Autocar UK – 28 August 2019

NEWS

12 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 28 AUGUST 2019

CONFIDENTIAL

SALES OF ALFA Romeo’s

critically well-received

Giulia are not strong,

saloons being a declining

segment – and FCA’s

European design boss Klaus

Busse says Alfa is already

thinking about what kind

of vehicle might replace it.

“We have an idea, but it’s too

early to share,” he said.

AUDI EXTERIOR DESIGN

chief Andreas Mindt said

the E-tron GT, the fi rm’s

Tesla Model S-rivalling

fl agship electric saloon, is

a “miracle”, owing to its

short development time. He

added that “our competitors

will be shocked” by

the performance of the

production version, due next

year with Porsche Taycan

underpinnings.

PININFARINA BOSS

Michael Perschke reckons

the forthcoming 1900bhp

Battista EV shouldn’t be

compared with track-

focused machines such as

the Aston Martin Valkyrie.

Perschke said the Valkyrie

is “designed with a different

purpose: it’s a collector’s

item for crazy guys who

want a track tool, but are

probably never going to use

it to its best. Our purpose

is to give you a car you can

drive on a daily basis and,

if you want to go on a race

track and clock more than

200mph, it’s doable.”

VOLKSWAGEN IS

converting its Zwickau

factory in Germany from

Golf and Passat assembly

into its fi rst home for electric

car production. The site

should be ready in the next

couple of months. In time,

up t o 330, 0 0 0 e le c t r ic c a r s

a year will be built there

for VW, Audi and Seat, the

fi rst being the VW ID hatch

due next year.

I-Pace SVR ‘will happen’

Hot version of Jaguar’s electric SUV is a certainty, says SVO’s boss

T

h e b o s s of Ja g u a r ’s

Special Vehicle

Operations arm has said

i t ’s a q u e sti o n of “ w h e n ,

not if” the firm builds an

SVR version of the I-Pace

battery-electric SUV.

Michael van der Sande

made the admission to Autocar,

despite also acknowledging

that a timeline and official

development plan for the

car is not yet in place. SVO is

prioritising the roll-out of more

volume-focused models.

SVO already develops

and builds the Jaguar I-Pace

eTrophy race cars that support

the Formula E electric race

series. “Those cars all come

from our base in Oxford Road,”

said van der Sande, “and

they’ve taught us a lot. By the

time you fit the roll-cage and

race kit, they’re only slightly

lighter than standard.

“But the battery’s duty

cycle is very different in racing.

We’ve already learned plenty

about battery management,

heat management and software

development that could be

useful for road cars. When the

call comes, we’ll be ready.”

The eTrophy race car

produces no more power than

the road-going I-Pace. The

bulk of changes are instead

focused on the chassis. But if

given the green light, it’s likely

SVO would look to uprate the

existing car’s 395bhp output to

bring the 0-62mph time down

significantly from 4.8sec.

Such a move would give it the

sprinting pace to give Tesla’s

latest crop of Performance-

badged variants a run for their

money. Alongside chassis

modifications and sporty

styling revisions, it would

increase the desirability among

enthusiasts, who may feel they

aren’t being catered for by the

current crop of electric SUVs.

A decision would hinge on

the I-Pace’s sales performance

• particularly the mix of higher-

spec trim grades leaving

showrooms. Jaguar shifted

over 9000 examples globally in

the first half of this year.

Van der Sande believes

making a success of

electrification will be Jaguar

Land Rover’s major challenge

for the next five years. He said

he “absolutely sees” a mix

of propulsion technologies

in use, starting with a plug-in

hybrid version of the Range

Rover SVAutobiography

to accompany the current

supercharged V8.

“Our most luxurious, long-

wheelbase Range Rover is

often used in urban conditions

and sells in markets where the

owner travels in the back,” he

said. “So the concept makes

a lot of sense.” SVO built or

modified around 6000 cars in

2018, he added.

STEVE CROPLEY

I-Pace eTrophy: new

tech proving ground

for hot road version

HYUNDAI SADDLES UP OLD PONY AS INSPIRATION FOR LATEST CONCEPT CAR

Hyundai’s Frankfurt motor show star is an electric concept called the 45,

previewed in this first official image. Named to mark the launch in 1974 of the

brand’s first production car, the Pony, it takes design inspiration from that model.

It features a retro-style LED rear light

bar that displays a matrix animation on

start-up and is said to “act as a symbolic

milestone for Hyundai’s future EV

design”. It doesn’t preview a particular

future model, though.

The 45 will appear alongside an all-

new i10 city car and a not-for-UK special

i30 N called the Project C (see p15).

New 45 concept will be unveiled next month at the Frankfurt show