autos
LifestyleAutoblogNext-gen Genesis G90 looks like the sleek, elegant flagship the brand needs
The Genesis G90 flagship sedan underwent a pretty major refresh only a few years ago, and now it's getting what seems to be a completely new generation. The headlights are truly split units and line up with the fender-mounted turn signals. This look is complemented by the flush-fitting door handles.
TechnologyAutoblogBMW Concept XM previews the first standalone M car since the M1
BMW M has worked its magic on numerous cars over the past 50 years but it has only developed one model from the ground up: the M1. It's about to add a second vehicle to its résumé, and it previewed the high-performance SUV by unveiling a design study named Concept XM. While the XM is new, we've heard rumors about it for many years.
CelebrityAutoblogDwayne 'The Rock' Johnson gives his Ford F-150 Raptor to deserving vet
One fan at a recent screening of "Red Notice" received much more than a viewing of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's latest action flick. The actor gifted his ride to the deserving fan surprise handover that nearly knocked the Navy veteran over with its generosity. The screening had been set up by Johnson for his fans.
BusinessAutoblog2022 Dodge Durango adding R/T Plus trim
For the 2021 model year, the entry-level Dodge Durango SXT trim and the next-level GT trim offer enhanced SXT Plus and GT Plus versions. Among the changes planned for next year's Durango, Mopar Insiders reports that the Plus formula will head one more step up the ladder with Dodge planning an R/T Plus for the 2022 model year. The equipment list includes the Technology Group's adaptive cruise control, advanced brake assist, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning; the Premium Interior Group's upgraded instrument panel and suede headliner; the Safety and Security Systems' blind-spot detection; a power sunroof; 19-speaker, 825-Watt Harman Kardon audio; and Nappa leather seats.
BusinessAutoblogLeast reliable car brands in America
When looking to buy a car, reliability is important, but it’s one of the harder things for car reviewers like us to evaluate. Thankfully, Consumer Reports polls its subscribers annually in order to judge which brands and models are the least likely to have issues. Here, we’ve listed the 10 least reliable car brands in the U.S., according to CR’s data.
LifestyleAutoblogHow to change your car's spark plugs
Spark plugs are a vital part of a gasoline-powered car's engine. Nearly all gasoline-powered cars are fitted with spark plugs, regardless of whether you drive a new Porsche 911 or a 1990s Toyota Corolla station wagon. How often you need to replace the spark plugs depends on a variety of factors like the type of car you drive, how you drive it, and its mileage.
BusinessTechCrunchStellantis locks in lithium supply agreement to secure EV battery materials
Stellantis, the global corporation formed through a merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and French automaker Groupe PSA, signed a binding agreement with a lithium producer as more automakers look to secure key parts of the battery supply chain. The agreement is one in a flurry of deals between automakers and suppliers as the demand for EVs rises. Vulcan Energy Resources will produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide from a brine project in the Upper Rhine Valley in Germany.
BusinessThe TelegraphKia EV6 review: this electric car wasn’t quite the revolution we thought it would be
As the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) say, you need a plan, or you’d have nothing to rip up and rewrite when you first make contact with the enemy. That contact point arrived in Kia’s new EV6 electric car on the very first day of this test. Motorway speeds in freezing temperatures, combined with detours over hilly terrain at night, put paid to the car’s claimed range of 300 miles by exactly half, to 150 miles.
NewsAutoblogMercedes Vision EQXX to land at CES with 621 miles of range
Mercedes-Benz is coming to the 2022 edition of CES with its most ambitious electric car project to date. It’s called the Vision EQXX, and it’s planning on revealing the car on January 3, 2022. The headline feature is a targeted range of over 621 miles on a full charge.
BusinessAutoblogNissan Ambition 2030 plans 23 electrified models in 5 years
In May last year, Nissan unveiled its Nissan Next plan to get its operations in line with sustainable goals. In January of this year, Nissan laid out plans to electrify every all-new model in key markets by the early 2030s, as well as develop more efficient EV manufacturing, powertrains, and technologies. Nissan wants its lineup and the Infiniti range to be 50% electrified globally by 2030, with goals differing for various markets.
BusinessAutoblogPorsche might have shown its Landjet crossover to dealers
Automotive News described this as a crossover that would best the Cayenne for size in length and width, that could pack three rows of seating, and make its debut in the latter 2020s with a plug-in hybrid powertrain. A three-row Porsche sedan-crossover-thing that brought in another 15,000 or so U.S. sales would become the third-best-selling model in the Stuttgart carmaker's lineup. When asked about the subject, a Porsche Cars North America spokesperson told AN that the company is "continually exploring new opportunities."
TechnologyAutoblogRenault teaches the 4 how to fly for its 60th birthday
Renault is celebrating 60 years of the 4, one of its best-selling and most emblematic models, by turning it into a flying car. It teamed up with a design firm named TheArsenale to build a functional prototype called Air4 that explores what the hatchback could look like in 60 years.
BusinessAutoblog2022 Nissan Versa starts at $16,062, a $100 increase
Nissan deemed the 2021 Versa so well prepared for 2022 that the automaker has only made one change to the subcompact sedan: plumping the price a bit. There are three trims, the entry-level S offered with a five-speed manual transmission and Nissan's continuously variable Xtronic transmission, the SV and SR sold with the CVT alone. For all of the Versa's what-you-see-is-what-you-get simplicity, the sedan has resonated with buyers after the redesign for the 2020 model year.
BusinessAutoblogAudi E-Tron facelift said to bring a lot more range
Autocar says it spoke to "sources inside Audi" who divulged that the Audi E-Tron is getting ready for the second half of its life with a facelift and technology upgrade slated to appear next year. The most welcome change will be a new-generation battery, more efficient motors with greater energy recuperation, and new electronics that work together to increase range by nearly 50%, going from 259 miles on the European WLTP cycle to 373 miles. Autocar outlet reports that an Audi exec said the changes are to "further increase [the] competitiveness" of the brand's first mainstream electric vehicles.
LifestyleAutoblogPorsche expands its paint-to-sample program with new colors
Increasing demand from buyers has convinced Porsche to expand its paint-to-sample program. It added more options to the palette of pre-approved colors, and it invested in new equipment for its paint shop in order to give more customers the option of configuring a unique car. Not all colors are available on all models, however.
PoliticsAutoblogE-motorcycle and e-bicycle tax credits boosted in Build Back Better Act
On November 19, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, sending the bill to the Senate to for discussions over the $1.1 trillion infrastructure omnibus. In the version that cleared the House hurdle, the Washington Post reported there are provisions to increase the federal tax credits for electric motorcycles and electric bicycles to 30% of the purchase price, with some qualifications and exclusions, of course. Since the 2017 tax year, there's been a 10% credit for electric motorcycles that can go at least 45 miles per hour, capped at $2,500.
NewsAutoblog2022 Ford Expedition Timberline reportedly costs more money
Ford isn't only making incursions into Jeep's territory with new vehicles and off-road-focused trims, it's following the Jeep's lead in raising prices on vehicles that haven't been put on sale yet. Ford Authority reports that the 2022 Expedition Timberline, which hasn't made it to Ford's retail configurator yet, has already received its first price increase. In October, Ford Authority said it had word from sources "familiar with the 2022 Expedition lineup" that the off-road focused big-boy SUV would start at $66,690, plus a $1,695 destination fee, for a total of $68,385.
BusinessAutoblog2022 Nissan Maxima gets a trio of changes
The Platinum trim gets heated rear seats standard for next year, and Scarlet Timber Tintcoat replaces Carnelian Red Tintcoat on the exterior palette. The entry-level 2021 Maxima SV starts at $37,240 which is $150 more than the same trim in 2021. The Maxima SR starts at $43,375 after destination, also up by $150.
- BusinessReuters
Phoenix Motors becomes latest EV maker looking to tap public markets
Founded in 2003, Phoenix manufactures electric buses and trucks and has been developing commercial EVs for various government fleet markets and commercial clients. The company operates under the brand Phoenix Motorcars and launched its first electric drivetrain in 2009 and sold its first commercial EV shuttle bus in 2014. Phoenix, which was acquired by renewable energy company SPI Energy in November last year, had delivered 84 shuttle buses and 14 work and delivery trucks as of Sept. 30, it said.
BusinessReutersAudi-FAW electric vehicle venture in China delayed
Volkswagen's premium automaker Audi's joint venture to build electric vehicles in China with state-owned FAW Group is behind schedule due to a delay in approval by the relevant authorities, Audi said on Monday. German auto publication Automobilwoche first reported on Monday that the licence for Audi and FAW to begin building the plant, which was due to start producing cars from 2024, is expected to arrive in December after intervention from Germany's economic ministry.
BusinessThe IndependentNissan stresses importance of UK plant in global electric vehicle investment
The Japanese firm said it will spend more than £13 billion on developing electric vehicles globally in the next five years
BusinessThe IndependentNissan announces £13.2bn investment in electric vehicle production
The Japanese car giant, which runs a manufacturing plant in Sunderland, has laid out its plans for the future.
BusinessETX Daily UpNissan plans 50% electric vehicle sales by 2030
Automaker Nissan wants half its global sales to be electric or hybrid vehicles by 2030 and plans to plough billions of dollars into the effort, it announced Monday.
BusinessTechCrunchSecondhand car auction platform Motorway hits unicorn status after $190M raise with Index, ICONIQ
It was only in June that Motorway — a U.K. platform on which professional car dealers can bid in an auction for privately owned cars for sale — raised $67.7 million in a Series B round. It’s now raised a $190 million Series C funding round led by Index Ventures and ICONIQ Growth, a leading Silicon Valley technology growth investment firm. Existing investors Latitude, Unbound and BMW i Ventures also participated in the round.
PoliticsAutoblogCadillac applies to trademark Ascendiq and Escalade IQ
Earlier this month, CarBuzz discovered trademark applications Cadillac submitted to various agencies in the U.S. and Europe to reserve the names Vistiq, Lumistiq, and Escalade IQL. Now, before the month is out, CarBuzz has found another pair of trademark applications that Cadillac has submitted to gain exclusive rights to the names Ascendiq and Escalade IQ. Sticking with what we know, the suffix -iq, as in Lyriq and Celestiq (pronounced "ik," not "eek"), indicates Cadillac's coming lineup of battery-electric vehicles.
