Author: David Smith

Volkswagen Group China on Monday (21/3) said it would form a joint venture with Huayou Cobalt and Tsingshan Group to secure nickel and cobalt supplies. This collaboration is part of efforts to control the cost of producing electric vehicle batteries at a time when raw material prices soar. The three companies have signed a memorandum of understanding to form two joint ventures. The first joint venture between the three companies is in Indonesia, where they will jointly invest their respective advantages and resources in the production of battery raw materials, Volkswagen said in a statement. More than 10 percent of…

After being named the European Car of the Year 2022, the Kia EV6 again won the 2022 Red Dot Design Award. Kia EV6 electric crossover takes overall victory in prestigious Red Dot Awards with ‘Best of the Best’ title The KIA EV6 won the ‘Red Dot: Best of the Best’ award for its pioneering and forward-looking design. The award was won from 50 expert judges from the famous international design competition. In addition, the KIA EV6 was also named the winner for the Red Dot category: ‘Innovative Products’. The KIA EV6 itself is built around Kia’s new ‘Opposites United’ design…

Suzuki Motor Corp plans to invest about 150 billion yen (1.26 billion US dollars) in its main market in India to increase production of electric vehicles (EVs), and build a new factory for car batteries. According to a report from Kyodo on Sunday, the Japanese automaker’s move is in line with the Indian government’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions amid a global trend toward decarbonisation. EV production in India is slated to start in 2025 at one of Suzuki’s existing factories, with operation of a new plant to produce automotive batteries set to begin around the same time. See…

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, Leap Motor has filed for an IPO in Hong Kong and will launch eight new electric vehicle models by 2025. The IPO on the Hong Kong stock exchange is expected to see Leap Motor bring in at least one billion US dollars which will be used to drive the development of a new electric vehicle model. In the plan until 2025, Leap Motor targets one to three new electric vehicle models per year. Total Leap Motor will offer a total of eight new models by 2025. According to CN EV Post, the number of shares to…

General Motors recently recalled 10 Hummer EV trucks due to a software issue. This is the first recall of the Hummer EV after it was first delivered to consumers at the end of last year. From the recall notice filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there was a problem with the software driving the taillights. The software itself is embedded in the microcontroller in the taillight assembly. The software issue is making the taillights partially on or ineffective at all. That extends to brake lights, turn signal lights, backup lights, side markers and clearance lights. In some cases,…

Porsche’s Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Blume revealed the possibility of undertaking a collaborative project with technology company Apple. “We already have Apple CarPlay, we will expand it,” Oliver Blume said during a video conference on Friday (18/3/2022), quoted from Carscoops. He said Porsche and Apple have been working together for a long time. But it may be too early to make decisions about future projects. “Porsche is also currently considering whether to enter Formula One. But no decision has been made,” said Blume. See also: Apple reportedly needs to launch a self-driving EV in 2025 with a customized chip As…

Lucid is considering increasing the price of his product for future orders. Heavy inflationary pressures have forced Lucid executives to make those price changes, Thursday, March 17. However, Lucid remains committed to respecting the orderers who have entered and providing the same price to them, without any increase or additional price. “There is an inevitability that we will have to look at the price point of the models that will come out in the future,” CEO Peter Rawlinson told Reuters. This was forced to do because of the soaring price of nickel after Russia invaded Ukraine. See also: Lucid plan…

Luxury carmaker Bentley announced plans to roll out a new electric vehicle every year for five years starting from 2025, after a recent report said the company’s annual profit had increased dramatically. The Crewe, UK-based Bentley posted a profit of 389 million euros (427.1 million US dollars) for 2021, compared with a profit of 20 million euros a year earlier. It came after shipments jumped 31 percent on demand for new Bentley hybrid models. Automakers around the world are redoubling efforts to switch to electric models due to demand for more environmentally friendly engines. Bentley’s parent Volkswagen is increasing investment…

Recently Volkswagen (VW) introduced an electric MPV and commercial van named VW ID.buzz. At first glance, it is somewhat similar to the VW T1. It’s not just the silhouette, VW ID. Buzz also has a spacious cabin like the T1. This was shown by the Twitter account @volkswagen, Tuesday (15/3/2022). https://twitter.com/volkswagen/status/1503668346662932488 They uploaded a short video showing the interior of the VW ID. buzz. Retro and colorful impression feels thick in this car. From the dashboard to the door panels, there are accents that match the body color. The MPV has a capacity of 5 passengers with a 2+3 configuration.…

The largest truck manufacturer from Germany, Daimler Truck, continues to develop the latest innovations as a form of its ambition to position itself to lead the electric commercial vehicle industry. After marketing the Mercedes-Benz eActros and Freightliner eCascadia electric trucks, Daimler is now preparing to start production of the eEconic electric truck as its third electric truck model. In preparation for this, Daimler is currently entering the testing phase of the Mercedes-Benz eEconic electric truck under the extreme cold in the Finnish region. This test is claimed to be one of Daimelr’s last steps before entering production at the end…

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has challenged Russian President Vladimir Putin to a single duel. Elon Musk offer was submitted directly to the Kremlin’s Twitter account on Monday, March 14, 2022, as a form of sympathy for the struggle of the Ukrainian people. “I hereby challenge Vladimir Putin to single combat. The stakes are Ukraine,” Musk said in a tweet on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1503327421839417344 Musk, who posted his tweet in Russian, tagged the Kremlin’s English account. “Are you okay with this fight?” he asked. One Twitter user thinks Putin will easily win any fight, including with Musk. The Tesla…

The electric car manufacturer from the United States, Rivian, has released their earnings report for the fourth quarter of 2021. Rivian confirmed that they had lost $2.4 billion in potential revenue. As a result of these losses, Rivian revised their production target for this year to 25,000 units. Rivian is ready to spend the existing capital to produce their cars this year. “This is reflected in the recent strong week-on-week production rate growth, where our output has been constrained primarily by supplier constraints,” Rivian wrote in a statement. “The factory’s production areas, including battery module, general assembly, body assembly, body…

Niutron NV is the first electric car produced by Niutron, an electric vehicle startup originating from China. Niutron NV is currently available via pre-order only. The Niutron NV itself is a midsize SUV with electric power available to consumers in a long-range version. Niutron itself has developed its own electric vehicle platform called Gemini. Several other models will come using the platform. See also: Everything You should know about spec, range, and price Wuling Hongguang Mini EV On January 12, 2022 Niutron released a design concept image called Urban Exploring. The concept image includes a two-way ring LED light and…

Renault Austral is a new weapon to attack the global SUV market in the C segment against the Peugeot 3008, Toyota RAV4, and BMW X3. The Renault Austral is built using a new generation platform in collaboration with Mitsubishi and Nissan called CMF-CD. The Renault Austral has a number of engine options, but all of them are hybrids. There are full hybrids and mild hybrids, but none are plug-in hybrids. See also: Renault Austral will have multiple powertrains options Its main mainstay is a hybrid engine dubbed the E-Tech Hybrid. It is a 1200 cc turbo 3-cylinder petrol engine with…

The Japanese motorcycle manufacturer, Yamaha does not want to be left behind in the competition for the electric scooter genre, namely the Yamaha Neos. Meanwhile, the Yamaha Neos is here as an option for short-distance and pollution-free urban mobility in Europe. To facilitate mobility, this scooter features a removable battery. This brand-new scooter has a simple yet stylish body and delivers smooth and agile performance for the city. Of course, the Yamaha Neos fits perfectly into the new segment that is shifting from four to two wheels. In addition, changes in urban systems such as no-entry zones, parking problems, and…

Nissan has introduced the Nissan Qashqai e-POWER as a variant of the Nissan Qashqai hybrid electric car technology. The Nissan Qashqai has officially become Nissan’s first SUV model in Europe to adopt the e-POWER series hybrid drive system. Quoting from Nissan’s official release, Qashqai e-POWER is here as an answer for European crossover consumers who drive more in urban areas. “The introduction of the innovative e-POWER technology in the new Qashqai brings Nissan’s spirit to be a pioneer in the crossover segment,” said Guillaume Cartier, Chairperson of Nissan Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania (AMIEO) region. See also: 2022…

The fourth largest automaker in the world, Stellantis plans to move their electric car factory from Russia to western Europe. Stellantis will also suspend all planned investments in Russia. Stellantis Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said Stellantis would move van production in Russia at this time to western Europe. They will also freeze plans for more investment in the country as a consequence of the invasion of Ukraine. Stellantis has suspended all exports and imports of vehicles with Russia. Where Stellantis operates a van manufacturing plant in the city of Kaluga, in partnership with Mitsubishi. See also: Toyota targets zero-emissions cars…

Volkswagen launched the production version of the ID.Buzz in Paris, France, Wednesday, March 9, 2022. ID.Buzz is the reincarnation of the VW Kombi in the form of a modern electric vehicle. The VW Kombi has also become one of the icons of the German manufacturer, which was popular in the 1960-1980s era. ID.Buzz will be sold in a number of countries in Europe starting in the third quarter of 2022. VW also said that this van will also be launched in the United States by the end of 2023. The production version in France is the first in a series…

The era of electrification was initiated by Mazda in Europe by introducing the all-new Mazda CX-60 PHEV. It is a technology from Mazda in the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) class while maintaining the Japanese cultural heritage. The all-new Mazda CX-60 PHEV is claimed to be the flagship of the Hiroshima brand, starting at £43,950. Oh yes, three trims are offered, namely Exclusive-Line, Homura and Takumi. As stated earlier that the CX-60 PHEV brings the first plug-in hybrid technology. Yup, it is a combination of Skyactiv-G 4-cylinder with a capacity of 2,500 cc with an electric motor with a power of…

Chevrolet has released a teaser for the Blazer EV, which will be the manufacturer’s first model to sport the “SS” performance badge. This electric car will use GM’s Ultium platform. The Chevrolet Blazer SS, which is an electric crossover, will be launched at the end of this year. And, marketed in 2023. Previously, the car manufacturer from the United States introduced this prospective electric car together with the electric Chevrolet Equinox at CES 2022. This latest model will complete the line up of electric cars, such as the Chevrolet Bolt, Bolt EUV, and Silverado EV. Although there is no information…