All posts by Francis Mitterrand

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McLaren 750S Triple Crown Limited Edition

This year, McLaren celebrates six decades of existence, and the company decided to present a special edition of the car, the McLaren 750S Triple Crown. With this car, McLaren celebrates victories at three of the most famous races in the world, the Indy 500, the Monaco GP and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For this project, with the plate “3-7-59”, McLaren Special Operations used more than 20 colors. The front part recalls the McLaren Formula 1 MP4/2 car with number 7 with which Alain Prost was most successful in the 1984 Grand Prix race in Monte Carlo (Monaco), while the color combination on the rear part celebrates the M16D car with starting number 3 with which Johnny Rutherford won the American Indy 500 race in 1974. The middle part of the car celebrates the McLaren F1 GTR with starting number 59, with which Yannick Dalmas, Masanori Sekiya and JJ Lehto won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1995.

Inside, the bucket seats are trimmed in Alcantara while the headrests feature a logo that represents the “Triple Crown.” Alcantara covers the door panels and the dashboard.

The car will be produced in only 6 copies, and the company said that all copies have already been sold. It is powered by a 4.0L biturbo V8 engine making 750 hp (560 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque. It reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.8 seconds with a top speed of 330 km/h (205 mph).

Source: McLaren

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McLaren 750S Triple Crown Limited Edition
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Mini has begun production of the new Countryman

In the past two months, the British car manufacturer Mini presented the new fully electric Mini Countryman, as well as the most powerful version of this model, the Mini Countryman JCW, powered by ICE. The car has entered production and the first deliveries are expected on February 17, 2024.

This is the first model of the British brand to be assembled in Germany. It will be produced at the BMW factory in Leipzig with the BMW Series 1 and Series 2. The BMW Group has invested 700 million euros in this factory and initially 100 units will be produced per day. However, the capacity will increase to 500 units per day starting next year. In order to meet the set goals, Mini will employ an additional 900 people.

The Mini Countryman is powered by a single electric motor with 201 hp (148 kW) and is equipped with a 64.7 kWh battery. It reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) in 8.6 seconds and has a range of 462 km. For those who want more power, the Countryman SE ALL4 is powered by two electric motors with a power of 309 hp (227 kW), which is enough to push the car to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds. Petrol engines with 168, 215 and 296 hp are also available as an option.

Mini Countryman JCW is powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder turbo engine with 316 hp (236 kW), paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission that sends power to all wheels. That’s 10 hp more than its predecessor, but also enough to push the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.4 seconds with a top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

Source: Mini

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Mini has begun production of the new Countryman
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BMW sales results in nine months of 2023

After most of the world’s car manufacturers announced their sales results for the first nine months of 2023, many of them recorded sales growth, including BMW. This Bavarian giant has sold 1.62 million cars worldwide, surpassing its competitors Mercedes and Audi.

According to the BMW Group report, in the third quarter of this year, BMW sold 621,699 vehicles worldwide, an increase of 5.7 percent compared to the same period in 2022. The closest competitor was Mercedes, which delivered 1.52 million cars since the beginning of the year, with sales growth of 2 percent. Although Audi recorded a sales growth of 16.2% compared to 2022, it was not enough to threaten the position of these two companies. In nine months of this year, Audi sold 1.38 million cars worldwide.

BMW sold 217,138 battery cars on the global market, of which 83,211 were BEVs. Mercedes-Benz delivered 174,471 electric cars, while Audi sold 123,000 vehicles in the same period.

When it comes to the BMW Group (BMW and Mini BEV and PHEV cars), in 3Q BMW delivered a total of 139,943 units, which is a growth of 42%, with a 22.5% market share. The highest demand was for BEV cars (93,931) which recorded an increase of 80 percent, while 46,012 PHEV cars were delivered, a decrease of 1 percent. Since January, the Bavarian company has delivered a total of 385,411 cars (up 36%), of which BEVs 246,867 units (up 93%) and PHEVs 138,544 units (down 11%).

Source: BMW