “But it is based on the production version of the GLB.” The dashboard features the same configurable digital instruments and infotainment panel as found in the GLB’s platform-sharing relatives. The GLB also features a uniquely styled centre console between the two front seats. With the gearlever mounted on the steering column, the console accommodates a touchpad and a large oddment bin housing a pair of cupholders. In a move it claims will see it appeal to family car buyers who may have otherwise opted for an MPV, Mercedes-Benz has developed the GLB with both a standard five-seat and optional seven-seat layout. In the concept, the second row of seats can be slid by 140mm to free up leg room for occupants sitting in the third row. The backrests of the second row of seats also offer eight-stage inclination. They split in a 40:20:40 configuration and can be folded down to create a level load bay, with the third row sitting flush to the floor. To ease access to the third seat row, the outer seats within the second row receive a so-called easy-entry function, which allows the backrest to fold down and the entire seat to be pushed forward. Up to four child seats can be accommodated in the second and third rows. Hinting at the top engine planned to be offered in the standard GLB line-up, the Concept GLB receives a turbocharged M264 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. The transversely mounted unit, which uses a two-stage variable valve timing system among other efficiency-boosting measures, develops 221bhp and 258lb ft and is set to power the initial range-topping GLB 250. Other engines, including diesels, will be available when sales commence, including an even more potent version of the M264 producing 302bhp and 295lb ft and set to appear in the AMG-badged GLB 35. Drive is sent through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a multi-plate clutch 4Matic fourwheel-drive system featuring Standard, Eco/Comfort and Sport drive modes. Each drive mode apportions a different distribution of torque between the front and rear axles. The Standard mode is 50:50 front to rear, in Eco/Comfort mode it alters to 80:20 and in Sport it becomes more rear wheel-biased, at 70:30. The GLB’s engine range at launch is set to be petrol- and diesel-based, but Mercedes’ commitment to launch over 130 electrified models before 2023 means a fully electric version will appear within the next couple of years. Fitting into the maker’s EQ sub-brand and due to be dubbed EQB, the electric SUV will sit below the recently launched EQC and feature a similar, aerodynamically optimised redesign including a
Origin: Mercedes-Benz targets Audi Q3 with rugged GLB concept
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