All posts by Francis Mitterrand

Tuning

Dartz Prombron Iron Diamond CLV

Prombron Iron Diamond CLV is the latest work of Latvian based company DARTZ Motorz that designs, manufactures, and sells high performance armored vehicles. The car is based on the powerful Lamborghini Urus.

The company was founded in 2009 and Prombron is a series that comes in nine distinct models: Iron Diamond, Iron Xtal, Monaco Red Diamond Edition, Black Dragon, Black Russian, Gold Russian, Aladeen, White Horse, and Monaco.

At first glance, the exterior of the car shows a strong resemblance to the original version of the Iron Diamond that has been around for 14 years. The interior design has not been revealed, but if we consider the interiors of previous models, luxury is inevitable. Therefore, we can expect precious metals and the skin of exotic animals, which is the opposite of the sustainable materials that are very popular today.

This model was created by combining the power of Lamborghini and the elegant refinement of modern engineering. The result is the performance of a sports car, the rugged durability of a military tank and the sleek luxury of a Lamborghini. DARTZ has not announced whether the Prombron Iron Diamond CLV will use the Urus’ 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo engine with 666 hp (490 kW) and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque.

The price of the Dartz Prombron Iron Diamond CLV is 2.5 million euros.

Source: DARTZ Motorz

News

Euro 7 will apply to EVs

Although the European Union planned to apply the new Euro 7 standards from 2026, increasing pressure from manufacturers forced the EU to postpone this decision until the end of the decade. This meant easing the existing Euro 6 norm, but also giving more time for adaptation. Now the European Parliament says that Euro 7 will apply to electric cars as well.

Europe is trying to eliminate ICE cars from its roads at all costs, and one of the steps is to ban the sale of ICE vehicles from 2035. For now, it seems almost impossible, but the European Parliament has established interim measures to continue reducing CO2 emissions.

If you’re wondering what kind of harmful emissions electric cars produce, here’s the answer. With the new regulation, the measurements will not only take into account the emissions from the exhaust pipes, but also the emissions of other particles that are also harmful to health, such as microplastics or microdust that is thrown out by the wear of tires or brakes. This measure will apply to all cars, regardless of their powertrain.

Euro 7 regulations will apply from 2030, and many analysts are convinced that they will not give the expected result. However, all manufacturers must adapt to the new emissions limit, and the WLTP protocol measures the pollution data of every new car in the European Union (CO2 and NOx particles). Any deviation from the legal regulations entails a penalty for each additional gram of CO2. This has already started to show certain consequences, and an example is the Honda Civic Type R with a price of more than 100,000 euros.

Of course, some electric car manufacturers are not happy with this decision, so the EU has proposed special measures that mainly relate to battery life. This means an additional investment of huge amounts of money in development, which will be a great financial pressure on European manufacturers who are currently struggling with competitors from China. Of course, all this will be paid by customers with higher car prices.

Source: Reuters

News

Audi introduces a new naming scheme

Audi has been confusing the public for seven years with its naming scheme, i.e. the numbers on its TFSI, TDI and Quattro models, and now the manufacturer from Ingolstadt, Germany, has decided to change it.

Audi has decided to simplify its offering, starting with the new electric crossover, the Audi Q6 E-Tron. The standard version of this model will be known as the Q6 E-Tron Quattro, and will have four-wheel drive, while the more powerful version is called the SQ6 E-Tron. However, Audi could offer a version with a different battery size, which will be called “Performance”.

The head of Audi’s sales and marketing department for electric vehicles, Florian Hauser, confirmed in an interview with Auto Express that it is no longer necessary to use the numbers, and that the decision to remove them will also apply to diesel and gasoline models. The two-digit designation will be incorporated from the lids and tailgate of models with internal combustion engines, but it is not yet known whether the previous nomenclature will be completely discarded by dropping it from configurators, marketing materials and the like.

Also, former Audi director Markus Duesmann confirmed last year that some models will get new names. From the next generation Audi A4 will become A5 and A6 will become A7. It remains to be seen whether a sedan will arrive as a successor to the outgoing A4 after photos of the Sportback were released.

It is obvious that Audi has decided to separate the electric models (A4 and A6) from the ICE models (A5 and A7) with new designations. Some models will be retired in the meantime, such as the Audi A1 and the Q2 subcompact crossover. At the end of last year, the same fate befell the sports model TT, while the end of March will mean the end of the R8 model.

It should be noted that Audi is seriously considering the Q9 SUV. This could fit into the plans of the German company, which previously announced that it will introduce several new models in the next two years, and the Q9 could be one of them. “Yes, of course. If you look at our volume compared to other brands, you will see that we are not in some segments unlike them,” said Managing Director of Audi Australia Jeff Mannering.

Currently it is not known whether the Q9 will be fully electric or powered by an internal combustion engine, but if we remember that Audi plans to produce only EVs from 2026, electric motors are a closer option.

Source: Audi, Auto Express