All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Opel Insignia will be replaced with a new electric model

After the Corsa, Opel will stop producing the last model that was produced before the company became part of the Stellantis group. It is about the Opel Insignia, which was first presented in 2008.

“As a consequence of CO2 regulations and the focus on accelerated preparations for three new models in Rüsselsheim, production of the Insignia will be suspended until the end of the year,” said an Opel spokesperson in an interview with Business Insider. Rumors say that the Insignia should be replaced by an electric model. Opel is currently focused on the Opel Astra and Astra Sport Tourer as well as the new DS4, which will be produced in the plant that previously produced the Insignia.

This is part of Opel’s plan to fully electrify all its models by 2028. Whether the successor to the Insignia will be based on a crossover like the recently unveiled Citroën C5 X remains to be seen.

Opel insignia was produced until 2016, when the last generation of this non-premium car was presented. The car was offered in four versions, Grand Sport, Sports tourer and Country Tourer, and the most powerful was the GSi model. According to some rumors, the new electric model should arrive in the next 2-3 years.

Source: Business Insider

EV, News

Hyundai is developing a small electric car for the European market

South Korean car manufacturer Hyundai is expanding its electric range. After the unveiling of the Ioniq 6 as a rival to the Tesla Model 3, the arrival of the Ioniq 7 SUV with three rows of seats was announced for 2024. For those with a little less money, Hyundai is preparing a cheaper electric car for the European market that will cost around 20,000 euros.

In an interview with Automotive News Europe, Hyundai’s head of marketing in Europe Andreas-Christoph Hofmann said that developing a more sustainable electric vehicle in response to increasingly stringent emissions laws in the European Union will be a difficult task. First of all, small cars are cheaper and do not bring much profit, which will affect the company’s profit. That’s why Hyundai has focused on its three larger models, the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Ioniq 7.

Hyundai plans to produce 11 electric models by the end of the decade, and this is supported by the fact that Hyundai’s share of the European electric car market has grown by 470 percent.

The South Korean automaker is among several companies that believe hydrogen still has a future. However, without major investments in infrastructure, fuel cell cars like the N Vision 74 Concept remain just a dream.

Source: Automotive News Europe

Auctions, News

1973 BMW 2002 Targa will be sold at auction

In the early 70s, the director of product planning, Helmut Werner Bönsch, and the designer of the M10 engine, Alex von Falkenhausen, proposed to BMW a 2.0L version of the BMW 1600-2 model. This is how the BMW 2002 Targa was born. BMW produced only 2,317 examples of this model and one of them, the 1973 BMW 2002 Targa, will soon be sold at auction.

Pebble Beach Auctions has announced the sale of this rare car that has only 62,229 kilometers on the odometer and is in perfect condition. The car is painted green, and the bodywork was made by the Baur company from Stuttgart. Baur used the 2002 model as a base, and the upper part of the roof was cut off to create a convertible. However, the roof is there and can be pulled out if needed.

The BMW 2002 Targa is powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine with 100 hp (75 kW). The engine is paired with a 4-speed manual transmission that transmits power to the rear wheels.

When it comes to price, it is estimated that the car could be sold for 55k – 65k dollars.

Source: Pebble Beach Auctions