Dear Renault, a cautionary rally icon tale
2003: Lancia resurrects the Fulvia
Everyone falls in love with it
Lancia doesn’t build it
2026: Renault resurrects the 8 Gordini
Please, Renault. Don’t do a Lancia. Build the damn thing ...
@renaultgroup
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Plot twist ...
The Chinese are handing out awards to the Germans for EV tech
BMW’s Gen6 battery has won the “Global New Energy Vehicle Innovative Technology” award at China’s World New Energy Vehicle Congress
@BMWGroup
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The five class winners for Germany's 2027 Car of the Year award have been announced:
VW ID. Polo — Budget
Kia PV5 — Compact
Mercedes-Benz GLC EV — Premium
XPeng X9 — Luxury
Hyundai Ioniq 6 N — Performance
All five are electric ...
Overall winner to be announced Nov 2
#GCOTY
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This might be more important than another 1000bhp EV
Volkswagen Mission Efficiency:
0.158 Cd
6.89kWh/100km
54.9kWh battery
1278km road trip
One charging stop
164km remaining
Above 80km/h, it uses 30% less energy than an ID. Polo
Efficiency is performance too
@VWGroup
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BMW isn’t giving up on hydrogen. Quite the opposite
iX5 Hydrogen taking shape:
- 3rd-gen BMW/Toyota fuel cell
- up to 750km WLTP
- <5min refuelling
- 0-100km/h: <5sec
- battery + fuel cell + electric motor
BMW’s Steyr plant in Austria to assemble drivetrain
@BMWGroup
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Mercedes-AMG’s first dedicated electric model is heading to showrooms ...
Meanwhile, back in Affalterbach…
646 hp flat-plane-crank V8. RWD. 170kg weight loss. 310km/h. Just 30 cars.
CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung? Just call it the Hammer and be done with it
@MercedesAMG
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100 years ago today, Sergio Pininfarina was born
Ferrari. Alfa Romeo. Lancia. Maserati. Peugeot ... and others
He didn’t just design cars. He sculpted them
Few people have had a greater influence on how we think a beautiful car should look
@PininfarinaSpA
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From Karmann Ghias to air defence
Volkswagen is set to sell its Osnabrück plant to Aurelius Capital and the State of Lower Saxony
They plan to turn it into a defence manufacturing hub with Israel’s Rafael
125 years of automotive history. A radically different future
@VWGroup
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El fin de SEAT?
VW Group considers retiring Seat brand by 2029 to focus on Cupra autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-c… via @autocar
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Clanwilliam to Capetown
Day 3. Back onto the N7 and heading south through the Western Cape
The landscape is changing, Cape Town is getting closer and, for me, three days on the road are coming to an end
One last run south.
@MercedesBenz
#140places
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Day 2
Gondwana Roadhouse to Clanwilliam
Out along the gravel this morning, then south to the Orange River. Across the border and into South Africa at Vioolsdrift, then onto the N7 through Namaqualand
Around 670km today. Clanwilliam by tonight
@MercedesBenz
#140places
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Windhoek to Gondwana Roadhouse
Over 700km down the B1 and a long stretch of Namibian gravel
The S580s have made it to Gondwana Roadhouse
Dusty, dirty and a long way from Stuttgart
The road trip continues ..
@MercedesBenz
#140places
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Day 1. Windhoek to Gondwana Roadhouse
Three Mercedes-Benz S-Classes. Three days. Two countries. One hell of a road south
Windhoek to Cape Town, through the Namibian desert and across the border into South Africa
Let’s go!
@MercedesBenz
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High-stakes week for @VWGroup CEO Oliver Blume
He was booed in Wolfsburg today ahead of a week of meetings over further job cuts and the future of German plants
Blume: "everyone has to pull together"
This is not just a cost-cutting exercise. It’s a test of Blume's authority
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Volkswagen has launched the ID. Era 5S in China for RMB 89,900 - €10,800
• 1.5-litre PHEV
• 160km electric range CLTC
• DC charging
A 4.8 metre Volkswagen PHEV. Longer than BMW 3-series. For 11k
China is starting to make Euro pricing look detached from reality
@VWGroup
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Germany, look away now
China: iX3 30L - RMB 269,900 = €34,400
Germany: iX3 40 - €67,200
Germany’s base iX3 is more powerful. Gets a bigger battery
But the Chinese model is long-wheelbase - 103mm longer overall
Double the price to get into an iX3 in Germany ...
Ouch
@BMW
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Interesting
@GAC_MOTOR’s Aion brand has unveiled the Ray 7 and says it draws on Alfa Romeo for its chassis know-how
New link-up with @Stellantis?
There is history here. In 2008, GAC acquired the platform rights to the Alfa Romeo 166
But that was 18 years ago ...
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Chery wants a piece of the BMW M5 action
Meet the Fulwin A9L Sport
PHEV/4WD
470kW (630bhp)
854Nm
0-100km/h: under 4sec
6 piston front brakes
Double-wishbone front, five-link rear
Adaptive dampers
2000km+ hybrid range
Debut at Chengdu motor show this week
@CheryAutoCo
Made with AI
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Shenlong, the Stellantis/Dongfeng joint venture, has now completed registration of its new company in Wuhan, with RMB 8.2B in capital
From 2027
• 2 new China-built Peugeot NEVs
• Jeep pdn returns to China
• new R&D centre
• global exports
@Stellantis
@DFM_Corporation
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