RUMOUR HAS IT...
GOING FOR AN A
Mercedes-Benz says people can expect more connectivity, luxury-class infotainment and a step forward in refinement from its all-new A-Class hatch.
The fourth generation of the smallest Mercedes-badged car, which will arrive in SA in the third or fourth quarter, will make its debut at next month’s Geneva motor show.
Heavily based on the Concept A sedan from the Shanghai motor show last year, the W177 A-Class also has clear echoes of the all-new CLS in the front end. The second (after the B-Class) of a claimed eight new small Mercedes models to share the upgraded MFA 2 architecture, the A-Class will eventually be joined by the CLA, the CLA Shooting Brake, the GLA crossover, the GLB off roader and a sedan version of the AClass. The latter is being delivered to compete with the surprise success of Audi’s A3 sedan, while all the new models will sweep through the small Mercedes line-up by 2020.
CITYPROOF YOURSELF
Nissan has launched the Qashqai in SA, sporting a new face and a more premium look and feel, according to the company. It gets revised styling and a whole host of Nissan Intelligent Mobility equipment such as blind spot monitoring, autonomous emergency braking and surround view cameras. The multifunction steering wheel has buttons designed to help you keep your eyes on the road.
SANTA EIGHT
Hyundai has revealed a picture of its new Santa Fe, which is due to be unveiled at next month’s Geneva motor show. The designs show a new direction for the brand, which is keen to see the Santa Fe continue its success, particularly in the US. Insiders have also told us that the new model will expand its passenger space from the current sevenseater offering to the option of a model that can accommodate eight people.
ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SOUL
Kia will unveil the next generation of its Soul either at the LA Auto show at the end of 2018 or early in 2019 at the Detroit show before it goes on sale in SA later that year. Sources have told us that the next generation will feature an upgraded electric version with more range but the big news will be the availability of an allwheel drive (AWD) model.
The new Soul will sit on a new platform which is designed for both front and all-wheel drive, making an AWD version possible for the first time.
While there are no firm details, our sources have pointed us towards the 2015 Trail’ster concept for some idea of the design direction after the concept received positive feedback. Kia SA says it will consider the AWD version if made available for our market.
BILLIONS FOR E-MOBILITY
Porsche has revealed that it will spend more than €6bn in e-mobility projects by 2022, focusing on both plug-in hybrids and purely electric vehicles. Plans have been bolstered to include about €3bn of investment in material assets and slightly more than €3bn in development costs.
From the additional sum of €3bn, €500m will be used for the development of Porsche’s Mission E variants and derivatives, about €1bn for electrification and hybridisation of the existing product range, several hundred million for site expansion, plus €700m in new technologies, charging infrastructure and smart mobility.
AU REVOIR
Finally the sad news that one of the auto industry’s most renowned designers, Peugeot’s Gérard Welter, died recently at the age of 75. Welter, who designed cars for Peugeot for 47 years, penned some of the most legendary Peugeots of the last half a century.
His design credits included the 304 604, 305, 405 and 406. His last production Peugeot design was the RCZ coupe, with its complex double-bubble glass roof.
He is most famous, though, as the designer of the iconic 205 hatchback. The 205 exploded onto the motoring scene in 1983 and Peugeot built 5.3-million over a 14-year production run. It gave birth to the 205 GTi, which was the first hot hatch to best the Volkswagen Golf GTi in performance, if not sales.
He didn’t isolate himself with conventional projects, though, and he teamed up with fellow Peugeot designer Michel Meunier to create the WMPeugeot sports racing car. Its top speed of 405km/h on the Les Hunaudières section of the Le Sarthe circuit in 1988 remains the highest speed record ever recorded at Le Mans. While Roger Dorchy’s lap in the WM P88 is remembered, Welter’s racers competed at Le Mans from 1976-89.
He also designed the most successful rally car of the Group B era, the Peugeot 205 T16, the Paris Dakar-winning 205 and 405 coupe and the 405 coupe that rose to fame in the Climb Dance short film that covered Ari Vatanen’s Pikes Peak victory in 1988.