This week's gossip from the automotive industry has news of Mercedes's plan for the Smart model line-up, Porsche's former technical boss' thoughts on the 911 GT2 RS, Seat's name for its upcoming seven-seat SUV and Peugeot's order books are growing thanks to the Peugeot 3008.
Mercedes's plan for the Smart model line-up
Mercedes-Benz wants to expand its Smart model line-up, according to sales and marketing boss Britta Seeger. Rumours abound that its next model will be an SUV, but Seeger said only that she is “keen to grow the product” and future models were “under investigation”.
Read more: Mercedes-Benz S-Class review, 2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class - latest spy shots show new LED lights
Porsche's former technical boss' thoughts on the 911 GT2 RS
Former Porsche technical boss and Volkswagen Group engine chief Wolfgang Hatz, who left at the height of the Dieselgate scandal, was a guest at the launch of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS at Goodwood recently. “I’m here to see my baby. I was enjoying working on it before I left,” he said, smiling. Hatz now works for a technical investment fund in San Francisco, is a parttime lecturer at Stanford University and is involved in projects with motorsport’s governing body, the FIA.
Read more: Porsche 911 GT2 RS: new video shows 690bhp sports car at Goodwood, 2018 Porsche Cayenne to gain 911-style tail-light strip
Seat's name for its upcoming seven-seat SUV
Seat has had more than 130,000 suggestions for a name for its upcoming seven-seat SUV in 2018. It has invited entries online to name the car and, so far, 10,103 unique suggestions have been made by people in 106 countries. Seat, which sells cars in 80 countries, will announce the name in October after a public vote from a shortlist that will be confirmed in September.
Read more: Seat to hold public vote to name new seven-seat SUV, Seat Arona - new pictures of all-new Nissan Juke rival
Peugeot's order books are growing thanks to the Peugeot 3008
Peugeot's order bank is at a three-year high, buoyed by sales of the new 3008. “The figures are at their highest level since January 2014,” said boss Jean-Philippe Imparato. “Thirty-eight per cent of those orders are 3008, but the rest is spread across the range. If you get the product right and focus on quality, then the rest will follow.”
Read more: 2017 Peugeot 308 GTi review, PSA Group semi-autonomous cars arrive this year; full autonomy in 2020
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Wow. A new 7 seat SUV from
Wow. A new 7 seat SUV from SEAT. I wonder what it will be like?!
scrap wrote:
Hahaha! just thinking that myself, I wonder how the marketing people will be justifying their positions on that one - It'll be exactly the same as the Audi/VW/Skoda version but with more "passion" or what we call a crease on the door at a jaunty angle...
Meanwhile at SEATs desgin HQ..."Hans! Get the fotokopier warmed up"
Fake Elvis wrote:
Just out of curiosity... Why did you choose "Hans"? Shouldn't it be "Alejandro" or something or is there something that I don't know (e.g. is the the SEAT design HQ located in Germany)?