Tag Archives: vehicles

News

Citroën Eyes Return to the City-Car Wars With Sub-£15K Urban EV—If Europe Lets It

Citroën may be gearing up for a long-awaited return to the A-segment, and it’s betting on a brand-new “E-car” regulatory category to make it happen. If EU lawmakers approve the proposal—a framework designed to ease costs for ultra-affordable cars—the French brand could launch a spiritual successor to the C1, this time as a sub-£15,000 battery-powered urban runabout. Think 2CV philosophy, not 2CV cosplay.

A New Rulebook for Small Cars

Europe’s cheapest cars have been dying off for years, casualties of ever-tightening safety and emissions rules that push development costs far beyond what buyers of £15k hatchbacks can realistically absorb. The proposed E-car category aims to fix that by loosening certain requirements, reducing manufacturing costs, and finally giving carmakers a financial reason to re-enter a shrinking market segment.

Citroën CEO Xavier Chardon is fully on board. Speaking at the debut of the radical six-seat ELO concept, he confirmed that the new rules could unlock a path to a fresh A-segment EV—slotting below the current C3 and effectively filling the void left by the C1’s demise in 2020.

“We are legitimate as the Citroën brand to enter this segment,” Chardon said. “But for that, we need the European Union to give some space in terms of future regulations.”

Not a Reborn 2CV—But a Modern Answer to Its Mission

Enthusiasts have been buzzing about a potential 2CV revival, especially as competitors like Renault and Fiat successfully leaned on retro design nostalgia. But Chardon shut down the idea of a literal reboot.

“I wouldn’t call it the 2CV project,” he said. “The 2CV is an inspiring model… but not the shape or the design.”

Instead, Citroën wants to revive the spirit of its iconic people’s car—affordable mobility for the masses, engineered with ruthless simplicity. Chardon highlighted the original brief given to Citroën when it was owned by Michelin: build a car cheap enough for every household, tough enough to cross a field with four passengers and a basket of eggs. Today’s equivalent challenge? Deliver a fully electric city car under €15,000 without subsidies.

“That is not a walk in the park,” Chardon admitted.

Why Citroën Wants Back In

Citroën has deep A-segment roots: from the 2CV to the Saxo to the recently departed C1. But the brand’s smallest car today—the 4-meter-long C3—feels positively grown-up compared with the 3.4-meter C1 it replaced. And customers notice.

Chardon argues that Europe still needs genuinely small, genuinely cheap, genuinely usable urban cars—models that fit into tight cities yet remain highway-capable. Citroën’s benchmark remains crystal clear: five seats, practical doors, and real-world flexibility.

“The C1 was quite a successful car,” he said. “It was compact, but you could take it outside the city. We believe it is important to find that logic again at a price point below €15,000.”

Not Just Citroën

Stellantis sibling Peugeot is also exploring a new entry-level EV—effectively a spiritual successor to the Peugeot 108. Other manufacturers, including Dacia and BYD, have signaled interest too, but all are waiting to see how the EU defines the class.

The sticking point is regulation. To build a profitable EV at €15k, something has to give—specifically, the layers of mandatory tech normally baked into modern European cars. Chardon put it bluntly: “If every time the European Union is asking us for more regulations, this is not supporting us.”

What an E-Car Could Be

Don’t expect retro curves. Do expect a simple, purpose-built machine shaped by the same logic that guided the 2CV—transporting people affordably during a time of economic pressure. In the 1940s, that meant farmers, potatoes, and dirt roads. In the 2020s, it means skyrocketing urban costs, EV mandates, and consumers demanding value.

Translate those values into a modern EV, and you get the blueprint for Citroën’s future entry model:

  • ultra-compact dimensions
  • functional, flexible interior
  • minimalistic engineering
  • genuinely low purchase price
  • just enough performance to handle city life and occasional highway trips

In other words, a 21st-century people’s car, but without falling into the retro design trap.

Citroën won’t green-light a new A-segment EV unless the EU formally creates the E-car category. But if regulators sign off, the stage is set for a full-on revival of Europe’s most endangered species: the no-nonsense, low-cost city car.

Not a new 2CV—but something that might just have made old Monsieur Michelin proud.

Source: Autocar

News

Rimac Technology Is Quietly Re-Engineering the EV Future

Rimac may have made its name by building a 1900-hp hypercar that warps the definition of physics, but the company’s next revolution won’t come from another record-shattering coupe. Instead, it’s happening behind the scenes, inside a growing engineering powerhouse called Rimac Technology—the newly independent division tasked with supplying the EV world with next-generation batteries, ultra-dense powertrains, and electronics that major OEMs are already lining up to buy.

And according to COO Nurdin Pitarevic, the mission is nothing short of transforming Rimac from a disruptive startup into a global Tier 1 supplier capable of redefining what EVs can be.

Solid-State Batteries: The Breakthrough Rimac Wants to Own

While legacy automakers are still publishing whitepapers about solid-state batteries, Rimac Technology is already deep into development. Working with cell innovator ProLogium and composite specialists at Mitsubishi, the company plans to debut its first commercialized packs before the decade is out.

Pitarevic says testing is imminent, and his “wish” is clear: a mid-volume Bugatti model launching in 2030 will showcase the tech.

The prototype numbers are eye-opening:

  • 100 kWh capacity
  • 20–30% higher energy density than today’s NMC packs
  • ~30 kg lighter, thanks to composite housings
  • Significantly faster, safer charging, a key design priority

Cost parity with current lithium-ion packs is expected around 2035, though Rimac doesn’t plan to build high-volume packs for mainstream cars. Instead, they’ll license the tech to bigger OEMs—if the offer is right.

What’s driving the push? Rimac has zeroed in on three EV priorities consumers actually feel:
maximum range, maximum safety, minimum charging time.
Solid-state delivers on all three.

Hypercar Tech for Everyone Else

Rimac Technology isn’t just a battery shop. The company designs full electric drive units—motors, gearboxes, power electronics—sold to automakers ranging from BMW and Porsche to new EV players like CEER in Saudi Arabia.

These aren’t generic motors. They’re compact, modular, and ferociously powerful:

  • 200 to 470 horsepower per e-axle
  • Configurations for FWD, RWD, or AWD
  • Suitable for hybrids or full EVs

And they’re evolving rapidly. Pitarevic points to two recent examples:

The CEER SUV E-Axle

Comparable in output to the rear motor in the 1288-hp Rimac Nevera, this new unit weighs:

  • 132 kg, compared with
  • 198 kg for the Nevera’s drive unit

A massive leap in power density.

The “Suitcase Motor”

A 500-hp package weighing just 48 kg—small enough to fit into a performance coupe or even a spicy hot hatch.
It’s boutique engineering with mainstream potential.

The €300 Million Bet on the Future

Backing all this tech is Rimac’s upcoming 95,000-square-meter campus in Zagreb, part of a €300 million investment to pump out “tens of thousands” of components per month.
For a company born in a garage barely a decade ago, that’s a full-on transformation into a global supplier.

But Pitarevic argues Rimac’s real advantage isn’t size—it’s culture.

Inside Rimac: Innovation Without Bureaucracy

Before joining Rimac, Pitarevic managed 10,000 people across 22 factories in a major global manufacturing group. At 36, he left all that behind for a company a fraction of the size. Why?

He lists three reasons:

  1. No slow corporate decision-making.
    “No one sends emails to get decisions,” he says. “They communicate much faster.”
  2. Innovation isn’t encouraged—it’s expected.
    If you have a good idea, you’re empowered to build it.
  3. No legacy tech holding the company back.
    Rimac starts fresh with every system—no old tooling to undo.

Add in Croatia’s highly educated workforce and lower operating costs (20–30% below Western Europe), and Pitarevic believes Rimac can compete with firms 70 years older.

Where Rimac Goes From Here

Despite its engineering firepower, Rimac isn’t planning to become a volume automaker. With the slow-selling Nevera likely remaining its only self-badged car for the foreseeable future, Rimac Technology is focusing on its most valuable role:
the premium supplier building the secret ingredients inside the world’s most ambitious EVs.

“This is the market where innovation matters as much as performance,” Pitarevic says. “That’s where we succeed.”

Rimac may not build many cars in the future.
But the components inside the fastest, safest, and most advanced EVs of the next decade?
There’s a good chance they’ll have Rimac DNA.

Source: Rimac

News

Mercedes-Benz Pushes Toward a Robotaxi Future—With an S-Class as the Chauffeur

Mercedes-Benz has never been shy about redefining what luxury means. But now the brand is attempting something far bolder: redefining what driving means. Together with Chinese autonomous-tech partner Momenta, Mercedes is preparing to launch an SAE Level 4 robotaxi service using none other than the S-Class—its flagship sedan and longtime technological showpiece.

After early pilot testing wrapped in Abu Dhabi, the partners are ready to expand. The first batch of S-Class robotaxi prototypes is heading onto public roads in the UAE capital, where local operator Lumo—part of tech firm K2—has already secured federal approval to run autonomous vehicles. If all goes to plan, Abu Dhabi will be the first of several global hubs for Mercedes’ hands-off, no-driver-in-seat shuttle service.

And yes, they’re doing it in an S-Class, not a science-project pod on wheels.

Why an S-Class Robotaxi? Because It’s a Flex.

Mercedes calls this robotaxi effort a complement to its other Level 4 programs, which range from consumer-oriented tech pilots to heavy-duty commercial testing. Each provides a piece of the puzzle: more data, broader conditions, and an increasingly refined understanding of how to make a luxury car think for itself.

Joerg Burzer, Mercedes’ CTO, says it plainly: “With a robotaxi S-Class, we raise the bar for automated mobility.” Translation: Mercedes wants autonomous driving to feel like a chauffeured experience—not a beta test. And if any sedan can play the part of robot chauffeur, it’s the brand’s most iconic one.

The Tech Stack: MB.OS Meets Nvidia’s Drive AV

Underneath the leather, wood, and filtered cabin air sits the heart of Mercedes’ long-term plan: its proprietary MB.OS operating system. It’s the digital foundation for future autonomy, and Mercedes is already testing how it plays with Nvidia’s Drive AV platform. The idea is to create a scalable Level 4 ecosystem—software, sensors, simulation, and compute—without outsourcing the brain of the car.

Nvidia and Mercedes already collaborate on automated-driving development, but the robotaxi project is where that partnership could go from R&D to real-world revenue.

China: Mercedes’ Level 4 Proving Grounds

Before the UAE rollout, Mercedes quietly became the first global automaker granted approval to test Level 4 vehicles on designated public roads and highways in Beijing. These aren’t limited closed-course tests. They’re real traffic, real conditions, and real validation.

The Beijing S-Class fleets are outfitted with a full sensor suite—LiDAR, radars, and multiple cameras—feeding a multi-sensor perception system aimed at proving high-level autonomy in busy, unpredictable environments. This data directly informs the robotaxi program.

A Company That’s Been Preparing Since 1886

Autonomy isn’t an overnight pivot for Mercedes-Benz. For years, the brand has pushed driver-assistance tech into the mainstream, from highway lane centering to automated lane changes. With MB.OS and MB.DRIVE, it now offers advanced SAE Level 2+ systems in some markets, including MB.DRIVE ASSIST PRO for point-to-point navigation.

And it’s impossible to ignore the big milestone: in December 2021, Mercedes became the first automaker worldwide to receive internationally valid certification for a Level 3 system. That’s DRIVE PILOT, still the world’s fastest legally approved Level 3 technology, capable of handling driving tasks at speeds other systems can’t match. The company promises a version capable of 130 km/h within five years.

What This Means for the Future

Robotaxis aren’t new. What is new is a legacy automaker trying to upend the space by injecting luxury, refinement, and brand credibility into a field dominated by tech startups and quirky EV pods. Mercedes isn’t just building an autonomous shuttle; it’s trying to build an autonomous S-Class experience.

If the company can scale this beyond small pilots, it could become the first automaker to turn high-end autonomy into a profitable business model—one where passengers don’t just get from A to B without a driver, but do so in the comfort of a car that has defined luxury for nearly 50 years.

In other words: Mercedes wants the future of mobility to feel like you’re always riding in the back seat of an S-Class. For many, that might be exactly the future they were hoping for.

Source: Mercedes-Benz