Monday, June 17, 2019

BMW has finally done it - Front Wheel Drive - but why?

Wait. Really? That has to be a joke. Well that was my first response, and probably yours as well. It sort of makes sense though. We all know that companies make the most money on their high volume low end cars, and BMW doesn't really have a proper "low end car" - nor should they. That's what sub-brands are for. At least that was their philosophy until now. If I recall correctly, that was the line of thinking behind acquiring MINI - to help lower certain mileage and emission averages for BMW as a company, among other things. The new MINIs sold like hot cakes, regardless of what anyone thought about them. In fact they sold too well, which lead to various unsavory incarnations like the SUV version.

Enter the new BMW 1 series, which will apparently have a sideways motor and front wheel drive. That's not to say that FWD cars can't be fun, quick or just good all around. For example I own a Fiesta ST - along with an old M3 and a Tesla. The ST very much holds its own in many categories - you just can't beat the lightness and lively handling. This of course doesn't mean that lightness is exclusive to front wheel drive, but the overall design and size of the vehicle. So I'm not making much of a point here, but take my word for it - it's a fun car and I think Ford knocked it out of the park, for what it is and what it costs.

What will happen is this new 1 series will go down as the weirdest BMW in recent history, not only the first but also the last of its kind. Eventually and inevitably BMW will go all in with electric cars.  They will return to RWD and AWD - which is very easy to do with EVs. In fact it's the same trans-axle concept, which saves weight and costs - but mounted in the rear. No transmission tunnel. The traction is better -  especially with the weight transferring to the back when you floor it, no torque steer, and so forth. Front wheel drive can be made good, but RWD is always going to be just that much better - even more so for spirited driving or competition.

Legacy car makers are scrambling to bring a range of EVs to market as we speak. By the time this thing will be at the end of it's model-year run and due for a redesign, most people will be going after EVs. At least in the North American market.

My prediction is this: I'm sure the car will be good in every way. If they can lower the price, this can be attractive to many people. While it remains to be seen how it will compare to the best FWDs out there, a large chunk of people who might buy such a car probably don't know the difference. It'll be a great car for that kind of person. They want something nice at a good price point and don't care about wheel hop or torque steer. They couldn't tell you what that means and aren't particularly interested in learning about it. This is the majority of car buyers today, so not a bad market to go after.

However there won't be a successor. This isn't the start of a long bloodline, this is a stop-gap measure while the automotive industry turns on its head. I just don't see traditional FWD layouts having any purpose in the electrified future.







Tuesday, June 11, 2019

This list of EVs already on the market is surprisingly large - and is growing rapidly.

Just look at them all. As of June 2019, there's already more than you can count on all your fingers and toes. This is what's already available, in alphabetical order.

Of course only some models are selling in significant numbers (Teslas, Leaf, Bolt, i3), but the point is that large scale adoption is basically around the corner.

Fiat 500e

Ford Focus Electric

Ford C-Max Energi

Ford Fusion Energi

Honda Accord PHEV

Honda Clarity PHEV

Honda Clarity Electric

Honda Fit EV

Hyundai Ioniq EV

Hyundai Ioniq PHEV

Hyundai Sonata EV

Hyundai Sonata PHEV

Hyundai Kona EV

Jaguar I-PACE

Karma Revero

Kia K5 PHEV

Kia Niro EV

Kia Niro PHEV

Kia Optima PHEV

Kia Soul EV

Mercedes-Benz B250e

Mercedes-Benz C350e

Mercedes-Benz E350e

Mercedes-Benz GLC350e

Mercedes-Benz GLE500e

Mercedes-Benz S500e

Mercedes-Benz GLE550e

Mini Countryman PHEV

Mitsubishi i-MiEV

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Nissan LEAF

Opel Ampera-e

Opel Ampera (PHEV)

Peugeot iOn

Peugeot Partner EV

Porsche 918

Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid

Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid

Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid

Range Rover PHEV

Renault Kangoo EV

Renault Twizy

Renault Zoe

Smart EQC

Smart ForFour Electric

Smart ForTwo Electric

Tesla Model 3

Tesla Model S

Tesla Model X

Tesla Roadster

Toyota Prius Prime/PHEV

Volvo S60 PHEV

Volvo S90 PHEV

Volvo V60 PHEV

Volvo V90 PHEV

Volvo XC60 PHEV

Volvo XC90 PHEV

VW e-Golf

VW e-Up!

VW Golf GTE

VW Passat GTE

And the ice is officially broken!

First post - but is blogger the right option? Hard to beat free. Let's see how this works.

May just scrap everything and use WP.