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2024 VW Passat

After a long wait, Volkswagen has finally presented the new generation of its business sedan, the VW Passat. From now on, the car will only be offered as a station wagon.

At first glance, the new Passat looks the same as the previous generation, but with a longer body, sharp lines, smooth face, and a full-width light bar at the back. Built on the MQB Evo platform, overall the car looks more elegant than its predecessor.

Inside, the Passat offers more space for passengers and luggage (from the initial 690 liters to 1,920 liters when the rear seats are folded down). Electronically adjustable ergoActive seats with massage and air conditioning functions provide a more comfortable ride over long distances. It is equipped with a 10.25-inch digital dashboard and 12.9-inch touchscreen as standard (15-inch panel as an option), as well as a new head-up display.

When it comes to the powertrain, the VW Passat will be offered in two hybrid versions: a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine combined with an electric motor with a total power of 201 hp (148 kW) or 268 hp (197 kW), and a 1.5 -liter eTSI with 148 hp (109 kW) and 184 lb-ft (250Nm) of torque. The engines are paired with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Also, there are two 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo petrol engines with 201 hp (148 kW) and 261 hp (192 kW) – both 4MOTION AWD, and 2.0 TDI engines with 120 hp (88 kW) and 148 hp (109 kW) – AWD, but also the most powerful diesel with 190 hp (140 kW) and 4MOTION AWD. The engines are paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It comes with a 19.7kWh battery set and a range of more than 620 miles.

The new VW Passat will arrive on the market in early 2024, and when it comes to the price, it will start from 39,995 euros in Germany.

Source: Volkswagen

Gallery:

2024 VW Passat
Auctions

1998 Subaru Impreza 22B sold for £480,500 GBP

Recently, cars have been fetching high numbers at auctions, especially when it comes to examples owned by famous people. Such was the case with this 1998 Subaru Impreza 22B sold for £480,500.

Subaru Impreza 22B was owned by British driver and World Rally Championship Drivers’ title winner, Colin McRae. Colin died in 2007, and in his career he achieved 25 victories and 42 podiums.

Subaru delivered this Impreza 22B to McRae in November 1998, one of three prototypes of the rally-inspired limited edition model. After that, 399 cars were produced for the Japanese market alone, 16 for the UK market and five for the Australian market.

The car is powered by a 2.2-liter EJ22 turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a factory 276 hp (206 kW). The reason for the small number of horsepower is the Gentleman’s Agreement between all Japanese car manufacturers including Toyota, Nissan, Subaru and Mitsubishi to limit all JDM production cars to 280bhp and 180kmh in order to reduce road fatalities. Subaru modified the gearbox, clutch, drive shaft, brakes and suspension to make the car as close as possible to the WRC model. It has only 11,802 km on the odometer.

The 22B was very successful for Subaru’s WRC team, winning three constructors’ titles in 1995, 1996 and 1997. This most desirable Subarus in the world comes with an aftermarket exhaust system, and the buyer got the original exhaust system as well as the original tires.

Source: Iconic Auctioneers

Gallery:

1998 Subaru Impreza 22B sold for £480,500 GBP
EV, News

ZEEKR 001 is coming to Europe

In 2021, a Chinese premium electric automobile brand, ZEEKR, was founded, whose primary focus was the domestic Chinese market, where it sold over 100,000 cars. Two years later, the company arrives on the European market with its flagship sedan ZEEKR 001.

Coming to the European market is part of the company’s plan for this year. Three months ago, the company’s director for Europe, Spiros Fotinos, said that this company intends to become one of the three largest premium electric brands by the end of the decade. That’s really ambitious, if we consider that their biggest competitors are brands like Tesla, BYD, Volkswagen, GM, and Stellantis.

The first examples of the ZEEKR 001 were loaded onto a ship in the port of Taicang last week, and the first two EU markets where it will be offered are Sweden and the Netherlands. The plan is to reach six markets by the end of the year, and eight by 2025.

The 001 is powered by a 400 kW electric motor which is enough to propel the car to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.8 seconds with a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph). Buyers will be able to choose between AWD and RWD, and the car will have a range of 620 km (WLTP).

Model 001 is not the only car from the Chinese company. After two years of existence, ZEEKR also presented ZEEKR X, which is expected to be released on the world market soon.

Source: ZEEKR

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