Car news
AC goes DC IT IS A SIGN OF THE TIMES WHEN A CAR COMPANY AS TRADITIONAL AS AC — EVEN THE REVIVED VERSION OF THIS VENERABLE BRAND — LAUNCHES A TRIBUTE CAR TO THE PASSING OF THE PETROL AGE.
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his continuation model of the AC Ace sports car dating from 1961 — now updated and relaunched as the AC Ace RS — is produced by AC Cars, the original manufacturer. AC Cars CEO Alan Lubinsky says: “The original Ace was the archetypal British sports car — fast, light and nimble, and a real classic of its generation which was the inspiration for the global classic, the iconic AC Cobra.
Next BMW platform under development BMW WILL KICK-START THE THIRD PHASE OF ITS ELECTRIFICATION STRATEGY IN 2025 WITH AN ALL-NEW 3-SERIES.
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t will feature Munich’s sixth-generation electric powertrain, long-range battery technology, rapidcharging capability, lightweight construction, a fully customisable digital operating system and a new mix of sustainable construction materials. Set to be sold alongside other new batteryelectric and combustion-engined saloons, the first car based on the Neue Klasse EV platform with the internal codename NK1, will pave the way for the next new-generation of EVs, including an extended line-up of SUVs.
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Auto Channel Issue #41 November 2021
“Our new AC Ace RS model has all those virtues and more besides, brought together in an updated package which retains a traditional feel and driver appeal within a low overall weight of just 1000kg. The AC Ace RS is similar in detail and identical in appearance to the original 1962 AC Ace.” The car is powered by a lightweight 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine which develops 350bhp and 440Nm of torque, enough for a 0–100kph time of 5.8 seconds. “The new AC Ace RS may well be the last ever new AC model to be powered by a petrol engine. Already, virtually every one of our current model range offers an electric driveline as we at AC lead the sports car industry into greener territory,” Lubinsky says. Orders for the AC Ace RS are now being taken for delivery in mid 2022. Price: NZ$173,500.
The NK1 is likely to be positioned initially as an electric alternative to the next-generation 3 Series. The modular Neue Klasse platform, which is currently undergoing development at BMW’s FIZ research and innovation centre in Munich, is planned to serve as the basis for all BMW-badged electric models from 2025 onwards, providing the scope for front-wheel-drive, rear-wheeldrive, and four-wheel-drive layouts in different wheelbase and track widths, ride heights, and wheel sizes ranging from 18in to 22in. “The Neue Klasse represents the beginning of a new phase of operations for BMW,” says research and development chief Frank Weber. “It’s scaled to allow us to build electric cars from a 2 Seriessized saloon up to an X7-sized SUV.” Its name references the pivotal saloon cars that BMW launched in the 1960s and 1970s, hinting at BMW’s ambition to reinvent and redefine its lineup. As well as forming the basis for all of BMW’s new electric models, the aluminium and highstrength steel structure is being engineered to support plug-in hybrid powertrains with a front-mounted engine and an electrified rear axle in combination.
Kerb your enthusiasm
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koda UK research reveals more than a third of motorists are driving vehicles with ‘damaged’ alloy wheels, with 56 per cent caused by hitting a kerb. Hitting a wheel could lead to tyre faults, tracking issues and steering vibrations. Almost a third of UK drivers admitted to hitting another vehicle or object when parking. There are more than 13 million damaged alloy wheels in the UK. Parallel parking is the single biggest cause of alloy wheel damage — which makes intelligent sensing systems and automated parallel and perpendicular parking more than just gimmicks. The total collective expense for UK motorists would come to more than £890m to fix all alloy wheels damaged by kerb impact. 83 per cent of drivers said the damage had been caused by someone in their own household, according to Škoda’s data. Despite the high number of damaged alloy wheels, a third of drivers claimed to be very confident when parking although almost half (45 per cent) saying they Škoda’s study of alloy wheel damage was made up of 2000 drivers nationwide.
BMW's sportier i3S
Weber adds that it could also support a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain if the regulatory framework currently being proposed in various markets, including China, calls for such a move. This would allow factories to run both ICE and electric models down the same lines across BMW’s worldwide production network. “We won’t be building separate structures. The Neue Klasse will see a big ramp-up in volume potential. We’ve learned a lot in scaling over the past two generations of platform development,” says Weber.
