Category Archives: News

SUVs were the best-selling cars in Europe in 2024

Although the demand for SUVs has been slowing down in recent years, this type of vehicle remains the most sought after in Europe. According to sales data, 6.92 million SUVs were sold in Europe in 2024, which is four percent more than in 2023.

Compact SUVs (C-SUV segment) were the most popular type in the category, and the top seller was the Kia Sportage. This segment accounted for 42 percent of total SUV sales last year, followed by smaller models (B-SUVs), with a 36 percent market share. The biggest demand was for the VW T-Roc. However, the greatest growth was achieved by luxury SUVs, whose sales increased by 13 percent (56,300 units).

SUVs were significant for a number of carmakers last year, including Jaguar Land Rover, Geely, Honda and SAIC Motor, while the segment accounted for less than half of total sales at Stellantis, Renault Group, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz and Mitsubishi.

If we look at individual manufacturers, the highest demand was for SUVs from the VW Group. They accounted for almost 1/4 of the total number of new SUVs sold in Europe last year, and the T-Roc and Tiguan are among the ten best-selling models in the category. Stellantis was the second best-seller with almost 800,000 units (-7% compared to 2023), while Hyundai and Kia finished third with more than 705,000 units sold (-1%).

Source: Reuters, Photo: VW

Musk’s tunneling firm will build a tunnel network in Dubai

Several years ago, Elon Musk presented the idea of creating tunnels across the US, which would be a revolution for public transportation. The first Loop was built under Las Vegas, and now he has floated the idea of ​​building a tunnel in Dubai.

Dubai is home to the world’s tallest building (Burj Khalifa) and other construction projects, and is one of the richest countries that can realize huge infrastructure projects. One of them is certainly the Loop system that will be developed in cooperation with the Dubai Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), which will mark the first expansion of the Boring Company outside the United States.

The plan is for the first Loop to be 17 kilometers long and have 11 stations, with a capacity of more than 20,000 passengers per hour. According to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Loop will eventually expand to the entire Emirate of Dubai, and when fully completed, the system will enable the transport of more than 100,000 passengers per hour.

There are still many unknowns about this project, and what we do know for now is that, like in Las Vegas, the Loop will use only electric vehicles. Although the Boring Company did not specify which models are involved, many believe that they will be the new Tesla Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck. Some believe that the recently introduced Robovan could also be used. The vehicles will reach speeds of up to 160 km/h, and whether they will use a fully autonomous driving system or will rely on human operators like in Las Vegas is currently unknown.

Source: Reuters

Chevrolet Blazer EV.R NASCAR Prototype

Eric Warren, head of GM’s global auto racing programs, said the company has no intention of abandoning its proven V8 engines in NASCAR, but is actively testing new technologies that could influence Chevrolet’s future electric car production. The Chevrolet Blazer EV.R NASCAR prototype is one of the platforms.

The Blazer EV.R NASCAR was unveiled to the public ahead of the Daytona 500 and is similar to the production Blazer EV SS, but with a more aggressive design. The car was tested in real-world conditions at Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina. Justin Allgaier, Team Chevy driver and 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion, was behind the wheel. He said the prototype is being used by developers to learn how to tune regenerative braking, which has a big impact on braking zones and cornering balance.

The car is powered by three six-phase electric motors with a combined output of 1,300 horsepower at up to 15,000 rpm. It features a 78 kWh liquid-cooled battery, NASCAR Next Gen chassis and suspension, programmable all-wheel drive, and Goodyear Racing Eagle tires.

Also, the Blazer EV SS is coming to showrooms soon. It’s powered by a dual-motor system with 615 hp (459 kW) and 650 lb-ft (880 Nm) of torque. It can go from 0 to 60 mph in about 3.4 seconds and has a range of 300 miles. The starting price is $62,490.

Source: Chevrolet

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