Those who grew up in the 1980s will fondly remember Tamiya, the name of the 75-year old Japanese company that made plastic scale models and became a big name in radio-controlled (R/C) cars after it launched its first R/C assembly kit of a Porsche 934. That first model and those which were to follow sparked the R/C revolution.
Over 5 decades, Tamiya has offered many R/C models such as the Hornet, Lunchbox, Sand Scorcher and Avante, with the Wild One being one of the most iconic. But while they provided many memories of exciting races, they were all ‘driven’ using a remote controller.
Now, The Little Car Company, based in the UK, is bringing back the Wild One and this is considerably larger than the 1/10th size of the original one sold by Tamiya. With a licence from the Japanese company, The Little Car Company will produce an 8/10 scale car that will be big enough for a person to sit in it.
Not just for static show
And it won’t just be a showpiece as it will be able to move around with the same type of propulsion unit as the original – an electric motor. The Wild One MAX, as it will be known, will have rear-wheel drive and a spaceframe chassis with coil-over suspension for all four wheels. It gets the power to the ground through 15-inch off-road tyres on lightweight wheels. The brake system includes hydraulic Brembo disc brakes on each corner, backed up by regenerative braking to maximise range.
There are multiple driving modes which offer different top speeds, throttle mappings and power outputs according to driver skill level. So the younger ones can learn to drive safely and get increased power as they become proficient and more confident.
Like the original R/C car, the Wild One MAX can be assembled from parts supplied, with stickers too!
48 km/h top speed
The base Wild One Max can reach a top speed of 48 km/h with maximum power output of 4 kW (5.5 bhp). It has a single PowerPack onboard with a capacity of 2 kWh and a range of up to 40 kms, depending on terrain and driving style. For increased speed or range, modular PowerPacks can be added.
Upsized from the small scale model, the Wild One MAX will be about 3.5 metres long,1.8 metres wide and weigh around 250 kgs. Like the original, the car can be assembled from parts supplied although being considerably larger, it won’t be able to go into a glass case.
The driver will have an adjustable composite seat with a 3-point seatbelt, digital gauges and a racing steering wheel. The Little Car Company says that between 160 cm and 195 cm tall should be comfortable enough.
The Porsche 934 model introduced by Tamiya in 1976 started the R/C revolution.
Taking things one step further, those who wish to roam on public roads can install Road Legal Packs. These packs add the components required to build the vehicle to be compliant with Quadricycle laws in Europe, or Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle legislation in the USA. The packs include items such as brake lights, turn signals, reflectors and rearview mirrors so the Wild One MAX can be fully road-legal.
Built to order
The Wild One MAX is expected to have a pricetag starting from £6,000 (about RM34,300) and is planned for global release in 2022. The company will be building the cars as orders are received and accompanied by a £100 deposit (refundable)
This is not The Little Car Company’s first small car as it has, in partnership with some prestigious carmakers, produced authentic ‘junior cars’. These include the Bugatti Baby II, a 75% scale tribute to the iconic Bugatti Type 35, and a follow up to the 1926 Bugatti Baby. The second model announced in 2020 was the Aston Martin DB5 Junior (pictured below), a 66% scale version of the car driven by Agent 007.
With continued high demand, Proton reports that its total sales volume increased again for the month of April, the third consecutive month of growth. 15,017 units (including exports) were delivered, and the company’s cumulative volume after the first 4 months of 2021 reached 47,843 units. This is more than double the number for the same period last year although it has to be remembered that the MCO (Movement Control Order) shut down business activities for the whole industry for a while.
By its own estimate, Proton’s latest figure means it has a market share of 26.7% for April, and it continues to strengthen its hold in second position in overall the sales rankings table with a market share to date estimated at 24.4%.
Proton Saga at the top
The company believes its Saga is at the top of the national sales chart with 5,472 units sold in April while its two SUV models continue to set strong sales numbers. The X50, which has a long waiting list, set yet another new high for deliveries with 3,583 customers receiving their vehicles in April. The X70 was dominant in the C-segment SUV category with 2,101 units delivered.
Proton’s other 3 models also performed well and had their best months of 2021. Despite strong competition in the B-segment sedan market, 2,266 units of the Persona were sold, while the Exora continued to rule the C-segment MPV class. Iriz sales received a boost from strong demand for the R3 Limited Edition model that allowed it to have its best sales month since 2019.
Iriz R3 Limited Edition
Good month for the industry
“April was a good month for the automotive industry and aside from Proton, several other brands also had their best month of the year so far. The Total Industry Volume is estimated to be over 56,000 units as all brands are trying to fulfil sales orders before the expiry of the PENJANA sales tax exemption at the end of June 2021,” said Roslan Abdullah, CEO of Proton Edar, the company’s sales arm.
“For Proton, we are continuing with efforts to meet the strong demand for our products while maintaining a high level of product quality. At the same time, we are focussing on improving customer service and addressing issues related to spare parts availability, which is vital as our sales volume increases. We expect the situation will see significant improvement as the year progresses but we are working hard to move up that timeline,” he said.
He added that Proton Edar is looking forward to increased production volumes with the new stamping plant, which is now under construction. “The benefits of improved production volumes, lower costs and increased quality will allow us to increase sales exponentially both domestically and abroad, which will drive the company towards achieving its stated long-term goals,” he said.
The latest Hyundai Elantra arrived in Malaysian showrooms just 9 months after its global online launch from Hollywood. Its quick appearance was due to it not being assembled locally, so there was no need for plant preparation. Along with exports to other markets, Hyundai Sime Darby Motors (HSDM) also got its allocation for Malaysia.
The only problem was that with many markets wanting the new model, supply was limited and HSDM could get only one variant first, which was the Elantra Premium priced from RM158,888. Now, about 5 months after its launch in Malaysia, a second variant is available and it’s priced from RM139,888 (excluding insurance). This RM19,000 cheaper variant is the Elantra Executive and like the Premium variant, it also comes with a warranty of 5 years or maximum distance of 300,000 kms.
Though costing less, HSDM has still managed to keep the Elantra Executive fairly well equipped, with SmartSense safety systems and 6 SRS airbags. It sits on the same new platform with a similar Smartstream G1.6 16-valve petrol engine that produces 123 ps/154 Nm. Hyundai’s own Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) is used and there are 4 drive modes to choose from.
The interior appointments are simpler with black fabric upholstery for the seats and manual seat adjustment. The functional dashboard has a 4.2-inch TFT LCD Cluster which provides the driver with all the necessary information.
Though the new car has a sleeker roofline compared to its predecessor, headroom has not been compromised. The longer wheelbase also provides 964 mm of rear legroom, claimed to be best in class, while the wider track width means improved shoulder room in the front and rear. With over 474 litres of boot volume, the Elantra should be able to take a lot of cargo and if there are long items, the rear backrests can also be folded down to extend the boot floor.
“We have received significant interest from customers on the new Elantra and also a preference for lower pricing. As with all fully imported cars, the exchange rate is one of the determining factors for the price of the car. The Elantra is a CBU (complete built-up) unit that is imported from Korea, therefore the exchange rate does affect how we price the car. Having said that, we would still like to make the Elantra accessible to all our customers with the introduction of this new variant,” said Low Yuan Lung, Managing Director of HSDM.
Honda today gave the world its first look at the next generation of the BR-V, presented as the N7X Concept. The original BR-V had its world debut in Indonesia in August 2015, and now, for the first time, Honda is unveiling a concept car in the country. The reason is that the BR-V is a model that was developed primarily with the Indonesia market in mind, although it is also sold in some other countries, including Malaysia.
For the second generation, the 7-seater cabin is maintained, this being an important point for customers in Indonesia. Honda understands that a car is ‘not just a car’, and considering how much time people spend in it, the vehicle is also a ‘second home’. This led the design team at Honda Asia Pacific to combine the best features of a MPV and the advantages of a SUV for the N7X Concept that will be the basis for the forthcoming new BR-V.
Designed with Gen X in mind
The exterior design is sleeker than the current BR-V and the overall size appears larger. There are some styling elements from other models, such as the CR-V, with the high ground clearance being a necessity in Indonesia and also other parts of ASEAN.
Honda product planners conducted extensive studies, primarily in Indonesia, to find out what customers expect and aimed to exceed the expectations. They focussed especially on the Generation X family, which has a lifestyle that is balanced between personal activities and family togetherness.
Details of the interior are not available other than from brief views during the presentation. With words like ‘premium’ being used, it is likely that Honda will offer the new BR-V with a higher quality than before, the same way that the City evolved upwards. Of course, with the emphasis on safety, we may see better safety systems installed, probably including an autonomous braking capability.
Honda’s idea of a 7-seater
“The N7X is our concept of what a 7-seater car should be, which not only offers pleasant driving performance but also the serenity and comfort of a premium car for all occupants. We are very proud to make Indonesia the first in the world to introduce the N7X Concept, a concept that will redefine the categories of cars and driving pleasure,” said Takehiro Watanabe, President Director of PT Honda Prospect Motor, during the world premiere online.
The current BR-V was launched at the Indonesia International Auto Show in 2015 but given the current pandemic, the future of such public events remains uncertain. Nevertheless, Honda Indonesia is displaying the N7X Concept at a shopping mall in Jakarta this week, and will probably do an online launch of the production model sometime during the second half of this year.
2019 BR-V (the model received some updates last year). Prices start from RM86,726.
The BR-V arrived in Malaysia about 2 years after its debut in Indonesia, though this second generation might not take as long. Anyway, if you prefer the current one and want to get one before it runs out, visit any authorized Honda dealer and their locations can be found at www.honda.com.my.
Henry Ford believed in his company owning and managing every aspect of making cars – including even owning the plantations of rubber trees that provided rubber for his cars. But as the years went by, specialisation began and while carmakers focussed on designing and manufacturing cars, some activities were also farmed out to other companies. Design, for instance, was sometimes done by external consultants more specialised in the work, notable Italian studios like Pininfarina, Ghia and ItalDesign being among them.
In the 21st century, as the whole idea of making cars changes with the transition to electric vehicles, there are many newcomers (especially in China) who want to get into the game. Some of these have experience in other types of manufacturing, eg batteries or mobilephones, but no experience in engineering cars. For them to gain that experience as the global players did will take too long; today’s companies do not have the luxury of time to learn themselves as the market is so competitive.
So the answer has been to commission companies that specialise in certain areas. In fact, Chinese companies have been doing this, not just for design but also for powertrains. There are top-notch engineering consultancies in Europe like Lotus Engineering that can develop a car on par with any experienced manufacturer – and even the established ones sometimes ask Lotus to help.
Manufacturers sometimes ask experienced design studios to propose designs for future models. This was the EMAS hybrid concept for Proton by Italdesign Giugiaro which was displayed at the 2010 Geneva Motorshow.
So there’s a growing business in offering a full range of services to develop cars and Italdesign has formed a partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) to provide such services to those who want to produce and sell high-performance EVs. WAE is the technology and engineering business that was established by Williams F1. It takes technology originally developed for Formula One cars and adapts it for commercial applications.
Combining a state-of-the-art composite electric vehicle rolling chassis from WAE with turn-key vehicle development services from Italdesign, the joint venture will enable both newcomers and customers to benefit from the expertise of two global leaders in EV engineering and vehicle design, supporting them in the creation of a range of upper premium EVs from high performance GTs, crossover and sedans.
The foundation of this new venture is WAE’s innovative EV architecture – a new rolling chassis which distils WAE’s expertise in electrification, light-weighting, innovative chassis structures and vehicle and system integration into one advanced architecture known as ‘EVX’.
Differentiating itself from other EV platforms currently in the market, EVX integrates the battery pack casing with elements more commonly perceived as part of the body structure. Front and rear chassis structures mount to the carbonfibre composite case and crash loads can be transferred via internal reinforcements to the integral side sills.
The resulting higher profiled cross section achieves much of the torsional stiffness needed to deliver the full potential of the platform. These two design philosophies reduce reliance on the upper structure, which then gives greater design freedom for a variety of ‘top hats’.
Starting from WAE rolling chassis, Italdesign’s Engineering Team then complete the vehicle architecture adding safety systems, structures, and UX devices to constitute the modular platform that will be the base to build-up several different high-performances vehicles.
The innovative modular platform is ready for customisation by the Italdesign styling team who will shape the final vehicle to match the brand’s requirements in terms of marketing positioning, design direction etc. As well as being a structural component of EVX, the platform can accommodate wheelbases from 2900 mm to 3100 mm, with customers able to choose rear-wheel drive and 4-wheel drive layouts.
Combining recycled composite materials with aluminium, EVX is lightweight and sets new standards for static and torsional stiffness. With class-leading performance and mass targets, EVX will provide the perfect basis for tomorrow’s electric vehicles, supporting a flexible range of powertrain options with outstanding aerodynamics and safety performance.
Majoring on high performance, reduced time to market, flexibility and affordability at low-to-medium volumes, the new platform is capable of supporting production runs up to 10,000 units, up to 500 of which could be manufactured by Italdesign at its facilities in Italy.
WAE was the original supplier of batteries to all participants of the FIA Formula E World Championship cars in 2014, a relationship that has been revived for the 2022-23 season. WAE also supplies battery systems to ETCR and Extreme-E and has considerable experience in high-performance electrified road car programmes stretching back more than a decade.
“We are delighted to join forces with Italdesign on this exciting and timely joint collaboration” said Paul McNamara, Technical Director at WAE. “Demand for high performance electric vehicles is continuing to show considerable growth but to date, there has not been a complete EV production solution. This unique relationship brings together state-of-the-art EV rolling chassis technology with one of the world’s leaders in vehicle body engineering.”
♦ It seemed like a good, incident-free start to the race… at least for the first lap. Then, as the second lap was beginning, Kimi Raikkonen ran into the back of Antonio Giovinazzi (his team mate). The front wing came off and he tried to drive on but could not and had to turn off into the gravel. An early start as usual for the Safety Car which was deployed to allow the Alfa Romeo to be removed and debris cleared. Giovinazzi, however, was still in the race and Daniel Ricciardo was waiting to pounce on the ‘wounded’ Alfa Romeo.
♦ Although Valtterri Bottas was in the lead, his engineers saw the brakes overheating (smoke was coming out too) and this was a concern for the restart when the Safety Car moved off on lap 6. Max Verstappen was ready for the moment and got around Lewis Hamilton to slot into second place and aim for the race leader.
♦ But the World Champion was not going to settle for third place, and within a lap, he slipped part Verstappen to regain second position less than a second behind his team mate.
♦ Lando Norris had used his tyre advantage to overtake Sergio Perez for 4th place, but then the Mexican driver who is with Red Bull Racing this year out-maneuvered the McLaren driver going through Turn 1 with the help of DRS.
♦ Ricciardo had started from 16th position and steadily worked his way up the field. By lap 18, he was able to pass Sebastian Vettel to grab 10th position and start thinking of some points to take home at the end of the race.
♦ Bottas didn’t make things easy for Hamilton, who was showing a lot of determination to take the lead. On lap 20, as the cars raced around Turn 1, Hamilton surged around his team mate and into the lead. It was like a replay of the 2020 race when Hamilton did the same thing.
♦ With a third of the race done, most cars were changing their soft tyres for harder ones. The two Mercedes-AMG cars were ahead of two Red Bulls, with one Ferrari (Charles Leclerc) about 12 seconds further back. Verstappen was within striking distance of Bottas but never had a clear chance to overtaken, allowing Hamilton to concentrate on building up his buffer with a succession of fastest laps.
♦ At the halfway mark, it was still both Mercedes-AMGs ahead, and then two Red Bulls. Fernando Alonso was the better-placed Alpine in 6th, watching Ricciardo’s progress and waiting for a chance to attack the McLaren driver, Both Ferraris were still in the points, but in 9th and 19th positions, they could easily drop out too. In fact, Leclerc was under threat from the second Alpine driven by Esteban Ocon, just a couple of seconds away.
♦ On lap 36, Verstappen started the chain of pit stops to get onto harder tyres to sustain an offensive. While Bottas shot in after the Dutchman, Hamilton was willing to stay out a bit longer, telling team that he thought the tyres were still okay, but he was ordered in. At that point, he had a 4-second lead and Perez inherited the lead of 12 seconds. But if he came into the pits, he would immediately fall to 4th.
♦ 22 laps remained as Hamilton sped after Perez, setting a fastest lap again. Verstappen had no answer to the speed of the Mercedes-AMG. He also had to watch his mirrors for Bottas who had been given encouragement personally by the team boss to go after the Red Bull.
♦ On lap 47, Nikita Mazepin, the ‘bad boy’ of the F1 world with his controversial behaviour, caught the attention of the Stewards who investigated him ignoring blue flags, which required him to allow the race leader to pass. The Russian drver has made some mistakes before, and explained that he was new and ‘unaware’. This time, he got a 5-second penalty although that was of no great consequence since he was at the back of the field anyway.
♦ By lap 51, Perez was probably finding it difficult with the old tyres, and Hamilton got by to regain the lead. The Red Bull driver then came in for the long-overrdue tyre change and as expected, slotted into 4th place when the rejoined.
♦ With the softer tyres, Perez pushed hard and got a fastest lap. He was making steady progress up the field in the final 10 laps but had still to get past some cars. As 5 laps remained, Hamilton was in a reasonably comfortable and safe lead, 5 seconds ahead. Bottas was not trying any harder and would settle for third, with Perez not within striking distance.
♦ 2 laps before the end, with a 30-second gap, Bottas rushed into the pits to get soft tyres and he was planning to go for the fastest lap and snatch that 1 bonus point from Perez. Veerstappen did the same thing since he had a 32-second lead ahead of Bottas, and he too was eyeing that 1 precious point.
♦ As Hamilton took the chequered flag, Verstappen and Bottas were both trying hard to be quickest driver of the day – and Bottas was the one because Verstappen’s time was deleted due to track limits infringement.
The signs were good when TOYOTA GAZOO Racing earned a historic first-ever Hypercar pole position as the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) began its new era. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, an early entrant in the Hypercar category, had its new GR010 HYBRID ready to go and locked out the front row in qualifying for the first round of the ninth season – the Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium.
Almost 15 hours of testing and free practice sessions had taken place earlier in the week when the #7 Hypercar of World Champions Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose María Lopez led the field away, trailed by the #8 car of the team which had Sebastien Buemi, Kazuki Nakajima and Brendon Hartley.
Close challenge from Alpine team
After a dramatic and tense battle at the front, overcoming a close challenge from the #36 Alpine in second and their own team-mates in the #7 car, it would be the #8 car that won the race, getting place in the motorsport record books.
The 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the first of six in a revised 2021 WEC calendar, was an incident-packed race. The Hypercars fought relentlessly from the moment the race started. The #7 Toyota was in the lead but by lap 11, #8 took over and the pair of GR010 HYBRIDs were hotly pursued by the #36 Alpine.
As the first pit stops approached, the race took its first dramatic turn when the #7 car was in the pits. Time was lost when the car did not leave cleanly, before Sebastien visited the pits a lap later. At the end of that stop, the fuel nozzle was removed from the #8 before the 35-seconds minimum refuelling time had elapsed, breaking a new regulation. This resulted in a 30-second penalty, taken at the car’s next pit stop, when Brendon took the wheel.
Drama in closing hour
With the #7 requiring a fluid refill when Mike handed over to Jose, the #36 Alpine took over at the front. At half distance, Jose was closing in and just a few seconds behind, with Brendon further back in the third-placed #8 car.
The battle showed no sign of easing off, and neither did the drama. Jose made contact with a GT car, slightly damaging the front bodywork. Then with just under 2 hours remaining, the #7 slid off the track and got stuck in the gravel, requiring a rescue vehicle to recover it before he resumed in third. It was the position that would remain till the end of the race, with the Alpine splitting the two Toyotas.
A United Autosports Oreca 07 finished among the top five in the first race of the 2021 WEC season.
“What a dramatic and unpredictable start to this new era for our team. Today was a strong start for our next generation of Racing Hybrid technology but we are still learning and improving with our GR010 HYBRID. It has not been the smoothest week for the team at Spa but this has highlighted areas to improve so we will work hard to do this before the next race, and particularly before Le Mans,” said Hisatake Murata, Team President.
The competitiveness of the Alpine A480 (above) was clear, and will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the season. “We had the satisfaction of battling with the Toyotas even though the strategies are obviously different because of the different technologies we use,” said Philippe Sinault, Team Principal of the Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team Principal. “Our first target was to reach the finish, and we did so. Although the podium was predicted by many, we managed to finish second by pushing the Toyotas. The assessment of this first race is positive, and we will work hard to aim higher at the next round in Portugal.”
For the third round of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship, the teams return to Portimao in Portugal and the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, a circuit which is being used for a F2 race for only the second time. Unlike last October, when the drivers raced around a track totally new to them and the engineers had no previous data to refer to, there is now experience and knowledge that will help them optimize the car better and more quickly for the 4.65-km circuit.
Located on a hillside, the circuit has many elevation changes and the gradient changes are far steeper than they appear on TV. Toto Wolff, boss of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Team, does not consider these ups and down a technical challenge to the cars themselves but feels they have a much bigger impact for the driver.
“The simple answer is that elevation change does not impact the performance of the car as much as you might expect. It does put a little more strain through the cars, but they are built to handle heavy kerb strikes and large forces anyway, so a bit of extra compression in the suspension is no bother for modern-day F1 machines,” he explained.
“But different types of elevation change impact the cars in different ways, depending on the circuit and the topography. Some will require tweaks to be made to the car set-up, to really dial the car into the track characteristics and maximize them, while others will require the right compromise to be found,” he said.
The Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, better known as Portimao Circuit, is located half an hour outside the city of Portimao at the Algarve in Portugal. It was opened in 2008, with construction completed in just 7 months at a cost of €195 million (about RM960 million).
Better grip this year?
Last year, the track had also been just resurfaced before the race and this reduced grip. It is presumed that 6 months of weathering will improve matters and Pirelli is sticking to the more durable end of its tyre range with the C1-C3 nominated as the hardest to softest tyres the teams can use.
“The track surface is still smooth, making it sometimes challenging for the drivers to find the right level of grip. With a big pit-stop time penalty, it should be a one-stop race on Sunday for the majority of drivers and we can already see that all 3 compounds could play an important role in this – which is why all the compounds were run extensively throughout the practice sessions,” said Mario Isola – Head of F1 And Car Racing at Pirelli.
The championship so far
The third round will start with the championships finely balanced. In the Drivers Championship, reigning champion Lewis Hamilton is just one point ahead of arch-rival Max Verstappen and that lead only came about because Hamilton drove very hard to set the fastest lap, thereby collecting the 1-point bonus for the achievement. The first podium finish for Lando Norris puts the McLaren driver in overall third.
The Mercedes-AMG team has accumulated 60 points after two rounds, 7 points ahead of Red Bull. This is still early in the championship, so the gaps will change over the season. Certainly, the reigning champions will want to widen the gap as quickly as possible but this year, Red Bull may present a stronger challenge to them and slow them from pulling away.
While this is only the second time that the circuit in Portimao is being used for a F1 round, Portugal has been host to the championship since 1958, with the Estoril Circuit being used between 1984 and 1996. However, the Portuguese GP was not included after 1996 and only resumed last year.
The successful drivers and team are therefore of the previous generation, with Alain Prost and Nigel Mansell having won three times each. Williams, a shadow of its glory days, was the most successful team and won 6 times.
Just as motorcars from the time of Gottlieb Daimler evolved over the decades to be varied in purpose, design and performance, electric vehicles have also a variety of types. Initially, constrained by technology, ‘performance’, as enthusiasts know it, was not highlighted much even though an electric motor provides a lot of torque right from moving off for brisk acceleration. But with EV technology pushing the edge of the envelope more and more, ‘high performance’ can also be used with electrically-powered vehicles.
Volkswagen is now heading into the new segment with the ID.4 GTX unveiled at a digital world premier recently. A member of the brand’s electric range, it is the first fully electric high-performance model that is said to add a new dimension to sportiness and dynamics. Just as ‘GTI’ has been used to identify Volkswagen’s performance models, ‘GTX’ will do likewise with the electric vehicles.
“The most emotional member of the ID. family to date shows that electric mobility and top sporty performance are not mutually exclusive. The full torque of the electric powertrain is immediately available and you can feel the excellent vehicle handling in every bend,” said Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Board of Management for Development.
Two motors for all-wheel drive
The ID.4 GTX is the first model based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) to feature dual-motor all-wheel drive. There is one electric motor installed on the front and the rear axle. Together, both motors can generate maximum electrical output of 220 kW (299 hp) and can work together to give all-wheel drive.
Putting one motor at the front and one at the back to get all-wheel drive is actually an idea that goes back to the 1980s. Volkswagen engineers put two 1.8-litre engines in a Golf (Mark 2) that was entered in the Pikes Peak Hillclimb event in America. The prototype completed the course in 1985 and 1986 but suspension failure prevented it from finishing in 1987 and after that, the project did not continue after that.
The AWD system in the ID.4 GTX operates with greater efficiency as the motors are managed by computer, so optimum output will be generated on each axle according to conditions. Volkswagen claims that acceleration from 0 to 60 km/h can be done in 3.2 seconds, with 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds. Not exceptionally quick but can be considered high performance for an e-SUV. The top speed will be limited to 180 km/h.
Sportier character emphasised
The ID.4 is the 2021 World Car of the Year and the GTX shares the overall design with the other versions but gets differentiation to emphasise its sportier character. The familiar light strip has been combined with dynamic elements, in particular, the three honeycomb elements that form the daytime running lights. Besides conveying the sporty character, this styling element establishes a connection to the Golf GTI. Alongside the different bumpers are distinctive elements at the rear include the 3D LED tail light cluster with brake lights that form an X.
Visual connection to Golf GTI
The body colour is more dominant than on rear-wheel drive versions. The roof and rear spoiler are black, while the roof frame bar is a high-gloss anthracite. The interior also has a different colour scheme with the upper section of the dashboard and leatherette inserts in the doors in a dark shade called ‘X-Blue’. Red contrasting seams – a classic symbol for sportiness and strength – add accents to the seats. The GTX logo appears on the steering wheel, sill panel trims and – in perforated form – at the top of the front seat backrests.
The ID.4 line has been available in Europe, North America and China since last year, and the GTX will go on sale in Europe after June this year. The lowest priced ID.4 GTX will be 50,415 euros (about RM249,000) but buyers can apply for an EV grant of 7,500 euros (about RM37,000) to offset the cost.
The standard ID.4 which is now on sales in Europe, North America and China.
Will we see such EVs in Malaysia?
As more and more EVs are launched, Malaysians must wonder if we will see them in the showrooms. In neighbouring countries, government policies are already in place to give a big push to switching to EVs but Malaysia seems to show little initiative. There is a plan which will allow 10,000 EVs to be imported tax-free but unless there are assured long-term incentives to make it worthwhile for companies, we will see the same thing happening as before when there was tax exemption for a few years for hybrids and EVs. When the exemption ended and prices went back up, sales died altogether except for a few companies that decided to include electrified models in their locally-assembled line-up.
When people think of Mazda’s MX range, the MX-5 Miata would come to mind. Or, those who keep up with auto news will know that the company now sells a model known as the MX-30 which is the brand’s first mass-produced fully electric car.
However, long before the MX-5 – which became the bestselling 2-seat convertible sportscar of all time – there was another Mazda which had the ‘MX’ designation. This was the MX-81 Aria, a concept car displayed at the 1981 Tokyo Motor Show. Designed by Marc Dechamps for coachbuilder Bertone, it was the first Mazda MX and now, 40 years after its unveiling, Mazda Italy has carried out a restoration of the small wedge-shaped coupe.
Original PR images of the MX-81 which were distributed at the 1981 Tokyo Motor Show.
To create the MX-81 Aria, Bertone used running gear from the 323, which was the first generation with front-wheel drive. On this platform was placed the futuristic hatchback form. With its gold paint, huge glasshouse and pop-up lights, it stood out at the motorshow.
The concept car had futuristic features, some of which would find their way into production models in later years. Back then, the features gave the cabin a radical look with the recessed square steering wheel, TV screen and side swinging front seats. Exterior ideas like high-mounted tail lights and pop-up headlamps were adopted in Mazda models too.
Discovery in a warehouse
While many prototypes and concept cars have been destroyed (or ‘lost’) after finishing their round of displays, the MX-81 was kept in a warehouse at Mazda’s headquarters in Hiroshima. In 2019, Nobuhiro Yamamoto – the former 4th generation MX-5 programme manager and rotary engine developer – found the concept car and proposed the idea restoring it.
The original sketches by Bertone.Restoration work on the MX-81 after it was kept in a warehouse for 40 years.
It was supported by the company and shipped to Mazda Italy, where it has been painstakingly restored by SuperStile in Turin. Fittingly, the completion of the restoration was celebrated by the recreation of the original press images of the MX-81 in front of Milan Cathedral.
Mazda’s connection to Italian designers
However, the connection between Mazda and Italian design celebrated by the restoration of the MX-81 actually started even before the MX-81 was displayed. 20 years earlier, in 1960, a young automotive writer by the name of Hideyuki Miyakawa travelled to Italy and the Turin Motor Show where he met Giorgetto Giugiaro, then Head of Design at Bertone. He also met his future wife, Marisa Bassano – a Japanese-Italian translator with a passion for cars. During Marisa’s study trip to Hiroshima in 1961, Miyakawa met then-chairman of Mazda, Tsuneji Matsuda, and the pair discussed the importance of design in the Japanese car industry.
Automotive writer Hideyuki Miyakawa (right) and his wife talking with Bertone (centre) and Giugiaro (left).Giugiaro putting his signature on one of his sketches.
Back in Turin, Hideyuki and Marisa began working as intermediaries between the legendary Italian design studios of Bertone, Ghia and Pininfarina and Japanese car manufacturers. The collaboration between Mazda and Bertone they helped to facilitate led to Giugiaro designing the Mazda Familia and Luce models of the 1960s, plus the R130 Luce Coupe of 1969. The relationship with Bertone continued even after Giugiaro left to work for Ghia, and the restoration of the MX-81 Aria is a celebration of that partnership.
The MX line begins
However, the Mazda MX-81 was only the beginning of the story of the MX badge, which has actually been used more than a dozen times across a broad spread of production, concept and racing Mazdas. After the MX-81 was the MX-02 concept car of 1983. This was a larger 5-door hatchback design with large windows, aerodynamic rear wheel covers and flared-in door mirrors. Unique features included rear wheel steering and a Head-Up display projected on the windscreen.
MX-02 conceptMX-03 concept
The one-off theme continued with the 1985 MX-03, another radical looking car. This sportscar concept was proposed with an exciting powertrain – a triple rotor 315 ps engine. The low-slung was very futuristic, with a cabin that featured an aircraft style yoke rather than a steering wheel, plus digital displays and a Head-Up Display. It showed off a lot of advanced technology like 4-wheel steering and all-wheel drive, while the long low body had wind resistance of just 0.25 Cd.
While the MX-02 and MX-03 shared some of the same futuristic design cues, the MX-04 was completely different. Displayed the 1987 Tokyo Motor Show, the MX-04 was a front-engine rear-wheel drive sportscar that had removable fibreglass panels. These allowed the car to switch from a glass dome-roofed coupe to a beach buggy style open-sided roadster. Powered by a rotary engine this ‘shape-shifting’ sportscar was never considered for production.
The designs and features of concept cars were futuristic but some ideas would be adopted in production models in later years.
But little did outsiders know that Mazda was already developing the MX-5, which would come 2 years later. Other production models to have ‘MX’ were the MX-3 and MX-6 production coupes.
MX in racing
In the 1990s, arguably the most radical car to have the MX badge was the Mazda MXR-01. After the rotary-powered Mazda 787B took victory in the 1991 Le Mans 24 Hours, the FIA promptly banned rotary-powered cars, leaving Mazda looking for a new car for the 1992 World Sportscar Championship at very short notice. A solution arrived in the shape of the MXR-01 prototype racing car.
MXR-01 racing prototype
Based on the previous season’s Jaguar XJR-14, the British firm’s withdrawal from sportscar racing, allowed Mazda to adapt this radical Ross Brawn-designed prototype and fit a Mazda-badged V10 Judd engine. Famed for its incredible grip and downforce, just 5 examples were built. But sadly, the collapse of the World Sportscar Championship at the end of 1992 spelt the end of Mazda’s world motorsport programme and denied the MXR-01 the chance of success.
In 1989, the MX-5 was launched and would become the bestselling 2-seater convertible sportscar in the world. (Below) It was followed by the MX-3 and MX-6 during the 1990s.
MX-Sport Tourer concept
Into the 21st century, the MX badge has still appeared on concept cars – the 2001 MX-Sport Tourer/MPV; 2002 MX-Sport Runabout; 2003 MX-Sportif; and 2004 MX-Flexa. The MX concept car that really started Mazda on the road to another success story was the 2005 MX-Crossport. Inspired by the RX-8 sportscar, this was a sporty looking SUV concept with sculpted wheel arches, slender headlamps and bold shoulder lines. It would be the basis for the model that that became the CX-7, which established a lineage of SUVs that lead to today’s CX-5, CX-30 and MX-30.
40 years later, the fully electric MX-30 – not a concept car – poses with the MX-81 at the same spot where the concept car was originally photographed in 1981.
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