Still want a BMW M4?
We’ve seen the BMW i4 Gran Coupé before, but not the model revealed this week, the i4 M50. You might want to be sitting down if you’ve just ordered an M4 competition because you’ll only have 503hp compared to the 544hp in the i4. It’s way more torquey too with 795Nm but because the electric M50 weighs in at nearly 2.3 tonnes, it will take 3.9 seconds to reach 62mph, a tenth slower than its petrol-powered cousin. It will also run out of puff at 140mph while the M4 will keep going to 155. Are they close on price? Well the M4 Competition costs £76,055 but the M50 will come in at £63,905 when it launches here in November along with the slightly less well-endowed i4 eDrive40. Yes we know you’ll say it can’t travel as far on a ‘tank’ which is probably true, but fully charged, BMW reckons the M50 will do 316 miles and that’s not bad. Granted the M4 will sound better and we haven’t driven either of them yet to know which we would actually choose, but suddenly the electric upstart is looking like it’s ready to try and give its big brother a hiding.
Zinggggggggg
We were fortunate to see the new Czinger 21C just a couple of days before we all went into the first lockdown last year. Now the company has revealed the final production version of its first hypercar with a few slight changes. It has a 2.88 litre engine, twin turbos and two electric motors, one on each of the front wheels, all of which produces 1,250hp. In a car weighing 1,240kg, that means near perfect 1:1 power to weight. Key numbers include 0-62mph in 1.9 seconds and a top speed of 281mph. It’s also one of the first cars to feature extensive use of 3D printing and artificial intelligence in the production process.
DS dresses up to the nines
DS has announced its new DS 9 luxury saloon will go on sale in the UK later this year with prices starting from £40,615. The company says it pays homage to the original 1955 DS with design features like cone-shaped indicator lights on the c-pillar, but really it’s a bit of a stretch. There will be two model lines, Performance and Rivoli two engine choices, a regular petrol automatic, or a plug-in hybrid promising 33 miles of electric-only running.
Kia being a tease again
Kia has released a teaser image of the fifth generation of its Sportage SUV. It will only be revealed completely in July so for now we’ll have to take the Korean automaker’s word for it when it says it will have “an adventurous and contemporary design.” What is interesting is that for the first time in its history, there will be a Sportage unique to the European market, although that will only be shown in September.
In other news
We’re used to long warranties, after all Hyundai and Kia have been doing it for years. Now Toyota and Lexus, the brands most renowned for their long-term reliability have trumped everyone by launching a ten year warranty. It’s not even just for new cars, but for used ones too. There is a condition though, valid for ten years/100,000 miles, the Relax extended warranty requires the car to be serviced at a Toyota or Lexus dealership.
Then finally, we’re talking about that rather silly McLaren Elva again. This one doesn’t have a windscreen and you can’t even drive it. That’s because it’s the new Lego McLaren Elva, the closest many of us will ever get to owning one. It has 263 pieces and features a figure inspired by Rachel Brown, McLaren’s principal development engineer for the Ultimate Series cars.
Written by Mark Smyth