Tag Archives: vehicles

NEW CARS

BYD Wants a Piece of the Defender Market with the New Ti7

BYD’s global expansion has largely been defined by sensible EVs and value-packed family haulers. But the Chinese giant is about to try something bolder: taking a swing at the king of the modern luxury off-roader. Enter the BYD Ti7, a seven-seat plug-in-hybrid SUV aimed squarely at the wildly successful Land Rover Defender.

And unlike some of the softer crossover imitators that merely borrow the Defender’s aesthetic cues, the Ti7 appears determined to weaponize them.

With squared-off proportions, bluff surfacing, and a tailgate-mounted spare wheel, the Ti7 leans hard into classic expedition-truck design language. There’s more than a hint of Toyota Land Cruiser in its upright stance too, although BYD’s interpretation feels more futuristic than retro. It’s ruggedness filtered through Shenzhen rather than Solihull.

Size-wise, the Ti7 slots neatly between the Defender 110 and Defender 130, giving BYD an opportunity to target buyers who want genuine three-row practicality without venturing into full-size SUV territory. That alone could make it one of the brand’s most ambitious products yet in Europe.

But the real story sits beneath the sheetmetal.

The Ti7 will be the first UK-bound BYD to use the company’s new performance-focused “DM-p” plug-in-hybrid system. The setup pairs a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine with dual electric motors — one on each axle — and a substantial 35.6-kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery pack. BYD claims a 0–62 mph sprint in just 4.8 seconds, which would make this family-sized SUV quicker than many performance sedans from not that long ago.

More impressive still is the claimed electric-only range of 79 miles. If that figure holds up under real-world testing, the Ti7 could become one of the few plug-in hybrids capable of handling most weekday commuting without waking its combustion engine at all. In a segment where electrification often feels like an efficiency afterthought, BYD is making it central to the pitch.

Interestingly, the Ti7 isn’t being positioned as a hardcore off-roader despite the visual drama. While it shares DNA with the upcoming Denza B5, BYD says the two SUVs target very different buyers. The body-on-frame B5 is designed with genuine trail work in mind, whereas the monocoque-based Ti7 is aimed at customers who want the adventurous look without necessarily planning to climb mountains every weekend.

That distinction says a lot about where the SUV market is heading. The Defender itself has become less of a utilitarian tool and more of a luxury lifestyle statement, and BYD seems acutely aware of that shift. The Ti7 doesn’t need to out-crawl a Land Rover in Moab. It just needs to convince buyers that electrified performance, tech-heavy refinement, and bold styling matter more than locking differentials.

And BYD certainly isn’t lacking confidence on the tech front.

In China, the Ti7 is also available as a full battery-electric model compatible with BYD’s eye-opening “Flash” charging architecture, capable of handling charging speeds of up to 1500 kW. That’s a number so outrageous it almost sounds fictional in today’s infrastructure landscape. BYD plans to build 300 compatible chargers in the UK this year ahead of the launch of the Denza Z9 GT, although it remains unclear whether the fully electric Ti7 will follow the hybrid to Europe.

Pricing hasn’t yet been announced, but expectations are that the Ti7 will sit at the top of BYD’s UK lineup, above the BYD Sealion 7. That would likely place it directly in the orbit of premium European SUVs — exactly where Chinese brands once struggled to gain credibility.

Now they’re arriving with 4.8-second acceleration, nearly 80 miles of EV range, and enough road presence to make established players uncomfortable.

The Ti7 could make its UK debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this July, which would be fitting. Goodwood has increasingly become the stage where legacy automakers and ambitious newcomers collide, and BYD no longer looks like an outsider trying to get invited to the party.

It looks like a company ready to headline it.

Source: BYD

News

Škoda Isn’t Ready to Give Up on the Octavia—And Hybrids Are the Next Step

For years, the Škoda Auto Octavia has quietly mastered the art of being sensible without being boring. It’s the default answer for buyers who want Golf-level engineering wrapped in something roomier, cheaper, and far less attention-seeking. Now, as Europe’s carmakers scramble to balance EV ambitions with real-world customer demand, Skoda is preparing the Octavia for its next evolution: hybrid power.

According to Skoda technical chief Johannes Neft, the brand’s perennial family hatchback and wagon will soon gain both full-hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, broadening what is already one of the most comprehensive powertrain lineups in the segment. In other words, the Octavia is about to become even more of a Swiss Army knife.

The full-hybrid setup is expected to borrow heavily from the forthcoming hybrid versions of the Volkswagen Golf and Volkswagen T-Roc, both of which ride on the same Volkswagen Group foundations as the Octavia. The formula sounds familiar: a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder paired with an electric motor, a small 1.6-kWh battery pack, and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

At low speeds and under lighter loads, the electric motor does much of the work. Push harder, and the gasoline engine wakes up to assist. It’s less about EV-style silent running and more about shaving fuel consumption without asking drivers to plug anything in.

Volkswagen is expected to offer the system in 136-hp and 170-hp forms, and both outputs are likely headed for the Octavia range. That could finally give Skoda a true middle ground between its traditional gasoline engines and the increasingly expensive jump to full EV ownership.

But the more intriguing addition may be the return of the plug-in hybrid.

Skoda’s next Octavia PHEV is expected to inherit the latest drivetrain from the Volkswagen Golf eHybrid, combining the same 1.5-liter turbo engine with a larger 19.7-kWh battery and a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. In the Golf, that setup delivers up to 88 miles of electric-only range on the WLTP cycle—an eyebrow-raising figure for a compact plug-in hybrid.

The Octavia, being slightly larger and heavier, probably won’t quite match that number. Still, even a modest reduction would keep it highly competitive, particularly for European company-car buyers chasing favorable tax brackets and the ability to commute almost entirely on electric power.

And despite the industry’s rapid pivot toward electrification, Skoda isn’t abandoning combustion engines anytime soon. Neft confirmed the company intends to maintain a “complete range of combustion versions,” meaning diesel-powered Octavias are safe—for now.

That matters more than enthusiasts might like to admit. While EV headlines dominate the conversation, diesel estates remain deeply popular across parts of Europe where long-distance efficiency and practicality still trump charging times and public infrastructure anxiety.

An all-electric Octavia is coming eventually. Skoda previewed the idea with the futuristic Škoda Vision O concept shown at the Munich motor show, but production isn’t expected until around the end of the decade. Until then, the Czech automaker appears determined to keep every option alive.

That strategy may not sound revolutionary, but it’s probably smart. The Octavia has never succeeded by chasing trends. It wins because it gives buyers exactly what they need, often before they realize they need it. Adding hybrid power—without forcing customers into a fully electric future they may not yet want—feels entirely in character.

Source: Škoda

News

Porsche Exits Bugatti Rimac

In the rarefied air where nine-figure hypercars are less transportation and more philosophy, tectonic shifts don’t happen with tire smoke or Nürburgring lap times. They happen in boardrooms. And this week, one of the biggest just did.

Porsche AG is stepping away from the very empire it helped build, agreeing to sell its stakes in both Bugatti Rimac and Rimac Group to a consortium led by HOF Capital. It’s the kind of move that sounds clinical on paper—equity stakes, regulatory approvals, confidential terms—but underneath it hums with the same intensity as a quad-turbocharged W-16.

To understand the magnitude, rewind to 2021. That’s when Porsche and Rimac joined forces to create Bugatti Rimac, a joint venture designed to shepherd one of the most storied names in automotive history into an electrified future. Porsche held 45 percent, Rimac the controlling 55, while also enjoying a 20.6-percent slice of Rimac Group itself. It was a carefully calibrated alliance: Stuttgart’s legacy and engineering rigor paired with the raw, electrified audacity of Mate Rimac.

Now, Porsche is cashing out entirely.

The buyers? Not a legacy automaker, but a financial syndicate—HOF Capital at the helm, backed by BlueFive Capital and a slate of institutional investors spanning the U.S. and Europe. Once the ink dries and regulators give their blessing—expected before the end of 2026—Rimac Group will tighten its grip on Bugatti Rimac, while HOF Capital steps in as a major shareholder alongside Rimac himself.

If that sounds like a changing of the guard, that’s because it is.

Porsche CEO Michael Leiters frames the decision as focus: a return to core business, a strategic narrowing of scope in an industry increasingly defined by costly transitions. It’s a pragmatic exit, but also a telling one. Porsche didn’t just invest in Rimac—it legitimized it, helping transform a Croatian startup into a bona fide Tier-1 technology player.

And yet, the student is now very much the master.

For Mate Rimac, this is less an ending than an acceleration. With fewer cooks in the kitchen and fresh capital at his back, the path clears for a more singular vision—one that doesn’t have to reconcile the competing priorities of a legacy OEM shareholder. His statement reads like a founder finally handed the keys to his own creation, ready to push harder and move faster.

The wildcard, of course, is the new money. Investment firms aren’t known for sentimental attachment, but both HOF Capital and BlueFive Capital are striking a tone that leans more Pebble Beach than private equity. They speak of heritage, craftsmanship, and legacy—language that suggests Bugatti’s future won’t be reduced to quarterly returns and spreadsheet efficiencies.

Still, the balancing act will be delicate. Bugatti isn’t just another brand; it’s an altar to excess, a rolling expression of engineering maximalism. Keeping that spirit alive while scaling Rimac’s technology ambitions is the kind of challenge that doesn’t come with a blueprint.

But if there’s anyone suited to the task, it’s the guy who once turned an electrified BMW E30 into a global calling card.

The broader takeaway? The hypercar world is evolving—not just in what powers the cars, but in who powers the companies behind them. As Porsche retreats to its core and financial players move in, the lines between passion project and portfolio asset blur a little more.

And somewhere in Croatia, the future of Bugatti is being rewritten—not with a signature exhaust note, but with the quiet, relentless whir of electric ambition.

Source: Bugatti