After a (very) long wait, it's about to go C1 Learn & Drive Trophy and our machine is practically ready to attack the curves and straights of the Braga circuit next Sunday, the 7th of April.
However, while this week we were finalizing the preparations for our little Citroën C1 to be as fast as possible in the tests it will face, it was little surprise that we came across another “attack” by the European Commission to the car (and in this case to speed in particular) in the name of an alleged increase in road safety.
The idea is to impose the presence of 11 new security systems in the cars we drive from 2022. Among these, the most controversial is the Smart Speed Assistant which should be able to automatically limit the vehicle's speed. It remains to be seen whether we are going to be able to turn it off or whether we are going to have a babysitter.
Speaking of the future, it was Smart, which, thanks to a joint-venture between Daimler and Geely, will not only continue to exist but will win models. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz announced that it will produce an electric compact in factories left vacant by Smart's move to China.
But if Smart's future seems assured after the arrival of a “joint guard”, the same cannot be said about rear-wheel-drive fans. It's just that this week brought confirmation of what we were all waiting for, the new BMW 1 Series will not only switch to front-wheel drive, it will abandon six-cylinder engines, adopting more “conventional” solutions.
SEAT has already decided to reveal its plans for the coming years. Thus, between SEAT and CUPRA, six new electrified models will be unveiled (plug-in hybrids and 100% electric), all of which are expected to arrive by 2021. At the same time, there is a mini-MEB, courtesy of the joint work of SEAT and Volkswagen .
But for now, enough talking about the future and let's travel to the past. After talking to Christian von Koenigsegg just a few weeks ago, we found out that his first car was a Mazda MX-5. And as they say that there is no love like the first one, the father of models like the Agera RS or the Jesko, has now reunited with his MX-5.
About the present, this brought us news about Tesla's sales in Europe in February. In the first full month of sales, the Model 3 not only rose to first place in sales among electric models in the Old Continent, but also managed to lead sales among the premium saloons in the D-segment!
Tests, tests everywhere
But because not everything is news, in the last week we have driven several cars, all so that you can read the most diverse tests and tests on our website. Fernando Gomes gives you his verdict on the little Jeep Renegade and the “almighty” Audi A6, a car that feels as comfortable on an Autobahn as a German at the Oktoberfest.
Speaking of Germany, Guilherme Costa drove an authentic yellow rocket from that country and not only wrote an article but also a video where he gives you all the details about the Mercedes-AMG A 35 4MATIC, the cheapest AMG that you can buy.
Now Diogo Teixeira went to France to test the new “whooping” DS, the 3 Crossback and in another video he tells you everything you have to know about the new SUV of the French premium brand. As for me, I drove a Mazda CX-3 SKYACTIV-D to try to understand how much Diesel is as bad as they “paint” it and how the marriage of this new engine with the Japanese SUV went.
As you can see, it was a busy week, and the truth is that the one we are starting now promises not to be outdone, so you know, it continues on that side to keep up with the latest innovations in the automotive world.