Honda Civic Type-R, Is It the Best Hot Hatch?
Team TCI tests out the Honda Civic Type-R on the streets of Dubai and we make our decision.
JLR Will Make EVs In Slovakia
JLR opened a new EV testing facility – Future Energy Centre – in Coventry, UK, earlier this month. The British brand has now confirmed that its plant in Nitra, Slovakia plant will be upgraded to produce electric vehicles. The announcement comes on the said plant’s fifth anniversary. This move will help the company transform into a maker of luxury electric vehicles, nine of which will be launched by 2030. The brand aims to become carbon net zero by 2039.
JLR has invested EUR 1.3 billion in its Nitra facility. Since operations commenced at the plant in October 2018, it has produced over 365,000 units of the Defender and Discovery models. In fact, the latest-gen Defender is built exclusively in Slovakia. It has been a success story for JLR, bagging the bestseller title for the last two financial years.
Volvo Set To Expand Production For EX30
Buoyed by the demand for the EX30 EV, Volvo Cars has announced that it will start manufacturing the EV in question at its Ghent plant in Belgium in 2025. It will be produced alongside the XC40 Recharge and the C40 Recharge, becoming the third pure-electric vehicle to be manufactured in Europe.
The Volvo EX30 made its world premiere earlier this year, with first customer deliveries scheduled before 2023 comes to a close. Production for the small electric SUV commenced a few weeks ago in Zhangjiakou, China. The Geely-backed automaker expects the EX30 to become one of the bestselling models globally.
Volvo Cars will also be unveiling a new EV next month. Read about it here.
Lotus Eletre Debuts In The UAE
It was in March last year when Lotus unveiled the Eletre for the first time. Now, the all-electric SUV from the British brand has made its regional debut in Dubai. Moreover, bookings for the Lotus Eletre are also open in UAE, with the company’s exclusive retail partner – Adamas Motor Group – taking the lead. The starting price is AED 480,000, with the first customer deliveries scheduled for the second quarter of 2024.
Depending on the variant, the Lotus Eletre offers a range of up to 600km. The quickest version – the Eletre R – has 905hp, plenty to post a 0-100kmph sprint time of 2.95 seconds and clock 265kmph flat out. The battery can be replenished using a 22kW AC charger. Alternatively, it can also take a DC feed of up to 350kW, which can add a range of 400km in about 20 minutes.
The SP-8 Is A One-Off Ferrari Roadster
Built for an uber-wealthy customer from Taiwan, it’s derived from the F8 Spider.
Infiniti Confirms Four New Models
Among them are the first two all-electric models from the Japanese carmaker.
Rolls-Royce Pearl Cullinan is a one-off special gift to a father
Private Office Dubai, the sole bespoke customisation of Rolls-Royce outside its Goodwood headquarters, unveils its first completed commission – The Pearl Cullinan. The Rolls-Royce Pearl Cullinan is a one-of-one special sanction by a son as a surprise birthday gift for his father’s 90th birthday. This unique Cullinan gets a bespoke Pearl Rose exterior finish, inspired by the owner’s most prized pearl in his collection, and no other future Rolls-Royce car will be able to opt for this shade making it ultra-exclusive. As the front passenger seat is the recipient’s favourite seat, it gets finished in his favourite Cashmere Grey while the rear seats are trimmed in Ardent Red in reference to the family heritage. The cabin sees an extensive use of mother of pearl with each rear picnic table top featuring 1,351 separate pieces of the pearl, all laid out individually by hand. The design is inspired by traditional Middle Eastern art and the Arabic word for ‘father’ is inlaid in stainless steel at the centre.
New Mercedes-AMG GLE 53: A 536hp PHEV
On electric power alone, the refreshed versions (SUV and Coupe) can travel up to 87km and top out at 140kmph.