All posts by Francis Mitterrand

18 golden BMW i3s for the final goodbye

At the beginning of last month, BMW announced that it was discontinuing the production of its electric hatchback i3 and on this occasion decided to produce 10 i3 HomeRun Edition. Now the Bavarian company is saying goodbye to this electric car once again with 18 golden BMW i3s.

The B-segment car was first presented as a concept in 2011, and went into production in September 2013. Since then, 250,000 cars have been sold.

“At the start of series production eight and a half years ago, the i3 was considered visionary and exotic. Since then, the compact electric vehicle has become a pioneer of local emission-free driving pleasure as well as holistic sustainability,” said BMW.

The car is powered by an electric motor with 184 hp (135 kW) and 199 lb-ft (270 Nm) of torque. It reaches 62 mph in less than seven seconds with a top speed of 99 mph (160 km/h). Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission.

Last year the BMW i3 was withdrawn from the American market. The reason is bad sales results. Since 2015, sales of this model have been gradually declining, so that in 2020, slightly more than 1,500 units were sold. The car was replaced by the BMW i4 eDrive40 with a more powerful electric motor.

Source: BMW

Porsche Cayenne Convertible prototype

Ever since the introduction of the Porsche Cayenne, the Stuttgart-based company has seriously considered refreshing the market with different versions of this model, and one of the options was a convertible version. However, Porsche doubted the attractiveness and profitability of this version, so the car never went into production.

Now, celebrating 20 years since the arrival of the Porsche Cayenne on the market, Porsche has recalled the unique Package Function Model. It is a prototype made on the basis of the standard Cayenne, but 20 cm longer. The vehicle is not drivable, as it does not have the body reinforcements that are necessary for a convertible.

“An SUV as a convertible is a challenge both aesthetically and formally. An SUV always has a large and heavy body. You combine this with a small top half and then cut off the roof – you get very strange shapes emerging from that,” says Michael Mauer.

The most interesting is the design of the folding soft roof, which was supposed to replace the rigid one. It is planned that the roof can be opened in both directions thanks to the luggage compartment lid that is attached to the front and back. The design is similar to that of the 911 Targa, but as it never passed computer simulation, it was never built. Therefore, the roof must be installed manually. The design of the side windows has been changed, which now give the cabriolet a more elegant look. The two doors are 20 centimeters longer than those on the standard Cayenne. The rear part of the car did not receive a final design solution. There are still many open design and mechanical solutions that are not final, such as low or high positioned tail lights.

Porsche is currently working on the new Cayenne and Cayenne Coupe models, which could appear very soon. The convertible remains just an idea.

Source: Porsche

Ferrari cars have a problem with the braking system, again

After last year’s problem with the brake system and the recall of over 10,000 vehicles of the 458 Italia, 458 Speciale, 458 Speciale Aperta, 458 Spider, 488 GTB and 488 Spider models, the company from Maranello this time found itself in the same problem but on a larger scale. Ferrari said it was recalling over 23,000 cars.

According to information coming from the company, the recall affects various models manufactured in 2005 and later, namely the Ferrari 430, Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, Ferrari California, Ferrari 612, Ferrari FF, Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, Ferrari LaFerrari, Ferrari California T, Ferrari F60 America, Ferrari F12 TDF, Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta, Ferrari GTC4 Lusso, Ferrari GTC4 T, Ferrari Portofino, Ferrari 812, Ferrari 488 Pista, Ferrari F8 Spider, Ferrari F8 Tributo and Ferrari Roma.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notified the Maranello company that they believe the brake fluid reservoir cap will not provide adequate ventilation. This can lead to liquid leakage in the tank and partial or even complete loss of brakes, which endangers the safety of the driver and other traffic participants.

Ferrari said it will notify all owners of vehicles affected by this decision to replace the reservoir cap and brake fluid, free of charge.

Source: Ferrari