BYD announced the rollout of its first Flash Chargers in Europe, capable of charging EVs in just 5 minutes. The company introduced its first chargers in the UK and Germany and promised to build 3,000 chargers across Europe and 300 across the UK by the end of 2027.

The company’s Flash Chargers aren’t exactly new, but they are new to European drivers. Just one of BYD’s Flash Charging stations can deliver up to 1,500 kW of charging power, which is three times more than Tesla’s V4 Superchargers.

Additionally, BYD plans to undercut the competition from Tesla and Ionity and offer cheaper fares. It plans to do that by leveraging batteries. These batteries will charge overnight during off-peak hours and provide cheaper electricity to consumers. Additionally, BYD believes it can charge more EVs throughout the day compared to the competition, which will push prices down even further.

Naturally, if you want to utilize BYD’s fast chargers to the fullest, you have to own one of BYD’s EVs equipped with the latest Blade Battery 2.0. This battery can already be found in some BYD EVs, but only one model sold in Europe is compatible with the Flash Chargers, and that’s the Denza Z9 GT. At least for now.

Just a 5-minute charge will refill the battery from 10% to 70%, while a “full” charge from 10% to 97% takes only 9 minutes. Additionally, the technology promises minimal performance loss in low-temperature environments.

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Lexus is finally getting serious about big electric cars. The luxury brand revealed its first SUV with three rows of seats that runs only on batteries – the Lexus TZ. This new vehicle will compete with other popular EVs like the Rivian R1S and the Volvo EX90. It looks sleek and fits right in with the rest of the Lexus family. A lot of people have been waiting for a luxury electric car that can carry the whole family, and the TZ will fill that spot perfectly when it arrives at dealerships later this year.

The Lexus TZ shares its mechanical parts with the Toyota Highlander BEV. It uses the same dedicated frame built just for electric cars. Buyers can choose between two different battery sizes when they pick their car. The smaller battery is 76.96 kWh, and the larger one is 95.82 kWh. Lexus says the bigger battery will let the car drive about 300 miles on a single charge.

Every version of the 2027 Lexus TZ comes with the all-wheel drive DIRECT4 system. It helps the car stay steady when turning corners and helps it speed up quickly from a stop. The electric motors produce a total of 420 horsepower – more than enough for a family hauler. It should make the SUV feel fast even when it is full of people and gear. Drivers can also pick from different modes like Sport, Eco, or Range to change how the car feels on the road. There is even a “Rear Comfort” mode to keep the kids in the back from bouncing around too much.

While the power is good, the towing capacity is a bit lower than some people might expect from a large SUV. The Lexus TZ can pull a trailer weighing up to 3,501 lb. If you look at its rivals, the Hyundai IONIQ 9 can tow up to 5,000 lb. That is a big difference if you need to pull a heavy boat or a large trailer. It seems Lexus focused more on luxury and smooth driving than on heavy lifting. Still, 3,501 lb is enough for a small camper or a couple of jet skis for a weekend at the lake.

Lexus spent a lot of time making the inside of the TZ feel like a plush living room. They call the interior design a “Driving Lounge.” The goal is to make everyone feel relaxed, even the people sitting in the very back row. The car uses new materials to block out wind and tire noise. Lexus claims this is the quietest SUV they have ever made. If the silence is too much for you, there is a Mark Levinson sound system with 21 speakers that probably sounds like a private concert hall inside the cabin.

The seats are where things get really serious for an electric car. For the first time in a Lexus SUV, the front passenger and the middle row seats have power footrests. These seats also have fans to keep you cool on hot days. If you miss the sound of a gas engine, Lexus added a feature called Active Sound Control. It makes noises that sound like a regular car shifting gears. Trying to act like something it is not is a first for Lexus, but some drivers might find it fun to hear something other than electric humming.

The 2027 Lexus TZ is 16.7 ft long and 6.53 ft wide. It stands 5.6 ft tall. The distance between the front and back wheels is 10.01 ft. This size makes it almost exactly the same as the Volvo EX90. It is a large car that will take up a good amount of space in a garage. Because it is so big, there is plenty of room for three rows of people to sit comfortably without bumping knees.

When it comes to carrying gear, the TZ has 0.39 cubic meters of space behind the third row of seats. That is not a huge amount, but you can fold the second and third rows flat into the floor with the touch of a button. This creates a big, flat area for hauling large boxes. However, there is one strange thing about this car – it does not have a front trunk, or a “frunk.” Most electric cars use the space where an engine used to be for extra storage, but Lexus left that space empty or blocked it off.

Charging the Lexus TZ is fairly simple but not too fast. It can use charging stations that provide up to 150 kW of power. This allows the battery to go from 10 percent to 80 percent in a leisurely 35 minutes. One great feature is the new NACS port. This means Lexus owners can use Tesla Superchargers without needing a special adapter. It also has a unique 2-in-1 port that puts two different types of plugs side by side. This should make it much easier to plug in at different types of charging stations when you are away from home.

Safety is always a big deal for family EVs. The TZ comes with the Lexus Safety System+ 4.0. This includes tools that help the driver stay in their lane and stop the car if it thinks a crash might happen. It can even spot people walking near the car and help the driver steer away from danger. As for the price, Lexus has not given a final number yet, but we think it will start well over £44,000 when it arrives in the US. That makes it much cheaper than the Lucid Gravity but very close to the Hyundai IONIQ 9. It will officially go on sale near the end of 2026.

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The Beijing Auto Show is always full of surprises, but this year, a giant took the stage. XPeng has officially pulled the covers off its newest flagship SUV, the XPeng GX. This big vehicle is designed to be the best of the best for the Chinese company. With a starting price of RMB 399,800, which is about £42,200, it is not a cheap family runaround, but it offers a lot of features that usually cost much more in other electric cars. This six-seater has more computer power than many professional workstations. XPeng wants to prove that its cars can be as luxurious and advanced as the top-shelf offerings from famous luxury brands from Europe.

When you first look at the XPeng GX from a distance, you might think you are seeing a Range Rover. It has a similar boxy, strong look that many luxury buyers love. But the GX is actually longer than the British classic. It measures 207.3 inches from front to back. The wheelbase is a roomy 122.6 inches. But even though it is a giant SUV, it moves through the air very easily. It has a drag coefficient of 0.255 – better than many small, sleek cars. It sits on large 22-inch wheels that help it stand tall and look expensive.

Inside the car, the space is the real star. Most SUVs with three rows of seats feel like a cardboard box in the very back. The XPeng GX uses a layout with two seats in each of the three rows. The doors close themselves softly, so you never have to worry about slamming them. XPeng says this is a car built for families and it isn’t wrong. The trunk is big enough to hold six large suitcases, even when every seat is full. There is a fridge that stays quiet while it keeps your drinks cold. The front passenger seat can even lean back 180 degrees for a nap. If you want some privacy, the glass can dim itself using AI technology.

There are two versions of the new GX available – the first is a pure electric option. This model uses an 800V system that allows for very fast charging. XPeng calls this 5C supercharging. On a full charge, this version can travel 466 miles. It uses two electric motors for all-wheel drive to make sure it has plenty of grip on the road. This makes it one of the long-distance leaders among modern EVs.

The second version is an extended-range EV. This model can go 267 miles using just its battery. It also has a small gas engine that acts like a generator, and when you use both, the total range jumps to 985 miles. That is a serious distance for any vehicle. You could drive for days without needing to stop for fuel or a charge. Like the pure electric version, this one also comes with all-wheel drive as standard equipment.

XPeng calls the GX its first “robotaxi-ready” car – it has the hardware to drive itself in the future. It uses four special AI chips designed by XPeng. These chips are very powerful and can think much faster than a human. To help the car steer, XPeng worked with Bosch to build a steer-by-wire system. This means there is no metal rod connecting the steering wheel to the tires. Instead, the car uses wires and computers to tell the wheels which way to turn. This allows the AI to steer faster and with more precision.

Safety is another area where XPeng is showing off its strengths. The company says the XPeng GX has “aviation-grade” safety – it has backup systems for everything, just like a commercial airplane. If one system for steering or braking fails, there are five more layers of backup to keep you safe. The car can also stop itself automatically if it sees a crash coming. It can do this at speeds up to 93 mph. It even works on ice and snow, which is usually very hard for computers to handle.

But this is not the first time XPeng has tried to sell a luxury car. They tried it once before with the G9, but it did not go very well. Now, the GX has to fight against other popular Chinese EVs like the Li Auto L9 and the NIO ES8. Pretty much anywhere in the world, a car with all these features for £42,200 would be an instant hit. But in China, the competition is so tough that some people think the price is a bit high.

If you want to spend a little more, you can get a special paint job called “Kunlun Cloud Realm.” This paint is put on in 15 different layers, with each layer 230 micrometers thick. This makes the car look like it was painted by hand by an artist. It gives the GX a lustrous, deep look that you usually only see on cars that cost in excess of £150,000. XPeng is trying very hard to make sure this SUV feels like a true luxury product from top to bottom.

XPeng is changing from a car company into an AI mobility company. They are already making robots, eVTOL aircraft and are working on robot taxis. The XPeng GX is a big part of this new plan. If the self-driving technology works as well as they promise, the high price might be worth it. People might be willing to pay more for a car that can handle the boring parts of driving for them. For now, the cars are already arriving at stores in China.

General Motors has finally revealed the all-new Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport powered by its next-generation V8 engine that produces more torque than any other naturally aspirated V8 before it.

GM has also introduced the new Grand Sport X, which comes with an all-wheel drive system, featuring a front-axle electric motor.

The LS6 6.7-liter naturally aspirated V8 delivers 535 hp and 520 lb-ft of torque. It uses a 95 mm throttle body, a tunnel ram intake with high-velocity ports, a new lubrication system, forged pistons and rods, and revised exhaust manifolds.

In the Grand Sport, power is transmitted to the rear axle via an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. It also gets a quad center exhaust – a first for a pushrod V8.

While Magnetic Ride Control is standard, the Z52 Sport Performance Package adds a stiffer setup, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, and J560 brakes from the Corvette Z06.

The Z53 Track Performance Package comes with carbon ceramic brakes, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires, a track-focused chassis and an aero package which includes a carbon fibre splitter, dive planes, rockers, underbody strakes and a wing.

The Grand Sport X packs 721 hp and comes equipped with carbon ceramic brakes, Magnetic Ride Control and Michelin tyres. Like the ZR1X, this version of the ‘Vette has ‘Endurance’ and ‘Qualifying’ modes as well as a ‘Push-to-Pass’ button that unleashes the full potential of the powertrain. In the electric-only Stealth mode, the Grand Sport X is restricted to 50 mph.

Source: Chevrolet

Audi is bidding farewell to its iconic 5-cylinder turbo-petrol engine with a new limited edition RS3. The RS3 Competition Limited will be available in Sportback and saloon body styles. Only 750 units will be built with prices starting at around $121,000.

The RS3 Competition Limited features a sporty body kit which comprises an aggressive-looking front bumper with large vents and dive planes, side skirts and a rear diffuser with dual exhausts. It has a low-set singleframe grille, vents behind the front fenders, a roof spoiler and 19-inch alloy wheels finished in Neodymium gold.

Inside, the limited edition RS3 gets black Nappa leather upholstery with Neodymium gold stitching and Dynamica inserts. The car comes with RS bucket seats and matte carbon fibre trim. The sporty steering wheel is wrapped in Alcantara.

Under the bonnet is Audi’s 2.5-liter inline 5-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that produces 388 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Audi claims a 0-62 mph time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph.

The RS3 Competition Limited has all-wheel drive with a torque-vectoring rear differential. It is equipped with an RS Sports exhaust and a set of new manually adjustable coilover suspension instead of the adjustable dampers offered on the standard car.

Source: Audi