1977 Citroen 2cv on 2040-cars

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These EVs are the worst when it comes to depreciation

The Renault Fluence Z.E. tops the list of the worst depreciating cars according to a ranking compiled by Glass' Information Services, holding just 27.21 percent of its value after a year of ownership and 12,000 miles on the clock. Just as well that you can't buy the sedan anymore in either electric or ICE versions, since it was discontinued last year. This car took a particularly rough hit when Better Place declared bankrutpcy, since the electric Fluence was a specific fit for the aspirations of the battery-swapping company. The Citroen C-Zero hits the list at number four, the Nissan Leaf E at number five, both holding onto just a third of their value after a year. The C-Zero is a rebadged Mitsubishi i-MiEV, and if you bought one stock for the full UK on-the-road price of 26,766 pounds, you'd have a car worth 8,583.86 pounds twelve months later, according to Glass. We're not sure about the wording of the press release, though - it states that those three cars "lost more than three-quarters of their value." Yet the Fluence E Z.E. is the worst offender, and it doesn't dip below 25 percent of its original value. As with those electrics, the rest of the list is made up of aged or barebones ICE models, some of them touted elsewhere for their popularity. You can find the full list and the valuations in the press release below. ELECTRIC CARS AMONG WORST FIRST YEAR DEPRECIATORS Fluence, C-Zero and LEAF all lose more than three-quarters of their value 15/07/15 - Three electric cars are among the worst first year depreciators in a "Bottom 10" released by motor trade valuation market leaders Glass's. The Renault Fluence, Citroen C-Zero and Nissan LEAF E have all lost more than three-quarters of their value after covering 12,000 miles during the last 12 months. Rupert Pontin, head of valuations at Glass, said: "The motor trade and the used car buying public remain interested in electric cars but are still reticent to actually buy them in numbers – and these depreciation figures reflect that fact. "To be fair, these three EVs are among some of the least attractive on the market – the Fluence and C-Zero both have a 'last generation' feel while the LEAF E is on the bottom rung of the LEAF range – but their presence does reflect the fact that the EV sector remains sluggish." Other models in the list include the lowest-powered, entry level versions of some generally popular but aging models such as the Vauxhall Insignia and Renault Megane.

Junkyard Gem: 1959 Citroen ID19 Sedan

Citroen introduced the motoring world to the Traction-Avant in 1934, and that front-drive unibody machine was so futuristic that it stayed in production all the way through 1957. Naturally, Citroen had to make the Traction-Avant's successor even more radical, and the result was an engineering and styling masterpiece that seemed like something dropped down to the planet from a superior alien civilization: the DS, pronounced "Deese" (Goddess). In order to have a more direct replacement for the bargain-priced late Traction-Avant, a cheaper version of the DS known as the ID (pronounced "Idee," meaning "Idea") was introduced in 1957. Today's Junkyard Gem is an early example of the ID, found in a self-service yard just south of Denver, Colorado. This car is very rough, a basket case that appears to have spent about 50 years alternately roasting and freezing in the High Plains weather. The roof was pried off long ago and the interior is suitable mostly for families of raccoons. It's one of more than 100 vehicles from the 1930s through 1970s that are in the process of being placed in the regular U-Pull-It inventory, as a storage lot of vintage machinery gets emptied out. In addition to this Citroen, there are two Edsels, a Borgward Isabella, a pair of Austin Princesses and nearly two dozen 1964-1973 Ford Mustangs and Mercury Cougars. This is only the fourth Citroen I've documented since I began writing about wrecking-yard inmates in 2007, after a 1961 ID19 wagon, a 1973 SM and a 1987 CX GTI. The ID became the D Special for 1970, and Citroen sales in the United States ceased after 1973. These cars were amazingly comfortable with their hydropneumatic suspensions and cushy seats, but most American car shoppers felt they were both too weird and too expensive for their taste. Then there was the matter of engine power; the 1959 ID19 had a 1.9-liter pushrod straight-four rated at 66 horsepower and 97 pound-feet. The list price for this car was $2,833, or about $29,806 in 2023 dollars. Meanwhile, a new 1959 Mercury Monterey four-door sedan cost a dollar less than the '59 Idee sedan (we can assume that those setting Mercury prices in Dearborn at that time were paying a lot more attention to GM prices than Citroen prices, so the single-buck difference is likely just coincidence), and the Merc came standard with a 312-cubic-inch (5.1-liter) V8 rated at 210 horsepower and fins that looked like something off a Redstone nuclear missile.

Recharge Wrap-up: Porsche Mission E charging for Tesla, net zero energy Toyota dealership

Porsche has confirmed that its Mission E charging infrastructure will also work with Tesla vehicles. The ultra-fast, 800-volt charging system will recharge the Mission E to 80 percent in about 15 minutes, and will also service new EVs from Volkswagen and Audi. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume told Top Gear that development of the charging infrastructure "sounds easy but getting the details agreed is hard. We already have the clear technical concept. It can even work with Teslas, with an adapter." Dieter Zetsche, Head of Mercedes-Benz, also tells Top Gear that they are "in talks" with Porsche regarding charging infrastructure. Read more at Top Gear, or from Electrek. An Oregon Toyota dealership is set to be the world's first net zero energy automotive dealership. The newly constructed, LEED Platinum certified Toyota of Corvallis produces more energy than it consumes, for which it is expected to receive Net Zero Energy certification. The 34,800-square-foot building is equipped with enough solar panels to produce as much energy that the dealership will use, with excess being put back into the grid, which will help during hours of peak demand. Toyota Motor Sales regional manager Steve Haag calls Toyota of Corvallis, "a first-of-its-kind template for the auto dealership of the future." Read more from Toyota. Valeo has introduced a new 48-volt hybrid system. The 48V e4Sport, as it is called, uses a 48-volt battery, electric starter-generator, electric supercharger, and eRAD electric rear axle drive for all-wheel drive. It maximizes regenerative braking and stores that energy for increasing torque with the starter-generator, and increasing acceleration with the electric supercharger. The system also supports all-electric driving modes. Valeo says the system is applicable across all vehicle segments, and works with both gasoline and diesel engines. Read more at Green Car Congress. PSA Group has created its own mobility solutions brand, called Free2Move. Free2Move will handle programs like car sharing, connected services, corporate fleet services, and affordable leasing programs for Peugeot, Citroen, DS, and other PSA partners. "For the PSA Group, mobility means not only making and selling excellent cars, but also offering a full range of mobility solutions," says PSA Group VP of Mobility Services Gregoire Olivier.