• Audi will introduce its etron quattro concept at the International Motor Show (IAA) 2015 in Frankfurt. The sporty SUV provides an outlook on the brand’s first large-series electric car. The Audi etron quattro concept is designed from the ground up as an electric car and proves to be pioneering in its segment at the very first glance. It follows the Audi “Aerosthetics” concept, combining technical measures for reducing aerodynamic drag with creative design solutions. Movable aerodynamic elements at the front, on the sides and at the rear improve the air flow around the car. The aerodynamically optimized underbody is completely closed. With a cd value of 0.25, the car sets a new record in the SUV segment.
• The eighth generation of Toyota Hilux has been introduced to region recently. The world’s most popular commercial pickup truck, the all-new Toyota Hilux, featuring tougher refreshed styling, a newly developed frame structure, an SUV-like interior and better core performance to deliver the best results in its class, reinforcing its leadership of the pick-up segment. First launched in Japan in 1968, the Hilux is one of the most symbolic Toyota vehicles and has always been renowned for its toughness, durability and ability to perform under extreme conditions and in the toughest terrains.
• Former Formula 1 and current McLaren GT factory driver Bruno Senna has joined the McLaren P1 GTR Driver Programme and will act as mentor at each of the exclusive events. Senna, who was announced as a McLaren GT factory driver earlier this year, will work closely with each of the tailored programmes, ensuring optimum performance for each of the cars and drivers around some of the world’s most iconic and challenging, circuits. Commenting on the new role, and the Driver Programme, Senna explained: "The McLaren P1 GTR is a phenomenal machine, and is designed for one purpose — to be the ultimate drivers’ car around any given track."
• Kia Motors is celebrating the global export of its 15 millionth vehicle, an all new Sorento that was shipped to the Middle East in August, 2015. This occasion took place 40 years after the brand’s first overseas vehicle export, when a shipment of 10 Brisa pick-up trucks were transported to Qatar in 1975, underlining the Middle East as a region of great significance for Kia. Kia achieved the historic milestone of 10 million overseas vehicle exports in March 2011 and it has taken only a further four years to increase exports by a further 50 per cent to reach 15 million. The past decade has seen rapid growth expansion for Kia Motors globally, as it took 30 years to surpass the 5 million overseas export marker.
Audi E-tron quattro sets new record at Frankfurt
Audi E-tron quattro sets new record at Frankfurt
Price cuts drive sales of Saudi-owned electric car
- Lucid delivers more vehicles than expected as it prepares to launch luxury new Gravity SUV
RIYADH: The majority Saudi-owned electric car maker Lucid delivered more vehicles than expected in the past three months as price cuts helped boost demand.
The company delivered 2,394 cars from April to June 30, above analysts’ predictions of 1,940.
Lucid produced 3,838 vehicles in the first six months of 2024 and needs to make more than 5,162 cars by end of the year to meet its annual output forecast of 9,000. It made 8,428 cars in 2023.
“I think at this point everything is shaping for them to achieve that,” said Andres Sheppard, senior equity analyst at Cantor Fitzgerald. Lucid will produce and deliver more cars in the second half of the year because of the usual seasonal effects on the industry, he said.
Demand for electric vehicles has grown more slowly than expected pace in the past year, under pressure from high borrowing costs, economic uncertainties and consumer preference for hybrid alternatives.
Lucid and the market leader Tesla have responded by slashing prices and offering incentives such as cheaper financing options. Lucid, which is 60-per-cent owned by the Public Investment Fund, the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, cut the price of its flagship Air model by 10 percent in February.
Its new Gravity SUV model, a rival for Tesla's Model X, goes into production this year and will cost about $80,000.
