All posts by Francis Mitterrand

NEW CARS

BMW Sends the G80 Out with a Clutch Pedal and a Bang

BMW is closing the chapter on one of its most controversial modern M cars the only way it really knows how: with a limited-run special that leans hard into nostalgia, driver engagement, and just enough restraint to make enthusiasts argue about it for years.

Meet the BMW M3 CS Handschalter, a US-exclusive farewell to the sixth-generation BMW M3 and, more specifically, one of the last manual transmission M cars you’re likely to see in the modern era. It follows in the footsteps of the Z4 Handschalter in marking a quiet but definitive retreat from the six-speed manual in BMW M’s higher-output lineup.

At its core, this is still a CS model, which means BMW hasn’t simply bolted a clutch pedal into a standard car and called it a day. The Handschalter is 20 kg lighter than the regular M3, and up to 34 kg lighter when optioned with carbon-ceramic brakes. It sits 6 mm lower than the M3 Competition and receives the full CS chassis treatment: stiffer springs, dampers, and anti-roll bars tuned to sharpen response and reduce any remaining hint of softness.

Unlike the more familiar all-wheel-drive CS setup, this version returns to rear-wheel drive. That alone signals its intent. This is not the most secure, fastest-to-the-first-corner M3 configuration. It is the one that asks more of you—and gives more back when you get it right.

Power comes from BMW M’s twin-turbo inline-six, but in this application output drops to 473 hp, down 69 hp from the automatic CS. The reason is less philosophical than it sounds: BMW M limits torque and power on manual cars to preserve drivetrain durability. The eight-speed automatic can handle more abuse; the manual, not so much.

Even so, performance remains properly serious. BMW claims 0–60 mph in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph, which places it firmly in “don’t mistake this for a nostalgia exercise” territory. It still moves like a modern M car should, just with an extra layer of mechanical involvement between driver and road.

Visually and tactically, it gets the full CS treatment: yellow daytime running lights, bold striping options, and a palette that swings from subdued black to louder greens, reds, and purples. Inside, carbon-fiber bucket seats dominate the cabin, reinforcing the car’s track-first identity while still pretending, at least faintly, that you might daily it.

At $103,750 in the US, it also sits in familiar CS territory: expensive, exclusive, and very deliberately positioned as the “final word” rather than a volume seller. Unsurprisingly, there’s no indication it will reach Europe, where the manual M3 has already been phased out in favor of automatic-only configurations since the G80 launched in 2020.

And while this car closes one door, BMW is already opening another. The next-generation M3 is expected next year, and for the first time, it will include a fully electric variant. That model will reportedly use a four-motor setup producing well over 1,000 hp, with software-designed “engine character” meant to replicate the feel and sound of a combustion M car.

Alongside it, a heavily updated turbocharged inline-six M3 will continue the combustion lineage, engineered to meet Euro 7 regulations. BMW M executives have even suggested both versions will be priced in the same general bracket, a move that signals just how seriously the brand is taking its transition.

So the M3 CS Handschalter isn’t just another limited-run special. It’s a closing statement. A reminder that, for all the talk of electrification and future-proofing, BMW still knows how to build a driver’s car that asks you to do the shifting yourself—one last time.

Source: BMW

News

Itala Returns After 92 Years as DR Automobiles

Few revival stories in the automotive world arrive with as much historical weight—and modern contradiction—as the return of Itala. A brand once associated with early Italian prestige has been resurrected after 92 years of silence, now re-entering the market under the engineering oversight of former Roberto Fedeli.

But this is not a simple heritage reboot. It is part of a far more complex industrial expansion led by DR Automobiles, a company that has spent the past two decades building its business model around adapting Chinese-sourced vehicles for European markets. With six brands already in its portfolio and roughly 34,000 cars sold across Italy and select neighboring markets last year, DR is now pushing beyond its home turf, setting its sights on larger and far more competitive territories like France and Germany.

Heritage, Rewritten

The revived Itala sits within DR’s “Historic Italian Brands” strategy—a deliberate attempt to fuse nostalgic brand equity with modern, cost-efficient manufacturing pipelines. Alongside Itala, DR is also preparing to relaunch Osca, a name originally founded by the Maserati brothers and once active in motorsport between 1947 and 1967.

The plan is as pragmatic as it is ambitious: both brands will share showroom space, effectively leveraging history as a dual-badging showroom experience aimed at emotionally anchoring budget-conscious products.

The First Modern Itala

Debuting this week at the Turin motor show, the first modern Itala is called the 35—a 4.4-meter petrol-powered crossover that underpins its engineering architecture on the GAC Trumpchi GS3. Pricing is expected to start at around €35,000 (£30,000), placing it squarely in the highly contested European compact SUV segment.

Yet DR is not simply importing and rebadging without intervention. Italian media reports suggest a multi-layered refinement program: Fedeli has reportedly tuned the suspension setup, while interior execution has been reworked by Italian suppliers, with red leather and Alcantara dominating the cabin. Exterior styling has also been revised, with design input attributed to Italdesign—a name that carries genuine weight in global automotive styling circles.

The result, at least on paper, is a familiar formula executed with Italian surface finesse: global architecture beneath, local tuning on top, and heritage branding wrapped around the package.

Expansion at Scale

Under the same strategy, DR is investing approximately €50 million into two new “production facilities” at its Macchia d’Isernia plant, where it already assembles knock-down kits sourced from China. The expansion is expected to create around 500 jobs, reinforcing DR’s increasingly industrial footprint in southern Italy.

The timing is no accident. As European emissions regulations tighten and development costs rise, DR’s model—lean platforms, localized assembly, and brand resurrection—sits in a growing niche between mainstream volume manufacturers and premium incumbents.

What Comes Next

If Itala represents the first step, Osca may represent the sharper end of the strategy. While no production model has yet been confirmed, Italian reports suggest a “proper sports car” is under consideration, potentially featuring a 2.0-litre engine sourced from Lotus-related architecture—possibly aligning with the turbocharged four-cylinder used in the current Emira’s Mercedes-AMG-derived setup.

For now, however, DR is focused on rollout infrastructure. Around 50 Itala-Osca dealerships are planned, with the first opening in Turin—the original home of Itala itself. It is a symbolic return, but also a strategic one: anchoring a revived brand network in the city where its identity was first forged.

A Familiar Modern Paradox

The rebirth of Itala is not a pure heritage story, nor is it a conventional product launch. It sits in the increasingly common space where globalized platforms, Chinese supply chains, and European branding intersect.

The question, as always, is not whether the story is authentic—but whether the product behind the badge is compelling enough to make buyers care.

And in today’s European market, that may be the only metric that truly matters.

Source: Autocar

NEW CARS

BYD Wants a Piece of the Defender Market with the New Ti7

BYD’s global expansion has largely been defined by sensible EVs and value-packed family haulers. But the Chinese giant is about to try something bolder: taking a swing at the king of the modern luxury off-roader. Enter the BYD Ti7, a seven-seat plug-in-hybrid SUV aimed squarely at the wildly successful Land Rover Defender.

And unlike some of the softer crossover imitators that merely borrow the Defender’s aesthetic cues, the Ti7 appears determined to weaponize them.

With squared-off proportions, bluff surfacing, and a tailgate-mounted spare wheel, the Ti7 leans hard into classic expedition-truck design language. There’s more than a hint of Toyota Land Cruiser in its upright stance too, although BYD’s interpretation feels more futuristic than retro. It’s ruggedness filtered through Shenzhen rather than Solihull.

Size-wise, the Ti7 slots neatly between the Defender 110 and Defender 130, giving BYD an opportunity to target buyers who want genuine three-row practicality without venturing into full-size SUV territory. That alone could make it one of the brand’s most ambitious products yet in Europe.

But the real story sits beneath the sheetmetal.

The Ti7 will be the first UK-bound BYD to use the company’s new performance-focused “DM-p” plug-in-hybrid system. The setup pairs a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine with dual electric motors — one on each axle — and a substantial 35.6-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack. BYD claims a 0–62 mph sprint in just 4.8 seconds, which would make this family-sized SUV quicker than many performance sedans from not that long ago.

More impressive still is the claimed electric-only range of 79 miles. If that figure holds up under real-world testing, the Ti7 could become one of the few plug-in hybrids capable of handling most weekday commuting without waking its combustion engine at all. In a segment where electrification often feels like an efficiency afterthought, BYD is making it central to the pitch.

Interestingly, the Ti7 isn’t being positioned as a hardcore off-roader despite the visual drama. While it shares DNA with the upcoming Denza B5, BYD says the two SUVs target very different buyers. The body-on-frame B5 is designed with genuine trail work in mind, whereas the monocoque-based Ti7 is aimed at customers who want the adventurous look without necessarily planning to climb mountains every weekend.

That distinction says a lot about where the SUV market is heading. The Defender itself has become less of a utilitarian tool and more of a luxury lifestyle statement, and BYD seems acutely aware of that shift. The Ti7 doesn’t need to out-crawl a Land Rover in Moab. It just needs to convince buyers that electrified performance, tech-heavy refinement, and bold styling matter more than locking differentials.

And BYD certainly isn’t lacking confidence on the tech front.

In China, the Ti7 is also available as a full battery-electric model compatible with BYD’s eye-opening “Flash” charging architecture, capable of handling charging speeds of up to 1500 kW. That’s a number so outrageous it almost sounds fictional in today’s infrastructure landscape. BYD plans to build 300 compatible chargers in the UK this year ahead of the launch of the Denza Z9 GT, although it remains unclear whether the fully electric Ti7 will follow the hybrid to Europe.

Pricing hasn’t yet been announced, but expectations are that the Ti7 will sit at the top of BYD’s UK lineup, above the BYD Sealion 7. That would likely place it directly in the orbit of premium European SUVs — exactly where Chinese brands once struggled to gain credibility.

Now they’re arriving with 4.8-second acceleration, nearly 80 miles of EV range, and enough road presence to make established players uncomfortable.

The Ti7 could make its UK debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this July, which would be fitting. Goodwood has increasingly become the stage where legacy automakers and ambitious newcomers collide, and BYD no longer looks like an outsider trying to get invited to the party.

It looks like a company ready to headline it.

Source: BYD