The Dodge Charger will retain its title as the world's fastest and most powerful muscle car, led by the all-electric Charger Daytona Scat Pack, which produces 493 kW (670 hp) and is expected to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour (96 km/h) in 3.3 seconds to complete the quarter mile in an estimated 11.5 seconds. The electrified models also include the 365 kW (496 hp) Charger Daytona R/T.

All-wheel drive and 550 hp as standard

The new Dodge Charger comes standard with all-wheel drive and also offers internal combustion engine variants - the 550-hp Charger Sixpack HO with 3-liter twin-turbo high-performance engine and the 420-hp Charger Sixpack SO, powered by the 3-liter twin-turbo engine. Production of the two-door coupe versions of the all-electric Charger Daytona Scat Pack and Charger Daytona R/T will begin in mid-2024, and production of the all-electric Daytona Scat Pack and R/T models will start in the first quarter of 2025.

Two electric drive motors

The latest generation Charger models are the first vehicles to be based on the STLA-Large platform, a flexible BEV platform that has the potential to carry extreme power. The all-electric Charger Daytona models with all-wheel drive have a 400 V system with a high-voltage battery, an integrated charging module and two electric drive motors. The battery pack has a capacity of 100 kWh and a peak discharge rate of 550 kW - specifically designed to maximize acceleration.

Features of a muscle car

The new Dodge Charger is equipped with muscle car DNA both inside and out. Drag, track, drift and donut modes are available, and the 20-inch wheels are 305 millimeters wide at the front and 325 millimeters at the rear. It's a joy to drive.

Powershot is accessible via a button on the steering wheel and is standard on Daytona Scat Pack and R/T models. When activated, it delivers 29 kW (40 hp) in stages for 15 seconds. The Brake by Wire braking system uses a central module to control vehicle deceleration, combining regeneration and basic braking to deliver optimum braking force and pedal feedback.

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Twenty years ago, Fiat amazed visitors to the Geneva Motor Show with a concept car that represented a revolutionary idea of urban mobility. Designed by the brand's Advanced Design Studio and the Centro Stile Fiat under the motto "Back to the future", the Fiat Trepiuno interpreted the legendary Nuova Cinquecento from 1957 with modern means. It thus looked ahead to the Fiat 500, which was then presented as a series model in 2007.

Limited edition of the Fiat 500 Hybrid

Stellantis Heritage is celebrating the 20th anniversary of this study with a limited edition model of the current Fiat 500 Hybrid. The 500 Tributo Trepiuno is also part of Stellantis Heritage's Reloaded by Creators project. Roberto Giolito (center gallery), head of Stellantis Heritage, was Director of Advanced Design Fiat in 2004 and played a key role in the third model generation. In the video, he describes the history of the model series, from the Fiat 500 launched in 1957 to the Fiat Cinquecento from 1991 to the current model series, which has been in production since 2007 and has been driving the brand's strategy for sustainable urban mobility as the 500 Elektro since 2020.

Two-tone design of the concept vehicle

The body of the 500 Tributo Trepiuno features rear lights with red inserts and Fiat lettering on a blue background, reminiscent of the 1999 logo created to mark the brand's 100th anniversary. The 5-spoke alloy wheels are fitted with specific hub caps.

The interior is based on the two-tone design of the 2004 concept car, with the seats upholstered in genuine leather in a combination of white and red-brown. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the concept car, all seats are decorated with the embroidered Trepiuno XX logo.

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"If it's comparable, it's no longer Bugatti" is the motto of French manufacturer Bugatti. The next chapter in the long history of the sports car begins next June - exactly eight years to the day after the launch of the Chiron.

Electrified

In June 2024, the modern era of Bugatti, which began with the Veyron 16.4 model, will welcome its latest evolution: a new automotive masterpiece with V16 hybrid drive. It will be incomparable in every detail, a pure embodiment of Bugatti's DNA, created not just for the present or even the future - but "pour l'éternité", for eternity.

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In the new CR-V e:FCEV model variant, Honda combines the advantages of the clean fuel cell electric drive with the option of charging the vehicle battery via an external power source. In hydrogen mode, the CR-V e:FCEV offers a refueling time of just a few minutes with a long range. With the plug-in function, the on-board battery can also be charged via an external power source, which extends the range even further. With a full tank of hydrogen, the WLTP range of the new CR-V is more than 600 kilometers, plus an additional 60 kilometers using the power reserves from the battery.

Potential as a clean energy source

Honda's global Zero Emission strategy encompasses all products throughout their entire life cycle as well as all of the company's activities. The company is focusing on the three central pillars of CO2 neutrality, clean energy and a sustainable circular economy. As part of these initiatives, Honda sees great potential in hydrogen as a clean energy source. Accordingly, research and development in the field of hydrogen technologies and fuel cell vehicles, which has been ongoing for more than 30 years, will be continued. Compared to the fuel cell in the Honda Clarity Fuel Cell, the overall costs of the new system could be reduced by two thirds.

Comfort of an electric vehicle

The CR-V e:FCEV uses a new fuel cell system jointly developed by Honda and General Motors, which is produced in Michigan (USA). The vehicle is produced at the Honda plant in Ohio (USA). Following the market launch in Japan, sales in North America are scheduled to begin before the end of 2024.

The CR-V e:FCEV was developed as a fuel cell electric vehicle for customers who appreciate the functionality of a locally emission-free SUV combined with a short refueling time. The plug-in charging function also offers the convenience of an electric vehicle for everyday use. In addition, the electricity from the CR-V e:FCEV can be used to power external devices.

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With the overall length extended to 4.92 meters and the wheelbase lengthened to 2.84 meters, the ninth Passat generation presents itself as the largest ever. The new model, which is now only available as a Variant, has a very elegant appearance and, with a drag coefficient of c_W of 0.25 is also particularly aerodynamic. In addition, there is a large luggage compartment volume of up to 1920 liters behind the front seats. The new estate is therefore a perfect all-rounder for business and leisure.

The top-of-the-range Passat is offered with a new generation of IQ.Light LED matrix headlights. The flat high-performance headlights provide a high-performance high beam with a range of around 500 meters.

Upgraded equipment lines

The interior has been completely redesigned. The large displays with a 12.9-inch or 15-inch touchscreen and digital instrument cluster as standard are striking. The technical basis is the new generation of the modular infotainment system MIB4. The Passat adopts the menu structure and graphics from the all-electric ID models.

The Passat can be configured in the four upgraded equipment lines Basis, Business, Elegance and R-Line. Even the basic equipment comes with features such as the new MIB4 displays, the Car2X warning system, wireless Apple and Android integration, automatic climate control and numerous assistance systems.

TDI, TSI, eTSI on request eHybrid

The new Passat is based on the MQB evo platform and can therefore accommodate various powertrains. Diesel and petrol engines in the power range between 122 and 265 hp will continue to be offered. Various hybrid drives are also available, mild hybrid turbo petrol engines (eTSI, 150 PS) and plug-in hybrids (eHybrid, 204 and 265 PS). With an electric range of up to 100 kilometers and a DC fast-charging function, the optimized eHybrid models build a bridge to e-mobility.

Sporty and firm with suspension option

The new generation Passat also comes with the new adaptive DCC Pro suspension option. In addition, the elegant estate is equipped with a driving dynamics manager for the first time, which controls the functions of the electronic differential locks and the lateral dynamics of the dampers. This makes the handling characteristics more stable and precise through wheel-specific brake interventions and changes to the damper hardness.

The Passat is very comfortable in everyday traffic. Although the suspension is firm, together with the precise steering it also ensures safe cornering behavior. Noise comfort in the interior is also at a high level.

Prices start at 48,700 Swiss francs (1.5 TSI evo, 150 PS). The eHybrid and 4-Motion models follow a little later.

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For its rebirth edition, the GIMS, Moto: Auto.Future.Now, welcomed 37 exhibitors, including 19 manufacturers, who unveiled no fewer than 23 premieres, divided into 13 world premieres and ten European premieres. MG (sold by ASTARA) and BYD (sold by the Emil Frey Group) presented their latest models for their market entries in Switzerland.

Need for information

With an increasing number of visitors over the course of the week, which peaked at 40,000 admissions with two sold-out days, the maximum capacity of the Palexpo halls, a total of almost 168,000 visitors wandered the aisles of the exhibition over the seven days of the fair. This confirms the public's need to meet exhibitors and manufacturers in order to discover new products.

Interest in thematic zones 

Adrenaline Zone, Design District, Mobility Lab and Next World were true epicenters of curiosity and aroused significant interest among visitors. Each space, dedicated to a specific aspect of the automobile, offered an informative, entertaining or experiential dimension. Conceived in collaboration with the Gran Turismo e-gaming franchise and Lamborghini, the Next World zone allowed visitors to beat the reference time set by European Gran Turismo champion driver Giorgio Mangano. More than 5000 players aged from 16 to over 80 tried their luck during the duration of the show.

Geneva Motor Show as a mouthpiece

Alexandre de Senarclens, President of the Foundation Comité permanent du Salon international de l'Automobile: "Given the great importance of the automobile in our society, and that it will continue to have in the future, its sector needs a mouthpiece and a platform that allows it to meet the public in person. Given the very encouraging attendance figures for this edition of the GIMS, both from visitors and the media, the Geneva Motor Show can and must play this role."

GIMS 2025 from February 17 to 23

The dates for GIMS 2025 have already been set; the show will take place from February 17 to 23, 2025. Registrations for exhibitors are already open.

The organizers promise an even richer and more immersive edition, with the evolution of the format in the experience offered to visitors and exhibitors

motofestival celebrates second success

But there were also exciting days for bikers. The second motofestival in Bern was a successful start to the 2024 motorcycle season. Over the four days of the event, the organizer BERNEXPO once again counted 40,000 visitors in the spacious and well-filled exhibition halls. The third motofestival will take place from February 27 to March 2, 2025.

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Nico Müller and Peugeot have been left behind in their previous appearances in the World Endurance Championship. The Bernese driver's best result to date was a fourth place in Bahrain in 2022. At the WEC opener in Qatar, he came within a whisker of his first podium finish. Müller & Co. were in second place until the last lap after numerous laps in the lead, when Müller's team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne ran out of fuel on the last lap. The Peugeot 9X8 with the #93 reached the finish line (with electric power) in seventh place. The frustration was great. And it got even bigger. Because Vergne was no longer able to drive to the parc fermé under his own power, Müller's Peugeot was disqualified.

Nico Müller: "It's unbelievable. We run out of fuel on the last lap, probably because of a problem at the last refueling stop. We have to analyze what happened. It's tough, we deserved second place today. We were in the top three for the whole race. We would have loved to retire the 9X8 with a top result."

No chance for Sébastien Buemi

The best of the five Swiss hypercar drivers was Sébastien Buemi (gallery right). However, the Vaud native could not be satisfied with ninth place either. For once, both Toyota cars had no chance. The two GR010s were the heaviest cars due to the balance of performance and were therefore never able to compete for a podium place. Neel Jani in the Proton Porsche finished directly behind Buemi in tenth place. As the third-best privateer, Jani was the only Swiss driver to finish on the podium (gallery far left).

The two WEC rookies Edoardo Mortara (Lamborghini) and Raffaele Marciello (BMW) finished 14th and 15th respectively, with Marciello's BMW having to have its brakes changed in the final hour. Mortara's Lambo was the slowest hypercar over the entire weekend. Victory in the first race went to the Penske-Porsche team with Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor.

Fifth place for Thomas Flohr

Ferrari driver Thomas Flohr took fifth place in the new GT3 championship, while Grégoire Saucy finished 14th. The McLaren of the Jurassien driver suffered a bump at the start and had to have the suspension repaired. Later, Saucy's car also collided with one of the Ferraris. All You can find the results HERE.

The next FIA WEC race takes place in Imola in mid-April. Müller will then attack with a new Peugeot.Max Esteron with a good result

The Swiss figurehead in junior formula racing, Jenzer Motorsport, competed in two races at the weekend. At the FIA Formula 3 season opener in Bahrain (as part of Formula 1), Jenzer and American Max Esteron (center gallery) secured a very good sixth place in the first race.

Jenzer Motorsport fared even better in the Spanish Formula 4 winter series. There, the team from Lyss was able to celebrate two podium finishes in the rookie classification thanks to two third places for the Hungarian Adam Hideg. For Enea Frey, the third race weekend in Alcaniz ended in 24th, 16th and 16th place.

Photos: Peugeot, Toyota, Porsche, Dutch Photo Agency
Source: Auto Sport Switzerland
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There have been rumors for a long time. Now it's definite: the Bière slalom, which was originally due to kick off this year's Swiss slalom championship, has been postponed by three weeks. The slalom on Lake Geneva will now take place on May 4 and 5.

Cancellation of the Romont slalom

This means that the Slalom Championships will not start until the end of April (27th and 28th) as part of the Auto-Race Days in Frauenfeld (gallery). Without the Romont slalom, which the organizing committee had to cancel with a heavy heart this week, the 2024 Swiss slalom season looks as follows:

• April 27/28, Frauenfeld
• May 04/05, Bière
• May 18/19, Bure
• May 25/26, Ambri (double event)
• June 22/23, Chamblon

The new date for Bière also eliminates the clash of dates with the slalom test days in Ambri (April 13 and 14).

Agenda for the Junior Championship

The cancellation of the Romont slalom also has an impact on the Junior Championships. As the Romont slalom has been canceled, the Championships Committee has applied to the NSK office for the Slalom de Bière to be added to the calendar of the Swiss Junior Championships. The NSK office unanimously approved this request for a calendar adjustment. This means that the following slaloms will be part of the 2024 Junior Championships: Frauenfeld, Bière, Bure and Chamblon.

Source: Car Sport Switzerland
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To celebrate the iconic model, the first 33 Stradale Day took place on March 3. To mark the occasion, the Centro Stile Alfa Romeo is presenting previously unpublished photos of an Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale in the traditional royal blue body color. Of the less than a dozen historic Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale built in road versions, only one was painted in this color.

The best-selling model

The number 33 plays a major role in the Alfa Romeo universe. In 1933, the traditional Italian brand celebrated victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Mille Miglia, and the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale sports car presented in 1967 is one of the most beautiful coupés of all time. The later large-scale production model Alfa Romeo 33 became one of the best-selling models in the brand's history, with almost one million units produced.

New public holiday is March 3

Alfa continued this story in 2023. The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale super sports car pays homage to the coupé of the same name from the 1960s. Produced in just 33 units, the two-seater underlines the brand's expertise in terms of style and driving experience. But the number 33 also has a meaning in the current annual report: last year, the brand increased its global sales result by 33 percent compared to 2022. Alfa Romeo is now dedicating "33 Stradale Day" to the symbolic number. In future, every 3rd of March will be a day on which Alfa Romeo celebrates its shared passion together with fans around the world and the more than 250 brand clubs.

33 comes as HEV or BEV

Future owners of the small-series super sports car will also be able to choose from two completely different drive variants. In the combustion version, a V6 biturbo engine with a maximum output of 620 hp is used to drive the rear wheels. The newly developed all-electric drive has a system output of 552 kW (750 hp). It is transmitted to all four wheels. And of course the number 33 also appears in the technical data of the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale: The top speed of the coupé is 333 km/h.

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Whoever claims that Porsche sports cars are mainly men's cars should stick their nose in the history book again. The first person to buy a Porsche production car in 1949 was a Swiss woman. Jolantha Maria Tschudi from Zurich (gallery), record holder for a 5,000-metre take-off altitude in gliding and co-pilot on risky African expeditions, wanted a vehicle that was as extraordinary as she was. She found what she was looking for in the Porsche 356/2 Cabriolet with Beutler bodywork.

A track day was the beginning

The question that arises in connection with the new Porsche Ladies Club should be: Why did it take almost 75 years for this to happen? When a number of Swiss women met for a track day at the race track in Franciacorta, Italy, in August 2022 - many of them for the second or even third year in a row - they had no idea that they would soon become pioneers. They simply enjoyed the friendly atmosphere.

All age groups are represented

Manuela Cottiati, with petrol in her blood since she was allowed on the racetrack with her godfather as a little girl, lives in Freiamt in the canton of Aargau and drives both a 911 Carrera S and a 911 GT3. She took matters into her own hands. It didn't take much convincing to get the others excited about the idea of a club for women.

With Karin Strasser, Caroline Studer, Ouchj Buck Maurer and Ami Heiniger, the club was founded on January 23, 2023 and licensed by Porsche on May 15, 2023. It turned out to be the very first women-only club out of over 700 official Porsche Clubs worldwide, including 32 in Switzerland alone. Today, the Porsche Ladies Club already has 26 members. All of them drive one or more sports cars with the Stuttgart emblem on the hood and cover all age groups between 20 and 70.

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