All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Seat invests 1.8 billion euros in battery production

The Spanish car manufacturer Seat has announced that it intends to enter the production of batteries for electric vehicles, and the first step will be the construction of a brand new factory that will be financed from EU funds. The European Union will finance the project with 1.5 billion euros, and Seat will invest an additional 300 million euros. The factory should start operating in 2025.

The factory will cover an area of 64,000 square meters, the equivalent of nine football fields, and will create more than 400 direct jobs and an additional 100 indirect jobs. The management of Seat and Cupra wants to position Spain as the center of electromobility in Europe. In this regard, an initiative has been proposed to the government to deduct 15% of the personal income tax from every buyer of an electric vehicle in Spain in order to stimulate car sales while expanding the network of charging stations.

This factory will also produce PowerCo cells, and will be produced in Sagunto (Valencia). At the same time, the battery factory will be connected to a factory where zero-emission models will be produced for the entire Volkswagen Group.

CEO of SEAT & CUPRA Wayne Griffiths, stated that the construction will start at the beginning of the eighth month of this year.

Source: Seat

EV

2024 Avatr 12

Avatr 12 is a new electric car with which the Chinese company Avatr Technology wants to attack the European market and threaten the position held by Mercedes’ EQE sedans and BMW i5. It is an electric premium sedan that was created in cooperation with Changan Automobile, CATL and Huawei, and it is designed to go straight into the mid- and large-size segment.

This interesting coupe-limousine is 5020 mm long, 1999 mm wide and, depending on the air suspension, 1450-1460 mm high, while the wheelbase is 3020 mm. Built on the EP1 platform, the Avatr 12 will be offered with one or two electric motors. The single-engine Avatr 12 is powered by an electric unit mounted on the rear axle that develops 313 hp (230 kW). The two engine version comes with all-wheel drive and a total power of 578 hp (425 kW). The top speed is 200 km/h, and the electric motors are supplied by Huawei. It is equipped with a lithium-ion battery manufactured by CATL, with a capacity of 90.4 kWh for the base model and 116.8 kWh for the models with two motors.

When it comes to design, split LED lights surround the front grille, giving it an aggressive look. An elegant roofline, made entirely of glass, leads to a massive coupe section with narrow horizontal LED lights. Buyers will be able to choose between four different 20-inch and 21-inch wheel designs, and will also be able to spec their cars with cameras instead of exterior mirrors.

Before reaching the European market, the Avatr 12 will have a serious competitor in the domestic Chinese market, and that is the Nio ET7. Whether it will be able to cope with the competition remains to be seen, but if we consider that the previous model, the Avatr 11, did not achieve the expected results (from December 2022, only 1,753 were sold), will the Avatr 12 be another failed attempt!?

Source: Avatr Technology

Gallery:

2024 Avatr 12
Auctions

1963 Porsche 356C Coupe is up for auction

In 1963, the last revision of the Porsche 356, model 356 C, was presented for the 1964 model year. It was produced for only three years, until 1965, and about 17,000 cars left the production line. One of them, a 1963 Porsche 356C Coupe is up for auction.

Porsche 356C is powered by a 1.6-liter flat-four equipped with dual Weber carburetors. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a four-speed manual transmission. The engine was rebuilt in the late 1970s.

This car was purchased new in September 1963 and it is finished in red (the original was Champagne Yellow until the 80’s). The current owner bought it in 2022 and the previous owner owned it for 34 years. It is in good condition although it needs a few repairs. It is equipped with bumpers with chrome guards, twin rear decklid grilles, a left side mirror, brake discs at all four corners, Koni red shock absorbers, and gold Porsche and SC badging. It sits on chrome-finished 15-inch wheels wrapped in 165/80 Nexen SB-802 tires.

Inside, the seats are upholstered in black leather that also covers the door panels. In front of the driver is a three-spoke steering wheel behind which is a five-digit odometer showing 70,014 miles (total mileage unknown). Additional equipment includes a Bendix Sapphire II AM/FM radio, a black rubber floor mat, dual flip-down sun visors, and lap belts for front occupants.

In 2022, the engine oil was changed, replacement batteries were installed, carburetors were adjusted, transmission fluid was changed, while the speedometer and tachometer were repaired in the early 1970s.

The car comes with a copy of the Kardex, service booklets, manufacturer’s literature, a tool kit, the removed Solex carburetors, service records beginning in the early 1970s, and a California title.

Also, it should be noted that this 356C was filmed for an upcoming episode of the web series Jay Leno’s Garage.

The auction ends on July 24th and the current highest bid is $35,000 USD.

Source: Bring a Trailer

Gallery:

1963 Porsche 356C Coupe is up for auction