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Ineos Explores Partnership with Chery to Accelerate Eco-Friendly Off-Roader Development
Deal to use iCaur platform is being explored by Ineos in bid to slash its CO2 output as soon as possible
Ineos Automotive is in talks with Chery to build cars on a range-extender (REx) EV platform from the Chinese group’s iCaur off-road brand, Autocar has learned.
The tie-up would allow Ineos to move quickly to develop its postponed Fusilier REx off-roader and expand its line-up beyond the slow-selling Grenadier combustion-engined off-roader.
The launch of the Fusilier would give Ineos a crucial low-CO2 model that would allow it to comply with emissions regulations in both the UK and the European Union.
Currently, the company manages the regulations by selling some Grenadier models as commercial vehicles, thus ensuring it stays within the lighter-touch rules for low-volume manufacturers.
Ineos is expected to repurpose iCaur’s upcoming V27, an offroader that uses a 1.5-litre turbo engine as a generator when the charge from its battery – either 22kWh or 33kWh – is depleted. At 4.8m long and just under 2.0m tall, the V27 is larger than the Fusilier concept revealed last year but still smaller than the Grenadier.
The all-wheel-drive version packages an electric motor on each axle and produces up to 449bhp, iCaur has said.
Ineos declined to comment when approached by Autocar.
In May, iCaur CEO Su Jun released a picture of himself standing with a prototype of the V27, asking social media followers whether they agreed with comments that it was “the national version of the G-Class” or the “new-energy Land Cruiser”.
The iCaur brand is targeting sales in the UK and mainland Europe from early next year with a range of models starting with the V23 (pictured below), a small electric SUV. Subsequent models will include the V25 and a planned new ‘V21’ to rival the Jeep Avenger.
Chery CEO Yin Tongyue said in April last year that “two premium marques” in Europe wanted to use Chery platforms and the f rm was in talks with two others. One of those premium brands was Chery joint-venture partner JLR, which has since announced that it will revive the Freelander brand in China using Chery’s T1X platform, shared with Chery brands Omoda and Jaecoo.
The other premium marque looks set to be Ineos.
Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo also visited Chery’s hometown of Wuhu earlier this year and showed interest in the iCaur V23.
The iCar brand – which was forced to rename itself iCaur for exports to avoid a legal clash with Apple – has been a hit in China after the launch of the V23. The brand plans to repeat that success overseas and has set a goal of opening 2000 showrooms in 100 countries within three years.
Chery is very open to deals with European car makers. In Spain it has signed up with local brand EV Motors to sell its Tiggo range of SUVs under revived Spanish marque Ebro. Meanwhile, the same cars in Italy are badged under the local DR brand.
Both tie-ups involve an element of local assembly, with Ebro’s cars sent over as partially built kits and finished in Nissan’s former Barcelona plant.
Ineos could be expected to repurpose its former Smart car facility in Hambach, France, to build the Fusilier model from iCaur kits sent over from China. Extended-range EVs are included in the EU’s increased tariffs for China-built EVs, but assembling the cars in Europe could enable Ineos to circumvent them, provided that it can show it adds enough local value.
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Revamped and Ready: Discover the New Volvo EX40 Electric SUV
Volvo’s ageing mid-size electric SUV gets a name change. Does that help bring it back on trend? They’ve rebadged it, you fool! This Partridgism was originally shouted about the Rover 100, but we’re using it here to explain the new Volvo EX40.This is in fact virtually mechanically identical to the electric version of the Volvo XC40, the XC40 Recharge.The name change brings it in line with the rest of Volvo’s electric SUV range. It now sits above the EX30 compact crossover and below the Volvo EX90 seven-seat SUV.The ‘Recharge’ tag has been binned; the XC40 moniker will survive purely for the petrols.That aside, there are few visible changes to this premium-feeling SUV - but as we will get onto later, that's no bad thing.Volvo EX40 range at a glanceBeneath the metal, the EX40 gets a more efficient battery setup. The range opens with a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive variant with a 66kWh battery and a range of 295 miles.The Extended Range model gets a larger 79kWh battery for 340 miles.The intensely powerful Twin Motor also uses the larger 79kWh battery but gains the Performance Pack and second motor for four-wheel drive. It tops the line-up with 323 miles of range and an eye-watering 436bhp. VersionPowerRWD Single Motor235bhpRWD Extended Range235bhpAWD Twin Motor436bhpThe EX40’s rivals are the same as the old XC40 Recharge's too. The Skoda Enyaq shares the EX40’s straight-laced demeanour, the BMW iX1 is perhaps aiming for a slightly younger audience, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a lot zanier and the Tesla Model Y is thoroughly different throughout.But can the EX40 stand out against this slew of modern rivals? Read our full review below to find out.
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Xiaomi’s SU7 Ultra Sets New Nürburgring Record, Outpaces Porsche Taycan Turbo GT
Warp-speed super-saloon goes around the Nordschleife faster than the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT
China’s Xiaomi has shattered the Nürburgring lap record for electric production cars, sending its mega-powered SU7 Ultra saloon around the Green Hell almost three seconds quicker than the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT.
The smartphone giant’s 1527bhp tri-motor super-saloon, equipped with an optional track package, went around the German track in 7min 4.957sec - outpacing the hottest Taycan’s 7min 7.55sec time.
The road-legal version of the SU7 Ultra was only around 20sec slower than the extreme track-only prototype that Xiaomi created last year with support from British engineering firm Prodrive.
With four-wheel drive, it can hit 62mph in 1.98sec and go all the way to 207mph, making it one of the fastest EVs currently on sale anywhere in the world.
Customer deliveries in China started earlier this year, and exports haven't been ruled out.
The SU7 Ultra is the first recipient of Xiaomi’s HyperEngine V8S electric motor – so named because it has been conceived to deliver power on a level similar to that of a modern-day petrol V8. It's claimed to rev to 27,200rpm.
Each of the rear-mounted V8S motors delivers 570bhp, while the front-mounted V6S motor develops 387bhp. This gives the SU7 Ultra a combined 1527bhp, representing an 863bhp increase over the existing four-wheel-drive SU7.
By comparison, the tri-motor Taycan Turbo GT delivers a combined 1092bhp.
The SU7 Ultra is claimed to accelerate from 0-62 mph in just 1.98sec and 0-124mph in 5.86sec and reach a top speed limited to 207mph. The Taycan Turbo GT delivers respective figures of 2.3sec, 6.4sec and 172mph.
The SU7 Ultra is based on Xiaomi’s Modena EV platform and proprietary 800V electrical architecture, in combination with a CATL Qilin 2.0 battery with an energy capacity of 93.7kWh.
Maximum range on the Chinese CLTC test cycle is quoted at 385 miles.
In a departure from milder versions of the SU7, the range-topping SU7 Ultra adopts Bilstein Evo T1 dampers alongside other chassis changes.
Reining in the SU7 Ultra’s towering performance is an AP Racing brake system. Departing from the Brembo-developed system seen on other SU7 models, it combines 430mm front and 410mm rear carbon ceramic discs with six-pot front and single floating rear calipers.
A prototype version of the SU7 Ultra, featuring a carbonfibre body among other unique developments, has set an officially recognised lap record for four-door saloons at the Nürburgring, achieving a time of 6min 46.874sec in the hands of British racer David Pittard.
The production version features a less extravagant aerodynamic and cooling package than the prototype, with a smaller front splitter, an altered bonnet and a milder-looking carbonfibre rear wing in combination with an active diffuser that tilts through an angle of 16deg for added downforce.
All up, Xiaomi claims 285kg of downforce at the SU7 Ultra’s 207mph top speed.
The firm hasn't provided a definitive weight figure for its latest model but said it tips the scales at under 2400kg.
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Unleashing Speed: The Ultimate Nürburgring Lap Records Revealed
Sail down the River Styx and straight to our guide of the fastest cars around the Green Hell
Holding a Nürburgring lap record is not just about bragging rights. Each of the 147 corners along the 13-mile course gives car makers unparalleled insight into where their machines work best, and where they must improve on.
Manufacturers spend years (if not decades) honing their cars around the Nordschleife in the hope of being crowned maker of one of the fastest cars in the world.
There is a caveat, however: the 'official' length of the lap was increased in 2019. Before this, all times were logged on a 12.8-mile circuit that effectively left out a short stretch of the T13 straight at the end of the lap.
Yet with so much emphasis being placed on setting a fast time, the Nürburgring decided that only the whole 12.944 miles would count.
The fastest car to lap the Nürburgring is the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo, with a time of 5:15:55 minutes.
Below we've divided the lap records between several different types of cars. Keep reading to see the quickest lap times in all the major categories.
The Nürburgring lap record
Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo
Lap time: 5:19:546
When Porsche derestricted its Le Mans-winning 919 Hybrid prototype racer and sent it on a farewell tour of iconic race tracks before pulling out of endurance racing, smashing the all-time fastest lap of the Nordschleife was all the firm had in mind.
The car was 39kg lighter than its race spec, with radically reworked aerodynamics that improved downforce by 53%. The 2.0-litre V4 hybrid powertrain was tuned to produce 710bhp, with an additional 433bhp coming from an electric motor.
With Porsche works driver Timo Bernhard behind the wheel, the 919 Evo proceded to obliterate the all-time lap record, first setting a 5:24:375 in practice and then a 5:19:546 in an official run.
The Nürburgring electric lap record
Volkswagen ID R
Lap time: 6:05:33
It's a real achievement that Volkswagen has not only managed to claim the fastest lap time in an electric car with its ID R programme, but also place among the fastest-ever recorded.
The car has subsequently gone on to set records at the Goodwood Festival of Speed hillclimb and China's Tianmen Shan Big Gate Road, while the technology it pioneered will go on to influence R division's electric cars.
The Nürburgring electric production car lap record
Xiaomi SU7 Ultra
Lap time: 7:04:957
Chinese newcomer Xiaomi has leapt to the forefront of the electric production car rankings with the SU7 Ultra.
This ludicrously powerful sports saloon displaced the previous record holder - the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT - by smashing its time by almost three seconds.
Powered by a bustling 1527bhp tri-motor powertrain, the road-legal SU7 Ultra rounded the famous track in 7:04:957. It's currently one of the fastest EVs in the world.
The Nürburgring front-wheel-drive lap record
Honda Civic Type R
Lap time: 7:44:88
Honda is no stranger to Nürburgring records: every iteration of the Civic Type R released over the past decade has at one point held the front-wheel-drive record.
The new FL5-generation car was fitted with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 Connect tyres for its run, giving it the extra grip needed to dethrone the Renault Mégane RS Trophy-R.