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Most BMW M5 owners don’t take their cars to the track

A recent study showed that most BMW M5 owners do not use their cars on the tracks, even though they are super powerful cars. “We know that a very small percentage of M5 owners have driven on the track at least once, while almost no one does it consistently,” said Daniela Schmid, product manager for the M5.

This news comes as a surprise to some, but it won’t stop the Bavarian company from developing better M models. “It is important for us that every M model can be used on the track. If there are customers who want it, they can do it without any problems, but that potential is also available when they drive the car every day,” said Schmid.

Two months ago, BMW revealed the most powerful M5 ever, but also much heavier than its predecessor. It is powered by a 4.4-L biturbo V8 engine combined with an electric motor with a total output of 727 hp (542 kW) and 737 lb-ft (1,000 Nm) of torque. The engine is paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. That’s enough power for the car (500 kg heavier than its predecessor) to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 305 km/h (190 mph). It is equipped with a 14.8 kWh battery that enables an electric range of up to 40 kilometers.

It should also be noted that drivers will now be able to choose two optional work programs (Dynamic and Dynamic Plus) with which this M5 shows all its capabilities. By activating them, the driver can choose to transfer all the power to the rear axle only, with the assistance of an electronically controlled limited differential lock. There is also the possibility of individual adjustment of the suspension, brakes, steering system, gearbox and drivetrain.

Source: BMW

News

Mercedes is replacing the EQS with the new S-Class

Mercedes-Benz recently announced that it will reduce production of its S-Class, and the reason is lower demand for these cars. The intention is to move to single-shift work, which will affect almost 1,500 employees, while some of them will be redeployed to other production sectors at the Sindelfingen plant. The German manufacturer now has a new plan, to put EQS and S-Class under one name.

Mercedes will not give up on internal combustion engines, at least not until the end of the decade. “In the future, there will be two S-Classes, one with ICE and one with electric drive,” said Mercedes director Ola Kallenius. This means that buyers will have more choice, as with the G-Class which is offered with internal combustion engines and as all-electric.

This is not a surprise, because sales of electric vehicles are not going according to the manufacturer’s plan. In the year 2023, Mercedes sold over 2 million cars worldwide, and it was expected that 20% of them would be electric cars, but that did not happen. Customers are increasingly turning to gasoline and diesel cars, as well as hybrids.

In Q2 2024, Mercedes sold just 33,400 cars from its S-Class (EQS, EQS SUV and GLS), which is a drop of 25 percent compared to 44,200 cars sold in the same period last year. The biggest decline was recorded in the markets of Europe (-27 percent), USA (-19 percent) and China (-13 percent).

It seems that customers are not making the switch to electric cars easily, even though the number of electric cars on European roads has increased by 2% in 2024.

Source: Mercedes-Benz

News

XPeng will start production of electric vehicles in Europe

XPeng, like other Chinese brands, wants to expand its international business in order to increase exports from 10% to 11-12% this year, but also to avoid additional tariffs introduced by the EU on EVs produced in China. That is why the company decided to start car production on European soil.

“Selling one million AI-powered cars per year will be a mandatory goal for companies that want to achieve success in the next 10 years. Then drivers could touch the steering wheel less than once a day on their daily commute,” said He Xiaopeng, CEO of Xpeng.

Xpeng is currently looking for a manufacturing site, which has low operational risk, and the company also plans to build a large data center in Europe. This center will help the Chinese company collect software data to improve autonomous driving.

At the beginning of the year, the company’s management pointed out that it plans to hire an additional 4,000 people this year and invest $482 million in the development of artificial intelligence and the next level of autonomous driving. However, after 10 years of development, XPeng also plans to launch a flying car, an eVTOL aircraft for vertical take-off and landing, but which can be a full-fledged road car. The aircraft should reach the market in the last quarter of this year.

Source: XPeng

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