All posts by M.K.

News

The first Tesla production plant in Europe

Yesterday, Elon Musk showed a $ 5 billion investment. It is the first Tesla plant on the old continent (Europe), with which Tesla wants to reduce the pressure on plants in Asia and the United States.

“This is a big day for the factory and it is another step towards a sustainable future,” Musk said.

This event was supposed to happen eight months ago, but the opening was delayed due to problems with the issuance of licenses by local authorities. This is an important investment in the German automotive industry, the largest in recent history, but also a good indicator of a bright future.

At full capacity, the factory should produce 500,000 cars a year, significantly more than Volkswagen, which sold 450,000 electric vehicles worldwide last year.

However, the world media mostly write about what the founder of Tesla did at the opening. Musk was seen dancing as he announced the delivery of Tesla’s first German-made cars.

This event did not pass without protest either. Near the factory, environmental organizations have expressed a number of concerns from the amount of water used in production to the number of trees cut down to build it.

Source: Reuters

News, Tuning

Audi RS6 + Limited Edition

Germany motor racing and auto tuning company ABT Sportsline has introduced the Audi RS6 + Limited Edition. This is another upgraded Audi model that will be made in only 25 copies.

The car got a special body kit in a combination of plastic and carbon fiber. The sporty front lip spoiler, small fenders, carbon side mirror housings, sill extensions and rear spoiler are just some of the parts that adorn the look of this sports caravan. A new exhaust system with four 102 mm matt black stainless steel exhaust pipes has been installed.

Inside, a lot of carbon was used, which can be seen on the gear lever and dashboard, while on the sills there are plates with the inscription “1 of 25”.

Under the hood is an upgraded 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that now delivers 690 hp (507 kW) and 648 lb-ft (878 Nm) of torque. This is a significant increase in power as the standard model has 591 hp (435 kW) and 589 lb-ft (800 Nm) of torque. The base model reaches 62 mph in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 190 mph (305 km / h), while the performance of the RS6 + Limited Edition is unknown. It is mounted on 22-inch ABT High Performance HR rims.

Source: ABT Sportsline

News

Renault will restart production in Russia

The current situation caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine has created not only a security and political crisis, but also an economic one. Last month, Renault announced that it was shutting down production lines at AvtoVaz. And while many companies withdrew from the Russian market last month, Renault chose not to do so. Now Renault has announced that it will restart car production at its plant in Moscow.

“Interruptions are caused by more rigorous border controls and the need to change logistics routes,” their official statement said. Interestingly, they did not state that the decision has anything to do with the invasion.

Some may be surprised by this decision, but those who know the car market better will definitely not. The Russian market is the second largest for the French carmaker, where Renault is the majority owner of Lada Holding with 67.61 percent. It also controls almost a third of the Russian car market and employs about 40,000 people.

According to some sources, the French carmaker has decided to restart production in fear of losing its plant. Namely, the Russian government recently announced that it is considering confiscating the factories of foreign companies that are withdrawing from the market during the invasion of Ukraine.

On Monday, AvtoVaz announced that it was temporarily suspending production at the Togliatti and Izhevsk plants between May 21st and 25th due to a lack of electronic components. The Izhevsk plant produces Dacia Logan and Sandero.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21aLDfPVYRo

Source: Renault Group