Author: Andy Williams

MotorTrend announces the Hyundai IONIQ 5 is the “Golden Caliper” winner for SUV of the Year. The IONIQ 5 became the winner after competing against 45 new or designed SUVs, 25 of which were electric vehicles. The IONIQ 5 became the winner for SUV of the Year after standing out from tough competition with its sharp styling, cohesion of details and user experience. The assessment for SUV of the Year uses six main criteria, namely safety, efficiency, value, progress in design, engineering excellence, and desired functional performance. The majority of models competing for the SUV of the Year award are…

Toyota has recently filed trademark applications for the “LFR” and “Lexus LFR” in Europe. What makes this interesting is the use of the “LF” naming structure. “LF” stands for “Lexus Future” and is used in many concept cars, such as the LF-1 Limitless SUV concept. The letter “LF” itself only appears on one production car, the LFA supercar made from 2011-2013. However, there is no concept called LFR, and it is not known what this letter R means. There are two possibilities, it could mean a Roadster, or a high-performance variant, like the one used by Ford, Honda, and Jaguar.…

There aren’t many new cars that offer manual transmissions on the market anymore. Fortunately, BMW through its M division is still willing to offer a manual transmission model. In an interview, BMW M boss Frank van Meel was asked about the future of manual transmissions after the manufacturer switched to electric powertrains. The response was overwhelming, with van Meel saying it will continue to offer models (M2, M3 and M4) with manual transmission until the end of the decade. “Unfortunately, the manual transmission offering is not as wide as it used to be. This is more for the high-performance segment…

Like other manufacturers that are starting to switch to electric vehicles, Rolls-Royce will debut its first electric car, the Spectre in 2023. “This is the start of a bold new chapter for our brand, our amazing clients and the luxury industry. For this reason, I believe the Spectre is the most perfect product Rolls-Royce has ever produced,” said Torsten Müller-Ötvös, Chief Executive Officer, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars on the official Rolls-Royce website. The company also says that Spectreis the embodiment of prophecies fulfilled, promises kept and work done. In 1900, Rolls-Royce co-founder Charles Rolls predicted an electric future for automobiles. After…

Rumors of a McLaren SUV have once again surfaced among automotive enthusiasts. That was revealed in a Car Magazine interview with McLaren CEO, Michael Leiters. In a recent interview with the UK-based media outlet, Leiters claimed that the manufacturing process for the SUV has already begun. Furthermore, the SUV will be a pure electric vehicle (EV), making it both McLaren’s first SUV and its first EV. Although the news about the making of the electric SUV has been revealed, we have not heard an official statement from McLaren regarding this news. As is known Leiters – who replaced Mike Flewitt…

The Jeep Avenger carries the Stellantis CMP modular platform. The platform is designed for subcompact vehicles and supports both electric and internal combustion powertrains. The Avenger uses a newly developed 400 volt electric architecture and a single electric motor on the front axle. This electric motor produces a peak power of 156 hp and gets energy from a 54-kwh battery that Jeep claims has a range of over 200 miles. This battery can be recharged 20-80% in about 24 minutes using a DC fast charger.

Currently, several companies and research institutes are working on the fast charging of electric cars. Researchers at Penn State University in the United States recently announced a new development. New battery technology has the potential to cut electric vehicle fully charge times in half. Fast charging technology can also reduce battery size. In addition, this new development will increase the range of electric vehicles. The researchers’ study was published earlier this week in the journal Nature. This technology was developed in collaboration with startup EC Power supported by academics. In this new technology, ultra-thin nickel foil is added to the…

In appearance, the Mercedes-Benz EQE electric SUV has a design identical to the EQS with the headlights already an LED projector with a connecting LED DRL line. On the side of the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV comes with a design line that is low enough to confirm this is a coupe SUV. In terms of specifications, the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV has various power outputs depending on the variant. The EQE 350+ has a single electric motor in the rear tire that produces 288 hp and 565 Nm of torque. Meanwhile, for the EQE 350 4Matic adds an electric motor on the…

The number of car production in Europe is expected to decline by up to 1 million vehicles per quarter due to the ongoing energy crisis. Reporting from Carscoops, Sunday (10/16/2022) S&P Global Mobility believes the number of car production could fall from the end of this year and continue until 2023. Analysts say spare parts shortages and supply chain bottlenecks will weigh heavily on automakers from November to spring 2023. This will only get worse if energy cuts occur during the winter. Governments in Europe are currently trying to minimize the impact of the energy crisis, but the steps taken…

The Volkswagen Group is considering automating 20-30 percent of its new production facility at its Trinity electric model-making plant near the main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. Head of Factory Production, Sebastian Schmickartz said, currently 90 percent of the assembly is still done manually. “This is what we want to change with the new factory. We are considering 20 to 30 percent automation,” said Schmickartz, quoted by Auto News. Electric carmaker Trinity Volkswagen is preparing to produce a new electric sedan. Where the model will later become one of the flagship products that will begin production in 2026. “The key is…

The electric vehicle trend has sparked a new horsepower war. Manufacturers are constantly striving to be number one with the fastest and most powerful electric cars on the road. The latest electric car models are racing to deliver unbelievably fast acceleration and a stunning spec sheet. However, a group of German students were able to make an electric car go 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in just 1,461 seconds. The fastest electric car’s time toppled the previous record by almost a tenth of a second faster. The student-built vehicle produces 1,750 horsepower per tonne and a peak acceleration power of 2.5G.…

Jaguar’s flagship sportcar, the F-Type 75 will be the last F-Type to carry a pure internal combustion engine. The F-Type itself was introduced in 2013 as a replacement for the Jaguar XK. Jaguar will offer the car in coupe and convertible body styles, as well as in standard and R grades. Both variants will get a supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine that produces 450 hp on the standard F-Type 75 and 575 hp on the F-Type. R75. This V-8 engine is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. Power from the engine is sent via rear-biased all-wheel-drive. In terms of performance, the…

Shares of Rivian Automotive Inc closed 7.3 percent lower on Monday after the electric vehicle maker recalled nearly all of its vehicles. This incident certainly raises concerns from the investor side, that the company may not be able to meet its 2023 production target. Rivian’s market cap is said to have fallen by more than $2 billion to $31.1 billion in one day. This amount is very small when compared to other brands such as Ford Motor Co and General Motors Co, which are valued at US$45.67 billion and US$47.08 billion, respectively. “We have bigger concerns on 2023 production expectations,”…

Manhart has just released a modified part for the Tesla Model 3. They named this project TM3 510. The changes are quite simple, but look elegant, only giving an additional lip spoiler made of carbon. The design is quite aggressive, with more pronounced curve details, but still follows the original shape of the Model 3. Manhart also provided a racing stripe sticker to give a sporty impression, as well as a honeycomb motif as if the Model 3 had a grille hole. Most noticeable is the replacement of Manhart Barracuda rims measuring 21 inches wide 9J, with a Platinum Gray…

Yamaha launched 3 electric bicycles of various types, one each for riding in mountains, gravel roads and urban areas. The Moro 07, Wabash RT, and Crosscore RC will continue the legend of the iconic motorcycle manufacturer that has been exploring the motorcycle world since 1955. Yamaha has previously announced plans to introduce a lineup of e-bikes, mopeds and other e-mobility machines to prepare for the era of electrification. The Moro 07 has a special dual frame and is powered by Yamaha’s electric motor, the PW-X3. The PW-X3 is a fairly light yet powerful drive unit that uses zero cadence technology…

White is still the most popular car color in the United States for several years in a row. A recent analysis conducted by iSeeCars to more than 6.1 million vehicles in the country. The study revealed that about a quarter of the cars on US roads are white, followed by black, gray and silver. The situation is very similar in 2019, although the numbers are slightly different. The automotive market specialist at iSeeCars said that, 78.5 percent of all vehicles currently on the road are grayscale, which includes white, black, gray and silver. White is the most popular color with…

Pininfarina began shipping the Battista electric hypercar to a customer in the US, a private collector on the West Coast. The exterior of this car is wrapped in a silver color called Argento Liquido complete with Carbon Accent Pack which adds carbon fiber mirrors. Elsewhere, the roof of the hypercar is given a Nero finish with the additional option of an Exterior Jewelery Pack which adds red brushed aluminum accents and is equipped with red brake calipers and gloss black center-locking wheels. The Battista’s cabin is decorated with chrome-free leather that has been tanned by a local supplier using leaves…

Ford’s electric vehicle sales tripled in September compared to the same month last year. The arrival of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck has brought new surprises, although the main selling influence remains on the Ford Mustang Mach-E. Ford’s electric vehicle sales in September increased 197.3 percent compared to September a year earlier, reaching 4,691 units for the month in the local market. A huge increase that allowed the oval company to achieve a 7% market share among electric vehicles in the United States. There are three electric vehicles that Ford currently has on the market: the Mustang Mach-E, the…

Indomobil Group was officially announced as the sole distributor of the Citroen brand in Indonesia. At this moment, Indomobil plans to introduce Citroen cars in Indonesia starting in 2023. “We are very proud to announce the strategic partnership of Indomobil and Stellantis which will introduce and develop the Citroen brand in Indonesia, through Indomobil Wahana Trada,” said Andrew Nasuri, Head of Business Development of Indomobil Group during a press conference. On the same occasion, Vincent Cobee, CEO of Citroen was also present. “I am happy to be a part of the launch of Citroen in Indonesia. We want to offer…

The latest data on European passenger car sales for August showed electric vehicles accounted for 20% of total new car sales. The Tesla Model Y got the most sales with 7,011 units for the month of August. Meanwhile, the Tesla Model 3 is in eight with sales of 2,938 units. Positioned after the Tesla Model Y for the most sales in August are Volkswagen ID.4 (5,796), Skoda Enyaq iV (4,669), Fiat 500e (4,032), and Dacia Spring (3,784), which just beat Volkswagen ID.3 ( 3,694). During January to August, the Tesla Model Y and Model 3 ranked first and second for…