New Vauxhall Vivaro-e electric van: prices announced

The fully electric Vauxhall Vivaro-e panel van will start from £28,361 (excl VAT) for an entry-level short wheelbase, the company has announced. prices rise to £39,811.66 for the flagship, long wheelbase variant, with the cost inclusive of the Government’s £8,000 plug-in van grant.
The new Vauxhall Vivaro-e will be available to buy later this month, with first deliveries expected to arrive in October. It joins a growing marketplace of all-electric commercial vehicles, using fresh competition for the likes of the Mercedes eVito, Nissan e-NV200 and the recently launched Volkswagen ABT e-Transporter.
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• best medium-sized panel vans on sale now
Buyers can have their pick of a short or long wheelbase, a panel van or double cab seating arrangement and either a 50kWh or 75kWh battery pack. There’s also a choice of two trim-levels – an entry-level dynamic model or a a lot more generously equipped Elite variant.
Standard equipment for the base-model includes front fog lamps, rear vehicle parking sensors, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors, automatic windscreen wipers, cruise control and hill-hold assist. Inside, buyers get a 3.5-inch digital instrument display, a multifunction steering wheel, electric windows and a seven-inch infotainment system.
The range-topping Elite variant is only available with Vauxhall’s larger 75kWh battery pack – so it’s priced from £36,661.66 (excluding VAT). Upgrades over the base-model include 17-inch alloy wheels, metallic paint, LED daytime running lights, body coloured bumpers, lane departure warning, semi-adaptive cruise control and a panoramic rear-view camera.
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Speccing the long-wheelbase body style adds an extra £1,150 to the Vivaro-e’s base-price, while the larger battery pack bumps the panel van’s price up by £4,500. Vauxhall’s double cab seating layout is also only available on the flagship, long-wheelbase Elite variant.

SRT Viper TA details announced

Chrysler has revealed full details on the SRT Viper TA (Time Attack) – an extreme special edition of the us supercar aimed at track day enthusiasts and priced at the equivalent of £74,000.
• SRT Viper GTS review
The 8.3-litre 640bhp V10 petrol engine remains unchanged, but significant modifications have been made to the chassis. The car gets a new two-stage adjustable suspension setup called ‘DampTronic’, which features 20 per cent stiffer springs and shocks, while weight is reduced thanks to a carbon-fibre engine brace instead of the old aluminium strut.
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The TA also gets a carbon-fibre aerodynamics pack that includes a new front splitter and rear spoiler, which boosts downforce by a claimed 700 per cent at 150mph. The interior is tweaked too, with racing harnesses and orange stitching on the seats and dashboard.
Production of the SRT Viper TA will be limited to just 159 examples, finished in orange, black or white, and will only be available in the UK via import in left-hand drive only.

Volkswagen underlines focus on EVs as well as new battery tech at annual seminar

Volkswagen will push ahead with electric car development, including a clear-stated objective to be a “market leader” in next-generation ‘solid-state’ battery technology, the company’s manager has revealed.
Speaking at the annual VW group press conference, where the firm revealed that its 2016 profits were €7.1billion (£6.2bn) from sales profits of much more than €217bn, Matthias Muller claimed the business was “back on track” after the Dieselgate scandal. He reiterated that VW should continue to push ahead with its “Strategy 2025”, a programme of effectiveness gains as well as a restructuring to enable the business to make new-model decisions much more quickly.
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Muller likewise stated that continued focus on battery-electric automobiles (BEVs), as well as VW’s plan to go into what he called the “booming economic climate segment” would play a essential function in the firm’s continued recovery.
“Together with Tata Motors, we plan to establish budget plan cars for the Indian market,” he said. “Our colleagues at Skoda are leading the planned alliance for the Group. In China, we are working on an economic climate cars and truck with FAW, our long-standing joint venture partner. We are likewise in the advanced stage of negotiations with JAC to cooperate in putting inexpensive electric cars on the road in the Chinese market.”
He added: “We regard battery innovation as one more future core competence. In recent months we developed as well as approved a concrete phased plan to accomplish technological leadership in Europe by 2025.”

Volvo XC40 Recharge gets extra range in first over-the-air update

Volvo has released its first over-the-air update for the pure-electric XC40 P8 Recharge. The new software, which can be installed at home at the touch of a button, brings a range of improvements to the SUV’s driving range, charging architecture and interior technology.
Volvo says its new software update has improved the XC40 Recharge’s driving range by tweaking the way each cell in the battery pack is managed. 

Best electric automobiles to get 2022

According to the manufacturer, the revisions have improved the car’s maximum driving range, although Volvo hasn’t yet released any official figures. In any case, we’re only expecting an improvement of a few miles, which must push the SUV’s maximum driving range past 260 miles. For reference, the pre-updated automobile had a maximum range of 257 miles
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The software update has also improved the electric XC40’s charging times by boosting the rate at which the battery can accept charge. However, Volvo hasn’t yet released an official figure for the improvements in this area, either. before the update, the EV could achieve an 80 percent charge in around 40 minutes, when connected to a 150kW DC rapid charger.
Volvo’s software update also refines certain technology features, such as the car’s Bluetooth connectivity, 360-degree cam and climate control timers. The update also loads the current version of Google’s Android automobile operating system into the car’s infotainment system.
Now read our review of the pure-electric Volvo XC40 P8 Recharge. let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

New BMW M3: prices, specs as well as 2021 release date for 503bhp saloon

BMW has officially revealed the sixth-generation M3. It’s on sale now, priced from £74,755 – as well as it’s prepared to face-off against an accomplished roster of compact executive performance cars, including the Mercedes AMG C 63, Audi RS 4 Avant as well as Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrofoglio.
BMW’s latest iteration of its iconic sports saloon has undergone an extensive mechanical overhaul. There’s an arsenal of additional technology, a new straight-six engine as well as – complying with in the footsteps of the M5 – an all-new four-wheel-drive system on the flagship model.

New 2021 BMW M4 on sale now priced from £76,055

New 2021 BMW M3: engine as well as drivetrain
The BMW M3 is powered by the M-division’s latest twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine. It’s the exact same system discovered in the X3 M as well as X4 M performance SUV twins – and, like those cars, it’ll are available in a option of two power outputs.
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BMW’s entry-level M3 will create 473bhp, however like the rest of the company’s M range, UK clients won’t be offered this option. Instead, we’ll only get the competition variant, which has an output of 503bhp as well as 650Nm of torque – enough, states BMW, for a 0–62mph time of 3.9 seconds as well as an digitally restricted top speed of 155mph.
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As standard, the engine will send drive to the rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. However, for the very first time on an M3, purchasers will have the choice of speccing an adaptive four-wheel-drive system, which is similar in style to the system discovered on the latest BMW M5.