All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Thierry Neuville finished as the winner of the WRC Rally Greece

In the tenth race of the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship season, which took place this weekend in Greece, the fastest was the Belgian driver Thierry Neuville. He won with his Hyundai i20 N with over 15 seconds of advantage.

It was the first win of the season for the Belgian driver who is currently third in the overall driver standings. From the start, Neuville started strongly. His only competitor was the French driver Sébastien Loeb, but he had to retire due to an engine failure. After that, no one could stop him.

Second place went to his teammate Ott Tänak behind the wheel of the Hyundai i20 N from the Hyundai Motorsport team who achieved a time of 3:35:07.0. Third place went to Dani Sordo (+1:49.7), also a driver of the Hyundai Motorsport team, who completed a very successful weekend for Hyundai.

In the drivers championchip, the leader is Kalle Rovanperä, who finished the race in 15th place with a time of 3:51:41.0 (+16:49.0) with 207 points, followed by Ott Tänak with 154 points and Thierry Neuville with 131 points.

There are 3 races left until the end of the season. The next race is run in New Zealand from September 29 to October 2.

Source: WRC

News

2022 Trumpchi M8

If you ever thought that BMW and Lexus went overboard with the size of the front grills on their new models and lots of chrome accessories, you’re wrong. The Chinese company Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) presented the Trumpchi M8 with a front grille that leaves you speechless.

The front grille, which GAC calls Soaring Wings, is the first thing you’ll notice when you see the car. It has ten vertical chrome slats that cover almost the entire front of the vehicle. The sharp look is emphasized by the side vertical LED daytime running lights and the horizontally placed LED lights with slits. This comes with the Master Equipment Package for the M8 model. For other versions, GAC has prepared slightly more discreet equipment.

The rest of the vehicle looks like most SUVs. The car is 5.21 meters long, 1.90 meters wide and 1.82 meters high, and has a 3.07 meter wheelbase. The M8 will be offered in gasoline, mild hybrid (HEV) and PHEV versions. The gasoline version is powered by a 2.0l 4-cylinder turbo engine with 255 HP and 400 Nm, paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission that transmits power to the front axle. The hybrid version is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with 193 hp and 320 Nm in combination with an electric motor of 184 hp and 270 Nm, for a total of 377 hp and 590 Nm.

Inside, three rows of seats offer enough space to accommodate seven passengers. In front of the driver is a 12.3-inch combined driving control instrument plus a 14.6-inch large central control panel, with a new three-spoke multifunction steering wheel design.

Source: Guangzhou Automobile Group

News

VW ID.Xtreme

Volkswagen has unveiled a new electric off-road concept car, the ID.Xtreme. It is based on the ID.4 GTX and combines the advantages of a modern electric SUV with off-road capabilities.

The car is ready for adventure and is equipped with reinforced suspension, bull bar, 3D printed wheel arches that are 50 mm wider, roof rack with additional LED lights, aluminum chassis protection, a set of new 18-inch off-road wheels, and an 82 kWh battery. As a basis for the development of the ID.Xtreme, VW used the test model that was used for the development of the ID.4 GTX.

Although VW has not released any photos, the company claims that they have done everything possible to give passengers the best possible experience. However, some details are known. The seats and many surfaces are covered in Alcantara. There are also many different details that adorn the interior of the vehicle. Special attention is paid to acoustics. According to VW, there is a sound generator in the wheel well that produces a special sound.

The official premiere of the electric ID.Xtreme took place in Locarno, Switzerland, at the gathering of electric mobility enthusiasts ID.Treffen. In addition to this off-road car, VW presented other ID concepts.

Sources: Volkswagen