All posts by Francis Mitterrand

SEAT is still alive

In the last few years, many thought that Seat was dead, but the Spanish brand managed to show that it is still alive and ready to give its best. The year 2023 was the best in the history of this manufacturer, and the first indicators show that the year 2024 could be more successful.

The year 2019 was really bad for Seat, and the beginning of the pandemic made it look like the manufacturer would not get away. At that time, Volkswagen decided not to pay so much attention to this manufacturer, which ultimately turned out to be a good move for Seat. From 33 million euros in 2022, the operating profit reached 625 million euros in the following year.

The beginning of 2024 shows that this year could also be successful, because the sales results in the first five months are above expectations. In the first five months, Seat delivered 121,169 new vehicles in Europe, which is a growth of 10.3 percent compared to last year when 109,827 vehicles were delivered. Also, according to the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers, Seat sold 4,385 cars in May, which is 21.1% more than in the same month of 2023. This is the best result in the VW group.

These results were supported by the fact that customers, due to the increase in the price of electric cars, are still buying ICE vehicles. Seat has five models in its fleet (Ibiza, Arona, Ateca, Leon and Tarraco), none of which are all-electric. The Ibiza, Arona and Ateca are the best-selling models, and only the Leon and Tarraco come with hybrid versions.

Current models with refreshed editions remain on the market for at least the next four years, but the question of electrification remains open.

Source: Seat

The Volvo S60 has reached its end

At the beginning of the century, Volvo introduced the compact executive car S60 from which the Swedish manufacturer expected a lot, but in the end got little. After two decades of production, the Volvo S60 is retiring. This is a continuation of the abolition of diesel engines, which was announced last year.

The Volvo S60 has reached its end

While other major manufacturers decided on a gradual transition to fully electric cars by 2030, Volvo chose a radical move in mid-2023. End of production of all diesel models by the beginning of 2024.

“Electric powertrains are our future, and superior to combustion engines: they generate less noise, less vibration, less servicing costs for our customers and zero tailpipe emissions. We’re fully focused on creating a broad portfolio of premium, fully electric cars that deliver on everything our customers expect from a Volvo – and are a key part of our response to climate change,” says Jim Rowan, Chief Executive at Volvo Cars.

The goals that the Volvo S60 was supposed to fulfill were not realized while traditional sedans were still high on the market. Now that demand for SUVs is on the rise, the S60 simply isn’t profitable anymore. Disappointed, Volvo decided to completely remove the S60 from its fleet. The last examples of the S60 will be produced at the US plant in South Carolina by the end of this month. Its replacement will be the all-electric Volvo ES60, but it is currently unknown when it will appear on the market.

Source: Volvo

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McMurtry Spéirling is the fastest car at the Hockenheimring

At the 2021 Goodwood Festival of Speed, McMurtry unveiled a super-powerful electric single-seat car, the McMurtry Spéirling, which recently set the fastest lap time at the Hockenheimring.

McMurtry Spéirling is powered by two electric motors with a total power of 1,000 hp (746 kW). That’s enough power for the car to reach 60 mph in 1.40s, 100 mph in 2.63s, 145 mph in 4.98s, with a top speed of 185 mph (298 km/h). It is equipped with a 100 kWh battery system and has rear wheel drive.

This electric car completed the 6,802 km (4,227 miles) long circuit with a time of 1:24.43, i.e. 3.907 seconds faster than the fastest DTM race car in the 2020 qualifiers. Also, this is 14.1 seconds faster than the Mercedes-AMG One, a track-focused hypercar with an F1 engine. The result is even more impressive if we know that the car used only 75 percent power and 75 percent downforce.

The car was driven by former F1 driver Max Chilton, who felt he could have driven better. However, he had a positive opinion about the car and was especially pleased with the system that keeps the car stuck to the ground.

Source: Carscoops

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