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Volkswagen comes with first ID.4 electric models in China

4th November 2020
"Volkswagen into the electric vehicle market in China to take on the likes of Tesla and Nio Inc."

Volkswagen launched two ID.4 electric sport-utility vehicle models in China on Tuesday, taking on Tesla Inc in the world's biggest auto market. The ID.4 CROZZ model is being made by Volkswagen’s joint venture with FAW Group, while the ID.4 X is produced by a separate venture with SAIC Motor.

The models mark the start of a major push by Volkswagen into the electric vehicle market in China to take on the likes of Tesla and Nio Inc.

The German group did not disclose the price of the two models. But a presentation at the product launch said the starting price of the SUVs, which are larger than Tesla’s China-made Model 3 sedans, would be less than 250,000 yuan ($37,450) after electric vehicle subsidies from the Chinese government.

The starting price for Model 3 sedans in China is currently 249,900 yuan, after subsidies.

The ID.4 models will have driving ranges of over 400 kilometers and offer over-the-air software updates, Volkswagen executives said at the event.

China chief Stephan Woellenstein said Volkswagen would roll out eight IDs. family electric models in China by 2023. Sales of electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen-powered vehicles in China are forecast to rise to 20% of new car sales by 2025 from just 5% now, the State Council said on Monday. Around 1.1 million such vehicles are expected to be sold in China this year.

Source: reuters


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Compiled by : Swekshya Rajbhandari Swekshya Rajbhandari

The new Volkswagen Touareg R Hybrid to world premiere in Geneva Motor Show 2020

24th February 2020
"Volkswagen ramps up its hybrid campaign in 2020: with the world premiere of the new Volkswagen Touareg R at the Geneva Motor Show 2020."

Volkswagen ramps up its hybrid campaign in 2020: with the world premiere of the new Volkswagen Touareg R at the Geneva Motor Show (5 to 15 March 2020), the brand’s top-of-the-range model now also features a plug-in hybrid drive. The Volkswagen Touareg R with a power output of 340 kW (462 PS) offers an innovative blend of superlative performance and electric efficiency. When the battery is sufficiently charged, the new SUV always starts in electric E-MODE for zero emissions. The all-round talent can be driven at up to 140 km/h using electric power; above this speed, the turbocharged V6 petrol engine (TSI) supplements the electric drive motor. The Volkswagen Touareg R will cover most commuter distances fully electrically.

Drivers can intuitively control the battery’s charge level using the Hybrid menu in the Infotainment system. It is, therefore, possible to reserve sufficient levels of electric energy even at the end of a long journey so that destinations in built-up areas can be reached with zero emissions. If the navigation system is active, the battery manager also looks ahead and predictively takes into account the route and topography data to the adapt battery use and thus optimize the electric range.

The hybrid drive of the Volkswagen Touareg R essentially consists of a 2,995 cm3 V6 turbocharged petrol engine (250 kW/340 PS), the electric drive motor (100kW/136 PS) and a lithium-ion battery (energy capacity of 14.1 kWh) built into the luggage compartment underbody. An 8-speed automatic gearbox (with Tiptronic) and a transfer box transmit the power to the standard 4MOTION all-wheel-drive system.

Thanks to the all-wheel drive and the very powerful hybrid system (700 Nm torque), the Volkswagen Touareg R is designed for a superior maximum trailer weight of up to 3.5 tonnes. This Volkswagen model is also the first plug-in hybrid SUV available with Trailer Assist – an assistance system for automated maneuvering with a trailer. And this is also possible with purely electric power. The latest Travel Assist version is also a new feature, enabling assisted driving up to speeds of 250 km/h for the very first time. The top speed itself is less important here than the fact that the most recent Travel Assist generation reflects the ever-higher development standard of Volkswagen’s systems on the way to autonomous driving (IQ. DRIVE).

The new, high-tech SUV was designed by the Volkswagen R performance brand, which traditionally develops the sportiest models in the Volkswagen range. The Touareg R represents a paradigm shift – it is the first Volkswagen R model to feature a plug-in hybrid drive. It is also the first time a hybrid model has been the most highly-powered Volkswagen. The extremely well-appointed Touareg R, which features the Black Style exterior design package along with 20-inch alloy wheels (Braga) and R-Line interior trim (e.g. Vienna leather interior with Crystal Grey stitching), is set to enter the market in the second half of the year.

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Compiled by : Debashish S Neupane Debashish S Neupane

THE LUCID AIR IS A LUXURY ELECTRIC SEDAN WITH THE SPEED AND POWER TO RIVAL TESLA

9th September 2020
"Lucid isn’t going after big car buyers."

Most of the Lucid Air’s specs have been announced. The company’s media strategy has been to release a new tidbit every week for the past month leading up to the actual unveiling. That way, instead of one story about a new car containing all the relevant information, you get nearly a dozen, each about its own separate feature.

It feels as if we already know a lot about this car even though today is its official public debut. Heck, The Verge went for a ride in an engineering prototype back in 2017.

Trim level and pricing are some of the newest bits of information, so let’s dive into that for a moment. There will be four versions of the Lucid Air: the base Air for $80,000 (minus tax credits); Air Touring for $95,000; Air Grand Touring at $139,000; and Air Dream Edition at a whopping $169,000 — each with its own range, performance specs, and charging estimates.

lucid-air-design 

Like many EV makers, Lucid is hoping to replicate Tesla’s strategy of selling a lot of really expensive cars in the hopes of making enough money to eventually produce something more mass-market.

LUCID AIR LINEUP AT A GLANCE

Model  Price (USD Est. EPA range (up to) Horsepower 0-60 (seconds) Quarter mile (sec) / speed (mph) Top speed (mph) Charging (miles/time via DC fast charging) Peak charging speed Availability
Air $80,000 TBA  TBA  TBA  TBA  TBA  300/20 mins 1200 mph 2022
Air Touring $95,000 406 miles 620 3.2  11.4/123 155 300/20 mins  1200 mph Q4 2021
Air Grand Touring $139,000  517 miles 800 3 10.8/133 168 300/20 mins  1200 mph Q4 2021
Air Dream Edition $169,000 465 miles (21" AeroDream wheels); 503 miles (19" wheels)   1,080  2.5 9.9/144  168 300/20 mins  1200 mph Q4 2021


Another new feature is Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant will be natively integrated into the Air. That means drivers will be able to use Alexa to control the vehicle’s navigation, answer calls, change radio stations, and even link up with their Echo device at home.

lucid-air-interior

Robust voice recognition is more than just a novelty, though. It can be a key element in reducing driver distraction. Being able to toggle between the directions, temperature, and Spotify while keeping my eyes on a road made me a better driver and reduced the likelihood that I’d swerve or let my attention wander. Smartphones and digital infotainment systems that invite a lot of scrolling or tapping are obvious distractions, and tech companies need to come up with better ways to mitigate that problem.

THE MOST STRIKING THING ABOUT THE AIR IS THAT IT’S A SEDAN

The most striking thing about the Air is that it’s a sedan. The US auto market is currently drowning in big, hulking vehicles, with SUV sales making up nearly 50 percent of all vehicles purchased in 2019. By 2025, experts predict light trucks and SUVs will make up over three-fourths of the US market. But Lucid isn’t going after those car buyers — at least not yet. 

Lucid isn’t the only EV maker to lead with a sedan. Volvo offshoot Polestar recently began delivering its impressively minimalist Polestar 2 sedan to customers in the US. But most new electric vehicles being released are in that light truck and SUV segment, from legacy automakers like Nissan and Cadillac, to new players like Rivian.

lucid-motors-air

Lucid will obviously compete with the Model S. But to hear Rawlinson say it, Tesla is not the company’s primary target. The Lucid Air is for “someone who has an S-Class Mercedes who says: ‘Ten years ago, I wouldn’t have been that interested in electric. Tesla has piqued my interest, I love what Tesla is doing with electric, but I’m not getting out of my Mercedes for a Model S,’” he told Bloomberg in a recent interview.

Like many electric vehicle startups, Lucid Motors has experienced ups and downs. The Lucid Air was supposed to go into production in 2018, but the company ran into trouble lining up funding required to build its planned $700 million factories in Arizona. It spent much of 2017-2018 languishing until Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund came along.

lucid-air

I think that we can be part of a movement that could catalyze change for good. That’s what I see,” Rawlinson said. “We have a partnership — which is very aligned — a partnership with the PIF. It’s a strategic partnership. They’re committed to helping us make this change to benefit all mankind. And it will benefit Saudi society.

But the company is already working on its next vehicle, an SUV. The push to develop a second car is coming, in part, from Saudi Arabia, according to the people familiar with the company’s plans. Sales of larger cars and trucks are through the roof, and major automakers like Audi, Mercedes-Benz, have followed Tesla’s lead in developing all-electric SUVs.

Lucid-Air-Exterior

An SUV is probably the least shocking next move for Lucid. Based on its price, the Lucid Air is bound to be a niche vehicle, sought by customers who likely already own an electric vehicle. In order to break out and achieve true Tesla-levels of success, the company will need to focus on bringing its prices down in order to make its vehicles accessible to a broader group of customers.

Source: TheVerge

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Tesla supplier LG Chem approves plan to split off battery business

29th October 2020
"We have decided to separate our battery business to better optimize our management in today’s fast-changing market environment."

LG Chem shareholders on Friday approved a plan to separate its battery business into a new company, paving the way for a potential public listing to finance expansion. The unit, which will be launched on Dec. 1, will first become a wholly-owned subsidiary tentatively named LG Energy Solutions, and then up to 30% of the company’s shares may be listed in an initial offering in about a year.

LG Chem is the world’s top battery maker supplying Tesla Inc and General Motors Co.

While the battery business is expected to post enormous growth, competition is intensifying from not only other battery makers but automakers,” LG Chem Chief Executive Officer Hak Cheol Shin told a shareholder meeting in Seoul.

We have decided to separate our battery business to better optimize our management in today’s fast-changing market environment.
More than 82% of LG Chem shareholders who attended the meeting voted in favor of the plan, the source said. LG Chem declined to comment.

With the split-off of the battery business, we can use various fundraising options to expand investments at the right time, and based on this we can secure a clear global No.1 position by widening the gap with rivals,” LG Chem Chief Financial Official Cha Dong-Seok said.

The company’s growth was constrained by rising debts as a result of a sharp increase in capacity investments, he added.

Shares of LG Chem closed down 6.1% versus a 2.6% fall in the benchmark KOSPI.

Asked about selling stakes to strategic investors in the run-up to the IPO, Shin told the company was reviewing various options.

Hwang Yu-sik, an analyst at NH Investment & Securities, said that as a standalone company the battery business would be able to better raise money including through an IPO to expand its production capacity.

South Korea’s National Pension Service (NPS), LG Chem’s No.2 shareholder with a 9.96% stake, voted against the split-off plan having earlier raised concerns about damage to shareholder value.

Source:Reuters


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