Porsche was out testing an electric Macan that’s set for launch in 2023. The electric Macan is a true next-generation design, but it won’t immediately replace the current gas-powered crossover as Porsche plans to sell both side-by-side for a few years.
2024 Porsche 911 Carrera facelift spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Porsche was also testing an updated 911. A fresh prototype spotted this week looked to be for the Carrera, and interestingly it featured new engine vents and new positioning of the exhaust tips, which is typically what we see when Porsche tests a new engine in the 911.
2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
Rolls-Royce was also out testing its first electric vehicle, which is due in 2023. The first EV will be a large coupe called the Spectre, and spy shots of a prototype give us a good indication of what to expect.
2021 Ford F-150 Raptor
One of the vehicles we tested this week was the redesigned 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor. The high-speed off-roader has definitely improved with the redesign, as we discovered during a recent drive in some snowy conditions, but it also faces a lot more competition than its predecessors had to contend with.
2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS
Another vehicle we tested was the 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS, in EQS 450+ guise. The big electric hatch ticks a lot of boxes, but some of its technology can be distracting or overwhelming, or both.
2023 Aston Martin DBX707
Aston Martin plans several new DBX variants, and the first of these was revealed this week as a track-ready machine packing almost 700 hp. Called the DBX707, the super SUV will be used by Aston Martin for an attempt on the lap record for SUVs at the Nürburgring—a record currently held by Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo GT.
McMurtry Spéirling
A British firm by the name of McMurtry raised a few eyebrows last summer when it rolled out the Spéirling, a diminutive electric track car that looks like a Batmobile-inspired soapbox racer. This week we learned that a former Formula One racing driver will help develop it.
Koenigsegg Terrier electric drive unit
And finally, Koenigsegg showed off some of the electric powertrain technology it developed for its Gemera hypercar, and will also license out to other companies. Included in the suite is an electric motor that Koenigsegg calls the most power and torque dense on the market.