Volkswagen ID.X Performance: two motors and +550 hp

September 12, 2023

Volkswagen has unveiled its sporty interpretation of the ID.7 sedan: the ID.X Performance. It features a two-motor electric drivetrain with 558 hp and numerous carbon enhancements for the bodywork. Does this show car hint at what the MEB platform is capable of? Remember the Wörthersee GTI Treffen, the year’s highlight for fans of powerful and […]

Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally: electric off-road fun

September 11, 2023

Ford unveiled the Mustang Mach-E Rally after showing a camouflaged version at Goodwood in July. The electric crossover is based on the sporty Mach-E GT but takes its sportiness off-road thanks to a modified suspension, underbody protection, and a special RallySport drive mode. No, this is not a one-off show model: You can order the […]

Lotus unveils ‘Hyper GT’ Emeya, a Taycan rival with Eletre DNA

September 08, 2023

British car manufacturer Lotus has unveiled its third electric model, a sleek four-door sedan named Emeya. This so-called ‘hyper GT’ shares much of its technical side with the Eletre SUV and is set to compete with the Porsche Taycan and the upcoming Polestar 5. After Evija, Emira, and Eletre comes Emeya, the fourth model of […]

Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is the most powerful ever

August 29, 2023

With over 700 hp of hybrid power on tap, the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid slots in firmly at the top of the range. It also offers a consolation prize for the EU markets that missed out on the ICE-only Cayenne Turbo GT. The recently facelifted Porsche Cayenne gets a new hybrid top-of-the-range variant: the […]

Porsche shows electric Vision 357 Speedster at Goodwood

July 14, 2023

Porsche marks the 30th anniversary of the famed Goodwood Festival of Speed with the Porsche Vision 357 Speedster. The new concept car is the sister model to the closed Porsche Vision 357, with which the sports car manufacturer launched its own anniversary-year celebrations recently. In design terms, an homage to the 356, technologically, the all-electric […]

Airspeeder Mk4: first manned ‘flying electric race car’

February 22, 2023

Alauda Aeronautics has unveiled its latest iteration of the Airspeeder. This Mk4 version is the first to be designed for manned operation, with previous Airspeeders being remote-controlled. A racing series is scheduled for 2024, but Alauda is still looking for support from OEMs and racing teams. The Airspeeder was first announced in 2019 with a […]

Formula 1 will never go electric, says CEO Domenicali. But why?

February 20, 2023

Formula 1 CEO and ex-Scuderia Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali has responded to the EU banning combustion cars from 2035 onward, saying that his sport will never go fully electric. But how will the sport become sustainable and stay relevant, having justified its existence in the past as an R&D activity for future road car […]

Ford returns to ‘a more sustainable’ F1 with Red Bull after 22 years

February 06, 2023

Ford and Red Bull have announced their partnership for the 2026 Formula 1 season, the year where new technical regulations move the sport toward sustainability. Ford and Red Bull will work together on the power units for both Red Bull Racing and its sister team AlphaTauri. The current championship defender Red Bull had been looking […]

Lucid starts European deliveries and powers Gen3 Formula E

January 30, 2023

Lucid Motors has launched the non-limited Air Grand Touring, with an all-electric range of over 800 km, in Germany and the Netherlands. At the same time, the American manufacturer unveils a very compact drive unit to be used in 2023’s Formula E cars. Lucid tentatively launched the Air, its luxury electric sedan, in Germany and […]

Vanwall launches the Vandervell, its first EV production car

January 20, 2023

Vanwall, a former English Formula 1 racing team, is revived and has presented an electric compact production model to be built in Germany. The Vandervell stands out with its sporty look and performance and will be delivered in the third quarter of 2023 at a (hefty) price tag of around €150 000. Vanwall was a […]

Andretti-Cadillac’s intention to enter F1 not welcomed by existing teams

January 09, 2023

Andretti Global, a spin-off of the American racing squad competing in IndyCar and Formula E, has clinched Cadillac as a partner in its bid to enter the Formula 1 World Championship. Andretti-Cadillac hopes to enter F1 as new engine regulations boost sustainability in the series, but the existing teams don’t seem to want to share […]

Cupra and Abt to compete together in Formula E

December 12, 2022

Seat’s performance brand Cupra is expanding its engagement in sustainable racing. It has announced a further tie-up with Abt Sportline to compete in the next season of ABB FIA Formula E with drivers Robin Frijns and Nico Müller. Cupra’s ambition is to become a fully carbon-neutral brand by 2030, and is assimilating its motorsports ambitions […]

McLaren surrenders: it will also make an SUV

October 14, 2022

In an interview with the British Car magazine, McLaren CEO Michael Leiters has confirmed that, finally, also McLaren concedes to the pressure of the market and will build an SUV. After Ferrari, McLaren is one of the last sports car manufacturers to give in to the market pressure. For long, luxury and ‘real’ sports car […]

Alpine’s Alpenglow concept is also a brand manifesto

October 13, 2022

At the Paris motor show, the Mondial, Renault’s sporty sub-brand Alpine is showing the Alpenglow concept, a car ” that is the starting point for all future Alpine car designs, technologies, and breakthroughs, all the while remaining true to the brand’s history. The aim is clear: combining full sustainability with driving (and racing) pleasure. “Alpenglow […]

Stuttgart University GreenTeam breaks 0-100 km/h record for EVs

October 12, 2022

The student-run GreenTeam of the University of Stuttgart has again broken the acceleration record for electric vehicles, with a lightning-fast time of 1,461 seconds from 0-100 km/hour, beating the previous record of 1,513 seconds set by a Swiss student team. Neither the Porsche Taycan nor the Tesla Model S Plaid comes close to the GreenTeam […]

Belgian Mercedes pilot Stoffel Vandoorne Formula E world champion

August 16, 2022

Last weekend, Stoffel Vandoorne became Formula E world champion. The Belgian pilot owes the title mainly to his steady driving style, as he only wound up 1 GP. Mercedes, by the way, is leaving this championship behind after this one. Vandoorne may already be a world champion, but he was not the most spectacular driver […]

Ford builds electric super van

June 27, 2022

Ford Pro, the commercial vehicle division of the American manufacturer, presented the Ford Pro Electric Supervan at the Festival of Speed in Goodwood, UK. Based on the E-Transit Custom, the boosted van can sprint from 0 to 100 km/hour in just two seconds. For Ford Performance, this particularly fast van is to showcase the potential […]

McLaren buys Mercedes team and enters Formula E

May 16, 2022

After Maserati, another new contender will appear on the grid of Formula E in 2023: McLaren will join the all-electric single-seater championship as of season nine. The British brands’ racing branch has acquired the team from Mercedes-EQ, which is retiring after this year. This means that Stoffel Vandoorne has a chance of returning to his […]

TVR is going electric

May 04, 2022

The tiny British sports car manufacturer, TVR, is planning a limited edition all-electric offshoot of its Griffith V8 model for 2024. Normally, there will be a second, as yet unspecified electric model joining it. TVR made the announcement as part of a sponsoring partnership with the Formula E electric racing series. The manufacturer, previously known […]

Will Porsche and Audi get a foot in Formula 1?

May 03, 2022

After many years of speculations, German brands Porsche and Audi should enter the Formula 1 championship in the near future. The Zuffenhausen sports car brand is set to become Red Bull Racing’s power unit supplier while Audi could have its very own factory team. Both brands are jumping on the opportunity provided by the upcoming […]

Third generation of Formula E drops rear braking system

April 29, 2022

On the eve of the sixth E-Prix in Monaco, which will take place next weekend, the third generation of Formula E cars has just been presented. These new racing cars will be seen on the inner-city streets of major cities from 2023 onward. The vehicles will be faster, lighter, and more efficient. The future of […]

Nissan takes control of e.dams Formula E racing team

April 13, 2022

After three seasons in Formula E, Nissan takes its former partner and French racing team e.dams under its wing. With this acquisition, the newly formed official Nissan team will continue to race as planned in Season 8. In addition, commitment to the Formula E Gen3 era, from Season 9 to the end of Season 12, […]

Audi and Porsche in Formula 1 by 2026

April 08, 2022

There’s a big chance that in 2026, F1 race cars will also be driven by Audi and Porsche engines/motors. If all goes as predicted, Porsche will be delivering to Red Bull and Audi to McLaren; other racing teams may follow. This is excellent news for the new owner of the ‘F1 circus’, American Liberty Media, […]

Lotus’ first car of new era is electric Hyper-SUV Eletre

March 30, 2022

In its ongoing transformation into a global performance car brand, Lotus has launched its first product, which is considered a milestone for the company. “The all-new and all-electric Lotus Eletre is a striking and progressive Hyper-SUV – the first of a new breed of pure electric SUVs,” says the press release. “It takes the core […]

Mercedes-AMG launches two EQE performance EVs

February 16, 2022

Mercedes-AMG, the sports division of Mercedes-Benz, launches two new performance EVs in its portfolio. The EQE 43 4Matic and the EQE 53 4Matic+ are the power variants of the also imminent Mercedes EQE full-electric sedan. This means that they are also based on the electrically dedicated EVA2 platform and that they have AMG-specific features regarding […]

DS tests its future with E-Tense Performance

February 09, 2022

By 2024 DS Automobiles will be fully dedicated to electric models. In the wake of that shift, the company is experimenting with technology and design solutions. As a cross-over between a Formula E and a road car the E-Tense Performance is such a testbed. Contrary to many concepts, the E-Tense Performance is road-worthy and will […]

WRC kicks off hybrid future in Monte-Carlo

January 19, 2022

As the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) is about to start at Monte-Carlo this Thursday, the highest class is going hybrid. The new rules and specifications of the all-new hybrid powertrains have been laid out. Toyota, Hyundai, and Ford cars will benefit from a ‘hybrid boost’ during the stages, and some connecting roads between […]

Maserati returns to single-seater racing joining Formula E

January 12, 2022

Maserati is the first Italian brand to join the ABB Formula E championship. The sports car brand announced on Tuesday that it will be joining as of 2023, the ninth season of the electric single-seater competition, which organizes its races primarily in big cities. When Maserati will join the playing field is lining up with […]

Mohammed Ben Sulayem FIA’s new top man

December 20, 2021

The FIA (Féderation Internationale de l’Automobile) is getting a new president, after top executive Jean Todt hands over the torch to his successor, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, after 12 years of presidency. The FIA is an international body that manages numerous motorsport and mobility organizations worldwide. Founded in 1904, the FIA has its headquarters in Geneva […]

Porsche’s most affordable electric racing car: Vision GT

December 06, 2021

It’s Porsche’s newest racing machine for the circuit and yet one most mortals will be able to afford and to drive: the Vision Gran Turismo. It’s the first Porsche concept designed exclusively for a virtual future to live in the video game Gran Turismo 7, which will be released on 4 March 2022 for PlayStation […]

McLaren take-over is no go for Audi’s intended F1 entry

November 18, 2021

Earlier this week, numerous media reported on a rumor regarding the purchase of British supercar maker and Formula 1 team McLaren by German carmaker Audi. McLaren denied the report, but leaves the door open for technology collaboration. Audi, for its part, is said to be particularly interested in F1, taking advantage of the sport’s new […]

Belgian Agoria Solar Team wins 24-hour European endurance race

September 20, 2021

The Belgian students of the Agoria Solar Team have claimed their second consecutive victory in the iLumen European Solar Challenge (iESC), a 24-hour endurance race for solar cars on the racetrack of Zolder, Belgium. During the Challenge, each team can make a maximum of two stops for charging to survive the night. Since 2018, teams […]

Electric racing car ERA breaks lap record in Zolder

August 27, 2021

Belgium-developed electric racing car ERA has broken the electric lap record on the raceway of Zolder. It finished the lap in 1 minute and 38,81 seconds. More than 3,5 seconds faster than the previous record. The car is developed by the Electric Racing Academy (ERA) and the Expertise Center for Durable Mobility of the Flemish […]

Mercedes is going to exit from Formula E

August 19, 2021

Mercedes has officially confirmed its exit from Formula E after the coming season. The decision had been taken as part of a strategic realignment of resource allocation to develop electric vehicles. During the last race weekend of the current Season 7 in Berlin, Mercedes-EQ driver Nyck de Vries secured the drivers’ title. Mercedes-EQ was crowned […]

Are hybrids still the future for endurance racing?

August 18, 2021

With the 24 Hours of Le Mans returning this weekend for their 89th edition, racing regulations are changing in the World Endurance Championship in 2021. LMP1 prototypes are out the doors, and rules are set for the new ‘Hypercar’ category. This year, only Toyota is running a hybrid car, but Peugeot, Ferrari, Porsche, Audi, and […]

Belgian solar team heads for Morocco in new ‘Blue Point Atlas’

August 03, 2021

Twenty engineering students from the Belgian KU Leuven University have just presented the new solar car of the Agoria Solar Team, the ‘Blue Point Atlas’. It is a high-tech car with an electric drive system powered by solar energy. A remarkable new feature is that the car now has three wheels instead of four. Expectations […]

Jaguar Racing commits to Formula E Gen3 era

July 23, 2021

Car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover has announced its commitment to the Formula E Gen3 era starting in 2022-2023. The racing will be part of Jaguar’s journey to becoming fully electric by 2025, and it should help develop and benchmark new technologies. Since its beginning in Formula E in 2016, Jaguar achieved four victories and 12 […]

Peugeot presents hybrid race car 9X8

July 07, 2021

Racing gets green. For a certain time already, we have Formula E, now the World Endurance Championship (WEC) gets greener too. Peugeot is getting in the dance again by presenting a hybrid hypercar, the 9X8. The French carmaker plans to enter the hybrid race car in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the WEC […]

Bugatti finally sold to Porsche and… Rimac

July 06, 2021

It was an open secret that Volkswagen was looking for a buyer for its supercar brand Bugatti. Finally, it has found a solution: Croatian tech firm Rimac is the new owner, with 45% of the shares for Porsche, the VW Group keeps an eye out. With 55% of the shares, Rimac is the new owner. […]

Minister gets taste of junior electric ERA Championship

June 22, 2021

On Monday, Flemish Minister for Mobility Lydia Peeters (Open Vld) got a taste of what it’s like to sit in an electric-powered racing car on the circuit of Zolder. The car, developed by the Electric Racing Academy (ERA) with the help of the Flemish Karel de Grote Hogeschool, is the centerpiece of a new championship […]

New cycling map for the province of Flemish Brabant

March 31, 2021

The new cycling map for the province of Flemish Brabant has been officially presented. That happened on Tuesday in Halle, where one of the two new cycle routes accessible to people with reduced mobility is situated. The result on this new map “is a cycling network with 150 kilometers of additional paths, 80 kilometers improved, […]

First 90-km long rollerblade route links Genk and Hasselt

March 22, 2021

Flanders proudly opened its first rollerblade route on Sunday. The signposted stretch between Hasselt and Genk contains several loops and combines the region’s most beautiful spots. Skaters can choose their point of departure, decide how many kilometers they want to cover and enjoy the overall 90-km long skating track. Genk offers a 20-km stretch and […]

Formula E restarts World Championship for 2021

February 26, 2021

The 2021 Formula E season will start this Friday, February 26th, as the now FIA regulated World Championship will take to the streets of Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. For its seventh year, the electric single-seater racing series has had to deal with the pandemic, already causing a delay and imposing a day-to-day adaptation of the championship’s […]

McLaren presents hybrid Artura, ‘the next generation supercar’

February 18, 2021

The English sports car manufacturer McLaren has just presented its new flagship Artura. It’s a completely new high-performance two-seater coupe that has to represent the sports car of the future. And, of course, one could say, it’s hybrid. The Artura thus combines a six-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric motor, a first for the manufacturer. […]

Audi’s e-tron GT is flagship of EV range (Update)

February 11, 2021

Audi has launched the top of the line of its e-tron EV range. The e-tron GT and the even more sporty RS version are two versions of an Audi Gran Turismo sedan. Underneath, it has a lot in common with the Porsche Taycan, but there are quite some differences too. The e-tron GT shares the […]

Michel Vaillant’s cartoonist Jean Graton dies aged 97

January 22, 2021

The Father of the Michel Vaillant cartoon, Jean Graton, has passed away in Brussels this Thursday, aged 97. Graton, who was born in France in 1923, settled in Belgium in the late forties, where he published the first adventures of his racing driver character, Michel Vaillant, in Tintin’s journal in 1957. He leaves a legacy […]

Lotus and Alpine opt for electric future together

January 21, 2021

During the presentation of its new strategic plan, Groupe Renault announced that Alpine would go fully electric and develop an EV sportscar together with Lotus. Both will work on a shared EV platform that the French will use for the A110’s replacement. At the same time, the legendary, Geely-owned sportscar manufacturer aims at launching a […]

Geely and Foxconn to jointly build EVs for other carmakers

January 14, 2021

Chinese carmaker Geely and Taiwanese electronics giant Foxconn are setting up a joint venture to become contract manufacturers for other companies wanting to build electric cars. Like Apple, for instance? Geely surely has some spare capacity to build more cars at the moment. It looks this Chinese octopus is spreading its tentacles everywhere. And it […]

Is the luxury car ready for the electric era?

December 16, 2020

The energy transition is inevitable. The sooner manufacturers are adapting themselves to it, the better for them. Nevertheless, manufacturers of real luxury cars seem to have many problems to adapt themselves, Porsche being a notable exception. For many of those traditionally-thinking companies, the energy transition won’t be a piece of cake. By the look of […]

Audi to take part in 2022 Dakar Rally with electrified prototype

December 01, 2020

German carmaker Audi recently announced that its motorsport division would compete in the 2022 Dakar Rally with an innovative prototype. An electric drivetrain will power the machine that is built specifically for the task with a high-voltage battery. It can be charged on demand by a gasoline TFSI engine. Audi wishes that experience gained from […]

Peugeot marries hybrid and performance in 508 PSE

October 07, 2020

One can do a lot with hybrid technology in cars. Most of the hybridization schemes are meant to save fuel and use alternative energy like electricity. Peugeot shows that it can also turn a family car into a racehorse. Peugeot Sport Engineered Many brands have sporty models in their model line-up, some of them use […]

Honda to leave F1 in 2021, ‘incompatible with carbon neutrality’

October 05, 2020

On Sunday, during a press conference in Tokyo, Honda’s CEO announced that the company would be leaving Formula One by the end of 2021. Honda is pulling all R&D resources toward its new aim of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Over the two last seasons, Honda won five races with Red Bull and AlphaTauri. “The […]

Belgian team wins European Championship for solar cars

September 21, 2020

On Sunday, The Agoria Solar Team has won the championship for solar cars on the race track of Zolder (Belgium). The team with the Bluepoint car covered 352 rounds. The Solar Team of Twente (the Netherlands) obtained the second and third place with Red Shift (313 rounds) and Red E (304 rounds. In the lead […]

McLaren takes turn toward electric

August 26, 2020

By 2035, the English sports car manufacturer, McLaren, will not sell cars wit internal combustion engines (ICE) anymore. The company is taking the turn toward electric and launches its first hybrid car next year, on a totally new carbon-fiber structure. “We will develop ICE engines for the next ten years and sell them for the […]

German Hyraze League: sustainable racing on hydrogen

August 20, 2020

A number of German companies and organizations from the racing scene are setting up a new ‘sustainable’ championship with hydrogen-powered cars, called Hyraze League. GT-like +800 hp fuel cell racing cars will compete from 2023 on. Simultaneously on the circuit in the real world, as in an Esports discipline online. The initiators want to start […]

Boonen invests in groundbreaking Belgian bicycle gear technology

August 14, 2020

The start-up Classified Cycling developed a revolutionary gear system and has a first contract with bicycle manufacturer Ridley. The arrival of Tom Boonen, former Belgian cyclist, as financier and advisor, should accelerate the expansion. New gear system Classified Cycling pioneers a new gear system for bicycles. This could mean the end of the classic front […]

Audi quits DTM racing

April 28, 2020

Car manufacturer Audi has announced that it will leave the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) at the end of the season. As a side-effect of the corona crisis, a lot of car manufacturers are questioning their motorsport engagements. “Audi has shaped the DTM and the DTM has shaped Audi, says the new Audi CEO, Markus Duesmann. […]

How will F1 survive during and after coronavirus?

April 14, 2020

With the COVID-19 health crisis, the Formula One season has been suspended. In theory, it should get back on the tracks in June with the French Grand Prix at the Castellet, and the championship should be reduced from 16 to 12 races. FIA boss, Jean Todt, worries that even with reduced budget requirements, some four […]

F1 to restart without public in Silverstone?

April 07, 2020

The Formula 1 circuit is considering seriously to restart the competition without any public in July or August in Silverstone (UK), where seven of the ten F1 teams are headquartered nearby. That was announced by the BBC after a videoconference between the teams, the stakeholders, and FIA President Jean Todt. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, […]

Electric Touring Car Championship ready for take-off

February 20, 2020

In 2021 a new touring car championship will start with strictly electric cars. This year the Pure ETCR championship will be presented during promo events and in the context of existing WTCR races. This was officially presented in Paris last week. Another Formula E? After the Formula E championship for single-seater electric cars, there will […]