BMW in surprise Platinum Jubilee in-car animation

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June 2, 2022

BMW has announced that millions of cars across the UK will receive a special animation to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.

Vehicles equipped with BMW’s latest multimedia operating system will have the chance to view the limited-edition ‘Easter Egg’ during the four-day weekend.

The celebratory animation is made possible by BMW’s use of ‘over-the-air’ updates, allowing its in-car operating system to be remotely upgraded.

A right royal celebration

BMW will make the Platinum Jubilee animation available to drivers of cars equipped with Operating System 7 and 8 software.

Between Thursday 2 June and Sunday 5 June, drivers will be presented with a special banner in the Control Display screen. Selecting the banner will launch the full-screen Jubilee animation.

The animation begins with a rendering of the Giant’s Causeway, and moves through the UK from Tenby, to the Scottish Highlands. It ends in London, showing scenes of a Platinum Jubilee street party.

Complete software customisation

BMW describes the special animation as bringing the chosen ‘locations to life’, and hopes that it ‘embodies the atmosphere of the Platinum Jubilee’.

As one of the first manufacturers to launch ‘over-the-air’ updates with the X7 SUV, BMW has expanded the ability to modify and update its operating system.

Today, more than 3.3 million BMW vehicles around the world use the latest Operating System 7 or 8 software.

This allows BMW to modify every single line of programming code in compatible vehicles, creating the ability to add new features or upgrade existing ones. Customers can also pay to install extra functionality, or simply activate them for a limited period of time.

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Fiat to pull ALL non-electrified vehicles in the UK

Fiat to pull ALL non-electrified new vehicles in the UK

By

John Redfern

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June 1, 2022

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Fiat has made a commitment to only selling vehicles in the UK that offer an electrified drivetrain.

Set to take effect from 1st July 2022, every new car in the UK Fiat range will offer electrification in some format.

This will see options span from full battery electric models, through to vehicles with mild-hybrid technology.

All electrified bases covered

Fiat’s path to complete electrification began with the launch of the 500 Hybrid and Panda Hybrid.

Both models make use of the 1.0-litre three-cylinder ‘Firefly’ engine, which features a mild-hybrid system. Delivering 69hp, it replaces the previous 1.2-litre ‘Fire’ engine.

The New Fiat 500 was designed to be a full-electric vehicle from the start, with two battery options available. With the larger 42kWh battery chosen, it allows the New 500 to cover up to 199 miles between charges.

Finally, this year saw Fiat launch the Tipo Hybrid and 500X Hybrid. These models include 48-volt mild-hybrid capabilities, connected to a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine.

New 500 leading the charge

The motivation for Fiat’s move to a fully electrified model range can be found in the success of the New 500 EV. It has become the best-selling electric car in 11 countries, including both Italy and France.

Being the second best-selling electric car in any segment in Europe, behind only Tesla, is a considerable achievement, too.

Greg Taylor, Fiat and Abarth UK MD, commented: “This step in Fiat’s history marks a pivotal point in our commitment to providing affordable and sustainable mobility solutions for all of our customers.

“The move lends itself to our vehicles which are suited to urban areas, spearheaded by the popularity of the New 500.”

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Volkswagen ID. Buzz prices start from £57,115 – and pre-booking is now open

By

Richard Aucock

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June 1, 2022

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Volkswagen has revealed ID. Buzz prices will start from £57,115 – and those keen to secure one of the first pure electric five-seat people carriers in the UK can now pre-book a place in the queue.

A £2,000 pre-booking fee can be placed with a Volkswagen Commercial Vehicle dealer between now and 30 June.

Pre-booking is only available on the passenger version, not the Cargo van variant.

All launch models will use a 77kWh battery, driving a rear-mounted 204hp engine. They will have an electric driving range of up to 258 miles.

The launch line-up will comprise Style and Life versions, alongside a bespoke 1^st Edition model.

Life will cost £57,115, with Style priced at £61,915 and the 1^st Edition costing £62,995.

Further variants will follow later.

Official ordering will open in July 2022; Volkswagen hasn’t yet confirmed when deliveries will commence.

The first pure electric model from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, the ID. Buzz uses the same MEB architecture already seen in the ID.3 and ID.4. It slots into the range below the recent all-new Multivan.

To keep eco-minded fans of the original Volkswagen T1 happy, the interior is entirely leather-free and made from recycled synthetic materials.

Battery housings and wheels are made from ‘green’ aluminium, while even the tyres come from a low-emission factory.

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Jaguar F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 is a Le Mans victory tribute

By

Richard Aucock

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June 1, 2022

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The Jaguar F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 is a £101k limited edition built to celebrate the firm’s triumph at the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Coventry firm will build 394 models – one to mark every lap completed by the winning Jaguar XJR-9 LM.

Each will be finished in bespoke Midnight Amethyst paint, with Champagne Gold forged alloy wheels and Sunset Gold accents for the door mirrors, brake calipers, and ‘R’ on the ‘SVR’ badge.

These reference the famous ‘Silk Cut’ livery of the XJR-9 LM.

“The paintwork appears black until its amethyst undertones are revealed in bright sunshine,” said SVO creative director Richard Woolley.

“To achieve this dramatic ultra metallic gloss finish, we assessed more than 40 variations to create the desired depth of colour.”

There’s more Sunset Gold inside, for dashboard detailing, steering wheel spokes and gearshift paddles.

Jaguar has fitted open-pore carbon fibre finishers, and semi-aniline Ebony leather upholstery with ‘Edition 1988’ script.

All Jaguar F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 will use the F-Pace SVR’s 550hp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine, one that’s good for 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds, and a 178mph top speed.

Jaguar adds the Pivi Pro infotainment system now includes ultra-precise what3words navigation: “Type the words ‘wins.report.miracle’ to arrive at the main entrance of the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans.”

Ordering is open now with prices from £101,550.

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Mercedes-AMG One to debut at 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed

By

Richard Aucock

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June 1, 2022

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The Mercedes-AMG One hypercar has been officially revealed ahead of deliveries beginning later this year – and the company has confirmed it will make its dynamic public debut at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed on 23 to 26 June.

A car that brings Formula 1 hybrid engine technology to the road for the first time, the Mercedes-AMG One boasts a 1,063hp output from its 1.6-litre V6 engine – derived from exactly the same motor that sits behind Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – and four electric motors.

Impressively, it also officially averages 32.5mpg and emits less than 200g/km CO2.

The engine has been developed in partnership with the Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains F1 division in Brixworth, Northampton. The F1 division, based in Brackley, has also aided development of the One – making its British dynamic debut a fitting one.

“With the Mercedes-AMG One, we have more than pushed the envelope,” said the division’s chairman Phillipp Schiemer.

“The immense technical challenges of making a modern Formula 1 powertrain suitable for everyday road use have undoubtedly pushed us to our limits.

“Many had thought that the project would be impossible to implement. Nevertheless, the teams never gave up.”

Mercedes-AMG technical director Jochen Hermann added the project “was partly a curse and a blessing at the same time – but we have walked the stony path”.

F1 engine in a road car

The 1.6-litre V6 hybrid engine revs to a fruity 11,000rpm – although this is deliberately below the F1 rev limit, both for durability and to ensure it can use regular super plus pump fuel.

It has a high-tech turbocharger, with a split gas turbine and compressor, which are connected by a shaft, onto which a 122hp electric motor is mounted.

This motor actually drives the turbo before the exhaust gas flow takes over – which is why Mercedes-AMG calls the response “lightning-quick… faster than a naturally aspirated V8 engine”.

It has four electronically-heated exhaust catalytic converters, which help the engine comply with strict Euro 6 ‘real driving conditions’ emissions.

This strict test is a challenge for even the most mundane of humble hatchbacks: for a 1,063hp engine originally designed for F1 use to achieve it is little short of remarkable.

Plug-in hybrid technology gives a pure EV driving range of just over 11 miles. It also helps the Mercedes-AMG One deliver its impressive fuel economy and low test cycle emissions.

As for performance, 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds is claimed, with 0-124mph in 7.0 seconds. The top speed is limited to 219mph – which still makes it the fastest Mercedes-AMG road car ever built.

Here’s to seeing this incredible car in action for the first time on the famous Goodwood hill later this month.

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Car ownership dips as motorists switch to vans

By

Richard Aucock

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May 31, 2022

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Car ownership in Britain has dipped for the second year running – the first consecutive fall in more than 100 years.

There were just over 35 million cars in use on British roads in 2021, a 0.2 percent decline over 2020.

However, while car ownership is falling, overall vehicles in use on British roads still increased 0.4 percent, to 40.5 million.

A 4.3 percent increase in the number of vans in use, to 4.8 million, is driving this.

Last year, the Ford Transit Custom was actually the best-selling vehicle overall in Britain – beating every other car.

The trend is continuing into 2022, with year-to-date sales of over 17,000 vehicles: the leading car is the Vauxhall Corsa, with almost 4,400 fewer registrations.

Overall, there are almost 5.5 million commercial vehicles in use – including buses, trucks and coaches – which is a record high.

More EVs – and older cars

Electric vehicle use rocketed 71 percent in 2021, to almost 750k cars, vans, buses and trucks.

Figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) show there are 720k electric cars, almost 27k electric vans, 993 electric buses – and 313 EV trucks in use.

“Britain’s switch to electric vehicles continues to gather pace with a record 1 in 5 new car registrations now plug-ins,” said SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes.

“However they still only represent 1 in 50 cars on the road.”

There is also a north-south divide, with a third of all plug-in cars registered in London and the South East – representing 3 percent of all cars.

In contrast, just 1.5 percent of cars in the West Midlands are plug-in, and 0.9 percent in the North East.

“There is significant ground to cover if we are to fully decarbonise road transport at pace.”

Brits are also holding onto their vehicles for longer, due to pandemic-related disruptions. The average car is now 8.7 years old, more than a year older than the average in 2011.

Nearly 1 in 4 cars on the road in Britain are aged more than 13 years.

“With fleet renewal essential to net zero,” said Mr Hawes, “we must build consumer confidence in the economy and, for drivers, confidence in the charging infrastructure to get the transition into top gear.”

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Eight-seat Land Rover Defender 130 revealed

By

Richard Aucock

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May 31, 2022

0

Land Rover has revealed an even longer Defender 130 variant with seating for up to eight thanks to a three-person third-row bench.

No large SUV rival can seat more than seven.

Measuring 5,358mm long, the Defender 130 is an imposing machine indeed: it’s also over two metres wide even with the door mirrors folded, and nearly two metres tall.

The wheelbase alone is more than 300mm longer than a Smart EQ Fortwo.

The extra 340mm behind the rear wheels not only liberates the extra space (the passengers six to eight even get their own climate control zone), but also yields a huge 2,516-litre boot when the third row is folded.

With all eight seats occupied, the boot measures 389 litres – bigger than a Volkswagen Golf.

Prices start from £73,895 and the Defender 130 will be offered with a D300 300hp 3.0-litre straight-six diesel, or a choice of P300 300hp 3.0-litre straight-six petrol, alongside the more powerful P400 version – which, in top-spec P400 X grade, costs over £100k.

All three engines have fuel-saving mild hybrid tech.

Defender 90, 110 and 130

Although the Defender 130 won’t be as agile off-road as the smaller 90 and 110, Land Rover insists it’s still capable, thanks to a ‘boat tail-style uplift’ to the rear that improves the departure angle to 28.5 degrees.

This helps avoid the rear end dragging on the ground when driving up steep inclines.

All versions get standard air suspension, and the wading depth remains an impressive 900mm.

Every Defender 130 features a standard panoramic glass roof, to make things light and airy inside.

The seat rows are raised, ‘stadium-style’, as you move rearwards, helping improve visibility, and third row passengers even enjoy heated seats and USB-C sockets.

Up front, Land Rover fits the larger 11.4-inch Pivo Pro infotainment system first seen on the Defender V8. It has a curved glass interface and Tesla-style over-the-air updates.

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Platinum Jubilee weekend to bring 20 million car journeys – and jams

By

John Redfern

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May 31, 2022

0

New research by RAC Breakdown suggests that UK drivers will make an estimated 19.5 million leisure trips for the Platinum Jubilee weekend.

With an extra-long bank holiday coinciding with the half-term school break, the combination could lead to traffic jams on key routes.

This comes despite many drivers opting to stay closer to home, citing increased fuel costs as a factor to cut journey distances.

The great Friday getaway

Having surveyed almost 1,500 drivers, the RAC believes Bank Holiday Friday (3 June) will be the busiest day of the week on the roads.

An estimated 3.6 million drivers are expected to make trips, with 3.3 million set to do the same on Bank Holiday Thursday.

A further 5 million drivers will make leisure trips at some point during the Bank Holiday weekend, adding to the expected traffic.

Transport experts INRIX have predicted that the M25, M5 southbound, A303, and the A720 Edinburgh city bypass, are the roads likely to attract the most congestion.

Weather and fuel prices dictating choices

However, separate research undertaken by the RAC found that 37 percent of drivers will be keeping things local for the Platinum Jubilee weekend. High fuel prices will be a factor for 11 percent of drivers choosing to stay at home.

In typical British fashion, just over a quarter of drivers (26 percent) said they will only be making a leisure trip in the event of good weather.

RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Drivers clearly see a double bank holiday this close to the summer as a gift with so millions eager to make the most of it – although many appear keen to keep their car journeys short, perhaps mixing a daytrip or two with a Jubilee celebration at home.

“The fact the bank holidays coincide with the end of half-term in many places has the potential to put some extra pressure on the road network, so planning a journey carefully is important to beat the worst of any queues.”

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Hellucination is the latest crazy Dodge Charger from SpeedKore

By

John Redfern

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May 30, 2022

0

SpeedKore, the Wisconsin-based performance company, has created another amazing classic Dodge Charger with a huge engine.

Branded ‘Hellucination’, the 1968 Charger features a bespoke SpeedKore frame, combined with a lightweight carbon fiber body.

The formidable machine has been built for Ralph Gilles, the current chief design officer for Stellantis. It meant Gilles had a direct hand in working with SpeedKore to perfect the design for Hellucination.

Light on weight, heavy on power

SpeedKore has fitted Hellucination with the supercharged 7.0-liter Hemi V-8 ‘Hellephant’ motor, offering a formidable 1,000 horsepower. This uses a modern eight-speed automatic transmission to send all that power to the rear wheels.

Penske adjustable coilover suspension has been installed, along with huge six-piston Brembo brakes. HRE has supplied custom wheels for Hellucination, with these wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber.

However, the star of the show is the carbon fiber bodywork, with the lightweight material being used for the floor and wheel tubs.

A front-hinged hood is also made from carbon fiber, with SpeedKore adding bespoke front and rear bumpers, a front splitter, and custom LED lighting.

Sit down and strap in!

All of the carbon fiber exterior trim is left exposed, covered with a BASF clear coat. More carbon can be found on the inside of Hellucination, having been used for the dashboard and door panels.

This classic Charger has been made into a two-seater machine, with a pair of carbon fiber bucket seats fitted with racing harnesses.

New dashboard gauges have been supplied by Classic Instruments, with SpeedKore adding a custom center console. For a touch of luxury, a 2000-watt Kicker audio system has been installed, featuring a dual-subwoofer enclosure.

A study in design detail

Hellucination represents the latest Charger to be built by SpeedKore using the infamous Hellephant engine. Last year, the company unveiled another 1,000 horsepower machine made for Kevin Hart.

Having seen the completed car, Ralph Gilles commented: ”I have thoroughly enjoyed the process with SpeedKore over the last two years, working together and thoughtfully debating the countless details of this build”.

Gilles added: “Growing up watching a certain orange car doing amazing things on TV as a kid started a love affair with the Dodge Charger and Mopar. The ‘68 embodies so many fascinating details and amplifies the Dodge ethos perfectly. We still use it as a spiritual reference to this day as we design the next generation of performance cars.

“The car is as visceral to drive as it is to look at. It has deliciously precise steering and an abundance of lateral grip that allow me to truly put it through its paces.”

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2022 British Motor Show to be the greenest ever

By

Richard Aucock

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May 30, 2022

0

The 2022 British Motor Show aims to be the greenest motor show ever thanks to a series of eco initiatives.

Uniquely, every vehicle associated with the British Motor Show, held at Farnborough International on August 18-21, will be run on sustainable biofuel.

This will include support vehicles, shuttle vehicles and cars used in live events and test drives.

The petrol and diesel will be supplied by fuel provider Coryton: its Sustain brand of sustainable biofuel is made from agricultural waste.

The company produces more than 4,000 unique blends of fuel each year, powering race cars, jet engines and thousands of road vehicles, including retro classics.

Minimal carbon output

“We want to create a show with minimal carbon output and show that ICE-powered vehicles can be environmentally friendly right now,” said show CEO Andy Entwistle.

“It’s especially important for those who cherish their classic cars or cannot yet afford a new EV.”

British Motor Show organisers will also offset the carbon output of every show visitor, further underlining its green credentials.

Electric cars are to feature heavily throughout the show, including a range of electrified classics.

More than 70,000 visitors are expected at the four-day show, with ticket prices starting from £18.50 or £37 for a family of four.

Prices have been held from last year, added Mr Entwistle, making the 2022 British Motor Show an inflation-busting one, as well as an eco-friendly event.

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