Electric Vehicles – Automotivetry.com – Motor Sports, Exotic Cars, and Everything In Between

New Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 Priced From £155k In The UK, Nearly £16k More Than 751HP Taycan Turbo S

Two months ago, Mercedes unveiled the AMG EQS 53 at the Munich Motor Show as the first electric vehicle to wear the AMG badge. Now, the German automaker has released pricing for it, and it’s about what you’d expect for a range-topping high-performance EV sedan.

The EQS 53 will start at £154,995 (equal to around $208,000 at current exchange rates) in the UK, or 55% more than the base EQS 450’s starting price of £99,995. It’s also more expensive than the current flagship Porsche Taycan Turbo S that’s rated for 761PS / 751HP and kicks off from £139,280 (about $186,900).

For that money, you get a dual-motor AWD drivetrain producing 649 hp (658 PS / 484 kW) and 701 lb-ft (950 Nm) of instant electric torque. Upgrade to the AMG Performance Package with the Night Edition that pushes the starting price to £163,900 (around $220,000) though, and that same drivetrain produces 751 hp (761 PS / 560 kW) and 752 lb-ft (1020 Nm) of torque.

The former enables a 3.8-second sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) with a top speed of 137 mph (220 km/h), while the latter allows for 3.4 seconds to 62 mph with a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h). The range is the same for both, with a WLTP-estimated 358 miles (576 km) on tap from the car’s 107.8 kWh battery.

Standard features on all variants include the 56-inch Hyperscreen, an AR heads-up display, Nappa leather upholstery, a Burmester® surround sound system, a Parking package with Active Parking Assist, and 360° camera, Driving Assistance Package Plus, AMG sound programs, AMG-specific bodywork, and an AMG steering wheel.

Included with the Night Edition are 21-inch AMG alloy wheels, a flat-bottomed sport steering wheel, and sport pedals. Upgrading to the £8,995 AMG Performance Package (which is only available with the Night Edition) gets you carbon-ceramic brakes, AMG Dynamic Plus boost for Race Start, the AMG Sound Experience, the AMG Driver’s Package with increased top speed, AMG TRACK PACE, and AMG carbon-fiber interior trim.

Finally, serving as a counterpart to the bold Night Edition is the more subtle Touring specification, which comes with 22-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels and elegant ambient lighting in the cabin. On top of that, you can opt for the £2,995 Rear Luxury Lounge package (only available with the Touring), which outfits the multi-contour rear seats with black Exclusive Nappa leather upholstery, power reclining, luxury headrests, neck and shoulder heating, comfort armrests, separate climate controls, an MBUX tablet, wireless charging, and additional USB ports.

The 2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ is currently on sale now, with the first UK deliveries expected to arrive in April 2022.

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Buick Trademarks The Electra Name, Does It Hint At Upcoming Electric Crossover?

Buick’s range in North America comprises exclusively of SUVs including the Envision, Encore and Enclave, but none of them is fully electric. This could change in the near future as the automaker filed a trademark for the Electra name in Canada, a move that could hint at a production version of last years’ fully electric crossover concept bearing the iconic name.

General Motor’s trademark filing from December 20 for the Buick Electra name was posted at the Rivian Owners Forum. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Buick will use the Electra name on a production vehicle, nor that this will be a fully electric crossover, however both of those assumptions sound plausible given the timing.

The pictured Buick Electra concept was unveiled last year in Shangai. The prototype brought back an iconic name used in full-size luxury sedans from 1959 to 1990. Unlike its predecessors, the new Electra adopted a sleek crossover-style silhouette previewing Buick’s future design language.

Like the Cadillac Lyric that was unveiled in production form earlier this year, the Buick Electra concept was based on GM’s Ultium architecture with a fully electric powertrain. In the concept, the dual electric motors produced 583 hp (435 kW / 589 PS), while the Ultium battery allowed a range of more than 410 miles (660 km). The production version could use the Lyriq’s 100 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which is good for a more down-to-earth 300 mile (483 km) electric range.

A Buick Electra SUV could be a competitor for the rumored Chrysler Airflow and the Ford Mustang Mach-E, or move upmarket to rival more premium electric SUV proposals from BMW (iX), Audi (e-tron), and Mercedes-Benz (EQE). In any case, the design of the concept would have to be toned down for production, including a more conventional design for the greenhouse and the doors while retaining elements like the overall crossover shape, the Matrix LED lighting units, and the large-diameter wheels.

Buick hasn’t made any announcements for the future product strategy so we don’t know if and when they are planning to introduce their first fully electric SUV. Outside North America, the automaker is steadily increasing its sales in China, where it is also offering a wide range of sedans, SUVs, and luxury MPVs.

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Subaru Previews Fully Electric STI E-RA And Three More STI Performance Concepts For Tokyo Auto Salon

Subaru will join the Tokyo Auto Salon 2022 with a bunch of interesting concept cars that were previewed today in a press release. The most important launch will be the STI E-RA Concept signalling the electric era of the performance brand, but we are also going to see “STI Performance” variants of the WRX S4, Levorg, and BRZ in concept form.

The STI E-RA Concept is described as a “study model of motorsport vehicles for the carbon-neutral era,” so don’t get your hopes up for a production vehicle anytime soon since this is probably a racing car prototype. However, as suggested by the teaser, the model will introduce new design elements that could be used in future Subaru vehicles like the C-shaped LED headlights mounted on the fenders, the double vented bonnet, the red illuminated STI badge on the low nose, and the front bumper with a prominent splitter. Subaru didn’t give us details on the powertrain, other than it will be fully electric.

Besides the motorsport concept for the new era, Subaru will also showcase three “STI Performance” concepts of the WRX S4, the Levorg, and the BRZ. The first one was previewed in an official picture showing additional aero components, which will likely be the case with the other two as well.

Compared to the WRX S4 STI Sport R that is already on sale in Japan and served as a base for the concept, the new aero includes a splitter, side sills and rear bumper extensions painted in pink, matching mirror caps and STI emblem, plus a large carbon-fiber rear spoiler. The bumpers seem to be slightly redesigned for a sportier look while there is a new set of black rims shod in performance tires. We are not sure if there will be any mechanical upgrades over the production model but Subaru also mentioned a performance muffler.

Similarly, the Levorg STI Performance concept will be based on the recently announced Levorg STI Sport R trim. It will feature cherry red accents on the additional aero components, a performance muffler, plus items “that will improve the usability” of the performance-oriented wagon. As for the BRZ STI Performance concept, it will add performance parts to the BRZ S grade painted in the same cherry red shade.

Lastly, the BRZ GT300 2021 racing car that won the class victory this year will be also exhibited at the Subaru booth, where the automaker will make announcements for the 2022 motorsport team. A lucky visitor of the Tokyo Auto Salon 2022 will drive away in a brand new WRX STI Sport R EX that will be this years’ questionnaire prize.

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Latest Lucid Air Dream Edition Review Proves That It’s Something Very Special

The all-electric Lucid Air may come from an automaker with no prior experience building cars but it has proven itself to be one of the finest electric vehicles on the market.

A bunch of journalists have had the opportunity to drive the Lucid Air over the past couple of months and most recently, the guys from Throttle House in Canada headed to California to put the Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance variant through its paces. They walked away from the review seriously impressed.

Powering this flagship variant of the Lucid Air are two electric motors that combine to produce 1,111 hp. It is the most performance-focused variant of the Air but it still offers a range of 471 miles (758 km). Those who don’t need all 1,111 hp can also purchase the Air Dream Edition in Range guise with 933 hp and 520 miles (837 km) of range.

While testing the electric sedan, Throttle House notes that it feels like a luxury car first which is quite a bold statement considering the phenomenal performance that it offers. The Lucid Air also weighs several hundred pounds more than a Tesla Model S Plaid but despite that, it controls its mass incredibly well and offers up loads of grip and gives the driver heaps of confidence. Unlike the Model S Plaid, it also has a set of brakes that match the insane straight-line performance.

The Lucid Air has received a lot of praise recently and was even named as Motor Trend’s Car of the Year. Unlike some other electric vehicles, it has also started to reach the hands of customers and proves that while Tesla continues to dominate the EV market, it now has some serious rivals to worry about.

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Volvo To Open Battery R&D Center In Gothenburg With Partner Northvolt

Volvo and Northvolt will open a joint research and development center in Gothenburg, Sweden. The center will be tasked with developing new batteries for EVs that deliver on range and charging time expectations while reducing the carbon footprint of the batteries themselves.

The R&D center will become operational in 2022 and the location has been chosen to keep it close to Volvo’s own R&D center as well as Northvolt‘s existing innovation campus in Västerås, Sweden, to ease cooperation.

“Our partnership with Northvolt secures the supply of high-quality, sustainably-produced batteries for the next generation of pure electric Volvos,” said Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive for Volvo Cars. “It will strengthen our core competencies and our position in the transformation to a fully electric car company.”

Volvo says that the partnership will focus on developing “tailor-made” batteries that give buyers long ranges and quick charging times. The automaker wants to collaborate with Northvolt to create an end-to-end system for battery manufacturing to allow it to develop its own batteries. Since batteries are the single largest component of an electric vehicle and the single biggest contributor to their carbon footprint, the development of new technology will be an important area of focus.

The center is being created as part of a SEK30 billion ($3.3 billion) investment in battery development. Batteries developed there will also power Polestar vehicles, which announced this year that it intends to build climate-neutral cars by 2030.

Following the completion of the R&D center, Volvo and Northvolt will build a battery manufacturing plant in Europe. Although the exact location of the site is not yet known, Volvo says it will be announced in early 2022.

The plant will have a potential annual capacity of 50 GWh, enough to supply about 500,000 vehicles, the automaker says. Construction is expected to commence in 2023 and large-scale production should kick off in 2026. Part of Volvo’s commitment to sell only electric vehicles by 2030, the plant and the R&D center are quite important when it comes to the automaker’s plans for the future.

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Tesla Model S Plaid Needs 15 Seconds To Run Quarter Mile In ‘Chill’ Mode

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The Tesla Model S Plaid has been in the headlines a lot in recent months and has established itself as the world’s quickest production car this side of the Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista hypercars.

Importantly, virtually all performance tests you’ll see online of the Model S Plaid show it being driven in Plaid mode with the available Drag Strip Mode system enabled. Eager to see how his Model S would perform in the more relaxed ‘Chill’ and ‘Sport’ driving modes, YouTuber DragTimes headed onto the street for some tests.

For the first test, he set a baseline with Plaid mode and Drag Strip Mode enabled, rocketing to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 2.42 seconds and running the quarter-mile in 9.52 seconds at 148.58 mph (239.1 km/h). He then switched the EV into Sport mode. Doing so saw the 0-60 mph time climb to 3.51 seconds while the car then needed 11.14 seconds to run the quarter-mile with a trap speed of 129.36 mph (208.18 km/h). That’s still a quick quarter-mile time and just a few couple tenths behind a BMW M5 CS.

As for the ‘Chill’ mode, well it is exactly that. After pinning the throttle in this mode, the YouTuber is immediately amused with how much slower it is. It picks up speed very gently and ultimately needs a full 7.13 seconds to hit 60 mph and completes the quarter-mile in 15.27 seconds at just 93.81 mph (150.97 km/h).

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First Series Production BMW i4 Has Rolled Off The Assembly Line In Munich

BMW today celebrated the completion of the first production i4 electric sedan. Produced at its home plant in Munich, the car is the first fully electric vehicle produced at the plant in its nearly 100-year history.

BMW announced that its Munich plant would be upgraded to produce EVs last year and was able to modify the facility to allow it to produce both electric and conventional vehicles on the same line without shutting down production.

“For the plant and team, the launch of the BMW i4 is a milestone on the road to electric mobility,” said Milan Nedeljković, BMW AG Board Member for Production. “By 2023 more than half of all vehicles from our Munich facility will have an electrified drive. The majority will be fully electric.”

The result of a €200 million ($233 million USD) investment, BMW says it was able to leave 90 percent of the body shop systems unchanged, though additional systems were required for the floor and rear-end assembly.

“Our body shop is a shining example of intelligent, efficient integration,” said Peter Weber, the plant’s director. “Most of the new production processes for the BMW i4 can be carried out on the existing body shop systems.”

Integrating the high-voltage battery, though, did prove to be a complex issue. Bolted onto the body by a brand new, fully automated battery assembly system that works from below, it uses high-resolution cameras to scan the body before affixing the battery to it.

Updates at the plant are ongoing. With the addition of the battery-electric line, some of the other lines have had to be moved. The production of four-cylinder engines, for instance, was moved to Hams Hall in the U.K. and to Steyr in Austria. By 2024, all engine production will be gone from Munich.

The BMW i4 will launch in two versions. The 335 hp (340 PS/250 kW/) eDrive40 that offers a range of 366 miles (590 km), and the 536 hp (544 PS/400 kW) M50 that can get to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds and travel 323 miles (520 km) on a single charge.

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U Spy The Hyundai Ioniq 5 Robotaxi Being Tested At The Las Vegas Airport

Just a few days after Motional unveiled its Hyundai Ioniq 5-based robotaxi at the Munich Motor Show, a prototype has been spied by a CarScoops reader several thousand miles across the Atlantic on American shores.

This heavily-camouflaged prototype was spied testing at an airport in Las Vegas and certainly appears to have turned quite a few heads. It is equipped with an array of sensors previewed through renderings released by Motional last month.

The Ioniq 5 robotaxi has no less than 30 sensors that includes a host of cameras, radar, and LiDAR. Sensors can be seen on the roof of the car, as well as its front fascia, front quarter panels, and rear-end. A driver was pictured behind the wheel controlling the car but when development of it is complete, Motional hopes to remove the driver completely and use a remote vehicle assistance as a safety redundancy, allowing a remote operator to control the robotaxi in the event of something unexpected happening.

“For the Ioniq 5-based robotaxi, we have applied various redundancy systems, in addition to a suite of essential technologies to ensure safety and convenience of the passengers,” head of the Autonomous Driving Center at Hyundai Motor Group, Woongjun Jang recently said in a statement. “By successfully integrating the Group’s Ioniq 5 Robotaxi with Motional’s autonomous driving technology, we are proud to announce that we have achieved another important milestone on the road to the commercialization of our robotaxi.”

The vehicle will begin to transport passengers in 2023 through a partnership with ride-hailing giant Lyft, meaning Motional and Hyundai still have plenty of time to get the autonomous EV ready for launch.

Thanks to Aditya Gaur for the photos!

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Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV Concept Previews The Upcoming Electric Crossover

Mercedes has officially unveiled the Maybach EQS SUV concept.

Designed to preview the upcoming electric crossover, which is expected to arrive in 2023, the model is described as a “near-production” concept that will take luxury into the 21st century.

Dressed in Zircon Red and Obsidian Black Metallic, the ultra-luxury model features a bold front fascia with a massive fully enclosed grille. It’s flanked by slender LED headlights with “individual diamond blocks framed with a fine-knit mesh of the Maybach emblem.”

Also Read: Every New Mercedes Model Will Get An All-Electric Version, Starting In 2025

Continuing further back, there’s a star hood ornament, black body cladding and massive 24-inch wheels with a bowl-like design. The model also has aerodynamically optimized running boards, full-width taillights and flush-mounted door handles.

Speaking of the doors, they’re fully automatic and the handles will extend as the driver approaches. As they get closer, the driver’s door will automatically open and they’ll also have the option of opening the rear doors remotely as well.

Moving into the cabin, drivers are greeted by a futuristic steering wheel and a full-width Hyperscreen display which includes a 12.3-inch screen for the front passenger. Elsewhere, there’s a floating center console, rose gold accents, white piano lacquer trim and a “faux fur” floor covering.

The rear passenger compartment is the star of the show as it features two executive seats, which are separated by an elegant console. The latter houses a flower vase and drink holders as well as a high-tech armrest with an integrated infotainment system.

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Mercedes didn’t say much else about the concept, but the four-seater has a rear seat entertainment system and is envisioned to be offered with “individual equipment options such as folding tables, a box of champagne goblets or a refrigerated compartment.” The latter should show up in the upcoming production model.

The company was also coy about specifications, but confirmed the concept rides on their new electric vehicle platform and previews the EQS SUV which will be introduced next year. It will be followed by a Maybach variant and the company said the crossovers will have a WLTP range of around 373 miles (600 km).

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Want Your E-Tron GT To Look Like The Prototype? Audi Now Has You Covered – Literally

Before the Audi e-tron GT officially debuted, in every one of its public outings it wore a distinctive camouflage wrap. Now, it seems Audi has noticed people’s fancy for the design, as they are offering it as a car cover for the e-tron GT and RS e-tron GT.

The cover wears an identical camouflage livery to that of the prototype, which featured multidirectional striping and a repeating circuit board-like pattern made out of the signature e-tron “e”.

The design is black and grey, with bright orange accents highlighting the car’s trim pieces all throughout the exterior, and the cover replicates it to a tee, even going so far as to include the orange details on the wheels.

Audi says the cover is made from breathable and anti-static material and features “piping that has been carefully placed to highlight the shape of your Audi”. However, as a result of all that, they also note that it’s for indoor use only. The cover will be available from both Audi dealerships as well as Audi’s online store, and while it costs $785, we suspect those who have the $99,900 to fork over for a base e-tron GT won’t have any trouble purchasing the cover.

While we don’t know whether it will protect the electric saloon any better than a normal cover would, we can see the appeal of it as somewhat of a cool-looking collector’s item for e-tron GT owners.