On the menu for our recap of the week: a whole host of new Mercedes, a large engine block that lands under the hood of the 3008 and 5008, a really overpriced Mini or even a crossbred Dacia from BMW.
Don’t worry if you haven’t had time to follow the automotive news this week since it’s time for our weekly recap!
Audi Q7
And we start with a model that we did not expect, the remodeled version of the Audi Q7. But hasn’t it been restyled for the first time, are you going to ask us? It’s fair but we are formal, our scoop hunters came face to face with a copy of the current generation partly camouflaged. That means she’s not going to retire right away. The manufacturer at the Rings specified in a press release published this week, it “is betting on a growing 100% electric product plan with no less than 21 models in the range by 2026”. That the Q7 is replaced by a model by a thermal model is not obvious. On the other hand, that the current version continues its career in parallel with a new 100% electric model is possible, like what Volvo or Porsche will do.
If you want to have proof that the Q7 will go through the restyling box again, this is where it happens:
© Andreas Mau – Carpix
Dacia Bigster Coupe
Maybe some of you aren’t big fans of this new kind of car, but you’ll have to get used to it. Because to see the success of manufacturers who sell SUV-coupes, it could well snowball. Renault, for example, was the very first generalist brand to do so with the Arkana and it is now one of the best sellers in France. This could give ideas to another brand of the group. And knowing that Dacia has planned to concentrate like the Diamond manufacturer on the C segment, one can imagine that the future Bigster will in turn succumb to the fashion for the gently sloping roof.
A Dacia Bigster Coupé, what could it look like? Answer here:
Very ambitious, because emancipated from the Renault parent company, the Romanian firm no longer excludes any generalist market segment. She could perfectly consider energizing the Bigster in this way.
Mercedes: all the new models for 2023
When you have such a sprawling range, new products rain down almost all the time. 2023 will be no exception for Mercedes. Between the many restyled models already known or to come (GLA, EQB, GLE, etc.) and the real novelties (new E-Class, new GLC or AMG GT second generation), the Stuttgart manufacturer will be talked about this year.
To find out what awaits you:
100% electric Mini Cooper SE Cabrio
Electric convertibles are set to develop, many manufacturers have already announced their intention to embark on this adventure in the years to come. When it comes to Mini, you don’t have to wait anymore. A few months after presenting a 100% electric Mini Cabrio concept, the British brand went all the way with its idea and decided to mass-produce this model. In small series, to be more precise, with only 999 copies worldwide, and only 155 for France. But at over €60,000 apiece (no, no, it’s not a joke), few will be able to buy it anyway…
However, if you were still interested, here is everything you need to know about this new version:
Peugeot 508 PES
Since it disappeared from the configurator on the site, the high-performance version of the 508 has been talked about a lot. Has she disappeared for good or will she return to the catalog at the time of the mid-career restyling? We would rather go for the second option.
That’s why :
Illustration © Julien Jodry
Peugeot 3008 and 5008 Hybrid 48V
Yet at the very end of their career, the 3008 and 5008 benefit from a great novelty, they are the first Peugeot models to release a 48V hybrid assembly to replace the PureTech petrol 130. On the program: a 3-cylinder 1.2 PureTech (136 hp and 230 Nm of torque) fitted with a variable-geometry turbo and combined with an unprecedented e-DCS6 dual-clutch gearbox. The latter, due to the presence of a 21 kW electric motor (28 hp and 55 Nm of torque), allows these two models to drive in 100% electric mode over a (very) short distance. It is especially in town that this should have an impact on consumption, elsewhere, the benefits will be limited or even zero, by the manufacturer’s own admission.
All info here:
Volkswagen Touareg
Were you hoping to soon discover the revised and corrected version of the largest Volkswagen SUV? Failed, well almost. The Wolfsburg brand invited us to Sweden to preview a camouflaged copy of the restyled model in its sportiest variant, badged R. To discover it without its war paint, we will have to wait until May.
And if you can’t take it anymore, here is the first official info:
