News

BMW has launched a new range-topping M60 version of the i4 electric saloon with 593bhp – outpunching the petrol-powered M4 CS by a full 50bhp.

Replacing the 537bhp i4 M50, the i4 M60 is priced from £70,910 and can complete the 0-62mph sprint in 3.7sec – down 0.2sec on the old car.

That makes it some £50k cheaper than the blue-blooded M4 CS and almost as quick, trailing the super-coupé by just 0.1sec to 62mph.

The power does, however, bring a significant trade-off in terms of range. Whereas the single-motor, 335bhp i4 eDrive40 is capable of driving 317 miles between charges, the i4 M60 is limited to 269

In addition to rolling out the new range-topper, BMW has updated all versions of the i4 with more energy-efficient silicon-carbide inverters.

Deliveries of the updated i4s will begin this summer. Prices start at £51,280 for the i4 eDrive35 and rise to £59,375 for the i4 eDrive40.

BMW said it will also introduce an eight-year/100,000-mile (160,000km) warranty for the traction battery in all of its electric cars, new or used, purchased from 1 April 2025.

Under this warranty, it will “remedy” any losses of capacity below 70% of the battery’s original capacity at no extra cost to the customer.

Alpine will launch a supercar in 2028 with a turbocharged V6 hybrid powertrain pumping out more than 1000bhp, the head of the Renault Group’s premium brand has said.

The new supercar was previewed by the firm’s Alpenglow concept, which also featured a V6. However, Alpine has opted to add twin electric motors on the front axle to create an all-wheel-drive layout and beef up the output.

Alpine had been moving in the direction of an all-electric line-up, with production of its A110 combustion-engined sports car ending early next year. However, the brand has decided it needs a combustion engine for its new supercar and hasn’t ruled out additional hybrid models in the future.

“We are not selling electric cars. We are selling sporty cars, passion cars, exclusive cars,” said Alpine CEO Philippe Krief at the launch of the A390 EV crossover.

The supercar, including its V6 engine and high-powered electric motors, will be developed by the Renault Group’s racing and performance-focused Hypertech Alpine R&D division, located at the Viry-Châtillon Formula 1 engine facility to the south of Paris, said Krief. The target weight of the car is below 1600kg.

Krief worked in R&D at Ferrari when the company developed the plug-in hybrid SF90 Stradale, which is likely to be a key benchmark for the new car. However, the layout of the new Alpine supercar is closer to that of the Lamborghini Revuelto V12 plug-in hybrid, which also uses twin electric motors on the front axle, sourced from UK-based Yasa.

The Alpine supercar won’t use Yasa’s slimline axial-flux hybrid motors - also found on the SF90 - but instead more conventional radial-flux motors of Hypertech’s own design.

“Axial flux is perfect between the engine and a gearbox. But on the front axle, if you have a big diameter, it doesn’t matter,” said Krief.

Alpine is targeting incredibly high power density from its new electric motors – enough to achieve 1000bhp in total with the V6. Fitting twin motors on the front axle also allows Alpine to control the power of each wheel separately, to the benefit of overall handling.

The Alpenglow V6 concept theoretically ran on hydrogen, which would give Alpine a potential way of extending the life of the supercar when it eventually falls foul of 2035 emissions regulations that call for the end of tailpipe CO2 emissions.

The supercar will cost more than €200,000 (£168,000) to ensure the limited-run project is profitable.”If we’re able to sell €155,000 Renault 5 Turbo, you think there could be room for Alpine above that,” said Krief.

The supercar will showcase the work of the Hypertech division, which is being used to more aggressively find overlaps between the world of motorsports and road cars, something car companies have long struggled to achieve. ”We are going to create a lot more links than traditionally,” said Krief. 

The division will “tap into excellence in motorsports to turbocharge Alpine and Renault Group,” said Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo at the same A390 launch.

David Francis

Skoda has reimagined the Favorit as a modern electric car, melding the original’s Bertone-penned lines with the brand’s new Modern Solid design language.

Conceived by designer Ljudmil Slavov in some 120 hours of his own time, the project was intended to retain the feel of the 1987 hatchback without leaning on overtly retro cues, such as with the new Renault 5.

“I wanted to update the original idea for today, when various SUVs are popular,” said Slavov, adding that “a higher body structure allows for better battery placement in the floor”.

Slavov didn't introduce the Modern Solid design language’s most prominent design cue, the gloss-black Tech Deck face (as worn by the new Elroq and Enyaq). He instead decided to “evolve and elevate” the “already minimalistic” features of the Favorit, which “was very challenging”.

“I sketched many versions, searched for the ideal shape of the grille and headlights, tried different perspectives and consulted a lot with colleagues,” Slavov said.

Among the clearest references to the original Favorit are the shape of the front and rear lights, comprising LED running lights and covers hiding the main-beam lamps. The caron accents in the Skoda wordmarks front and rear are also lit.

The simple shape of the wheel inners, meanwhile, references the placeholders used by Skoda’s designers when wheels aren't the focal point of a proposal.

There are no detailed images of the interior, but the seats’ headrests reference the open-centred items on the original Favorit and the brown leather upholstery references the fashion of the late 1980s.

In addition to a passenger version, Slavov penned a rally version inspired by the Favorit that found success in the World Rally Championship’s F2 class during the early 1990s.

This has a lower, wider stance and unpainted plastic bumpers, plus a white, green and red livery inspired by that on the WRC Favorit 136 L/A in Skoda’s heritage collection.

The new Favorit EV is the latest in a sporadic series of reimaginings by Skoda’s designers. In 2021, it showed new takes on the 1203 van, Voiturette A, Felica Cabriolet, 130RS and Popular Monte Carlo – of which the last was penned by Slavov.