November 29, 2016

Holden closes last Australian engine plant

Holden closes last Australian engine plant
Holden has spent the last few months building and stockpiling V6 engines to see out Commodore production.

Another door has closed on vehicle manufacturing in Australia, with Holden shuttering its V6 engine manufacturing plant – the last remaining engine plant in Australia - on Tuesday.

More than 230 workers in total at the Fishermans Bend facility will lose their jobs, with 175 clocking off this week. The closure was announced in 2013.

"Holden acknowledges the impact the end of local manufacturing has on our people and their families, across the country and throughout the industry," the company said in a statement.

"We are doing everything in our power to allow our people to make considered choices and help them move onto their next opportunity."

At its height, the plant produced 34 variants of the V6 for local and international use.

The closure comes almost exactly 12 months before Holden shuts down its Commodore production line in Adelaide – mooted to be around 24 November 2017 - and just a month after it ceased local production of the four-cylinder Cruze.

The company has spent the last few months building and stockpiling V6 engines to see out Commodore production, while – in a bitterly ironic twist – General Motors named it the most productive plant in its worldwide organisation earlier this year.

Holden chairman and managing director Mark Bernhard oversaw the final engine build – a 3.0-litre SIDI LF1 - in a ceremony not open to the media. The V6 will be added to Holden's heritage collection.

At its height, the plant produced 34 variants of the V6 for local and international use, including a 2.8-litre turbo, 3.0-litre V6, 3.6-litre V6 and a 3.6-litre LPG engine.

The plant's equipment – capable of producing up to 960 engines a day over two shifts – will be auctioned off, with expressions of interest having opened in August and closing on November 30.

The site itself has already been sold to the Victorian Government for $135 million, who will turn the 38ha area into an innovation hub after reclamation works have been completed.

Holden's head offices will remain in Fishermans Bend.

the engine plant made Holden one of the biggest exporters of manufactured goods.

The engine plant was opened in 1936, and more than 10 million engines have been built in the eighty years that have passed.

Those engines include the famous six-cylinder 'grey' motor that powered the original 48-215.

Significantly, the engine plant made Holden one of the biggest exporters of manufactured goods, with almost 4.5 million four-cylinder Family II engines sent to all corners of the General Motors empire from 1981 to 2009.

The V6 engine was also exported in great numbers; from more than 1.1 million engines built since the $400 million V6 plant opened in 2003 to support the VE Commodore, almost 700,000 were shipped to one-time GM subsidiaries like Saab and Alfa Romeo, as well as to Opel and GM Thailand.

Which is your favourite locally produced Holden engine? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

Holden Barina 2017 | new car sales price

2017 Holden Barina. 2017 Holden Barina. 2017 Holden Barina. 2017 Holden Barina.

Holden has taken the axe to the underperforming Barina line for 2017, reducing the number of variants to just two.

A new naming system for the Barina – mirrored by both the Colorado and the Spark – sees just two models survive the redo.

“We’re trying to simplify the range. The vast majority of our sales were in the hatch variant,” said Holden’s product communications manager Mark Flintoff of the changes. “The additional content of the two new models lifts the car quite a bit.”

The top spec RS hatch, powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged engine, has also been banished.

Barinas sold in other GM markets around the world will adopt the Aussie redesign.

“It sold reasonably well, but we are trying to focus and simplify,” said Mr Flintoff.

The Barina competes in the same space as the Hyundai Accent, Mazda2, Honda Jazz and Volkswagen Polo, and its sales are off by 30 per cent compared to the same time last year.

Gone are the CD, CDR, CDX and RS hatches, along with the CD and CDX sedans, replaced by the LS and LT hatches.

The LS starts at $14,990 before on-road costs for the manual version, rising to $17,190 for the six-speed auto version. The manual undercuts the outgoing CD by $600, adding kit like a rear view camera, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The LT, meanwhile, will sell for $20,390 in auto-only guise.

Both the base model LS and top-spec LT get a new front bar, grille and rear bar that were designed by the GM Australia design studio in Melbourne, along with headlights that are “inspired by the Camaro”, according to Holden. 

Barinas sold in other GM markets around the world will also adopt the Aussie redesign.

For the new range, the entry level LS hatch replaces the CD, and offers a 1.6-litre petrol engine in both five-speed manual and six-speed auto, 16-inch alloys, 7.0-inch colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a rear view camera with rear park assist, and automatic headlights with LED DRLs.

The top-spec LT, meanwhile, adds keyless entry, push-button start, 17-inch alloys, heated seats and a leather –bound steering wheel and sportier trim. No manual variant is offered at the LT level.

Both __cars come from GM’s Bupyeong plant in Korea, are powered by the same 85kW, 115Nm 1.6-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine as the outgoing model.

Holden Barina list pricing

Barina 1.6-litre LS manual $14,990 
Barina 1.6-litre LS automatic $17,190 
Barina 1.6-litre LT automatic $20,390

Click here for more Holden Barina pricing and spec info

Is this update enough to boost the Barina's appeal? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

November 28, 2016

Lexus IS 2016 | new car sales price

2016 Lexus IS300h F Sport. 2016 Lexus IS300h F-Sport. 2016 Lexus IS300h F Sport. 2016 Lexus IS300h F Sport. 2016 Lexus IS300h F Sport.

Lexus leaders were left scratching their heads on how to celebrate selling a million IS sports sedans around the world. It did not take long for them to come up with an answer: Let’s make a better one.

The result is the new Lexus IS line, which has borrowed from the recently released RC sports coupe, thus creating a four-door version of the well-credentialed two-door.

Closer to home, the resulting major IS upgrades are expected to help Lexus achieve a sales record in Australia of more than 9000 vehicles. Available in three models, each in three grades, with enhancement packages designed to appeal to the individual buyer, all follow the Lexus Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement.

Included are eight exterior styling changes and 15 inside the cabin, as well as upgrades to the display screen and the unequalled Mark Levinson Lexus sound system. The full suite of Lexus Safety System+ technology, designed to provide maximum driver control, especially in critical situations, is taken up for the first time.

The LSS+ is made up of a pre-collision safety system, active cruise control, lane departure warning+ with sway warning and automatic high beam. All models have 10 airbags, eight-head clearance and reversing sonar, and rear-view camera with guidelines.

Lexus has put out a warmer welcome to the IS cabin.

All have heated and power-folding exterior mirrors, daytime running lamps, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, emergency brake lamps, hill-start assist, paddle shifters on the steering wheel, Lexus Inform, digital radio+, LCD multi-information display, Lexus remote touch controller, satellite navigation with Suna traffic alerts, heated and ventilated front seats, voice-control multi-media system, pop-up bonnet and tyre-pressure monitoring.    

The Lexus IS Line is available as the IS 200t with the recently launched 2.0-litre turbocharged engine, IS 350 using a 3.5-litre quad cam V6 and as the 300h petrol-electric hybrid. All three come in Luxury, F Sport and Sports Luxury levels.

The flagship engine is the 3.5-litre quad cam dual-injection V6 delivering 233 kW of power at 6400 rpm and 378 Nm of torque at 4800 rpm. The innovative turbocharged 2.0-litre engine debuted in the IS Line last year, the first time Lexus has offered a turbocharged petrol sedan.

It is Euro 5 compliant and puts out 180 kW of power at 5800 rpm and 350 Nm of torque from 1650 to 4400 revs. It has an official combined urban/highway cycle fuel economy of 7.5 litres per 100 kilometres and carbon dioxide emissions of 175 grams per kilometre. 

Both engines are matched to the Lexus eight-speed Sports Direct Shift transmission. The IS 300h hybrid drivetrain combines a 2.5-litre dual-injection twin cam petrol engine and a powerful electric motor mated with a continuously variable transmission with sequential shift-matic six-step control via paddle shifts on the steering wheel.  With a combined power output of 164 kW, it uses just 4.9 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres on the combined cycle and puts out 113 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

Redesigned as an ‘Aggressive Sports’ sedan, eight exterior items have been changed, from front bumper and grille, headlamps on all grades, daytime running lamps, rear combination lamps, rear bumper lowered on petrol and hybrid models, muffler tips on IS 350, and wheels on Luxury grade and IS 350 Sports Luxury.

A new front bumper gives the vehicle an extra 15 mm in length, while in keeping with its SUV cousins, the radical Lexus spindle radiator grille has been accentuated even more, which with trapezoidal bumper corners, creates a 3-D contrast that projecting a powerful image. 

IS petrol, IS 300h and F Sport each feature a distinct new lower rear bumper design, while petrol models have new, more angular exhaust tips to highlight the promotion to the premium sports league.  The bumper, lower on hybrids, now has an exclusive bezel with metallic paint to provide a distinctive premium presence while reinforcing the sporty image. Two new colours - Deep Blue MC, an additional colour, and Graphite Black, which replaces Starlight Black. There are two F Sport-unique colours, Cobalt Mica and White Nova.

Luxury models have new 17-inch alloy wheels with a sculpted five twin-spoke design and bright machine finish to enhance their appearance. Flagship IS 350 Sports Luxury has new bright machine finish 18-inch five-spoke wheels with a contrast between sharp edges and broad surfaces.

New LED headlamps turn inward to bring out their characteristics and enhance continuity with the daytime running lights while sharpening the look. Luxury grades have a single LED low/high beam headlamp and bulb-type turn-signal lamp. F Sport and Sports luxury grades have a three-lamp low-beam system and separate LED high-beam lamp as well as LED signal lamps. Automatic high beam is on all models as part of the Lexus Safety System+.

Lexus has put out a warmer welcome to the IS cabin. Fifteen features have been changed, including upping the multimedia display screen from seven to 10.3-inches, meter hood, clock, centre register, driver and front passenger's side registers, knee pads, heater control panel, audio panel, Lexus Remote Touch enter switch on two sides, meters, steering-wheel switches, door-trim base switch, shift-lever knob, inside door handles and ornamentation. 

The layout of the Multi-Information Display has been improved, and the display area for the odometer/trip meter at the bottom of the MID now has a speed warning. The tab display area at the top of the MID now shows ambient temperature as the default display, with the other displays accessible using the switch on the steering wheel. 

The front cup-holder shape has been changed for greater ease of use. Connecting the two cup holders provides space for a mug with a handle, and a mobile phone or smartphone (140 x 70 x 10 mm) can also be stowed there. 

Of the three engines, on a launch drive in Victoria, I had use of the 200t, first used last year when the IS 200t replaced the IS 250. Power has been increased by 27 kW compared with the 2.5-litre V6 and torque to 350 Nm, while improving fuel economy and emission levels.  

The IS 200t, combining an eight-speed Sports Direct Shift automatic transmission with the 2.0-litre turbo engine for the first time, provided driveability expected of a Lexus compact sports sedan. Introducing Lexus Stop & Start technology to IS, for fuel savings in heavy traffic, the system turned out to be one of the better, less intrusive, operators in a field of widely varying standards.

Prices start at $59,340, plus on-road costs, for the entry-level IS 200t Luxury and tops out at $84,160 for the IS 350 F Sports Luxury. The petrol/electric hybrid comes in at $61,890 for the 300h Luxury.

Check out our first drive review of the 2016 Lexus IS here

At a glance

Model range

Lexus IS 200t Luxury: $59,340
Lexus IS 200t F Sport: $67,480
Lexus IS 200t Sports Luxury: $78,040
Lexus IS 300h Luxury: $61,890
Lexus IS 300h F Sport: $70,310
Lexus IS 300h Sports Luxury: $81,160
Lexus IS 350 Luxury: $65,390
Lexus IS 350 F Sport: $73,540
Lexus IS 350 Sports Luxury: $84,160

Click here for more 2016 Lexus IS pricing and spec info.

Would you prefer an IS over a C-Class or 3-Series? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

BMW Brings New M Performance Parts To Essen Motor Show Ciprian Florea

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Filed under:
  • BMW
  • 2016
  • BMW M3
  • BMW M4
  • sports cars
  • coupe
  • auto shows
  • Essen Motor Show
  • sedan
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As the calendar year draws to an end, the Essen Motor Show comes to conclude the year of European motor shows with numerous tuning, motorsport, and track-race production models. The organizers expect more than 300,000 visitors to come to the exhibition halls at Essen’s Grugapark, which will have a wide array of __cars and aftermarket products on display, including many from BMW.

The German automaker will bring its latest M Performance parts to Essen, as well as eight vehicles, including the M240i Convertible and the M2 Safety Car. The public will also be able to demonstrate their racing talent at the “DTM M4 Driving Simulator” by following in the tracks of Marco Wittmann, the newly crowned DTM champion.

As for the actual performance parts, BMW will introduce a handful of upgrades for the M3 and M4. First up, there’s carbon rear wing made entirely of carbon-fiber with the struts sporting M motorsport stripes in blue, red, and violet, and "Performance" lettering on the sides of the blade. The coupe and sedan will also get an M Performance suspension that will enable drivers to adjust ride height between five and 20 mm (0.2 and 0.8 inches) via a spring plate on the front and rear spring struts. The coil springs are painted red for a motorsport-inspired look. Both the carbon wing and the suspension system will be offered starting summer 2017.

The M3 and M4 will also get something new under the hood. Unfortunately, I’m not talking about power upgrades, but the new carbon engine cover should make a few enthusiasts happy. Made from hand-crafted, high-quality carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, it will give the M3 and M4 a race-inspired look under the lid.

The BMW booth will also showcase the brand’s new M Performance Accessories, including an Alcantara steering wheel with carbon trim and race display, gear selector lever and carbon handbrake grip with Alcantara bellows, 19-inch, double-spoke 405 M Bicolour alloy wheels, black matt rear diffuser, and carbon tailpipe trims. All these parts will be exhibited on an upgraded M240i Convertible model.

Continue reading for the full story.

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Why It Matters

BMW Brings New M Performance Parts To Essen Motor Show

Essen might not be as important as Geneva, Paris, or Frankfurt as far as new production __cars go, but it’s a very significant event for the aftermarket. Therefore, BMW’s presence at the German show is extremely important now that premium customers are more into personalizing their cars. With an accessory range of around 1,300 items, ranging from carbon exterior mirror caps to carbon-ceramic brakes, BMW sales figures in Germany are the second highest worldwide, following those in the United States. In 2015, demand in Germany increased by around 15 percent over the previous year and sales are likely to continue to increase with numerous new parts scheduled to go on sale in 2017. Just like SEMA in the U.S., the Essen Motor Show is the perfect environment to display and promote such products.

BMW Brings New M Performance Parts To Essen Motor Show
BMW Brings New M Performance Parts To Essen Motor Show
BMW Brings New M Performance Parts To Essen Motor Show
BMW Brings New M Performance Parts To Essen Motor Show

Press Release

Traditionally, the Essen Motor Show concludes the year of European motor shows. This year again, the organisers of Europe’s largest and most significant performance show for tuning, motorsport and race-suited production cars (26 November to 4 December 2016) are expecting more than 300,000 visitors to the exhibition halls at Essen’s Grugapark. Not only will the new BMW M240i Convertible celebrate its motor show debut at the generously sized BMW booth inside hall 3, but the interested general public will also gain an insight into the extensive product portfolio offered by BMW M Performance Parts. A total of eight exhibition vehicles can be seen at the booth, including the BMW M2 Safety Car. Those who wish can demonstrate their racing talent at the “DTM M4 Driving Simulator” by following in the tracks of Marco Wittmann, the newly crowned DTM champion.

BMW Brings New M Performance Parts To Essen Motor Show

With an accessory range of around 1,300 items, ranging from classy carbon exterior mirror caps to carbon-ceramic brakes, BMW sales figures in Germany are the second highest worldwide – and continue on an upward trend. In 2015, demand in Germany therefore increased by around 15 percent over the previous year.

Attractive leasing offer for the most popular BMW M Performance Parts.
A new leasing offer from BMW Financial Services also contributes towards the growing popularity of BMW M Performance Parts. It offers the possibility of including the most popular BMW M Performance Parts in the residual value leasing contract for the overall vehicle. The offer comprises, inter alia, BMW M Performance light alloy wheels, all exhaust systems and BMW M Performance Power & Sound Kits, a front grille in black or side sill foiling.

Carbon rear wing and new coilover suspension for the BMW M3 and BMW M4.
From the summer of next year, the aerodynamics of the BMW M3 and the BMW M4 are expected to be further optimised for use in motorsports by means of the BMW M Performance rear wing. This component is made entirely of carbon (wing, side parts and feet), with the feet sporting the characteristic BMW M motorsport stripes in blue, red and violet.

With immediate effect, an adjustable BMW M Performance sports suspension is available to further enhance the handling dynamics of the BMW M3 and BMW M4. The driver is able to infinitely adjust the vehicle by between five and 20 millimetres via the spring plate on the front and rear spring struts, in order to obtain the ideal setting for different road and racetrack conditions. Red coil springs render the BMW M Performance sports suspension recognisable from the outside.

Attractive details complete the range of BMW M Performance Accessories.
Thanks to the extensive BMW M Performance accessory range comprising equipment features inspired and derived from motor racing, there are virtually no limits to the possibilities for individualising your car. This also applies to the new BMW M240i Convertible being exhibited at the BMW booth and boasting a newly developed 250 kW/340 hp straight six-cylinder power unit with BMW M Performance TwinPower Turbo technology (combined fuel consumption: 8.3–7.4 l/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 189–169 g/km)*. It has been upgraded with numerous options from the BMW M Performance accessory range. These include the Alcantara steering wheel with carbon trim and race display, a gear selector lever and a carbon handbrake grip with Alcantara bellows, as well as matching interior trim strips. The BMW M240i Convertible’s further enhanced dynamic appearance is accentuated, inter alia, by BMW M Performance 19-inch, double-spoke 405 M Bicolour light alloy wheels as well as a black matt rear diffuser with the newly developed exhaust system, including carbon tailpipe trims.

BMW Brings New M Performance Parts To Essen Motor Show

All BMW M Performance Accessories are the result of many years of experience and the BMW M GmbH’s numerous motor sport successes. They are developed with meticulous attention to detail. A good example of this is the BMW M Performance carbon engine cover for the BMW M3 and the BMW M4. This component, which is elaborately hand-crafted from high-quality carbon fibre reinforced plastic, ensures that fascinating motor racing look when the bonnet is open.

Learn How to Obsessively Clean Your Car's Wheels: Video Robert Moore

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  • diy
  • video
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Have you ever wondered what goes into keeping a car looking better than new? For most of us, __cars are a tool of life, but there are some people out that literally spend an entire day each week to cleaning and perfecting their car inside and out. To put it into perspective, the $100 details offered by your local car wash make your car like clean and misguidedly like new, but a real, obsessive detail will set you back hundreds of dollars and at least a day’s worth of time. One part of obsessive detailing means keeping your wheels clean. It can be extremely difficult if you have to drive your car in the winter and don’t have winter wheels, but the guys over at AMMO have put together a video. describing just what goes into keeping wheels car-show clean as well as the brake system and the wheel wells.

You’ll want to watch the whole video to get the full gist of what you’ve got to do, but in short, there are multiple steps to cleaning your wheels that will seem obsessive to most, but a necessity to the few who take pride in having the cleanest and best looking __cars out there. And, if this seems like too much to you, that’s okay – it’s not for everybody. But, if you have a really nice car that you like to show off, and you do a lot to keep the body and paint in awesome condition – I’m talking about mirror-like shine – then you probably want to go to the extent of excessively cleaning the wheels, wheel wells, and brake system. Even if this kind of obsessive car care isn’t for you, now you’ll understand why someone who is that into it will freak out over a small scratch or some dirt when it wouldn’t make you think twice.

With that said, go ahead and click play, then let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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Throwback Video: Where is This Cool Window Technology? Robert Moore

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  • General Motors (GM)
  • GM (General Motors)
  • technology
  • video
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Car technology has been evolving like crazy in recent years. We have electric __cars like the Tesla Model S that can go hundreds of miles on a single charge, infotainment systems that offer similar services to that of your phone, Wi-Fi hotspots available in most mainstream models, and let’s not forget about gesture and voice controls that are starting to become available in less luxurious models. TV screens that were once limited to expensive and complicated aftermarket installs have been replaced by removable tablets that they whole vehicle can enjoy. The list really goes on, but what about the technology that hasn’t made it into __cars yet? One such example is this crazy window technology that could transform the way we stay entertained in the back seat on road trips.

A few years back, graduate students from Bezalel Acadamy was challenged by General Motors to come up with new conceptual experiences for rear seat passengers. What they came up with was the “Windows of Opportunity” project. In the video you’re about to watch, there is a big bulky projector displaying manipulatable images on the glass of a car door. I won’t go into full details, but it offers up the ability to draw on the window and can project an image from just about anywhere else on earth. It’s all about augmented reality really, but also offers the ability to leave social messages for other people on the road or play a game like hangman or Fruit Ninja, for instance.

When you think about it, a technology like this could be brought to the market today with micro projectors mounted inside the vehicle. But, it could also lead to a new type of transparent display that allows for touch input too, all while allowing a window to be rolled down and concealed within the door. Sure, it leaves the possibility for expensive repairs should something go haywire, but at the same time, it’s pretty freaking cool. The question is, however, where is this technology at? We’ve seen all kinds of other cool technology, and with autonomous cars on the horizon, it could make for a fun way to play games with the family between stops on road trips. Would this be a cool technology to have, or would you rather keep things simple? Check out the video, then let us know what you think in the comments section below!

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November 26, 2016

These are the posh EVs the Jaguar I-Pace must beat

Jaguar’s new electric SUV, the I-Pace, was revealed in close-to-production concept form at the LA motor show last week. And it will have given any car manufacturer that doesn’t count a plug-in family crossover among its ranks a heart attack.

The I-Pace looks handsome and cleverly uses its electric powertrain’s packaging to maximise cabin space. Its claimed 394bhp, 4.0sec to 62mph and 310-mile range should tick most folks’ usability boxes. So, it succeeds in isolation.

But the I-Pace won’t have the posho-badge zero-emission game all to itself. Not by a long shot. There’s an established player from California to take on, and a glut of German newcomers heading for production that are all targeting the same generously walleted customers. Who’s your money on to lead the ‘leccy revolution?

Tesla Model X

We’ll start with the obvious contender. Tesla currently outsells the German ‘big three’ of Mercedes, BMW and Audi in the US, and once its long-awaited Nevada ‘gigafactory’ comes on stream, its supply rates will ramp up like no electric car maker ever.

The Model X wins over onlookers with concept car-spec ‘falcon doors’, carries up to seven passengers, and can empty all of their stomachs at once thanks to the 2.8sec 0-62mph Ludicrous Mode. It’s very pricey, but there’s no doubt the Model X is the established benchmark for large premium EVs.

We’ve had a first drive of the Model X in the UK. Find out if it lives up to the hype behind the clever doors here…

(Photography by Simon Thompson)

Audi e-tron quattro

You can tell this is an emerging part of the car game because everything else the Jaguar I-Pace needs to see off only exists as a concept car at the moment. Audi is likely to be quick out of the blocks with the showroom version of this, the e-tron.

Unlike today’s Q7 e-tron, there’s no hybrid drivetrain combining fossil fuels with volts here – it’s pure electric, offering a purported 496bhp, 510lb ft and 0-62mph in 4.6sec. A 30-min charge time crams in enough range to travel up to 249 miles. And you just know it’s going to have a delectable interior…

Mercedes Generation EQ

Like BMW’s ‘i’ brand, Mercedes is launching a whole new subset of badges and styling for its range of plug-in cars. Meet the EQ range, introduced at the 2016 Paris motor show in the thoroughly conventional-looking form of the EQ concept.

Looks like a GLC, right? And that’s the idea – not to scare off famously traditionalist Benz customers with something that looks like a prop from Transformers. The numbers are predictably strong too: Mercedes reckons on 402bhp of AWD go, a 310-mile range (you’ll be seeing that number a lot, as it equates to a nice, round 500km) and 0-62mph in under five seconds. They’re going to be nippy, this posh EV set. Could they signal the death of the hot hatch..?

Porsche Mission E

A slightly different offering than the other tall-toes SUVs we’ve seen so far, the Mission E is a project Jaguar will have to watch with a beady eye.

Why? Because like Jaguar, Porsche’s brand bedrock is that its __cars are good to drive. Superb, in fact. And once they saddle one with lardy batteries and no engine noise, it’ll still need to be exciting, or we’ll all buy something else…

Luckily, the Mission E’s stats are reassuringly eye-watering. How does 600bhp, 0-62mph in under 3.5sec and a 15min recharge grab you?

BMW iNext

So far, BMW’s electric ‘i’ offshoot has brought us the i3 city car and i8 sports car. Those of you able to count will spot there are many gaps there with potential iCars waiting to be filled. An i5 or i7 could well morph into an SUV to fit that brief…

More than that, however, if BMW’s ambition for what it’s codenamed project iNext: to bring a fully connected, internet-of-things savvy autonomous car to market – as part of the i brand – by the year 2021. That’s something Jaguar – and all the posh-badge EVs – will be working feverishly on in the meantime as well…