Toyota Supra with 4-cylinder engine is dead

A month ago, there were rumors that Toyota might stop offering its sports car, the Supra. Now it’s official. According to information from the company, the Supra powered by a four-cylinder engine will no longer be on offer from 2025.

The Supra first appeared on the market in 1978, and by 2002, four generations of this grand tourer had been produced. In 2019, the fifth generation developed in cooperation with BMW arrived on the market. It shares the platform and many parts with the BMW Z4 (G29), which will also soon be discontinued. It was offered in options with 4- and 6-cylinder turbocharged engines.

There are several reasons for the shutdown of this model, and one of them is the poor sales results in the first three months of 2024 when Toyota managed to sell only 484 units of this model, which is a drop of 44.4 percent compared to the same period in 2023 (871 units).

Thus, the Toyota Supra remains only with a turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine with 382 hp (285 kW) and 368 lb-ft (499 Nm) of torque, paired with an automatic or manual transmission. That is enough for acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). The version with manual transmission reaches 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds.

Source: Toyota

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BMW started production of the new 1 Series

BMW has announced that it has started production of the fourth generation 1 Series, and the car will be produced at their factory in Leipzig, Germany.

Visually, a hatchback body style has been retained with a redesigned front and rear bumper, new LED lights. Earlier spy photos confirmed that the M version will feature deeper fenders, a discreet rear spoiler and quad tailpipes, just like the outgoing M135i xDrive. Inside, the new 1 Series will be equipped with a new digital cockpit and the latest technical solutions.

When it comes to the powertrain, the new 1 Series is offered in several options: 118d, 120d, 120 and M135 xDrive. The most powerful version of the M135 xDrive comes with a 2.0-L gasoline engine with 300 hp (224 kW) and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque, and AWD. That’s enough power to push the car from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.9 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

The 120 version is powered by a 1.5-L twin-turbocharged 170 hp (127 kW) three-cylinder mated to a seven-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the front wheels.

The diesel options 118d and 120d, are powered by a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine with 150 hp (112 kW) and 163 hp (121 kW), combined with a 48-volt mild hybrid.

The fourth generation BMW 1 Series will arrive on the market at the end of the year.

Source: BMW

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Dacia Spring costs 3,500 euros more due to new EU tariffs

At the beginning of the year, the redesigned Dacia Spring arrived on the market, and two months later it was announced that it will cost 10,990 euros. However, the latest information says that due to the new EU tariffs, this car will cost 3,500 euros more.

In 2023, the EU launched an investigation into the privileged position of electric vehicles produced in China due to subsidies. It was suspected that China is helping domestic companies in various ways to export their cars to the European market at lower prices and thus endangering European manufacturers. In order to respond to the growing pressure and resentment of European companies, the EU decided to introduce additional tariffs of up to 38.1%, which will come into effect on July 4. For example, BYD will pay 17.4 percent, Geely 20 percent, and SAIC, which with the help of former British brand MG is by far the biggest seller in Europe, will pay 38.1 percent. Other brands that were cooperative will pay a 21 percent duty, and those that refused will pay 38.1 percent.

This decision is already showing its impact on car prices, so the Dacia Spring will have a new starting price of 20,400 euros from autumn. On the French market, the price increase will be even higher. Thus, an electric car on the French market would be more expensive by almost 4,000 euros compared to the current starting price.

Dacia is not the only victim of the new EU tariffs, Tesla will also increase the prices of their cars. In some EU markets, the Tesla Model 3 will cost 8,500 euros more, with a starting price of 49,490 euros (subsidies not included).

Source: Reuters

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