All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

Mini’s electric strategy failed

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Mini is one of the manufacturers that advocated a rapid transition to fully electric cars, but the reduced demand for electric cars has brought them back to reality. Now the company is thinking more about combustion engines.

“We are not giving up on full electrification, but we will have to postpone it, because it is evident that the demand for cars powered by internal combustion engines is still high, much higher than the demand for electric cars,” the company said.

Along with the development of electric models, Mini will continue to offer hybrid models and there is already a lot of talk about a new model that will be positioned above the Countryman. This model should have significantly higher ground clearance, reinforced suspension and wheels for different surfaces.

It is still not known when the BMW Group will stop producing cars with combustion engines, but the latest information suggests that the end of the decade may be too ambitious. Last year, only 17.4 percent of the BMW Group’s offer was electric cars, which is still far from what they planned.

Source: Mini

EV

2026 Citroen e-C3 VAN

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At the end of March, Citroen launched a new small van, the e-C3 VAN, based on the e-C3. It is an all-electric car with a starting price of 22,800 euros including tax.

The car is available in special Montecarlo Blue, Perla Nera Black, Polar White, Mercure Gray, Elixir Red, and Light Blue. The roof is painted in the body color, but buyers can optionally choose Opal White or Perla Nera Black for the roof. It is equipped with the PLUS package that includes LED lights, cruise control, a USB-C port, a multimedia system with a 10.25-inch screen, support for Android Auto and Car Play systems, Bluetooth and a multifunction steering wheel, and 17-inch steel wheels. The vehicle also has several modern safety systems such as automatic braking, a lane keeping system, a traffic sign recognition system, and a driver fatigue monitoring system.

In the cabin, the rear seats have been replaced with a cargo platform with a partition and a grid that gives luggage space up to 1,220 liters. The maximum load capacity is 302 kilograms, and the maximum weight of the vehicle with cargo is 1,745 kilograms.

The Citroen e-C3 VAN is equipped with a 44 kWh battery that, thanks to a 100 kW fast charger, can be charged from 20 to 80 percent in 25 minutes. If a 7 kW charger is used, it takes four hours, or two hours and 50 minutes when using an 11 kW charger.

The car is powered by an electric motor with 113 hp and has an electric range of 323 km. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in around 11 seconds with a top speed of 132 km/h.

Source: Citroen

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2026 Citroen e-C3 VAN
Restomod

This restomod Range Rover costs 280,000 euros

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In 1970, Range Rover launched the first generation of its off-road vehicle, which would eventually become a legend and the pride of the British automotive industry. This model is the basis for the projects of the Italian company Vinile, which deals with the restoration and modification of these cars.

The company decided to deal only with the first generation of this British SUV, whose bodywork would undergo minimal visual changes, because the primary goal was the precise assembly and adjustment of the restored factory body panels. The car was premiered on April 11.

The car is equipped with LED headlights and new two-tone rims wrapped in wide A/T tires, while the aircraft-inspired interior has undergone major changes. Designers have placed the window switches on the roof, where one of the engine start switches is also located. A wristwatch is located below the 10.1-inch display of the multimedia system (Sony) with navigation and wireless connectivity with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto applications. The seats are upholstered in light brown Alcantara, which also covers the roof and several other elements. There is also a 10-speaker audio system from Focal, and three amplifiers from Rockford Fosgate.

When it comes to the powertrain, the company decided not to install a new engine but to restore the original V8 engine that develops around 200 horsepower.

Vinile will produce only 15 units of this car, and each will cost 280,000 euros.

Source: Vinile

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