Automotive News - June 10, 2024 - 6

6 * June 10, 2024
cars& concepts
Ineos launches
Arcane Works
bespoke program
Jack Walsworth
jwalsworth@crain.com
I
neos Automotive plans to enter
the world of bespoke vehicles with
the launch of a program called Arcane
Works.
The startup vehicle manufacturer
said Arcane Works will create limited
editions of the rugged Grenadier SUV
and then allow customers to further
personalize " with customized detailing
and bespoke materials. "
The program will pair customers to
work with craftsmen to choose from
various finishings and color match
technologies.
Ineos said, without
specifying, that each run of vehicles
from Arcane Works will carry a specifically
tailored name, unique features
and introduce new technologies.
" We know this is something our customers
have been looking for and
working in small batches means we
can give them a genuinely custom-made
experience, " George Ratcliffe,
Ineos Automotive's commercial
director, said in a statement.
Ineos said the initial Arcane Works
vehicle will debut at July's Goodwood
Festival of Speed in England.
The brand also said the program will
" become a test bed for new technologies
and systems for Ineos vehicles,
INEOS
Ineos released a teaser photo of the
initial Arcane Works vehicle. Ineos
plans to unveil the vehicle in July.
such as uprated engine modifications,
new chassis systems and many new
materials and features. "
The brand's second model, the Grenadier
Quartermaster pickup, is set to
arrive in the U.S. by year-end.
Offering bespoke vehicles has become
a lucrative business for some of
the most exclusive and exotic automotive
brands. In March, Bentley's
now-former CEO Adrian Hallmark said
more than 70 percent of Bentleys purchased
in 2023 were outfitted with content
from its Mulliner bespoke division.
Bloomberg contributed to this report.
Short-lived WRX TR trim
is replaced by tuned TS
Larry P. Vellequette
lvellequette@crain.com
S
ubaru will revamp its WRX
line with a new TS trim for
the 2025 model year that
adds a fully digital gauge
cluster and appearance updates to the
recently resurrected performance TR
trim and buttresses it with a suspension
tuned by the in-house motorsports
shop, Subaru Tecnica International
Inc.
The TR trim will not continue beyond
the 2024 model year, a brand
spokesperson said.
The 2025 WRX TS is powered by a
2.4-liter turbocharged boxer engine
making 271 hp and delivering up to 258
pound-feet of torque. It will come standard
with the brand's symmetrical allwheel
drive and active torque vectoring,
and is equipped with a manual
transmission. Like the TR trim, the TS
will ride on 19-inch Bridgestone Potenza
tires and come with six-piston front
calipers and two-piston rears from
Brembo for added stopping power.
The main performance difference
between the TR and TS trims is the latter's
electronically controlled dampers
tuned by STi, a spokesperson for the
brand said. The TS also adds a fully
digital gauge display and blue interior
accenting.
SUBARU PHOTOS
The 2025 Subaru WRX TS trim has
19-inch Bridgestone Potenza tires, a
fully digital gauge cluster and blue
accenting throughout the interior.
Through May, sales of the Subaru
WRX are down 39 percent from last
year at 7,963.
The trim level debuted June 2 at the
annual Wicked Big Meet at Stafford Motor
Speedway in Stafford, Conn., the
largest annual gathering of Subaru fans
in the U.S., the brand said. Pricing for the
TS trim was not announced. The WRX
TS is expected to arrive in dealerships in
early 2025, the brand said.
STELLANTIS PHOTOS
Jeep designers thought " What if? " as they envisioned a modernized, off-road ready Trailhawk concept of the brand's
first electric vehicle, the Wagoneer S. It has 31.5-inch all-terrain tires, a lifted suspension and an off-road Rock mode.
Jeep crafts Wagoneer S
in rugged Trailhawk trim
Vince Bond Jr. and Jack Walsworth
vbond@crain.com
J
ing.
Other design details include the Jeep name on the right
side of the front bumper, orange tow hooks and the silhouette
of a Willys Jeep on the wheels.
The Trailhawk logo has been modernized, Stellantis design
chief Ralph Gilles said.
Soon after designers completed the Wagoneer S, they
began sketching out ideas for the concept.
The team " started sketching 'what if,' and 'what if' - it's
pretty easy when you're Jeep, " Gilles said. " So you take all
those formulas that we know very well, that makes a Jeep
a Jeep. "
eep already has an idea of what the sleek, electric
Wagoneer S could look like in an off-road Trailhawk
trim.
Jeep introduced the rugged Wagoneer S Trailhawk
concept alongside the 2024 Wagoneer S, its first electric vehicle
for North America, in New York on May 30.
The midsize off-roader concept is equipped with
31.5-inch all-terrain tires along with a lifted suspension. It
features a laser-cut aluminum roof rack and a dual-pane
panoramic sunroof for open-air treks.
The concept also gained a Rock mode for off-road drivThe
Wagoneer S Trailhawk concept has nonleather
seats, a meatier steering wheel and a grab bar on the instrument
panel that has inserts to mount gear.
Jeep said the doors and center console have elastic
straps that can be reconfigured, allowing occupants to
customize storage.
Jeep did not specify whether the Wagoneer S Trailhawk
concept will go into production. Jeep already has one
off-roader EV on the way with the Wrangler-inspired Recon
set to join the lineup this year.
Stellantis will build the Wagoneer S at its Toluca Assembly
Plant in Mexico.
Geneva auto show shifts to Qatar
Peter Sigal
psigal@autonews.com
T
he Geneva auto show will not
be held in 2025, the organizing
committee said, citing
" uncertainties linked to the
automotive industry and the eroded
attractiveness of the major European
shows. "
The show, dating to 1905, returned
this year from a four-year absence
because of COVID-19, but only nine
brands, including the Renault Group,
Lucid, MG, Dacia and BYD, attended
even after cost cutting measures to
attract automakers.
The event's future was thrown into
doubt after a decision just days before
the 2020 show by Swiss authorities
to cancel the show to prevent the
spread of the coronavirus.
In previous years, the Geneva show
had attracted more than 500,000 visitors,
and was seen as a neutral
ground for European automakers
amid the other major shows in
France and Germany.
The organizing committee said it
would continue to plan for a Qatar
auto show in November 2025, as it
seeks to build an audience outside
Europe.
The Middle Eastern event was first
held in 2023 as the Geneva International
Motor Show Qatar.
" It's satisfying to realize that motor
shows continue to appeal to brands
in different parts of the world, and
that the Geneva International Motor
Show has reinforced its appeal in the
Middle East, " Geneva auto show CEO
Sandro Mesquita said in a statement.
But a Swiss show will definitively
not be revived, the organizing committee
said.
" The lack of interest shown by manufacturers
in the Geneva Salon in a
difficult industry context, the competition
from the Paris and Munich
shows, which are favored by their domestic
industry, and the investment
levels required to maintain such a
show, sound the final blow for a future
edition " of the Geneva show,
said Alexandre de Senarclens, the
president of the foundation that organized
the show, in a news release.
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Automotive News - June 10, 2024

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