All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

VW stops production of ID.3 and Cupra Born

The EU electric car market is currently in crisis and the drop in demand for certain models is causing a reduction in production. VW announced last week that it plans to temporarily lay off 269 employees for a period of 12 months at its plant in Zwickau. It seems that the crisis is more serious than thought because VW is stopping the production of ID.3 and Cupra Born in Zwickau and Dresden.

Due to the current market situation, VW will reduce production during the autumn holidays in Saxony from October 2 to 13 at the VW plant in Zwickau. Production of the VW ID.3 in Dresden will be suspended from October 2nd and will resume on October 16th.

VW faces growing competition, primarily from Tesla and a growing number of Chinese automakers. Taking into account the high inflation and the reduction of subsidies, the competition additionally affects the business of the German brand, due to which there is a reduced demand on the European market of electric vehicles.

Chinese electric cars had a privileged position in the EU, according to the statements of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Therefore, the EU launched an investigation and some members, such as France, have already made decisions to protect domestic manufacturers.

French government considering a new subsidy decree. Citizens with lower incomes will have a subsidy of up to 7,000 euros for the purchase of a new electric car, while for others it will be up to 5,000 euros. This could lead to strained relations with China, and threaten the import of electric cars and small commercial vehicles in the amount of almost 7 billion dollars.

Source: Reuters

Tuning

Ferrari 812 N-LARGO S with 840 HP

The Ferrari 812 Superfast is one of the best sports cars from the Maranello-based manufacturer that is soon to be a thing of the past. In his honor, the German tuner Novitec produced three examples of the 812 N-LARGO S based on the 812 Superfast.

The car has a wider body than the 812 Superfast, made of high-strength lightweight carbon. It is equipped with wider front fenders, new rocker panels, integrated rear spoiler, forged 21″ and 22″ Vossen rims, carbon covers for mirrors, carbon bonnet inserts, carbon parts for trunk lid and taillights, carbon diffuser, set of sport springs, sport metal catalysts , replacement exhaust pipes, Novitec tailpipes, and a new exhaust system and modified suspension, so now the car is closer to the ground by an additional 35 mm.

Inside, each customer has the option of personalizing the cabin, so we believe that each of the three planned examples will be different.

Under the hood is a 6.5-liter V12 engine with 840 hp (618 kW) and 554 lb-ft (751 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic with manual shifting mode. It reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.8 seconds with a top speed of 345 km/h (214 mph). As a reminder, the 812 Superfast is powered by the same engine but with 800 hp (588 kW) and 529 lb-ft (718 Nm) of torque.

Novitec recently presented the most powerful Ferrari 812 Competizione ever. It is powered by a 6.5-liter V12 engine with 866 hp (637 kW) and 524 lb-ft (711 Nm) of torque. Ferrari’s sportiest road car reaches 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.85 seconds, 124 mph (200 km/h) in 7.5 seconds with a top speed of 340 km/h (211 mph).

Source: Novitec

Gallery:

News

EU-China relations could cost carmakers $7 billion in losses

The plan of Chinese electric car manufacturers to conquer the European market seems to be threatened by the current EU-China relationship. The biggest consequences could be for BYD and ZEEKR.

Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen launched an investigation into potentially unfair state support for Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers, a move the EU labeled “bare protectionism”.

A few days ago, France was the first to announce that it was canceling subsidies on new electric cars produced in China, in order to protect domestic manufacturers. According to Bloomberg Intelligence, if the other members adopt the same decision, it could threaten the import of electric cars and small commercial vehicles in the amount of almost 7 billion dollars. The French government believes that such a decision will not complicate relations with China, and is therefore considering a new subsidy decree. Citizens with lower incomes will have a subsidy of up to 7,000 euros for the purchase of a new electric car, while for others it will be up to 5,000 euros.

Chinese companies have been present on the European market for many years. Zeekr is owned by the Chinese multinational automotive company Geely, which took over Volvo from Ford in 2010, and their network includes stakes in truck manufacturer Volvo AB to near-total control of the famous sports car manufacturer Lotus. Geely is also finalizing an agreement with Renault on the combined company Horse to develop and produce a new generation of internal combustion engines.

At the beginning of September, BYD announced that it is coming to the European market with the all-electric sedan, BYD Seal. The car was unveiled in April, and now it is finally coming to Europe at the end of the year. It will be available in two versions: Design and Excellence-AWD. Both versions will be equipped with an 82.5 kWh battery, but the Design version is powered by a single electric motor with 313 hp (230 kW) sent to the rear wheels. It also has a range of 570 kilometers. Excellence-AWD is powered by two electric motors with a total power of 530 hp (390 kW). Power is sent to all wheels in the ratio of 217 hp (160 kW) to the front wheels and 313 hp (230 kW) to the rear wheels. It is built on the BYD e-Platform 3.0 for greater efficiency, aerodynamics, power, body rigidity and space utilization. Using a 150 kW DC charger, the battery is charged from 30% to 80% in 26 minutes. It has a range of 520 km.

Source: Bloomberg Intelligence