As we come to the end of another week we look at some of the motoring news which you may have missed starting with ŠKODA’s highly-anticipated Enyaq iV
ŠKODA’s highly-anticipated Enyaq iV will launch in retailers nationwide from Friday 18 June.
The model was first previewed in 2019 as the Vision iV concept car, which showcased ŠKODA’s electric future potential. The production car has not strayed far from its roots offering innovative technology, emotive design and extensive range capability. The all-electric SUV will suit a wide-range of customers, fitting the need as an agile and spacious family car.
The new Enyaq iV introduces a new way for customers to perfectly tailor the car to their tastes and requirements. Instead of selecting from traditional trim levels, customers choose the battery size they need, select an interior design and then personalise their vehicle from a comprehensive range of equipment packs and individual options.
From launch, the range consists of two variants; Enyaq iV 60 Nav and Enyaq iV 80 with 62kWh and 82kWh battery packs respectively.
Six design selections are available; Loft, Lodge, Lounge, Suite, ecoSuite and SportLine, all of which offer a different interior look and materials.
Enyaq iV available from £31,995
GTO Engineering showcases bespoke details of the all-new Squalo interior in first design drawings
GTO Engineering has revealed the initial drawings of its bespoke interior for the all-new Squalo. Celebrating the best of Italian automotive design with bespoke craftsmanship and handmade details, GTO Engineering is blending timeless luxury, modern functionality and cutting-edge, engineering-driven thinking within its first look interior designs.
GTO Engineering has released the first sketches at what is arguably one of the most important parts of the Squalo: its cabin. The interior is the culmination of months of preparation, decades of experience and a fresh take on utilising modern materials and manufacturing methods. The result is an initial showcase of the direction GTO Engineering plans to take with the Squalo’s cockpit.
Quality is the main ethos behind GTO Engineering and the Squalo is no different. Every element has been carefully designed and exhaustively analysed to ensure it fits with the Squalo’s character, as well as working with material selection and ensuring the cabin is a luxurious yet enjoyable place to be. Part of this quest for quality has also driven the team to focus on simplicity, to minimise clutter and maximise driving experience and enjoyment.
Within the drawings, viewers will be able to see there’s a focus on cabin space, luggage and visibility as well as having buttons and switches rather than touchscreens. Likewise, the touch points of the steering wheel, dials and switches have been deliberated at length. GTO Engineering plans to release more sketches and an explanation around the hidden technology within the cabin including sound system, smartphone integration, infotainment screen and storage capacity including cup holders, in the coming months.
The design team is working on a bespoke seating arrangement that fits comfortably and stylishly in the spacious cockpit, available in a range of leather colours and patterns. GTO Engineering is also critically mapping out placements for items like pedals, the steering wheel and manual gearbox selector to ensure they’re in an optimised position for driver enjoyment.
Since its initial announcement in November 2020, the development of the Squalo continues both internally and externally. This is with the help of the ever-growing in-house team at GTO Engineering as well as external partners who are the best in their field. All this has been done to ensure that the Squalo will be one of the most exciting enthusiast cars of the decade, with the first customer deliveries still on track for 2023.
SsangYong Motors accelerates new model development to secure future
SsangYong Motors has announced it is to accelerate its new car development programme in preparation for its future, and as part of a robust set of self–help measures.
The company has determined that as part of any future merger and acquisition (M&A), it is to become the driving force of this new self-rescue plan, and central to this is a full-scale move towards meeting the future demands of the international automotive market.
By renewing confidence in the brand, ensuring its survival in the rapidly changing automotive marketplace, and achieving future growth, SsangYong is aiming to quickly end the company’s rehabilitation procedures, and create an environment that leads to a successful M&A by looking for a new investor that will commit to continuous future investment. This is now happening through an intensive restructure of the business and a focus on meeting fast-changing automotive trends.
New car development is central to this and is being achieved through cost reduction and system efficiencies achieved through production and human resources management.
The first tangible result is the announcement of SsangYong’s first electric vehicle; developed under the project name of E100, the Korando e-Motion went into full-scale production on Monday, June 14.
The Korando e-Motion is the first mid-sized electric SUV vehicle in Korea and offers the spacious interior and convenience of a family car. The overall design is one that offers an urban driving style with aerodynamic lines to minimise air resistance, and a quality driving experience.
The name of Korando e-Motion fuses the ‘e’ of electric with the driving force of ‘motion’, as well imbuing the sentiment of emotion which customers experience when driving a car they feel in touch with. The name was the result of a competition run within the company and in consultation with brand experts to ensure that like Korando, the name would work well in overseas markets.
Due to restricted supplies of semi-conductors, affecting all manufacturers, the Korando e-Motion is scheduled to be shipped in August for sale in Europe and the UK later in the year. Launch plans for the domestic market will be announced as soon as the availability of semi-conductors becomes clearer.
The company has also announced that it is accelerating the development of its next EV, a medium-sized SUV under the project name J100, with the plan of launching in 2022. The design of the J100 will give a new, modern, authentic SUV, with styling cues based on SsangYong’s design language to create a strong and safe SUV.
SsangYong Motors Receiver, Yong Won Chung says: “We are establishing a strong foothold for corporate rehabilitation through a successful M&A and putting our very best efforts into new car development by addressing the rapidly changing automotive trends. In addition, we are expanding the line-up of eco-cars, discovering future growth opportunities such as new business models, and preparing for renewed competitiveness.”
SsangYong Motor is the Korean SUV specialist and builds a comprehensive line-up of SUVs: from Tivoli, the small SUV, semi mid-sized SUV, Korando, mid-sized SUV J100, to the larger Rexton. Now starting with Korando e-Motion, the company plans to expand its green car range with a mid-sized EV and EV pick-up.
PEUGEOT opens order books for e-Rifter
Unveiled earlier this year, the all-new PEUGEOT e-Rifter is built on PEUGEOT’s multi-energy EMP2 platform with a 100kw (136hp) electric powertrain capable of up to 260Nm of torque. The PEUGEOT e-Rifter is powered by a 50kWh battery, allowing the vehicle to achieve up to 172 miles from a single charge under WLTP testing. One of the latest models to form part of PEUGEOT’s electrification strategy, the e-Rifter is launched as the brand continues its work to offer an electrified variant for every vehicle in its range by 2025.
The new PEUGEOT e-Rifter is available in two trim levels, starting at £30,375* for the standard five-seater Allure Premium. This variant is joined by the five-seater GT variant from £32,455*. Customers also have the option of a long wheelbase seven-seater Allure Premium, with prices from £32,375*. All versions of the e-Rifter are priced below the £35,000 Government Plug in Grant Threshold.
The first-ever BMW iX and the first-ever BMW i4: Joint global campaign plays to the rhythm of Coldplay’s new hit
Local emission-free driving pleasure has never been greater than with the first-ever BMW iX and the first-ever BMW i4. The fitting soundtrack for the debut of the latest all-electric models is called “Higher Power” and comes from the British band Coldplay. You can hear the quartet’s latest single in the TV commercials filmed for launching the joint worldwide communication campaign for the two new models. It delivers the perfect message with the lyric line “This joy is electric”. The song for a new era of individual mobility marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration between BMW and Coldplay.
Back in 2014, Coldplay, made up of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman, performed before 1,500 fans at the end of their “Ghost Stories Tour” at BMW Welt in Munich. On the basis of the contact established at that time, a creative connection has now been established between the premium car manufacturer and the band, which has achieved worldwide success in the charts. This is based in particular on a common interest in sustainability in various areas of life.
“In the initial discussions we quickly realised: Coldplay and BMW share many common goals that go far beyond marketing,” says Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer and Brand BMW. “Based on this we developed a real co-creation in which the band actively contributed their thoughts and attitude to the design of our campaign for the BMW iX and the BMW i4.” The shared awareness of sustainability gave rise to an intensive creative process between BMW and the British musicians and which will produce further co-created elements later in the year.
For the BMW Group, the premiere of the BMW iX and the BMW i4 is an important milestone in the current phase of its transformation towards electric mobility. The company expects all-electric models to account for at least 50 percent of its global vehicle sales as early as 2030. The Coldplay musicians are looking for innovative ways to combine their popularity and performances in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans with a positive impact with regard to sustainability. The band said “We are proud to partner with BMW as part of our efforts to make everything we do as sustainable as possible. The technology that BMW use for their electric cars can power our live performances almost entirely from renewable energy.”
For the premiere of their new song “Higher Power”, Coldplay already managed to overcome the usual boundaries of the music business. Last month, Coldplay premiered “Higher Power” in space. The song was played for the first time by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet on the International Space Station. Shortly after, the band played its first live set of 2021 for earthly audiences in a special livestream from the site of Glastonbury Festival.
Renault Zoe E-Tech covers 475 miles on a single charge to set a new hypermiling record
The Renault Zoe E-Tech has certainly gone the extra mile for Mission Motorsport after helping the charity set a new hypermiling record by covering a phenomenal 475.4 miles on a single charge.
Mission Motorsport, the Forces’ Motorsport Charity, which aids in the recovery of those who have been affected by Military Operations by providing opportunities through motorsport and the automotive industry, broke the Renault Zoe hypermiling record by 475.4 miles after its team drove the all-electric supermini for more than 24 hours at Thruxton Race Circuit.
The original record of 351 miles was set in France in 2018 on the Paris Peripherique, but the Mission Motorsport team, consisting of veteran beneficiaries, military spouses and a hypermiling expert, took the record on June 10th after an excellent display of deft driving on the UK’s fastest racetrack. Using its endurance motorsport experience, the team managed to achieve 9.14 miles per kilowatt hour, while averaging a remarkably restrained optimum speed of 19 mph.
Two Renault Zoes were used for the record attempt, both of which were supplied by Hendy Renault. Both were completely standard, aside from one running on ENSO range extending tyres. With its original OEM tyres, the first Renault Zoe achieved 424.7 miles on a single charge to smash the existing record, setting off at 9.40 am on Wednesday, June 9th and finally coasting to a stop at 11:45 pm on Thursday, June 10th, having been driven for over 22 hours.
However, the identical Renault Zoe, fitted with ENSO’s propriety EV tyres, went further still, achieving 475.4 miles after also setting off at the same time, but finishing at 14:57 pm on Thursday, June 10th after lapping Thruxton circuit in excess of 25 hours.
The incredible feat betters the official WLTP range of the Renault Zoe by 230 miles, the award-winning hatchback being officially recognised to cover up to 245 miles on a single charge. Its usability is also enhanced by a comprehensive standard specification and flexible charging options, the latter including its 52kWh battery being able to be charged to 80 per cent in just one hour and ten minutes.
