As we come to the end of another week we look at some of the motoring news which you may have missed starting with the 2022 Mazda MX-5 which is now available to order.
The 2022 Mazda MX-5 is available to order now with both the Convertible and RF Retractable Fastback models ready for delivery from February 2022. Featuring a 10-model line-up – four Convertibles and six RFs – the 132ps 1.5-litre Convertible is offered in SE-L and Sport trim, while the 184ps 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G engine is matched to Sport Tech and the range-topping GT Sport Tech trim. As with the Convertible, SE-L and Sport trim RF’s are powered by the 1.5-litre engine, while Sport Tech and GT Sport Tech come with the more powerful 2.0-litre engine. In addition, 2.0-litre RFs in both trim levels come with the option to choose an automatic gearbox.
Updates for the 2022 Mazda MX-5 include the addition the new Platinum Quartz Metallic paint colour for the first time, while all models are now fitted with Kinematic Posture Control (KPC). Mazda’s KPC system is designed to increase stability during cornering without impacting the purity of the MX-5’s handling and driver engagement. The KPC system applies a very small amount of brake force to the inner/unloaded rear wheel during cornering, the resulting brake force pulls the body down, suppressing body roll to provide more reassuring cornering so subtly that the MX-5’s engaging handling remains unpolluted.
As you’d expect for a car so famed for its dynamic abilities, outside of the addition of KPC, the 2022 Mazda MX-5 retains the same award-winning mechanical set up as before. Introduced in September 2018, the updated 184ps version of the 2.0-litre Skyactiv-G engine features lighter pistons and con-rod, plus upgraded camshafts, exhaust valves, fuel injectors, throttle valve and air intake, all of which increase performance over the 160ps version that featured in the fourth-generation MX-5 at launch in 2015. As a result, the engine has a redline of 7,500rpm. In addition with higher fuel pressure and more efficient combustion than the 160ps version, there’s an increase in torque across the rev range, while peak torque rises by 5Nm.
Compared to the 160ps version, the Convertible’s 0-62mph performance improved by 0.8 of a second to 6.5seconds, while manual and automatic RF models are 0.6 and 0.5 seconds faster. In addition, the tuned main silencer delivers a more powerful engine note. As before 2.0-litre cars with the manual gearbox have a front strut brace, limited slip differential and Bilstein dampers.
Helped by the MX-5’s lightness, performance doesn’t come at the cost of efficiency, with Mazda’s i-ELOOP kinetic recovery and i-stop stop-start technology standard across both engines, the MX-5 is more economical than ever. As you would expect of a car that was named World Car Design of the Year on its debut in 2015, the styling of the 2022 MX-5 has been left alone.
Citroën My Ami Buggy Concept is ready for adventure
Citroën My Ami Buggy Concept is a distinctive illustration of how Citroën Ami Electric could be re-purposed to help customers enjoy their leisure time in a new way. Clearly a trail-blazer, with extrovert, colourful and adventurous styling, My Ami Buggy Concept still strives to remain simple and functional in use.
My Ami Buggy Concept is a micro-mobility recreational vehicle for use at the weekend, on holiday by the sea or in the countryside, which wins its users over with its simplicity and practicality. This new emissions-free concept also enhances the pleasure of electric driving through the absence of any regular doors – both occupants are totally immersed in the environment and bathed in light thanks to the panoramic glass roof.
Sitting securely on its wide wheels and chunky tyres, My Ami Buggy Concept has a resolutely adventurous character, highlighted at the front by its bull-bars, black contrasting trim and protective headlight grilles. On the sides, the silhouette is strengthened by wheel arch extensions and tubular protections along the bottom of the door apertures. On the roof, the roof-rack and spare wheel emphasise the concept’s spirit of rugged adventure. Most of the decorative elements come in a striking black contrasting finish.
The LED light bar on the front of the roof adds a purposeful touch, inviting the driver to head out into the night or the fog. Once stationary, everything comes together to provide a ‘camp-fire’ atmosphere, created by light diffused by the light bar and music from the remote speaker.
The regular Ami doors have been removed and replaced by transparent rainproof panels for use in bad weather – a nod to the famous Citroën Méhari. The clear panels are fitted with zips to enclose the passenger compartment, with high-level openings evoking the glazed doors on production Ami models. These practical, protective ‘curtains’ can be removed, rolled up and stored behind the seats in dedicated storage bags.
A vizor has been fitted above the windscreen, running out from the roof and offering protection against severe weather conditions. It provides shade in summer by shielding the occupants from the rays of the midday sun.
The wide ‘mud’ tyres and their matt gold rims provide confidence-inspiring road-holding and stability on all surfaces.
Although an unrestrained expression of Citroën style, the designers have ensured the concept is both realistic and totally fit-for-purpose. Fixing certain elements to the vehicle was a real challenge for the technicians who, in some cases, had to attach components directly to the tubular steel chassis to make sure they were secure. The bull-bars and spare wheel on the roof are a case in point.
My Ami Buggy Concept is finished in three main colours: black, khaki and yellow. The black, inspired by camping equipment, reinforces the functional and robust nature of the vehicle. The different shades of black – Anodised Black on the wheel arches and roof, and Speckled Black for a hammered effect at the rear – perfectly complement the Anodized Khaki and Citric Yellow shades, combining to convey an adventurous go-anywhere appearance.
My Ami Buggy Concept sports a two-tone exterior colour scheme, giving it an attractive and dynamic design: Anodized Khaki at the front and Speckled Black at the rear, an interplay of symmetry that aims to clearly distinguish the front from the rear of the vehicle.
The Anodized Khaki shade offers an allusion to nature, while the black evokes strength and modernity. The choice of black was also motivated by the desire to use a darker shade that hides dirt.
Many key elements of My Ami Buggy Concept are highlighted by an occasional dash of Citric Yellow, including the seats, the charging cable, on the pods at the bottom of the door apertures, in the luggage area and on a number of accessories. This zingy colour also indicates that the highlighted objects serve a functional purpose.
Three main areas of My Ami Buggy Concept have been the subject of painstaking interior design work: the seats, storage spaces and the luggage area.
My Ami Buggy Concept features new Advanced Comfort® seat cushions, the foam in which has been increased from 35mm in Ami Electric, to 70mm for Ami Buggy. Adding memory foam has made the seats both supple and soft. The seats themselves can easily be removed, are interchangeable and washable. They are made by assembling two ‘shells’, one on top of the other – a design inspired by the construction marine buoys, creating a link with the world of beach accessories.
The storage areas are all cleverly designed and some are portable. Each has its own function within the passenger cabin and selected compartments can be taken outside for a picnic or when exploring.
The storage bins on the dashboard – accessories already available for Ami Electric – have been re-designed specifically for My Ami Buggy Concept. A matt gold metal storage rack is fixed above the bins to prevent objects from moving.
A unique range of luggage has also been designed for the concept model, each item of which fits perfectly into the vehicle’s interior storage spaces. A ‘bum bag’ attaches to a magnet in the centre of the steering wheel, which is specially recessed to accommodate it – the bag can also be worn by the driver or passenger when needed. A ‘sailor’s bag’ with a flap has its own place under the dashboard (the storage space that holds a cabin suitcase in Ami Electric). The sailor’s bag is held at the bottom by a tubular structure to stop it falling over.
Storage spaces are also built into the door apertures at seat height. These can hold smaller everyday objects or larger detachable bags that have been designed to be stored there, and which can be opened from the inside. A button unlocks the newly-designed ‘doors’, which open in the same directions as Ami Electric.
The charging cable, meanwhile, is fitted into a holder in the passenger door aperture.
My Ami Buggy Concept’s accessories are more than just an exercise in style. They all have a usable real-world function. The designers were inspired by a wide variety of leisure activities, to come up with functional objects to make excursions aboard My Ami Buggy Concept both fun and practical.
One example is the holders for attaching a camera – a must to capture and instantly share highlights of your journey or the landscapes you are travelling through. Equipped with a universal mechanism to accommodate all types of devices, the holder can be removed using a built-in release trigger, allowing it to then be placed on one of the four anchoring points situated on the vertical frame of the driver and passenger door openings.
The external mirrors can be adjusted thanks to a ball-joint mechanism incorporated into design. They fit into position on the door uprights. They are also removable.
Cup or bottle holders can be found either on the dashboard, or where the bag holder is normally positioned on Ami Electric.
The smartphone clamp developed for Ami Electric, located to the right of the driving position, becomes a cylindrical holder in My Ami Buggy Concept, featuring an adjustable clamp on the right-hand side to hold the phone in place. The tube section can be engraved with the owner’s name – another new feature that some users would appreciate.
A new conical support has been designed to secure the removable speaker that sits in the dashboard recess behind the steering wheel.
3D printing is a much quicker process than traditional production methods, allowing faster progress from initial idea to reality. The accessories for My Ami Biggy Concept have been designed from scratch, can be 3D-printed and are therefore able to be reproduced on demand.
My Ami Buggy Concept is above all an invitation to have fun, to satisfy your thirst for freedom, quality leisure time and non-conformity. A study in style – which will be on many Christmas lists this December – My Ami Buggy Concept is just one of many variations that could be developed for Ami Electric in the coming months – the original mobility object developed by Citroën is always ready to explore new horizons.
Ken Block’s new Audi S1 Hoonitron
Ken Block’s new Audi SIt instantly brings back memories of the legendary Audi Sport quattro S1 with which the four rings used to charge to the summit in the famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb event, aka the “Race To The Clouds:” Audi is presenting the Audi S1 e-tron quattro Hoonitron that has been exclusively and uniquely developed for American drift artist Ken Block. The all-electric one-of-a-kind car will be the protagonist in a new video that Block is producing together with his team for release in the next few months.
“The S1 Hoonitron combines a lot of what Audi was already famous for in the nineteen-eighties,” says Ken Block, whose enthusiasm for Audi’s rally cars was sparked at an early age. “For instance, the car’s spectacular aerodynamics have now been translated into a totally modern form. I think it’s cool that the Audi designers have been inspired by their own past and uniquely transferred the car’s technologies and appearance into the present.”
Two electric motors, all-wheel drive, power galore, a carbon fibre chassis, and the full safety standards as prescribed by motorsport’s top governing body, the FIA – these are merely the S1 Hoonitron’s statistics. In November, the driver got to know the car for the first time. “Audi gave me the opportunity to test it for a few days in Germany,” says Ken Block. “I’m familiar with a wide variety of cars using internal combustion engines and transmissions, but there were a lot of new things for me to learn here. Spinning into a doughnut at 150 km/h directly from a standstill – just using my right foot – is an all-new experience for me. Our work was focused on getting the car and I used to each other. My thanks go to the whole Audi Sport squad for their outstanding teamwork.”
The entire development, including the technology, of the S1 Hoonitron was conducted by Audi Sport at the Neckarsulm location – a perfect fit for the project because that’s also where the Audi RS e-tron GT is produced. Audi Design in Ingolstadt was responsible for the styling, which has been anything but a run-of-the-mill job for Marc Lichte and his team. “When we first heard about this project, the whole team was thrilled immediately: we had the opportunity to develop a car that combines an icon of our brand with the future,” says Audi’s chief designer. The challenges were tremendous: “It was about creating a modern, all-electric interpretation of the S1 Pikes Peak. The timeline was extremely tight: while our design process normally takes one to one-and-a-half years, we only had four weeks from the first drawing to the final design. We were constantly in touch with Ken Block and his team and engaged in intensive exchanges.”
Fans will soon be able to see the US star’s success with the project for themselves: under the working title Elektrikhana, Ken Block and his team are going to produce the next video of his famous Gymkhana series featuring the S1 Hoonitron. “The collaboration with Audi is a very special partnership for me. The brand and its passion for motorsport motivated me to get into rallying,” says Ken Block. “That Audi has now developed this car for me and my team, and has joined us in our next project, has made a dream come true for me. The Hoonitron is writing the next chapter in our history and taking our Gymkhana story into the future.”
A story of the future that everyone at Audi is also looking forward to: “Knowing that we’re developing a car for a video with Ken Block that millions of people around the world are going to watch has provided our team with additional motivation,” says Marc Lichte. “These new inspirations are also immensely important for our daily work. The development of this car will encourage us to approach future projects with an even more open and progressive mindset.”1 Hoonitron
BMW i7 drive under extreme conditions
The series development process for the world’s only purely electrically powered luxury sedan is entering its final phase as it being tested on gruelling test tracks around the world, Electric motors, all-wheel drive and high-voltage battery must prove how reliable and high-performing they are under maximum load.
The series development process of the BMW i7 (power consumption combined: 22.5 – 19.5 kWh/100 km according to WLTP; CO2 emissions: 0 g/km; forecast based on the vehicle’s development status to date) in entering its final phase with the car undergoing a demanding test programme in extreme road and weather conditions. During so-called hot-region testing on tracks and public roads all over the world, the development engineers primarily verify the performance and reliability of the electric motors, the all-wheel drive and the high-voltage battery when being exposed to maximum stress from high temperatures, unpaved roads, dust and large differences in altitude. The road to series production takes the prototypes of the BMW i7 over gravel tracks into deserts, into the mountains and on a whole series of highly dynamic routes. The BMW i7, the world’s only purely electrically powered luxury sedan, will be presented in the course of 2022 together with other model variants of the new BMW 7 Series.
The endurance test in the hot regions of various countries and continents serves in particular to test and safeguard all components of the electric drive system. The components of the fifth-generation BMW eDrive technology developed for the BMW i7 demonstrate their unrestricted functionality even under the most adverse conditions when being used continuously in extremely high outside temperatures, permanent sunlight and dry conditions.
Within a firmly defined test programme for the prototypes, loads are simulated that correspond to the challenges faced by a series-production vehicle during a complete product life cycle. Supported by sensitive on-board measurement technology, experienced test engineers register every reaction of the electric motors, the high-voltage battery, drive control and the integrated cooling system as well as the charging technology and energy management to weather and road-related influences.
The testing programme, which covers tens of thousands of kilometres, includes long-distance and high-speed driving as well as stop-and-go traffic in scorching heat. In addition, test sections with particularly large differences in altitude were selected at the hot-region test sites. In this way the temperature behaviour of the electric motors and the torque control of the all-electric BMW xDrive can be analysed during a particularly dynamic and long-lasting uphill drive. To further increase the load on the drive system, the test programme also includes mountain driving in trailer mode. At the same time, the high-voltage battery shows how it able to continuously deliver peak power to supply the e-motors. As an extreme scenario and a particular challenge for energy management and power electronics, the test also involves driving downhill with a high-voltage storage system that is already fully charged at the start and can therefore no longer absorb any recuperation energy.
The gruelling hot-region test procedure is also used to put the performance of the air-conditioning and other on-board electronics, as well as the temperature resistance of the materials used in the interior, to a particularly tough test. This is all to ensure that the world’s only purely electrically powered luxury sedan delivers a perfectly harmonised and exclusive driving experience in any situation.
Fifteen Eleven restores iconic Williams FW07/04 Formula 1 racing car
Prestige car builders and restoration firm Fifteen Eleven Design created history this month [December], as they were chosen to fully recommission the 1980 Williams FW07/04 Formula 1 car that Alan Jones used in his World Championship title-winning season.
From their premises in Bakewell, Derbyshire, Fifteen Eleven extensively restored the iconic racer with a ground-up re-build after dismantling and shipping the machine from its Saudi Arabian home.
After a painstaking eight-week restoration, the legendary car was then returned to Jeddah where it was the first Formula 1 car to sample the all-new race circuit used as the penultimate round of the 2021 F1 World Championship. It was then driven by a host of F1 legends such as David Coulthard, Emerson Fittipaldi and Damon Hill and featured in a Sky Sports documentary.
The raucous Williams FW07/04 was first used by Australian F1 star Alan Jones in 1979 and would be the car that propelled him to the prestigious Drivers title and Williams to the Constructors title in 1980.
Jones would pilot “04” in the Argentinian Grand Prix in January of 1980, taking pole position and subsequent the race win, laying the foundations for a stellar season in the World Championship.
Having recently embarked on a high-end Porsche 914 restomod project which included a high-performance braking and suspension system, Porsche Cayman 3.4S 6-cylinder engine and 6-speed transmission, Fifteen Eleven Design was forced to put the project on hold after being tasked with the Williams restoration.
From the home of its owner in Saudi Arabia, the Fifteen Eleven team would visit the iconic machine to fully inspect and gather a better understanding of the work required. From there, they would strip the FW07 to its aluminium monocoque chassis, to enable transport to its premises in the UK.
The painstaking process would then begin of restoring the Williams to its original glory which included 3D scans and modelling to ensure a faithful re-creation of unavailable parts. A total strip-down and rebuild of all components began, from the wiring loom to the iconic green leather steering wheel often associated with the FW07/04. A brand new 3-litre V8 Cosworth DFV engine was commissioned and built by Geoff Richardson Racing Engines, coupled with a full transmission overhaul by specialists Mark Bailey Racing.
Over one thousand hours were spent bringing this legendary Formula 1 car back to life, before being returned to the Middle East ahead of the much-hyped Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. There, it would showcase the brand-new circuit, with a host of A-list motorsport legends taking to the track in the Williams.
They would include Formula 1 World Champion and Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi, winner of 13 Grand Prix’s David Coulthard and 1996 World Champion Damon Hill. In a special feature for Sky Sports, Hill would go head-to-head with pundit Martin Brundle in the sister 1979 Williams FW07/01 around the newly built circuit with the stands echoing to the sound of the glorious Cosworth unit.
With Sir Frank Williams CBE, founder of Williams Racing’s sad passing at the end of November, Formula 1 would also call on the FW07/04 to complete a lap of the circuit ahead of the race on Sunday with Hill at the wheel as a mark of remembrance of the inspirational mastermind and car builder.
Managing Director of Fifteen Eleven Design Chris Mellors was honoured to work on such a prestigious and high-profile project.
“The Williams FW07/04 project has undoubtedly been one of the biggest tasks Fifteen Eleven Design has undertaken and we certainly faced many challenges along the way, but it’s been simply magical to be able to return this iconic machine to its former glory,” he says.
“Whilst we had an idea of the amount of work required when we arrived at Saudi to analyse the state of the car it was pretty clear it would be a big ask to get it ready for the Formula 1 race at the start of December. The owner had given us just eight weeks and we quickly realised the full extent of the work required. But when you oversee something like this, you know you simply cannot cut corners in any way; you just make it happen.”
“We ensured we had a superb team around us and were equipped with all the experts we could find from both the ’70s and ’80s and immersed ourselves in that world for two months solid. Of course, there were modern elements that came into play such as 3D modelling, but that further reinforced the desire to ensure it took to the Saudi track in as original condition as possible”.
“Of course, seeing F1 legends take to the track after all our hard work was the icing on the cake and we are proud to have played our part in making a little history that weekend. It was made even more poignant with Frank Williams’ passing last month, of course, it was certainly a `lump in the throat` occasion for many. Seeing Alan Jones at the circuit and having the opportunity for him to be reunited with his winning Williams was a fantastic moment.”
Fifteen Eleven Design, the classic arm of the World Rally Championship team Mellors Elliot Motorsport has over 40 years of experience in engineering and building bespoke cars for competition and road use.
MG Motor UK breaks all records as sales pass 30,000 in 2021
The UK’s fastest-growing mainstream car brand has broken a new record, surpassing 30,000 new registrations in 2021.
The 30,000th new MG of 2021 was registered over the weekend as the company is on target to smash all of its previous records. In 2020, it sold a total of 18,415 cars, putting 2021 registrations already 11,585 ahead.
In November, the brand saw an astonishing 383.1% year-on-year sales increase in the same month that the New MG ZS EV arrived within its rapidly developing dealer network. The MG ZS was also the UK’s sixth best-selling model across the entire car market – the first time that MG has featured in the top 10 sellers charts.
The company’s year-to-date sales were up 73.4% year-on-year at the end of last month, the highest sales growth of any brand in the country’s top 27 car manufacturers.
Much of the success was driven by the brand’s plug-in models, with MG having the highest battery-electric (BEV) mix of any manufacturer selling a mix of traditional and alternative fuel cars.
Another key part of the sales success was the performance of MG’s dealer network, which is growing rapidly with over 40 new sales sites being appointed since the beginning of 2021.
MG Motor UK Commercial Director, Guy Pigounakis, said: “At the start of the year, we set out an ambition of achieving 30,000 registrations and are delighted to have surpassed this well before the end of the year.
“It shows just how much demand there is for MG’s great value, well-equipped and high quality cars, especially our booming EV models which currently account for almost half our total sales. Our customers and dealers are fully engaged and MG is poised for long-term, sustainable growth, with more extremely exciting developments to come as we head into 2022.”
MG currently offers six models in the UK including three plug-in cars – the New MG ZS EV, the New MG5 EV and MG HS Plug-in Hybrid – all backed up by MG’s comprehensive manufacturer’s 7-year warranty and rapidly developing dealer network.
VW latest-generation diesel engines approved for fuels made from residual and recycled materials
Volkswagen plans to reduce the carbon footprint of its fleet in Europe by 40 percent by the year 2030. The company is therefore increasingly focusing on fully and partially electric vehicles. As a further alternative, Volkswagen is now officially approving models with the latest- generation 4-cylinder diesel engines for use with paraffinic fuels. These newly developed diesel fuels containing bio-components permit significant CO2 savings of 70-95 percent compared with conventional diesel. Alongside its accelerated ramp-up efforts in the area of electric mobility, Volkswagen is systematically further developing the existing range with combustion engines. In this way, the company is responding to different customer needs while at the same time taking into account the internationally varying drive system preferences and the respective general conditions.
All Volkswagen models with 4-cylinder diesel engines (TDI) delivered since the end of June this year (CW 25/21) are approved for operation with paraffinic diesel fuels in accordance with European standard EN 15940. Prof. Thomas Garbe, Head of Petrol and Diesel Fuels at Volkswagen, explains: “Through the use of environmentally friendly fuels in the approved Volkswagen models, we are making it possible for customers throughout Europe to significantly reduce their CO2 emissions as soon as the fuel is locally available. For example, the use of paraffinic fuels is a sensible additional option particularly for companies with a mixed fleet made up of models with electric and conventional drives.”
There is a wide range of different paraffinic fuels. There are fuels that are produced from biological residual and waste materials such as HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), for example. These vegetable oils are converted into hydrocarbons by a reaction with hydrogen and can be added to the diesel fuel in any quantities. They can also be used 100 percent as fuels, however. Vegetable oils such as rapeseed oil can also be used for production of HVO, but the maximum environmental benefit is obtained only through use of biological residual and waste materials such as used cooking oil, sawdust, etc. Biofuels such as HVO are already available on the market, and it is likely that their share could increase to 20 to 30 percent in the energy market for road transport in Europe within the next ten years.
Majority of motorists putting themselves at risk of drink driving
A survey commissioned by the UK’s leading independent road safety charity, IAM RoadSmart, has revealed that the majority of motorists are unaware of the amount of alcohol that will tip them over the limit, while half admit they are prepared to drive the morning after festive drinks or their Christmas party.
Indeed, of over 1,000 motorists surveyed, 50% confessed they were likely to get behind the wheel the next morning following festive drinks, even though it takes many hours before large amounts of alcohol leave the blood stream.
Perhaps even more worryingly, when respondents were asked how many micrograms of alcohol are permitted in 100 millilitres of breath before they would fail a police breathalyser, on average, the answer was 52. This is despite the fact the actual threshold is only 35 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath.
These admissions have concerned IAM RoadSmart, leading the charity to call for drivers to take more responsibility this festive period, plan ahead and be extra careful.
Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at IAM RoadSmart, commented: “Drinking and driving simply does not mix and every driver should plan to leave the keys at home rather than face a fine, lengthy ban or time in a police cell.
“Worryingly, the research also highlights that there is still real ignorance regarding how much alcohol is enough before it is illegal to drive. Although motorists may well think they know how many drinks will typically tip them over the limit, individual characteristics such as body weight, food consumption, gender and metabolism will also determine the reading.
“So, if you’re planning to drink alcohol at a Christmas celebration, do not try to calculate whether or not you are over the limit. It is always best to make it none for the road.”
The charity has also reiterated its plea to the government to roll out a smarter package of longer-term measures to help drive down the number of drink drivers on Britain’s roads into the new year. This includes a lower drink-drive limit to reinforce good behaviour, fast-track of evidential roadside testing machines to release police resources and tailored approaches to help drivers with alcohol problems.
Neil concluded with a warning for those considering getting behind the wheel this festive season: “A prosecution for drink driving this month will not only ruin your Christmas but also impact the rest of your life through public humiliation, loss of job, family break up and a criminal record. At IAM RoadSmart we estimate that last drink that takes you over the limit could cost you up to £70,000! If that isn’t a sobering thought then nothing is.”
