Back in August 2021, at Monterey Car Week, Mate Rimac talked about plans for a new hypercar. He did not go into details then, he only said that a completely new model is in development and that it could arrive in 2024.

According to Motor1, now this CEO of the newly established company Bugatti Rimac has revealed several things about the new model. The 33-year-old Croatian entrepreneur has promised that there is still a future for the old internal combustion engine. He promises that we will be "surprised" by the new hypercar, which will have unprecedented characteristics on a production car.

"I am also in favor of an internal combustion engine." One question arises from this statement - will Chiron's successor keep the powerful W16 engine? If Lamborghini can keep the V12 alive for the successor to the Aventador, we can only hope that Bugatti will do everything to ensure that the 8.0-liter engine meets the stricter regulations on exhaust emissions.

Of course, keeping the SUS engine doesn’t mean the next Bugatti will avoid electrification. A massive W16 engine in the center of the hybrid setup would create an insanely powerful (and heavy) car considering the Super Sport 300+ already has a whopping 1,577hp.

Based on previous statements, Mate Rimac is open-minded about Bugati's future. Last year, he said he could "do something crazy" or "something completely crazy that no one thinks about." A coupe with a long hood or even an SUV is considered, while a purely electric car that uses Nevera's technology is probably a question of when, not whether. However, Bugatti Rimac has promised to put a lot of effort into a potential EV instead of simply changing the name of Nevera.

Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors plan to triple investment in a joint venture to develop electric vehicles, unnamed sources close to the events told Reuters.

As established carmakers face pressure from new companies based on the production of electric cars, the French-Japanese alliance is looking for deeper cooperation, write Vrele Gume.

The official announcement of the plan to invest more than 20 billion euros in the next five years is expected to take place on Thursday. By 2030, the alliance is expected to launch more than 30 new electric models, based on five common platforms. That is an addition to the sum of 10 billion euros that the group has already spent on electrification, said one of the two unnamed sources. Spokesmen for Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi have not yet commented.

The "Alliance to 2030" plan aims to intensify cooperation between French and Japanese producers, with an emphasis on "sharing the vision in terms of electrification and digitally connected mobility," said one source. The five common platforms are also expected to cover 90 percent of the electric cars the companies will develop and market by 2030.

5 common EV platforms

The Alliance of Three Big Names has developed and partially put into operation four common EV architectures. One under the name CMF-EV forms the mechanical basis for cars like Renault Megane E-Tech, battery electric compact model and future Nissan Ariye, the other for affordable models like Dacia Spring and similar models from Nissan and Chinese partner Dongfeng. The other two are reserved for kei models in Japan and light commercial vehicles.

By the middle of the decade, the alliance aims to introduce the fifth common platform for small electric vehicles, designed by Renault.

Nissan has already decided to use this architecture under the name CMFB-EV, as well as other standardized components for electrification of the Nissan Micra, while Renault is expected to come out with a similar electric car, based on the same platform, sources say. The Micra EV should be launched by mid-2020.

Renault plans to launch a purely electric Renault 5 by 2024, with another small model, probably an SUV / crossover, inspired by the classic Renault 4L.

Affordable electric cars

Members of the alliance hope to produce compact electric cars that will be as affordable as their gasoline counterparts of similar size. The three companies expect to use shared batteries and other key components. The Alliance plans to jointly invest in battery production capacities in France, Britain, China and Japan, for a total of 220 GWh.

By standardizing and splitting batteries, the alliance expects to halve production costs related to batteries, and it is also expected to share solid battery technology developed by Nissan. The plan was for the leaders of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi to announce their goals for 2030 last fall at an event in Japan, but everything was postponed for this week due to the expansion of Kovid-19 in Japan.

Disagreements between Nissan and Renault over the French company's proposal for a full merger, ie tensions that erupted in parallel with the arrest of the former leader of the alliance, Carlos Gon in 2018, correspond to the suspended efforts to cooperate in technology and vehicle development. All three car manufacturers have their own hybrid technologies with several common key parts and systems. Limited cooperation in procurement and development has raised concerns within the group about the possibility of savings. It was not immediately clear whether alliance leaders would discuss hybrids as part of the 2030 plan.

Nissan said in November that it plans to spend about $ 18 billion over five years to accelerate vehicle electrification, launching 23 electrified vehicles, including gasoline-electric hybrids and 15 purely electric models. Half of Nissan’s mix of vehicles will be electrified by 2030, including electric models and e-Power hybrids, the company said. Renault has reported that it will have a purely electric offer in Europe by 2030, but company officials told Reuters that the target does not apply to markets outside Europe and other brands of the group, such as Dacia.

Which drive is best on snow?
Every winter we meet again with a discussion about which drive is best, whether it is rear, front or all-wheel drive. In principle, it all depends on what you prefer.

Jonathan Benson from Tire Reviews tried to make a comparison on one vehicle, but as we know, it is very difficult to find a car available in all three drive configurations, write Hot Tires.

The closest thing to that would be a "plug-in" hybrid that uses the front or rear axle in electric mode, and the SUS engine for the other. In the hybrid setup, of course, all the wheels are engaged. Or, as Jonathan suggests, the Tesla Model 3 Performance, which allows the driver to adjust how much power he wants to send to each of the axles. It may be the best option, but it is important to note that this car cannot send all the power to the front or rear axle in the "traditional" way, because they are not connected to the drive shaft, so only regulate the amount of energy received by electric motors.

As Jonathan discovered on the snow-covered track rented by Michelin, the company provided performance "all season" tires. Tesla, on the other hand, has an ace up its sleeve when it comes to its drive system, because it does not allow 100% rear or front wheel drive when the steering wheel is "straightened" and the accelerator pedal is pressed "to the board".

So this is the closest thing that can mimic all three configurations without using three or two different vehicles. Otherwise, we would have a comparison of powertrains instead of a comparison of driving behavior between RWD, AWD and FWD powertrains.

Before watching the video, which drive would you bet on when it comes to driving on snow?