Mini Countryman with century sprint of 5.1 seconds
Looking for a big and beefy car? Check out the new Mini Countryman John Cooper Works. With 306hp and 450Nm, Mini's largest model has vroom to go with room. It gets to 100kmh in just 5.1 seconds.
With the heightened performance, the rarefied Countryman gets a new grille, larger tailpipes, LED headlamps and a 5-inch digital dash.
Features include a sports brake system with four-piston fixed caliper disc brakes in front and single-piston floating-caliper disc brakes for the rear. As an option, the car can be equipped with an adaptive chassis.
Surf and shop for Suzuki online
Suzuki agent Champion Motors has launched its e-showroom, which allows you to shop for a Suzuki without leaving your armchair. It comes with 360-degree viewing and toggles to call up details of each model.
You can also book a car on the platform, with a refundable deposit of $500. A finance calculator works out the monthly instalments.
Electric Porsche Taycan available now
The Porsche Taycan has arrived, with prices posted from $485,988 for the 4S, $623,988 for the Turbo and $767,988 for the Turbo S. These include GST, registration fees and Vehicular Emissions Scheme (VES) rebate.
Like all high-powered electric cars here, the Taycan gets an A2 VES banding (with A1 reserved usually for low-powered cars).
The prices include an 11kW wall charger. Those who book a car will have to wait, though. The first deliveries are expected only early next year.
Renault unveils electric Zoe Van
Renault has made a goods vehicle version of its electric Zoe micro-mini.
The Zoe Van has a claimed range of 392.5km, uses the same 52kWh battery pack and 80kW R110 electric motor as the electric Zoe, and offers up to 1,000 litres of load space behind the front seats.
BMW aims to cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2030
BMW is pressing on with its environmental goals. Its chairman Oliver Zipse announced this week that the company aims to reduce its emissions by 80 per cent from 2019 levels by 2030, after having already lowered emissions per vehicle produced by more than 70 per cent since 2006.
The main lever for this is production, which generates around 90 per cent of the company's emissions. In addition to sourcing 100 per cent green power as of this year, BMW will systematically invest in optimising its energy efficiency.
The company will drive further expansion of renewable energy sources at its plants worldwide, including the use of green hydrogen.
Peugeot, Fiat-Chrysler merger named Stellantis
Peugeot and Fiat-Chrysler have created a new name for their merged entity: Stellantis.
"Stello" apparently means to brighten with stars" in Latin.
Stellantis says it will combine "the scale of a truly global business with an exceptional breadth and depth of talent, know-how and resource capable of providing the sustainable mobility solutions for the coming decades".
The French-Italian-American entity will use the new name " at the group level, as a corporate brand". The next step, its adds, will be coming up with a logo.
Christopher Tan
