All posts by Francis Mitterrand

EV, News

New electric car will replace Skoda Fabia

The Skoda Fabia is currently the smallest car from the Czech manufacturer, and according to CEO Klaus Zellmer, in the next couple of years we could see an electric version of this model.

“The Fabia with its price position will be succeeded by a battery-electric vehicle and we are working on that,” Zellmer said. “The biggest challenge at the moment is the cost of battery-electric vehicles, especially when producing a car [the size of] the Fabia. We will have to stay a little patient,” said Zellmer.

The car is currently under development, and according to Autocar it will be built on the Volkswagen MEB platform. It will also be one of the last to use this platform, as the SSP platform will be the basis for future VW vehicles. Rumor has it that the new all-electric car will look like a crossover, taking over the features of the Vision 7S concept.

Skoda’s long-term plans are complete electrification of all models by the end of the decade. In the next couple of years, we can expect a production version of the Vision 7S concept, as well as several new cars.

Source: Autocar

News

Toyota Yaris Cross GR Sport for the European market

After last year’s presentation of the Toyota Yaris Cross as a response to the increasing competition in the crossover segment, the Japanese car manufacturer presented the GR Sport version of this model for the European market.

The Toyota Yaris Cross GR Sport is offered in several body colors, and is equipped with new body details such as a new black front grille, rear diffuser, modified suspension, a set of 18-inch two-tone alloy wheels and red brake calipers. The interior of the car is completely dark. The seats are upholstered in black leather with the GR emblem on the headrest. Black leather can also be seen on the door panels, dashboard and steering wheel. On the central console, there is a multimedia display.

When it comes to the powertrain, the GR Sport is powered by a standard 1.5l three-cylinder petrol engine assisted by an electric motor that develops a combined 116 hp (87 kW). Power is transmitted to the front wheels via a CVT gearbox.

Toyota Yaris Cross GR Sport will be on pre-sale from the third quarter of this year. The price is currently unknown.

Source: Toyota

News

Rimac Automobili announced mysterious cars

A lot can be said about Rimac Automobili. They are one of the best manufacturers of electric hypercars, and recently became a majority shareholder in Bugatti Rimac. They often use social media to publish news about their own activities, and this time they answered questions from followers.

The questions were mostly related to Nevera production, and some of them were: “Can a customer pick any color for Nevera, or you have a set of colors predefined?”, “What’s the hardest part about making a vehicle?”. Now, we know that it takes over 1.5 million working hours to produce one car. Of course, this refers to overall development and not just manufacturing. Also, the customer can select from 36 exterior paint options plus bespoke liveries and carbon tints. Among the many aspects that go into creating and producing a Hypercar, there is a meticulous area that goes unseen, the organization required to handle the wiring throughout the Nevera.

Some were interested in what we can expect from Rimac Automobile in the future. The answer was mysterious. They posted a photo of four covered cars with the message “All in deu time…”. Could we expect new models soon? Also, some wanted to know why they decided to make electric cars, and Rimac Automobili answered “We chose to pursue electric hypercars because we are passionate about innovation and the potential performance from electric.”

Source: Rimac Automobili