Zenvo has revealed a final, ‘low-drag’ version of its TS model: the TSR-GT. With aero wheel discs and an elogated rear spoiler, the Danish hypercar can reach a top speed of 263mph.

The luxurious, less track-focused TSR-GT is a last hurrah for the TS series after six years in production. Zenvo plans to launch a new hybrid hypercar in autumn 2023.

Only three examples of the TSR-GT will be made – and all have already been sold. The price hasn’t been published, but reckon on at least £1.5 million.

Spoiler alert

The mid-mounted, twin-supercharged V8 of the TSR-GT is fitted with the new TS Power Pack. This increases output from 1,193hp in a ‘standard’ TSR-S to 1,379hp here.

Driving the rear wheels via a brutally quick sequential gearbox with helical-cut dog gears, it blasts the Zenvo to 62mph in less than three seconds.

The new rear spoiler is hand-made from pre-preg carbon fibre, and replaces the unique ‘centripetal’ wing of the TSR-S. The latter item can tilt while cornering to boost downforce, and also flips up to function as an airbrake.

The GT’s wing is fixed and designed to reduce drag – helping towards that headline-grabbing 263mph top speed (up from 202mph in the TSR-S).

Young, wild and Schmee

Inside, the GT swaps the raw, racecar feel of its siblings for a more comfortable and refined environment. There’s leather instead of Alcantara on the seats, dashboard and steering wheel, along with ‘noise reducing’ mats to cover the carbon fibre floor.

Zenvo chairman Jens Sverdrup, who joined from American hypercar marque Czinger in 2021, said: “A new era for Zenvo beckons, but before then, we’ve created our interpretation of a GT variant of the TS platform. We’ll make just three models, all of which are allocated to global collectors, much like Tim Burton’s [AKA YouTuber Schmee150’s] TSR-S, which he took delivery of in August.

“The final edition of the TS Zenvo platform – the TSR-GT – warrants a drastic styling change, yet remains in keeping with the traditional Zenvo aesthetic. This is a fitting addition to the TS platform, which has spanned across four models. Originally established in 2016, it has created the race-only TSR, TS1 GT and famed TSR-S hypercars.”

Perfect power-to-weight

So what comes next? Speaking to us in an interview for Robb Report last year, Zenvo founder Troels Vollertsen confirmed the forthcoming new car is a hybrid, rather than fully electric.

“It will be an ultra-lightweight car for road or track use,” he explained. “It’s a clean-sheet design, albeit with recognisable Zenvo DNA. Hybrid tech opens up a lot of possibilities. The batteries will offer extra boost and energy recuperation, while the electric motor also acts as a starter generator and reverse gear.

“We are running a test mule with a hybrid gearbox at the moment, and working on rear- and four-wheel-drive versions of the platform. I don’t have any figures, but we’re aiming for a power-to-weight ratio of one horsepower per kilogram.”

We’ll be following the Zenvo story closely in 2023. One thing seems certain, however: this small company from Praesto, near Copenhagen, certainly isn’t slowing down.

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Forget gull wings or falcon wings, these are elytra wing doors – and they set the new Aehra SUV apart from anything else. With all four doors aloft, it looks like a flight-of-fantasy concept car, yet this luxurious EV will be available to order soon. 

Based in Milan, and boasting several notable ex-employees from Ferrari and Lamborghini on its payroll, Aehra is a completely new ‘ultra-premium’ electric car brand.

It has a ‘manifesto of eco-sustainability’, coupled with a focus on futuristic design. The SUV’s entire body is made from recycled carbon fibre composite (only the crash structures are aluminium), while its low-slung lines are said to deliver class-leading aerodynamics.

Think outside the box

To say the Aehra (pronounced ‘eye-air-ra’) looks more elegant than any of its rivals sounds like damning with faint praise, but its low nose, sweeping roofline and very short overhangs are far removed from the stocky, slab-sided SUV norm.

Standout details include active front and rear spoilers, distinctive LED light strips and elegant rear-view mirror cameras – the latter inspired by the winglets on Moto GP racing bikes.

Chief designer Filippo Perini, who has the Lamborghini Aventador and Huracan on his CV, says: “For the first time in my career, we started with a blank sheet of paper. Our design language is driven by the air. Everything on the car has to be functional, otherwise it’s just decoration.”

Aehra is targeting a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.21. For context, the Mercedes-Benz EQS, currently the world’s most aerodynamic production car, has a Cd of 0.20.

Inner space

As for those doors, they emulate the forewing shells of flying beetles, known as elytra. They open electrically, cutting into the roof to aid access.

Step inside and Aehra claims that ‘four NBA-size players’ can travel in comfort, aided by a lengthy three-metre wheelbase (similar to the stretched ‘Li’ version of a BMW 7 Series) and the packaging freedoms afforded by an EV. The rear seats recline like those aboard a private jet.

We haven’t been granted a glimpse of the interior yet, but expect a large screen and plenty of patented tech. CEO Hazim Nada – a former oil trader turned EV evangelist – says the company is working on “a new type of HMI [human machine interface] system”.

‘A gran turismo experience’

Details about the Aehra’s drivetrain are also limited so far. Nada says it will have “two or three electric motors” and a power output of between 750hp and 815hp. “The barrier of entry to extremely high power has come down,” he says, “but we think 1,000hp+ makes very little sense.”

With a battery size of around 120kWh, the SUV also has a target range of 500 miles – longer than any EV currently on sale. Weight is also said to be “20 percent less than comparable cars”, at less than 2,000kg.

The SUV will employ four-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension to deliver a “gran turismo experience,” says Perini. “It’s a car you’d drive from A to A, just for fun.” Its soundtrack, we’re told, will emphasise the noise of the electric motors and components, rather than creating an artificial sound.

Countdown to 2025

Interestingly, the SUV doesn’t have a model name – it’s simply ‘the Aehra’. That could get confusing when the fully electric Aehra saloon comes along, due to be revealed in February next year.

The two vehicles share 70 percent of their components, and first deliveries for both are expected in 2025. Nada quotes an ambitious target of 15,000-25,000 sales annually for each model.

The SUV will cost upwards of £140,000, putting it up against the Lotus Eletre, Tesla Model X Lamborghini Urus and Aston Martin DBX. If it lives up to the promise of its looks, the establishment will have cause to worry.

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A litre of diesel rose by more than 10p during October 2022 – meaning it once again costs more than £100 to fill a tank of diesel.

The average litre of diesel now costs 190.5p, up from 180.3p at the start of the month.

It means the price of a tankful of diesel rose by more than £5 in a single month.

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Petrol prices rose too, according to RAC Fuel Watch data, but ‘only’ by 4p a litre; the average litre of unleaded costs £166.3p.

The gap between forecourt prices of diesel and petrol reached an all-time high of 24p a litre during October.

Severe shock

“After three months of falling fuel prices, October was a severe shock to the system,” said RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams.

“Oil producer group OPEC+’s decision to cut supply by two million barrels a day has cost drivers dear.

“The fear now, particularly for diesel drivers, is whether the average price of a litre is heading back to the record 199.09p, which made a full tank cost more than £109.”

The RAC, however, is hoping that prices should now stabilise – and petrol prices may actually start to fall again.

Williams also urged motorists to always seek out the cheapest fuel in their area… and not assume supermarkets are always the cheapest: “The big four are currently only a penny cheaper for petrol than the UK average.”

He advised motorists might consider checking out Costco, where petrol and diesel are currently 12p and 14p a litre lower than the UK averages.

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Ford Fiesta production to end in 2023

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Ford Fiesta production is to cease by the end of July 2023, the company has officially confirmed today.

The long-running British best-seller was first launched in 1976 and has since developed across 47 years and nine generations.

However, there will not be a 10th generation Ford Fiesta, as the company accelerates its electrification strategy.

Watch: It’s time to say #FarewellFiesta

Ford says all its passenger vehicles will be purely electric by 2030 – and all Fords, including commercial vehicles such as the Transit van range – will be EVs by 2035.

As well as Ford Fiesta production ending at the factory in Cologne, Germany next summer, the Ford S-Max and Ford Galaxy people carriers will also cease production in April 2023.

“We will introduce three new exciting electric passenger vehicles and four new electric commercial vehicles in Europe by 2024,” says Ford. “We plan to sell more than 600,000 electric vehicles in the region by 2026.

“The electric passenger vehicle production at the Cologne Electrification Centre will reach 1.2 million vehicles over a six-year timeframe.”

‘End of an era’

Ford Model e general manager Martin Sander said that, although the Ford Fiesta era ends next summer, “another is just starting”.

He continued: “Farewell Fiesta, it’s time to say goodbye to the little car that has touched us all – thanks for the memories. But honestly, I can’t wait to show you what we’ve got coming… stay tuned!”

Used Ford Fiesta facts

On Auto Trader, the UK’s largest used car marketplace, the Ford Fiesta is the most advertised car of all, with 108k separate listings. Next up is the Volkswagn Golf, way back on 86k ads.

This underlines how much Britain loves the Ford Fiesta – at any one time, says Auto Trader, there are on average well over 10,000 Ford Fiestas for sale.

In the year to September 2022, Auto Trader visitors have fiewed more than 43 million individual used Ford Fiesta adverts.

And the average price of a used Ford Fiesta? Just under £11,000.

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