Tag Archives: It’ll

Motorsport

Audi’s New Entry-Level EV Will Be ‘Wonderful and Unique’

Audi is planning to launch a brand new, entry-level electrical automobile in 2027. It’ll slot under the Q4 E-Tron within the lineup, however firm CEO Gernot Döllner was reluctant to dish out extra particulars in regards to the upcoming mannequin.

He advised Autocar that the brand new EV can be a “wonderful, unique independent vehicle concept.” It would possibly experience on the MEB structure, however Döllner admitted the corporate hadn’t determined which platform would underpin the automotive. We’ll possible study in regards to the EV’s battery dimension and chemistry, vary, and energy output at its debut.

2022 Audi Q4 E-Tron Exterior

Audi will speed up the automotive’s improvement to satisfy its 2027 launch date. It and different automakers are more and more cautious of low-cost Chinese EVs and are responding accordingly. In June final 12 months, VW Group CEO Oliver Blume admitted Audi lagged behind its rivals as a result of software program points, saying it will pace up the luxurious model’s EV improvement.

The firm will produce its entry-level EV in Ingolstadt, Germany, which may put on the A2/Q2 title. Audi has reserved even numbers for its EVs and odd ones for its combustion-powered automobiles. While Audi may produce a small sedan, the likelier product is a compact crossover with the Q nomenclature as customers nonetheless flock to the high-riding fashions.

The Audi Q6 E-Tron debuted earlier this week, becoming a member of the portfolio’s E-Tron GT, This fall E-Tron, and Q8 E-Tron fashions. An entry-level EV would assist flesh out the lineup, however it’s three years away from occurring sale, and competitors will solely proceed to extend. Audi won’t even provide it within the US, and it may nonetheless be costly. The 2024 This fall E-Tron begins at $56,395 (the worth consists of the $1,195 vacation spot cost). 

Motorsport

Mercedes-Benz Might Finally Bring the V-Class Name To America

When Mercedes-Benz brings its next-generation van to America, it’ll reportedly put on the V-Class identify. Unnamed Mercedes officers confirmed to WardsAuto that the mannequin would drop the EQV nomenclature when it goes on sale in 2026.

Mercedes detailed its van plans in May 2023, saying the VAN.EA structure that’ll underpin new mid-size luxurious vans within the US and elsewhere. According to this newest report, Mercedes will supply the van with single- and dual-motor setups in rear- and all-wheel drive configurations and two battery capacities.

Mercedes declined to touch upon WardAuto’s report when reached by Motor1, telling us it can’t focus on future product plans.


Motorsport

2026 Rivian R2: This Is It

Rivian’s lineup expands as we speak with the launch of the R2. Smaller than the R1s, it will be a brand new, extra inexpensive entry level into the model when it goes on sale in 2026, beginning at $45,000.

It’ll be accessible with one, two, or three electrical motors. The single-motor setup will energy the rear wheels, whereas all-wheel-drive will probably be accessible with the opposite two. All three can journey over 300 miles on a single cost, and probably the most potent model can hit 60 miles per hour in below three seconds.

Rivian R2

The new SUV seats 5 folks in its 115.6-inch wheelbase. The R2 is way smaller than its R1S sibling, measuring 185.6 inches lengthy, 84.4 inches vast with the mirrors, and 66.9 inches tall. It’s 15 inches shorter than the R1S and fewer off-road succesful.

There’s nonetheless some pedigree right here, although. The R2 will get 9.8 inches of floor clearance, with a 25-degree method angle and a 27-degree departure angle. The bigger R1S has 14.9 inches of floor clearance and round 35 levels of angles.

Here’s how the R2 stacks as much as a few of its nearest rivals:

Model Base Price Max Range 0-60 MPH
Rivian R2 $45,000 300+ Miles 3.0 Seconds (est.)
Ford Mustang Mach-E $39,895 312 Miles 3.5 Seconds
Hyundai Ioniq 5 $41,800 303 Miles 5.0 Seconds
Kia EV6 $42,600 310 Miles 3.4 Seconds
Tesla Model Y $43,990 310 Miles 3.5 Seconds

The R2’s design doesn’t stray removed from the model’s established look. It has a easy, boxy design that includes Rivian’s trademark lighting signature on the entrance and rear. Inside the brand new SUV has a dual-screen show, and all of the seats can fold float. It additionally has two glove compartments. The rear hatch glass can roll down and the rear quarter home windows can come out for an ethereal driving expertise.

It’ll characteristic the North American Charging Standard – giving it entry to Tesla’s chargers – and qualify for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit score. 2026 continues to be two years away, however Rivian should first construct the manufacturing unit that may produce the R2. You can reserve your R2 as we speak, with deliveries starting within the first half of 2026.  

Rivian R2
Motorsport

Jeep Is Preparing Five New Or Refreshed Models For 2025

2025 can be a giant yr for Jeep. It’ll have two battery-electric vehicles on sale and a bigger lineup of plug-in hybrids. Jeep’s new CEO, Antonio Filosa, briefed the media Friday concerning the comapny’s plans for the upcoming yr and its technique to extend its market share.

The Jeep Wagoneer S will enter manufacturing within the second quarter of this yr earlier than happening sale in Q3 for a brief 2024 mannequin yr run. It’ll be the quickest Jeep ever when it goes on sale, hitting 60 miles per hour in lower than 3.5 seconds. 


Motorsport

BMW Design Boss Says The M5 Touring Is Coming To America

We know that BMW is prepping the next-generation M5. It’ll provide a wagon variant that, till now, has solely been rumored to be obtainable in North America. BMW design boss Domagoj Dukec on Tuesday confirmed to The Car Guide the automaker will provide the brand new M5 Touring wagon within the United States. It’ll allegedly arrive in 2025 and sit alongside the brand new M5 sedan.

We reached out to BMW North America to verify Dukec’s feedback, however a spokesperson would inform us solely that particulars about when and the place the M5 Touring will probably be obtainable “will follow at a later date.”


Motorsport

Lotus Will Replace The Emira With An Electric Sports Car In 2027

Lotus has one other electrical sports activities automotive on the best way. Assigned the inner code Type 135, it will reportedly be a fraction of the value of the roughly $1.5 million Evija. The British efficiency model plans to unveil the brand new mannequin in 2025 and worth it at roughly the equal of $95,345 (75,000 kilos) when gross sales start in 2027, in line with Autocar.

“We need the bullseye of the brand, which has to be that two-seat sports car,” Lotus Group Chief Commercial Officer Mike Johnstone instructed Autocar. “Otherwise, we’re just a brand with a Lotus badge. The sports car is an essential part of our future.”

The Type 135 will substitute the Elise and the Emira within the Lotus lineup. It’ll be a two-seater and can journey on the LEVA (Lightweight Electric Vehicle Architecture) initially for Lotus and Alpine’s now-defunct model collaboration (teaser picture above), in line with Autocar. The chassis construction is reportedly 37 p.c lighter than the Emira’s, although last weight will probably be larger because of the heavy battery pack.

One- and two-motor powertrains shall be out there, reportedly making 469 horsepower and 872 hp, respectively. The platform can accommodate rear- and all-wheel drive layouts, with Lotus telling Autocar it does not wish to shut off the potential of including a torque-vectoring AWD setup just like the system discovered on the Evija. 

While these figures are undoubtedly potent, they’re truly a bit lower than Lotus’ different EVs. The Emeya sedan is available with up to 905 hp. The Eletre SUV is on the market in 603 hp and 905 hp versions.

There will reportedly be 66.4 kilowatt-hour and 99.6 kWh batteries out there, offering round 300 miles and 450 miles of vary, respectively. Rather than placing the batteries beneath the ground like many EVs, Lotus plans to stack them behind the driving force. This lets the occupants sit a bit decrease for a extra conventional sports activities automotive expertise that consumers anticipate from the model.

Lotus will construct the Type 135 in England, not like the Emeya and Eletre, which come from China. The firm estimates it could promote 10,000 to fifteen,000 examples of the sports activities automotive globally annually.

We’ve reached out to Lotus to substantiate all of this for ourselves. We’ll you should definitely replace this text once we hear again. 

Motorsport

Bugatti Bolide Laps Le Mans In First Public Debut As It Tests Aero Pack

It’ll be three years this October since Bugatti first revealed the Bolide. We’re nearer to its launch than ever as Bugatti continues to check the mannequin’s aerodynamic packages and finalizes the manufacturing automotive. Deliveries start in 2024, however the supercar simply made its first public look and did it at this yr’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Bugatti first launched the Bolide to the world in 2020, but it surely did not reveal the production version until a few months ago. The gamut of assessments the Bolide goes by means of is pushing the hypercar to the restrict to make sure it creates the right degree of downforce and achieves the absolute best dealing with. The automaker is testing it on “real, revered racetracks.”

 

The manufacturing Bolide will generate practically three tons of downforce and might obtain as much as 2.5 G laterally, due to its aerodynamic bundle. At the entrance, the splitter compresses the air, then expands underneath the diffuser to create a suction impact that pulls the Bolide to the bottom. Unique air curtains in entrance of the entrance wheels direct air across the automotive, decreasing general drag. Bugatti even designed the wing mirrors to divert air towards the facet intercoolers for max effectivity.

Racers will be capable to regulate the aero bundle to seek out the suitable stability between downforce and drag. That consists of the rear wing house owners can set to satisfy every observe’s distinctive traits. The track-focused design is why Bugatti included a bodily rear-view mirror, which permits drivers to estimate distances to the vehicles behind them higher.

The Bolide’s quad-turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine makes 1,578 horsepower and 1,180 pound-feet of torque. It has a dry weight of three,637 kilos (1,650 kilograms) and generates practically 6,600 kilos of downforce at pace.

The Bolide has a bit extra finalizing to finish earlier than it arrives in clients’ fingers. Deliveries start someday subsequent yr, and Bugatti is barely making 40 of the track-only hypercars. Each will value 4 million ($4.3 million at at this time’s trade charges. The Bolide lapped the observe at Le Man on Saturday afternoon with Andy Wallace, a 1988 Le Mans winner, on the wheel. Wallace is an official Bugatti driver.