Rolls-Royce will quickly break floor on a major extension of its manufacturing unit at Goodwood, West Sussex, that can allow it to supply considerably extra personalisation on every automotive that it builds.
Planning permission was lately granted by Chichester District Council, enabling the agency to progress with what would be the most substantial funding within the manufacturing unit because it was opened in 2003.
Extending it’s excessive on the priorities record for Chris Brownridge, the previous BMW UK boss who took the helm at Rolls-Royce on the finish of final yr, following the departure of long-standing CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös.
Speaking to Autocar for the primary time since taking the job, Brownridge – who has held a number of high-ranking positions within the BMW Group since becoming a member of in 2005 – stated that increasing the manufacturing unit isn’t simply essential from a industrial standpoint but additionally by way of nurturing the UK automotive trade.
“We’re proud as a British institution. Rolls-Royce has a very relevant voice in the world of luxury but also contributes to UK plc,” he stated, earlier than highlighting that Goodwood employs 2600 folks instantly and a few 7500 folks throughout the nationwide provide chain, whereas yearly contributing some £500 million to the Treasury.
“We’re a significant player,” stated Brownridge. “This little organisation that builds just 6000 cars a year gives a livelihood to many people.”
Rolls-Royce estimates that the expanded manufacturing unit will enhance its contribution to the native financial system by some £71m and will create greater than 1000 new jobs, though Brownridge emphasised that the goal isn’t to spice up total automotive output.
“When this magnificent facility was built, the business was designed around making 1000-1500 cars [annually], and today we make significantly more than that – every single one requested by a client,” he stated.
“Our strategy moving forward isn’t to grow volume, it’s to grow the bespoke content of the cars, because that’s what makes it a special experience for our clients.”
Owning any automobile comes with unknowns. Issues will come up, issues will break, and exhausting selections have to be made. Many main issues in trendy crop up effectively previous the 100,000-mile mark, however one 2018 Nissan Titan XD proprietor is going through a giant restore with simply over 40,000 miles on the odometer. It’s dangerous sufficient that the truck may require a brand new engine block.
This junk 5.0-liter V8 Cummins diesel engine engine reveals itself throughout a dissection at Dave’s Auto Center in Utah, which printed a video documenting the motor’s disassembly to YouTube. A brief run reveals it’s leaking a copious quantity of oil out of the again with a doubtlessly blown rear principal seal.
According to the proprietor, the Titan’s engine grew louder earlier than dying on the aspect of the street, however there weren’t another indicators of misery beforehand. It did not show a verify engine mild, oil strain mild, or a excessive engine temperature.
Despite that, one thing went terribly flawed. Particles within the oil filter, oil, and oil pan level to a catastrophic failure, and additional tearing down the engine reveals a number of spun principal bearings and in depth harm all through. The crank journals are scuffed, and the engine will want new caps.
Spun bearings are one of many worst sorts of failures, able to killing an engine in seconds. They do not simply occur out of nowhere. The phenomena often happens because of a drop in oil strain, inflicting metal-on-metal contact between the bearings and journals, growing friction and warmth that results in harm and engine failure.
Sadly, it seems to be just like the Titan’s engine block is junk. Fixing it’s potential, however a brand new block is probably going the higher place to begin. Neither might be low cost, with a brand new block from Nissan costing $23,000. That doesn’t embrace the value of labor to place it again within the pickup, both.
The restoration of the Stormont Assembly is sweet information for Northern Ireland and its folks, however the 24-month break in motion means politicians face a to-do checklist piled as excessive as Everest – and consultants concern that accelerating EV infrastructure development is someplace down within the foothills.
While the variety of fast and ultra-rapid chargers in Northern Ireland has elevated fivefold previously 18 months, the nation can nonetheless declare solely to have round 100 in operation, the bulk situated within the north-east.
As of October 2023, Northern Ireland had the fewest 50kW-plus chargers within the UK, at 2.9
Electric minivans are aiming to interrupt the stigma surrounding minivans, with fashionable designs and high-performance options.
The Zeekr 009 is ready to be a strong electrical minivan, with a battery capability of 140 kilowatt-hours and a variety of 510 miles.
Electric minivans are providing high-tech options and opulent interiors, reworking the popularity of minivans as primary household autos.
It’s exhausting to make a minivan look — or sound — cool. The phrases “mini” and “van” put collectively conjure up pictures of stuffy household street journeys with snack wrappers lodged in between the seats or the stress-inducing expertise of the morning faculty drop-off line. Minivans, for all their dependency and spacious specialty, aren’t considered the coolest cars to drive up to a meet-up. But electrical minivan producers are aiming to alter that.
Minivans are only just gracing the electric vehicle industry, however the handful of choices spell vivid issues for his or her future by balancing being fashionable and area savvy. Here is all the pieces we all know now about the way forward for electrical minivans.
Two editions impressed by the principle characters of the Obi-Wan Kenobi TV sequence
In order to provide the most modern and correct data doable, the info used to compile this text was sourced from varied producer web sites and different authoritative sources, together with Volkswagen, Zeekr, and Volvo.
The Pros And Cons Of Owning An Electric Minivan
While there aren’t too many electrical minivans at the moment in the marketplace, there are a few on the horizon. Without a lot element, it is tough to decipher how electrical minivans will stack up towards SUVs, full-size vans, and the remainder of the electrical car business when the wave of EV minis hits shore. However, there are just a few sneak peeks automakers have clued prospects into.
One of the numerous 100% electrical minivans anticipated to hit the market is the Zeekr 009. The car, produced by an off-shoot of Volvo, is primarily set to promote in China — the present largest sector of the electrical car market. The 009 EV has one large factor going for it: energy. The producer stated the car would be the world’s first to supply 140 kilowatt-hours of battery capability.
For context, electric vehicles have an average battery capacity of 69.5 kilowatt-hours, in accordance with EV Database, with the present highest capability sitting on the VinFast VF Extended Range’s 123 kilowatt-hours. Along with battery life, the all-electric minivan options 510 miles in vary and reaches 60 MPH in simply 4.5 seconds. If the ability and pace aren’t sufficient to clue you into simply how highly effective this car is promised to be, its 007-like identify and signature EV ultra-modern look go towards any preconceived concepts about minivans.
Despite A Few Exceptions, Speed Remains A Downfall
While the Zeekr 009 could also be fast, different 100% electrical minivans aren’t anticipated to boast such speedy acceleration charges. Even the 009’s carefully matched cousin, the EM90, is anticipated to rise up to 60 MPH in practically double the time. The ID.Buzz hauls its weight to 60 MPH in around 10.2 seconds.
Understandably, in a family-centric car, pace would fall beneath security on the prioritization checklist. Volvo and Zeekr do go fairly the additional mile in relation to making certain security is primary by way of the protected area know-how system and superior driver help methods.
Is this Chinese luxurious EV van the primary cool minivan in many years?
These Future Models Are Shaking Up Everything From Interior Tech To Towing Capacity
Volvo
While customary minivans aren’t precisely identified for being essentially the most flashy, nor providing the utmost luxurious experiences, all-electric minivans appear to be altering the expectations across the car’s popularity. From fold-out tray tables to seats impressed by a first-class flight, these new electrical minivans aren’t pulling any punches in relation to decking out the car in all the pieces that makes the experience smoother.
Artificial Intelligence On The Road
Electric autos usually tackle a futuristic really feel and upcoming EV minivans are not any exception. The Zeekr 009 is provided with a 15.6-inch central drop down display screen for passengers to look at motion pictures and hearken to music. Alongside the mega display screen is the automobile’s central mind known as the “8155 intelligent cockpit” with a computing system and EVA, the car’s voice-activated A.I. management system.
In the same vein to the 009’s luxe and full of life inside expertise, Volvo’s CEO expressed that the most important intention for the model’s electrical minivans is to encourage consolation for the entire household.
“It’s an age-old cliché, but there really is no place like home,” Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan stated. “A place to connect with your loved ones, to truly be yourself. It’s this feeling of home that inspired our new EM90, a car with room for life.”
Zeekr/Geely
Along with high-tech options, each the EM90 and Zeekr 009 provide a sequence of particular options. The EM90 contains street noise cancelation and a silent tires characteristic. Similar to the 009, the EM90 additionally features a 15.4-inch infotainment display screen and a 15.6-inch roof-mounted display screen for passenger leisure.
Although giant, the Zeekr 009 is sort of low drag, with a 0.27 “ultra-low” drag coefficient, in accordance with the brand. With Volvo performing because the mum or dad firm of Zeekr, its no shock that the 2 all-electric minivans are practically an identical in options. However, it’s stunning simply how related the EVs appear to be. For instance, apart from the tech and particular options showing to be of comparable design and scale, the automobiles have an identical dimensions.
Made For Road-tripping
The ranges confirmed for the likes of the Zeekr 009 and EM90 are spectacular, however different fashions are significantly well-suited for street tripping. The ID.Buzz is Volkswagen’s homage to the famed Type 2 Microbus, however this time with an all-electric powertrain. While the ID.Buzz has much less of a variety — round 260 miles — it does have fast charging occasions, recharging from five to 80 percent in 30 minutes. The Volkswagen microbus shines, nonetheless, in its classic fashion and seashore street journey vibes, together with its capacity to hold something you want (as much as round 2,300 kilos). Oddly, regardless of the microbus’ sluggish acceleration time, it did compete within the Monte Carlo electrical rally in October and made it by way of the winding mountain roads of Monaco, France, and Italy.
The Volkswagen ID.Buzz has been stretched and improved for the United States, however it should be an extended wait earlier than you should buy one.
What EV Minivan Tax Credits To Look For
Volkswagen
The United States electrical car market is at the moment within the midst of a shake-up. Previously, EV homeowners may obtain a $7,500 tax credit score. The laws and incentives tried to spice up electrical car gross sales and decrease the up-front value of shopping for an electrical car.
However, the Biden administration lately handed new laws that will disqualify electrical autos that comprise exported components from any “foreign entit[ies] of concern.” The lower to tax credit score qualifiers is partially a solution to reduce China’s exportation of electrical autos to the states. According to the Wall Street Journal, till automakers discover a answer to supply China’s graphite, it could be difficult to reap the benefits of any electric vehicle tax breaks.
Where Tax Credits Leave Upcoming Minivans
Even earlier than the most recent laws handed, just one electrified minivan was eligible for the full $7,500 tax incentive, reported Bloomberg. The Chrysler Pacifica Plug-In Hybrid was the only minivan to qualify for the rebate. While the checklist of eligible autos has but to be revealed, if the electrical minivans coming to market meet the worth cap and home components {qualifications}, they may make the checklist.
Models Coming To The EV Market
As a fleet of recent electrical autos graces the market, listed below are just a few fashions to regulate.
The next generation Panamera is set to be revealed on November 24. In the meantime, Porsche is conducting final tests. A prototype, which appears to be almost production-ready, has been sighted on the streets of California with cleverly disguised features.
The camouflage is designed to create the illusion that the car is not concealed. This extends beyond stickers on the headlights and taillights, with a fake side air intake on the fenders and a blacked-out quarter glass. Porsche has gone to great lengths to deceive with this disguise.
Ali Abdo is planning another ride and aiming to break another record. The event, known as COP28, will take place in November 2023 at Expo City Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). COP28 is the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where nations come together to take action against climate change.
This ride will not only serve as an opportunity to participate in COP28, but also as a publicity stunt for the Energica EsseEsse9 and electric vehicles as a whole. This is not Ali’s first long journey on an electric motorcycle, as he has previous experience in attempting records.
The trip will also include visits to universities and sports clubs to educate and inspire the youth about climate change. The popularity of zero-emission two-wheelers is growing, with companies like CAKE crossing the U.S. and Ali Abdo attempting to set a Guinness World Record for visiting the most countries on an electric motorcycle.
The ride will start from Riyadh and pass through Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman, before arriving at the UAE where COP28 will be held. Along the way, the journey will include exploration, city hopping, clean-up efforts, attending conferences, visiting universities, highlighting green companies, sharing ideas, and empowering everyone.
The ride will span 100 days, cover 40 cities, and include eight countries. As of now, Ali Abdo and his team should be in Saudi Arabia, with COP28 scheduled to start on November 30, 2023, and continue until December 12, 2023.
After a summer break for a few weeks, BMW Motorrad Motorsport returns to action this weekend, as the 2023 FIM Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) enters the final third of the season. From 8th to 10th September, Magny-Cours (FRA) will host the ninth of this season’s twelve events. Last week, the two BMW teams and four BMW Motorrad factory riders attended two days of testing at MotorLand Aragón (ESP), in preparation for this season’s final push.
BMW Motorrad Motorsport, the ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team, with riders Scott Redding (GBR) and Michael van der Mark (NED), and the Bonovo action BMW Racing Team with Loris Baz (FRA) and Garrett Gerloff (USA) used the two-day test in the north of Spain to work on improvements to the chassis and electronics on the BMW M 1000 RR.
Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours, located roughly 250 kilometres south of the French capital Paris, has proved to be a happy hunting ground for BMW Motorrad Motorsport in the past. Last year, Redding finished runner-up in the Saturday race to claim his best result of the season. Local favourite Baz was also in contention for a spot on the podium in 2022.
After Magny-Cours, the season concludes with a further three rounds at MotorLand Aragón (ESP / 22nd to 24th September), Portimão (POR / 29th September to 1st October), and Jerez de la Frontera (ESP / 27th to 29th October).
Quotes ahead of the Magny-Cours round.
Marc Bongers, BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director: “We are looking forward to getting going again after the summer break. The Aragón test was productive and we made some important findings with both our teams and the four riders ahead of the final phase of the season. We now travel to Magny-Cours well prepared. The circuit is very varied and the layout is a technically demanding mix of very fast straights and tight hairpins. We have fond memories of Magny-Cours, including those from last year. Everyone is working hard to make sure that we are competitive there again this year, and that we have a say in the battle at the front of the field.”
Garrett Gerloff, #31 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “I’m looking forward to Magny-Cours as it’s a track that BMW had success on in the past. I am feeling good on the bike lately. We had a pretty good test at Aragón. We learned a lot of things there that we can hopefully also apply to Magny-Cours. Let’s see what the weather looks like, because there it’s always a bit of a guess, but as a team we are ready to have the best weekend possible.”
Scott Redding, #45 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I’m looking forward to Magny-Cours. It’s obviously a race track where we felt good last year and it’s a circuit that I like. Coming back from a positive test at Aragón I look forward to it. The weather’s looking pretty hot which we don’t normally have at Magny-Cours so I’m looking forward to a good weekend.”
Michael van der Mark, #60 BMW M 1000 RR, ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team: “I am happy to be finally racing again. I’m looking forward to it. Most was nice but I know that I am a lot fitter and stronger now. We had two nice days of testing at Aragón so I think that we are ready. Magny-Cours is one of my favourite tracks, I really enjoy riding there so I cannot wait to go out this weekend and start my second part of the season.”
Loris Baz, #76 BMW M 1000 RR, Bonovo action BMW Racing Team: “It was a big break, but I kept myself busy. We did the IDM round and then I had a lot of things to do at home. That was followed by the test at Aragón. It was a test where we were trying to be back at the right pace. There were some setup ideas that we tried for the rest of the season. I’m looking forward to the home round now, of course. It’s always nice to ride at home and we will try to continue with the form we had at Imola and Most, which was quite good. I’ll try to score as many points as possible for the rest of the season. We’ll do our best as always and hopefully have some fun.”
Track Facts Magny-Cours.
Circuit length
4.411 km – clockwise
Corners
17 – 9 right-handers, 8 left-handers
Pole position
Right
Longest straight
Approx. 900 metres (‘Golf’)
Grip level
Medium
Track layout
Some sweeping turns, some stop-and-go passages, fast changes of direction
Strain on brakes
Relatively high
Amount at full throttle
32 % respectively 31 seconds
Top speed / lowest speed
295 km/h / 46 km/h
Best overtaking opportunity
T5
Key factors
High speed through the corners, stability, good delay on entry into turns, wide range of performance
The third-generation Volkswagen Tiguan, set to be revealed later this year, was recently spotted without any camouflage during a photo shoot in the streets of Ljubljana, Slovenia. In a short video clip, the new Tiguan can be seen alongside a Mercedes GLE camera car, which is painted all-black to avoid reflecting light.
Based on the fact that the car is featured in a future advertisement, it is likely that we are looking at a high-end trim level, possibly the R-Line variant. The video quality is not the best, but it is evident that the 2024 Tiguan will feature evolutionary styling, as Volkswagen is playing it safe with their popular compact crossover. With over 88,000 units delivered in the first half of 2023, the Tiguan was the eighth best-selling model in Europe, surpassing the once-dominant Golf, according to market researcher Dataforce cited by Automotive News Europe.
BMW M Team RLL is set to resume the 2023 season in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship at Road America this weekend. After winning at Watkins Glen and securing third place at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, the team is looking to achieve a third consecutive podium finish with the BMW M Hybrid V8 in the GTP class. So far this season, the team has claimed one victory and three more podium finishes with the #25 BMW M Hybrid V8.
During the four-week break following the race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, both BMW M Hybrid V8 racing cars have been extensively tested for the upcoming event at Road America. All four season-long drivers, Connor De Phillippi, Nick Yelloly, Augusto Farfus, and Philipp Eng, participated in a two-day test at Road America, where the cars covered over 1,491 miles on the resurfaced track. In addition, the team conducted a two-day test at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with the #25 and #24 BMWs ending the second day on top of the timing sheets.
Road America holds significance for the BMW M Team RLL as it was the location of their first victory in 2009. Since then, the team has achieved three wins, three second places, and two third places at the Wisconsin circuit with different BMW GT racing cars.
In the GT Daytona class, three BMW M4 GT3s will compete. Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow currently lead the GTD class points with the #1 Paul Miller Racing BMW M4 GT3. Turner Motorsport also brings two BMW M4 GT3s to the race.
The race at Road America will take place on Sunday, August 6th at 10:10 local time.
Quotes ahead of the Road America race:
Connor De Phillippi (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8): “Road America is one of the greatest circuits in the US. With a fresh layer of pavement, it has added even more fun to our BMW M Hybrid V8. Our two-day tests went well, and we feel well prepared to fight for the top spot on Sunday.”
Nick Yelloly (#25 BMW M Hybrid V8): “I’m excited to race at Road America. We had a positive test there a couple of weeks ago, which helped me prepare for my first time racing at the track. I’m ready to conquer this iconic US circuit.”
Philipp Eng (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8): “We had a very productive test at Road America. The track is fantastic, and I can’t wait to return for race week and compete for a victory!”
Augusto Farfus (#24 BMW M Hybrid V8): “We have high expectations for our performance at Road America, especially since we recently tested there. The track is a unique mix of Spa and the Nordschleife, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
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