Autocar October 16, 2019

IT’S NOT EASY making cars, as Dyson has found out (p18). It’s one thing to create a prototype for a game changing electric car, quite another to bring it to production. To get that prototype into production, there are factories to create and supply chains to establish, plus the logistical and IT systems to support them. Then each individual component needs to be mass produced, be bolted together, then work reliably in unison. By this point, you’d have spent billions, and not had a penny back in return. To get that, you have to decide where to sell them, and find the buyers willing to choose your product over another; then subsequently support those buyers after their purchase and give them the experience to make them want to come back to you…

“Despite a 50% reduction in swept capacity, it has been conceived to deliver up to 553lb ft of torque” Mercedes-AMG will send a clear message that it is adapting to modern demands with the upcoming third-generation C63 by forgoing its long standing V8 power in favour of an advanced four-cylinder hybrid drivetrain that develops more than 500bhp. The new C63 will be the first in a number of new AMG models earmarked to receive an electrified version of Mercedes’ new turbocharged 2.0-litre M139 engine when it goes on sale in early 2022. The four-wheel-drive rival to the Audi RS4 and BMW M3 is already undergoing intensive development at AMG’s Affalterbach engineering headquarters. The potent four-cylinder engine kicks out a maximum of 416bhp and 369lb ft of torque in non-electrified form in the new…

I’d be exaggerating if I said I had to pull myself off the floor after first learning about Mercedes-AMG’s plan, but it certainly came as a shock. We’ve always known the race to meet the 2021 95g/km fleet average CO2 regulations would bring about widespread downsizing, but so far, much of the performance market has been unaffected by this. The bombastic V8 in today’s C63 is an integral part of the model’s character and gives it a USP above six-cylinder rivals from BMW and Audi. Recreating that character will be extremely difficult with a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain, but AMG’s engineers have as much technical know-how and financial might as anyone to make a success of it. Again, it raises big questions about the future of the V8 in Europe. Traditionally, the popularity…

Toyota’s top-selling European model, the Yaris, is moving to a new generation next year – and the first official images and details have been revealed. The fourth-generation Vauxhall Corsa rival is set to go on sale in the UK in the middle of 2020 with customer deliveries commencing in September. It has been redesigned from the ground up, with a new platform and a three-cylinder hybrid powertrain designed specifically for the new car. As with previous Yaris generations, the new supermini has been designed in Europe with European customers in mind and it will continue to be built in the Valenciennes plant in France. However, for the first time, the Yaris name will now be used globally on small cars tailored for each region, much as Toyota has done with the latest…

How have you managed to avoid the ‘elastic band effect’ of CVT-equipped hybrids with the new unit? “First, there is more power from the engine side but also more torque, accessible more quickly from the electric side. It suppresses engine revolutions and makes more use of EV power. The way it drives is much more fun, more dynamically engaging.” Is it easier to keep the car in electric-only mode? “You will find the throttle pedal is less sensitive in terms of waking the engine; it is easier to keep in electric drive, yes. “There’s a theoretical pure EV range of up to four miles, but that’s not how it works. We estimate that in normal urban driving, the engine will be off for 80% of the time, charging itself through regeneration.” If sales of the…

TOYOTA IS HIGHLY likely to produce a performance version of the new Yaris, according to Toyota Europe’s executive vice-president Matt Harrison. The decision is part of a greater desire within Toyota to connect the brand’s Gazoo Racing motorsport activities to its road car range to help customers better understand the link. Harrison said: “This is the strategy of Gazoo Racing – not just the sports cars, like Supra, but to look at performance derivatives as well.” Although he stopped short of officially confirming a hot Yaris GR, Harrison said: “We have some ideas about more aspiration opportunities for the car, but you’ll hear more in a couple of months. “That’s more related to our desire to link Yaris to our success in motorsport.” “On selected vehicles we will look at a GR derivative, which is…