australian arm – Michmutters

Tag: australian arm

Categories
Business

Electric VW Kombi ute based on ID Buzz under consideration

Electric VW Kombi ute based on ID Buzz under consideration

Volkswagen is a step closer to selling a modern electric ute, having lodged patent applications for a new version of its ID Buzz van.

The brand has not officially confirmed plans to create a ute based on the ID Buzz, though it has previously teased fans with an illustration of how a tray-backed Buzz could look.

Such a car would build on the history of VW’s “Type 2” Transporter, commonly known as the Kombi.

The classic Type 2 was available with a variety of body styles that could be replicated by the new model.

It would give VW a point of difference to the new breed of electric pick-ups in America, where enormously powerful motors and huge batteries are core elements of the Ford F-150 Lightning and Hummer EV.

VW’s reborn Kombi recently went on sale in right-hand-drive form in the UK, giving prospective Australian customers an indication of what it might cost if the model makes it to local showrooms.

The news isn’t good.

Priced from £57,115 ($97,300) in basic “Life” trim, the ID Buzz combines a 150kW electric motor with a 77kWh battery offering 415 kilometers of range.

A better-equipped “Style” model costs about $105,500 but misses out on equipment such as a powered tailgate, wireless phone charging, heated seats or adaptive cruise control.

British owners who add those features to the Buzz will pay more than £71,000 ($120,000), pushing the model into luxury car territory.

VW’s Australian arm has expressed interest in the reborn Kombi but has not been able to wrestle supply of the car away from Europe, where the brand’s battery-powered machines are more readily available.

.

Categories
Business

MG7 luxury sedan will take on Audi A7, BMW Gran Coupe

MG7 luxury sedan will take on Audi A7, BMW Gran Coupe

MG plans to take its brand up-market with a prestige sedan to accompany its upcoming sports car.

Not content with taking on the likes of Mazda’s MX-5 and the Porsche Boxster with its new convertible based on the MG Cyberster concept, the brand has its eye on high-end European machines.

A new “Black Label” sub-brand will offer more luxurious models than MG’s usual fare.

While it won’t be a brand in its own right, like Toyota’s Lexus or Hyundai’s Genesis, MG’s Black Label will represent a step beyond its current range of affordable hatchbacks and SUVs.

Chinese customers will get first dibs on the new range, starting with the MG7 sedan revealed this week.

Wearing a four-door coupe body similar to Audi’s A7 or BMW’s Gran Coupes, the MG7’s sophisticated shape takes the brand into new territory.

We haven’t seen the interior but you can bet it will build on the high-tech features found in MG’s regular line-up – delivering crisp digital displays, impressive driver aids, multi-coloured ambient lighting and much more.

A duck-tail bootlid transforms into a pop-up rear spoiler similar to Porsche’s Panamera and enormous quad exhaust tips suggest power could come from a muscular petrol engine.

Technical details surrounding the car are slim.

Car News China suggests the model will have a four-cylinder turbo engine with 189kW and 405Nm, positioning the MG7 closer to Volkswagen’s Arteon than Audi’s RS7.

MG’s Australian arm intends to ramp up its premium appeal with the new sports car, but the first Black Label machine is unlikely to make a local debut.

A spokesman for the brand said “we are constantly listening to the needs and wants of our customers, but at this stage, we will not be bringing the MG7 into the Australian or NZ market”.

.