Tag Archives: vehicles

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The Porsche 911 could be saved from electrification

Porsche recently announced its plans for the future that include meeting a long-term goal, carbon neutral by the end of the decade. Many Porsche models are already in the process of partial or full electrification, but it seems that the legendary 911 could be saved from that.

2020 Porsche 911

A Porsche 911 without a petrol engine would not be the same, and the company seems to be aware of that as well. According to recent reports, Porsche is investing an additional $ 75 million in increasing synthetic fuel production. The company believes that synthetic fuels will sustain internal combustion engines for years to come, at least when it comes to special cars.

In a recent press release, Porsche Board Member for Research and Development Michael Steiner said: “Different regions of the world are adopting electric mobility at varying speeds, meaning vehicles with combustion engines will remain on the road for decades to come.”

Porsche is part of a powerful group that also includes Siemens Energy, AME, Enel and ENAP, which have been working on the development of eFuels for years. The Stuttgart-based company will build an eFuel plant in Chile. The intention is to produce 130,000 liters of eFuels by the end of this year, which Porsche will primarily use in motorsport racing. So far, synthetic fuels are used in the GT3 Cup and 718 Cayman GT4 RS cars.

Source: Porsche

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The end of the Ford Mondeo in Europe

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After almost three decades, the last produced Ford Mondeo, for the European market, came off the production line in Valencia, Spain on April 4, and the photos were published online.

It all started in 1992 when Ford produced its first Mondeo, as one of the key global models. However, its market share has declined due to the growth of popular SUVs. Last year, only 2,400 cars were sold in the UK, which is a big drop if we take into account that, two decades ago, that number was almost 90,000.

A Ford spokesman said the main reason for ending Mondeo production was “a change in customer preferences and a revolution in Ford passenger cars in Europe to meet the changing needs of customers as the world moves towards a fully electric future”.

Ford plans to offer all models as a plug-in hybrid in the next four years. Also, the company will continue to produce a 2.5-liter hybrid petrol engine for the Kuga, Galaxy and S Max models from the end of this year.

Ford has announced an investment of € 5.2 million to increase battery production capacity in Valencia, in addition to the € 24 million investment announced last year. The reason given is the need for additional capacity to meet current and future requirements for the production of electrified vehicles.

The fifth generation Ford Mondeo has been introduced, but will be manufactured and sold exclusively in China, as demand for sedans in the world’s largest car market remains high.

Source: Autocar

News

Mercedes-Maybach S650 found and seized in Sardinia

The European Union is hunting down the property of Russian oligarchs, and their last catch is Alisher Usmanov’s armored car. It is a Mercedes-Maybach S650 found and seized on in Sardinia.

Following sanctions against the Russian Federation, the rest of the world is putting pressure on wealthy Russians, who are hiding their assets outside Russia, especially those close to President Putin. According to the Corriere della Sera, an expensive Mercedes was used to transport officials during their secret visits to the island. Some of the car users were Putin but also his daughters and other politicians like Dmitry Medvedev.

The Mercedes-Maybach S650 Guard VR10 is powered by a 6.0L V12 engine with 621 hp (457 kW) and 738 lb-ft (1,001 Nm) of torque. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 7G-TRONIC 7-speed automatic transmission. It reaches 62 mph in 4.6 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph (250 km / h).

The car is equipped with special protective equipment. When the door is opened with the help of pneumatic cylinders, 10 cm thick glass can be seen. It is equipped with the Guard VR10, which provides protection against small arms attacks, but can also withstand a simultaneous attack with two hand grenades. The price of the car is EUR 600,000.

Source: Corriere della Sera