Since the beginning of the year, most manufacturers have realized that they were too quick to abandon combustion engines and focus on full electrification, and one of them is Lotus with its Vision 80 plan. According to this plan, Lotus’s intention was to become a fully electric brand by 2028, but the latest information suggests that the company has given up on that.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lotus CEO Feng Qingfeng said: “I believe that fuel-powered vehicles still have a long life cycle. The penetration of fully electric vehicles into the luxury car segment is slow because the engines of luxury cars are already powerful, and the driving experience is very similar. V8 and V12 engines have good performance.”
Qingfeng also added that Lotus drivers drive an average of 30,000 kilometers a year, so range is really important to customers.
The company plans to focus on super hybrids, a combination of high performance and long range. That means a 900V electrical architecture, a turbocharged engine, and a battery that would allow for a range of more than 1,000 km.
After a long development and testing period, the new Hyundai Ioniq 9 has finally arrived on the market. It is an all-electric car that will go on sale in South Korea in early 2025, and in Europe at a later date.
The Ioniq 9 has several visual features reminiscent of the SEVEN concept presented a few years ago, such as Parametric Pixel lights, and is the first car from the South Korean company to come without a roof antenna, instead using the windshield for GPS and satellite radio.
With a wheelbase of 3,130 mm, the car offers a spacious cabin enough to accommodate six or seven passengers, and the third-row seats can be rotated. The seats are upholstered in plush materials, which provide comfort on long journeys. Some parts of the interior are covered in environmentally friendly materials, including recycled PET fabric, wool fabric and environmentally treated leather, which emphasizes the car’s environmental credentials.
In front of the driver is a curved screen with a 12-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12-inch infotainment display, and a steering wheel with small green LEDs that allow the driver to monitor the battery level. Additional equipment includes eight speakers, several USB-C ports, which are powered directly from the 110.3 kWh battery, rather than a 12-volt battery, and buyers can also choose a 14-speaker Bose system.
For passenger safety, there are ten airbags, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 2, Lane Keeping Assist, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Safe Exit Warning, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist and High Beam Assist.
When it comes to the powertrain, the Ioniq 9 is powered by a single rear-mounted electric motor with 218 hp (160 kW) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) of torque, and offers a range of up to 620 kilometers. Those who want more power can choose the Long Range AWD version powered by a front-mounted electric motor with 323 hp (237 kW). At the top of the range is the Performance version with two electric motors with a total output of 436 hp (321 kW). This version reaches 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, the Long Range AWD reaches 100 km/h in 6.7 seconds, while the base Long Range RWD version reaches 100 km/h in 9.4 seconds. Top speed for all versions is 200 km/h (124 mph). Customers can choose between 19-, 20- and 21-inch wheels, including a set of flagship 21-inch Calligraphy wheels.
The Ioniq 9 is equipped with a 110.3 kWh battery that can be charged from 10 to 80 percent in just 24 minutes thanks to a 350 kW charger.
The Italian company Lab Eleven, specialized in Porsche 993 models, presented another project based on this car. It’s a restomod Porsche 911 (993) that got a new life.
Each car undergoes 4,000 hours of work which includes removing the original engine, tuning the chassis, refinishing the suspension and installing new aluminum, magnesium or carbon body panels. Customers can choose from 100 body colors and more than 200 total personalization colors.
Lab Eleven equipped the car with F-model front hood, metal sheet bonnet, carbon front and rear bumpers, enlarged rear end fenders, enlarged front fender, LED front headlights, mirrors model ‘RSR’, original windshield and rear window, Fuchs patterned wheels with diamond profile, Porsche lettering and stripes on the side and stripes on the front and rear bumper.
The body has also been lowered, and new ‘Bilstein’ shock absorbers and suspension system, new original brake calipers, and a new ‘Cargraphic Performance’ exhaust system have been installed.
Inside, buyers can choose from comfortable “Recaro” or “Sport” carbon seats. Alcantara covers dashboard, roof, ‘RSR’ steering wheel which can also be covered in leather, and interior doors with electric windows which can be covered in leather or braided leather.
When it comes to the powertrain, a complete overhaul of engine and transmission was done, and a mileage counter is set on ‘Zero’ again. Buyers can choose between 3.6-L, 3.8-L and 4.0-L engines, rated at 300 to 400 hp (294 kW), mated to a Getrag 6-speed transmission.
The price of this restomod Porsche 911 (993 ) is unknown.
