Tag Archives: Europe

GM Offers Peek at Ultra-Exclusive Cadillac Celestiq — and Jetsons-Like Flying Car

admin • January 12, 2021

GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra’s been pushing the company’s all-electric future, she offered a peek as some of that at CES 2021.

General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra is fond of saying the automaker is “on a path to an all-electric future,” something she underscored during a virtual CES webinar focusing on not only the automaker’s battery technology but also showing off some of the many battery and autonomous vehicles in development.

Along with models the automaker already has unveiled, like the Chevrolet Bolt EUV and GMC Hummer, several other projects were revealed during the hourlong presentation, including an ultra-luxurious new Cadillac dubbed Celestiq, as well as a flying car concept “designed for the moment when time is of the essence.”

“The key” to just about everything GM has in development is electrification, stressed Barra, who has led a massive shakeup of GM’s traditional approach to the car business since being named CEO in December 2013. Barra recently announced GM will introduce 30 all-electric models by 2025, up from the previous target of 20 by 2023. Meanwhile, spending on EVs and AVs, or autonomous vehicles, will jump to $27 billion by mid-decade.

(GM wants to revolutionize e-commerce with electric droids and vans.)

GM’s Crystal Windham talks about Cadillac’s latest product, the Celestiq, during CES 2021.

The automaker introduced its first long-range all-electric model, the Chevrolet Bolt EV, in 2016 and is set to begin expanding the line-up this year with the stretched Bolt EUV and GMC Hummer pickup. The pace will rapidly accelerate in 2022 when Cadillac’s first battery-electric vehicle, the Lyriq SUV, launches, along with an SUV version of the Hummer and other products.

The Cadillac brand was GM’s first to offer a specific target date, 2030, for going entirely electric, and the new Celestiq will fill a long-opened gap as the luxury division’s new flagship. First shown during a media backgrounder last March as a pure concept exercise, the project was formally confirmed during Tuesday’s CEO keynote.

It’s “a designer’s dream,” said Crystal Windham, Cadillac’s director of interior design. While the Celestiq prototype was shown largely concealed by shadows during the webinar, the version seen by reporters last March bore much in common with the over-the-top Cadillac Sixteen concept of 2003 with what Windham described as “a dramatic presence with a low profile and rear-drive proportions.”

One of the most distinctive features of the Celestiq will be an all-glass roof divided into four quadrants. It will use electroluminescent technology so that each of the exotic sedan’s passengers will be able to change it from transparent to opaque. The instrument panel, meanwhile, will take things a step beyond what is offered in the latest-generation Caddy Escalade, introducing a video screen running pillar to pillar. There will be additional screens for rear seat passengers and additional touchscreens to operate climate and other vehicle controls.

GM didn’t offer an unobscured view of the Celestiq, but instead showed bits and pieces of the luxury EV.

GM officials have been mum about other details but Celestiq will use an all-wheel-drive version of GM’s new Ultium BEV platform and, based on comments made recently by brand boss Steve Carlisle, range of 400 or more miles is likely. Meanwhile, the Ultium platform can deliver up to 1,000 horsepower, though it is not clear if the Cadillac Celestiq will push that high.

During the Barra-led webinar, GM’s battery lab group manager Mei Cai revealed some of the automaker’s plans for the Ultium batteries that will soon start rolling off a new assembly line in Ohio built as part of a joint venture with Korea’s LG Chem.

The new cells will deliver 60% more energy than batteries used in today’s Chevy Bolt and deliver as much as 450 miles per charge, depending upon the vehicle and the size of its pack. They’re also about 40% lower in cost, which would mean something at or below $100 a kilowatt-hour.

(GM rolls out new logo and marketing campaign pitching its corporate transformation.)

In addition to luxury EVs for the road, GM revealed a VTOL flying car.

But GM already is working on second-generation Ultium technology which, said Cai, will yield another 40% reduction in price and double the energy capacity – meaning a range of as much as 600 miles per charge. Last March, GM President Mark Reuss also noted a longer-term goal of reducing charging times to as little as 10 minutes.

Lighter, more energy-dense batteries could prove critical for another project GM revealed during the Barra seminar. While just a concept, for now, it suggests the automaker is ready to join competitors like Hyundai, Toyota and Aston Martin in working on flying cars.

The four-rotor prototype, dubbed the VTOL (vertical-take-off-and-landing), is “designed for the moment when time is of the essence and convenience is everything,” said Michael Simcoe, GM’s vice president of global design.

Even fewer details were revealed about the VTOL than about Celestiq, though Simcoe did note the concept would use a 90 kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

The flying car would be targeted at Cadillac customers, as would another prototype revealed during the webinar, this one a sort of living room on wheels that adopts the sort of toaster-on-wheels shape that we’re seeing with many driverless vehicle concepts.

Michael Simcoe talks about the Cadillac Halo pod concept at CES 2021.

GM’s “provides a societal space for a group of friends or family to spend time together on their way to a destination,” said Simcoe. Like Celestiq, it features an all-glass roof, “but encourages eyes to turn inside to focus on one another.”

Among other things, the high-tech cruiser uses biometric sensors to constantly control interior temperature and humidity, as well as lighting and ambient noise levels, and even introduces aromatics to influence the “well-being” of its passengers.

(CEO Barra wants GM to be dominant global EV maker.)

As with the VTOL flying car, the prototype is envisioned to become part of what Simcoe described as the “Cadillac Halo portfolio.” No details were offered on production plans for either model.

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First Drive: 2020 McLaren GT

admin • December 31, 2020

Perhaps not a true grand tourer by definition, but the 2020 McLaren GT does a stunningly good impression.

It is possibly the auto industry’s most abused marketing term: GT. A true GT, or grand tourer, is a sports car capable of effortlessly and comfortably traveling at high speed over long distances with cargo space that will carry more than a toothbrush and condoms.

Certainly, there are cars that meet this criteria, such as the Bentley Continental or Mercedes-Benz SL-Class. But there are others, such as the Kia K5 GT, that use it for marketing effect, as the K5 is far from any enthusiast’s idea of a true GT.

Overview: And so now we welcome the 2020 McLaren GT, the brand’s newest supercar and the first McLaren to be designated a grand tourer, although you’d never know it to look at it. That’s because it looks like merely the latest in a line of stunning McLaren mid-engine sports cars. Nonetheless, the company insists it’s a true GT, just not in the way you might think of one.

(McLaren Artura hybrid supercar to debut in 2021.)

Exterior: Many mid-engine sports cars pour on the visual geegaws to prove what’s already apparent by their mid-engine form. The McLaren GT dispenses with such juvenile dross, opting instead for an elegant purity of shape that’s mercifully adult, yet still promises fun thanks to its dramatic dihedral doors that swing up and out of the way. While it makes for a memorable entrance, the test car’s driver’s door had a habit of retaining water, which unceremoniously dumped out of the driver’s door when opened.

The McLaren GT’s exterior could certainly make one think it was simply another race-inspired offering from the company.

The new GT’s monocoque carbon fiber structure is similar to other McLarens, but the GT uses aluminum body panels rather than carbon fiber. That’s why it’s one of the brand’s heavier cars, although weight isn’t necessarily the enemy in great GTs.

The test car’s Pirelli P Zeros – 20-inches up front, 21-inches in the rear – wore attractive 15-spoke wheels that provide the perfect finishing touch. The result is simply stunning, although casual onlookers often mistook the GT for the new Chevrolet Corvette.

Interior: The artfully restrained cabin design is a bit of visual haiku, and a welcome relief in a class where some manufacturers indulge in design overkill. Its aura is enhanced by the sumptuous leather, knurled aluminum switchgear and the electrochromic glass roof, which allows you to adjust its opacity.

“… McLaren uses hydraulic steering and brakes which provide a direct responsive feel largely absent from many modern cars – even sports cars …”

It’s clearly a luxurious space, but it doesn’t feel overindulgent or excessive. This is evidence of McLaren’s roots as a sports car manufacturer, a feeling reinforced by the absence of the options you’d expect. So don’t count on ventilated seats, or ones that massage.

The McLaren GT offers plenty of room — for two, which may defy some conventional GT wisdom.

In addition, the seats are very firm, which some might find unrelenting for long drives, although their support is excellent. And unlike other GTs that make a token effort of offering room for more than two, the McLaren’s passenger capacity tops out at two, although the cabin is fairly roomy.

(McLaren taking orders for new supercar.)

Speaking of spaciousness, unlike its corporate siblings, the GT has a 14.8 cubic-foot cargo area beneath its soft-closing tailgate. There’s an additional 5.3 cubic feet of storage up front, bringing total cargo capacity to a very useful 20.1 cubic feet — enough to make it the most practical car McLaren offers.

But as in any mid-engine car, the rear trunk gets very warm due to engine heat, so it’s best to pack anything heat sensitive up front. As with any great GT, custom-fitted luggage is available.

“… You not only hear the V-8, you feel it, especially once you mash the throttle …”

Powertrain: A new 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged McLaren V8 produces 612 brake horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque; that’s a 399 horsepower-per-ton power-to-weight ratio, one capable of delivering 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 203 mph.

The GT is McLaren’s heaviest model, although it still races from 0-60 mph in 3.1 seconds.

The driveline includes launch control as well as comfort, sport and track driving modes. The car is fitted with an aluminum, double-wishbone suspension and twin-valve hydraulic dampers at all four corners, along with anti-roll bars front and rear. Steel brakes are standard, ceramics are optional.

Technology and Safety: The sort of driver-assistance safety systems you’ve come to expect on all cars, such as blind-spot monitoring, or adaptive cruise control, aren’t available, although the GT does have a standard backup camera, but that’s required by federal law.

Other safety features, such as airbags and anti-lock brakes with electronic brakeforce distribution, are standard.

The 7-inch portrait-style infotainment touchscreen is the centerpiece of the instrument panel and featured the optional – and excellent – 12-speaker, 1,200-watt Bowers & Wilkins audio system.

Driving impressions: If the interior’s lack of overindulgence doesn’t tip you off to the McLaren’s true character, then one drive will. Simply put, this is a super sports car; a carbon-fiber, mid-engine scream machine that produces oceans of power accompanied by a satisfying snarl from its exhaust. You not only hear the V-8, you feel it, especially once you mash the throttle.

The GT dutifully awakens with nary a hint of turbo lag, and the dual-clutch transmission snicks off the shifts as expected. Mercifully, McLaren uses hydraulic steering and brakes which provide a direct responsive feel largely absent from many modern cars – even sports cars.

The GT performs like the consummate sports car that it is, with grippy tires, neck-snapping acceleration and enough noise to remind you why didn’t choose a Bentley instead.

And it does a good job of absorbing the rough stuff dealt out by America’s crumbling infrastructure, it’s not the grand touring ride most will expect. One drive, and you could be excused for thinking this is a GT in name only.

(McLaren shows us the light – light weight – with new 765LT.)

Wrap Up: McLaren may call its GT a grand tourer, but its personality remains that of a true McLaren, albeit a McLaren sports car with luggage space. It’s not a GT, but there’s nothing wrong with that. And given its $213,195 base price, it’s one of McLaren’s least-expensive models.

BMW Does a Complete U-Turn on its EV Program

admin • November 4, 2020

The production version of the i4 Concept will reach the U.S. next year. It will use a shared platform.

A week before unveiling the all-new iNext battery-electric vehicle, BMW said it will “realign” its strategy and begin developing a unique architecture solely for “electric drives,” rather than sharing the same platform for vehicles using both battery and conventional gas and diesel powertrains.

That’s a complete about face for the Bavarian marque which, in recent years, had hoped to save money and simplify manufacturing by coming up with common architectures that could roll off the same line. But it also marks a return to BMW’s original strategy when electrified models like the all-electric i3 city car and plug-in hybrid i8 sports car used unique platforms.

“The aim is to create an overall optimum with the new architecture,” CEO Oliver Zipse said during BMW’s quarterly earnings presentation on Wednesday.

(BMW preps for i4 launch, confirms plans for all-electric 5-Series and X1.)

Over the past decade, the auto industry has gone back and forth on the appropriate approach to developing electrified vehicles, pure battery-electric models, in particular. Some, like the Ford Focus Electric and the Volkswagen e-Golf, shared common platforms with the gas and diesel versions of those vehicles. Others, such as the original BMW i models, as well as the new Ford Mustang Mach-E and VW ID.3, used unique architectures.

BMW says the production iNext should get nearly 400 miles of range per charge.

Each approach had both pluses and minuses. Shared platforms result in design compromises, often limiting the amount of batteries that could be stored on a vehicle – impacting range, among other things. But development costs can be held down, while increasing the flexibility of a company’s assembly lines.

Unique platforms, most adopting a skateboard-style layout with batteries and motors mounted below the load floor, can handle larger packs, increasing range and lowering a vehicle’s center of gravity. But that means additional development costs and the tooling up of plants dedicated solely to EVs.

With an upcoming wave of new products BMW had aimed for a compromise strategy. They use flexible platforms that can squeeze more batteries under the load floor for models like the all-electric i4 fastback due out next year. But there’s space for a conventional internal combustion engine for products such as the next BMW 4-Series.

Now, , “We will realign our vehicle architecture from the middle of the decade,” said Zipse, adding that, “Our new cluster architecture is geared towards electric drives” exclusively.

BMW’s i3 is one of the automaker’s best-selling electric vehicles. It uses a unique, rather than shared, platform.

“Our new plant in Hungary plays a key role here,” said the CEO, noting that production of “the new BEV-centered architecture will start there.”

(BMW and Mercedes suspend joint autonomous vehicle development program.)

The plan is to make the new strategy a high priority, an all-new product development operation reporting directly to Zipse. But it will be able to reach out to all other areas within the company, from engineering to sales and marketing which “gives us more control and makes us much faster,” he explained.

The shared platform strategy had come under intense scrutiny within BMW, noted German magazine Automobilwoche, Over the summer, Manfred Wochs, the head of the BMW Works Council, had warned that it resulted in “too many compromises” that could set BMW back competitively, especially in key markets like the U.S. and China.

BMW is racing to get a leg up in an emerging market segment that currently is dominated by the upstart Tesla – with an assortment of traditional competitors, as well as start-ups like Lucid, Fisker and Rivian, aiming to gain share.

But Zipse insisted that BMW will be ready when its new EVs hit market around 2025. “We anticipate that the demand for fully electric vehicles will continue to increase significantly from 2025 onwards. Exactly then – keyword timing – we will ignite phase III of our transformation.”

(BMW may go for a plug-in hybrid with upcoming X8 M.)

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VW Group Expected to Sell Lamborghini, as well as Bugatti and Ducati

admin • October 2, 2020

Ferdinand Piech, grandson of Volkswagen’s founder, assembled an array of auto companies during his tenure atop the company.

Under former CEO Ferdinand Piech, Volkswagen pieced together a vast array of brands covering everything from entry-level small cars to ultra-exotic sedans and sports car but, now, it looks like current CEO Herbert Diess wants to unravel the empire and sell or spin off some of those marques.

According to various reports out of Europe, backed by several company sources, two of VW’s most exclusive automotive brands, Lamborghini and Bugatti, are in the crosshairs, as is the company’s motorcycle division, Ducati.

Shedding those brands could simplify Volkswagen’s management structure, reduce future investment needs and, equally important, such a move could raise cash to help fund VW’s aggressive electrification program. The German marque has laid out plans to launch at least 50 all-electric models by mid-decade and has allocated about $66 billion for that effort.

(Volkswagen teases new compact ute coming in October.)

Volkswagen AG Chairman Herbert Diess is looking to take VW in the opposite direction of Piech, selling or spinning off companies to better fund its core business.

Lamborghini could be spun off on its own, along the lines of what Fiat Chrysler Automobiles did with Ferrari, reports Reuters.

Currently, under the peculiar structure of the broader Volkswagen Group, Lambo effectively reports to the semi-autonomous Audi brand. The news service quotes various sources indicating the Italian supercar company would become “a more independent unit,” making it easier to eventually stage an initial public offering.

“This is a first step which gives VW the option to list the unit further down the line,” one of the sources familiar with the discussions told Reuters.

Ducati, which is likewise based in Italy and also reports directly to Audi, seems destined to go through similar changes which could include a spinoff, a sale or simply operating more independently.

Audi had actually looked for a buyer for Ducati a couple years ago but eventually ended that quest unsuccessfully.

Volkswagen has designated $66 billion to bring more than 50 EVs to market in the next few years, including the ID.4.

As TheDetroitBureau.com reported last week, the three brands are likely to go to different buyers – or possibly be spun off separately. Bugatti appears to be destined to go to Croatia’s electric supercar startup Rimac, according to London-based Car magazine.

Bugatti, whose products start around $3 million, is the most exclusive of all the VW brands, but with production running barely one a week, it generates little real cash and requires substantial investments to remain competitive.

It also faces the growing challenge of meeting global emissions and energy efficiency mandates that appear destined to force a shift from conventional gas engines – like the W-16 used in the current Bugatti Chiron – to electric assist or full battery-electric propulsion.

(Report: VW set to sell Bugatti to Croatia’s little EV maker Rimac.)

That’s where Rimac could be a solid fit, its own products, like the Concept_Two, running entirely on batteries.

Italian sports car maker Lamborghini would likely be spun off, much like Fiat Chrysler did with Ferrari.

Whatever happens to Lamborghini, it would face a similar challenge, however. And even in the motorcycle sector there’s a push to electrify, such traditional brands as Harley-Davidson launching battery-powered models.

If Volkswagen does move to sell or spin off these brands it would mark a dramatic reversal of the strategy implemented by Piech, heir to the family that founded both VW and Porsche.

After becoming CEO three decades ago, and then as chairman of Volkswagen’s all-powerful Board, he approved the acquisition of brands ranging from low-end Skoda and Seat to high-line Porsche and Bentley, as well as the revival of the Bugatti marque.

That strategy positioned VW in a three-way fight with Toyota and the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance for global sales leadership. But Piech was forced out in 2015 following VW’s disastrous emissions cheating was revealed. He passed away in August 2019.

Diess has been looking for ways to streamline the German giant and is aggressively shifting from the diesel technology that long propped up the automaker to electric propulsion. But that transition, along with the need to develop autonomous vehicles, is incredibly expensive, further encouraging the idea of paring down the corporate line-up.

Bugatti and its record-setting Chiron could be sold to Croatian EV maker Rimac.

Decisions on what to do Lamborghini, Bugatti and Ducati reportedly could come during a five-year planning meeting set to bring together VW’s separate management and supervisory boards in November.

(Volkswagen suffers Q2 loss; board publicly backs Diess.)

Even if the Volkswagen Group does get rid of the three brands it won’t vanish from the highest regions of the automotive market. There appears to be no plan under discussion to shed British Bentley. And both Porsche and Audi remain secure in their roles within the company, as well.

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Mercedes Offers Look at Pre-Production AMG-Powered SL Model

admin • August 27, 2020

The next-gen SL Roadster is in the dynamic testing stage, suggesting it should debut early next year.

Few automakers appear to draw from their history the way that Mercedes-Benz does and it’s reaching back to its roots again to update is next-generation SL Roadster.

While not quite ready for primetime, the German automaker is hyping its looming return in Mercedes-AMG form with several pictures of a couple of prototypes running through their paces on German roadways, covered in a skin designed to make it tough to get a good look at hard details.

The company is calling the new model a “reinterpretation” of the original coupe from 1952, and the early pics taken during dynamic testing at the maker’s Test and Technology Center in Immendingen, and now also on public roads in some cases, clearly show a tie to its past — the iconic 300 SL competition racing car of 1952.

(And another one bites the dust: Farewell Mercedes SLC.)

The automaker just cancelled the SLC Roadster, only hinting that something could replace it. This AMG-powered model suggests it’s more than a hint.

The new SL’s photo shoot comes after the German maker ends production of the Mercedes SLC Roadster.

Originally known as the SLK, this compact two-door sports coupe made a buzz early on, in part due to its origami-style folding hardtop, as well as a reasonably affordable entry prices. But the German marque over-extended its line-up during the past few decades and is rationalizing its mix, starting with the SLC.

However, the presence of the SL pre-production model clearly shows that the company plans to offer a small open-air sports car for the future. There are some differences between the outgoing and new models. The first is that the SLC featured a folding hard top while the test model is sporting a soft top.

(Major remake for renamed Mercedes SLC roadster.)

The new model looks a little lower and more nimble than its predecessor. The reduced weight due to the shift away from the folding hard top will only add to that feeling. It also may be a bit smaller than the previous model as there are reports it’s based on the AMG GT platform.

Given that the company is road testing pre-production models, it seems likely the final product will be on the road in fall 2021.

Since it’s a Mercedes-AMG creation, it will be a performance machine. Speculation about the numbers has the “entry-level” model being powered by an inline 6 cylinder engine putting out somewhere between 420 and 430 horsepower.

The next model up will likely use a variant of AMG’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 powerplant, and expect that to hit the road with horsepower numbers exceeding 600 hp. Given the point the company is at in testing, the curtain should raise in early 2021 with deliveries starting in the fall.

(Mercedes drops the covers on the 2017 SL Roadster.)

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