This week's gossip from the automotive industry has news of the Koenigsegg Regera's electrification, future Opel Ampera-e models, the heart of Mini's range and Hyundai's hydrogen future.
Koenigsegg Regera's electrification
Koenigsegg's electrification programme has begun on the Regera, but the company doesn’t see internal combustion engines being phased out any time soon. The brand recently answered a social media fan question with the details, hinting at the company’s future electrification plans. “We see a lot of life yet in the combustion engine,” the company said.
Read more: Koenigsegg One:1 Nürburgring crash car will go for record again, Production-ready 1479bhp Koenigsegg Regera revealed at Geneva motor show
Future Opel Ampera-e models
Opel chairman Karl-Thomas Neumann is continuing to press for a right-hand-drive version of the Ampera-e and is hopeful he can persuade GM to invest in the UK variant. “I want it and know Vauxhall needs it,” he said. “As yet, we don’t have the decision. But I think we’ll have it. For me, it’s a matter of time.”
Read more: 2017 Vauxhall Crossland X revealed as new Renault Captur rival, 2017 Vauxhall Insignia Grand Sport officially revealed
Not so Mini anymore...
The Mini range may be growing bigger and more plush, as typified by the new Mini Countryman, but company boss Peter Schwarzenbauer has said the three-door hatch remains “the DNA, the centre of the brand”. Speaking about the new Countryman, he said the segment in which the new, enlarged model competes is four times the size of the old car’s sector. “It’s quite an opportunity,” he added.
Read more: 2017 Mini Countryman Cooper S review, Mini John Cooper Works GP hatchback on the cards
Hyundai's hydrogen future
Despite Hyundai's prominence in the advent of hydrogen fuel cell cars, the brand will not invest in the hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, UK CEO Tony Whitehorn has said. Unlike Tesla, which offers exclusive charging points to its customers, Hyundai won’t offer specific hydrogen pumps; its contribution, Whitehorn claims, has been in driving up demand for the pumps.
Read more: Hyundai ix35 Fuel Cell 2013-2015, Hydrogen fuel cells a "complete nonsense" says JLR's technical design chief
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