Electric Cars

Porsche has a busy program when it comes to electric vehicles. Four models have already been confirmed, including two SUVs.

At Porsche, we have already come to terms with the idea that the future of the car is electric. The brand has set itself the ambitious goal of achieving 80% of its sales with this type of engine by 2030. In the first half of 2022, it was only 13%. But the Taycan is still quite alone… and could have done better without the shortage of semiconductors.

Proof, however, that a shift is beginning, Porsche has delivered more than Panamera (18,877 against 15,604). If the Panamera is not threatened in the short term (a new generation is under study), little by little, the electric ones will end up taking the place. This is what is planned with the Macan: the brand new electric model will cohabit for a time with the thermal one, then will remain alone in the catalog from 2025/2026.

Automobile Propre takes stock of the current electrical projects near Stuttgart, with a new 718 duo and an unprecedented flagship SUV.

Porsche Macan – 2024

This model is beginning to look like an Arlesian. Initially planned for the end of 2021, it should finally be unveiled in 2023 and launched in early 2024! In question ? The software part. Cariad, a techno subsidiary of the Volkswagen group, is experiencing major problems in its development, which is delaying the release of the new 100% electric Macan. Meanwhile, the competition does not wait…

This Macan will be based on a new platform, of course designed for electrics. Developed with Audi (which will offer the Q6 e-tron), it is called PPE (Premium Platform Electric). Like the Taycan sedan, this SUV will have an 800V electrical architecture. The manufacturer has not yet said anything about performance or autonomy. On the other hand, he himself published photos of prototypes, where we could see a look similar to that of the Taycan and a silhouette that tends towards that of a coupe SUV.

Read also
Volkswagen: big delays for the group’s future electric cars

Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman – 2025

After letting the rumor swell for a few years, Porsche finally confirmed this project. In March, Oliver Blume, CEO of the brand, said: « by the middle of the decade, we intend to offer our 718 range of mid-engine sports cars exclusively with all-electric powertrain ». These new trendy 718s should be inspired by the Mission R (cover photo), an electric vehicle concept cut for the track,…

The new Mercedes VISION EDXX concept has been hailed for range and efficiency that are set to define the electric era. But Mercedes-Benz is not resting. Driven by the idea of zero impact and a highly responsible use of green energy, we inspired our engineers to go above and beyond. They are working intensively to take range and efficiency to a whole new level. The VISION EQXX is the result of a mission we set ourselves to break through technological barriers across the board and to lift energy efficiency to new heights. It demonstrates the gains that are possible through rethinking the fundamentals from the ground up. This includes advances across all elements of its cutting-edge electric drivetrain as well as the use of lightweight engineering through advanced 3D printing processes, and the use of new sustainable materials (also 3D printed).

“The Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX is how we imagine the future of electric cars. Just one-and-a-half years ago, we started this project leading to the most efficient Mercedes-Benz ever built – with an outstanding energy consumption of less than 10 kWh per 100 kilometers. It has a range of more than 1,000 kilometers on a single charge using a battery that would fit even into a compact vehicle. The VISION EQXX is an advanced car in many dimensions and even looks stunning and futuristic. With that, it underlines where our entire company is headed: We will build the world’s most desirable electric cars.” Ola Källenius, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG.

VISION EQXX bionic engineering

Inspired by natural forms and in partnership with innovative start-ups, engineers used advanced digital tools to lower weight and reduce waste by removing excess material assisted by 3D printing. As shown in the video below (go to minute 13:00), the Mercedes VISION EQXX’s entire rear subframe, which the company refers to as BIONEQXX, is built by consolidating over 70 parts into a single,…

The 2023 Toyota Crown is the Japanese automaker’s newest flagship crossover sedan. The latest Crown is riding on the brand’s TNGA-K platform that underpins the Camry, Highlander, RAV4, and the outgoing Avalon. Toyota has prepared four body styles for the new Crown depending on the market: Crossover, Sedan, Station Wagon, and SUV. We fancy the SUV body style the most, and we’re still wondering why Toyota didn’t choose that for its maiden USA return.

The original Toyopet Crown was the first Japanese import to arrive on U.S. shores in 1958. On the flip side, Uncle Sam got its last taste of the Crown in 1972. Despite its 30-year absence in North America, the Crown remains Japan’s pinnacle of Toyota luxury cars.

2023 Toyota Crown: What’s New?

The 2023 Toyota Crown is an all-new model that replaces the full-sized Avalon sedan in the brand’s North American portfolio. It’s taller, wider, and longer than a Camry and has a 112.2-inch wheelbase to offer plenty of passenger and cargo room. Toyota said the new Crown is nearly four inches higher than a Camry thanks to its crossover-like silhouette. All trim variants of the new Toyota Crown come with hybrid powertrains, standard all-wheel drive, and a host of comfort and safety technology.

Two Hybrid Powertrains & Standard AWD

The 2023 Toyota Crown is launching in three trim variants: XLE, Limited, and Platinum. The Crown XLE and Limited have a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine (turning the front wheels) and a hybrid electric motor in the rear axle. Toyota did not mention the power figures, but we’ve seen this hybrid system in other Toyota and Lexus vehicles. If we have to guess, the base hybrid powertrain is suitable for under 250 horsepower, but we’ll have to wait for Toyota’s official figures. Moreover, the base hybrid powertrain has a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) to help yield a manufacturer-claimed 38 mpg.

Meanwhile, the range-topping Crown Platinum has what Toyota calls a new Hybrid Max powertrain with a turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine, a front electric motor, and a rear-mounted electric motor that pumps out a combined 340 horsepower. We like the 340-horsepower figure, but the fuel economy takes a hit. Moreover, the Hybrid Max has a six-speed automatic gearbox to offer a genuinely sporty drive.

Understated Luxury

The new Crown (now in…

Launched in 2021, the Audi RS e-Tron GT is the first four-door all-electric grand tourer from the house of Ingolstadt. The RS e-Tron GT takes the legacy of popular models like RS7 Sportback and R8 in an all-electric form, thus making the enthusiasts believe that the all-electric future is not as unexciting as one would expect.

The car world is up for the gradual shift to electric mobility in the future. Almost all carmakers are jumping into the bandwagon and accelerating their game plans. This shift to electrics is crucial for performance car brands, who have always vouched for the emotion and aura of big and powerful V8 or V10 engines. Off late, performance car brands have started making this gradual shift on a positive note, which has resulted in the emergence of more wonderful all-electric cars like the RS e-Tron GT.

What’s more interesting is that the RS e-Tron GT has started hitting the customization circles. This sample from Poland is just the perfect example of how the all-electric car can have an appeal as irresistible as any other conventional sports car.

Related: Pushing The Boundaries With Ken Block And His Audi RS E-Tron GT

The Back Story Of The Customized Audi RS e-Tron GT

The Audi RS e-Tron GT showcased here belongs to Wojtsen Malag, who owns Turismo Wheels, an after-market alloy wheel brand from Poland having over a dozen specialists working in it and has worked on over 350 projects. This customized Audi e-Tron GT recently grabbed headlines through a video on the YouTube channel Auditography, which often showcases fully-customized and high-performance models from Audi.

The Audi RS e-Tron GT, owned by Malag, has a host of cosmetic tweaks, most of which are on the car’s exterior. All these tweaks make the already sporty-looking RS e-Tron GT an absolute head-turner with its all-dark and low-slung visual appeal.

The Subtle Mods Introduced In This Audi RS e-Tron GT

Let’s start with the aspect of this customized Audi RS e-Tron GT that catches the most public attention – its color scheme. The car is wrapped in a suede-looking charcoal satin black 3M wrap, because of which this already good-looking car has become a sure-shot looker.

Then comes the full-body kit sourced from Maxton Design, the list of which includes a sleeker-looking front spoiler, broader side skirts, and a unique rear diffuser. This body kit has a gloss black finish, which makes up for a…

SOUTH BEND ― What would the late J.M. Studebaker, founder of the eventual Studebaker car manufacturer, say about the growth of electric vehicles today?  

Well, in fact, it was in the early few years of the 1900s when he said this about electricity’s competitor: “Gas-powered cars are clumsy, dangerous, noisy brutes that stink to high heaven and break down at the worst possible moments.” 

But you have to understand that, as cars were still in their infancy, it was unclear as to which fuel would power them.  

Gas and electricity seemed to be equal contenders. Steam had already moved trains and tractors for decades. And cities had grown tired of horse dung and horse corpses that had become health hazards.  

The century-plus story of how we got to the latest age of e-cars comes to life in an exhibit at the Studebaker National Museum through Oct. 2, “Charged: The Rise, Fall, and Resurgence of Electric Vehicles.”  

Among eight vehicles on display, the 1911 Studebaker Model 17-B Electric Coupe is black, resembling the shape of a horse carriage but with smaller wheels, sliding windows and golden lamps ― able to go 70 miles and hit 21 mph. This one had belonged to a member of the Studebaker family in Ohio. 

Studebaker made its first electric car in 1902 and its first gas-powered car in 1904, museum archivist Andrew Beckman says.  

Back in late 2021, Lexus announced a slew of electric concept cars, and one of them was the Electrified Sport Concept, a sleek sports coupe said to be an all-electric halo car to succeed the legendary LFA.

However, according to a report from Japanese publication Mag-X, this LFA successor could also potentially spawn a traditional ICE variant in addition to the pure EV version, and the engine it uses could be quite an interesting one.

Read More: Lexus Electrified Sport Concept Shows It Sleek Design On Video, Previews Electric LFA Successor

Back in 2018, Lexus unveiled an endurance racer based on the LC500 set to race at the 24 Hours of Nurburgring, and a year later they fitted it with an all-new twin-turbo V8 that was said to be a testbed for future production vehicles. Initially, it was speculated, and even somewhat confirmed based on prototypes floating around, that this engine would make its way into a high-performance “LC F”, but the project was reportedly shelved.

Now, Mag-X’s report claims that rather than a hotter LC, this engine could make its way into the second coming of the LFA as a substitute for the cancelled GR010 roadgoing Le Mans Hypercar.

See Also: Lexus Remains Committed To Low-Slung Bodystyles, Needs More EV Platforms

That being said, as exciting as this potential news may be, it seems like quite a reach given Lexus’ push towards electrification. On top of that, it was reported by none other than Mag-X themselves a year ago that parent company Toyota was allegedly stopping development of V8 engines, which is only supported by things like the Tundra and Sequoia ditching their V8s in favor of V6s for the latest generation.

In order for Mag-X’s new report to come true, Toyota would theoretically need to make financial sense of developing two separate versions of an all-new halo car, restart work on a cancelled twin-turbo V8 project despite reportedly stopping development of V8s altogether, and make it all work in a platform that was in theory only designed to be an EV (unless this was secretly the plan all along). Not exactly an easy feat for a car that will undoubtedly be sold in very low numbers.

Related: F… No! Lexus Says This LC Coupe Teaser Is Not An F Model But An Inspiration Series

However, should these talks of a twin-turbo V8 LFA successor turn out be true, it would certainly be the crown jewel of the…

Plugin vehicles continue to be all the rage in the Chinese auto market. Plugins got back into the fast lane, growing 132% year over year (YoY). They scored over 565,000 registrations in June, a new record. Plugin hybrids (PHEVs) surged 179% year over year (YoY). They reached a record 124,000 registrations in June. Their growth even beat the growth of BEVs, which was a paltry 121%….

Share-wise, with June showing a record performance, plugin vehicles hit “only” 28% market share since the overall passenger car market surged 41%. That surge was thanks to the start of the tax cut on most fossil fuel models (cars with an engine size lower than 2000 cc and priced below 300,000 CNY, or $44,000, got their registration tax reduced to half). Full electrics (BEVs) alone accounted for 22% of the country’s auto sales! This pulled the 2022 share to 26% (20% BEV).

If electrification continues at this pace, this market will be BEV-based by 2025! Imagine that: the largest automotive market in the world being BEV-based in three years time!

Another measure of the importance of this market is the fact that China alone represented over half of global plugin registrations last month.

Tesla Model Y #1 Overall!

Looking at June best sellers, the highlight is the Tesla Model Y beating the rest of the competition, including the little Wuling Mini EV, and winning the Best Seller title — not only in the EV category, but overall!

In fact, the top positions of the overall market were populated by plugin models. Aside from the Tesla Model Y winning the leadership position, the Wuling Mini EV was 3rd, the BYD Song (BEV + PHEV) ended the month in 5th, the Tesla Model 3 was in 8th place, the BYD Han (BEV + PHEV) was 9th, and the BYD Qin Plus (BEV+PHEV) was 11th!

This meant that there were 6 plugin models in the overall top 11. And the 5 fossil fuel models (#2 Nissan Sylphy, #4 Toyota Corolla, #6 VW Lavida, #7 VW Bora, #10 Honda CR-V) were in the minority….

Here’s more info and context on last month’s top 5:

#1 — Tesla Model Y

With a record 52,150 registrations last month, the family-friendly Tesla won June’s overall best seller title. This was thanks to the post-covid lockdown production ramp-up, and the fact that there were few exports, allowing the maker to focus on domestic allocation, in order to fulfill the increased orders backlog. With increased production and a 4 month-average waiting list, expect Tesla’s crossover to continue running for the top spots…