Fast Lane: China to make Mini, first Daimler e-truck arrives, BMW starts making new-gen batteries

Mini Aceman to debut in April 2024, BMW direct sales in 2026

The new electric Mini Aceman will make its world premiere in April 2024. The car, like all future electric Mini models, is produced by BMW’s Chinese joint-venture partner, Spotlight, in China and in BMW’s plants in Leipzig, Germany; and Oxford, Britain.

According to BMW Group chairman Oliver Zipse, Mini will roll out its direct sales model in Europe on Jan 1, 2024, following a similar transition in China. The European roll-out will begin with Italy, Poland and Sweden. And direct sales for the BMW brand will get under way in 2026.

Lotus’ new electric sports car a supercomputer on wheels

The Lotus Emeya electric sports tourer can complete up to 25 trillion operations in the same amount of time it takes the human brain to identify an image, Lotus claims.

The car’s in-vehicle supercomputer is the Nvidia Drive. Two Nvidia Drive Orin systems-on-a-chip are used to process data from 34 sensors up to 30 times a second. An electronically controlled air suspension feels the road ahead 1,000 times a second, making dynamic adjustments.

Four deployable Lidars, 18 radars and 12 cameras combine to scan for obstacles up to 200m from the car in every direction, even in low light or inclement weather.

Daimler’s first electric truck delivered to German logistics firm here

Mercedes-Benz eActros: No fumes where it plies. PHOTO: DAIMLER TRUCK

Daimler Commercial Vehicles South East Asia has introduced the first Mercedes-Benz eActros 300 fully electric truck in Singapore. The truck was delivered to German logistics giant DB Schenker on Nov 21.

Daimler Truck, the world’s largest truck-maker, says it aims to achieve carbon-neutral goods transport by using battery-electric and hydrogen-based fuel-cell technologies. By 2039, the company plans to transition its entire European product portfolio to electric vehicles.

BMW to make new-gen batteries around the world

BMW has started sample production of its new sixth-generation round cell batteries. They promise up to 20 per cent higher energy density, yet impose a carbon footprint at point of manufacturing which is 60 per cent smaller than conventional lithium-ion batteries. They also charge up to 30 per cent faster.

BMW says these batteries will be made in Debrecen, Hungary; Woodruff, South Carolina, United States; San Luis Potosi, Mexico; and Shenyang, China.

Hyundai Tucson facelift to arrive in third quarter of 2024

Hyundai Tucson: First partial redesign for current generation model since its debut in 2020. PHOTO: HYUNDAI MOTOR

The fourth-generation Hyundai Tucson compact sport utility vehicle has been given its first partial redesign in three years since its launch in 2020. The facelifted Tucson, which will debut in Europe in early 2024, has a slightly more modern, refined and dynamic appearance.

Its front displays thin, angular lines in the radiator grille, complemented by “parametric jewel hidden lights”, according to the carmaker. The car should arrive in Singapore in the third quarter of 2024.

Florida judge says Tesla management knew Autopilot was defective

A Florida judge has found “reasonable evidence” that Tesla chief executive Elon Musk and other managers knew the carmaker’s vehicles had a defective Autopilot system, but still allowed the cars to be driven unsafely, according to Reuters, which reported on the ruling.

Judge Reid Scott, in the Circuit Court for Palm Beach County, ruled last week that the plaintiff in a lawsuit over a fatal crash could proceed to trial and bring punitive damages claims against Tesla for intentional misconduct and gross negligence.

The ruling is a setback for Tesla after the company won two product liability trials in California in 2023 over the so-called Autopilot driver assistant system.

The Florida lawsuit arose out of a 2019 crash north of Miami in which a Model 3 owner drove under the trailer of an 18-wheel truck that had turned onto the road, shearing off the Tesla’s roof and killing him.