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News

Volkswagen retains growing PHEVs as EV demand ‘plateaus’

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Volkswagen will proceed to spend money on plug-in hybrid expertise over the approaching years as a bridge in direction of pure electrification.

The agency at present sells PHEV variations of the Golf, Passat and Tiguan, and boss Thomas Schäfer steered the expertise could possibly be rolled out and improved in mild of a “plateau” in demand for electric cars.

Speaking on the Financial Times Future of the Car convention in London, Schäfer echoed Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida and Hyundai president José Muñoz, who every steered their corporations would preserve a versatile powertrain providing as EV demand wavers.

Asked by Autocar if Volkswagen would proceed investing in hybrids, Schäfer stated: “Hybrids have been a factor of the previous. Last 12 months, in the event you requested the identical query, it will have been: ‘Forget hybrids, it is costly expertise, it isn’t price it.’ Within the final six months, abruptly everybody needs hybrids.

“When we stated we have been going to supply hybrid on the Tiguan, Golf, Passat and so forth, we have been frowned upon. People stated: ‘Why are you doing this? Go sooner [towards full electrification].’ Now I’m very glad we did. We have a suggestion and we’ll most likely must even prolong it.

“It’s a bridge technology. While battery-electric drive is plateauing out a bit at the moment, we still need this transitional technology.”

However, Schäfer added that he is “absolutely sure the future is electric” and hybrids will function a bridge in direction of the last word goal of all-out electrification.

To that finish, Volkswagen will “carry on with what we have”, Schäfer stated, suggesting that any future PHEVs will use a variation of the system that is at present out there within the Golf, Passat and Tiguan. “We will keep developing, but will we do a completely new drivetrain? I don’t think so.”

Schäfer added that Volkswagen would not essentially want a PHEV providing “in every single model and in every single region” however quite improvement work will give attention to lowering prices and boosting electrical vary.

As it stands, Volkswagen PHEVs provide among the many longest electrical ranges of any available on the market, with the newest variations of the Golf, Passat and Tiguan PHEVs in a position to journey round 62 miles with the petrol engine off.

Development of recent hybrid powertrains will not come on the expense of recent EV platform improvement, Schäfer stated, with the updated version of MEB – dubbed MEB Plus – and its SSP successor nonetheless on observe for manufacturing in 2025 and 2026 respectively.

News

Reports: Nissan in talks over £316m Fisker lifeline

Nissan is reportedly in talks to speculate $400 million (£316m) in ailing electric car start-up Fisker.

Fisker yesterday introduced it has paused improvement of its inexpensive compact EV, the Pear, having made a loss of $463.6 million (£366m) in the course of the fourth quarter of 2023.

CEO and founder Henrik Fisker added that the corporate was looking for a collaboration with one other automobile agency to generate money or scale back prices.

He stated: “Fisker is in negotiations with a large auto maker for a potential transaction which could include an investment in Fisker, joint development of one or more electric vehicle platforms and North America manufacturing.”

Bloomberg and Reuters have now reported that the producer in query is Nissan, citing nameless sources accustomed to the matter.

Reuters added that the talks concern a $400 million (£316m) money injection from Nissan, in trade for entry to the platform underpinning the Fisker Alaska pick-up. Nissan would additionally produce the Alaska at certainly one of its US-based factories, alongside its personal mannequin constructed on the identical structure.

Fisker Alaska – side

Fisker Chief monetary officer Geeta Gupta-Fisker stated on Thursday’s earnings name that continued improvement of the Alaska trusted a profitable tie-up with an unnamed automobile agency.

Henrik beforehand stated that the “large auto maker” the corporate was in talks with was not contract producer Foxconn, with which Fisker has beforehand negotiated about manufacturing vehicles in North America collectively.

The negotiation successfully ended Fisker’s relationship with Foxconn, stated Henrik Fisker.

The firm is presently focusing its remaining money reserves on ramping up manufacturing of the Ocean SUV, which is being constructed by contract producer Magna Steyr in Austria, in addition to rolling out additional software program updates for the automobile, he added.

BMW

BMW Group Plans to Construct Logistics Centre for High-Voltage Batteries near Leipzig

In a commitment to e-component production and the future of Plant Leipzig, the BMW Group has signed a leasehold contract for land adjacent to the existing facility on the northern industrial estate. The plot covers a total area of 12 hectares, with the first stage of construction taking up eight hectares. The initial phase will involve the construction of a logistics hall for fifth-generation high-voltage batteries and an office building. The completion of these buildings is expected by mid-2024.

To mark the beginning of the construction of the new Supply Centre North, the Plant Director, Works Council Chairman, Head of Production for High-Voltage Batteries, Mayor and Alderman for Business, Labour and Digital in the City of Leipzig, and the Director of the Office for Economic Development of the City of Leipzig participated in the symbolic turning of the first sod.

The Mayor of Leipzig, Clemens Schülke, expressed his enthusiasm for the development, highlighting the eco-friendly nature of the expansion and its significance for Leipzig as a base for electromobility. Plant Director Petra Peterhänsel emphasized the importance of the transition to electromobility for the plant’s growth, noting its role as a pioneer in electromobility through the production of the BMW i3 and the upcoming launch of the MINI Countryman.

The first phase of construction will include the creation of a warehouse, a two-storey office building, and a loading tunnel with a combined gross area of 38,000 m2. Furthermore, there are plans for a second construction phase, bringing the total investment to around 100 million euros. Once all construction is complete, the Supply Centre North will provide jobs for approximately 500 employees.

With a goal of having at least one in three new cars fully electric by 2026, the BMW Group anticipates an increased need for high-voltage batteries. Plant Leipzig is already a vital supplier of e-components for the production network, providing one in three battery modules for the BMW Group’s fully electric vehicles, including the BMW iX1, BMW i5, and BMW iX. The new logistics centre at Plant Leipzig will further strengthen its role by being equipped to handle high-voltage components.

When planning the logistics hall, the team prioritized stringent environmental standards that go beyond legal requirements. The buildings will be powered by renewable energy sources, such as photovoltaic systems on the roof of the hall and a heat pump for heating. The office building will have a green roof, and strategic placement of trees on the façade will help regulate indoor temperatures. The outside space will be landscaped with thousands of new shrubs and trees, contributing to the green surroundings of the plant. Insect-friendly lighting will illuminate the outdoor areas, and electric charging points for cars and trucks will be installed in the parking spaces.

E-component production is a driving force behind the expansion of Plant Leipzig, with measures in place to protect existing jobs and create new ones. Currently, over 800 employees work in e-component production in Leipzig, and this number is expected to grow to over 1,000 by 2024. Additionally, more jobs will be created through service providers.

Starting from next year, BMW Plant Leipzig will oversee all three stages of high-voltage battery production: cell coating, module production, and high-voltage battery assembly. The capacity for e-component production has been steadily increasing, with battery cells currently being coated and assembled into modules at the plant. One in three battery modules for BMW Group’s fully electric vehicles already comes from Leipzig, and a battery assembly system is under construction and set to begin operations early next year. The BMW Group is investing up to 1 billion euros in expanding e-component production at Leipzig.

In 2024, Plant Leipzig will launch its next fully electric model, the new MINI Countryman, following the discontinuation of BMW i3 production. The MINI Countryman will offer a choice of combustion engines or a fully electric drive, with the high-voltage batteries for the latter being manufactured directly in Plant Leipzig’s workshops.

Motorsport

Kia Stinger EV Successor Coming In 2025 With 600+ HP: Report

Kia and Hyundai plan to invest $18 billion in becoming fully electric vehicle manufacturers by the end of the decade. As part of this transformation, the South Korean automakers will develop a new electric vehicle architecture capable of accommodating one of the largest batteries in the industry. The first production model to utilize this platform will be a Kia-branded sedan.

According to a report from ET News, this upcoming vehicle is internally named GT1 and is expected to be positioned in the mid-size segment, potentially as a spiritual successor to the Stinger. The report suggests that it will belong to the E-segment according to European classification, which means it could be slightly larger than the current Stinger in terms of size.