Autocar November 16, 2022

IF I HAD a pound for every time a Chinese car maker said it was going to break into Europe, I’d be a rich(ish) woman. Inevitably, such plans that we reported three-plus years ago have been dramatically slowed by the way the world has gone in the interim. Still, Chinese makers – the likes of Aiways, Chery, Geely (excluding its ownership of known brands such as Lotus), Great Wall, Nio, SAIC, Xpeng – are persevering and some have made headway playing to the easier European EV markets, namely Norway. At the Paris motor show last month, there was a dearth of car makers other than the French and, you guessed it, Chinese. But despite the progress, we haven’t been able to buy a car in the UK from a new, unknown Chinese…

IF I HAD a pound for every time a Chinese car maker said it was going to break into Europe, I’d be a rich(ish) woman. Inevitably, such plans that we reported three-plus years ago have been dramatically slowed by the way the world has gone in the interim. Still, Chinese makers – the likes of Aiways, Chery, Geely (excluding its ownership of known brands such as Lotus), Great Wall, Nio, SAIC, Xpeng – are persevering and some have made headway playing to the easier European EV markets, namely Norway. At the Paris motor show last month, there was a dearth of car makers other than the French and, you guessed it, Chinese. But despite the progress, we haven’t been able to buy a car in the UK from a new,…

The electric successors to the wildly successful Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster are due by the middle of the decade as rapid and keen-handling third entries into Stuttgart’s expanding EV line-up. The 983-generation pair – set to be launched exclusively with electric power – will adopt a bespoke sports car platform designed to mimic the current ICE models’ mid-engined characters. This architecture will be separate from both the J1 platform used by today’s Taycan EV and the PPE platform being pioneered by the 2024 Macan EV (see opposite). The fifth-generation Boxster now looks to have begun testing on public roads with production-ready styling at the front and rear. There are no obvious giveaways to a zero-emission powertrain, but Autocar’s spies say the cabriolet’s exhaust outlet is a red herring, while the…

The electric successors to the wildly successful Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster are due by the middle of the decade as rapid and keen-handling third entries into Stuttgart’s expanding EV line-up. The 983-generation pair – set to be launched exclusively with electric power – will adopt a bespoke sports car platform designed to mimic the current ICE models’ mid-engined characters. This architecture will be separate from both the J1 platform used by today’s Taycan EV and the PPE platform being pioneered by the 2024 Macan EV (see opposite). The fifth-generation Boxster now looks to have begun testing on public roads with production-ready styling at the front and rear. There are no obvious giveaways to a zero-emission powertrain, but Autocar’s spies say the cabriolet’s exhaust outlet is a red herring, while…

MEANWHILE, PORSCHE HAS confirmed technical details for the upcoming Macan EV, its crucial first entry into the electric SUV segment. Macan powertrain manager Antoon Janssen said the Macan EV will be the sportiest car in its class. Permanently excited electric motors – one on each axle – use a new ‘double-V’ magnet arrangement and produce up to 603bhp and “more than” 738lb ft, sent to all four wheels. The Macan EV will have a “performance rear axle” with the motor mounted as far back as possible for a 48% front, 52% rear weight distribution, to maximise traction, and the tyre widths will be more staggered than those of the current Macan to further improve grip. New two-valve dampers, independently adjustable via the Porsche Active Suspension Management, will boost comfort while lowering the suspension above…

AS PART OF the third stage of Renault’s transformation plan, its sports car brand, Alpine, will introduce two new large sporting EVs in a bid to capture market share outside of Europe. The marque has already confirmed that a new-generation A110 sports coupé, a Renault 5-based hot hatchback and a rakish-roofed sporting crossover will arrive by 2026. It has now announced that it will then launch EVs in the D and Esegments. These two cars, the shapes and positioning of which have not been confirmed, will be crucial in establishing Alpine as a significant player in markets beyond Europe, most notably with potential entries into North America and China. New markets are expected to account for half of Alpine’s growth by 2030, the brand says, and 15% of its sales will be made…