RealMotors.net – Blogging On the Biggest Trends in the Auto Market

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CATANIA, Sicily — “We wanted to give the Cielo the same behavior and character as the MC20 but with the sharp edges made a little smoother,” explained Federico Landini, the man in charge of the MC20’s development.

Cielo is the name Maserati chose for the convertible MC20 — it means “sky” in Italian and sounds less generic than Spider, Spyder or another arachnid-inspired label. This new version of Maserati’s first supercar in over a decade slots in the range as a softer, more touring-oriented alternative to the coupe. While the two MC20s look a lot alike, Maserati ensured the Cielo has its own personality.

Same heart, different bones

Like the MC20 coupe, the Cielo is powered by Maserati’s excellent 3.0-liter Nettuno V6 engine, which is twin-turbocharged to develop 621 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and 538 pound-feet of torque from 3,000 to 5,500 rpm. While 600+ horsepower is par for the course in this segment, achieving that number with six cylinders is rather unusual. The engine develops 207 horsepower per liter of displacement. If every engine offered this level of power density, we’d have a 414-horsepower Volkswagen Golf GTI to play with.

This engine also powers variants of the Grecale SUV, though the MC20 models use a dry-sump lubrication system. Landini told me Maserati felt confident sending a V6 into a ring dominated by rivals with eight or more cylinders because it fitted the engine with both direct and indirect fuel injection systems. This innovative technology — which traces its roots to Formula One racing — adds pre-chambers inside the cylinder head and a second set of spark plugs to the 90-degree V6 to provide a 100-horsepower boost.

Mid-mounted, the Nettuno spins the Cielo’s rear wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission linked to a pair of steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. Maserati quotes a 0-62-mph time of a little under 3 seconds and a top speed of approximately 199 mph, so the coupe is slightly quicker and faster.

Giving up two or three tenths of a second to highway speeds and forfeiting a few miles per hour at the top end is a fair trade for unlimited headroom. Going topless also makes the Cielo about 143 pounds heavier than the coupe: it tips the scale at roughly 3,400 pounds, which remains reasonably light.

Landini stresses the increase corresponds exactly to the weight of the folding roof and its mechanism, and he adds that his team managed to avoid making the Cielo too plump because they planned this variant from the get-go; it wasn’t developed as an afterthought. Chassis changes further set the Cielo apart.

“We fine-tuned the suspension system due to the difference in weight balance depending on whether the roof is up or down. The roof is over the back end when it’s down, so we made the rear springs stiffer and in turn we needed to rebalance the dampers,” Landini told me. Chopping off the top also gets rid of the secondary load line that prevents the carbon fiber monocoque from bending and cracking in the event of an accident by transferring forces, so Maserati cleverly added cast-aluminum inserts to the doors and the sills to offset the loss of rigidity and keep the tub in one piece under pressure.

Visually, the MC20’s fluid, low-slung silhouette remains relatively unchanged, though the engine is no longer visible through the decklid. The cabin is standard MC20 fare with an important exception: The dial on the center console used to select one of the four driving modes is now digital. The Cielo also inaugurates a suite of electronic driving aids that includes traffic sign recognition, a forward collision warning system, and automatic emergency braking. The coupe will soon receive these technologies.

Softer, but not soft

“We have defined a new GT mode that completely changes the setup of the suspension and steering systems, the throttle response, the gearbox response and the rear differential,” Landini tells me.

Even in GT mode, which is the default configuration, the MC20 Cielo isn’t overly soft. Using imperial stouts as an analogy (‘tis the season!), I’d peg the MC20 at 9% and the Cielo at 8.5%. It’s a helluva lot more hardcore than the GranCabrio, for example, and it represents a rarely-seen facet of Maserati.

Historically, supercars of the MC20’s ilk have been an infrequent treat from a firm whose cars are better known for effortless power and luxury than for the ability to take a corner flat-out. And yet, the MC20 Cielo makes a convincing case for itself in the supercar arena: It’s quick, it offers a sporty seating position, and it’s engaging to drive — addictive, even. There’s very little in the way of body roll, even with the GT mode’s softer suspension setting, and the steering is communicative and refreshingly crisp.

Selecting the Sport profile is like pouring gasoline on the MC20 bonfire: It gives the exhaust system permission to sing a louder tune (complete with an assortment of whoosh noises from the turbos), tells the transmission to hold each gear for longer and makes the suspension firmer. It’s in this mode that the MC20 feels most in its element: it’s markedly livelier than in GT mode, and it makes you understand why Maserati asked Brembo to develop the huge brakes. It’s also not unduly harsh; it’s easy to drive even if you’re not Sebastian Vettel, and it’s not the kind of supercar that convinces you it’s out to kill you.

Blowing with the V6 gales doesn’t tone down the MC20’s zest. The six puts the “Godfather”-like Sicilian countryside on fast-forward with only a hint of lag, and the transmission fires off quick, smooth shifts, whether they’re trigged by a computer or by the carbon fiber paddles on the steering wheel. There’s a ton of grip and a pair of nicely-bolstered Sabelt seats to ensure you’re not pinballed across the cabin.

Like every good supercar, the MC20 Cielo boasts an appeal that completely transcends the specifications sheet. It’s not merely about the 0-to-60 time or the top speed. Character is difficult to quantify, but it’s hugely important in the constitution of a supercar’s identity, and the MC20 Cielo is brimming with it. From the butterfly doors to the symphony of combustion and turbo noises filling the cabin from behind, the MC20 is as much about looks and performance as it is about the overall experience.

All of it is authentic and purpose-driven: The butterfly doors draw eyeballs on Instagram, but they’re there to make the MC20 easier to get in and out of by reducing the width of the sills. The noise that charges through the interior comes directly from the drivetrain. An assortment of valves in the exhaust system adjusts the volume depending on the driving mode chosen, but the sound isn’t artificial.

Digitalization allowed Maserati to give the MC20 a clean, minimalist interior design, but there are some features that I’d change if I could go back and intervene in the development process. I found the coupe’s analog driving mode selector more user-friendly than the digital unit fitted to the Cielo, especially since some of the driving modes have sub-modes (“soft” or “mid” for the suspension system, for example). And, while the 10.25-inch touchscreen-based, Android Automotive-powered infotainment system is reasonably straightforward to navigate, a physical button to operate the top would be a welcome addition. As it stands, opening and closing the roof is done via a menu in the infotainment software.

Deliciously excessive

Quick, sharp, fun, yet approachable, the MC20 Cielo keeps what’s great about the MC20 coupe and adds a power-folding hardtop. It’s a recipe that’s difficult to argue against. It doesn’t feel compromised, and the effort that Landini and his team put into creating a genuine supercar is evident mile after mile.

On a secondary level, the MC20 range serves as a reminder that great engines and fun-to-drive cars deserve to exist, even in an era when we’re being force-fed a stew of electrification and pseudo-autonomous driving aids by carmakers all over the automotive spectrum. Like eating, driving can be as mundane or as enjoyable as you choose to make it. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but how boring would life be if you couldn’t devour a pizza as big as an old Volkswagen Golf’s steel wheel from time to time?

That’s the MC20’s position in the automotive landscape: Delicious, and just the right level of excessive.

Pricing hasn’t been announced. The MC20 coupe starts at approximately $212,000, and it’s reasonable to assume the Cielo will cost more. American deliveries are scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2023.

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Audi is making the European-spec RS3 a little more special by launching a limited-edition model called Performance Edition. Offered as a sedan and as a hatchback, the model gets a more powerful engine, an array of specific styling cues, and more standard features.

Power for both variants of the Performance Edition comes from an evolution of the turbocharged, 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine rated at 401 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. That’s an increase of about seven horses over the regular-production RS3 sold in Europe, and the hike brings the Performance Edition’s output on par with the American-spec model’s. This largely explains why the Performance Edition won’t be sold in the United States: Many of the goodies included in the bundle are already offered on our version of the hot-rodded sedan.

The five-cylinder sings its song through a standard RS Sports exhaust system with an edition-specific center silencer, and it spins the four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Audi quotes a 0-to-62-mph time of 3.8 seconds and a 184-mph top speed. The standard RS Sports suspension system ensures the RS3 Performance Edition handles as well as it accelerates, on and off the track.

Visually, the Performance Edition gains cool-looking 19-inch wheels that feature a cross-spoke design, semi-slick Pirelli P Zero tires, blue brake calipers, and black exterior emblems, among other design features. The opening sequence in the headlight is specific to this model as well: Unlock it, and the driver-side LED daytime running lights flashes the numbers 3, 0, and 0 as a reminder of the limited production.

Inside, the front passengers sit in standard bucket seats with blue stitching and a blend of leather and Dinamica upholstery. The driver faces a steering wheel with a blue 12-o’clock mark, while the front passenger sits in front of a plaque engraved with the car’s serial number.

Production of the Audi RS3 Performance Edition is limited to 300 units. Buyers have five colors to choose from: Nogaro Blue, Arrow Gray, Daytona Gray, Sebring Black Crystal Effect, and Glacier White Metallic. Pricing for the RS3 Sportback starts at €75,000 (around $73,900 at the current conversion rate) while the RS3 Sedan carries a base price of €77,000 (approximately $75,900). Deliveries will start in 2023.

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The electric vehicle revolution will be subsidized.

China has been at it for more than a decade, incentivizing purchases, backing homegrown battery makers and blocking foreign firms from competing. Europe has followed suit with generous aid both for consumers and companies.

Now that electrification has taken root globally, and there’s a climate change believer in the White House, the U.S. has jumped into the fray in a bigger way than ever before. First, there was the $7 billion tucked into the infrastructure bill last year. Then, hundreds of millions made available by invoking the Defense Production Act. And now, the mother of them all, the Inflation Reduction Act, which extends generous tax credits to buy, build and charge EVs, and localize the battery supply chain to power them.

All this global competition gets a lot of attention, but there’s another subsidy battle raging within America’s shores: a cutthroat fight among states to land EV and battery investments.

There were lots of headlines following Ford’s announcement a year ago that it would invest $11.4 billion in Tennessee and Kentucky to build two new EV hubs, the largest outlay in its history. General Motors also set a company record with its $6.5 billion investment in Michigan early this year.

What often ends up in the finer print of stories about these developments — if it gets mentioned at all — are the tabs that taxpayers pick up. States rarely disclose the amounts in full, instead dribbling them out over months in bits and pieces, or in response to public information requests. Even then, calculating a full package is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

Bloomberg dove into this in depth in this story yesterday, which coincided with a new report from Good Jobs First, a vocal critic of corporate incentives. Among the sweeping policy questions the nonprofit researcher raises: Why should states subsidize EVs when consumer demand is clearly taking off?

Also complicating matters: the notion that electric vehicles may end up being job killers, more so than job creators, if you net out all the losses linked to internal combustion drivetrain components that no longer will be needed.

Good Jobs First does a detailed analysis of some of the deals states have cut with car companies and battery manufacturers. Georgia’s $1.5 billion incentive package for Rivian, for example, prominently touts average annual wages of $56,000. One needs to scroll down 130 pages to find that the wage floor is $20 an hour, which works out to about $36,000 a year. The state’s economic development agreement also allows Rivian to use “employee leasing” companies to count toward its job-creation goals.

In Kansas, the incentive deal for Panasonic that Good Jobs First values at $1.27 billion includes some favorable clauses for the Japanese battery company. According to the report, Panasonic has to invest capital for five years to win income tax credits, but doesn’t have to guarantee certain levels of employment or wages. If the factory is unprofitable and doesn’t owe any tax, the state is still obligated to pay out money each year, as long as the investments are made.

People on the left and the right of the U.S. political spectrum say corporate incentives can be wasteful and unnecessary. Even state officials who participate in the “tax-break industrial complex,” as the Good Jobs First report calls this phenomenon, acknowledge that it’s an unsavory game. But the feeling is they have little choice if they want to compete for these new jobs.

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Battery swapping electric vehicle (EV) brand NIO has revealed its European launch plans ahead of an anticipated UK arrival in 2023.

NIO, one of several Chinese EV brands expected to enter the UK market in the next 12 months, unveiled details of its products and services for Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden at its European launch event in Berlin.

As well as battery swapping stations, a vehicle subscription service will be central to NIO’s European offering, offering customers terms ranging from one to 60 months.

“Serving users in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden is an important step in realizing NIO’s 2025 plan and offering our unique user experience in more countries around the world,” NIO founder, chairman and chief executive William Li told the European launch event.

“Our compelling products, game-changing charging and battery swapping services, alongside truly innovative and flexible subscription models, will change the landscape of EVs. Our commitment to the region marks the start of NIO’s next chapter in our global development.”

AM recently reported on NIO’s plans to establish a European manufacturing in Hungary to support its European growth plans.

The brand has already launched in Norway and Sweden and the OEM has suggested that the brand will arrive in the UK – where it has appointed former Volvo Car UK commercial director Matt Galvin – will follow in 2023.

Co-founder Lihong Qin said: “There is a very deep connection between NIO and the UK because we had our first strategic and product workshops open in London in 2015.

“We opened our London office on the first day we launched and run our Advanced performance team in Oxford. I want to be in the UK as soon as possible but because of the right-hand steering it has taken us longer.

“Under our current plan we expect to enter the UK market by the end of next year.”

Chinese OEM Geely already has a strong foothold in the European automotive market, through its brands Lotus Cars, the London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) and Polestar and recently acquired a stake in Aston Martin.

MG Motor UK, meanwhile, is the UK’s fastest-growing brand.

If its UK launch plans go-ahead in 2023, newcomer NIO will join and Great Wall’s Ora among a new crop of EV sector disruptors, however, with the long-awaited arrival of BYD also expected to follow.

NIO has five current models with a further four vehicles in the pipeline.

Already launched are the EP9 hypercar, the ES8 seven-seater SUV, the ES6 five-seater SUV, the EC6 coupe SUV, the ET7 saloon and the ET5 compact saloon.

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SUZUKA, Japan — Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc knows it. So does anyone following Formula One; no calculators needed.

Red Bulls‘ Max Verstappen is set to win his second straight drivers’ title, and it’s likely to come on Sunday with rain predicted for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

Friday’s two practice sessions were run in steady drizzle, although Saturday’s qualifying is expected to be dry on the classic figure-eight circuit in central Japan.

“I think realistically Max is going to be a champion, if it’s not this weekend it’s going to be very, very soon,” said Leclerc, who trails Verstappen by 104 points with five races to go — including Suzuka. Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez is 106 behind.

If Verstappen wins on Sunday, and also picks up the bonus point for the fastest lap, that would give him 26 points (25 for the win, 1 for the quickest lap) and he’s the champion.

He could also win the season title with a lesser result, depending on how others finish.

If not, it’s sure to be settled in two weeks at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas.

“It would be very nice if it happens here, but if it doesn’t happen here — I will be even more in favor the next race,” Verstappen said, sounding unmoved by the speculation.

“To be honest, I’m not really thinking about it too much.”

Verstappen has been dominant all season with 11 victories in 17 races. The Singapore GP a week ago was the exception, where Verstappen finished seventh. He called it a “very messy weekend” on the street circuit.

“We all know that it was a bad weekend, but we also have shown this year that we’ve had a lot of very good weekends. So we know how to do it.”

Winning at Suzuka would be special. The track is operated by car manufacturer Honda. Red Bull and sister team AlphaTaura run on Honda designed engines, and the race if officially called the “Honda Japanese Grand Prix.”

Honda formally quit F1 after last season, but still supports the two teams. In addition, Honda’s name will appear on the Red Bull livery this weekend. It could indicate a return to F1 though there’s nothing official.

“It’s great to see the full name back on the car,” Verstappen said. “And about the future. It’s too early to talk about that right now, but I think in general — the Honda name for F1 is great and it would be very nice to see them come back again.”

About 190,000 fans are expected over the weekend, with 90,000 on Sunday. Though Japanese fans are among the sports’ most fervent, capacity limits make the crowds smaller than at many races that draw more that 300,000 for a weekend.

“It (Suzuka) is truly iconic,” Mercedes driver George Russell said. “And it’s definitely, you know, a top-five circuit for probably all of us.”

Added two-time champion Fernando Alonso: “I think everyone loves Suzuka. The combination again of high-speed corners, a little bit of banking in the corners as well make the feeling really special. The fans are so passionate here. So, the whole weekend is a big thing.”

Schumacher crash in practice

Mick Schumacher spun out late in the first practice session on Friday and severely damaged the front end of his Haas car. The shunt was bad enough for the medical car to be deployed, although Schumacher walked away.

Schumacher, the son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher, could be on the way out at Haas.

Schumacher is in his second season with Haas, where he was promoted from the Ferrari Driver Academy. He’s been associated with Ferrari since 2019 after winning the European F3 championship.

Schumacher’s contract with the the academy is set to expire at the end of this year and Haas, which has an engine partnership with Ferrari, would not be obligated to keep the 23-year-old German if Schumacher is no longer part of the program.

Schumacher has repeatedly declined to answer questions about his future.

Practice results

Fernando Alonso of Alpine was quickest in the first practice session, clocking 1 minute, 42.248 seconds.

The times of the leaders in the second session, also held in a steady drizzle, were quicker with George Russell of Mercedes and teammate Lewis Hamilton going 1-2. Russell was timed in 1:41.935. Hamilton turned 1:42.170 and Verstappen was third in 1:42.786.

Hamilton on cost-cap

Formula One’s governing body FIA is to rule Monday if any team has violated cost-cap rules. It comes a day after Verstappen could win the title.

“I think it would be bad for the sport if action wasn’t taken if there was a breach,” seven-time champion Hamilton told media. “But I don’t know if there is, so I’ll wait just as you will.”

Verstappen demurred when ask about it on Thursday. Red Bull is one of the teams implicated in unsourced reports.

“I’m not really busy with these kind of things,” Verstappen said. “I mean, it’s up to the teams and the FIA, and I just have to focus on the driving. So there’s not much more to say on that. I guess we’ll find out on Monday.”

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More AP auto racing

After seeing the 2023 Toyota Crown for the first time a few months ago, we wrote, “Its form would hit the bullseye as an electric crossover, another of the shapely, lifted lozenges balancing the dictates of aerodynamics, packaging, and market tastes. The Crown even has a flat underfloor, the grubby bits from the front bumper to the rear suspension hidden behind aero panels.” In response a question about that, Toyota told us it had no plans to bring an electric Crown to the U.S. The company is ready to admit it’s taking the midway step, however. CEO Akio Toyoda told Motor Trend at a dealer conference in Las Vegas that the U.S.-market Crown will get a plug-in hybrid form.

The step lends credence to a Reuters report from April of this year, citing insiders as saying Toyota plans PHEV and battery-electric versions of the new crossover. In the Reuters piece, though, the Crown PHEV was only for the Japanese market and would debut next year; the EV would arrive in early 2024. If the Reuters report was accurate, it’s impossible to know what’s occurred between then and now, just as much as it’s impossible to know what’s going to occur over with a potential EV version in 18 months. Toyota will put the Crown on global markets whenever it goes on sale, so it’s possible the PHEV comes here but an EV trim does not.

The finer question about a Crown PHEV is what powertrain it will get. At the moment, the automaker dubs its PHEVs “Prime” and makes them the most powerful trims in their respective model lineups. The sportiest Crown we’ve been told about for now is the Hybrid Max variant, expected to make around 340 horsepower. The hitch is that Toyota’s U.S. lineup doesn’t include a Prime model right now that makes even that much power, never mind making more. The hybrid powertrain in the new Lexus RX 500h, which is the same as in the Crown Hybrid Max, produces 366 hp and 406 pound-feet of torque, but there’s no plug on the Lexus, either. The Lexus RX 450+ PHEV gets up 302 total horsepower, the base Crown hybrid makes 236 hp, the Toyota RAV4 Prime makes 219 hp, putting a lot of numbers on the ground for a Crown PHEV to play hopscotch with.

Instead of shooting at the winning number, the Crown PHEV could focus on its mantle as Toyota’s historic technology leader and debut the automaker’s solid-state batteries. The firm has been throwing money at the advanced battery tech and production facilities to satisfy demand, and earlier this year said the packs would go on sale in 2025 in a hybrid model, not an electric vehicle. Stay tuned.

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Oil and gas companies regularly use flaring (that is, burning unwanted methane) to limit the amount of natural gas escaping into the atmosphere, but the practice might not be as kind to the planet as previously thought. Scientists at the University of Michigan, Stanford and elsewhere have discovered that flaring is much less effective than the industry assumes, and puts out five times more methane (a strong greenhouse gas) than predicted.

Companies and governments act on the belief flares are always lit and burn off 98 percent of methane. However, aerial surveys of three US basins (where 80 percent of American flaring takes place) have revealed that the flares aren’t lit up to 5 percent of the time, and operate inefficiently when they’re active. In practice, the flaring efficiency is just 91 percent. That may not sound like a big dip, but it signifies that there’s a large volume of unaccounted-for methane contributing to climate change.

There is an upside to the findings. Flaring’s problems are “quite addressable” with better management, lead researcher Genevieve Plant said, and a solution would offer an equivalent emissions reduction to removing 3 million cars. To put it another way, this could be one of the easiest ways to keep methane in check and limit global warming. The challenge is to have companies and governments work in harmony — that’s not guaranteed, even if the fix is relatively straightforward.

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