Tag Archives: ending

Motorsport

The Adorable Honda E Is Dead

Honda is ending manufacturing of the e subsequent month, and Toyota Japan offers the Crown a particular version with an all-matte end.

This is AM Drive, Motor1’s each day take a look at the information you want earlier than you get in your automobile.

Honda e Axed

Raise your hand if you happen to noticed this coming. Honda’s trendy electrical commuter will quickly be a factor of the previous. With an inflow of shiny new hybrids and EVs carrying the H badge, the diminutive hatchback is being retired. A message posted on the corporate’s web site in Japan says manufacturing is coming to an finish in January 2024.

The retro-styled automobile had two main weaknesses from day one: value and vary. Indeed, the Honda e has a WLTP ranking of as much as 137 miles relying on the trim stage and wheel dimension. In France, the Advance model begins at a steep €42,100. The lovely EV was by no means a robust vendor, so its demise is not stunning. It had a brief run of solely three years.

The Toyota Crown Gets Matte Paint From The Factory


BMW

BMW M Motorsport thanks John Edwards.

Munich. After ten years as a BMW M works driver, John Edwards (USA) is ending his skilled racing profession. BMW M Motorsport thanks him for the superb collaboration and fondly remembers their shared successes. The spotlight was the GTLM class victory on the 2020 24 Hours of Daytona (USA) with the BMW M8 GTE.

 

“John Edwards competed in his first full season for BMW M Team RLL in North America in 2014 and is one of the longest-serving BMW M works drivers. On behalf of BMW M Motorsport, I would like to thank him for his long loyalty and excellent collaboration,” mentioned Head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos. “Although it was unfortunately before my time, the 2020 IMSA season stands out from a whole series of beautiful shared memories with the victory at Daytona and the title win in the Endurance Cup. I wish John Edwards all the best for his professional and personal future! We will certainly stay in good contact.”

Edwards has introduced that he desires to show his earlier passion of flying planes right into a occupation subsequent yr. He additionally desires to spend extra time together with his household. That was additionally the explanation why he was changed by Neil Verhagen (USA) as Samantha Tan’s (CAN) teammate within the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS through the previous season.

The collaboration between Edwards and BMW M Motorsport started in 2013 with particular person race appearances within the BMW Z4 GTE within the IMSA collection. Together with Dirk Müller (GER), the primary victory at Lime Rock Park (USA) was not lengthy in coming. Accordingly, Edwards was promoted to full-time IMSA and BMW M works driver in 2014. Throughout his profession, he drove quite a few generations of BMW M Motorsport race automobiles, together with the BMW Z4 GTE, BMW M6 GT3, BMW M8 GTE, and BMW M4 GT3. In 2020, he celebrated the GTLM class victory on the 24 Hours of Daytona alongside Jesse Krohn (FIN), Augusto Farfus (BRA), and Chaz Mostert (AUS), in addition to the GTLM title within the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup with Krohn. Edwards additionally usually competed for BMW M Motorsport on the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (GER) from 2015 onwards.

News

Archive special: The Birth of the Ford Fiesta

The final production of the Ford Fiesta is happening today at Ford’s factory in Cologne, marking the end of almost 50 years of production.

The history of the Ford Fiesta goes back further than you might think. Ford had never entered the ‘mini’ car market in Europe before. Instead, in 1958, they chose to follow up the Anglia with another family car – the Cortina. This decision was based on the belief that the Cortina would be a more successful venture. This belief was supported by a thorough examination of Austin’s new Mini in 1959.

However, as the Mini became a huge success and gained competition from the Hillman Imp and Fiat 127, Ford decided to reconsider their approach.

This led to the creation of a prototype that gained initial approval from management in 1970. Following that, Ford’s global empire split the project into different branches.

One of the most successful branches was the design house Ghia in Italy. They showcased the advantages of front-wheel drive (FWD). Soon after, in September 1972, Ford allocated $1 billion for ‘Project Bobcat’ – despite boss Henry Ford II still holding the belief that small cars only generated small profits. (This disproves the notion that the Fiesta was solely a response to the 1973 oil crisis.)

End of an era: The Ford Fiesta story

Recognizing the importance of meeting consumer demands, Ford conducted an extensive market research project. The project was one of the most expensive at the time and involved randomly selecting drivers from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain to evaluate various prototypes.

The research revealed that the Fiesta was the perfect size for all countries and that FWD was highly preferred. Further research in 1973 showed that the car should be a hatchback, as hatchbacks were increasingly popular due to their added practicality compared to sedans.

Additionally, research conducted in San Francisco indicated that Americans also showed interest in the car, which led to plans for US sales. As a result, production expanded beyond Cologne, Saarlouis, and a newly built factory in Valencia, to include Dagenham as well.