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Lexus To Unveil BEV Concept Ahead Of 2026 Debut

Lexus is set to unveil a new concept car at the Japan Mobility Show 2023, offering a preview of their first next-generation Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) expected to start production in 2026. While specific details about the concept weren’t disclosed, it’s anticipated to align with the teaser sketch previously released by Toyota under the Lexus brand.

Lexus is committed to a groundbreaking approach for their next-gen BEV, revolutionising the car body’s modular structure, altering production methods, and completely overhauling the software platform. The design will prioritise Lexus characteristics, focusing on aerodynamics for the exterior and utilising sustainable, high-quality materials for the interior.

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Toyota Trademarks Lexus TZ Name For Upcoming Three-Row Electric SUV

Toyota may be working on a brand-new three-row electric SUV under the Lexus name. According to the Lexus RX Owners forum, the Japanese automaker submitted four new trademark applications to the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPA) for various Lexus TZ models on July 19, 2023.

The TZ450e and TZ550e are two of the four names the company wants to trademark. The letter “Z” indicates BEVs. As an electric alternative to the RX, Lexus offers the RZ 450e while Toyota offers the bZ4X. The firm recently unveiled the 2024 Lexus TX, a three-row petrol SUV that sits between the RX and the GX and shares its GA-K chassis with the Toyota Grand Highlander. The new TZ is the TX’s all-electric alternative.

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Polestar 4 – Brand’s Fastest Production Car

Polestar, the high-performance electric car company owned by Volvo Cars and Geely, announced last year that it would be launching one new model each year starting with the Polestar 3 in 2022. It’s now 2023 and the next model is the Polestar 4, which is positioned between Polestar 2 and Polestar 3 in terms of size and price. The company estimates launch pricing to be from 60,000 euros (equivalent to RM291,180 today).

Production is planned to begin in Hangzhou Bay, China, from November this year, with the first cars being delivered to customers in the country. A full-scale launch for other markets, including in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, is planned for early 2024 – with sales and production ramping up for these markets through the course of the year.

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MG’s Cyberster Roadster To Go On Sale in 2024

MG may sound like an old name and most Malaysians who do know of the brand might only have those old British sportscars in their minds. The MG brand is also no longer owned by a British company but by China’s SAIC since 2007.

The MG brand has actually been doing quite well in some markets and is sold in Thailand. It was supposed to come into Malaysia at one time but that has not happened yet. Perhaps we’ll see it soon with the wave of brands from China starting to sweep in.

MG’s modern products have been mainstream models but it is starting a new chapter with a high-performance electric sportscar. This is the Cyberster, just unveiled at Auto Shanghai in production form after the concept model was first shown two years ago at the same event.

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160 Kms Of Range in 5 Minutes? It Will Be Possible Next Year

Electric vehicles (EVs) are slowly coming down in price and many manufacturers believe that, by the end of this decade, they should be able to offer EVs at the same price as models with combustion engines, size for size. Economies of scale come into play, reducing the costs in many areas and also the technologies.

However, the thing that still makes people hesitate in switching to an EV is how far they can go on a fully charged battery pack. It’s known as ‘range anxiety’ and it’s understandable that motorists worry about being stranded somewhere when their battery pack is empty.

Of course, combustion engine cars can also run out of fuel if the driver is not mindful of the amount remaining in the tank. But the difference is that you can probably call for help and someone can bring fuel to pour into the tank, or even get a life to a nearby town to buy fuel and come back. And there are petrol stations all over – unlike the limited (but slowly growing) network of recharging stations.

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Lancia Pu+Ra HPE Concept Uncovered, To Be Design Basis For New Ypsilon

Lancia, which is part of the FCA Group within Stellantis, seemed to have no future not so long ago. Its declining sales numbers and a stagnant range with just one model put its continued existence at risk, and it was only Italians who seemed to have any affinity for the brand.

Stellantis sees Lancia as a brand with some hope and is willing to help it revive and embark on a new era. For a start, the 116-year old company has worked on a new brand vision which takes it into the electric age.

The brand vision has a design vision which was described last November and previewed in the Pu+Ra Zero, a 3-dimensional ‘manifesto’ that will guide the designers of the 3 new Lancia models to be launched between 2024 and 2028. Created from the words ‘Pure’ and ‘Radical’, Lancia Pu+Ra Design is described as a sustainable design language that is intended to ‘last for the next 100 years’.

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HiPhi X Luxury EV From China Gets Approval From TUV SUD, Can Start Selling in Europe

Just as the Japanese and then the Korean carmakers have swept across the world, displacing the older European and American brands, carmakers from China are now starting their offensive on international markets. They are targeting Europe in particular as this region is moving strongly ahead with electrification, with regulations that aim to minimise or even stop sales of vehicles with combustion engines.

Electrified vehicles are an area where Chinese manufacturers have built up a lot of experience and knowledge, thanks to their government’s introduction of the national New Energy Vehicle (NEV) policy in 2009. This had the goal of 500,000 electrified vehicles – battery (BEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) – by 2012, which would account for 5% of new passenger vehicle sales.

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More Natural Lighting In The Volvo EX90 Enhances Wellbeing, Makes Driving Safer Too

Scandinavia, where Volvo originated from and still has its home, has longer periods of darkness than other parts of the planet. As such, Scandinavians tend to have a love for sunshine and also try to create environments which are bright (but in a tasteful way) in their design language.

Now Volvo is also bring sunlight into the car in a way that will enhance the feeling of wellbeing when travelling. Particularly in the winter darkness, the cabin becomes a welcome space to enter with a hint of sunshine becoming a ritual to start the day like each sunrise.

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Lotus Eletre Hyper SUV Debuts In Malaysia, Priced from RM578,000

One year after making its global debut, the Lotus Eletre has arrived in Malaysia. This is the British brand’s first hyper-SUV which also lays claims to being a world first in this category. Apart from being the first of a new breed of fully electric SUVs, the Eletre also bears several firsts for Lotus. It is the first model outside sportscar segments; the first lifestyle EV; and also said to be the most ‘connected’ Lotus ever.

Three variants will be available for the Malaysian market – Eletre, Eletre S and Eletre R – with prices ranging from RM578,000 to RM798,000. There is currently no duty imposed on fully electric vehicles and roadtax is also exempted till the end of 2025. So customers have only to pay for insurance and whatever options they want to include to personalize their Eletre.

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Bringing Back Emotional Engine Roar In The EV Age

Motoring enthusiasts often talk about driving as an emotional thing and while there are various kinds of emotions – stress, fear, anger – it is often the emotion of pleasure that is publicised. ‘Driving’ pleasure is often mentioned as what can be experienced from a new car and advertisements play it up in different ways.

Going together with driving pleasure for sportscars is also the sound of the engine and exhaust – a growl or a roar or even a crackle – and it is what gets the adrenaline flowing faster. The ultimate sound comes from racing cars which, not being restricted by regulations for vehicles used on public roads, are typically louder.

With electrically-powered cars, there is no combustion engine, no exhaust pipe – and therefore no sound. Environmentalists are happy with the prospect of roads becoming quieter in future as more electric vehicles (EVs) travel on them. But for those who have always loved driving and the pleasure it gives, the absence of engine and exhaust sound is a huge loss. The silence, as the saying goes, is ‘deafening’.

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