The new Audi A6 becomes an electric car. It is built on the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) platform sharing with Porsche Macan and Audi Q6 E-tron, so that combustion engines will not be compatible. For customers refusing to switch to EVs, Audi will reserve the A7 nameplate for a conventionally powered model which occupies the same segment. That car will share the PPC (Premium Platform Combustion) platform of the new A5 thus will have little in common with the A6.

Apart from switching to full-electric, the new A6 is also converted into a fastback, or in Audi's language, Sportback. There might be two reasons for the change: 1) As an electric car it needs a sleeker shape to achieve lower drag hence longer range. In fastback form, the A6 has a very low Cd of 0.21 (though you need the optional rearview door cameras to achieve). Avant (station wagon) model is also very good at 0.24. 2) The presence of rear drive motor means the boot will be inevitably shallower. A fastback allows stacking luggage up to the roof thus is more accommodating.



As expected, the PPE platform uses 800V electrical architecture, which is more energy efficient and weight saving than the 400V system used by Mercedes and BMW currently. The battery is installed under floor, that's why the car has a high waistline and an ungainly form not unlike Volkswagen ID.7. Open the doors, you will see the rear seat is mounted close to the cabin floor, so passengers will need to have their legs raised, and there is precious little foot space left under the front seats. The PPE is not a good example for controlling the thickness of skateboard platform. Tesla and Lucid are much more successful in this respect.

At 4.93m long, the new A6 has the same length as its predecessor, though I expect it to be a little wider and taller. The white car pictured here is the regular A6, while the blue car is S6, whose chief differences are the decorations at the nose and a slightly more pronounced rear spoiler.



The car rides on 5-link suspensions front and rear and served with adaptive air springs like its predecessor. Like everybody else, there are single, rear-mounted motor or dual-motor versions to choose from, and the latter is called Quattro, of course. Entry level rear-drive model comes with 285 hp, good for 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds. Performance model has the single motor upgraded to 367 hp, managing 130 mph and 0-60 in 5.1 seconds. Quattro model lifts output to 428 hp, with the majority of which comes from the rear motor, and achieves 0-60 in 4.3 seconds. S6 also employs dual-motor, good for 503 hp or 550 hp in short burst under launch mode. It tops 149 mph and sprints to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds.

The 285 hp entry-level model employs an 83kWh battery, which enables it to travel for up to 610 km (379 miles). All other models employ 100kWh pack. 367 hp single-motor model has the longest range of all: 750 km (466 miles), while A6 Quattro and S6 Quattro reduce to 700 km (435 miles) and 670 km (416 miles), respectively. All these are WLTP figures, so expect real-world range to be about 80 percent.



Thanks to 800V system, DC quick charge rate is 270kW, meaning a 10-80 percent charge will take 21 minutes for the larger battery.

Having said that, in no way the A6 E-tron sets any standards or breaks any moulds. The German is still chasing America and China in EV tech.

This is the new ZR1, the performance flagship of Corvette. Its counterparts at Zuffenhausen or Maranello or Working must be shocked to find out the American supercar possesses more than 1000 horsepower, yet that is achieved without the aid of electrification, and yet the car will be sold at a fraction of its European counterparts.

The incredible engine is called LT7. It is derived from the high-revving flat-plane crankshaft LT6 V8 of Corvette Z06. It shares the same block casting, as is the same bore and stroke dimensions hence 5.5 liters of displacement. A pair of turbochargers are added to produce up to 1.4 bar of boost. They are located outside of the engine and are integrated with exhaust manifolds to shorten flow paths. New cylinder heads have CNC-machined combustion chambers and work with new pistons to lower compression ratio from 12.5:1 to 9.8:1, so to not overheating the cylinder heads. Port fuel injectors are added to the exisitng direct injectors to supply enough fuel. Stronger connecting rods are employed to handle the extra torque, but the lightweight crankshaft is retained.



The LT7 produces a staggering 1064 horsepower at 7000 rpm. It can spin to 8000 rpm, just 600 revs shy of the naturally aspirated version, which is remarkable. 828 pound-foot of torque is achieved at 6000 rpm, but I suppose this is manipulated to make it look sporty. In fact, the torque curve is virtually flat from 3000 to 7000 rpm, offering at least 800 lbft between them.

To handle the extra torque, the Tremec DCT gets wider gears and thicker shafts, but ratios and construction are just the same, because this application was already in the plan long ago.

Chevy quotes only limited performance numbers. In standard form, the ZR1 is good for more than 215 mph, which is no surprise. 0-60 mph is yet to be revealed. It might be no quicker than the Z06's 2.6 seconds or E-Ray's 2.5 seconds, as traction is limited by its rear tires. However, a quarter mile time of under 10 seconds is clearly faster than both siblings.



The standard ZR1 is the blue car pictured above. It carries a suble rear spoiler to enable that higher top speed. Many buyers might opt for the track-oriented ZTK package, as shown in the yellow car, which comes with a massive rear wing, dive planes up front and some underbody strakes, all made of carbon-fiber. As such equipped, downforce is claimed to be 1200 pounds or 544 kg, but that is achieved at top speed, which should be much lower than the standard car.

Both ZR1s have their front boot occupied by the heat exchangers of engine water and intercoolers. Hot air exits from the bonnet so to help generating downforce as well. A gurney flap is added at the leading edge of that air outlet, creating a low pressure zone behind which helps extracting air out. At the body sides, an extra intake is added to cool the rear brake. Between the new split rear windows are extra outlets for engine cooling.



Even at this performance level, the ZR1 is still available in both coupe and convertible body. The coupe is quoted a dry weight of 1664 kg, which should translate to a curb weight of around 1780 kg. That's about 120 kg more than the Z06, but maybe slightly lighter than the hybrid E-Ray.

Surprisingly, modifications to the chassis is very subtle. No reinforcement is considered necessary by the Corvette team, as is the suspension hardware and even spring rates (although ZTK pack gets stiffer springs). Only the Magnetic Ride Control calibration is different. Carbon ceramic brakes are standard, while weight-saving carbon-fiber wheels remain optional. The Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires have the same dimensions as those of Z06 but with different internal construction to handle the extra torque. ZTK brings Cup 2 R rubbers for track abuse.

Now with hypercar level of horsepower, it will be interesting to see how the super Corvette fare against European exotics.

This is the new Audi A5. It is no longer called "Sportback", because the car is supposed to replace both the outgoing A4 and A5 range. That's why you see a shape bridging both cars. It keeps the A5's hatchback for convenience of luggage loading, but the tailgate is set at larger angle and leaves a small trunk behind to please traditional buyers for the A4 sedan. Call it a 2.5-box car.

The new car has grown significantly, being 67mm longer and 13mm wider. Its wheelbase is stretched by 80mm, giving the cabin more space. Nevertheless, boot space is actually down slightly, partly blame to the fitment of 48V battery underneath.

The A5 Coupe and Convertible are both killed this time around, as Audi needs to direct resources to its crossover lineup and electrification plan. However, the big selling Avant survives, of course.



In terms of design, both cars are significantly more stylish than the outgoing A4 if not A5. A softer honeycomb mesh grille, satin finished triangular brake ducts and a slim tail light bar are smart design touches. The proportion of the car is also improved, with the windscreen pushed back such that it looks more like a rear-drive car now.

Audi said the car is the first application of its new Premium Platform Combustion (PPC), but frankly I don't see any significant differences from the outgoing MLB Evo platform. Its engine is still mounted longitudinally beyond the front axle. Moreover, since the firm is migrating to full electrication (at least that's what it planned during the development of this car), it is hard to expect heavy investment to be put into the PPC platform, especially in terms of powertrain technology.



At launch, there will be only a few power options:

• 2.0 TFSI turbo petrol, 150hp, 204hp or 272hp. The turbo is new, using VTG (variable turbine geometry) technology to speed up spooling.
• 2.0 TDI turbo diesel, 204hp.
• For S5 quattro: retains the existing 90-degree single-turbo 3.0 V6, but the turbo is also turned to VTG, lifting output from 354hp / 369 lbft to 367hp / 406 lbft.

All of them are mated with a new 48V mild hybrid system with not one but 2 motor-generators. Apart from the usual integrated starter generator, it adds a motor-generator at the transmission output which can supply up to 24 hp and recapture up to 34hp during braking. This benefits not only fuel consumption and emission but also helps masking turbo lag at lower revs.



Surprisingly, all engines mate with a 7-speed DCT gearbox, including the V6, thus abandoning the mighty ZF 8-speed auto entirely.

Later on there will be a couple of plug-in hybrid models which pair the 2.0TFSI engine with electric power to give an electric range of 100km. There won't be full-electric version, however, because Audi has reserved the A6 nameplate for it. BTW, the firm is changing its naming strategy, using odd numbers to denote ICE cars and even numbers for electric cars, which sounds quite crazy to me.



Inside, the A5 follows the industry's trend to be heavily reliance on digital screens. A free-standing irregular-shape panel houses both an 11.9-inch instrument display and a 14.5-inch touchscreen, while another display can be added before the front passenger to keep him/her busy playing games or watching videos. Those having tried pre-production cars reported upgrade in interior materials and build quality, which is a relieve to us considering the sliding standards of Audi lately.

As suggested by its name, the new Fiat Grande Panda is not exactly a replacement to the 12-year-old Panda. That car will soldier on to at least 2027 as Fiat fails to develop another small car so cheap. The Grande Panda is a larger car, of course, measuring 4 meters long instead of 3.7 meters, about 100mm wider and slightly taller as well. It is built on the Smart Car Platform of Stellantis thus is the sister car of Citroen C3. In fact, the familiar size and shape suggest that it is mechanically identical to the Citroen, thus what differing them are mostly the packaging.

Speaking of packaging, the Fiat is certainly more stylish than the dull Citroen, thanks in part to its funky dot-matrix headlights and taillights. Its body is squarer and edgier, has strong SUV pretension, although the small Fiat is purely front-wheel drive. The door panels and tailgate are pressed with "PANDA" and "FIAT" wording respectively, pretty stylish.



Inside, the oval-shape dashboard and instrument / touch screen surround are inspired by the classic roof-top test track on Fiat's Lingotto factory.

Like Citroen, you can have either petrol engine or full electric power option. The former uses Stellantis' turbocharged 1.2-liter triple with 100hp and a manual gearbox to enable lower prices. Meanwhile, electric version uses a 113 hp electric motor and an LFP battery with either 33 or 44kWh capacity. It will be one of the cheapest electric cars in Europe.




<< Oval dashboard design inspired by Lingotto factory