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The General Motors team that developed the pioneering EV1 electric car had to invent new technologies that are now commonplace on EVs. Among them: low-rolling-resistance tires, keyless ignition, a heat pump for HVAC, and regenerative braking. The Impact prototype (more accurately a concept car) that led to the production program was unveiled at the LA auto show in January 1990. The 1994 speed record car (pictured above), also called “Impact,” used a highly modified early-build development car. The adventure ended, sadly, in 1999 when production was stopped after only a few more than 1000 EV1 cars had been built. Here’s the inside story of the development process.In the 1990s, the team working on the electric car that became the GM EV1 faced many challenges, foremost among them the means of extracting even marginally usable range. The car had the energy equivalent of about a half-gallon of gas stored in its 26 lead-acid propulsion batteries, and this problem required rethinking just about everything on the then-cutting-edge automobile.

While GM Electric Vehicles (later Advanced Technology Vehicles Div.) engineers were rethinking and reinventing virtually every component and system, our Milford Proving Grounds team got to test and develop their fine work in full-vehicle form. I somehow scored the job of leading that team as Vehicle Test and Develop manager and was blessed with the outstanding services of lead development engineer Clive Roberts (borrowed from Lotus when GM owned it) and a trio of brilliant young engineers named Marty Freedman, Garrett Beauregard, and Travis Schwenke.

GM EV1.
General Motors

The list of technologies designed, developed, and put into production by that talented and tireless EV1 engineering force is truly impressive. On the EV1 were many industry firsts and many widely used today in both ICE and EV vehicles. Among the most significant were: power electronics design, packaging, and cooling directly related to today’s EVs; electrohydraulic power steering (EHPS), which soon led to electric power steering; heat pump HVAC (the “grandfather” of today’s systems); low-rolling-resistance tires; inductive charging (now widely used for phones, electric toothbrushes, and other things); an electric-defrost windshield (virtually invisible embedded wiring to defog the glass); keyless ignition (the EV1 used a console keypad); electric brakes and parking brake; by-wire acceleration, braking, and gear selection; cabin temperature preconditioning; tire-pressure sensing; regenerative braking (including variable coast regen—which was on our early development cars but just two set levels selected by a shift lever button on production EV1 cars, due to legal issues with brake-light activation), and regen/friction brake blending; IGBT (replacing MOSFET) power inverter technology, and low-friction bearings, seals, and lubricants.

Our clever test and development team also created innovative ways of doing their jobs. Because dynamometer range tests—accelerating, coasting, and braking to follow a precise trace on a computer screen from 100 percent to zero state of charge—were long, tedious, and boring, Garrett and Travis developed a system to drive the car for them. “We had drive-by-wire and brake-by-wire, so mostly thanks to Travis, we made that work,” Garrett recalls. “It was weird to stand behind a wall and watch the car do its thing, matching the trace very closely for repeatable tests, and we won an R&D award for that.” A sort-of early precursor of autonomous driving . . . but with the car tied down on a dyno.

EV1 vehicle test and development group, circa 1995. Author is second from right.
Courtesy of Gary Witzenburg

As a new team member, Garrett vividly recalls his first meeting when engineer “Chips” Leung began presenting in Chinese. “Cold sweats! Did I miss the language requirement?” he feared. Then powertrain chief engineer Jon Bereisa told the story (in English) of the team’s visit to China (because right-hand-drive EV1s were intended to be marketed there and elsewhere around the world), and the tale of a Chinese Vice Premier getting in a prototype Impact to drive it with Chips. Only then did that VIP nervously admit that he had never before driven a vehicle.Direction sometimes came from a need noticed at the top. “One of our engineers spilled his Big Gulp on the console,” recalls program executive director Ken Baker, “which fried the mechanical electronic switches for the gearshift mechanism. [Program chief engineer] Jim Ellis then declared that we needed a design that would survive a Big Gulp dumped on it, which led to a Big Gulp test. The solution was a protective membrane over the switch body.”First DrivesIn the fall of 1993, when GM was in financial trouble and our program was officially “on hold,” we did a series of media briefings and drives. We brought one publication at a time into the proving grounds, briefed them thoroughly on every engineering aspect, then let them test Clive’s Proof of Concept (POC) chassis development car on a fun route to the town of Milford, Michigan, where we recharged it for an afternoon run by another reporter who joined us for lunch. I also gave each one a thrill ride on a Proving Grounds hill course to show off the car’s surprisingly competent handing. The resulting articles were highly positive. “We drive the world’s best electric car,” gushed Popular Science on its January 1994 cover. “GM’s hard-charging Impact is practical, fun to drive, and a master stroke of engineering,” echoed Popular Mechanics. Even enthusiast magazines (including Car and Driver) were pleasantly surprised. And we heard later that those positive reviews helped the GM board decide to revive the program the next year.Vehicle chief engineer Mike Liedtke vividly recalls the day he hosted ace comedian, talk show host, and car collector Jay Leno’s visit to the program. Leno wanted to know everything about it, so he was thoroughly briefed and got a development-car demo drive, which he loved. Then he decided that he desperately wanted to buy the first one. But GM told him, “Sorry no sales, lease only,” which made him mad. Then, after GM steadfastly refused to sell him the first production EV1 (which was still called “Impact” at the time), he made on-air jokes about the name: something like, “Was Crash-and-Burn already taken?”In warm weather (our lead-acid batteries lost substantial range in cold temperatures), I could drive EV1s nearly 60 miles home from the Proving Grounds and had 240-volt charging equipment there to get me back the next morning. One hot summer evening, I left in a car with an early NiMH battery pack and, because NiMH essentially doubled the range of the standard lead-acid, I felt comfortable diverting to a dinner in Ann Arbor. But I ran short of range on the way home that night and barely made the last several miles in painfully slow “limp home” mode with the lights off. That triggered an investigation that revealed that NiMH batteries lost energy (and range) when hot and led directly to reengineering the EV1’s battery tunnel to provide air cooling for the 1999 model’s optional NiMH packs. Which, for that reason, were not offered in Arizona.Achieving such surprisingly good dynamics on Michelin’s skinny 50-psi low-rolling-resistance tires of the day was a substantial challenge. “The EV1 was difficult to tune because the battery pack put so much mass in the center,” Clive reports. “The first cars were a bit soft and floaty, probably because I put too much emphasis on the notorious California freeway hop and allowed the rear end too much vertical motion to avoid a feeling of tugging over the waves, thereby degrading the precision feel. They also had large-diameter rear dampers with a valve system using multiple discs, which gives an immense range of tuning choices, many thousands of possible combinations, so you took your best guess at the end of the available time. And the composite in the aluminum-composite rear axle links was flexible enough to give the rear axle a disturbing springy, non-precision feel in some dynamic situations. We couldn’t change the links but were able to compensate to some extent. The later cars switched to a smaller, simpler damper using a spring-loaded valve with a large but finite number of options, and with this and better understanding, they felt more nimble and secure.PCH, Pikes Peak, and Laguna SecaGarrett recalls our LA press drive, where all the EV1s there for the event took a long, slow drive through Marina del Rey and down the Pacific Coast Highway into Malibu the day before to maximize their range gauges in advance. “Folks must have thought aliens had landed when they saw this caravan of unknown jellybeans going by,” he laughs. And the day a group of police drove EV1s at Milford. “I rode shotgun with several who had never driven an EV other than a golf cart,” he relates. “One said he liked the acceleration and would want one for hunting drug dealers because its quietness would allow driving right up to them without their hearing it coming.”After the car was in production, Clive and Marty made a reconnaissance trip to Pikes Peak to explore the possibility of a competitive run up that famous mountain road. Clive reported that if we should ever enter a vehicle, we should use a specialist driver. “It was no place for a beginner!” Both also recall that Clive lost his lunch on the way down. “I tried to kill the windshield camera before the altitude sickness took over,” Marty laughs.And one of my fond memories was giving fast rides around Monterey, California’s Laguna Seca racetrack (which I knew well) in EV1s to 1997 TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design) Conference attendees. It was great fun showing off their hot-lap handling, though we needed a couple of cars to do it since their batteries drained quickly at racetrack speeds.Testing In 1994, Clive Roberts, in his capacity as lead development engineer, took a prototype to the 7.7-mile Fort Stockton, Texas, tire-test oval track. The Impact electric development car he piloted—shown at the top of this story—was artfully modified and meticulously prepared throughout to enable an EV speed record. It had more power, supertall gearing, a lowered and stiffened suspension, and aerodynamic aids (including a long, wake-smoothing tail cone) that reduced its drag coefficient (Cd) from 0.19 to an astounding 0.137.Yet it had stock brakes. “This was a straight-line activity, so we didn’t want any extra mass,” Roberts relates. “But we were leaving the measured mile somewhere above 190 mph, and there was not a lot of room before needing to turn into the banking to complete the lap. The car would slow to about 160 mph before the brakes were completely gone and I had to turn and keep it in the top lane. Adding to the excitement was the lack of guardrail, just a lot of Texas over the top. When we got the car back to Michigan, we found the brake pedal substantially bent!”The process required two runs through the measured mile in both directions within an hour. “We set up the mile on the main straight,” he continues, “then did a series of test runs to find the best point to start and the best entry speed onto the banking. We could do just one run before changing the battery. Entry speed to the banking was in the 175-to-180-mph range. Too slow would give insufficient time to accelerate to maximum speed for the trap; too fast would waste energy scrubbing off speed on the turn. And even the slightest lift would lose 2 to 3 mph.”But on March 11, 1994, Clive and his crack support team got it done to the tune of 183.822 mph, a record for “street legal” EVs that (we think) held until 2016 when it was topped by a battery powered Corvette at 205.6 mph. And achieving that record for a (future) production electric car was greatly aided by its ground-breaking potpourri of lightweight components, including its bonded and riveted aluminum space frame (with some composite structural elements), aluminum control-arm front suspension, cast aluminum wheels and cast magnesium seat frame and steering column support. The 1997 production EV1 that emerged two years later weighed just 2970 pounds, of which some 1200 pounds was its 16.5-kWh pack of 27 advanced lead-acid batteries (26 propulsion, one for accessories).It’s difficult to compare energy usages then to now since the measuring process has changed, but Marty (who was in charge of efficiency development as well as NVH) recalls that our 1994 PrEView Drive cars delivered something like 5.6 miles/kWh on average. That compares to 4.5 miles/kWh for a Tesla Model 3 Long Range and 4.0 for a Chevy Bolt today at their EPA combined range figures, and closer to two miles/kWh for soon-to-come big truck EVs. That ’97–’99 EV1, while a marketplace failure due to high cost, low range, and just two seats, was a true technological triumph.

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Launched in 2011, the Lamborghini Aventador hypercar has now reached the end of its production run and has announced the final V-12–powered edition, named Ultimae. The Aventador LP 780-4 Ultimae is making its global debut this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K., which runs July 8–11.Lamborghini has announced it will build 350 Ultimae coupes and 250 roadsters. Lamborghini has released pictures and details of a limited-edition finale for the Aventador, the appropriately named Ultimae. It will mark the end of production for the long-lived hypercar, which was launched in 2011, with a run of 350 coupes and 250 roadsters to be sold globally.

As you might expect, the Ultimae’s specification is something of a greatest hits collection, combining many of the Aventador dynasty’s best features. The naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 engine has been turned up to deliver 769 horsepower, 39 hp more than the Aventador S, 10 hp more than the Aventador SVJ, and only 39 hp less than the Sián with its supercapacitor hybrid system. The Ultimae’s structure is also lighter than that of the Aventador S. The coupe weighs 3417 pounds without fluids according to Lamborghini—a 55-pound saving. That curb weight also gives an identical power-to-weight ratio to the fractionally lighter SVJ. Lamborghini claims a 2.8-second zero-to-62-mph time, an 8.7-second zero-to-124-mph time, and a 221-mph top speed for the coupe. Adequately fast, in other words.

Lamborghini

As with all Aventadors, the Ultimae will have all-wheel drive and use Lamborghini’s savagely fast (and sometimes just savage) automated single-clutch ISR seven-speed transmission. It will also get the actively steered rear axle that was launched with the Aventador S, this able to respond to steering inputs in a claimed five milliseconds. Lamborghini also says that more of the 780-4 Ultimae’s 531-pound-foot torque peak will be sent to the rear axle than on the S, promising “sporty but safe oversteer behavior.” Which is the best sort of oversteer behavior. CCB carbon-ceramic brakes will also come as standard.As in earlier Aventadors, the Ultimae will have switchable driving modes: the regular Strada, Sport and Corsa plus an individual one labeled, appropriately, Ego.

Lamborghini

Only subtle visual changes will distinguish the Ultimae, which has a more subtle look than the wing-wearing SVJ. The Ultimae gets a new front bumper with the option of colored strakes, which are repeated on the rear diffuser. Forged alloy wheels will be standard, 20-inch diameter at the front and 21-inch at the rear, shod in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires. Lamborghini will offer 18 standard colors and the ability to choose more than 300 through the company’s Ad Personam bespoke program. The coupe looks particularly good in the two-tone matte gray in these official pictures.There is no official word on pricing yet, but we can safely assume the Ultimae will carry a premium over the $421,321 Aventador S.
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The second-generation BMW 2-series is here in rear-wheel-drive 230i and all-wheel-drive M240i xDrive models. The 230i uses a 255-hp turbo four-cylinder engine, while the M240i is powered by a 382-hp turbocharged inline-six. They’ll go on sale in the U.S. in November starting at $37,345 for the 23oi and $49,545 for the M240i xDrive. An all-wheel-drive 230i xDrive model and a rear-drive M240i will arrive later.Let’s start with the best news about the new BMW 2-series Coupe: it sticks with rear-wheel drive, though all-wheel drive is available. While BMW has switched the stumpy-looking 2-series Gran Coupe to a transverse engined and natively front-drive platform, the new two-door continues to use a rear-drive platform. For this we are profoundly grateful.
Things stay positive with the confirmation provided by these official images that the new Coupe has received a relatively modest version of BMW’s seemingly ever-expanding kidney grille. However, this is partially offset by the presence of small and high-mounted headlights to accentuate the apparent size of the aperture. The new lights feature an internal circular full-LED unit and were apparently inspired by the design of the BMW 2002 sedan. The radiator inlets incorporate vertical air flaps that can open through ten stages to increase or decrease cooling air.

Its side profile is also far more harmonious than that of the 2-series Gran Coupe, with a minimal front overhang and an appropriately muscular rear haunch. The rear side windows even boast BMW’s trademark “Hofmeister kink”, a design detail the brand has been using since 1961, but which the current 4-series Coupe lacks. First impressions are that the new 2-series will be a far more traditional BMW two-door than its larger counterpart.This 2-series is set to be larger than the outgoing model. The standard 230i (pictured in white) is 4.3 inches longer than its predecessor, it’s 2.6 inches wider, and its wheelbase is stretched by 2.0 inches. Front and rear track widths have also increased, by 2.8 inches at the front and 1.9 inches at the rear on the 230i and by 2.5 inches at the front and 2.4 inches at the rear for the more powerful M240i model (pictured in purple). The tightness of the old car’s cabin was one of the areas where the sports coupe felt weakest, and the 2-series without the moonroof gains three cubic feet of passenger volume.
The new model’s interior seems largely familiar from other current BMWs, with a raised touchscreen for the infotainment system, conventional controls for the heating and ventilation system, and the familiar row of programmable shortcut buttons. Analog instruments will be standard with the option of a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster. All U.S. versions will come with sports seats and leather steering wheels, with the M240i xDrive getting a glass moonroof that will be optional on the 230i.Two engines will be available from launch. The rear-wheel-drive 230i will pack a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, making 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. BMW claims a 5.5-second sprint to 60 mph, and a top speed that will be limited to either 130 mph or 155 mph depending on tires. The M240i xDrive will use BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six that produces 382 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque paired with an all-wheel-drive system and BMW’s electronically controlled rear differential. BMW claims a zero-to-60-mph time of 4.1 seconds. An eight-speed automatic gearbox will be the only option for now, though insiders have hinted the forthcoming M2 will continue to offer the option of a manual gearbox (#SavetheManuals).
The 2022 BMW 2-series will arrive in the U.S. in November starting at $37,345 for the 23oi and $49,545 for the M240i xDrive. Those figures represent relatively modest increases over the outgoing car, which seem to be justified by increased spec. An all-wheel-drive 230i xDrive model and rear-drive M240i will arrive later. The new 2-Series seems set to carry on where its predecessor left off, and that’s definitely a good thing.
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The 2022 Lotus Emira will serve as replacement for both the Elise and Exige, becoming the specialist automaker’s only sports-car line—and its last to have a internal-combustion engine.The Emira will have a choice of two engines: an AMG-sourced four-cylinder making 360 horsepower or the supercharged 400-hp Toyota V-6 currently offered in the Evora.We expect a price somewhere in the $70,000 range and a U.S. on-sale date in early 2022. New Lotus models don’t come along very often, a point made by the new Emira, which you are seeing here in production-ready form for the first time. This is the British maker’s first all-new sports car since the Evora was launched as long ago as 2009, with the Emira also set to effectively replace both the Elise (a development of a car introduced in 2001) and V-6-powered Exige S (which made its debut in 2012). The Emira will become Lotus’s only sports-car line and its last model to be powered by a combustion engine. From here onward, all new cars will be full EVs.

Like its predecessors, the Emira sits on a bonded aluminum chassis, with tightly wrapped fiberglass bodywork. The new car’s design clearly understudies that of the Evija EV hypercar, featuring a very similar front-end treatment and with heavily contoured scoops integrated into doors helping to channel air to intakes for the mid-mounted engine. At 173.7 inches in overall length, the Emira is 2.8 inches longer than the Evora but sits on an identical 101.4-inch wheelbase. Despite that, access to the cabin has been improved with a narrower sill and a larger door aperture. The Emira doesn’t have active aerodynamic elements, but Lotus says it will produce positive downforce with the forces carefully balanced between each end.
The cabin also feels much more up-to-date than Lotus’s aged outgoing models. The Emira gets a 10.2-inch central touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as standard, although we’re glad to see the company has opted to keep conventional controls for heating and ventilation as well. Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration will come as standard. Practicality has been improved with twin cupholders, twin USB and 12V charging ports between the seats and door bins able to accommodate a half-liter bottle. Active safety systems including adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, automated emergency braking, and road sign information will be offered as options—all firsts for Lotus. The Emira will be a strict two-seater, without the Evora’s “plus two” option, with the cabin space behind the seats giving 7.3 cubic feet of luggage space in addition to a 5.3-cubic-foot compartment behind the engine. As we previously reported, two engines will be offered, with Lotus now confirming that the smaller 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo will be supplied by AMG. This will make 360 horsepower, less than the same engine produces in the A45 but slightly more than the turbocharged flat-four that powers the Porsche Cayman S. Lotus will also continue to offer the 3.5-liter supercharged Toyota V-6 from the Evora, although the 400 horsepower of the car’s launch spec represents a decrease from the 416-hp Evora GT. Lotus has only released a torque figure for the V-6: 317 pound-feet, corresponding to the figure for the manual-transmission Evora.

Lotus insiders say that both engines will gain more powerful derivatives over time, and that the V-6 will ultimately be phased out as emissions standards grow tougher. (There will never be a hybrid or plug-in-hybrid version because the platform doesn’t support the need to accommodate batteries.) That means the chance to get an Emira with a manual gearbox will be a limited one, as the stick shift will only be offered with the V-6. The four-cylinder will come with a standard dual-clutch transmission. Lotus will also continue to offer a torque converter auto with the V-6. Lotus boss Matt Windle has also confirmed the car will stick with hydraulically assisted steering in place of an electrically boosted rack, this on the entirely justifiable basis of better sensation and feedback. Lotus hasn’t given comprehensive specifications yet but says the quickest version of the Emira—which we’re presuming will be the V-6—will be able to accelerate from zero to 62 mph in less than 4.5 seconds and have a 180-mph top speed. Nor do we have a detailed weight beyond the claim that the lightest version will be 3097 pounds; the Evora GT weighed 3112 pounds when we tested it. We don’t have U.S. pricing yet, but Lotus says it is targeting a European price for the entry-level version that will be close to that of the Porsche 718 Cayman S, which would translate to the low $70,000s if it holds true when the car crosses the Atlantic. Sales will begin in early 2022.

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Bentley’s Bentayga hybrid is no longer the sole hybridized model in the lineup as the automaker moves closer to its pledge to go all-EV by 2030.The Flying Spur plug-in hybrid has a total of 536 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque from a twin-turbo V-6 and an electric motor.On electric power alone, it can go up to 25 miles, Bentley claims. First deliveries to the U.S. are coming by the end of the year.While Bentley has committed itself to offering an EV-only range as soon as 2030, until now the British luxury maker has only offered one partially electrified model in the form of the Bentayga hybrid. That number is set to double with the launch of the car you see here, a plug-in version of the Flying Spur sedan.

The hybridized Spur is set to get a brawnier powertrain than the one used by its SUV sister. This uses a 410-hp 2.9-liter V-6 with twin turbochargers packaged within its cylinder vee, working in conjunction with a 134-hp synchronous electric motor packaged between the engine and the eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. This can add up to 134 horsepower of assistance to the combustion powerplant, giving a system total of 536 horsepower—93 hp more than in the Bentayga hybrid—accompanied by up to 553 pound-feet of torque. But the hybrid Flying Spur will also have an electric-only mode that decouples the electric motor from the engine and can propel the car at lower speeds.According to Bentley’s figures, the hybrid’s acceleration is almost identical to that of the 542-hp Spur V-8 when both sides of its powertrain are working together. The company’s claimed 4.1-second zero-to-60-mph time is just a tenth shy of the figure of the pure combustion car. The hybrid has a lower top speed of 177 mph, a full 21 mph shy of the V-8, but that should still be plenty for most buyers. The hybrid system does bring an increase in mass, as expected; but on European numbers, Bentley said the plug-in-hybrid version weighs only 110 pounds more than the V-8 Flying Spur, while the Bentayga hybrid weighs 462 pounds more than its V-8 version.

Bentley

The Flying Spur Hybrid will default to pure electric operation each time it starts, but its electron-only range will be limited. Bentley hasn’t released a final figure yet but says the 14.1-kWh battery pack should be able to power the car for up to 25 miles under the EU’s WLTP testing protocol. That number will likely be very much a best-case scenario; the Bentayga hybrid’s similarly sized battery gives it just 18 miles of electric-only range under the EPA’s stricter testing protocol. (And, as we noted, the Bentayga also has lower highway mpg than its V-8 sister.)Beyond its EV mode, the new Spur will have both a blended Hybrid setting and a Hold mode that will maintain the electric charge so it can be used later. Like other high-end Volkswagen Group part-electric cars, the hybrid will try to use its battery in the most effective way if a destination is programmed into the navigation system, prioritizing holding charge for urban use.
Visually, little distinguishes the hybrid from the rest of the Spur range. There is a discreet badge on the front fender and a charging port at the back on the left, mirroring the position of the fuel filler on the other side. Virtue is clearly meant to be its own reward for buyers of this one. Well, that and the ability to trim their gas bills. We don’t have pricing details yet, but Bentley says the Flying Spur hybrid will reach the U.S. for the 2022 model year.
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Genesis will launch a performance-oriented Sport model of its G80 luxury car with unique styling cues.The G80 Sport will likely join the lineup as a 2022 model later this year.A rear-wheel-steering system on the Sport will enhance the luxury sedan’s performance, but Genesis hasn’t given other details of changes on the G80 Sport.We’ve praised the new Genesis G80 for setting a new standard in panache for the luxury brand, and now the automaker has doubled down by introducing a Sport trim that comes out later this year. While we aren’t sure yet if the car’s powertrain will get enhancements for this more performance-oriented model, Genesis has said the G80 Sport will receive a rear-wheel-steering system.

Genesis

We expect the G80 Sport will be offered with both turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engine options, like the current non-sport lineup, but it remains to be seen if either engine will see a boost in power for duty in the G80 Sport. We reached out to Genesis for comment but we were told detailed specs will be released closer to the car’s launch.

Several design tweaks will help the Sport look the part, including a reworked front grille and bumper, Sport-specific 20-inch wheels, a tweaked rear bumper, and a revised lower rear diffuser. The cabin will also receive new embellishments including a three-spoke steering wheel and aluminum and carbon-fiber interior trim pieces.

Genesis

Genesis will debut two new interior color schemes on the G80 Sport. The first is a black monotone look with either gray or red contrast stitching, and the second is a black and Sevilla Red two-tone scheme. Buyers will also be able to choose from new quilted or chevron-style patterned stitching. The car is said to be ready to launch in North America in the third quarter of 2021, and we expect it to be available to buyers shortly after that as a 2022 model.

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Companies working on autonomous and driver assistance technologies did not need to report any incidents to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) about times when their vehicles did not work as advertised. Now they do.For at least the next three years, any of the more than 100 companies working on autonomous (AV) and driver assist (ADAS) technologies will need to file reports about any crash that resulted in more than a minor scrape, as well as monthly reports if they have zero crashes.NHTSA will collect this information and release it to the public, but there are carveouts for legitimate confidential information.There are more than 100 companies testing autonomous vehicles or autonomous driving technologies in the U.S. This little tidbit comes from a new Standing General Order issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that requires all of these companies to let the federal government know when any of their AVs are involved in a crash more serious than a fender bender. This represents a policy change from the previous presidential administration, when the Department of Transportation said it didn’t want to discourage innovation with too many regulations. NHTSA sent its order to 108 autonomous technology companies, ranging from Aimotive to Zoox, to let them know that they are now responsible for submitting detailed crash information when there’s been a crash and a car’s Automated Driving Systems (ADS) or Level 2 Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) was engaged. Level 2 ADAS includes many common safety features on today’s vehicles, including things like lane-keeping assist and adaptive cruise control and branded collections of these technologies including Tesla’s Autopilot and GM’s Super Cruise.

The order reads, in part: “Given the rapid evolution of these technologies and testing of new technologies and features on publicly accessible roads, it is critical for NHTSA to exercise its robust oversight over potential safety defects in vehicles operating with ADS and Level 2 ADAS.” NHTSA said it needs this information to keep roads safe for all users, which is why companies have to report incidents that involve airbags deploying, someone dying or being sent to the hospital, a vehicle that ended up being towed, or if someone outside the vehicle, like pedestrians or bicyclists, was involved.Safety advocates say the new requirements are overdue and will help the public understand what’s happening with all of these new driver assistance and EV technologies. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety president Cathy Chase said in a statement that the new crash reporting requirements will help NHTSA determine just how safe, or not safe, crash avoidance and automated driving systems are, and make this information available to the public.”It is particularly timely for NHTSA to adopt this new reporting requirement given the paucity of data collected by the voluntary Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative,” she said. “History and experience have repeatedly shown that voluntary agreements fail to yield accurate, comprehensive and reliable results.”

Companies will not be able to hide behind claims of confidentiality to keep from reporting any incidents. NHTSA said it will recognize three categories of information that might actually be confidential: which version of a company’s technology the vehicle was using, whether or not the vehicle was within its operational design domain at the time of the incident, and some of the narrative the company is required to write down to explain what happened. So, for example, if a company’s technology wasn’t designed to work in sleet, the company still needs to report that its car crashed while it was sleeting, but the public will not necessarily learn that this tech is sleet challenged. NHTSA did make it clear that “Making a request for confidential treatment does not ensure that the information claimed to be confidential will be determined to be confidential.”NHTSA will make the crash data collected through this order, not including legitimate confidential information, publicly available over time. The companies subject to the order have one day from learning about a crash involving ADS/ADAS to file an initial report with NHTSA, and 10 days to follow up with more details. If one of the 108 companies doesn’t have any incidents, it must file a monthly report to that effect. NHTSA’s order is in effect for the next three years.
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Croatian EV startup Rimac takes control of Bugatti, merging its hypercar-making operation with the 112-year-old marque and acquiring a 55 percent stake in the new Bugatti-Rimac.Cars from the two brands will be badged and built separately, but future Bugattis will use Rimac’s high-performance electric drivetrains.Porsche takes the remaining 45 percent stake in Bugatti-Rimac on behalf of Volkswagen and retains its 24 percent share in the Rimac Group.UPDATE 7/5/2021, 2:30 p.m.: This story has been updated with additional details.Croatian EV startup Rimac has taken control of Bugatti, with two all-new Bugatti models engineered by Rimac set to appear by 2030. A 2000-hp hybrid hypercar with a naturally aspirated combustion engine comes first, followed by Bugatti’s first full EV. Bugatti will merge with Rimac’s hypercar business, which makes the Nevera (pictured above), to create a new company, Bugatti-Rimac. The two brands’ cars will continue to be developed and badged separately. Rimac will hold a 55 percent stake in the new entity, which will begin to trade in the current quarter. Porsche, which has been given responsibility for Bugatti by their joint parent Volkswagen, will hold the remainder.

The long-rumored deal sees Rimac, which was founded in 2009 and to date has delivered only a handful of cars, take majority ownership of a marque established a century earlier and with one of the most illustrious histories in the automotive world.Bugatti will merge with Rimac’s hypercar business, which has just begun building the Nevera (pictured above), to create a new company, Bugatti-Rimac. The two brands’ cars will continue to be developed and badged separately. Rimac will hold a 55 percent stake in the new entity. Porsche, which controls Bugatti on behalf of their joint parent Volkswagen, will hold the remainder.”This is a great responsibility,” Mate Rimac said as he announced the deal dressed in shorts and running shoes alongside the suited Porsche CEO Oliver Blume. “We are standing on the shoulders of giants here. Bugatti defined the hypercar, and we have to make it a success not only in terms of its products, but also profitable.”Sources close to the deal say that talks began two years ago when the Volkswagen Group approached Rimac to help it develop a hybrid version of the Bugatti Chiron. Rimac offered to create an entirely new hybrid hypercar with a naturally aspirated engine for less than it would have cost to update the existing car. Instead of buying the bulk of the new car’s engineering from Rimac, Volkswagen offered the startup a merger. The sources said VW had been considering shuttering Bugatti rather than commit the investment required to make it fully electric in time.

Bugatti’s headquarters in Molsheim, France.
Bugatti

The current Rimac Automobili will be renamed the Rimac Group with an unchanged ownership structure. Mate Rimac, the company’s 33-year-old founder, has the largest stake at 37 percent. Porsche is the second-largest shareholder, having built its 24 percent share over the past three years. Hyundai is third with 12 percent.The new Rimac Group will hold the majority share in its new Bugatti-Rimac subsidiary. A new, separate business named Rimac Technology and wholly owned by the Rimac Group will continue to develop and sell the company’s high-performance EV powertrains and autonomous driving systems to major carmakers. It has already completed around 30 such projects and is working with at least 10 major carmakers, including its two OEM shareholders as well as Ferrari, Mercedes, and Aston Martin. Rimac Technology’s turnover is expected to exceed the hypercar maker’s by around four to one. To preserve the tech company’s independence and ability to supply other carmakers, Porsche is not expected to increase its stake in the Group. With its 45 percent holding in Bugatti-Rimac and its 24 percent stake in the Rimac Group, Porsche will indirectly own the majority of the new merged company, and it gains the same exposure to Rimac’s existing, record-breaking Nevera and its future hypercars. But Blume was clear that Porsche doesn’t want and won’t have operational control, with Mate Rimac becoming CEO of all three companies. “As a shareholder we want a real entrepreneur as CEO,” he said. “It is our clear strategy to pass operational control to Mate.”Rimac-branded cars will continue to be built in Croatia with the company moving to a spectacular new $240 million “campus” near the capital, Zagreb, in 2023. Bugattis will still be assembled at the company’s château and atelier in Molsheim, eastern France, where it was established in 1909. Both brands will use powertrains developed and made by Rimac Technology in Croatia.Mate Rimac hinted heavily that future Bugattis may have more than two seats and two doors. “In its heritage, Bugatti has models that are more than just hypercars,” he said. “There’s an opportunity for Bugatti in the future to have very interesting cars that are completely different to other models on the market, while Rimac remains a maker of very high-performance sports cars. But we haven’t figured that out ourselves yet.”The idea of Bugatti being passed to such a young entrepreneur and his relatively unproven startup may cause raised eyebrows among Bugatti customers and aficionados. But there are plenty of parallels between Mate Rimac and Ettore Bugatti. Rimac got his start at age 20, when he bolted an electric motor from a forklift truck into his old BMW 3-series. Bugatti did something similar at age 17, fitting a combustion engine to a pedal tricycle. By 20 he’d designed and shown his first car and, like Rimac, licensed his first designs to existing carmakers. The firm he founded has been reborn twice before: once when bought by Romano Artioli in 1987, resulting in the EB110 of 1991, and again when acquired by Volkswagen in 1998, with the Veyron going into production in 2005. “Bugatti’s fourth chapter starts now,” Rimac said, “and with Porsche at our backs I believe we can do incredible things.”
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