Tag Archives: vehicles

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First Bugatti Bolide delivered to customer

In October 2020, Bugatti unveiled a very powerful two-seater based on the Chiron model, the Bugatti Bolide. Many believed that the concept would never go into production, but just a year later, Bugatti announced that it would produce 40 units. A few days ago, the first cars were delivered to customers in the United States.

One of the examples is finished in black with contrasting blue details on the front splitter, roof, rear fenders, aerodynamic fin and the sides of the large rear wing. The owner of this car is collector and real estate dealer Manny Khoshbin, who took his Bolide from Bugatti Newport Beach.

The second Bolide in the photos is finished in a combination of black and blue, and after taking it over, the owner tested it on the Circuit of the Americas track in Texas.

Speaking of design, the X-shaped lights at the front and rear make the car look straight out of a Sci-Fi movie. It’s only 995 millimeters (39.1 inches) tall and sits on a super-light and super-stiff carbonfibre monocoque. Carbon fiber is also used in the front end and underbody, and Bugatti claims that the tensile strength of carbon fiber is equal to that used in the aerospace industry. The suspension is made of titanium pushrods with horizontal shock absorbers, while welded stainless steel controls are designed as wing profiles.

It is powered by a turbocharged 8.0-liter W16 engine with 1,578 hp (1,160 kW) and 1,180 lb-ft (1,600 Nm) of torque. That’s slightly less than the base concept model which has 1,825 hp and 1,365 lb-ft of torque. It also weighs 462 lb (210 kg) less than the base model, which weighs 3,200 lb (1,451 kg).

Source: Vision Effect TV via YouTube

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First Bugatti Bolide delivered to customer
News

EVs more popular than ICE cars in China

In 2020, the Chinese government set a goal for electric vehicles to account for half of new car sales by 2035, but at this rate, China will reach that goal a decade early. According to the latest data, sales of electric cars in China will reach 12 million units in 2024, surpassing cars with combustion engines for the first time ever.

The latest information says that in 2024, sales of cars with combustion engines could fall to less than 11 million units, which is 10 percent less than in 2023. That’s no surprise, considering China has big plans for EVs. Plug-in hybrids are expected to be a hit this year with 4.39 million units sold, rising to 6.05 million vehicles over the next eight years.

Predictions are that once the transition point is reached, electric vehicles will continue to grow and could exceed 18 million units by 2034. By then, sales of cars with combustion engines could drop to just 2.93 million.

What could worry the manufacturers of cars with combustion engines in China is that these vehicles will have very little space in the domestic market. In 2024, the market share of foreign cars fell to 37 percent compared to 64 percent in 2020. This shows that Chinese buyers are increasingly choosing domestic vehicles in the largest new car market on the planet, resulting in a reduction in a significant source of revenue for many manufacturers.

China, as the world’s EV leader, is slowly killing its competition. EV production is turning into a game of survival, and the winners are likely to be the manufacturers that can deliver quality vehicles at affordable prices. This will also mean the shutdown of some of the all-electric brands that have been present on the market for years.

One of the first victims in the cruel automotive world is the American brand Fisker. In 2023, Fisker had big plans, production of 40,000 electric vehicles, but only 10,000 left the production lines. The Ocean SUV has received mixed reviews, with Consumer Reports claiming that the promise has not been fulfilled, while regulators have addressed issues with brakes and doors that won’t open. Further complicating the situation for Fisker was the fact that the Ocean lost its place on the list of tax-deductible electric vehicles unless leased because it was manufactured outside of North America. Now, they are bankrupt.

Source: Reuters

News

In 2024, almost every new car sold in Norway was an EV

Demand for electric vehicles in Norway has been growing for years, and the country’s plan for 2025 is that every vehicle sold will be an EV. They are currently very close to that goal. According to published data for the year 2024, 89 percent of new cars sold were EVs.

In 2012, electric cars accounted for only 2.8 percent of sales, but since then they have been on the rise thanks to various incentives. They were exempt from more taxes, tolls, had free parking in public car parks and could use public transport lanes, which made them competitive with highly taxed internal combustion cars.

“We only need 10 percent more to reach the 2025 target,” the Opplysningsrådet for Veitrafikken (OFV) said in a statement.

Despite the fact that the Scandinavian kingdom is an oil and gas producer, this does not prevent it from being a European and world leader in electrification. The plan to become the first country with zero emissions from 2025, which is 10 years ahead of EU regulations, means that Norway is way ahead of everyone else.

In 2024, 128,691 new cars were registered in Norway, of which 114,400 were EVs, which is a 7 percent increase compared to 2023 (82 percent). “It is crucial to maintain the incentives that favor the purchase of electric cars if the government and parliament are to achieve the goal they have set themselves,” said OFV director Oyvind Solberg Thorsen.

Source: Opplysningsrådet for Veitrafikken (OFV)