Changan plans to produce cars in Europe

In March, Chinese automaker Changan unveiled the first ever car with extended range technology (EREV), the Changan Hunter. Now the company has announced that it plans to start car production in Europe.

Last year, Changan launched a global strategy to expand into the global market with the potential construction of factories abroad. The first move was to expand into the South American market, where the focus is on cars with internal combustion engines, and the plan is to sell around 200,000 units by 2030.

Now the focus is on the European market where they plan to offer exclusively battery vehicles. It can be said that Changan is trying to react quickly to the recent decision of the European Commission to introduce additional tariffs (of up to 38.1%) on cars manufactured in China. Other Chinese companies could follow suit, and some of them have already done so. For example, BYD aims to be among the top five best-selling brands in Europe by the end of the decade and the plan is to build a factory in Hungary with an initial capacity of 200,000 units per year. Also, Leapmotor has announced that it will assemble its small electric car, the T03, in Poland.

It should be noted that some information suggests that the EU may change tariffs on Chinese EVs. Thus, producers who cooperated during the investigation would have lower tariffs (20.8% instead of 21%), while those who refused to cooperate will have tariffs of 37.6 percent instead of the original 38.1 percent.

Source: Changan

The Pontiac G8 is a concept that never went into production

General Motors Design posted photos of a concept car that never went into production and that few people knew about, the Pontiac G8, on its official Instagram profile.

This car is the last concept car produced by Pontiac before GM shut down the brand in 2009. It was created at Advanced Studio in California and was supposed to represent a fully functional vision of future Pontiac design, but it never happened.

The problems for GM started at the beginning of the 21st century when this American multinational automotive manufacturing company began to shut down its brands one by one: Oldsmobile, Hummer and Saturn, and in 2010 they did the same with Pontiac.

Visually, the G8 resembles the sedan of the same name that an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors, Holden (formerly known as General Motors-Holden), sold in Australia under the name Commodore. It should be noted that Holden sold this car around the world under different names: Chevrolet Lumina (Middle East, South East Asia, South Africa), Chevrolet Omega (Brazil) and Holden Commodore (VE). Also, there were other ideas related to the G8, but they all failed in the meantime.

Source: @generalmotorsdesign via Instagram

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2025 Hyundai Inster premiere

As announced at the beginning of June, Hyundai launched its new all-electric car from the A segment, the Hyundai Inster. It is an evolution of the gasoline version Casper, which is on sale in some Asian markets from 2022.

The car is inspired by compact SUV models, and the Korean manufacturer also used solutions from some other electric cars, such as the large LED daytime running lights at the front and the pixel lights at the back that we can see on the Ioniq 5. The bumpers have been redesigned and customers can choose between 15″ and 17″ rims. It is 3,825 mm long, 1,610 mm wide and 1,575 mm high, with a wheelbase of 2,580 mm. This means that it is 230 mm longer than the Casper with a 180 mm longer wheelbase.

The interior is also taken from Casper but with technological improvements and a different color palette for the upholstery. There is now a larger digital cockpit with two 10.25-inch screens, larger than those in the Casper. Additional equipment includes a wireless charger, LED ambient lighting with 64 colors, heated front seats, a sunroof and a rich package of ADAS systems. It should also be noted that the capacity of the luggage compartment is 280 liters, which can be increased to 351 liters by folding down the rear bench.

When it comes to the powertrain, Hyundai will offer the Inster in two options, Standard and Long Range. The first option is powered by a single electric motor with 97 hp (72 kW) and 108 lb-ft (147 Nm) of torque. It has a 42 kWh battery that ensures a range of more than 300 kilometers. The Long Range version is also powered by a single electric motor, but with 115 hp (86 kW). It is equipped with a 49 kWh battery that enables a range of 355 kilometers and can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in just 30 minutes using a 120 kW DC charger. It should be noted that the car has a V2L function that enables two-way charging of other devices such as electric bicycles and camping equipment.

The car will make its debut at the 2024 Busan Motor Show, which takes place from June 28 to July 7, 2024. The price is not known.

Source: Hyundai

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