Fast Lane: Audi's next e-tron

Audi’s Q4 e-tron
Audi’s Q4 e-tron PHOTO: AUDI
Range Rover Sport
Range Rover Sport PHOTO: LAND ROVER
Mitsubishi’s 2020 ASX
Mitsubishi’s 2020 ASX PHOTO: MITSUBISHI
Mini’s John Cooper Works GP
Mini’s John Cooper Works GP PHOTO: MINI
Skoda's electric coupe-crossover
Skoda's electric coupe-crossover PHOTO: SKODA
Jaguar's E-Type restorer Evolution
Jaguar's E-Type restorer Evolution PHOTOS: EVOLUTION

Audi's next e-tron

This is a rendering of Audi's new electric car - the Q4 e-tron, which will be showcased at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Audi does not say much about the car, except that it will reach showrooms late next year or in early 2021.

Size-wise, it is likely to sit between the current Q3 and Q5 models, with sleeker styling afforded by the compactness of an electric drivetrain (like in the Jaguar I-Pace).


New engine for Range Rover Sport

Turbocharging, supercharging and a mild hybrid system. That sums up the Range Rover Sport, which is powered by a new 3-litre 400hp inline-six petrol engine. With 550Nm of torque, it powers the behemoth to 100kmh in 6.2 seconds and a top speed of 225kmh. The engine is forced-fed by a twin-scroll turbocharger supported by an electric supercharger. The drivetrain incorporates a 48-volt electrical system which can recover energy that otherwise would have been lost in braking.


Mitsubishi's 2020 ASX

Mitsubishi Motors will unveil its 2020 ASX compact SUV at the Geneva Motor Show next month.


Since its launch in 2009, Mitsubishi has sold 1.32 million ASX units in about 90 countries.

The exterior design has undergone a major overhaul.

Engine choices include a 2-litre 16-valve engine equipped with either a five-speed manual transmission or a continuously variable transmission.

Both two-and four-wheel-drive versions are available.


Fastest Mini

Mini's new John Cooper Works GP, due next year, will have more than 300hp churned out by a four-cylinder engine. Production is limited to 3,000 units worldwide.

It is slated to be the fastest and most powerful street-legal Mini.

With large front and rear aprons, a striking roof spoiler and extensive use of lightweight materials, the design study picked up where the previous two John Cooper Works GP production models left off.


Moovit offers comprehensive transit options

Mobility app provider Moovit, navigation specialist TomTom and Microsoft's Azure Maps have come up with a solution to reduce congestion in cities.

The product identifies all of the driving, parking and public transit options, and surfaces them in a single package for map users.

This will be particularly useful for suburbanites who don't know where to park their cars or which transit line to take in lieu of driving into the city.

The solution, which is powered by Moovit's Transit application programming interfaces (APIs) with driving and parking information using TomTom's APIs, shows the options for driving a car from a suburb to a parking lot near a transit station, riding the transit into the city and completing the journey on transit, on foot, via car-sharing or on a scooter or bike.


Skoda's electric coupe-crossover

Skoda has shown first sketches of its electric coupe-crossover. Part of 10 electric models to be rolled out by 2022, the Vision iV concept combines an athletic body, 22-inch aerodynamically optimised wheels and powerfully flared mudguards with a pronounced coupe-like roofline.

Cameras, whose housings are visually reminiscent of sharks' fins, take the place of traditional exterior mirrors.


UN regulation on emergency brakes drafted

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe says about 40 countries have agreed to a draft UN regulation for Advanced Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS) in cars, Agence France-Presse reported.

Using sensors, such systems monitor the proximity of a vehicle or pedestrian in front of a car. In situations where the sensors indicate a collision is imminent and the driver does not react to the system's warning alert, emergency braking is automatically applied to avoid a crash. Such systems have been in use for a number of years in trucks and buses.

The new UN regulation would impose strict and internationally harmonised requirements for the use of AEBS at speeds up to 60kmh.



Jaguar's modern-day comforts with 1960s design

Jaguar E-Type restorer Evolution will soon unveil a brand-new aluminium-bodied E-Type Roadster. The car will offer modern-day comforts, handling and reliability packaged in an iconic 1960s design.

Book a vehicle any time, anywhere with Vulog

Vulog, a global leader in shared mobility technology, is releasing a major upgrade which will make car-sharing more appealing. Its AiMA platform, which powers 25 car-share schemes in cities on five continents, will now support the flexibility of a free-floating scheme, in which users can access vehicles anywhere within a large geofenced area. Users can book a vehicle any time and anywhere.

Christopher Tan

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on February 16, 2019, with the headline Fast Lane: Audi's next e-tron. Subscribe