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AGTZ Twin Tail Limited Edition

The Italian coachbuilding company Zagato in its 105-year long history has cooperated with the best car manufacturers such as Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Bentley, BMW, Porsche, etc. Now, Zagato has unveiled a limited edition AGTZ Twin Tail based on the Alpine A110, and only 19 examples will be produced.

In the late 60s, Zagato produced the AGTZ Twin Tail based on the then Alpine A220, which current CEO Andrea Zagato claimed was two cars in one. Before and after transformation. Owners could decide which body type they wanted, converting the Longtail version to a Shorttail version after detaching the rear section. One was better on a fast track, the other on a more technically demanding road section.

This model is also equipped with a removable double rear end, so the car can be configured for road use or to achieve maximum speed thanks to the lower aero coefficient generated by the extended tail.

When it comes to the powertrain, Zagato didn’t reveal the details. The current Alpine A110 is powered by a 1.8L 4-cylinder turbo gasoline engine with 249 hp (186 kW) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It reaches 62 mph in 4.5 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph).

The AGTZ Twin Tail will premiere in May at the Concours d’Elegance in Vila d’Este. Price, 650,000 euros.

Source: Zagato

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AGTZ Twin Tail Limited Edition
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25 % of jobs in the German auto industry will be wiped out by 2030

The rapid transition to electromobility causes a large number of layoffs due to job cuts, and the biggest consequences will be for small and medium-sized companies. There is a risk that a more qualified employee will look for a job in a larger and more stable company, and that small or medium-sized companies will be left without a workforce. Also, analyzes show that by 2030, 25 percent of workers in the German auto industry will lose their jobs.

After 2018 and 2019, there was a decline in the number of employees in all branches of the auto industry. In 2019, German manufacturers produced 4.7 million cars, and in 2023, 4.1 million. This resulted in the loss of 6.6 percent of jobs. Of course, the pre-pandemic year was not the beginning of the workforce reduction. It all started in 2016, since when around 30,000 employees were laid off.

Now, more electric vehicle component manufacturers are seriously considering job cuts by the end of the decade. According to the latest information, this number will be the highest at suppliers such as Continental, Bosch and ZF Friedrichshafen (-70,000).

“The number of employees in Germany is likely to fall due to the shift to e-mobility. Even if new jobs are created in areas such as battery development or production, they will not be able to compensate for the loss of other jobs,” said the automotive analyst Frank Schwope in an interview with Automobilwoche.

Manuel Kallweit, Chief Economist at the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) believes that workers in the production of parts will be offered a transfer to the production of batteries. “It shows that companies want to keep jobs, and workers will not be unemployed to the extent that jobs are cut. There is still a shortage of skilled workers, which will not decrease in the coming years,” Kallweit said.

Source: Automobilwoche

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Dacia sold more cars than Renault

The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) announced sales results in Europe for the first month of 2024, according to which 1,015,381 cars were sold. That is 11.5 percent more compared to the first month of last year. One detail that attracted attention is that Dacia, as part of the Renault Group, delivered more cars than Renault.

In January, the Renault Group sold only 92,935 cars, which is the worst result of all European manufacturers. That is 2.1 percent less compared to the same period in 2023, and of all brands within the group, Dacia sold the most cars (51,673 units), which is a growth of 7.7 percent, and 10,000 cars more than Renault. The French manufacturer delivered only 41,050 cars (-12.2 percent).

Among all European manufacturers, the Volkswagen Group had the best result with 258,402 cars sold, achieving growth of 8.1 percent, mainly thanks to Skoda, Audi, Seat and Cupra. Volkswagen did not achieve the expected result, because it sold 5,202 cars less than in 2023.

The second best in Europe was Stellantis with 183,120 cars, which is a growth of 16.9 percent. Peugeot was the best-selling brand with 57,447 cars, achieving a growth of 22.8 percent compared to January 2023.

This is a good result for Dacia, which unveiled the new redesigned Dacia Spring a few days ago. The car will be powered by an electric motor with a power of 45 or 65 HP (34 – 48 kW). It is equipped with a 26.8 kWh battery that enables a range of 220 kilometers. Many will say that the range is too short, but research has shown that buyers of this model drive an average of 37 kilometers per day, so 220 km is quite enough.

Source: European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA)

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