Episode 86 of the Autocar podcast My Week In Cars finds our resident automobile hacks Matt Prior and Steve Cropley speaking a few road-going version of the Jaguar C-X75 idea automobile up to date by its designer Ian Callum, a Morris Minor set for a restoration, our pal Derek’s hairdresser and his Toyota GT86, observe daying an Alpine A110 and rather more in addition to, together with your correspondence.
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In 2017, Spark gross sales fell 11% from the prior 12 months. The economies of scale did not add up, so GM took the ax and chopped the Spark off its lineup earlier than the 2023 mannequin 12 months. The Spark wasn’t the one sufferer of the SUV craze in Chevrolet’s automobile lineup: The Chevy Cruze departed in 2019, adopted by the Sonic hatchback and sedan in 2020.
As of 2024, the Malibu is the one sedan in Chevrolet’s North American stock regardless of saying in 2019 that it will bear the identical destiny because the Spark and different sedans/hatchbacks sporting the bowtie emblem.
You’ll must refocus on the Trax or Trailblazer if you would like an reasonably priced, sub-$24,000 new Chevy automobile, though each are nowhere close to as mass-market reasonably priced because the Spark. However, there’s hope if you would like a brand new automotive for beneath $17,000. The longstanding Mitsubishi Mirage and Nissan Versa are two of the most affordable new vehicles for 2024, though rumors are ripe of each fashions crossing the rainbow bridge quickly.
Prior to full crash checks, autos endure laptop simulations and sled acceleration evaluation for structural and restraint system analysis
Crash check security scores have turn out to be an vital aspect within the new automobile shopping for choice for Indians. Even earlier than carmakers submitted their fashions for a brand new automobile evaluation program (NCAP), in addition they needed to conduct inner checks to adjust to fundamental trade laws. That’s how vehicles which have scored 0-stars are nonetheless on sale. For India, the primary automobile model that involves thoughts for 5-star security scores must be Tata and its present flagship providing, the Tata Safari SUV has earned a 5-star ranking from each GNCAP and Bharat NCAP. Tata just lately invited us to their crash check facility within the Pimpri manufacturing plant close to Pune to present us an insider take a look at how they make their vehicles safer utilizing the Safari SUV for the demonstration.
What is a crash check?
A automobile crash check is a rigorous process the place autos are intentionally crashed to evaluate their crashworthiness and talent to maintain passengers secure throughout high-speed impacts. The crash check was first initiated by General Motors in 1934. Today, a number of crash testing businesses, within the type of completely different NCAPs, consider automobile security all over the world.
When beginning a brand new crash check venture, vehicles aren’t merely picked from the lineup and crashed instantly into the barrier. Instead, the method entails a number of phases via which a automobile’s body-in-white (BIW) and its construction is nearly assessed by way of laptop simulations, passing which it’s topic to influence testing. A Body in White (BIW) is basically the essential skeleton body of a automobile, constructed by becoming a member of varied lengthy, cross, and facet members. At this stage, the BIW lacks door panels, powertrain parts, and all inside trims.
Additionally, the automobile’s restraint system and inside trims ought to meet minimal security parameters within the sled acceleration check earlier than continuing to the ultimate crash check. Each of the phases talked about right here has been detailed under:
Simulation Stage
The course of begins with a simulation stage, the place the fashions endure evaluation via Computer-aided engineering (CAE). Within CAE, varied checks are carried out on the automobile via simulation, together with offset entrance, facet influence, facet perpendicular pole, and pedestrian safety checks. This permits the carmaker to analyse and confirm any discrepancies within the bodyshell integrity earlier than placing the automobile for the ultimate crash check, therefore saving money and time.
Sled Servo Acceleration Test
After the mannequin satisfies all of the parameters in CAE, it’s time for the sled acceleration check. For this check, a cross part of the automobile is created and positioned on the platform referred to as ‘servo acceleration platform’, as seen within the picture above. Test dummies are additionally positioned on the entrance seats. This check primarily goals to guage the automobile’s particular person parts and restraint techniques like airbags and seatbelts, whereas additionally assessing if inside trims equivalent to display screen, dashboard panels, and edges may pose a danger to the occupants.
To conduct this check, the cross part positioned on the servo acceleration platform is accelerated at a velocity of 80 to 90 kmph by way of a pneumatic cylinder, thereby making a whiplash impact for the occupants. The dummies inside expertise forces of as much as 40G, replicating the true inertia impact of a automobile accident. Consequently, the dummy’s physique is propelled in the direction of the dashboard with important drive. Airbags are additionally deployed throughout this time.
The dummies mounted within the cross part of the automobile are then studied to analyse the forces skilled in the course of the sled acceleration check and to look at the interplay between the inside trims and the check dummy. This check is carried out a number of instances previous to the complete automobile crash check to make sure that engineers collect adequate analysis, information, and confidence earlier than advancing additional. These checks are considerably inexpensive than actual automobile crash checks and will be carried out extra often, i.e, at the very least twice a day.
The Final Test
After present process a number of rounds of simulation and sled acceleration checks, the ultimate automobile crash check is executed. This entails a production-specification mannequin with all of the parts being slammed right into a crash check barrier at a predetermined velocity. During our go to, Tata determined to conduct a entrance offset barrier crash check on its flagship 3-row SUV, the Safari.
The crash zone contains a tunnel, 200 metres in size, resulting in the barrier which is mounted on a inflexible concrete wall. The check automobile is affixed to a drive module related to the automobile’s decrease arm by chains. This module is related to a drive system which is used to drag the automobile by way of a cable in the direction of the crash barrier. Additionally, to duplicate the true mass in the course of the accident, the automobile’s gasoline tank is full of water as a substitute of gasoline.
An alarm was sounded, alerting all personnel within the space to face away from the testing zone, and the automobile started its run from the start line of the tunnel. The SUV achieves a velocity of 64 kmph on the system, and inside a fraction of a second, the Safari collided with the barrier. Subsequently, the SUV rebounded to the left, the influence inflicting its spare wheel to detach from beneath. After it got here to a cease, post-crash procedures had been carried out, and we had been invited to examine the automobile after the crash.
Post crash, the physique shell of the Safari was intact, whereas the part forward of the A-pillar crumpled to soak up a big a part of the influence. It’s essential that the realm forward of the passenger compartment of the automobile will get crushed to be able to prohibit the influence forces from being transferred to the passenger cabin. The a part of the automobile that will get crushed throughout an influence is called the crumple zone. Inside, all airbags had been deployed, and the dummies appeared to have survived the influence with out extra harm.
The fundamental crash check itself is accomplished inside a matter of seconds. To seize the high-speed crash check, the realm close to the barrier is supplied with high-intensity lights, set to 1000 lux (at 200 p.c depth) in the course of the dwell crash. This intense lighting facilitates clear visibility of each minute element or harm sustained by the automobile. Additionally, greater than 10 high-speed cameras are strategically positioned within the crash zone, recording the occasion at 1000 frames per second.
What Happens To The Car Post Crash?
Post crash check, the automobile is relocated to the evaluation zone inside 4 to 5 hours. There, a workforce of engineers extract and analyse the crash check from the automobile and dummies. This course of can take as much as 4 days. After that, the crashed automobile will get scrapped.
Cost
A full automobile crash check together with the establishing of the crash zone, damages, and every part concerned prices round Rs 15 to twenty lakh. Please word that this determine excludes the price of the automobile. Also, there are different important prices concerned in establishing a facility and operating the simulations earlier than the ultimate influence check.
So that is how Tata prepares its vehicles to supply excessive requirements of security on Indian roads. Post these inner crash checks, the automaker additionally sends its vehicles to crash testing businesses like Global NCAP and Bharat NCAP for a public ranking. As talked about earlier, the Tata Safari has already been awarded full 5-star security ranking in each grownup and youngster occupant safety.
What do you concentrate on this inner security testing process? Let us know within the feedback under for any questions.
It appears that motocross is the following huge factor to catch the flowery of huge European producers. Prior to Ducati and Triumph making the large announcement that they’ll each be taking MX severely, the MX scene was just about owned by KTM dad or mum firm Pierer Mobility, with Husqvarna, KTM, and GasGas all proving to be dominant within the sport.
Just the opposite day, Ducati announced the launch of Ducati Corse Off-Road, a brand new racing division devoted solely to managing the House of Borgo Panigale’s off-road exploits. This time round, it’s Triumph who has some huge information on the planet of off-road racing. Triumph Racing has introduced a three-man staff to compete within the AMA Supercross Championship in 2024, alongside the debut of the model new Triumph TF250X motocross bike.
Triumph Racing – Jalek Swoll
Three gifted riders consisting of Joey Savatgy, Evan Ferry, and Jalek Swoll can be piloting the Triumph TF250X and pitting it towards a number of the most formidable machines within the 250 class. Jalek Swoll can be racing within the AMA 250 East Regional Series, whereas Evan Ferry can be stepping up from the novice ranks to hitch Swoll additionally within the AMA 250 East Series. Jalek Swoll demonstrated a formidable season again in 2021, the place he completed fifth within the 250X West, his first 250 class win in Pro Motocross. Meanwhile, Evan Ferry loved success in Supercross Futures and Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals.
Triumph Racing – Evan Ferry
Joey Savatgy joins the staff as essentially the most skilled racer of the three. Motocross Action stories that he hoped to get a waiver from the AMA to let him race within the 250 East/West sequence. However, it seems he was denied this waiver as a result of his success within the sport, ending within the high ten 4 instances within the final 5 years. As such, he’ll be racing in Pro Motocross. Last however not least, Mike Brown can be becoming a member of the staff as coach, offering steerage to the three racers. He’s a seasoned racer within the MX world, and is a former Pro Motocross champion.
Triumph Racing – Joey Savatgy
Triumph’s entry into the world of motocross will take a look at not simply the capabilities of the all new TF250X, but additionally the abilities, bodily health, and psychological fortitude of the racers. Being the brand new child on the block at all times comes with its personal set of challenges, particularly when you’ve a reputation as huge as Triumph to face up for. For the 2024 season, the staff hopes to complete within the high 5. The motion begins as early as January 7, 2024, in Anaheim, California.
The year was 1980 when I started working at Dirt Bike Magazine. Two weeks prior, the ownership (Bill Golden) had hired an executive to run the day to day operations and play a role in the planning and execution of the two magazines we had, Motocross Action and Dirt Bike. Roland Hinz had come from a successful job working at entertainment mags (Rona Barrett’s Gossip and Hollywood) turning them into big money makers. He was a magazine guru, a newsstand specialist and he had a passion for dirt bikes.
Roland had come into an environment where huge egos worked diligently to protect their fiefdoms and were violently opposed to most of the ideas he brought to the table. Editorial meetings forecasting our plans for the month, cover subject meetings and cover line control and working within a budget led his vision. The reigning staff boiled.
What we didn’t know was that Roland was there to rescue a sinking ship that was hemorrhaging money. His goal was to pay off the debt, then purchase the company. What I remember was that things in the office got tense. I was a full-blown dirt bike enthusiast and was just excited to be working for the magazine. There was talk of anarchy, continuous criticism and zero respect for the future owner of Hi Torque Publications. I was afraid that I’d lose my job right after getting the best job on the planet.
Roland was tough but had enough patience to kickstart the change in the company. By the time he paid off the debt and became the owner, the Editors embraced his plan and amazingly, we flourished. I remember color meetings (where we chose the photos for the magazine and the main cover image) that lasted for hours. He was always enthusiastic about cover lines, knowing that they had the ability to attract attention at the newsstand if they had a good hook. Forty years later, Roland played a role in every cover line that appeared on his magazines.
He was good at allowing the editors with a passion for the sport to drive the content. We just had to convince him how this was good for the reader, beneficial for the advertiser, and aligned with the interests of the newsstand buyer. I remember when Paul [Clipper] tested a Honda ATC in Dirt Bike. It was a highly debated move, disliked by the purists in the office. Roland saw it as an emerging sport and started Dirt Wheels magazine. For decades, it was his most successful magazine.
In 1981, while at a Husqvarna product intro at DeAnza Cycle Park, all the press members got a chance to test ride every new model in their line. Roland was on a trail ride with Mark Blackwell, I was out riding in the canyons with Dick Burleson. Our two groups met head-on in a tight canyon with near misses among the riders. I collided directly with one of the riders. It was Roland. I thought that it was the end of my job. My boss was more scared than mad, and we never talked about the incident again.
There were some unique aspects to the man. He was incredibly successful yet drove a Volkswagen Thing to work every day for years. In the decades that I worked for him, he always wore shorts and tennis shoes. And when it came to religion, Roland was a devout Christian. Every year at our Christmas party, he would start it with a prayer, allowing non-believers to leave if they were offended. After my wife passed away following a long battle with cancer, Roland sat with me in my office every day, talking about life, death, and God, always ending with “are you good?”
When I started working for Roland, I was young and afraid of the stern German. We would clash over covers, argue about budgets for testing and travel, and in over four decades, nothing changed. Except that we became friends. He was a mentor, and in a changing world where magazines were seen as a dying industry, we remained profitable.
Roland passed away this weekend after a long battle with his health. I will truly miss this man. He was a teacher, a tough and strict boss, and had the gift of taking care of the people who made great things happen which was undoubtedly a catalyst for Hi Torque’s success. Rest in peace, my friend.
Prior to its revival in 2017, Alpine produced some of France’s finest sportscars from the 1950s all the way to the 1990s. Since its revival in 2017, Alpine has only released one model–albeit a great one at that. It’s called the A110, and Alpine has evolved into becoming Renault’s performance and motorsports division as it merged with Renault Sport. This means that it wasn’t just going to make sports cars, but also performance derivatives of Renault’s vehicles as well. Alpine also became Renault’s motorsports flagbearer, actively participating in Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship. Motorsports is at the heart of modern-day Alpine, and this gave them confidence to expand its model range beyond just the A110. It also declared that it will enter the North American market by 2027, and to enter such a competitive market, here’s how Alpine plans to succeed.
But as the world switches to electro-mobility, offering a single sportscar with an internal combustion engine (ICE) won’t cut it. Realizing this challenge, Alpine recently announced that they are currently undergoing a “revolution”. The bold statement comes with a preview of Alpine’s fully-electric “Dream Garage”, which consists of seven new models to be launched from 2024 to 2030.
Alpine
Front view of Alpine A290 Hot Hatch concept
Surprisingly, Alpine’s electric dreams will kick off with an electric hot hatch that’s based on the A290_β concept, a move that is in contrast to most other EV startups that offered big, expensive models first before trickling down to offer more affordable models. The production A290 will utilize the Renault Group’s CMFB-EV platform that will underpin the upcoming Renault 4 and 5 EVs. Details are scarce at the moment since no production model has ever utilized the CMFB-EV platform yet, but we expect the Alpine A290 to be the highest-performing small EV in the Renault Group’s model range. It’s also probably too small for North American tastes, so don’t expect the A290 to be sold stateside.
What will definitely come stateside is the electric successor to the A110. The next-generation electric A110 was previewed with a concept car in 2021 called the A110 E-ternité, which proved to the world that Alpine could develop an electric sportscar that’s lighter than the Porsche 718 Cayman with an ICE. The concept was co-developed with Lotus, but the partnership has been terminated–albeit on friendly terms. Moving forward, Alpine is now developing a new platform called the Alpine Performance Platform (APP), in which the production electric A110 will formally debut in 2026.
Unfortunately, the 2026 launch date also means that American buyers won’t ever get the chance to own an ICE-powered A110. Remember, the brand is only set to enter the North American market in 2027, in which by that time, its lineup will consist purely of high-performance EVs.
A blue Alpine A110 R parked in a city alley of Tokyo
Alpine said that its revenues for 2022 have hit a record, up 33 percent versus 2021. The A110 is the best-selling sportscar in France for the past seven years and is also one of the five best-selling sportscars in Europe. There’s currently a seven-month backlog and sales are expected to reach 4,200 units in 2023. But having only one low-volume model is not going to be enough if Alpine wants to continue growing in terms of revenue. Therefore, Alpine is also set to ape the sales strategy of Porsche in a bid to gain more customers and sales.
Porsche only made sportscars until 2003 when it decided to launch an SUV called the Cayenne. The plan worked beautifully for Porsche, bringing in new customers to the brand and more importantly, increasing its sales and thus having more revenue to fund its sportscar development. Likewise, Alpine is aiming to repeat the same feat by launching two more vehicles using its in-house developed APP platform.
Alpine
Teaser photo of the seven new models that Alpine will launch
APP is set to be a scalable performance EV architecture. This means that apart from the lightweight A110, APP will also give birth to two more models–a roadster based on the A110 and a modern-day four-seater coupe successor to the A310. Once again, details of the APP-based vehicles are very scarce, and no existing vehicle has utilized this platform yet. We’ve now mentioned four cars, the A290, the next-generation A110, the A110-based roadster, and a modern-day A310. What Alpine has also confirmed is the launch of two new cars in the D and E segments, which in North American terms means that these will be midsize and full-size cars. These two will presumably be rivals to the Tesla Model S and/or the Porsche Taycan.
Unsurprisingly, the seventh model will be yet another electric crossover SUV. For now, Alpine is calling it a “Crossover GT” (initially teased as the GT X-Over), which is set to debut in 2025, but this won’t be underpinned by the APP. Instead, it will most likely utilize the CMF-EV platform that the Nisaan Ariya and Renault Megane E-Tech electric crossovers use. Unsurprisingly, details about the upcoming SUV are scarce, since it’s still in the infancy of its development stages, but you can pretty much guarantee that this electric crossover will arrive in America.
In just a short span of time, Alpine managed to become a household name among car enthusiasts in Europe, mostly thanks to its involvement in Formula 1. Being present in Formula 1, after all, is one of the best marketing tools for any brand to make its presence felt. Unfortunately, in the United States, you need more than motorsports heritage to become popular. Alfa Romeo is also a household name in motorsports, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to the brand becoming desirable in the United States.
Likewise, Alpine will most likely face that uphill battle. It also doesn’t help the fact that French automakers found it too challenging to adapt to the tastes and preferences of North American buyers. Peugeot was the last French automaker to do business in the United States, leaving the country in 1991. Among the French players, Peugeot had the most success, with its sales peaking at 20,000 units in 1984. Initially, they were able to ride the hype train of midsize imported European sedans in the 1980s, but because Peugeot was slow to adapt to shifting American preferences, its sales went on a downtrend, selling just 4,200 units by 1990.
Hopefully, whatever mistakes Renault also did in the past in the United States are still fresh in the memories of its executives. This would help steer its marketing team and executives away from any potential mistakes that could prevent Alpine from being successful in the United States.
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