All posts by Francis Mitterrand

EV

Smart Concept #5

The German automotive marque Smart is known as a manufacturer of small city cars, but even small ones eventually become big. This is how this company announced the presentation of Concept #5 of its largest and most spacious car for the Beijing Motor Show 2024.

Designed with slightly sharper lines compared to previous Smart models, the Concept #5 with its size takes a place between the other two German cars Audi Q3 and Mercedes-Benz GLB, which is not accidental because Smart cars are designed by the Mercedes design studio.

This premium mid-size SUV is built for all-terrain adventure. There for, it is equipped with off-road tires, underbody protection, roof racks with integrated LED lights and ropes on the hood, which is not the final list of equipment. The production model is expected to have higher ground clearance and a retractable rear step for roof access.

Concept #5 is the most spacious model of the German company equipped with four heated and ventilated seats and a footrest and integrated airbags. Additional equipment includes a digital instrument cluster and two OLED screens for the infotainment system, stellar ambient lighting in the doors, a portable speaker located on the center console and a glass bottom of the trunk.

It should also be noted that the car has the potential to integrate AI technology that allows passengers to participate in entertaining conversations with a virtual assistant, who will provide answers to almost any possible question.

When it comes to the powertrain, the SUV will be powered by two electric motors and will have all-wheel drive. It is believed to use Geely’s SEA platform, and will use 800V architecture instead of 400V technology. It will be equipped with a 100 kWh battery that will provide a range of 549 km. The battery can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in just 15 minutes.

We will have more information on April 25, when the official premiere will be held.

Source: Smart

Gallery:

Smart Concept #5
News

Car sales in the EU drop by 5.2%

The price of new cars is on the rise and so is the demand. Customers are looking for compact and fuel-efficient cars, especially hybrids. However, last month car sales in the EU dropped by 5.2 percent compared to the same period in 2023.

According to ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association), last month’s sales led to a change in the market structure, so electric cars now have a 13% market share (-0.9%), while hybrid cars recorded a growth of 4.6% (29 %). Gasoline and diesel cars still have a high market share of 47.8 percent, although they recorded a decline of 4%.

In March, 134,397 electric cars were sold on the EU market, which is 11.3 percent less than in 2023. The German market recorded the biggest drop of 28.9 percent, while demand for BEVs in Belgium and France increased (+23.8% / 10.9%).

When it comes to hybrids, France and Italy are one of the biggest markets for these cars, where demand grew by 29.6% (France) and 8.3% (Italy). This segment achieved sales of 299,426 units (29 percent of the market). Demand for plug-in hybrids dropped by 6.5% in March, with 73,029 PHEV vehicles sold. It should be noted that Belgium (-15.3%) and Germany (-4.5%) had the worst results. France is one of the few countries that managed to achieve sales growth (3.6%).

Diesel and gasoline cars had the worst results. Sales of gasoline cars fell by 10.2%, the most in France (-17.7%), Spain (-10.1%) and Germany (-3.4%), while Italy was the only one to record growth (5.7%). Also, diesel cars had a drop in demand of 18.5%, mostly in France (-32.1%), Spain (-38%) and Italy (-27.6%), while in Germany demand fell by 0.5%.

Source: ACEA

EV

2025 Audi Q6L e-tron

The Chinese market is important for all car manufacturers, including Audi, which will, at Auto China: April 25 to May 4, 2024, present fully electric cars intended primarily for the demands of Chinese customers. Among them will be the Audi Q5 e-tron RS and Q6L e-tron, as well as the Audi SQ6, which will make its debut on the Chinese market.

“The Chinese market is central to the transformation of the Audi brand into a leading global provider of premium electric mobility. With the opening of the new factory in Changchun, locally developed electric models, and state-of-the-art digital technology tailored to users’ requirements, we are putting our plan for continued success into action,” said Audi CEO Gernot Döllner.

With the Q6L e-tron, Audi announces the arrival of a new PPE platform in China, on which Audi will produce its three versions of the Audi Q6 e-tron and Audi A6 e-tron until the end of 2024. The cars will be produced at the Audi FAW NEV in Changchun, which is the first Audi plant to do just that. Pre-series production at the new plant has already begun.

Source: Audi