For 16,989 francs, there is no cheaper fully-fledged e-car in Switzerland. And the little one is not stingy with big values: 330 kilometers range, 61 hp and 31.4 kWh battery capacity. The great thing is that clever drivers can save money and protect the environment.

Inner values not without
Five seats with decorative stitching, an elegant leather multifunction steering wheel and rear seats that can be folded down 1/3 and 2/3. LED headlights and LED daytime running lights ensure safety. Just like ABS, ESP, a rear parking sensor and a reversing camera. Electric windows and electrically adjustable and heated exterior mirrors are practical.

Like little colorful Smarties
The first delivery comes in limited edition colors such as pink, turquoise, green & co. But watch out: The coolest colors run best. According to general importer Auto Kunz from Wohlen AG, the next shipment will come from China in other colors.

jac-switzerland.ch

Visually, the special series is based on the RS Q e-tron rally car. 70 parts of the chassis were modified to raise the car by 6.5 centimetres. The track has been extended by 5.7 centimetres and the wheel arches have been widened accordingly. Roof racks and an outdoor bag are standard; up to 40 kilograms can be loaded on the roof. The camera exterior mirrors, which are available at extra cost on the regular Q8 e-tron, reduce the width of the vehicle.

Off-road tires type General Grabber AT3
From the outside, the Dakar edition can be recognized by the grille in the vehicle color and the contrasting sill, but above all by the 18-inch wheel rims supplied, which are fitted with General Grabber AT3 off-road tires. For use in the urban jungle, the summer tires on conventional 20-inch wheels, which are also included, are sufficient. They extend the range of the electric drive by 50 kilometers.

The regular Q8 e-Tron already has very good off-road characteristics, but the Dakar Edition goes one better. We were able to see this for ourselves during extensive test drives in the desert of Oman - at the wheel of a Limited Edition 99.

The interior largely offers the regular S-Line equipment and you will look in vain for a badge. Instead, the serial number is noted in the foil on the C-pillar. Special floor mats and stainless steel overlays on the pedals provide a rustic flair.

Screen with its own off-road graphics
For extreme off-road situations, we selected the new Offroad mode introduced for the Dakar edition. It must be consciously switched on again each time the car is restarted. The maximum altitude is maintained up to 50 km/h, above which the Q8 e-Tron gradually lowers. The screen background has its own off-road graphics.

At first, we get down to business quickly on a wide gravel road. The Edition Dakar is very easy to handle, even at well over 100 km/h, allowing light drifts, while at the same time the air suspension irons out the worn washboard in an astonishing way. Despite weighing 2.6 tons, the car is surprisingly light and fun to drive. The Edition Dakar also masters challenging terrain, but remains comfortable. Twice we drive through waters with a depth of 30 centimeters. No problem for the four rings.

The Dakar is based on the Q8 e-Tron 55, which delivers up to 300 kW (408 hp). Equipped in this way, it sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.9 seconds, with a top speed of 200 km/h. Last but not least: it has a range of up to 450 kilometers in the WLTP cycle.

Source: Car-Medienportal.net

audi.ch

With an official lap time of 7:07.55 minutes, Lars Kern in the Taycan Turbo S Sport with Performance Package was no less than 26 seconds faster than on his last record run in August 2022. This makes the pre-series Taycan the fastest electric car from Zuffenhausen.

Kevin Giek, head of the series: "26 seconds is half an eternity in motorsport. Lars' time is sensational, putting the Taycan in the range of electric hypercars. And the impressive thing is that Lars achieved almost the same time over several laps."

Roll cage and racing bucket seats
For safety reasons, the record-breaking car was equipped with the mandatory roll cage and racing bucket seats. Compared to the 2022 record in a Taycan Turbo S, the times are even better. On the approach to the Schwedenkreuz, the pre-series car is a good 25 km/h faster. When the test driver crossed the finish line in the area of Grandstand 13 that day, he had only just passed the entrance to the Nordschleife on the 2022 record run - just before the Antoniusbuche section of the track. The distance between the pre-series car and the current Turbo S is therefore more than 1.3 kilometers. This is a figure that clearly illustrates the leap in performance on the 20.8-kilometer circuit in the Eifel.

Lars Kern: "I pushed as hard as I could, but that was as far as I could go."

porsche.ch

At the age of 37, Albin Abdi already has 22 years of experience in the tire industry. He began his professional career as a federal tire specialist. He later took over the management of various branches, specialized in sales and marketing and continued his career in sales management.

Despite his professional development, Abdi has always remained loyal to the tire industry. His strong expertise makes him the best candidate for the position of Country Manager of Yokohama's Swiss branch.

Increased local market presence
The new head of Switzerland is looking forward to a promising future for Yokohama Switzerland: "Thanks to the increased market presence with our local team and an extensive product portfolio, we meet all the requirements for long-term success on the Swiss market."

In addition, with the support of the European management, Abdi would like to focus more on individual customer needs at a national level in the future in order to be able to offer customized support together with the Swiss team.

yokohama.ch

As part of his MTV Unplugged promo phase, Stress also made a stop in the city on the Limmat and had an emotional encounter with two of his fans. In the Nissan X-Trail, for which he is traveling as an ambassador, the rapper not only met long-time fans, but also best friends who have described him as their soundtrack since childhood. The atmosphere in the car was exuberant.

The star from Lausanne couldn't believe his eyes when the two of them showed him their stress tattoo on their arms. They talked enthusiastically about the many concerts they went to when they were teenagers.

Tour starts on March 8 in Basel
The reason for this special jaunt through Zurich was the recently released MTV Unplugged album, which entered the Swiss charts at number one in just a few days. Stress thus joins Patent Ochsner as the second Swiss artist to have the honor of recording such an album. The Estonian-born artist is also celebrating his 20th anniversary on stage this year. The MTV Unplugged tour starts on March 8, 2024 at the Casino Bern.

nissan.ch

stressmusic.com

Although the network of charging stations is becoming denser, a majority of the Swiss population believes that there are still too few stations available. Many are therefore holding off on buying an electric car in the hope that the situation will improve, especially for rental apartments.

According to figures from the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), 228,027 new passenger cars were registered by the end of November 2023. This represents an increase of twelve percent compared to the previous year. In contrast, sales of vehicles with combustion engines continue to fall. In 2023, 77,351 petrol vehicles and 21,528 diesel models were registered, while sales of hybrid vehicles continue to rise significantly.

Tesla is the most popular brand
By the end of November 2023, 45,538 electric vehicles had been put on the road. This corresponds to an increase of 35.7% compared to the previous year. According to Auto-Schweiz, this gives electric vehicles a market share of 20.2%. This corresponds to growth of 13.5% compared to 2022. Plug-in hybrids have little influence on the development of the market share of plug-in vehicles. As in the previous year, the Tesla Model Y is the leader among electric cars in Switzerland, followed by the Skoda Enyaq, Audi Q4, VW ID.3 and Cupra Born.

Switzerland falls back to 9th place
The overall market share of plug-in vehicles amounted to 29.3% at the end of November. Despite the growth in electric cars, it will be difficult to achieve the goal of the electric mobility roadmap to increase the proportion of plug-in vehicles to 50% by 2025. At European level, Switzerland is falling behind: while it was still at the forefront when electric mobility was introduced to the market, it is now only in ninth place in terms of EV registrations. Nevertheless, electric vehicles continue to gain ground on petrol and diesel models in this country.

There are currently 12,567 public charging stations in Switzerland, compared to 9,152 at the end of 2022. Although the number of public charging stations is steadily increasing, the TCS E-barometer for electric mobility shows that a majority of respondents believe that there are not enough charging stations available.

tcs.ch

The new Fiat Scudo is available with an electric motor or diesel. The E-Scudo provides an output of 100 kW (136 hp) and a maximum torque of 260 Nm. Its 50-kWh battery enables a range of up to 224 kilometers, and up to 350 kilometers are possible with the 75-kWh battery. The longer ranges are achieved thanks to improved energy management, with a choice of three recuperation levels via shift paddles on the steering wheel.

Diesel engine in three power levels
Alternatively, four-cylinder diesel engines with 120, 144 and 177 hp are available. Dimensions, weights and load volume remain virtually unchanged in the new model year. The panel van and Multicab are each available in two lengths for both drive variants, as is the platform chassis.

Lane Keeping Assist, Collision Warning and Emergency Brake Assist, maximum speed limit display, Attention Assist and High Beam Assist have been added to the standard equipment. As part of an optional package, adaptive cruise control is also available, which implements a stop-and-go function in conjunction with the automatic transmission. In total, the Scudo can be equipped with up to 18 electronic assistance systems.

fiat.ch

As part of the partnership between Suzuki Switzerland and the Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival (ESAF), ESAF Managing Director Walter Hofmann was able to take delivery of his OC vehicle, a Suzuki Across, at the end of December 2023. His two colleagues Jakob Kamm (OC President) and Patrick Sommer (Project and Sponsorship Manager) have already received their vehicles.

Partnerships and sponsoring
The commitment to ESAF 2025 fits in perfectly with Suzuki's existing partnerships and sponsorship strategy, in which Swissness and down-to-earthness are core values. Suzuki Switzerland is also a partner of the 2024 Swiss National Costume Festival in Zurich in June, as well as various wrestling festivals such as the Lucerne Cantonal Festival, the NOS and the Burgdorf Wrestling Festival. The Swiss Wrestling and Alpine Festival will take place in Glarus from August 29 to 31, 2025. More than 350,000 guests are expected.

suzuki.ch

esaf2025.ch

Racing Switzerland 2023 guides its readers through the past year's racing season in an entertaining way with in-depth analyses of the events. The achievements of the best Swiss motorsport drivers on two and four wheels are honored in more than 30 richly illustrated chapters. The rankings section concludes the 40th edition.

Background 24 Hours of Le Mans
It kicks off with a comprehensive special section on the Swiss milestones in the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The endurance classic celebrated its 100th anniversary in June 2023. The focus is also on national racing with its championships and cups on the mountain, slaloms, rallies and circuits.

Swissness and international series
The international focus is on the World Endurance Championship, the various GT categories including the DTM and one-make cups with the numerous successes of Swiss drivers, Formula 1 with an assessment of the situation at Alfa Romeo Sauber and Max Verstappen's high-flying performance, Swissness in the Formula E World Championship as well as touring car and formula racing series.

Dragster, drift and historic racing will not be neglected either. In karting, the Swiss Championship, Rotax Max Challenge and Vega Trofeo are covered. The motorcycle section focuses on Dominique Aegerter, Lukas Maurer, Jeremy Seewer, Randy Krummenacher and the up-and-coming talent Noah Dettwiler, who is coached by Tom Lüthi.

324 pages and 550 glossy photos
Motorsport expert Peter Wyss, supported by competent guest authors, is responsible for the content. The publisher is Aktiv-Verlag. Book data: 324 pages with more than 550 photos in 21 x 26 cm format, hardcover, thread-bound, 65 francs plus shipping. Please order directly from the publisher.

activepublisher.ch

If you want to win Rennsport Schweiz 2023 with thrilling pictures and interesting stories from Swiss motorsport and enter the scene, then you should fill out and submit the form by January 9, 2024.

The Valhalla is the first hybrid super sports car from Aston Martin. It combines a 180-degree biturbo V8 with three electric motors, delivering a maximum of 1012 hp in the system. 812 hp comes from the 4-liter petrol engine, 150 kW (around 200 hp) from two electric motors. A new 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox has been specially developed for the hybrid future, and an electronic limited slip differential on the rear axle ensures maximum traction and agile handling.

From 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds
In pure electric mode, the Valhalla reaches a speed of 130 km/h. With the total power output, up to 350 km/h is then possible, and the car sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.5 seconds. The chassis, aerodynamics and electronics are inspired by Formula 1. The pushrod front suspension with internal springs and dampers ensures low unsprung masses.

The tailor-made carbon monocoque offers maximum rigidity at a low weight. At a speed of 240 km/h, the Valhalla generates a downforce of 600 kilograms. Perfect for thrilling cornering at high speed and unshakeable stability. Prices are available on request.

astonmartin.com