With the Porsche 911 Dakar over Moroccan sand dunes.
Together with Damiaan, Cornelis goes through the past car year. On board the Porsche 911 Dakar they discuss, among other things, the approaching end of a number of Chinese car brands and a visit to the Nio dealer is the ideal Christmas holiday tip. Of course it is also about cars, the Alfa Romeo Stelvio is one of the highlights of 2023, but with a diesel engine.
Amidst all the electrical violence, Cornelis also drove cars last year for which a charging connection is still hard to find. It was impressive to drive through the desert in the Porsche 911 Dakar, car and location matched perfectly. Alfa Romeo also offered the opportunity to get acquainted (in daylight, that is) with the new headlights of the Giulia and the Stelvio. The emphasis was more on the design of the units than on the possible light output. As an introduction, in addition to a row of Giulias with a petrol engine, there was also a Stelvio 2.2 JTD, indeed: with a diesel engine. Because Cornelis could not easily remember the last time he had driven a new car with a self-igniter, he got into that Stelvio for his first experience with Alfa’s new headlights. The 210 hp diesel has never been the quietest of its kind and nothing has changed. But it compensates for its rawness with a wonderful portion of pulling power, right from just above idle speed. Is it melancholy, is it nostalgia? Of course, including a diesel engine in the price list is a rearguard action. And yet, all the insanely fast EVs are less memorable to Cornelis than that probably last diesel that I now have an active memory of.
Many of those fast EVs come from China. If we look at the sales figures of the past year, we are afraid that a number of those Chinese will disappear from the market as quickly as they arrived. Up to and including November, only 1 JAC has been registered in the Netherlands in 2023, 131 Aiways, 223 Nios and 225 Xpengs. How long can you keep the lights on with such modest numbers? Among the Chinese brands that are struggling, 2023 is also the start of Lancia’s return. Established as a premium label within the Stellantis group, Lancia has unveiled its plans for the future: a new Ypsilon next year, a reincarnation of the Gamma in 2025 and a Delta on the menu for 2028. No fewer than six dealers have been contracted for the Netherlands. Could this possibly make Lancia as exclusive as a number of Chinese brands?
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl