Tesla promises realistic pricing for new BMW 3-series rival

Telsa’s upcoming compact electric saloon will be “realistically” priced against rivals such as the Audi A4 and BMW 3-series, according to Chris Porritt, the company’s vice-president of engineering. 

Porritt, a Brit who left Aston Martin last year to join Tesla, told Autocar that the price of batteries was the key calculation when engineering the model, which is expected in late 2016-early 2017. “Building the Gigafactory will help make battery manufacturing more cost-effective,” he said. 

Porritt also said that the small car would be constructed from “appropriate materials” and would not be based on the same all-aluminium platform as the Model S. Tesla boss Elon Musk has already revealed that the new ‘Model E’ will be about 20 per cent smaller than today’s Model S.

Porritt said:  “I expect there will be very little carry-over. We’ve got to be cost-effective. We can’t use aluminium for all the [small car’s] components.” This suggests that the Model E will use mostly steel in its make-up, although it will probably use bonding and rivets in its construction.

When Autocar spoke to Porritt, he was at Tesla’s southern California studio working on the upcoming Model X SUV. He said the seven–seater was based on the same platform and wheelbase as the Model S saloon, but some of the suspension had been changed. 

He said the unusual ‘swan wing’ rear doors had been designed to make it easier to load children, as well as making the third row of seats more accessible. They will appear on the showroom version, which is due to go on sale late next year.

Porritt said he has been working on the Model S, refining the manufacturing process and modifying components so that they can be made more efficiently. He also executed the conversion to right-hand drive, opening up markets in the UK, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong. 

Porritt was bullish about the further potential for the expanding Tesla brand. “If you get the car right, it doesn’t matter that it’s electric,” he said. He was scathing about the studied “differentness” of electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf. “People don’t want to look eccentric. They want to have pride in their car’s looks. Our biggest advocates are our [existing] customers,” he said.

Tesla is currently building 600 examples of the Model S each week at its factory in Freemont and expects Model X sales to add significantly to that total. The factory has a theoretical capacity of 500,000 vehicles per year. 

Source: Autocar

2015 VW Passat – Official Photos Leaked

It may be America’s birthday, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world has the day off. That seems to be especially true in China, apparently, where German carmaker Volkswagen just released official photos of the new-for-2015 VW Passat sedan and wagon.

In a word: it’s gorgeous.

2015 VW Passat – Super Pretty on the Outside

---

The new 2015 VW Passat uses the Volkswagen/Adui Group’s MQB modular platform, which (in other recent MQB models) has meant a similarly-sized car that’s 85 kg lighter than the outgoing model.

Under the hood, the new Passat’s engines are new or renewed versions of existing turbocharged engines. The new engines will all, reportedly, feature stop-start technology and range in output from 120 to 280 HP, and were selected in a bid to have the 2015 Passat run more efficiently – and more cleanly – than the current generation mid-size sedan, wagon, and CC “coupe”.

Gas, diesel, hybrid, and even CNG powered versions of the 2015 VW Passat sedan and wagon are expected (depending on the markets the car is sold in), and, while pricing hasn’t been announced for the US, it doesn’t seem likely that VW is going to move the car “up market”.

2015 VW Passat – Super Pretty on the Inside

---

Inside the new Passat, however, the atmosphere is decidedly up market. Horizontal lines dominate the interior styling, and – along with squared-off seats and accents/details – create an atmosphere that’s just as nice (if not as sporty) as what you’d find in the Passat-based Audi A6 line.

That “squared off” interior should also help the Passat wagon’s interior cargo volume, too. Based on my own recent comparison of that car against a Volvo XC70 (which is a generation or so behind the Passat, in terms of chassis design), the last Passat wagon needed all the help it could get.

What do you guys think? Is this new 2015 VW Passat as good-looking as I think it is, or do I just like it because it looks like an old Volvo? Let us know what you think of the new-look mainstream option from Wolfsburg in the comments, below. Enjoy!

Source | Images: Volkswagen, via Motorpasion.

Safety Exemption Sought For U.S. Sales Of The Toyota FCV

There is little doubt that the United States has some of the most onerous automotive safety regulations in the world, and sometimes that makes selling a new kind of car technology difficult. Toyota is asking for a special exemption for its FCV hydrogen fuel cell car that has to do with the separation of high-voltage components and the safety of first responders.

Bloomberg reports that the rule, FMVSS No. 305, requires automakers to isolate high-voltage components in the event of an accident in order to prevent first responders from being electrocuted. Unfortunately for Toyota, such a mechanism would render the FCV inoperable, even after a minor fender bender.

The Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, and other electric vehicles all integrate such a system, but Toyota is petitioning the NHTSA for a special exemption from this rule. Instead, Toyota says it will wrap high-voltage wires in extra insulation and protect the hydrogen fuel stack, electric motor, and battery with metal barriers.

With Toyota limiting sales to just 2,500 units a year at first, it’s likely the NHTSA will grant Toyota its exemption for the first couple of years while engineers figure out a better solution for the $69,000 FCV. I have to say though, for all of Toyota’s bluster on the greatness of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the fact that they’re seeking safety exemptions isn’t exactly encouraging. The hydrogen fuel tanks may be bulletproof, but is extra insulation and metal barriers going to prevent an inexperienced first responder from getting shocked or even killed?

Toyota seems to think so, though ultimately the answer lies with the NHTSA, and while it seems unlikely, what will Toyota do if its exemption is denied? Without the RAV4 EV and Tesla to fall back on, Toyota has put all its eggs in a basket called the FCV..

Source: Toyota