All posts by Francis Mitterrand

News

The European EV market is growing

The European EV market has been in crisis for a long time, and European manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the Chinese, which produce electric cars at a speed unattainable for any European brand. However, despite the difficulties, the European market is showing signs of recovery.

A few years ago, European manufacturers set the goal of becoming completely CO2 neutral by 2030, but that goal proved to be unattainable over time, primarily because of the supply chain, which was an unsolvable problem for most companies. In the meantime, Chinese auto makers developed electric cars at a speed that was not expected, or others overestimated their capabilities, so their cheap EVs, supported by government subsidies, began to arrive in large numbers on the European market.

European manufacturers began to sink and their cars were no longer competitive with Chinese ones. They began to look for a solution to the growing crisis and to demand protection from their governments. In 2023, the EU launched an investigation into the privileged position of electric vehicles produced in China due to subsidies, which after a year resulted in the introduction of additional customs duties.

Companies have set a new goal of complete CO2 neutrality by 2035, but many countries are not showing the necessary support to make this transition happen. At the end of 2023, Germany ended its plan to help customers and abolished subsidies. However, the Germans are aware that they must return to eco-bonuses if they want to increase sales. Also this month, France announced plans to reduce government support for the purchase of electric cars.

In September, almost 300,000 EVs were sold in Europe, which is an increase of 4.2% compared to last year. Great Britain saw the highest growth of 24 percent, while the best-selling models were the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

Big challenges await Europe in the coming years, and the first of them is the Euro 7 standard. Expectations have been lowered, so analysts hope that in 2025, 3.78 million EVs will be sold on the European market, and by the end of the decade, that number should reach 9.78 million.

Source: Reuters

Auctions

2006 Ferrari 248 F1 driven by Michael Schumacher is up for sale

One of the best Formula 1 drivers ever, Michael Schumacher, does not appear in public after the accident, and there is little information that reveals anything about his condition. He retired in 2006 from the sport, although he later made a brief return with Mercedes from 2010 to 2012. Now, one of the last cars he drove in his final season, the 2006 Ferrari 248 F1, is up for auction.

This 248 F1 is one of the eight cars that Ferrari produced for the 2006 season. It was used for the first time at the Imola Circuit, and with this car Schumacher won pole position and achieved his first of a total of five that season (San Marino, European, United States, French, and German Grands Prix) and three other places (Spain, Great Britain and Canada). After the Hungarian Grand Prix, the car was retired.

It is powered by a new 90-degree Type-056 2.4-liter V8 engine with around 730 hp (537 kW) mated to a seven-speed gearbox. It was the first V8 unit to power a Ferrari Grand Prix car since the Championship-winning 158 of 1964.

The car was bought from Ferrari by a private collector in December 2007 and remains in his collection to this day. It is in excellent condition and comes with a Ferrari Classiche certificate and was exhibited at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles in 2017 as part of the “Seeing Red: 70 years of Ferrari” exhibition. It was also used in several private tests on the Fiorano circuit.

This unquestionably one of the most successful Michael Schumacher-raced Ferraris of all-time, will be offered at an auction that will take place on Thursday, November 14, 2024.

Source: RM Sotheby’s

Gallery:

2006 Ferrari 248 F1 driven by Michael Schumacher is up for sale
News

2025 Aston Martin DB12 Goldfinger Edition

Few car brands have such a connection with a movie character like Aston Martin and the world’s most famous secret agent James Bond 007. The collaboration began in 1964 with the DB5 model that appeared in the movie “Goldfinger”, and now the British brand has revealed a car dedicated to this movie, Aston Martin DB12 Goldfinger Edition.

The Aston Martin DB12 Goldfinger is a special edition with a silver body, and it is decorated with some special features such as the Goldfinger logo and gold-plated interior details. There are also some symbols related to the film such as the embroidered eight of hearts playing card on the sun visor which refers to the playing card seen in the last draw during a scene in the film.

The car that appeared in 1964 (the Aston Martin DB5) was equipped with browning machine guns that popped out from under the front turn signal, a bulletproof rear window shield, a smoke generator, a passenger ejection seat, a triple registration that could be rotated as needed and other accessories .

The DB12 Goldfinger will be powered by a 4.0-L twin-turbo V8 engine with 670 hp (493 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800Nm) of torque. Only 60 units will be produced to mark 60 years since the premiere of “Goldfinger”. Each owner will also receive special champagne with four exclusive Bollinger 007 glasses, a Globe-Troter bag, a special magazine and other special gifts. The price has not been announced.

Source: Aston Martin