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New tech will make them lighter and boost their capacity, says BMW by  Mark Tisshaw BMW  expects a breakthrough in battery technology in 2026, by which time it plans to have solid-state batteries ready for production in its models. The batteries will use lithium ion technology but swap liquid electrolytes for solid ones, with initial targets being for a 15-20% increase in capacity. Other benefits include less weight and a reduction in the amount of safety protection needed due to the reduced fire risk. This also allows for the packaging and housing of the batteries to be revisited. The batteries are in development but 10 years away from production, with long-term durability testing cited as a key reason for the delay. The next development in the refinement of BMW’s existing battery technology will arrive in 2018 in time for the launch of the  Mini Cooper E  and the all-electric version of the next-generation  BMW X3 . BMW will continue to develop its i...

Iran says its production of automobiles has already seen an increase of around 40 percent over a period of 11 months starting 21 March 2016 compared to the same period last year. Iran says its production of automobiles has already seen an increase of around 40 percent over a period of 11 months starting 21 March 2016 compared to the same period in the previous year.  The announcement was made by Mansour Moazzami, the board chairman of the Industrial Development and Renovation Organization (IDRO) which is the operational arm of Iran’s Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade. Moazzami did not provide a figure on the number of automobiles that have been produced over the period. However, he said Iran’s total production of automobiles would reach to as high as 1.3 million by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (20 March 2017).  Iran is the Middle East’s largest auto market with a population of 80 million. The automobile industry is seen as Iran’s...

Long-range all-electric SUV will arrive in 2018 to spearhead Audi’s new EV offensive The 2015 Audi e-tron quattro concept previewed Audi's first dedicated EV model by  Mark Tisshaw Audi ’s first all-electric model, the e-tron SUV, will go on sale next year with a range of more than 310 miles.  A senior Audi executive claims this will be “the first real premium manufacturer doing a premium electric SUV”, even though  Jaguar’s I-Pace  is also due next year. Audi sales and marketing boss Dietmar Voggenreiter said at the recent Detroit motor show that the e-tron project is on track. He confirmed that the e-tron is an SUV sized between the  Q5  and  Q7 , but closer to the Q5, and it is closely related to the e-tron concept from the  2015 Frankfurt show . “That concept is quite close to the series production car,” he added.  Voggenreiter confirmed that the e-tron will be built on a development of the electrified platform Porsche is using ...

 6 OF THE 14 corners of Valencia’s Circuit Ricardo Tormo, the scariest is the hard left-hander at the end of the half-mile straightaway. That’s because by the time you hit it, you’ve had the space to accumulate a triple-digit velocity, and for me, the time to worry about how to drop enough speed and make the turn without losing control of a half-million dollar supercar. The  2017 Aventador S  produces all the skin-tickling sounds and riotous thrust you expect from a  Lamborghini . But this revised version of Sant’Agata Bolognese’s current flagship, which starts at $421,350, promises more than  Sturm und Drang . Lamborghini built this car to make you race through that corner, and love doing it. More Everything Take that corner at speed in the first generation Aventador, which launched in 2011, and anything can happen. That car paired Lamborghini’s trademark alien looks with parent company Audi’s left-brain innovation, but...

SEMA concepts hit the streets in hopes of redlining sales Frank Markus   At the 2015 SEMA Show in Las Vegas,  Chevrolet dressed up five of its most popular vehicles in Red Line costumes —silver paint accented with various shades of black, charcoal, and graphite trim all set off with bright red details in the grille, wheels, brakes, and intakes. Some of the bits and pieces designed for the 2016 Camaro were made available as accessory parts upon launch of  Motor Trend ’s 2016 Car of the Year , but apparently the lineup so impressed the gathered aftermarketeers that  Chevy  will be moving the concept onto the factory order sheets for eight of its model lines between now and the end of 2017. The cars made their official debut at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show. For the production versions, all Red Line vehicles will come equipped with black wheels adorned with red hash marks, black nameplates with a red outline, blacked-out grilles, and the increasingly ubiquitous bl...