Alpine can also be focusing on a kerb weight under 1000kg, giving the brand new A110 the same power-to-weight ratio because the Cayman GT4 RS, rated at 348bhp per tonne.
Autocar understands Alpine’s ambition is to beat the GT4 RS’s Nürburgring lap time of 7min 4.51sec. In October, spy photographers clocked the A110 at 7min 18.77sec with Ocon behind the wheel, suggesting there’s nonetheless extra for Dieppe to unlock.
The new variant is predicted to be the ultimate outing of the present A110 earlier than it is retired to make means for the next-generation electrical mannequin, and it may put on the Ultime identify to mirror this place.
A110 gross sales are set to be severely restricted over the subsequent couple of years, as a result of European Union’s new GSR2 security requirements. The present automotive would not adjust to the requirements, which can come into impact this July, however has been granted a two-year keep of execution on the situation that Alpine sells fewer than 1500 automobiles per 12 months within the EU till the mannequin is withdrawn from sale.
Roberto Bonetto, Alpine’s vice-president of engineering, instructed Autocar: “We believe we can use that to keep the A110 on sale in its most important European markets until July 2026 and hope to develop our market presence outside of the EU in order to export the balance of our cars and maintain a viable production volume for the factory.”
“The government is targeting its incentives where they have the most impact and deliver the greatest value for money. Plug-in grants will continue until at least financial year 2024/25 for motorcycles vans, taxis, trucks and wheelchair accessible vehicles.”
The committee’s report went on to counsel that the federal government must also think about incentivising the acquisition of second-hand EVs with an identical monetary measure, however the authorities doesn’t think about this to be essential.
“Industry intelligence means that some EVs on the used market at the moment are related in worth to their petrol and diesel equivalents,” it stated.
“The number of used EVs continues to rapidly increase. Data from the SMMT shows that, in 2023, used EV sales increased by 90.9%, increasing the pool of available vehicles. The government chairs a working group with several stakeholders to ascertain potential barriers to the uptake of used electric vehicles. The government will consider all policy options, to address potential failures in the market.”
The authorities additionally stated it won’t cut back the proportion of VAT utilized to public EV chargers, following requires it to be diminished from 20% to five%, consistent with VAT charged on home electrical energy. Doing this, it stated, “would impose additional pressure on the public finances to which VAT makes a significant contribution”.
And the federal government stated it won’t introduce ‘totem signs’ exterior motorway service stations to point out the real-time worth of charging an EV there, as is the case with conventional petrol stations. It stated a push to enhance real-time charger info accessibility utilizing maps and apps will present the identical operate.
Of particular interest in Microsoft’s latest bug bounty initiative are vectors targeting Bing Chat. A rival to ChatGPT and Google Bard, Microsoft’s AI chatbot is a crucial element of the company’s vision to make the search experience more immersive and rewarding. But given some well-known faults in the not-too-distant past, it is no wonder that Microsoft wants independent minds to have a go and discover issues with a reward deal.
“Influencing and changing Bing’s chat behavior across user boundaries,” “modifying Bing’s chat behavior,” “bypassing Bing’s chat mode session limits,” and forcing Bing to reveal confidential information are some of the areas that Microsoft wants experts to break. These aspects are often discussed on social media and experts also tend to challenge the guardrails of these AI models.
Even Microsoft admits that “Bing is powered by AI, so surprises and mistakes are possible.” That’s not merely a standard warning. The chatbot is occasionally known to go off the rails and act creepy, especially when a person engages in long, deep conversations. That’s also the reason why Microsoft decided to limit user queries to 50 per day and only allowed five questions per session. Then, there’s also the whole saga of Microsoft’s Tay chatbot that truly went bananas on Twitter a few years ago and had to be pulled quickly.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union has expanded its strike on Friday, targeting Ford and General Motors. UAW President Shawn Fain announced on Facebook Live that an additional 7,000 UAW members would join the picket lines at noon Eastern Time today.
The UAW has chosen Ford’s Chicago Assembly and GM’s Lansing Delta Township Assembly plants for the new strike action. This expansion brings the total number of striking workers to 25,000 members. The UAW’s Stand Up Strike now affects 43 facilities in 21 states across the United States.
Jim Farley, President and CEO of Ford, expressed his opinion that the union has already achieved a record contract, and stated that it was “grossly irresponsible to escalate the strikes.” Gerald Johnson, GM’s Executive Vice President of Global Manufacturing, also weighed in, describing the strikes as “just for the headlines, not real progress,” and noting that GM has not received a counteroffer from the UAW to its latest proposal.
The union’s strike action did not extend to Stellantis on Friday. The automaker issued a statement mentioning that it has made progress in its discussions with the UAW but that there are still some gaps to be resolved. Stellantis is committed to reaching a fair and responsible agreement. The UAW confirmed that the automaker has made “considerable progress in bargaining” on several issues, including cost-of-living adjustments, just before the union expanded the strike into its third week.
The two plants targeted in the expansion are responsible for producing popular SUVs for both automakers. GM’s facility manufactures the Buick Enclave and the Chevrolet Traverse, while Ford’s facility builds the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator in Chicago. During Fain’s broadcast, the union president emphasized that negotiations have not broken down, and that they continue to engage with all three automakers.
Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden made a historic visit to the picket line, addressing UAW members at GM’s Willow Run redistribution center. This marked the first time in modern history that a sitting US president joined picketing workers.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, also expressed his opinion on the strike, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to criticize the union. He stated that the UAW’s demands could potentially lead the three automakers into bankruptcy. It is worth noting that Tesla does not employ unionized labor at its plants and is unaffected by the strikes.
The historic strike began on September 15 when nearly 13,000 UAW members walked out. This is the first time in the organization’s 88-year history that it simultaneously picketed all three automakers. The union and the Big Three Automakers previously negotiated a four-year contract in 2019.
Stellantis, the multinational automotive company, is working towards a 50% reduction in battery weight by 2030. This goal is aimed at making electric vehicles (EVs) lighter and closer in weight to their traditional combustion-engine counterparts.
Ned Curic, head of engineering and technology at Stellantis, expressed the need to address the issue of heavy batteries in EVs. He stated, “The battery today is just too heavy; the vehicle is too heavy. We shouldn’t be going backwards.”
To achieve this weight reduction, Stellantis plans to introduce new lightweight battery technologies and improve cell packaging efficiency.
Earlier this year, Stellantis made an investment in Lytten, a Silicon Valley company focused on developing lighter lithium-sulphur batteries. These batteries not only reduce weight but also cut costs and carbon emissions by using less exotic materials than conventional lithium-ion batteries.
Curic also mentioned sodium-ion batteries as a potential alternative. This technology, being developed by Chinese battery manufacturers like CATL, offers a much cheaper option.
A recent report by UBS, which included a teardown of the BYD Seal saloon, revealed the weight of current EV batteries. The lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery pack in the standard 62kWh Seal accounted for 470kg of the car’s total weight of 1941kg. Similarly, the 60kWh battery pack in the Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric weighed 394kg out of the car’s overall weight of 1783kg.
To support their battery development efforts, Stellantis has established the Mirafiori battery technology center in Turin, Italy. This facility will be utilized for designing, developing, and testing battery packs, high-voltage cells, modules, and software for upcoming models from Alfa Romeo, Citroën, Fiat, Peugeot, Vauxhall, and more. The company has invested €40 million (£34.3m) in repurposing a section of a former Fiat factory to create this facility. It features 32 climatic test chambers, enabling the simultaneous testing of up to 47 battery packs.
Acura was introduced by Honda in 1986 as a luxury brand targeting the American market, combining Honda’s reliability with premium materials and design.
Acura’s success came from offering luxury features at a more affordable price, with popular models like the Legend outselling competitors.
Acura vehicles have more premium features and technology than Honda counterparts, but a limited vehicle lineup and higher price point compared to Honda’s more diverse offerings.
Sister car brands as we know them are two companies each with their own set of goals and targets that function under the same umbrella. Having existed for more than a century at this point it’s easy to spot that one brand typically provides vehicles for everyday masses whereas the other offers more luxurious counterparts of the same with plenty of premium features and in some cases higher performance. This was the case with Acura and Honda as the former was introduced as the first dedicated luxury brand by the latter in 1986 ahead of Lexus and Infinity.
Of course, the main goal of Acura as a brand was to sell luxury versions of Honda vehicles but mainly targeting the American market. They focussed on combining Honda’s renowned simplicity and reliability with premium materials and design that would appeal to luxury car buyers. The plan worked and eventually Acura became among the bestselling luxury brands competing with the likes of BMW and Mercedes. So, let’s take a close look at how Acura has capitalized on formulating its own design and brand identity to help differentiate it from its parent company Honda.
One of the key reasons why Acura as a luxury subsidiary brand of Honda exists is due to the fact that the auto exports to the United States surged during the 1970s because Japanese cars were fuel-efficient and met US pollution standards. Another reason behind this was the US imposing automotive tariffs on Japan that voluntarily limited the number of cars sold by Japanese automakers in the US and hence Honda had to make more premium cars to make up the difference. A decade of research resulted in Honda launching the Acura brand in 1986 and opening 60 new dealerships of the same as a means of support.
Their first flagship sedan came in the form of the Legend whose journey began in 1981 when Acura first began designing it and codenamed it Project HX. Alongside this executive sedan, Acura also introduced the Integra hatchback, available in both three-door or five-door guise, as a sportier, upscale coupe alternative to the Honda Civic. Coming back to the Legend, it was a sedan that hosted features that were found in much more expensive cars at a much more affordable price.
Acura
Combine that Honda’s famous high build quality, a truly plush and comfortable interior along with unique features like a moon roof, pre-set radio station channel selector, an 80W four-speaker cassette tape stereo, and you had a car that became a sales hit. Throughout its 11-year production run from 1986-1997, the Legend nameplate saw two generations and overall Acura sold close to 480,000 units in total of the same.
This combined with sales of the Integra resulted in Acura outselling longtime luxury Marques BMW and Mercedes-Benz as well as Toyota’s new luxury division Lexus. Another vehicle that would seal the Acura name was the introduction of the NSX which ran from 1991-2005. It was a mid-engine sports car that was built to take on Ferrari at the time and was styled by Pininfarina. In most parts of the world, it was known as the Acura NSX but remained a Honda in Japan and parts of Europe.
Since Acura has been established as the luxury arm of Honda, it is obvious that the former’s vehicles are equipped with more premium features and technology than their latter counterparts. For instance, some upper-level trims of Acura vehicles feature a higher-end Milano leather that has proven to be durable while also being soft and comfortable whereas Hondas typically have cloth seats as standard. Additionally, the sound systems within most Acura also feature ELS Studio speakers and electronics, carrying up to 16 speakers and immersive sound.
Honda
An example to prove this would be to compare Acura’s three-row SUV, the MDX with Honda’s equivalent, the Pilot. The Pilot as a standalone vehicle is equipped with plenty of features on higher trims such as leather-trimmed seats, heated front and second-row seats, ventilated front seats, one-touch second-row seats, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration. Meanwhile. The MDX sees more advantages courtesy of the Honda Sensing suite features which are standard and improved interior tech and amenities which can be seen below:
Lane departure warning
Collision mitigation braking system
Rearview camera
Blind-spot monitoring
8-speaker sound system
Sports seats with a premium leather-trimmed interior
Compared to Hondas diverse range of models; Acura only has a select line-up of sedans, crossovers, and full-size SUVs which cater to the masses looking for something luxurious. However, the drawback of this is that they have a limited range of vehicles since Honda offers hybrid sedans and SUVs, a subcompact SUV, a minivan, and pickup trucks.
It may seem as though Honda is the better and more popular brand than its own luxury arm from this example but a very important fact that must be remembered is that each brand has its own strengths and cater to different buyers and purposes.
Additionally, since Acura develops and builds vehicles to compete in the the luxury segment, they warrant a premium of $10,000-$20,000 over their Honda counterparts. This can be further attributed to the fact that Acura vehicles inherently offer higher performance with examples like the TLX putting out 272 horsepower from its four-cylinder turbocharged engine and the Accord developing 252 horsepower from the same powertrain.
Civic
$23,950
31 city/ 40 hwy/ 35 combined mpg
Integra
$31,500
30 city/ 37 hwy/ 33 combined mpg
Accord
$27,295
29 city/ 37 hwy/ 32 combined mpg
TLX
$40,050
22 city/ 31 hwy/ 25 combined mpg
CR-V
$29,500
27 city/ 32 hwy/ 29 combined mpg
RDX
$41,750
22 city/ 28 hwy / 24 combined mpg
Pilot
$37,090
19 city/ 25 hwy/ 21 combined mpg
MDX
$49,550
19 city / 26 hwy / 22 combined mpg
Another reason behind Acura vehicles being costlier than their Honda counterparts would be that both brands offer distinct all-wheel-drive systems. Most Acura models do feature the SH-AWD system, which is short for Super Handling – All-Wheel Drive.
This is designed to tune itself for performance driving and acceleration, especially on dry surfaces, and it automatically senses torque and lateral forces that might reduce traction and overall control. Unlike Honda’s Real Time All-Wheel Drive system which helps maintain or control aggressive driving under inclement conditions like snow, the SH-AWD system is more enthusiast-oriented to help Acuras corner better.
If we have to draw a conclusion based on all the information, then it’s clear that Acura and Honda each have their own strengths, and it’s also important to remember that along with other Japanese luxury arms like Infiniti and Lexus, Acura was created to produce and develop models catering to luxury buyers for the American market. In many respects, Acura has achieved that goal since they have succeeded in creating not just sophisticated and reliable cars but also performance-oriented ones in the form of the ‘Type S’ models.
Despite a few shortcomings such as the infotainment screen lacking the touch functionality and instead controlled by a touchpad in the center console, limited cargo space compared to some competitors of the same segment, and having a stiff ride in some cases, Acura cars have the benefit of being offered with a longer, more substantial warranty starting with a four-year, 50,000-mile standard warranty and a six-year, 70,000-mile powertrain warranty.
This is to be expected of course considering that Honda offers a bit less with three years, 36,000 miles for standard, and five years, 60,000 miles for their powertrain which is in tune with their vehicle’s prices. So even though Honda models will remain a more value-oriented proposition, Acura’s with their more outwardly designs, potent powertrains, and sumptuous interiors do justify the higher price tags.
Unlock Your Automotive Passion and Explore the Road Ahead
