Tag Archives: prototype

Motorsport

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron: This Is It

The new Audi Q6 E-Tron is lastly right here. Following our take a look at of a near-production Q6 E-Tron prototype in July 2023 and reveal of the handsome cockpit with all its digital screens, we lastly have all the main points.

Under the pores and skin of the Q6 E-Tron is Audi’s Premium Platform Electric structure, shared with the Porsche Macan EV and used right here for the primary time with Audi badging. It’s an 800-volt system incorporating two electrical motors with bias in direction of the rear in each energy and automobile weight. At launch there are two trims—Q6 and the performance-focused SQ6—each utilizing the identical 100-kWh (94.9-kWh web) battery pack. Sportback trims will come later, and a rear-wheel-drive model with an extended vary can also be within the works.

2025 Audi SQ6 E-Tron
Audi Q6 e-tron (2024)
Audi Q6 e-tron (2024)

Buyers in North America will take pleasure in a mixed 422 horsepower from the Q6 E-Tron, a modest 40-hp bump versus the mannequin bought in Europe. The sportier SQ6 will get 483 hp. With launch management activated output rises to 456 hp within the Q6 and 510 hp within the SQ6 for higher acceleration. Audi says the Q6 can attain 60 mph in roughly 5.0 seconds utilizing launch management, and if you happen to step as much as the SQ6, the time drops to 4.2 seconds.

Audi supplies an EPA estimate of 300 miles for the usual Q6 E-Tron; estimates for the SQ6 aren’t obtainable simply but. But with each trims utilizing the identical battery, it is secure to imagine it’s going to have a bit much less vary when it is made official later this yr. Of better curiosity is the Q6 E-Tron’s 800-volt charging functionality; it may possibly go from 10 to 80 p.c in 21 minutes hooked to a DC quick charger, pulling 270 kW.

Audi says the PPE structure is purpose-built to maximise electrical packaging whereas delivering stout driving dynamics. The management arms are positioned in entrance of suspension arms for higher battery positioning. The steering rack is mounted to a subframe to assist improve management. And to benefit from all that, Audi suits wider tires on the again of the Q6.

We skilled this firsthand after we drove the Q6 E-Tron prototype. Despite a chassis that was solely “60 percent” tuned on the time, we discovered the SUV to be properly balanced in turns whereas providing a cushty journey. The SQ6 was sharper nonetheless, and now that Audi has issues absolutely dialed in, we’re understandably curious to pattern the ultimate product.

2025 Audi SQ6 E-Tron
Audi A6 e-tron (2024)
Audi A6 e-tron (2024)

While efficiency and energy are actually a part of Audi’s PPE story, the superior know-how baked into the SUV is arguably extra essential. The Q6 E-Tron’s E3 (End-to-End Electronic) structure is a built-in assistant that depends on AI to not simply handle the varied Android-based programs, however to supply proactive recommendations based mostly on realized behaviors over time. There’s even an avatar for the AI that exhibits on the middle 14.5-inch show or within the elective augmented-reality heads-up show.


Motorsport

2025 Audi Q7 Gets A New Face And Customizable Laser Headlights

After many months of camouflaged prototype sightings, the up to date Audi Q7 is right here. Audi of Europe has taken the wraps off the corporate’s newest person-carrier, with plans to begin deliveries on the opposite aspect of the pond later this quarter.

The new Q7 is an enormous facelift moderately than an all-new mannequin. That’s noteworthy as a result of the present Q7 is getting alongside in years, having debuted means again in 2015 for the 2016 mannequin 12 months. Flash ahead to 2024, and we get a revised entrance clip with a brand new model of Audi’s Singleframe grille. It’s as huge as ever, brandishing a thick encompass with an octagon-themed sample inside. The decrease fascia has redesigned nook vents with a vertical orientation, and whereas the LED headlights look largely the identical, HD Matrix lights with laser gentle and customizable options are elective.

Audi Q7 2024
Audi Q7 2024
Audi SQ7 2024

Audi says the lights are a primary for the Q7, providing expanded imaginative and prescient with a laser diode for every gentle. It prompts with excessive beams at speeds above 43 mph, working with 24 LEDs to “significantly” improve the excessive beam vary. Up shut, the brand new Q7 additionally features elective customization options for the daytime working lights. Drivers can select one among 4 lighting signatures, and that applies to up to date LED taillights as properly. Whether these upgrades make it to North America – the place US regulations continue to cause trouble for the newest lively lighting tech – stays to be seen.

The base mannequin now features standard-issue distinction stitching, 19-inch wheels, the gloss bundle with aluminum roof rails, and a rearview digicam with parking help plus. Step into option-land and you will find 9 ornamental inlays out there to deck out the greenhouse, which carries over unchanged. Three new exterior colours are provided – Ascari Blue, Sakhir Gold, and Chili Red – and new wheel choices can be found, starting from 20 to 22 inches.

Audi SQ7 2024 interior
Audi SQ7 2024

In the tech division, apps from third-party suppliers can be found for the primary time, so you should utilize issues like Spotify immediately by the Q7’s infotainment system. New driver-assist options embrace numerous warning shows for the digital cockpit, similar to altering lanes and distance warnings, amongst others.

The powertrain setups are additionally acquainted, with people throughout the pond getting a 3.0-liter diesel in two tunes for 228 or 282 horsepower, a gas-burning V6 making 335 hp, and a 500-hp twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 for the performance-focused SQ7 trim. The SQ7 additionally offers you extra black trim, oval exhaust ideas on the again, a chin spoiler on the entrance, and the aptitude to succeed in 60 mph from a standstill in 4.1 seconds.


Electric Vehicles

The Wait For Apple’s Long-Rumored Electric Car May Have Just Gotten Longer

Despite years value of research and partner consultations, the “Apple Car” has by no means reached a prototype stage. However, the executives at Apple are reportedly hoping that the change in technique would assist Apple inch nearer to a prototype stage and see a extra lifelike window for industrial launch. 

Aside from utilizing Tesla as an inspiration for its watered-down autonomous driving options, Apple reportedly plans to face out by serving a novel automobile design, consumer interface, and security options. In doing so, formidable concepts resembling a no-steering-wheel design have been laid to relaxation.

The change in Apple’s method comes courtesy of strain from Apple’s board in 2023, nevertheless it is not clear whether or not they pushed Apple to hurry up growth at the price of superior and resource-intensive options. Right now, manufacturers like Tesla think about superior driving techniques such because the controversial Full Self-Driving (FSD) because the holy grail of automobiles. Apple’s imaginative and prescient did not stray too far, it appears, however plans for Level 4 autonomy have been shelved for now.

“The more basic Level 2+ plan would require drivers to pay attention to the road and take over at any time,” says the report about Apple’s present goal. But down the street, Apple hopes to improve the tech stack and obtain its Level 4 objectives. At the second, even EV producers like Tesla have not managed to formally crack the Level 4 autonomy code, particularly within the gentle of flaws plaguing the current-gen techniques.

Featured

You Can Now Put Your Name Down For The First All-electric Range Rover Debuting In 2024

Land Rover’s first electrical SUV is now in its prototype testing stage with an official teaser showcasing its water wading skills

Land Rover Range Rover

Image of ICE Range Rover used for reference

  • Will be underpinned by JLR’s versatile Modular Longitudinal Architecture platform.

  • It can have a water wading capability of 850 mm.

  • Performance shall be just like a Range Rover with a V8 engine.

  • Expected to be launched in 2024 with a value premium over the ICE model.

The subject of EVs has turn out to be quite frequent, nevertheless it’s necessary to keep in mind that most conversations round electrical vehicles for many manufacturers are nonetheless about future merchandise which might be but to make their market debut. For some, like Land Rover, clients are nonetheless awaiting the primary EVs. But now, with the all-electric Range Rover confirmed for 2024, the posh carmaker has now opened the official waitlist for a similar.

What To Expect

Land Rover Range Rover Electric Alloy Wheels

It just isn’t going to be an all-new standalone product. We can count on it to have an analogous design because the ICE (inside combustion engine) Range Rover with some minor EV-specific tweaks. From the teaser shared by the carmaker, the general form of the electrical Range Rover appears to be the identical as its ICE model, and EV-specific parts could be seen across the charging port and on the alloy wheels. It can even get an “EV” badging on the rear.

Land Rover has said that the efficiency of the electrical Range Rover shall be just like that of a V8 Range Rover, just like the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine that makes 615 PS and 750 Nm which is obtainable within the SV variant. This engine additionally permits the posh SUV to do the 0-100 kmph run in simply 4.6 seconds. So, we are able to count on related efficiency figures from the electrical Range Rover. It can also be anticipated to come back with a number of battery pack choices, however four-wheel-drive will doubtless be normal.

Land Rover Range Rover Electric Charging Port

The carmaker has additionally revealed that its electrical luxurious SUV can have a water wading capability of 850 mm at 50 kmph, it is going to get over-the-air (OTA) software program updates, vary extending know-how, and an 800 V structure for extremely fast-charging compatibility, just like that of the Porsche Taycan and Kia EV6.

Also Read: ICOTY 2024 Contenders Revealed: Hyundai Verna, Citroen C3 Aircross, BMW i7 And More

It shall be constructed on the carmaker’s versatile Modular Longitudinal Architecture, which additionally underpins the delicate and plug-in hybrid Range Rover SUVs. Currently, the Range Rover electrical is present process testing in excessive circumstances with temperatures starting from -40 levels Celsius to 50 levels Celsius.

When To Expect

Land Rover Range Rover Electric Grille

Land Rover has not introduced the debut date of the electrical Range Rover, nevertheless it is because of be unveiled someday subsequent 12 months. Also, given the recognition of the Range Rover in India, the carmaker ought to deliver its electrical counterpart within the nation quickly after the worldwide debut, though deliveries are unlikely to start earlier than 2025. Once launched right here, it is going to carry a premium over its ICE model and shall be a rival to the BMW iX, Audi Q8 e-Tron, and the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV.

Read More on : Land Rover Range Rover Automatic

Motorsport

The New Volkswagen Transporter Van Debuts In Spring 2024

We caught a camouflaged prototype of the next-generation Volkswagen Transporter (T7) a few month in the past, and now we have now the primary official particulars. VW launched the primary teaser photographs of the brand new microbus and confirmed it is going to debut n the spring of subsequent 12 months. That’s all the corporate is keen to share for now, however we already know an excellent deal concerning the business automobile.

From the few accessible photographs, we will see the brand new Transporter will look loads like the newest Multivan, which was unveiled in 2021 as VW’s passenger van primarily based by itself MQB platform. While the 2 fashions share design components, they are going to be vastly completely different beneath. The bigger Transporter will experience on a platform sourced from Ford, which implies the VW van will probably be a rebadged and redesigned model of the brand new Transit Custom.


Motorsport

The Tesla Cybertruck Has Strong Sales Potential, But Only If US Buyers Step Up

Much has been written concerning the Tesla Cybertruck because it was first unveiled as a prototype in December 2019. Last week was the launch of the manufacturing model and, as anticipated, media protection has skyrocketed.

This truck is an evolution of the pickup in some ways. Its daring design, quite a few options, attention-grabbing options, and positioning available in the market make it one in every of this 12 months’s most essential revelations. But what’s its actual influence on Tesla’s gross sales quantity and international markets?

A ‘Crazy’ Vehicle With A Competitive Price

The Cybertruck is arguably Tesla’s most succesful car, combining true hypercar acceleration (0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds) with pickup practicality and room for 5 within the cabin. Thanks to the capabilities of its batteries and software program, Tesla has managed to shake up not solely main electrical car markets, but additionally the business generally. The Cybertruck is the affirmation of this development.

Motor1 Numbers Tesla Cybertruck

With an entry worth of $61,000, the Cybertruck is not precisely low-cost. The worth is a far cry from the $40,000 Musk promised four years ago and is the results of inflation and real-world manufacturing challenges. However, this can be a aggressive base worth for a car with these options. The volume-weighted common retail worth of electrical pickup vehicles bought within the US between January and September 2023 was $82,835.

Competition In The US

On the opposite hand, the most affordable rear-wheel-drive Cybertruck will not be obtainable till 2025, and it prices $11,000 greater than the least costly Ford F-150 Lightning. The Chevrolet Silverado EV can even have a price ticket of a number of thousand {dollars} much less, so Tesla will not have the luxurious of merely undercutting Detroit manufacturers in a worth conflict.

Things are totally different on the different finish of the pricing scale. The costliest Cybertruck, formally referred to as the Cyberbeast, has 845 horsepower and may journey as much as 320 miles on a single cost. Its worth is $99,990, which on this case, works out to be extra reasonably priced than its closest rival, the GMC Hummer EV Pickup. While that truck has 1,000 hp, it is also heavier by over 2,000 kilos and is slower than Cybertruck. The most vary is a bit higher at 381 miles, however the flagship GMC Hummer EV 3X trim begins at $106,945. Rivian is aggressive price-wise, however nonetheless a bit slower than the Cyberbeast.

Motor1 Numbers Tesla Cybertruck

As such, the newest Tesla appears aggressive in comparison with its rivals within the United States. Given its efficiency, capabilities, and worth, it might do very properly within the US market the place pickup vehicles rule the roads. Of course, this will depend on consumers stepping away from conventional combustion engines to undertake electrical energy.

Americans are shopping for EVs. Between January and October 2023, a complete of 959,000 new light-duty electrical autos had been bought within the United States. While this can be a strong 60 % improve over the identical interval in 2022, these autos solely accounted for 7.4 % of the overall market. Meanwhile, battery electrical autos had been 15 % of the European whole and round 20 % in China.

US Market Isn’t Kind To Electric Trucks

The electrical pickup phase continues to be pretty unpopular within the States. Their gross sales represented lower than 3 % of whole EVs by way of October. The F-150 Lightning bought simply 16,200 items in its first 10 months, in keeping with JATO Dynamics. While electrical autos accounted for practically 9 % of whole SUV gross sales, electrical pickup vehicles accounted for 1.2 % of the phase’s whole.

Will the Cybertruck deliver consideration to electrical vehicles? I’m positive, sure. However, America’s pickup tradition is simply as robust as its connection to gasoline. Changing this example would require a unique strategy. Consumers within the truck market doubtless will not take to electrical energy as simply as these in different segments, reminiscent of SUVs.

Motor1 Numbers Tesla Cybertruck

For Cybertruck to succeed, it should win in North America. Tesla has created the world’s best-selling automotive within the Model Y because of robust gross sales across the globe, however the Cybertruck does not have that very same international potential. Big pickups are solely fashionable within the United States and Canada.

The creator of the article, Felipe Munoz, is an Automotive Industry Specialist at JATO Dynamics.

Motorsport

McLaren Speedtail Inspired One-Off Guitar Made With Leather, Carbon Fiber

A unique electric guitar has been created, drawing inspiration from the design of the McLaren Speedtail XP2 prototype. Crafted by David Gordon Guitars in Miami, Florida, this instrument was showcased at the 2023 National Association of Music Merchants show. The guitar incorporates various styling elements from the hypercar, resulting in a sleek and distinctive design.

The guitar’s body is constructed using lightweight alder wood, accompanied by a master-grade flamed maple neck. Additionally, it features a lower horn made from aircraft-grade aluminum and an ebony fretboard. The exterior paint of the XP2, known as Saragon Quartz, played a role in influencing the finish of the guitar. According to David Gordon, the talented luthier and owner of David Gordon Guitars, the supercar served as the perfect source of inspiration for this masterpiece.


News

How Toyota is bringing the hydrogen Hilux to life

Toyota has made significant progress in the development of hydrogen propulsion with the introduction of a prototype Toyota Hilux fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV).

While the first FCEV from Toyota was a car (the Toyota Mirai, launched in 2014 and now in its second generation), commercial vehicles are better suited for this technology due to their need for faster refuelling and longer range compared to battery-powered vehicles.

The FCEV pick-up truck from Toyota has a simulated range of 365 miles and a refuelling time similar to that of a diesel vehicle. The project was funded, developed, and delivered in the UK at Toyota’s Burnaston plant in just 12 months.

Toyota has not disclosed the weight or payload of the Hilux FCEV until the development is completed, and it will also announce whether it will go into production.

Development

A team of engineers from Toyota and experts from Ricardo, European Thermodynamics, D2H Advanced Technologies, and Thatcham Research modified 10 Hilux development vehicles to accommodate the Mirai’s powertrain and fuelling system.

While one of the vehicles has undergone crash testing, the others are undergoing on-road development before being placed with potential customers, including emergency services.

Despite the presence of native FCEV truck manufacturers like Tevva and Hydrogen Vehicle Systems and the availability of FCEV cars such as the Mirai and Hyundai Nexo, the adoption of hydrogen technology in the UK has been relatively slow.

Converting the Hilux into a hydrogen vehicle

Externally, the new FCEV looks identical to a regular 2.4-liter diesel Hilux. However, opening the bonnet reveals the fuel cell stack sourced from the Mirai.

Behind the cab bulkhead, there is a reinforced metal box housing a battery similar in size to a hybrid car’s. This accounts for approximately 20% of the deck’s total area, but Toyota mentioned that it could be placed under the rear seats in regular models. Underneath this box, there are three large cylinders, each storing 2.6kg of hydrogen (a typical FCEV car consumes 1kg of hydrogen per day, costing around £15), and towards the rear is an electric motor sourced from the Mirai.

Motorcycles

Motorcycle Crash Prevention Tech Promises Riders And Drivers A Sixth Sense For Safety

Ducati’s V2V technology, tested with a Lamborghini Urus and Ducati Multistrada, aims to address three critical and dangerous types of motorcycle accidents by providing drivers and riders with enhanced situational awareness and response time. The technology acts as a digital sixth sense, offering important safety signals in scenarios where visibility is limited or obstructed.

One scenario is Intersection Movement Assist (IMA), where both a motorcycle and a car approach a busy intersection from different roads. The V2V tech alerts the car’s driver of the approaching motorcycle, prompting them to proceed with caution. Similarly, the Left Turn Assist (LTA) feature involves a car turning left at an intersection, with the motorcyclist receiving a warning signal when the driver activates their turn signal.

The third scenario, Do Not Pass Warning (DNPW), occurs when a motorcycle attempts to overtake a larger vehicle while a car ahead plans to make a left turn. The system sends a warning to the motorcyclist when both the motorist and the motorcyclist activate their blinkers before turning.

Although still in the prototype stage, Ducati’s V2V technology has the potential to prevent numerous accidents and save lives. Lamborghini and Ducati have released a joint video showcasing the importance of this safety technology, which can be viewed on Lamborghini’s YouTube channel and website.

Motorsport

VW Electric SUV Spied Testing Ahead Of Chinese Launch Under New Sub-Brand

The prototype shown in the images below may look familiar to you, resembling the Cupra Tavascan. However, this is not the whole story. It is actually an electric SUV based on Cupra’s second EV and will be the first model of a new brand that Volkswagen Group is preparing to launch.

According to an Automotive News report from a few months ago, Volkswagen has plans to create a new sub-brand specifically for the Chinese market. This brand will focus on selling electric vehicles and will have a more lifestyle-oriented positioning, differentiating itself from the more traditional VW brand. However, instead of investing in the establishment of an entirely new brand, Volkswagen has reportedly decided to sell rebranded Cupra vehicles.