Everyone seems to be gunning for Tesla and it’s not just high-end brands like Porsche or highly caffeinated keyboard warriors that hate Elon Musk. Now, more mainstream brands like Ford, Volkswagen, and Volvo are getting into the game. Even Hyundai, with its new EV, the Ioniq 5, is coming for Tesla, and according to Edmunds,
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By Joey Klender Posted on January 21, 2022 General Motors is set to invest $6.5 billion to develop two facilities in Michigan responsible for electric vehicle and EV battery production, a new report from Detroit News says. According to a meeting agenda and two sources, GM will pump a massive $6.5 billion investment into the two
Autonomous robots were a major focus this year at CES, from roaming device demonstrations on the exhibit floor to virtual presentations discussing emerging trends in the space. Autonomous-delivery startup Ottonomy used the Las Vegas event to spotlight its Ottobot, the company’s newly named delivery robot capable of navigating “crowded and unpredictable environments” and working indoors
The 2024 Ford Mustang was spotted this week, both in turbo-4 EcoBoost and V-8 GT grades. Testing on public roads under the cover of heavy camouflage, the seventh-generation Mustang, known as the S650, appears to sport an evolutionary design. Expect a hybrid model to join the lineup and possibly even all-wheel drive as an option.
When riders fled public transit during the early throes of the pandemic, Local Motors suffered from shelved orders for its 3D-printed autonomous Olli shuttle. When orders returned and then proliferated, the ongoing chip shortage stymied the company’s ability to fulfill them. The double whammy of the coronavirus and supply chain constraints emerged as two central
LONDON — Jaguar has recorded its lowest quarterly sales since 2013 as parent Jaguar Land Rover focused scarce microchips on the more profitable Land Rover brand. Jaguar’s global vehicle sales in the quarter ending Dec 31. fell 49 percent to 14,407, the lowest three-month total since the last quarter of 2013. Jaguar and Land Rover
WASHINGTON — Two U.S. House lawmakers who head key subcommittees on oversight and trade criticized Tesla’s recent expansion in Xinjiang, China. “Your misguided expansion into the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region sets a poor example and further empowers the (Chinese government),” said Democrats Bill Pascrell and Earl Blumenauer in a joint letter to Tesla CEO Elon
Jim Butler Auto Group, Faulkner Automotive Group, Horne Auto Group and Coughlin Automotive Group each expanded their dealership portfolios with acquisitions in either late in the fourth quarter of 2021 or early in January 2022. Here’s a look at the deals involving domestic-, import- and luxury-brand dealerships. Missouri growth Jim Butler Auto Group expanded its
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Lexus LX? What does it compare to? The redesigned LX 600 is a three-row SUV that can seat five or seven passengers—or just four in the new Ultra Luxury grade. It competes with everything from the Infiniti QX80 to the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and BMW X7. Is the
Dodge is looking to fill the position of Chief Donut Maker and is accepting applications right now. The contract will last one year and offers the successful applicant $150,000 in compensation as well as the opportunity to burn a lot of rubber. “We’re looking to hire someone just like [the Dodge Brothers] as our chief
Hyundai’s N department has been churning out surprisingly good hot hatches to take on the industry’s best. Now, the i20N is here to take on the small hot hatch segment. As with food, the simpler (and cheaper) the recipe, the more challenging it is to do brilliantly. Driven by Top Gear’s Ollie Kew, the i20N
General Motors is looking to nip the any dealership issues in the bud before its influx of EVs hit the market. In a recent letter to its dealerships, GM has warned against markups above MSRPs and reservation amounts, threatening to redirect vehicles away from offenders. General Motors ($GM) is an American automaker with hands on
At a time when the auto industry is hungrier than ever for technological innovations, new patent awards are on the decline. The number of new U.S. patent grants fell 7 percent in 2021. While there was little change in which automotive companies ranked as the top five for receiving patents last year, all but one
The Ford Bronco’s back, but the Blue Oval isn’t done. A hotter, wilder Bronco is in the works with even more off-road capability, power, and attitude. On Monday, Ford-supported enthusiast forum The Bronco Nation provided a first look at the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor. The images are of a production-looking Bronco Raptor playing in the
DETROIT — General Motors is expected on Tuesday to outline plans to invest $6.5 billion for EV projects at two sites in Michigan. The investment would create 4,000 jobs in Orion Township and the Lansing suburb of Delta Township in Eaton County, according to a Jan. 25 board meeting agenda for the Michigan Strategic Fund
BEIJING — Volkswagen’s vehicle plant with FAW in Tianjin, China, resumed production on Friday after shutting on Jan. 10 because of recent COVID-19 outbreaks in the eastern Chinese city, the German automaker said. “The FAW-Volkswagen vehicle plant had temporarily shut down operations due to missing parts from suppliers and pending COVID-19 test results of employees.
BMW will advertise in the Super Bowl for the first time in seven years. A U.S. spokesman for the German luxury auto brand confirmed the ad buy but did not share details. BMW last appeared in the game in 2015 with an ad starring Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel. It flashed back to 1994 when
Stellantis, one of the largest automotive groups in the world, created by merging FCA with PSA, does not think that the current direction of electrification is right. The company’s CEO, Carlos Tavares, is a well-known electric car skeptic. Last month, he complained about the surging costs of electrification. In a recent joint interview by France’s Les
DETROIT — Cadillac is launching a performance variant of the Escalade, its top-selling nameplate, for the 2023 model year. The luxury brand teased the Escalade V-Series in a video Thursday and confirmed the new variant on Friday. Cadillac will share vehicle and performance specs when the SUV is formally revealed this spring. The Escalade, redesigned
The 2022 Lexus LC offers a masterful blend of performance, style, and pampering. What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Lexus LC? What does it compare to? The 2022 Lexus LC lineup comes in coupe and convertible forms to rival the BMW 8-Series, Mercedes-Benz SL, and Porsche 911, among others. Is the 2022 Lexus LC
A motorist in South Africa found out the hard way what can happen if you annoy an elephant as the massive animal rammed into and flipped over their vehicle. The incident happened at the iSimangaliso Wetland Park in KwaZulu-Nata province earlier this month when a Ford SUV was driving through the park. Footage shared online
The Lexus IS 500 doesn’t have the power to rival the likes BMW M3 Competition and Mercedes-AMG C 63 S but it does have a unique appeal to it. Throttle House recently put it to the test to find out just what makes it so cool. The most thrilling aspect of the IS 500 is
By Joey Klender Posted on January 20, 2022 Two “dismayed” United States Lawmakers have penned a letter to Tesla CEO Elon Musk questioning the company’s recent opening of a showroom in the Xinjiang region of China. In early January, Tesla opened a showroom in Xinjiang, a controversial region of China that is often under intense
Start-up Factorial Energy has raised $200 million to help fund further development and commercialization of its advanced solid-state battery for EVs. Automakers Stellantis NV and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz led the round for three-year-old Factorial, based outside Boston in Woburn, Massachusetts. Factorial is one of several U.S. battery start-ups attempting to commercialize solid-state technology, which promises
Cadillac teased that something exciting is coming on Jan. 21 on social media today. That something exciting is a high-performance version of the Escalade SUV, possibly called Escalade-V. The teaser includes a shot of the headlights of the four current Cadillacs with the brighter lights of a large SUV in the middle. The cars flanking
Lidar technology startup Luminar said Thursday that it has established its latest automotive partnership with Mercedes-Benz. It will involve series production of sensors, enhancing the automaker’s automated highway driving systems. There’s not yet a timetable for when Luminar’s “Iris” lidar will be installed in passenger vehicles, nor specific vehicle models chosen. As part of the
When Aston Martin prepared for its stock market debut in 2018, it sought to lure investors with scarcity value. There were few publicly traded luxury-car makers to invest in, and Aston at least stood a chance of replicating the success of Ferrari, whose value almost tripled in the three years after its 2015 initial public
Online used-vehicle retailer Vroom will return to the Super Bowl this year with an ad that highlights the company’s ability to buy cars from consumers. The ad, called “Flake the Musical,” depicts a consumer who is ready to sell a vehicle through a peer-to-peer transaction, only to have the buyer back out of the deal.
The hood scoop, a key piece of automotive design for the last 70 or so years, does more than just look cool. It helps performance cars, from Subaru WRXs to Ram TRXs, go faster and run cooler. But in the age of electric vehicles, the popular appendage is headed for the automotive design history book.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 BMW X3? What does it compare to? The X3 crossover melds BMW’s handling virtues into a five-seat SUV body. It’s a rival for the Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class, Audi Q5, and Volvo XC60. Is the 2022 BMW X3 a good SUV? Review continues below It’s a home run, with excellent