All posts by Francis Mitterrand

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Volvo sales results for Q1 2024

Q1 2024 is behind us and car manufacturers summarize their sales results. One of them is Volvo, which is more than satisfied with its sales because last month was the best March in the history of this Swedish manufacturer.

According to published data, Volvo sold 182,687 cars worldwide in Q1 2024, which is 12 percent more than in Q1 2023. Also, March was the most successful month in the company’s history with 78,970 cars delivered worldwide, which is 25 percent more than the same month in 2023.

“We are making good progress towards our annual sales target of at least 15 percent growth and in the months ahead we will focus on ramping-up sales of our EX30,” says Björn Annwall, Volvo Cars’ chief commercial officer & deputy CEO.

When it comes to sales of electric and PHEV hybrids, Volvo recorded sales growth of 24 percent with 33,558 units sold. It should also be noted that 23 percent of total sales in March were fully electric models, which is a good sign for a company that is striving to become fully electric by the end of the decade.

On the old continent, Volvo delivered 39,756 units, which is 33 percent more compared to the same period last year. Volvo was also successful in other markets with 15,315 cars (+50%) delivered in the US and 14,005 cars (+21%) in China. In March, Volvo delivered 22,402 units (+63%) and the Volvo XC60 remained the most popular model in the fleet. Other models such as the XC40 (20,557 units) and XC90 (10,826 units) achieved notable results.

Source: Volvo

News

1990 BMW 750iL V16 Goldfisch

At the Techno-Classica Essen which is taking place these days (3-7 April 2024), one of the rare BMW Series 7 prototypes will be revealed. It is a car that few people knew about, the 1990 BMW 750iL V16 Goldfisch.

It all started in 1987 when BMW engineers worked on a new engine that was installed in the then new generation E32 7 Series. However, a few years later BMW secretly produced another version, this time based on the next generation that was produced between 1995 – 2001. It was long thought that this prototype was never produced, as the Bavarian manufacturer abandoned the V16 engine, but this was not the case.

This BMW 750iL V16 Goldfisch is an example of a luxury car from the end of the last century with an unusual design of headlights, mirrors and roof line that are more reminiscent of the E32 generation than the production model E38 that was often called the most beautiful BMW 7 Series ever. It is powered by a 6.6-liter V16 engine with 348 hp (259 kW) @ 5,000 rpm, mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. Top speed was 250 km/h.

BMW has never revealed why it hid this prototype from the public and why it never went into production.

Source: BMW

News

Hyundai Ioniq 5 Robotaxi passed the DMV test

Hyundai is one of the leaders in autonomous driving technology, which is becoming an indispensable part of new cars. The question is, how much do people trust self-driving cars? According to the survey, most Americans are afraid of autonomous vehicles and 1/4 of them are unsure about this technology. Therefore, Hyundai decided to put its Ioniq 5 Robotaxi through a driving test similar to the one that drivers go through. The car managed to meet the criteria of DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) examiner Kandice Jones.

Kandice Jones is a professional in this field with 25 years of experience and someone who is very strict. It should be noted that only 16 percent of its candidates pass the driving test. During the test drive, she paid attention to everything from stopping distance to changing lanes. “I’ve failed thousands and thousands of students in the interest of public safety. The criteria is the same as for humans. I monitored speed, realignments, maneuvers, stopping, driving in the lane, reaction time and more,” Jones said.

After the test drive, Jones noted that she was impressed with the vehicle’s capabilities, and that the Ioniq 5 Robotaxi met all the criteria. Of course, this was just a test and nothing more, but Hyundai hopes that this test will give people more confidence in autonomous vehicles.

Source: Hyundai