The first-generation Porsche Cayenne has been given an official rally-inspired makeover to promote a new range of personalisation options for older Porsche models.

A pair of Cayennes have been restyled and upgraded by the in-house Porsche Classic division, gaining skid plates, chunky off-road tyres, rally-style wheels and spotlights, as well as new retro-inspired decal packs, which are the only parts currently available to order from Porsche. The black car even features a collapsible roof tent. 

The custom wheels, mud flaps and roof baskets aren’t yet available through the Classic division, although Porsche says these parts are “currently being tested for feasibility.” 

The original Cayenne features an all-wheel drive system with a dynamic centre differential lock, which, Porsche says, gives the car “exceptional off-road properties”. Porsche Classic’s makeover is intended to showcase the SUV’s 4×4 credentials. 

Porsche will display the cars at selected events in order to “obtain feedback from customers and fans and take this into account when deciding on the development and reissue of individual parts.”

The Volkswagen Group has agreed a major deal for a supply of “CO2-free” lithium hydroxide for use in cells from 2026, as part of a series of partnerships it has reached to boost its EV battery technology.

Wolfsburg has secured a five-year agreement with the Vulcan Group for a supply of battery-quality lithium hydroxide, sourced from the Upper Rhine Rift in south-west Germany.

The Vulcan Group claims that new technology enabled CO2-free lithium production in the region, with funding used clean geothermal energy to ensure a claimed “negative CO2 balance”.

It adds that short supply chains also reduce the dependent on imports for the raw lithium material. 

The Volkswagen Group says it intends to use the “climate-neutral lithium” in its planned standardised EV battery cells, as part of wide plans to make its car production zero-emissions.

The company has committed to opening six battery factories in Europe with a total annual production capacity of 240GWh by the end of the decade.

The deal with the Vulcan Group is one of a number of agreements that it has reached to strengthen its battery technology expertise. It has also agreed a joint venture with ‘clean mobility materials’ firm Umicore for a supply of cathode materials that will be used in its European battery factories.

That joint venture will start in 2025 with an initial annual production of 20GWh for Volkswagen’s Salzgitter factory, rising to 160GWh by 2030 – enough, the car maker claims, to power around 2.2 million EVs.

The Volkswagen Group has also invested in American start-up 24M, a spin-off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which is working on a semi-solid dry-coating process for automotive batteries.

24M believes the process will reduce material uses and eliminate several steps from the conventional production process.

Matthew Avery, Euro NCAP board member and chief research and strategy officer at Thatcham, told Autocar: “Every few years, Euro NCAP raises the bar by introducing new tests which either exploit new technologies or lift the hurdle to make manufacturers do better. If everyone is five-star, we need to lift the barrier.”

As a result of these alterations, he explained: “When we first tested the Zoe, it did reasonably well and had all the elements you needed back then to get a reasonable score. But if you’ve still got the same design 10 years later, you aren’t going to score as well.”

He said that the inclusion of the previous Zoe’s side-mounted airbag might have pushed the current model’s rating up to one star, but “it certainly wouldn’t be any better”, as “we would expect to see the general poor performance and red areas on the dummy”. He also clarified that the previous model’s five-star verdict wouldn’t necessarily still apply, given changes to the testing process.

The Euro NCAP crash test process isn’t mandatory so is either undergone by cars entered voluntarily by their manufacturers or by cars purchased by the testing body itself.

In a statement sent to Autocar, Renault said: “Renault takes note of the results published by EuroNCAP following specific tests on Zoe E-Tech Electric according to its new protocol implemented in 2020.

Renault reaffirms that Zoe E-Tech Electric is a safe vehicle, which complies with all regulatory safety standards. These standards are constantly evolving and are becoming more stringent in all domains, especially in safety. Renault therefore continually improves its offer in order to comply with the regulations applicable where its vehicles are sold.”

Renault also pointed out that the Zoe “has been launched with several standard elements according to the equipment level to improve the safety of occupants and other road users (Active Safety): front LED headlamps, overspeed prevention, advanced emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-departure alert, lane-keeping assist, traffic-signs recognition, automatic high/low-beam switching of the lights [and] blindspot warning.”

Two fast-expanding British EV technology companies, WEVC and Equipmake, have set up a partnership aimed at providing much of the expertise and the hardware that niche vehicle manufacturers will need if they’re to thrive beyond the UK government’s 2030 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.

At present, many of Britain’s low volume makers, who for decades have formed an enviable enthusiast community unique in the car world, face having to invest in post-2030 technologies on a scale that simply isn’t viable for their earnings and sales volumes. The WEVC-and-Equipmake link aims to offer them a variety of comprehensive, cost-effective solutions.  

Newquay-based WEVC recently unveiled a lightweight and highly flexible architecture for low-volume EVs called Paces (Passenger and Commercial Vehicle EV Skateboard) and is in the process of proving its effectiveness by building a low-volume sports coupé that has reached final testing and will go on sale next year.

WEVC founder Neil Yates has built other cars of his own design and worked as a consultant on advanced vehicle projects including the forthcoming Ariel Hipercar.

Equipmake is a fast-expanding Norfolk firm that manufactures a wide variety of EV powertrain equipment, including a range of advanced, compact and light electric motors suitable for applications as diverse as sports cars and buses. It also has interests in the marine, aerospace and mining industries and writes the bespoke software needed to operate EV hardware.  

Founded by its managing director, Ian Foley, the company is currently demonstrating the breadth capabilities by designing and building the complete powertrain – including batteries – for a double-decker bus, built by the Spanish firm Beulas, that’s due to begin trials for use in London very soon.

Equimake motors, inverters and battery management software are also key components of the Hipercar.

The chairman of the Volkswagen Group board, Herbert Diess, will reportedly continue to serve in that position, following lengthy internal discussions over his future at the company.

According to Reuters (via Automotive News), citing a source close to negotiations, a dispute between Diess and labour unions representing Volkswagen Group workers has been resolved, securing his position as leader of the firm.

The source is quoted as saying: “It’s going in the direction that the dispute will be settled and Diess will remain CEO.”

However, a shuffling of leadership duties is expected to have Volkswagen brand CEO Ralf Brandstätter join the Volkswagen Group board of management and assume overall control of the company’s ‘mass-market’ brands: Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen. Diess, meanwhile, will focus on strategy, according to Reuters’ source. 

The reported changes come ahead of a Volkswagen Group supervisory board meeting on Thursday (9 December) at which bosses are expected to agree on a five-year investment package. 

Uncertainty over Diess’s position arose after he sparked tension with union representatives by hinting at significant job cuts during the shift to electrification. 

Volkswagen, like other car makers, has been forced to make tough decisions concerning future investment and jobs to stay relevant in the face of global and particularly European shifts to electrification. Diess has been vocal in the need to adapt to competition, particularly from Tesla, which is on the verge of opening a plant in Germany and now regularly tops premium best-seller charts with the Model 3.

He angered Germany’s powerful unions in September when he said as many as 30,000 jobs could be under threat if the company were too slow in transitioning to electric propulsion. 

Volkswagen has spent billions in expanding its line-up to include a range of EVs centered on its MEB platform. However, Diess warned that jobs that exist today aren’t guaranteed in the future as the company spends more on software and streamlines its production process in a bid to make EVs both more competitive against the likes of Tesla and more affordable.

Diess was caught between the desire to present the company as agile and modern and the demands of the powerful works council, which had criticised him for not being more sensitive to the fears of Volkswagen Group workers in Germany, who number around 120,000.

But in a recent manager meeting, Diess accentuated the positive progress the company has made in a range of issues including union negotiation to boosting sales in China.

Polestar has released a power boost for the all-electric Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor, adding 67bhp and 15lb ft of torque via an over-the-air software update.

Costing from £1000, the boost takes total system power to 470bhp and 502lb ft and shaves 0.3 seconds off the 0-62mph time, meaning the headline sprint is now 4.4sec. This means the 2 and the Tesla Model 3, its main rival, now have exactly the same acceleration figures.

In addition, the extra power is available to provide a boost in mid-range acceleration, with Polestar quoting a 2.2sec 50-75mph time – 0.5sec up on the standard car.

Customers can download the upgrade in the Polestar Extras web shop, with the scheduled release being available within hours. Owners have to agree to download it within the car’s operating system, then leave and lock the car before the download starts. It doesn’t need to be plugged in during the process.

Polestar sees software updates as crucial to highlighting its digital-first approach. You can only buy the firm’s cars online, something that CEO and Autocar Awards winner Thomas Ingenlath emphasised during this latest launch: “The upgrade highlights how connected technologies can transform the relationship a car company has with its customers.

“The driving experience in the Polestar 2 is something we’re really proud of. It’s such a fun car to drive already, but with this upgrade, we can offer even more to our customers who might be after a little extra excitement.”

Manufacturers are increasingly looking to chargeable digital upgrades as a way of generating additional revenue. Stellantis has announced a €30 billion software transformation just this morning, with a view to earning €20bn in 2030, while Volkswagen also views over-the-air updates as crucial to its future business model. The German firm plans to release quarterly updates for all of its EVs from now on.

Previously, Jaguar has offered range and performance boosts wirelessly for the Jaguar I-Pace, while Tesla has earned the most headlines with its over-the-air updates.

From the passenger’s seat

We rode in a car with this software upgrade over the summer in a preview event at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, but the sharper acceleration figures aren’t what we remember most clearly from the passenger’s seat. The experimental 2 was also fitted with some trick Öhlins in-board dampers, and it was the adjustability of these, as well as the 30% increase in stiffness they brought, that was more memorable than the additional 67bhp.

In turn, Biryah has a key piece of advice for anyone thinking of making the switch to an electric vehicle. “It isn’t an inconvenience… so long as you plan ahead,” he says. “Obviously it can’t match the ease of a petrol or diesel vehicle that you can hop in on almost empty and refuel in moments, but if you plan ahead and keep it topped up it can do pretty much anything.

“For longer trips to suppliers further away I have to admit that we have had to hire an engined car. It’s rare, and not that much trouble if you plan. I’d rather do that than run around in a combustion engined car all the time just so that these very occasional trips are a little easier.”

Biryah is also upfront that his commitment to running electric is driven as much by business values as practicality. “As an independent food delivery business we take our values very seriously,” he says. “We are uncompromising about the quality and origins of our ingredients and carefully select produce from ethical and sustainable British producers and suppliers. Why do that if you then compromise further down the chain? By investing in sustainable solutions we help to reduce the impact on our towns and wellbeing of our communities, hopefully making the world a little greener and better place to be.

Global car giant Stellantis has said it will generate €20 billion in revenue from software-enabled products and subscriptions in 2030, as it gears up for a new era of over-the-air updates and artificial intelligence (AI).

The firm, which owns Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, Peugeot and Vauxhall, announced today that it will invest more than €30bn to 2025 to execute the “software and electrification transformation”. 

In the short term, it will mean that by 2024, the majority of all new vehicles will be fully updatable over the air. Today, Stellantis has 12 million monetisable connected cars globally. By 2026, this is set to grow to 26 million vehicles and make €4bn in revenues, and by 2030 it will reach 34 million vehicles and €20bn in annual revenues.

The firm has identified five areas in which to grow its software and connected services business: services and subscriptions; features on demand; data as a service and fleet services; vehicle pricing and resale value and conquests; and service retention and cross-selling.

It has also announced three new AI technology platforms, to be deployed from 2024: STLA Brain, STLA SmartCockpit and STLA AutoDrive. 

STLA Brain is over-the-air capable with 30 modules rather than today’s 10. Stellantis said it “breaks today’s bond between hardware and software generations, enabling software developers to create and update features and services quickly without waiting for a new hardware launch”. These over-the-air updates will “dramatically reduce costs for both the customers and Stellantis, simplify maintenance for the user and sustain vehicle residual values”, added the company.

The second platform, STLA SmartCockpit, is intended to “seamlessly integrate with the digital lives of vehicle occupants to create a customisable third living space”. It is developed in partnership with Foxconn and delivers AI-based applications such as navigation, voice assistance, e-commerce marketplace and payment services. 

Finally, STLA AutoDrive, developed in partnership with BMW, will offer level two, level two+ and level three autonomous driving capabilities and will be continuously upgraded through over-the-air updates. 

The partnership with Foxconn aims to design new flexible semiconductors for both Stellantis and third-party customers. Stellantis said the four families of chips will cover more than 80% of the firm’s micro-controllers’ needs, helping “to greatly simplify the supply chain”. These chips are set to be in Stellantis vehicles by 2024.

The project will be a welcome development given the global shortage of semi-conductors. While it will not help the current crisis, it will go some way to safeguard Stellantis from repeat issues in the future. 

Leading World Rally Championship (WRC) squad M-Sport has unveiled a one-off rally-honed Fiat Panda 4×4 that will be the first in a new line of bespoke low-volume projects.

The Cumbrian firm fields Ford Fiesta WRCs in rallying’s top-flight, previously ran Bentley’s works GT programme and has produced high-spec versions of the Ford Transit van. It has built the new Panda by M-Sport for an unnamed client who wanted a machine capable of contesting both gravel and Tarmac rallies.

The Panda by M-Sport is the first machine from the firm’s new M-Sport Special Vehicles arm.

It’s built from a standard road-going Mk1 Panda that has been extensively modified and rebuilt and fitted with the underpinnings from the first-generation Fiesta R5 rally car.

To house the Fiesta R5’s chassis, the shell of the Panda had to be widened by 360mm – a move that M-Sport claims also improves handling. To avoid changing the Panda shell’s shape, new custom-built wheel arches – inspired by those features on Group B cars – were added. 

The Panda by M-Sport uses the Fiesta R5’s Ford Ecoboost 1.6-litre turbo engine, which is tuned to deliver just under 300bhp and 332lb ft of torque to all four wheels via a Sadev five-speed sequential gearbox.

Inside, the dashboard is inspired by the original Panda design, although it features six-point harnesses for the seats and an FIA-homologated roll cage. The rear seats have been removed to offer storage for spare wheels.

While the project is a one-off built to the demands of a client, M-Sport boss Malcolm Wilson said that the Panda “is one of the first of a new era of bespoke, low-volume projects being carried out at [M-Sport base] Dovenby Hall.”

Wilson added that M-Sport Special Vehicles is “geared up and ready to accept new clients with unique commissions of their own” and that the new arm benefits from the development the new test track and M-Sport Evaluation Centre manufacturing facility recently built at Dovenby Hall.

Peugeot will sell only electric cars in Europe from 2030 onwards, using four Stellantis EV platforms, Automotive News Europe reports. 

The decision was confirmed to the news outlet by Peugeot CEO Linda Jackson, who added that the French brand would continue to produce ICE models for other international markets.

“As we move on to the new platforms – STLA Small, [STLA] Medium and [STLA] Large – by 2030 in Europe, all of our models will be electric,” Jackson said. “But I still have to make sure I maintain internal-combustion offerings for my international customers.” 

Peugeot’s switch to battery power will come later than for other manufacturers under the Stellantis umbrella, with DS planning to switch in 2026, Alfa Romeo in 2027 and Opel/Vauxhall in 2028.

Fellow ex-PSA brand Citroën has yet to confirm a date for its final ICE models.

Jackson also confirmed that Peugeot’s entire line-up will be electrified by 2024, with the next-generation 3008 SUV to follow the 208 supermini and 2008 crossover’s lead in gaining an all-electric variant. Currently, 70% of the firm’s line-up is offered with an electrified powertrain. 

Jackson also said that around 20% of 208 sales are all-electric, higher than its original projections of 10-15%, while the e-2008 is lagging just behind.  

“The e-2008 is slightly less than the e-208, because it tends to be a first car, so customers are often looking to be able to travel long distances,” Jackson told Automotive News Europe. “They’re trying to decide if an electric car is appropriate for them.”

The move comes as Stellantis ramps up its investment in electric technologies. This year, the group has announced a partnership with electronics giant LG to build a new EV battery factory in the US and confirmed that it will produce electric vans at Ellesmere Port in the UK.

In November, Stellantis outsold the Volkswagen Group for the first time since its inception, with a 21.0% market share. The 2008, 208 and Fiat 500 all appeared in the top five for sales figures.