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Recently, there has been a shift in BMW's sales plans. Walter Mertl, BMW's Chief Financial Officer, said they have hit the tipping point for internal combustion engines (ICE) and will focus more on electric cars. Mertl also says that ICE vehicle sales have plateaued and will start to decrease. This is due to changes in environmental regulations with stricter or zero emissions. Regulations from China, the European Union, and the United States are causing automakers to expedite creating and producing electric vehicles (EVs). In 2023, 15% of BMWs sold globally were EVs. Their most popular model was the i4 M50 for the second year in a row. BMW is targeting a 33% share by 2025 and will unveil six vehicles under the Neue Klasse EV lineup. The first vehicle, an X3-sized EV SUV, is expected to arrive in 2025. Mertl did acknowledge that BMW's profit margins for EVs and ICE vehicles won't align until at least 2026. One of the factors Mertl pointed out included the higher costs associated with new battery technology. Although BMW is shifting towards an all-electric brand, they still want owners to have fun driving a manual. BMW confirmed that the M2, M3, and M4 will keep their manual gearboxes for the current generation. In 2023, 15-20% of M3 and M4s had a manual gearbox, while the M2 was closer to 50%. View full article -
Recently, there has been a shift in BMW's sales plans. Walter Mertl, BMW's Chief Financial Officer, said they have hit the tipping point for internal combustion engines (ICE) and will focus more on electric cars. Mertl also says that ICE vehicle sales have plateaued and will start to decrease. This is due to changes in environmental regulations with stricter or zero emissions. Regulations from China, the European Union, and the United States are causing automakers to expedite creating and producing electric vehicles (EVs). In 2023, 15% of BMWs sold globally were EVs. Their most popular model was the i4 M50 for the second year in a row. BMW is targeting a 33% share by 2025 and will unveil six vehicles under the Neue Klasse EV lineup. The first vehicle, an X3-sized EV SUV, is expected to arrive in 2025. Mertl did acknowledge that BMW's profit margins for EVs and ICE vehicles won't align until at least 2026. One of the factors Mertl pointed out included the higher costs associated with new battery technology. Although BMW is shifting towards an all-electric brand, they still want owners to have fun driving a manual. BMW confirmed that the M2, M3, and M4 will keep their manual gearboxes for the current generation. In 2023, 15-20% of M3 and M4s had a manual gearbox, while the M2 was closer to 50%. -
Volkswagen has announced their next-generation of gas and diesel engines, launching in 2026 will be its last. “Our colleagues are working on the last platform for vehicles that aren’t CO2 neutral. We’re gradually fading out combustion engines to the absolute minimum,” said Michael Jost, strategy chief for Volkswagen. The German automaker has set aside $50 billion over the next five years to begin transforming itself into an electric car builder. The first rollout is beginning very soon with the Audi e-tron SUV and Porsche Taycan. By 2030, Volkswagen is planning to have more than 300 electric versions of cars, vans, trucks, and motorbikes. But the fading out of gas and diesel engines isn't going to be a quick thing. Jost said that Volkswagen would continue to "modify its combustion engine technology," in the coming years after the new platform for "vehicles that aren’t CO2 neutral". After 2050, Volkswagen may still be offering some gas and diesel models in places "where there is insufficient charging infrastructure." Source: Bloomberg View full article -
Volkswagen has announced their next-generation of gas and diesel engines, launching in 2026 will be its last. “Our colleagues are working on the last platform for vehicles that aren’t CO2 neutral. We’re gradually fading out combustion engines to the absolute minimum,” said Michael Jost, strategy chief for Volkswagen. The German automaker has set aside $50 billion over the next five years to begin transforming itself into an electric car builder. The first rollout is beginning very soon with the Audi e-tron SUV and Porsche Taycan. By 2030, Volkswagen is planning to have more than 300 electric versions of cars, vans, trucks, and motorbikes. But the fading out of gas and diesel engines isn't going to be a quick thing. Jost said that Volkswagen would continue to "modify its combustion engine technology," in the coming years after the new platform for "vehicles that aren’t CO2 neutral". After 2050, Volkswagen may still be offering some gas and diesel models in places "where there is insufficient charging infrastructure." Source: Bloomberg -
Ranger Raptor "Would Do Really Well" In U.S. Says Chief Enginner
William Maley posted an article in Ford
Last week, Ford unveiled the Raptor Ranger. The bad news as we reported was the model wasn't going to come here, but a tweet from Ford's North America Product Communications manager gave some hope that possibly, a smaller Raptor could come. More fuel has been added to this fire via some comments made by the chief engineer for Ford Performance, Jamal Hameedi. Speaking with Australian outlet Drive, Hameedi said the truck "would do really well in the states." “I think it’s certainly like it’s a baby Raptor, it depends what you’re looking for. There are a lot of people that just want that size in a pickup truck and they don’t want anything larger,” said Hameedi. Hameedi went on to say that the diesel engine found in the Ranger Raptor would likely be swapped for a gas engine. “I think most American off-roaders would actually prefer a petrol gas engine, but a diesel is the absolute way to go for the rest of the world.” We think a version of Ford's 2.3 EcoBoost could be the engine of choice for a U.S. variant. But it will likely be a while before a final decision is made on the Ranger Raptor coming to the U.S. “We haven’t said anything about availability in the US, our first priority is to get a Raptor available to everyone on the planet earth. So Americans already have an F-150 Raptor, we’ve got to spread Raptors to the rest of the planet,” said Hameedi. Source: Drive -
Last week, Ford unveiled the Raptor Ranger. The bad news as we reported was the model wasn't going to come here, but a tweet from Ford's North America Product Communications manager gave some hope that possibly, a smaller Raptor could come. More fuel has been added to this fire via some comments made by the chief engineer for Ford Performance, Jamal Hameedi. Speaking with Australian outlet Drive, Hameedi said the truck "would do really well in the states." “I think it’s certainly like it’s a baby Raptor, it depends what you’re looking for. There are a lot of people that just want that size in a pickup truck and they don’t want anything larger,” said Hameedi. Hameedi went on to say that the diesel engine found in the Ranger Raptor would likely be swapped for a gas engine. “I think most American off-roaders would actually prefer a petrol gas engine, but a diesel is the absolute way to go for the rest of the world.” We think a version of Ford's 2.3 EcoBoost could be the engine of choice for a U.S. variant. But it will likely be a while before a final decision is made on the Ranger Raptor coming to the U.S. “We haven’t said anything about availability in the US, our first priority is to get a Raptor available to everyone on the planet earth. So Americans already have an F-150 Raptor, we’ve got to spread Raptors to the rest of the planet,” said Hameedi. Source: Drive View full article
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California is considering joining France and Great Britain in banning the sale of gas and diesel-powered vehicles. Governor Jerry Brown has been expressing an interest in banning the sale of internal-combustion engines according to Mary Nichols, chariman of the California Air Resources Board. “I’ve gotten messages from the governor asking, ‘Why haven’t we done something already?’ The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California,” she said to Bloomberg. As we reported earlier this month, China is also considering a ban on internal combustion engines. California has set an ambitious goal reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. “To reach the ambitious levels of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, we have to pretty much replace all combustion with some form of renewable energy by 2040 or 2050. We’re looking at that as a method of moving this discussion forward,” said Nichols. If California was to go forward with this, it would send massive shockwaves in the automotive industry due to the size of state's auto market. Last year, more than 2 million new passenger vehicles were registered, topping countries like France and Spain. Automakers would be under new pressure on making EVs the standard. But that doesn't mean California will have an easy time with this. While the state has the authority of writing its own pollution rules thanks to the 1970 Clean Air Act, they cannot be enacted with getting waivers from the EPA. With the Trump administration going on record that it would challenge California on any new environmental act, the state is looking for alternative ways to get what they want. “We certainly wouldn’t expect to get a waiver for that from EPA. I think we would be looking at using some of our other authorities to get to that result,” said Nichols. Nichols did say it will be a long time before something like this is implemented. “There are people who believe, including who work for me, that you could stop all sales of new internal-combustion cars by 2030. Some people say 2035, some people say 2040. It’s awfully hard to predict any of that with precision, but it doesn’t appear to be out of the question.” Source: Bloomberg View full article
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California is considering joining France and Great Britain in banning the sale of gas and diesel-powered vehicles. Governor Jerry Brown has been expressing an interest in banning the sale of internal-combustion engines according to Mary Nichols, chariman of the California Air Resources Board. “I’ve gotten messages from the governor asking, ‘Why haven’t we done something already?’ The governor has certainly indicated an interest in why China can do this and not California,” she said to Bloomberg. As we reported earlier this month, China is also considering a ban on internal combustion engines. California has set an ambitious goal reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. “To reach the ambitious levels of reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, we have to pretty much replace all combustion with some form of renewable energy by 2040 or 2050. We’re looking at that as a method of moving this discussion forward,” said Nichols. If California was to go forward with this, it would send massive shockwaves in the automotive industry due to the size of state's auto market. Last year, more than 2 million new passenger vehicles were registered, topping countries like France and Spain. Automakers would be under new pressure on making EVs the standard. But that doesn't mean California will have an easy time with this. While the state has the authority of writing its own pollution rules thanks to the 1970 Clean Air Act, they cannot be enacted with getting waivers from the EPA. With the Trump administration going on record that it would challenge California on any new environmental act, the state is looking for alternative ways to get what they want. “We certainly wouldn’t expect to get a waiver for that from EPA. I think we would be looking at using some of our other authorities to get to that result,” said Nichols. Nichols did say it will be a long time before something like this is implemented. “There are people who believe, including who work for me, that you could stop all sales of new internal-combustion cars by 2030. Some people say 2035, some people say 2040. It’s awfully hard to predict any of that with precision, but it doesn’t appear to be out of the question.” Source: Bloomberg -
Britain To Ban Gas and Diesel Vehicle Sales By 2040
William Maley posted an article in Automotive Industry
Great Britain is planning to ban the sale of conventional gas and diesel vehicles from 2040 to help reduce air pollution. The government announced this in a paper published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). "There should be no new diesel or petrol vehicles by 2040," said environment minister Michael Gove to BBC Radio. This is part of the government's £2.7bn blueprint for tackling air pollution. This includes investments going towards building out a charging infrastructure, more efficient public transport, and promoting walking and bicycling. It needs to be noted that the ban will not affect models with hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains - early reports said all gas and diesel vehicles would be banned. This announcement comes a few weeks after France made a similar announcement to ban gas vehicles by 2040. Source: Reuters -
Great Britain is planning to ban the sale of conventional gas and diesel vehicles from 2040 to help reduce air pollution. The government announced this in a paper published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). "There should be no new diesel or petrol vehicles by 2040," said environment minister Michael Gove to BBC Radio. This is part of the government's £2.7bn blueprint for tackling air pollution. This includes investments going towards building out a charging infrastructure, more efficient public transport, and promoting walking and bicycling. It needs to be noted that the ban will not affect models with hybrid and plug-in hybrid drivetrains - early reports said all gas and diesel vehicles would be banned. This announcement comes a few weeks after France made a similar announcement to ban gas vehicles by 2040. Source: Reuters View full article
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Smart already finds itself in a small niche by selling small city cars in North America, but a new letter reveals that the brand will be entering an even smaller one. Automotive News obtained a letter from Dietmar Exler, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA which says the brand will cease sales of gas-powered models by the end of this year, becoming an electric-only brand. “Developments within the micro-car segment present some challenges for the current Smart product portfolio. Therefore, with the launch of the fourth-generation Smart ForTwo electric drive this summer, the Smart lineup will consist exclusively of the zero-emissions Smart electric-drive coupe and cabrio in the U.S. and Canada,” Exler said in the letter. Mercedes-Benz spokesman Rob Moran tells Automotive News the plan at the moment is to stop production of the gas model for North American in April and continue sales until all of the models are gone. Smart has never done well in the U.S. Their best year was in 2014 with 10,453 models sold. Since then, sales have been steadily declining thanks to low gas prices and consumers going towards crossovers. In 2016, Smart only sold 6,211 models. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) -
Smart already finds itself in a small niche by selling small city cars in North America, but a new letter reveals that the brand will be entering an even smaller one. Automotive News obtained a letter from Dietmar Exler, CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA which says the brand will cease sales of gas-powered models by the end of this year, becoming an electric-only brand. “Developments within the micro-car segment present some challenges for the current Smart product portfolio. Therefore, with the launch of the fourth-generation Smart ForTwo electric drive this summer, the Smart lineup will consist exclusively of the zero-emissions Smart electric-drive coupe and cabrio in the U.S. and Canada,” Exler said in the letter. Mercedes-Benz spokesman Rob Moran tells Automotive News the plan at the moment is to stop production of the gas model for North American in April and continue sales until all of the models are gone. Smart has never done well in the U.S. Their best year was in 2014 with 10,453 models sold. Since then, sales have been steadily declining thanks to low gas prices and consumers going towards crossovers. In 2016, Smart only sold 6,211 models. Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required) View full article
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G. David Felt - Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.cheersandgears.com Smart Car Gas to end 2017, Pure EV only for 2018! USA Today has stated that Mercedes-Benz has notified their Smart Car sellers that 2017 is the end of the Gas powered auto. Smart Car will live on but only in Pure EV mode with a complete lineup. Mercedes is quoted as saying they have decided that the three-cylinder, 70 HP powered auto that averaged 40 mpg just did not make sense any more in today's age of cheap gas and net battery tech. Smart Car only sold 6,211 autos in the US last year, down 17% from 2015 and Car2go has notified SmartCar that they will no longer be using their car in their program instead moving over to the CLA Sedan and GLA crossover as their customers are asking for. This alone which accounted for the largest amount of Smart Car sales would indicate the days are numbered. As such, Mercedes-Benz will show off a new selection of EV Smart Cars some time this year and only have EV models for sale in 2018. USA Today Story
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Members of Germany's government have passed a resolution that could mean the end of gas and diesel vehicles. German newspaper Der Spiegel reports that the Germany's legislative body, the Bundesrat (represents all sixteen states in the country) passed a resolution to ban the sale of gas and diesel engines in 2030. After that, only zero-emission vehicles will be allowed to be built. The resolution also calls on the European Union to follow in their footsteps. But the Bundesrat doesn't have any direct authority over the EU. However, Forbes points out that Germany has the largest government and most powerful economy in the EU. This means any legislation that goes through Germany will in turn influence the EU. In the resolution, the Bundesrat requests the EU to "review the current practices of taxation and dues with regard to a stimulation of emission-free mobility." Forbes notes this would include possibly scrapping the lower taxes a number of member states employ for diesel. Higher taxes would likely cause people to avoid diesel vehicles. Source: Der Spiegel, Forbes -
Members of Germany's government have passed a resolution that could mean the end of gas and diesel vehicles. German newspaper Der Spiegel reports that the Germany's legislative body, the Bundesrat (represents all sixteen states in the country) passed a resolution to ban the sale of gas and diesel engines in 2030. After that, only zero-emission vehicles will be allowed to be built. The resolution also calls on the European Union to follow in their footsteps. But the Bundesrat doesn't have any direct authority over the EU. However, Forbes points out that Germany has the largest government and most powerful economy in the EU. This means any legislation that goes through Germany will in turn influence the EU. In the resolution, the Bundesrat requests the EU to "review the current practices of taxation and dues with regard to a stimulation of emission-free mobility." Forbes notes this would include possibly scrapping the lower taxes a number of member states employ for diesel. Higher taxes would likely cause people to avoid diesel vehicles. Source: Der Spiegel, Forbes View full article
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G. David Felt Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer www.CheersandGears.com Oil Price Drops, Worst To Come? CNBC had a great review this past week on Oil Supply, markets and where the cuts will come before we see prices rising and why does 15 barrels a day matter? CNBC Top Oil Analyst story with video http://www.cnbc.com/id/102414761 Capex Cuts will determine oil's bottom: Analyst. http://www.cnbc.com/id/102417058?utm_content=bufferb47df&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin.com&utm_campaign=buffer While we have seen gas prices rise again in the last few weeks, Inventory supply and the need to do something with all the oil being pumped in the US will cause prices to drop again. By the end of the week Oil per barrel on both WTI and Brent crude had dropped by as much as 2.4%. So if the politicians have their way with raising gas tax's when would we see gas return to $4 to $5 dollars a gallon? Some say 2nd quarter of this year, others are saying towards the end of this year but all seem to think we will see gas go back over $3 a gallon for sure in 2016. Washington state is considering a 32 cents per gallon gas tax increase to fund expanded road projects and general fund. Whether it passes the fall vote or not will be another thing and the fact that citizens are tired of funding things such as the 500 million spent on Illegals medical costs and other run away social services along with the under funding of schools and the education of future workers of America. What are your thoughts? Review the stories, listen to the videos and sound off on what you think Oil will do to this country and the direction of Auto's!
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The price for a barrel of oil has nosedived over the past half a year or so, and that has started to be felt at the pump, with petrol and diesel prices being significantly lower than they were a year ago. Will this change drivers' behaviour, steering them toward gas guzzlers again because they'll be so much cheaper to run due to the lower fuel costs?
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Duke Engines – Time for a NEW FORMAT?
G. David Felt posted a topic in Alternative Fuels & Propulsion
G. David Felt Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer www.CheersandGears.com Duke Engines – Time for a NEW FORMAT? A 5-cylinder Axial engine at 1,000cc size begs the question: Is this the future of motorcycle and auto engines or just a wild idea like the Mazda Rotary? Duke Engines has been playing with outside the box engine design for some time. They play in the markets of Marine with inboard and outboard engines to aircraft and AC generators. They recently are using their Axial engine design to play in the Range Extender market for hybrid auto’s with a thought of the VOLT style car, electric driven auto with a generator to produce electricity for long range drives as well as the motorcycle market. So what does a Duke Engine offer over traditional 60 degree, 90 degree v engines or straight 4/6 cylinder engines? Duke says that their Axial engine offer No Vibration, High Power that leads to considerable reduced size and weight. Performance lovers will love the high power to weight ratio or density that the Duke Engine brings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTpPBiReaZk The base engine at 1,000cc gives you 125hp and 20% more torque than the same size conventional engine with much fewer moving parts according to their web site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c19kn3drdFU These compact Axial engine design is akin to the shape of current electric motors. Their current 3.0L prototype engine has been tested up to 4500rpm putting out 215hp and 250lb of torque. Duke Engine put together this FAQ page. Frequently Asked Questions So with this truly unique design on engines, is this the future for GAS, Diesel, CNG engines / generators? Does this make sense to use this in the next generation of Volt Type hybrid auto’s? Would you drive a motorcycle with an Axial engine? Leave your thoughts on what you think of this new engine design? Could this be the new Small Block V8 pushrod replacement that the world is looking for?
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G. David Felt Alternative Fuels & Propulsion writer www.CheersandGears.com Zero Emission Auto's, are they truly Greener than Gas? Many people here know me as a CNG person. Some will say electric is greener than CNG and Gas. We know CNG is cleaner than GAS, but is pure electric truly greener than CNG or gas? I have talked about how much CO2 is produced during the battery building stage for these pure electric cars. I have also pointed out that in places where Coal is used for creating energy, electric is dirty compared to CNG or Gas. Yes living in the Pacific Northwest, Washington has an abundance of Hydro and wind power, so Electric cars are very green. Even in the south, Southwest where solar is a huge factor, electric is pretty green. Yet once you move to the Midwest and East-coast, Electric auto's become far dirtier than normal gas powered auto's and CNG or Hybrids like the Chevy VOLT are cleaner than electric auto's. Yes you have nuclear in select areas but even than you have the waste from these plants that cause issues. So then are Zero Emission Auto's truly the Green Dream for everyone? Lucky for me, the LA Times finally did a research piece on just this thing and after looking at the history or power use and places that electric cars have been used came to the same conclusion I did that depending on how the electricity is generated, electric auto's can be cleaner or dirtier than gas, cng or hybrid auto's. http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-1117-graff-electric-cars-policy-20141114-story.html 1) The story says by 2019 or half a decade, electric auto's will outsell the Toyota Camry. 2) The story says sales will only grow as long as the $7500 fed subsidy is in place for now. 3) Green all depends on where the electricity comes from. 4) EPA has doubled the fuel MPG by 2025. 5) EPA is developing a clean power plan for electricity production. 6) 100 years ago, electric auto's were the dominate product which was replaced by gas and now it coming full circle to be a dominate player. 7) This is a major push all due to Climate Change. Sound off, do you agree with what is stated here? Yes or No Where do you see electric auto's fitting in? Is there a valid reason to go CNG or Hybrid over electric? Is range anxiety a valid reason or just an excuse? What are your thoughts on a logical progression for the auto industry for powertrains?
