NEWS
24 APRIL 2 019 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13
CONFIDENTIAL
SEAT CEO LUCA de
Meo sees the current
state of public EV
charging as a chicken
and egg situation but isconfi dent governments
and car makers will
align eventually. “The
infrastructure leaders are
waiting for us to prove
electric cars work and we
are saying if we don’t have
the infrastructure, we can’t
sell enough cars. We know
there’ll be a market for them.”
MERCEDES-AMG’S
fl agship hypercar, the One,
has reportedly been delayed
while the company works
to fi t a particulate fi lter – to
ensure WLTP emissions
certifi cation – without
dropping the power output
below 1000bhp. AMG boss
Tobias Moers admitted
the problem to Autocar but
said there has been “great
progress” in implementing
a fi x. “We’re fi guring out
when the fi rst customerswill get their cars in the next
few weeks,” Moers said.
AUDI RECKONS SHARED
autonomous cars could
revolutionise takeaways –
b y a r r i v i n g w it h y ou r fo o d
already on board. The fi rm’s
AI:ME urban concept car
features a food storage unit
and subscribers can request
a car and food using an app.
The autonomous car stops at
the restaurant and is loaded
up with the food en route to
arriving for use.AFTER ANNOUNCING IT
will pull the plug on Europe
later this year, Infi niti is
betting the farm on China.
At the Shanghai motor show,
the brand said it will build
its fi rst electrifi ed model in
China, for China. Its target
is to triple sales in China in
the next fi ve years with a
number of locally made cars.
Fastest open-top Aston yet
New DBS Superleggera Volante runs to 211mph; 0-100mph in 6.7sec
A
ston Martin has revealed
the fastest convertible in
its history: the new DBS
Superleggera Volante.Capable of hitting 211mph
- identical to the hard-top
DBS – the British firm’s newest
addition is available to order
n ow, p r i ce d fr o m £ 2 47, 5 0 0.
That headline figure is
£22,500 more than the coupé,
but Aston claims the “extra
level of sensory overload that
only an open-top super-GT can
deliver” justifies the premium.
The roof itself is the most
a d va n ce d s of t- to p th e fi r m h a s
produced, with eight layers
of insulation and the ability
to fully open it in 14sec – frominside the car or via the remote.
The mechanism is said
to have been put through
more than 100,000 cycles in
development in everywhere
from Nevada’s Death Valley to
the Arctic Circle.
The roof compresses to a
claimed class-leading height of
26cm in the boot, maximising
luggage space. The soft-top
is available in eight exterior
colours, with six interior
headliners.
The DBS Superleggera
Volante weighs 170kg more
than the coupé, at 1863kg,
which marginally affects
acceleration. Aston claims
a 0-62mph time two-tenths
slower (3.6sec) and a
0-100mph time three-tenths
slower (6.7sec) than the
coupé’s. The twin-turbocharged
5.2-litre V12 produces an
identical 715bhp and 664lb ft.
Official fuel economy is
reduced from the 22.9mpg of
the coupé to 20.1mpg under the
WLTP test.
Aside from the roof, the
rest of the Volante’s interior
is broadly identical to the
coupé’s. However, Aston
has revised the car’s rear
profile – in particular the rear
diffuser – to compensate for
any aerodynamic losses from
the soft-top. As a result, it
produces 177kg of downforce –
3kg less than the coupé.
LAWRENCE ALLAN
Re a r d i f fu se r h a s b e e n r ev i se d
Exclusive insight into new Lotus hypercar
AFTER LOTUS LAST week
confirmed it is in the advanced
stages of developing an all-
electric hypercar called Type130, Autocar has been given
an exclusive walk-around of
a full-sized clay model at the
firm’s Hethel base.
Lotus design director
Russell Carr said the Type
130 is a similar length to the
4.4m-long Evora but will sit
closer to the ground and have
a track nearly 2.0m wide. It
uses a carbonfibre structure
and will be built in Hethel away
from the company’s main line.
The cabin section adopts
a teardrop shape for
aerodynamic purposes, but
Carr claimed there will bem o r e r o o m i n s i d e th a n i n a
Ford GT. Two substantial air
tunnels in the rear bodywork,
with the tail-lights integrated
around them, are inspired by
the Venturi tunnels of Le Mans
prototype cars.
The battery pack will be
positioned entirely behind the
occupants, with drive sent to
all four wheels. Both the pack
and the pushrod-operated
rear suspension will be visible
beneath a transparent cover.
Downforce will be generated
from a large underbody
diffuser, alongside movable
wing elements and a drag
reduction system.
Carr said: “ We don’t want
people to think it’s a stripped-
out track-day monster. It will
be much more practical than
that. But equally, we don’t
want to make a Bugatti.”
The car will be unveiled in
London later this year, with
fewer than 50 units available
to order soon after.
DBS Superleggera
Volante is on sale
now from £247,Electric hypercar
will house its battery
pack aft of the cabin