BMW i4 deliveries start! The Lancia Delta Integrale makes a come-back…kind-of. Porsche getting deeper into e-bikes. And some nice numbers for EV sales in November. We’re back for another installment of EV Morning! Need I say it at this stage?...grab a cup of coffee and settle in for the news!
Lancia Delta Integrale
I don’t know about you, but I love a bit of rallying…always have…and one of the iconic cars I will always remember is the Lancia Delta Integrale! The great news is that it’s kind of making a come-back…but not in the way you might think!
GCK Motorsport are going to be lining up in the 2022 EV World Rallycross Championship. They’re not actually using an older Lancia Delta, but rather their own Exclusiv-e chassis that they plan to build out a shell for. The car will have a 500kW motor and 880Nm torque. Acceleration will be incredible, and we can’t wait to see how it gets on.
And if you like what you see, the company are making a limited run of road-going versions, although with a good deal less power. The all-wheel drive unit has 147kW power and 350Nm torque. They’ll be equipping it with a 30kWh battery which will be good for something like 200kms or 125miles.
Good November Numbers
Let’s head over to China for a minute. We’ve had some pretty good numbers coming from various manufacturers for November. Chinese companies Nio and Xpeng, as well as German VW have all had a great November in China.
A few months ago we reported underwhelming numbers from the VW brand in China. But it looks like they’ve made a bit of a turn. They have shifted just over 14,000 units mixed between their iD range on sale there…the 3, 4 and the 6 that we don’t yet get in Europe or US. But at a projected 55,000 for the year, they will still fall short of their 80-100,000 target. Part of the recent increase may be thanks to offering an interest free battery loan service on the iD.3
Xpeng have outdone VW by shifting just over 15,000 units, a whopping 270% increase year on year. And the success of Xpeng is spread across its range of cars. They are the first Chinese start up to hit the 15,000 monthly sales mark. And with new models such as the G9 SUV on the way, their future looks bright.
Riding the wave in China is Nio, who have also had a record month. Although the number is slightly smaller at just under 11,000. Added good news for Nio is that their eggs are not in one basket. Sales of their cars are spread fairly evenly across the models. They have also started selling in the European market, with Norway getting the first batch. The introduction of the ET7 into their line up next year, likely expansion to more European markets, and the continued rollout of battery swap stations heralds an exciting era for the company.
BMW i4 Deliveries Begin
In the EV world we’ve become accustomed to delays in cars being released over and over again. So it’s great when we get a pleasant surprise! Some customers in Germany were lucky enough to get their hands on the i4 a whole three months before BMW had originally anticipated. First deliveries of the iX will follow in about a week’s time.
The i4 is a highly anticipated EV coming from BMW. Having done so well with the i3, so many of us were disappointed that they sat still for years. So we’re delighted to see them coming to market with a full BEV. And another great thing is that this is a 300-mile, 400kW motor Gran Coupe, not just another crossover SUV, which nearly every other EV seems to be these days.
Customers were brought to the BMW Welt in Munich, a huge exhibition and delivery venue. The building itself is covered in 3,660 solar panels giving a peak of 800kW. A nice place to pick up your shiny new BMW! We can’t wait to see some customer reactions and the real world performance of the i4.
Hey BMW, if you’re watching…I’ll have that M50 in blue for my test car please!
Porsche take majority share in Greyp
Porsche’s interest in Croatian electromobility has taken another step forward. We were all very intrigued by the new arrangement with Rimac a few months ago. But Porsche had a presence in the region back a bit farther with a 10% stake in luxury e-bike maker, Greyp. But they have just taken a majority shareholding. So the bonds there go deep, as Mate Rimac is also one of the founders and minority shareholders in the company. It’s exciting to think that Porshce might be applying their engineering heritage, and we look forward to seeing how their line up develops. But it’s also perhaps a sign of the times…in that traditional car manufacturers are starting to see the trend toward e-mobility…and e-bikes in particular. They won’t want to miss out on a piece of that pie!
The G12s is the bike that caught my eye. Nearly €10,000 but it looks great. It’s got a 12kW peak motor and an 84 volt, 1.5kWh battery with a Battery Management System from Rimac. Nice!
Summary
So let’s wrap it up there folks. What did you make of the stories today, what really caught your eye? Are you on the list for a BMW i4? What do you make of the progress Chinese manufacturers are making? Let us know in the comments!
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