Fast Lane: All-new Honda SUV, Cupra named Raval, Renault named Rafale

A more serious Honda EV

Honda has unveiled a more serious electric car than the cute Honda E.

The eNy1 is an electric compact sport utility vehicle (SUV) built on a new platform featuring a 68.8kWh battery for a range of 412km.

The car has an output of 150kW and 310Nm. With DC fast charging, its battery can go from 10 to 80 per cent in 45 minutes.

But there is no word if or when the eNy1 will arrive in Singapore through the official channel. Like the Honda E, expect it to be offered by parallel importers.

Honda is scheduled to launch a bigger electric SUV called the Prologue in the United States in 2024.

Renault offers 600,000km battery warranty for electric van

Renault has rolled out the longest electric vehicle (EV) battery warranty in town. The new Kangoo E-Tech commercial van’s battery is guaranteed to retain at least 70 per cent of its capacity over 10 years or 600,000km.

The van also has the fastest AC charging capacity of 22kW – about twice the speed of most other EVs. AC charging is deemed to better preserve battery life than DC charging.

Renault agent Wearnes Automotive says the extended warranty comes on the back of more commercial customers – mostly from logistics companies – needing to travel at least 200km a day. This is about double the average mileage of light commercial vehicles before the pandemic.

Because Z is bigger than H, but smaller than C

Honda has unveiled the ZR-V – a compact crossover sitting between the HR-V and CR-V.

With a Civic-like interior, the car is “aimed at young, image-conscious buyers who seek a stylish, powerful and fun-to-drive vehicle that can seamlessly integrate into their life”.

It will share the Civic’s e:HEV hybrid system, featuring a 2-litre four-cylinder direct injection Atkinson cycle engine paired with two motors. Despite its compactness, it has a load-carrying capacity of up to 1,291 litres.

There is no word yet on when the ZR-V will debut in Singapore.

Volvo Trucks calls off purchase of China’s JMC

Volvo Trucks and Jiangling Motors Co will not pursue a previously announced transaction involving the acquisition of JMC Heavy Duty Vehicle Co, and a manufacturing site in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China. The two parties say this is because “conditions for closing the transaction were not met”.

Volvo Trucks will continue to export trucks to customers in China.

Honda’s new CR-V arriving in third quarter

The new Honda CR-V is available as a hybrid or a plug-in hybrid. Striking a more minivan-ish profile, the sixth-generation of Honda’s successful mid-size SUV is poised to arrive in Singapore in the third quarter.

Both variants feature a 2-litre four-cylinder direct injection Atkinson cycle petrol engine. The plug-in hybrid promises an electric range of 82km. The full hybrid will feature a power-dense lithium-ion battery and two compact, lightweight motors which will assist a petrol engine.

BMW launches entry-level i4 as brand attains No. 2 EV sales spot

BMW Asia has brought in an entry-level variant of the i4 electric saloon.

The i4 eDrive35 is powered by a rear-mounted motor producing 210kW and 400Nm of torque. It accelerates to 100kmh in six seconds, and attains a top speed of 190kmh while promising a power consumption of 19.3kWh/100km and range of 483km.

It is priced at $334,888. BMW registered 204 electric cars in the first four months of the year, earning it the No. 2 spot, trailing just BYD with 245 cars.

Three motors for Audi SQ8 e-tron

Audi has launched a more powerful variant of the new Q8 e-tron. The SQ8 e-tron is powered by three motors developing 496hp and 973Nm of torque.

Weighing close to 2.7 tonnes, it is available in SUV or Sportback body style. Audi promises a range of up to 442km, a 0-100kmh timing of 5.1 seconds (compared with 4.1 seconds by the petrol-powered SQ8), and a top speed of 210kmh (250kmh for the petrol SQ8).

Wearnes’ Harley showroom taking shape

Work has started on multi-franchise agent Wearnes Automotive’s new Harley-Davidson showroom.

Space for the new facility, located at 28 Leng Kee Road, is carved out of Wearnes’ Renault showroom.

Renovation work amounting to $2.5 million is ongoing, and the motorcycle showroom is slated to open in the fourth quarter – a little over a year since Wearnes took over the brand from hotelier Ong Beng Seng’s Komoco.

The retail space and the workshop cover more than 600 sq m in total. The showroom will display Harley parts and accessories, with some 100 sq m devoted to lifestyle items. Its workshop is designed to offer servicing, repairs and customisation.

Cupra names new electric car after Barcelona district

Cupra has named its new electric crossover Raval. The premium division of Seat had previously presented the car as the UrbanRebel concept.

The Raval will be produced in Martorell, north-west of Barcelona, from 2025. Cupra says the Raval name is a tribute to the Raval neighbourhood, a district in the heart of Barcelona.

AC Cobra’s 451hp-per-tonne roadster

The newly launched AC Cobra GT Roadster is available in both left- and right-hand drive. Powered by a thunderous 5-litre V8 delivering up to 654hp, the Cobra GT features an extruded aluminium spaceframe chassis and carbon-composite bodywork weighing less than 50kg.

It has a wheelbase of 2,570mm, 284mm longer than the AC Cobra Mk VI, yet the car’s overall length has grown by only 110mm to 4,225mm. The car weighs less than 1,450kg, giving a power-to-weight ratio of up to 451hp per tonne. It hits 100kmh in under four seconds.

Two gearboxes are available: a six-speed manual or a 10-speed automatic with steering wheel-mounted shift paddles.

Maserati to cease making V8 engine later this year

Maserati will stop producing its turbocharged V8 engine by the end of the year. Trofeo variants of its Levante, Ghibli and Quattroporte powered by its 572hp twin-turbo V8 will be on sale till the end of 2024.

The entire Maserati range will come in an electric version by 2025, and Maserati will be full-electric by 2030. Currently, the GranTurismo Folgore and Grecale Folgore are the only two electric Maserati cars.

An electric five-seater from Ford called Tourneo Courier

The Ford E-Tourneo Courier is a five-seat electric multi-activity vehicle with a distinctive SUV-ish design. The car is powered by a 100kW motor, and packs the “most comprehensive” suite of advanced driver assistance systems in its class, as well as three drive modes.

The Ford accepts 11kW AC or 100kW DC charging. A typical 7kW overnight domestic charge from 10 to 100 per cent takes 7.8 hours. At a DC fast charger, customers can add 86.5km of range in just 10 minutes and charge from 10 to 80 per cent in under 35 minutes.

A toy car you can drive at close to 100kmh

The Little Car Co has announced production of the Wild One Max – a miniature driveable car based on the Tamiya Wild One radio-controlled car released in 1985.

Sporting serious off-road tyres and suspension, the car measures around 3.6m long and 1.9m wide, with a ground clearance of 270mm for the Launch Edition. The approach angle is 34.1 degrees, the breakover angle is 28.4 degrees and the departure angle is 50.8 degrees.

The car, expected to weigh some 500kg, is powered by eight removable battery packs, with a total capacity of 14.4kWh and top speed of around 96.5kmh. The company is also making a road-legal variant.

New full-size Renault SUV named after a 1930s plane

Renault has named its upcoming full-size SUV Rafale. Sporting a coupe-like profile, the Rafale is said to be inspired by the brand’s history as an aircraft engine manufacturer in the 1930s.

The car will be previewed at the Paris Air Show on June 18. The Rafale completes Renault’s line-up of hybrid cars built on its CMF-CD platform.

In 1933, Renault took over Caudron, another aircraft manufacturer, and established Caudron-Renault. All the planes were named after a notable wind. Accordingly, the C460, a single-seater racing plane engineered to break records, was renamed Rafale in 1934.