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Ford extends clutch warranty on 560K Focus, Fiesta vehicles

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Ford to Reveal Exciting Esports News at Gamescom, Company to Step Up Its Involvement in Gaming

About Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification, autonomous vehicles and mobility… Continue reading Ford to Reveal Exciting Esports News at Gamescom, Company to Step Up Its Involvement in Gaming

Tesla Model 3 = 3rd Best Selling Vehicle In The Netherlands In July

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Published on August 14th, 2019 |

by Jose Pontes

Tesla Model 3 = 3rd Best Selling Vehicle In The Netherlands In July

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August 14th, 2019 by Jose Pontes

Photo by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica

The Dutch plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market grew 73% in July, with 2,372 plug-in registrations, which translated into a PEV share of 7%. For January through July, PEV share was at 8.6%, well above the 6% of 2019.

Things could have been better if plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) hadn’t dropped 21% year over year (YoY). Full electrics (BEVs) alone jumped 102%. If we only consider BEVs, the EV share last month was 6.2%, with the 2019 share being 7.4%.

In July, the Tesla Model 3 (590 units) had its best first-month-of-quarter so far, so prospects for beating the all-time BEV record from a single model (2,621 units last December), which is currently in the hands of the Jaguar I-PACE, look good. I can’t wait to see the September results…

But back to July. While the 2nd place finish of the Hyundai Kona EV is not surprising (insert battery constraint comment), the 3rd place finish of the VW e-Golf certainly is, and the German hatchback did it with 231 units, its best result since January. That is a meritable result for a model in sunset mode, which leaves great prospects for the upcoming ID.3. (If VW manages these level of sales with a veteran and overpriced model, imagine how high it can reach with a competitive EV…)

A bit surprisingly, the Nissan Leaf, despite the injection of the 62 kWh version, failed to reach the top 5, ending the month in sixth, just behind the niche (and ageless) BMW i3.

Checking the Japanese hatchback registrations in detail, most of them continue to be of the 40 kWh version, so either volume deliveries of the 62 kWh version are still to come, or the longer range version is not the success Nissan had hoped for.

Looking ahead, the future of the Nissan EV looks somewhat bleak. It is being squeezed from above (Tesla Model 3) and below (revised Renault Zoe, Peugeot e-208, Opel e-Corsa), and the arrival of the VW ID.3 should hit it full frontal. Only deep discounting could keep sales coming in. Now, whether Nissan wants to follow that path is a whole different subject.

Rank
Model
July Sales

1
Tesla Model 3
590

2
Hyundai Kona EV
324

3
VW e-Golf
231

4
Kia Niro EV
221

5
BMW i3
153

Looking at the 2019 ranking, the Tesla Model 3 sits high above everyone else, with almost triple the sales of the #2 Hyundai Kona EV. In fact, the Tesla midsizer is now the 3rd best selling model — on the entire auto market.

While the overall leader, the VW Polo (7,974 units), seems hard to reach for now, the #2 Ford Focus (7,359) is not that far away, and considering Tesla’s sports sedan is expected to have a stronger second half of the year, the runner-up spot could still fall into the Model 3’s lap.

In terms of the model ranking, there wasn’t much to talk about in the top spots. In fact, we have to go down to #16 to see position changes, with the Volvo XC90 PHEV climbing one position. The Mini Countryman PHEV did the same, to #18.

Photo by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica

Highlighting Tesla’s good moment, the Model S returned to the top 20, in #20, thanks to 21 deliveries last month. That was its best first-month-of-quarter this year, while its Model X sibling also had a positive month, with 18 deliveries, also a first-month-of-quarter year best, with the sports-minivan-CUV now only 24 units away from the top 20. If the recovering sales continue, we could see it back at the top 20 soon. Maybe in September?

With the Model S now in the top 20, we have 13 BEVs versus 7 PHEVs, and with the all-electric field said to increase in the coming months (Tesla Model X, Kia Soul EV, Mercedes EQC…), I think we are close to a non-returning point, in which plug-in hybrids will be residual in this top 20.

Oh, and because I love factoids, here’s another one that I picked up: The i-Pace is the best selling Jaguar on Dutch lands…

Source: RAI Vereniging and EV Volumes

In the manufacturer ranking, Tesla (32%) is the clear leader, followed by Hyundai (15%), while the race for the last podium place is hot, with Kia (9%) running ahead of Volkswagen and Nissan (both with 8%).

Tesla Model 3 vs. the Gasoline/Diesel Competition

Rank
Model
2019 Sales

1
Tesla Model 3
6,563

2
BMW 3 Series
3,194

3
Volvo S/V60
3,017

4
Mercedes C-Class
1,825

5
Audi A4
1,189

Comparing Model 3 deliveries against the model’s midsize premium competitors, there’s really no doubt about who is Top Dog. The Tesla nameplate had double the sales (registrations) of the #2 BMW 3 Series.

Will the revised BMW 330e, said to start selling soon, help the BMW model to shorten the distance between it and the Model 3?

Maybe … but I have my doubts.

For comparison sake, the PHEV version of the Volvo S/V60 twins represents less than 10% of sales (9%, to be precise). Even if the 330e reaches a 10% share of total 3 Series sales, the increase will barely be visible in what is a large gulf between the two models.

Photo by Zach Shahan | CleanTechnica

Regarding the Tesla Model S & X, a hot topic of recent months, their behavior is far less impressive, as both are below their category’s top 5. Although, the Model S is recovering ground, now in #6, only 31 units behind the #5 Porsche Panamera.

Interestingly, electrification gallops in different rhythms in the full-size vehicle segments than the overall market. In the car category, only one model in the top 5 has more than 20% of its sales coming from plug-ins (#5 Porsche Panamera, 73% of sales come from the PHEV versions).

In the SUV category, only one model (BMW X5, 0%) has less than 45% plug-in sales, with most of the Bimmer’s sales pretty visibly transferring to the PHEV version, once it becomes available. We even have a BEV in the SUV top 5: the Audi e-Tron is the 2nd best selling full-size SUV in the Netherlands!

Tesla Model 3 = 4th Best Selling Vehicle in Switzerland in 1st Half of 2019

Tesla Model 3 = 9th Best Selling Car In USA In 2nd Quarter

Tesla Model 3 = 10th Best Selling Vehicle In Sweden … In July!

About the Author

Jose Pontes Always interested in the auto industry, particularly in electric cars, Jose has been overviewing the sales evolution of plug-ins through the EV Sales blog since 2012, allowing him to gain an expert view on where EVs are right now and where they are headed in the future. The EV Sales blog has become a go-to source for people interested in electric car sales around the world. Extending that work and expertise, Jose is now a partner in EV-Volumes and works with the European Alternative Fuels Observatory on EV sales matters.

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Gorgeous Jaguar XJ13 Le Mans Racing Prototype Reborn and Updated – Car and Driver

The LM69 is a sports car built by racing team Ecurie Ecosse that’s meant to be a continuation of the Jaguar XJ13 race car from the 1960s. It’s powered by a V-12 engine and features some notable changes compared to the original race car. Only 25 examples will be built in total, and the LM69… Continue reading Gorgeous Jaguar XJ13 Le Mans Racing Prototype Reborn and Updated – Car and Driver

GM, Ford planning for possible economic downturn: executives

FILE PHOTO: The logo of Ford is seen on a 2020 Ford Explorer car at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. June 24, 2019. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski (Reuters) – The top two U.S. automakers are preparing for a possible economic downturn, the companies said on Tuesday, as an ongoing trade war between Washington and… Continue reading GM, Ford planning for possible economic downturn: executives

Tue 13 Aug 2019

Gordon Murray Automotive select Bruce Canepa, Canepa Group Inc. as North American representative of the GMA T.50 supercar

Gordon Murray Automotive will produce the T.50 – the world’s lightest, most driver focused supercar

Automotive designer Gordon Murray has designed the ultimate analog driver’s supercar unlike anything ever created

Limited to 100 T.50 supercars worldwide

Canepa selected as the T.50 Supercar North American Representative

Canepa to handle all aspects of customer service; including importation, service/maintenance, and warranty. Canepa will also be a sales outlet for the T.50.

Scotts Valley, CA | July 25, 2019 – UK automotive designer Gordon Murray has become an iconic master of design over the past decades, from Formula One race cars to the legendary McLaren F1 road car. The announcement of Gordon Murray Automotive’s supercar, the T.50, sent a proverbial shockwave throughout the automotive community. Having consulted on the project in its early phase of concept and development, the Canepa Group has been selected as the exclusive North American representative of the T.50 Supercar.

“Cars are meant to be driven, and this may be one of the most exciting road cars ever designed. I am both honored and excited to be a part of this amazing project.” – Bruce Canepa

Canepa is an industry leader in the collector car world; including sales, restoration and motorsports. Located in Scotts Valley, California, Canepa is central to the Silicon Valley and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Experienced in premium luxury and performance vehicles, Bruce Canepa was deemed the perfect fit for Gordon Murray Automotive’s new supercar. As the sole North American representative, Canepa Group will handle all aspects of customer support for the new supercar from beginning to end for North American customers; including sales, importation, service/maintenance, and warranty. Interested parties are invited to contact Bruce Canepa at (831) 430-9940 or bruce@canepa.com regarding available build slots for the T.50.

About the T.50
The T.50 is a masterful blend of design, performance and beauty from one of the most storied automotive designers in the modern world, Gordon Murray. Built around a hand-laid carbon fiber monocoque, the T.50 is extremely lightweight even by today’s standards, weighing in at 2,160 pounds. With a bespoke 650 horsepower, Cosworth-designed 3.9-litre V12 that revs to 12,100rpm mated to a special 6-speed manual transmission, the T.50 promises to deliver one of the best driving experiences in history. Fan-assisted aerodynamics, excellent driving dynamics and the culmination of 50 years’ worth of experience together create one of the best driving cars on the planet, bar none. The T.50 marks Gordon Murray’s 50th automotive project and includes design influences from many of his previous projects. Murray says “We expect this to be the last, and the greatest ‘analogue’ supercar ever built.”

Learn more about the T.50 at www.gordonmurraydesign.com.

Gordon Murray Automotive
Gordon Murray Automotive was launched in November 2017. The T.50 supercar will be the first model manufactured by the new company. Alongside production of its own vehicles, Gordon Murray Automotive will manufacture vehicles on a low-volume basis for external customers.

Gordon Murray Automotive forms part of a new corporate organisation for the engineering group, and is positioned as a sister company to Gordon Murray Design.

Gordon Murray Design
Gordon Murray Design is a visionary design and engineering company with its headquarters in Surrey, UK. It was established in 2007 with a focus on developing an innovative and disruptive manufacturing technology trademarked iStream, and has since built a global reputation as one of the finest automotive design teams in the world.

The company’s unique approach and truly creative thinking enables Gordon Murray Design to deliver complete car programmes in a highly efficient and innovative way from concept and design, through to prototype and development for production.

Professor Gordon Murray, CBE – biography
Gordon Murray was born in Durban, South Africa in 1946 and gained a Mechanical Engineering Diploma from Natal Technical College. He designed, built and raced his own sports car (the IGM Ford) in the National Class in South Africa during 1967 and 1968.

In 1969 Gordon moved to the UK and joined the Brabham Formula One Team as Technical Director, winning two world championships (1981 and 1983) during his 17 years with the team. Gordon joined McLaren Racing as Technical Director in 1988 and three consecutive championship wins (1988, 1989 and 1990) followed. In 1990, Gordon moved away from Formula One – after 50 Grand Prix wins – to concentrate on establishing a new company for the group, McLaren Cars Limited.

The company’s first project, the F1 road car, is still regarded as one of the world’s best-engineered cars. A racing version won two world sports car championships and the Le Mans 24-hour race on its first attempt in 1995. McLaren Cars then completed several other successful projects culminating in the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren programme.

Gordon left McLaren in 2005 to set up a new company Gordon Murray Design Ltd (in 2007), of which he is Chairman and Technical Director. The innovative British company operates from Surrey, UK and aims to be the world leader in automotive design. It reverses the current industry trend for sub-contracting by having a complete in-house capability for design, prototyping and development.

In 2017, Gordon Murray Design celebrated the company’s 10-year anniversary along with that of the iStream® manufacturing process. At a special event, named ‘One Formula’ Gordon Murray also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the McLaren F1 road car entering production, and his 50th year of car design and engineering.

In May 2019, Professor Murray was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William. The ceremony, held at Buckingham Palace, recognised the contributions made by Murray to the motorsport and automotive sectors over the past 50 years.

Enquiries:

North America Enquiries:

For media enquiries: zach@canepa.com

For general enquiries: info@canepa.com

Gordon Murray Automotive Enquiries:

For enquiries regarding T.50, please contact: enquiries@gordonmurrayautomotive.com.

For all media and press related enquiries, please contact our Press & PR team: t50media@gordonmurrayautomotive.com.

DOWNLOADSDownload Release

EU engine-tech project could help gas catch up with gasoline

Some biofuels, like biogas from landfills—or synthetic methane—are attractive for use in vehicles as they have a potentially low energy cost to produce. They also have lower criteria emissions, of the sort that affect human health and cause smog.

These engines should easily be cross-compatible with those using compressed natural gas (CNG). Up until now, however, passenger-car engines haven’t been optimized for these fuels (even natural gas, in most cases) and those designed to burn these fuels have often been adapted versions of gasoline engines, with some traits of diesels added.

As a result, gaseous-fuel-burning engines have lagged gasoline engines in thermal efficiency, despite their potential to do better than gasoline.

Tech talk-through for gaseous-fuels emissions reduction

That was the subject of a $26 million EU project called Gas On. The four-year project just concluded in March, with more results revealed in May. The goal was to design a gas-only internal combustion engine that reduced carbon-dioxide emissions (and thus fuel consumption) by 20 percent compared to best-in-class 2014 vehicles using compressed natural gas (CNG), with a “gasoline-like vehicle driving range.”

Aiming to step up efficiency for light vehicles

The project included a consortium of 20 members, including Volkswagen Group, Ford, Renault, and Fiat, and it sought innovative concepts for direct injection, ignition, and boosting systems, advanced exhaust aftertreatment, and systems that detect the gas composition and quality.

Volkswagen Group Lean CNG Combustion Concept

The best engine achieved the targeted 20-percent reduction in fuel consumption (based on WLTP-cycle calculations for a mid-size passenger car), with a peak efficiency of more than 45 percent and more than 40 percent efficiency reached over a wide operating range.

The efficiency gains are a step in the right direction, if the technology ever stands a chance, as gasoline development keeps nudging efficiency upward, battery electrics catch on, and energy experts continue to point to larger utility-scale power production as the best hope for these gaseous fuels.

Could be a hard sell for consumers, companies

With major gains for gasoline engines on one side, and growing momentum around electric vehicles on the other side, the industry faces some challenges for deploying biogas vehicles on any large scale.

2016 Toyota Prius Unveiling

The arrival of the fourth-generation 2016 Prius signalled the latest round of improvements for gasoline engines, as Toyota claimed a 40-percent thermal efficiency for its engine. The Hyundai Ioniq and Kia Niro that soon followed also claimed 40 percent. And now the Dynamic Force Engine that’s being installed in the new Camry and RAV4, among others, is rated at 40 percent in standard versions and 41 percent in hybrids.

Hyundai is reportedly targeting 50 percent for at least one next-generation engine. Meanwhile Mazda has claimed a thermal efficiency of up to 44 percent for its Skyactiv-X engine, which is likely to come to the U.S. in the next year or two, and it anticipates—from some reports—an efficiency in the range of as high as 56 percent for the next generation of its Skyactiv gasoline technology.

Better used for power generation?

Thermal efficiency is directly related to fuel economy and emissions and, simply put, how much work is produced from the fuel energy input. Natural-gas powered plants, while controversial at times, can already approach 60 percent efficiency.

2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas

Real-life use is also an important point. According to the EPA, EVs actually convert 59 to 62 percent of grid energy to power at the wheels, but typical internal combustion engines convert 17-21 percent. For some of those hybrids with the most efficient engines, the total-vehicle figure may be close to 30 percent today.

While the official part of the Gas On project is over, the next step will be for the automakers to conduct some real-world testing with fleets—echoing what happened about a decade ago when the last round of light-duty natural-gas vehicles, like the Honda Civic Natural Gas.

With electric cars more widely seen as a future replacing internal combustion gasoline tech, it’s going to be an even tougher argument this time around.

Moon Walks, Woodstock and the Ford Capri; Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of an Iconic Sports Car

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Moon Walks, Woodstock and the Ford Capri; Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of an Iconic Sports Car

It was the year man walked on the moon for the first time, the legendary Woodstock festival took place and the very first Boeing 747s reached for the skies. In that same year, half a century ago, Ford’s Capri hit Europe’s roads for the first time.

When it launched in 1969, it was billed as “the car you always promised yourself” and more than 1.8 million people would make good on that promise. The demand saw Ford’s Cologne plant in Germany produce Capris for the next 17 years, through three generations, until 1986. Since then countless drivers have continued to own, drive and enjoy one of Europe’s most recognisable sports cars.

A new video to mark the model’s 50th birthday takes a rare RS2600 Capri on a nostalgic trip; from its birthplace to the forests of the nearby Eifel mountains – where extensive testing occurred before launch – and then on..

Pentagon doubles Peugeot representation with acquisition

The Pentagon Motor Group has acquired two additional Peugeot locations, doubling its representation with the brand. The Pentagon site in Barnsley will become the main Peugeot dealership for the area with immediate effect, while its Lincoln multi-franchise site will also add the French brand from the start of September. The acquisition now brings Pentagon’s total… Continue reading Pentagon doubles Peugeot representation with acquisition

French company makes EV conversions easy for old clunkers

Off-the-shelf EV conversions aren't just for classic cars like Prince Harry's Jaguar anymore.

French startup Transition One plans to make it easy to convert a wide variety of average old cars in the country to electric power by building a standard conversion kit. The company says the kit will fit several top-selling models in Europe, including the Renault Twingo II, Fiat 500, Citroën C1, Peugeot 107, Toyota Aygo, and VW Polo.

The kit will sell for about $9,400 (8,500 Euros), and buyers can receive a 3,500 Euro tax credit in France, bringing the equivalent cost down to about $5,500. The company plans to complete each conversion in about four hours, once production is up and running.

The company has started by building a prototype electric car from a 2009 Renault Twingo, a small hatchback about the size of a Toyota Yaris. It uses Tesla battery modules in three packs under the hood, along with the motor and power electronics, and two more battery packs where the gas tank once sat.

Classic Mini Cooper electric conversion by Swind

The packs weigh 265 pounds, giving it about 18 kilowatt-hours of energy, which the company says will deliver about 112 miles of range in the Twingo.

In an interview with Bloomberg, company founder Aymeric Libeau said, “I’m selling to people who can’t afford a brand new 20,000 Euro [$22,200] electric car.”

The plan might be compared to that of Montreal's Ecotuned—aiming to convert old Ford F-150s with dying gas powertrains to electric power for fleets. The types of large, body-on-frame trucks that Ecotuned converts are as plentiful in North America as the small cars that Transition One plans to convert are in Europe. Other conversion companies—and some automakers—have begun focused conversion efforts on certain classics, such as the Jaguar E-Type, Porsche 911, and the original Mini Cooper.

Libeau still needs to get his conversions approved by European regulators, which he says he expects to receive by the end of the year. Transition One is also seeking financing to buy a factory to produce up to 400 of the conversions a year, and plans to open orders in September to test the market demand.