The Women's World Car of the Year jury praised the Jeep Avenger for its design and off-road capabilities. Now the Avenger is going through the final round of selection for the Women's Car of the Year award. This result will be announced on March 8, International Women's Day. The 4.08-meter Jeep SUV was shortlisted along with twelve other models in the 13th edition of the award

Worthy winner of the categoryWomen's World

Marta García, Executive President of WWCOTY: "The Jeep Avenger is a worthy winner in its category. On the one hand, it inherits all the legend of the Jeep brand; on the other hand, it is completely new with its 100 percent electric powertrain. It's a commitment to the future that customers will appreciate."

Range of up to 550 kilometers

The new Avenger is a compact SUV positioned in the fast-growing B-SUV segment with a length of just over four meters. The range is around 400 kilometers in the WLTP cycle and even more than 550 kilometers in the city cycle. The powertrain combines a new 400-volt electric motor with 115 kW and 260 Nm with a powerful 54-kWh battery.

jeep.ch

Roads is the free app developed by Porsche for passionate drivers all over the world - on routes along winding country roads, past spectacular sights, and through unspoiled villages. In the Roads community, drivers share their favorite routes and get together in groups for joint rides.
The app was launched in 2019 and now has more than 180,000 users. Now it has been revised from the ground up.

Most suitable route for driving enthusiasts

Robert Ader, Head of Marketing at Porsche AG: "Driving enthusiasts can find their individual dream route with just a few clicks. An AI determines the right route suggestion based on various parameters. These include the course of curves, the topography, scenic features, and exciting points of interest. The algorithm's goal is not to find the fastest connection between two points, but to find the route that suits the driver best."

Generator searches sights

An intuitive user experience was particularly close to the Roads developers' hearts. Via the app's regionalized dashboard, users have a variety of entry options. With the help of dynamic filters, suitable routes are found for the next trip. Thanks to shortcuts, the most popular profiles in the route generator are just a click away. Those who want to head for specific points of interest can have the generator design the route to them individually.

The new Roads by Porsche app is available now in the App Store from Apple to the Download available.

porsche.ch

The event had attracted a large number of car enthusiasts and spectators from all over the world to Lake Wörthersee every Ascension Day since 1982 (see a video of the 2018 meeting as a reminder). And the VW Group did not let itself be left behind either: They invited VIPs from the car scene to Carinthia and used the stage to present sophisticated vehicle studies. The GTI meeting was also a fixed date in the calendar of the late car titan Ferdinand Piëch (pictured center with his wife Ursula), who passed away in 2019.

Penalty for tuned vehicles

But the car festival also had its critics. While tourism and gastronomy benefited, some residents felt their garden peace had been disturbed. The police also took an increasingly restrictive approach over the years, searching for unregistered vehicle modifications and busily issuing penalty notices.

Markus Perdacher, Mayor of Maria Wörth: "The effects of climate change, the responsibility of political decision-makers for the preservation of eco-systems and the need to align actions at all levels with the principles of sustainability make it necessary to place the shaping of the future under new premises."

Local development program Reifnitz

In recent years, the municipality of Maria Wörth has carried out intensive conceptual and planning work to shape the future of the Reifnitz district and initiated a comprehensive transformation process. In the next few years, as part of the implementation of the local development program "Reifnitz 2030 | Nachhaltig leben am See" (Reifnitz 2030 | Sustainable Living by the Lake), some of the areas previously used for large events will be given a new purpose and new facilities will be created.

It is doubtful that the mayor's declaration will turn Lake Wörthersee into a GTI-free zone. Already in the past three years, in which no official event had been organized due to the Corona restrictions, numerous unofficial meetings had taken place.

Source: Car-Medienportal.net
woertherseetreffen.at

In 2023, the Volkswagen brand celebrates 75 years in Switzerland. Customers can therefore look forward to attractive anniversary offers. The VW brand has started with a loading gift worth 2000 Swiss francs with the new purchase of an ID.4, ID.4 GTX, ID.5 or ID.5 GTX. This promotion will continue until the end of April.

Fast-growing Swiss EV market

The all-electric ID models are another milestone for VW. In parallel, the charging infrastructure is also growing steadily - in Switzerland as well as throughout Europe. In addition to providers such as Volton, which provides over 8,000 charging stations in Switzerland, many employers, parking garages and even rental companies now offer the option of charging the electric car.

volkswagen.ch

Supply problems again hampered sales on the new car market last year. Some car buyers may therefore have increasingly looked for their dream car on the Internet. The online comparison service comparis.ch - the largest online car marketplace in Switzerland - has taken a close look at the most sought-after car brands on the online market in 2022.

Mercedes-Benz was the most frequently searched for vehicle, with a search query share of 13.1 percent. BMW and VW are also on the podium, with 12.2 and 10.7 percent shares respectively. They are followed by Audi (9.5 percent), Porsche (5.5), Toyota (3.8) and Ford (3.1). The Škoda (2.9), Volvo (2.6) and Renault (2.1) brands bring up the rear of the ten most searched-for car brands.

Ranking has not changed

Comparis mobility expert Andrea Auer: "The ranking remains unchanged compared to last year. German manufacturers continue to dominate the hit list of car searches on the Internet. Compared to new car sales, however, there are notable differences. One example is Tesla. The manufacturer was among the top ten best-selling brands in new car sales in 2022. However, the manufacturer is not yet in such demand in the online marketplace on the Internet."

And: 65.4 percent of all searches in 2022 were for the top ten models - 36 percent for the most successful three brands.

Winners and losers at a glance

A five-year comparison shows that VW and Volvo are the biggest losers. The manufacturers each lost two places and are now ranked third and ninth. The biggest winner is BMW. Between 2018 and 2022, the manufacturer climbed two places in the ranking and now occupies second place. Who is on comparis.ch is looking for a vehicle, can either extend the search to the whole of Switzerland or limit it to one canton.

The data analysis on searches for individual brands is based on ten million vehicle searches conducted in the period from January to December 2022. With around 200,000 new and used cars available, the comparis.ch via the largest Swiss online marketplace for automobiles.

comparis.ch

Alpine presents the A523 race car with which French drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly will tackle the 2023 F1 season on March 5 in Sakhir, Bahrain.

Luca de Meo, CEO Renault Group: "I am very much looking forward to the 2023 Formula 1 season and am excited to see how the BWT Alpine F1 team continues its impressive journey to the top of the field."

The F1 team's plan, proclaimed before last season, is to be in a position to compete for the Formula One world title within 100 races.

After the team moved up from fifth to fourth place in the constructors' standings in 2022, repeating this result is the minimum goal.

Laurent Rossi, CEO Alpine: "This time, however, with a much tighter grip, more finishes, fewer retirements and more points."

System power of more than 950 hp

The A523 marks an important evolutionary step compared with the predecessor vehicle. Fundamental modifications to the chassis include the front and rear suspensions, the front and rear wings, and the heat dissipation system. The powertrain is Renault's E-Tech RE23 power unit, which with a 1.6-liter V6 gasoline engine and two electric motors makes a system output of more than 950 hp available.

In addition to more efficient packaging and optimized integration of the powertrain, the development team in Viry-Châtillon focused above all on greater reliability thanks to a redesigned water pump.

Pierre Gasly second pilot in the team

Frenchman Esteban Ocon will contest his fourth year as a driver for the Alpine F1 team and its predecessor in 2023. In total, he will be driving his sixth full season in the premier class. His best result to date was victory at the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2021. His compatriot Pierre Gasly joins Alpine and is also about to start his sixth full Formula 1 season.

bwtalpinef1team.com

The Swiss Volvo Meeting has been held since 1992 and is one of the three largest Volvo events in Europe, as well as one of the oldest regular events in the European Volvo community. Following the cancellation in 2021 due to the pandemic, the major brand meeting, which takes place every two years, can now be held again.

With new vigor and at a new location, IG Swiss Volvo is now organizing a three-day meeting in cooperation with the Volvo Club Romand. From August 25 to 27, all kinds of Volvo models will be on display at the Espace Gruyère event center in Bulle - from vintage to new cars, from all over Europe.

Special exhibition of classic models

In the exhibition halls of the Espace Gruyère, there will be a special exhibition of classic Volvos, a parts market and a stand operation. Around the building complex there will be enough parking spaces for big and small fans of the traditional Swedish brand. A large proportion of the expected passenger cars and off-road vehicles will be classic and youngtimers.

The charm of the old sheet metal pleases not only the owners of these vehicles. Old cars are pleasing to the eye, they stand out in the street scene and stand out refreshingly from the modern models. The emotional power of positive memories enters the present when we encounter a classic automobile - whether in real life on the road, on the cinema screen, on the TV screen or on a magazine page.

Like-minded people with modern cars

The Volvo meeting in Bulle is intended to make an important contribution to bringing this cultural tradition closer to the population in a sympathetic way with the Volvo brand, which has been anchored in Switzerland for over 70 years. At the same time, the organizer aims to offer with this event to all like-minded people with modern cars of the Swedish brands an unforgettable weekend in the Gruyère region.

SwissVolvoMeeting.ch
volvoclubromand.ch

Why this is so with the right tires is shown in a video clip in which Walter Röhrl sits at the wheel of a Porsche 911 Dakar equipped with special Pirelli tires for the respective terrain. The range extends from the Scorpion All Terrain Plus for the sandy desert to the P Zero Winter for the snowy Alps.

Smart tire change led to victory

Walter Röhrl proved 40 years ago that the right tires are always important for getting from one extreme situation to the next when he won the Monte Carlo Rally in 1983. Unlike his competitors, Röhrl did not have a car with all-wheel drive at the time. Therefore, his team used an innovative strategy to master the mixed conditions.

During a pit stop in the middle of the stage, he switched between asphalt tires for the dry part of the stage and studded tires for the snow-covered part. This tactic proved to be the key to winning the rally.

pirelli.com

The first all-electric Abarth is limited to 1949 units - as a tribute to the company's founding 74 years ago. And of course, the Abarth 500e Scorpionissima gets down to business with powerful acceleration and three driving modes. After receiving the most pre-bookings from Germany in the Europe-wide pre-booking process in recent months, the 500e Scorpionissima is now available to order. Available as both a sedan and a convertible, it impressively defines the brand's dynamism with the scorpion. Prices on request.

Up to 100 km/h in seven seconds

The Abarth 500e Scorpionissima is equipped with a 42 kWh battery and a 113 kW electric motor. In fact, the newcomer makes it from a standstill to 100 km/h in just seven seconds. Three driving modes ensure that the best possible driving fun is to be had. Scorpion Street Mode with its one-pedal function is suitable for a particularly pleasant driving style, while Track Mode is for those seeking optimum sportiness.

80 percent fast charge in just 35 minutes

To minimize charging time, the 500e Scorpionissima is equipped with the 85-kW fast charging system, which charges the battery very quickly. For example, in less than five minutes a sufficient energy reserve is built up for the daily mileage requirement of around 40 kilometers. If you're in a hurry, the fast charge reaches 80 percent of the range in just 35 minutes.

Sound package provides sound of a gasoline engine

The sound generator is offered as an alternative to the sound experience in the sound package and is reminiscent of the sound of a gasoline engine. When you first cross the 20 km/h mark, a guitar sound reflects the soul that every car with the Scorpion logo has. New body colors available in the Scorpionissima are Acid Green and Poison Blue.

abarth.ch

The new one at the helm has been with Mercedes-Benz since 1994, most recently as CEO of Mercedes-Benz Spain for six years and also responsible for the Portugal market since 2020. Langenbrinck is relocating to Rome to become CEO of Mercedes-Benz Italy. Under his leadership, Mercedes-Benz was the best-selling premium car brand in Switzerland five times and received the best rating of these brands in the dealer radar four times.

Marc Langenbrinck: "What we have achieved as a team over the past few years, despite great challenges, fills me with pride. I am happy that with Roland Schell, a sales professional with many years of international experience will be steering the fortunes of our brand in Switzerland."

Experience in several countries

Most recently, Roland Schell was Head of Mercedes-Benz Iberia and CEO Mercedes-Benz Spain, responsible for both Spain and Portugal. Prior to that, he had led the brand for several years each in France and in Italy. He has been with Mercedes since 1994 and holds a Doctor of Business Administration and an International Executive Master in Leadership.

Swiss woman confirmed on the board

A personnel decision with reference to Switzerland was also made for the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG. With Renata Jungo Brüngger, a Swiss woman has been part of this body since 2016. Today, the company's Supervisory Board extended Jungo Brüngger's contract. Her Board of Management position Integrity and Legal comprises Group-wide Legal, Compliance, Legal Product & Technology, and Corporate Data Protection and Corporate Audit.

mercedes-benz.ch