Industry
-
Having built the world's biggest battery in the Australian state of South Australia a year ago to provide energy to the grid in the event of a supply shortage, Tesla is now involved in the state's next energy security plan by helping to create what's known as a “virtual power plant.” And it's all emissions free. Working with its partners, the South Australian government will install solar panels and battery storage systems, in this case Tesla's Powerwall 2.0, at 50,000 homes in the state over the next four years. All of the homes are already connected via the existing energy grid...
-
Polestar 1 production totals may increase beyond 1,500Following Polestar's split from Volvo to become a standalone brand, the division showed its first production model: the Polestar 1. At its debut, the brand said it planned for just 500 units a year over a three-year period. But with mounting demand, Polestar is reportedly looking into increasing...
Sean Szymkowski -
All core McLarens to feature electrification, self-driving tech beginning in 2019McLaren will set foot in a brave new world after announcing that all of the brand's future care models from 2019 onward will boast electrified powertrains and some form of self-driving technology. An Autocar report published on Tuesday detailed the sports car and supercar maker's grand plans, which...
Sean Szymkowski -
Porsche investing $7.5B in electrification over next 4 yearsPorsche will aid VW Group's electrification charge with an even larger investment than it had originally planned. Through 2022, Porsche has $7.5 billion earmarked for electrification, up from $3.7 billion. The investment will focus on plug-in hybrids, pure electric cars, the brand's Turbocharger...
Sean Szymkowski -
Iconic BMW Isetta returns as a Chinese knockoffChinese companies have a track record for copying other automakers. Porsches, Hondas, and even tires often have knockoff alter egos in the country. The latest digs deeper into the past, however. Eagle, a Chinese carmaker, has blatantly copied the iconic BMW Isetta, Cars News China reported Tuesday...
Sean Szymkowski -
Xpeng gets $350M in funding, including from iPhone maker FoxconnChinese electric car startup Xpeng only revealed its G3 SUV to the world at last month's 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, but the vehicle, a potential rival to the Tesla Model X, has been testing in prototype form since 2016. That's why Xpeng is confident of getting the G3 into...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Nikola has taken a major step toward bringing its extended-range electric semi-trailer truck to market. The company announced on Tuesday that Buckeye, Arizona will be home to its future manufacturing facility. The American startup debuted its One electric semi in December 2016. At that time, Nikola said production would start in 2020. The latest update from Nikola states that a new 500-acre, one million-square foot facility will bring more than $1 billion in investments by 2024, though there isn't a more specific production timeline. The Nikola One semi uses a 320-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion...
-
VW Group holds on to title of world's biggest automakerThe Volkswagen Group was the biggest automaker by volume in 2017 after its various brands delivered a combined 10.74 million vehicles, representing a substantial rise of 4.3 percent on 2016's total. It means the VW Group has now been the biggest automaker for two consecutive years. In second place...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Waymo orders thousands of self-driving cars ahead of deployment in multiple US citiesWaymo is making huge strides in the race to develop a safe and robust self-driving taxi service. The Alphabet-owned company formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project on Tuesday announced it was ordering “thousands” of Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids pre-fitted with all the various...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Genesis to establish dedicated dealershipsGenesis is working hard to distinguish itself as more than just the luxury arm of Hyundai. It wants to be seen as a standalone brand. Genesis started out life as a luxurious mid-size sedan sold by Hyundai, but was spun off in 2016 to become its own brand. Genesis is now looking to further distance...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Report: Next-gen Minis could come from China, ride on platform deveoped with Great WallThe BMW Group is in the requirements phase for its next-generation Mini family and options on the table reportedly include building the cars in China on a platform shared with Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor. Bloomberg last October reported that BMW was in talks with Great Wall over plans to...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volvo Trucks plans electric delivery vehicle for 2019Not to be left out of the push for electric and electrified commercial vehicles, Volvo Trucks announced Tuesday that it will begin selling electric trucks in Europe in 2019. The company sees its electric trucks as a way to not only reduce pollution but also alleviate traffic congestion and improve...
Sean Szymkowski -
France's PSA Group, the maker of Citroën, DS, Peugeot, and now also Opel cars, has a mission to sell cars in the United States, though the automaker, which is Europe's second biggest by volume, isn't rushing things. It has a decade-long plan split up into three phases, and right now we're only in the early stages of the first phase. Progress is being made nonetheless and a new milestone was reached this week with PSA's announcement on Tuesday that it has chosen Atlanta, Georgia for its U.S. headquarters. The site will be opened in February and initially house a core team focused on...
-
Elon Musk to stay another decade at Tesla, has strange compensation schemeTesla's face and shining star won't be leaving any time soon. Elon Musk, the carmaker's co-founder, has agreed to remain CEO for another 10 years. With the announcement, The New York Times reported on Tuesday on Musk's somewhat bewildering new compensation plan. Long story short, it's all or...
Sean Szymkowski -
Yamaha buys patent for tilting 3-wheelerYamaha clearly sees the market for 3-wheeled vehicles gaining traction. Last month Norwegian company Brudeli announced Yamaha had purchased patents for its 3-wheel tilting vehicle suspension. Brudeli, a lesser known company, actually invented a novel setup for 3-wheeled vehicles. Instead of two...
Sean Szymkowski -
BMW wants to reclaim luxury top spot from Mercedes by 2020Mercedes-Benz has been the best-selling luxury car brand in the world for the past two years running, but for the decade prior it's been BMW at the top. BMW isn't at all happy about the current situation and has a plan to reclaim the top spot within the next two years. “In 2020 we will be the...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
8 questions about the Lamborgini Urus with R&D boss Maurizio ReggianiLamborghini is preparing to take a big step that could define the future of the quintessential Italian supercar builder. Yes, the brand has had an SUV before. The LM002 was a Hummer-like SUV from 1986 to 1993, but it didn't have the impact the new Urus promises to deliver. The Urus, set to go on...
Kirk Bell -
Mercedes-Benz phasing out V-6 engines in favor of inline-6sMercedes-Benz V-6 engines are not long for this world, but it's not all bad news. Ola Källenius, head of Mercedes research and development, did confirm the brand will phase out V-6 engine, but it means a return of the inline-6. Road & Track reported on Källenius' comments on Tuesday...
Sean Szymkowski -
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne has come out and denied that any of the automaker's brands could be up for sale. His comments were made on Monday at the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and finally put an end to the speculation that one or more FCA brands could be sold to a Chinese automaker. The speculation surfaced last August after China's Great Wall Motor revealed it was interested in acquiring Jeep. “The answer is no we’re not going to break up anything,” Marchionne told media in Detroit, including USA Today. “We have no...
-
Welsh government buys stake in TVRIn order to ensure the people of Wales benefit from the reborn TVR, the Welsh government has acquired a roughly 3 percent stake in the company for about $700,000. The stake gives the government "a minority stake of just below 3 percent that will ensure the Welsh taxpayer benefits from the company's...
Sean Szymkowski -
Lamborghini delivers record 3,815 supercars in 2017It's been another good year for Lamborghini which on Wednesday reported it delivered 3,815 supercars in 2017, an almost 10 percent increase on the previous year's result. It represents a new record for the Italian marque which now boasts its seventh-straight year of rising sales. The boost was...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
New facility will build carbon tubs for all McLaren supercarsMcLaren is plunking down some fresh roots in the Sheffield region of England with the opening of a brand-new facility. No, it's not leaving its long-time home of Woking, but rather expanding a bit. This latest manufacturing facility will be called upon to provide the carbon fiber tubs employed in...
Jeff Glucker -
Ford to launch 16 electric cars in next 5 yearsFord has been light on electrification announcements, but its future powertrain plans came into better focus this past Sunday. The automaker announced it will launch 16 electric cars in the next five years, and the first will arrive in 2020, The Verge reported. However, many of the upcoming...
Sean Szymkowski -
Mercedes-Benz delivers 2.3M cars in 2017It's been record sales almost across the board for luxury car brands in the past 12 months, and none have been doing it better than Mercedes-Benz. The Three-Pointed Star delivered a record 2,289,344 vehicles in 2017, an impressive 9.9 percent rise on the previous year. It means Mercedes now has...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran