The direct successor to yesterday’s Porsche 356 - and this one was popular with the Dutch and German police too - was the 912, which was basically a four-cylinder version of the 911. I was quite excited to see this 912 at the recent #SMMT Test Day, which turned out to be not quite what it seemed. This particular car is an electric conversion (see the black battery box under the raised engine cover). Beautifully executed. (1/2)
One more car from last week’s SMMT Test Day in Bedfordshire - the BMW i5 Touring estate. The i5 is the pure electric version of the 5 Series. I didn’t actually drive this one on the day, but I like its long, low, athletic appearance, which is all the more impressive when you bear in mind that it has 80+ kWh of batteries secreted about its bodywork, and it’s not on a pure EV platform.
Today, another car you’ve probably never heard of from the house of Chery - the Jaecoo J7 plug-in hybrid, on sale in the UK soon. The word Jaecoo is apparently a conflation of the German word for hunter - Jäger - and the English word ‘cool’. The claimed ‘electric-only’ range is 55 miles. Expect to see a lot more unfamiliar Chinese cars on our roads as unprecedented change in the automotive industry unfolds. Pic: SMMT Test Day, 2024.
Today, a car I’d never heard of before I saw it at yesterday’s SMMT Test Day at Millbrook - the Omoda E5 EV. It doesn’t really stand out from the crowd but it would be a mistake to underestimate it. Omoda is a brand of Jaguar Land Rover’s Chinese partner Chery, and Chery platforms will provide the basis for several of JLR’s forthcoming plug-in models. Apparently, there will also be an ICE version of this car.
Just a quick one today, from SMMT Test Day in Bedfordshire. This is the range extender version of Mazda’s MX-30 EV. The unique thing about this is that the range extender is a small rotary (Wankel) engine. Oh - that and the distinctive (presumably in the interests of sustainability) cork interior trim. Very nice vehicle, but a bit niche.
We begin this week's @motoringpodcast New Show with August's new car registration figures for the UK. A decent month. Finally. Comparable with the Before Times, too.
Amazingly, the UK Gov, with less than 120 days to go, hasn't told the car industry the Zero Emission Mandate rules!
You can hear about that and more, now.
#Podcast #AutomotiveNews #NewCarRegistrations #SMMT #Podcasting
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We dive straight into New News, as we dissect and analyse the new car registration figures for August. There is good news from BMW as they commit to investing in their Oxford and Swindon facilities. Cambridge is ditching their planned congestion charge but admit the problem has not gone away. The NE
David Wilkins
Andrew Clews