IIHS Vice President Shares Concerns About Growing Weight And Performance In EVs

Modern electric vehicles are not only becoming more powerful, but also heavier with the weight gain being noticed by many in the automotive community. Among those that are raising concerns are the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety with IIHS VP Raul Arbelaez sharing his thoughts on the issue in a recent opinion piece.   More Weight Means More Crash Forces In a crash, mass is a prominent component when it comes to the ensuing crash forces that they create. The larger and heavier a vehicle is, the more damage and crash forces that they generate. This is especially true with …

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Buick Nabs Top Spot In J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, Previous Winner Ram Falls 17 Spots

The J.D Power Initial Quality Study has emerged as a very important barometer of quality in the automotive industry and has become a potent bragging point for automakers lucky enough to win first place in the study. This year’s winner is Buick who dethroned Ram for the number one spot in this year’s study.   Buick’s Win Comes Amid Increasing Problems Overall Buick’s appearance in the top spot came as the study revealed that there was an 11 percent increase in the problems industry-wide per 100 vehicles. It’s important to note that in this study, a lower score often reflects …

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Rising dragon? How SAIC could emerge as a global powerhouse

When it comes to hidden potential, few can hold a candle to the sheer amounts of it wielded by the Chinese automotive industry. Once a purely domestic curiosity, some of the country’s biggest automakers are now seeking to rapidly expand their presence, and perhaps be able to market their wares in other markets including the U.S. However, are some of these Chinese firms ready to make the proper investments and moves needed to transform into global players? Or are these hurdles still too much of a challenge for them to overcome? We take a deep dive and try to discover …

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Bollinger Motors: moves to bigger digs in Oak Park to expand operations

When we last checked in with our friends at Bollinger Motors, it was in their old headquarters in Ferndale, Michigan. There, we had a chance to meet the firm’s two spearheads in the EV truck wars, the B1 SUV, and the B2 pickup, as well as learn much more about the vision of the company’s founder Robert Bollinger. But with the extra attention and growth that the company has seen recently, it was forced to seek a bigger space to enhance the levels of design and manufacturing that they were capable of doing. This resulted in a move to Oak …

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Tesla Slashes Thousands Off New Car Prices To Improve Sales Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

In a surprise move over night, Tesla revealed that it has cut prices on all three of its electric vehicles by as much as 6% for U.S. customers. The move comes amid a string of recent developments for Tesla and Elon Musk, with the latter poised to make history with a SpaceX rocket launch that will be the first one ever to be formally manned by NASA astronauts.   As for the price cuts themselves, they will follow a two tiered structure, with the biggest cuts focused on the older Model S sedan and the Model X SUV. The Model …

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Lexus LS Could Bring Back V8 Hybrid Power, Four Cylinder Option Also Rumored

When Lexus introduced the current generation LS flagship sedan a few years ago, it was supposed to bring some much needed aggression to one of the marque’s most iconic models. The design was sleeker, the interior was more luxurious than ever, and Lexus promised to make more of an effort at targeting segment benchmarks like the Mercedes S-Class as well as the BMW 7-Series. However, some folks were disappointed to see that a V8 option was not available, with the twin-turbocharged V6 being the only power plant offered. But according to a new report from Japanese publication Mag-X, it appears …

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Lincoln Axes The MKZ, Will Not Return For 2021 Model Year

With its Ford stablemate, the Fusion being axed after the 2020 model year, it was only inevitable that the MKZ would go to the chopping block as well especially after a recently announced partnership between Lincoln and Rivian. Lincoln revealed that MKZ production will end after the 2020 model year at the Hermosillio Assembly Plant in Mexico with no successor planned. Like the Fusion’s demise, the MKZ’s is due to the explosion in SUV and CUV demand, with the MKZ being consistently outsold by not only the Navigator, but also the smaller Aviator and Corsair. This follows up a batch …

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Ford and Volkswagen Announce Global Alliance, Will Not Involve Cross Ownership

In a landmark announcement that is currently breaking as we speak, Ford and Volkswagen have agreed to a global alliance that aims to enhance capabilities for both companies, while also enhancing overall levels of scale at the same time in a period where more and more unlikely alliances are being formed to combat the increasing levels of cost and engineering involved in producing vehicles for a new generation of buyers. Ford and Volkswagen also revealed that the two are exploring joint development of mobility services, EV and autonomous vehicles with this particular move designed to help save both companies billions …

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Hyundai Confirms Palisade Name For New Three Row SUV Ahead of LA Auto Show Debut

Hyundai has so far kept a very tight veil of secrecy surrounding its new 3-row flagship SUV with only a few light teasers, and a preceding concept hinting at its existence, but with LA fast approaching, the Korean car giant has finally confirmed a small slice of information, and revealed the official name for this very important utility offering, Palisade.   Depending on who you ask, the Palisade moniker is derived from a whole swath of inspiration. According to Hyundai, the name is inspired not only by a series of coastal cliffs, but also the strength of an ancient fortress. …

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Toyota Considers Axing Slow Selling Models Amid Uncertain Economic Future

With the trade war between the U.S. and China still squeezing the broader economy as a whole, the resulting pressure has forced automakers to prepare for a possible weakening in the global market scene. General Motors recently offered some of its salaried employees buyouts, and amid the cloud of uncertainty generated by this move, it appears things have shifted into another gear, with Toyota perhaps axing dead weight from its U.S. model lineup.   While crucial nameplates such as the Camry, Avalon, and RAV4 will avoid the gulliotine thanks to their high sales figures, and their impressive reputations among various …

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Hyundai and Kia Unveil Solar Panel Boosted EV Charging Solution, Expected To Appear In 2020

Once limited to experimental vehicles and ultra luxury hybrids, roof mounted solar panels are seeing a resurgence as EVs slowly become a more focal piece of the automotive landscape. Hyundai and Kia aim to take them to production reality by unveiling their plans to put them on production cars in a move that could have big ramifications for the broader automotive market as a whole.   Of course, a key caveat is that they will not be on all production vehicles, with Hyundai and Kia claiming that only “selected vehicles” will be able to be outfitted with them. When the …

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Toyota Opens Expanded R&D Facility In Ann Arbor

In a milestone that celebrated just how much Toyota’s North American operations have grown since their humble beginnings in a small garage back in 1972, the Japanese auto giant formally unveiled its all new expanded Research and Development complex in York Township, Michigan. The new facility is the automaker’s largest research complex outside of its home Japanese market, and it aims to be a key pillar in the company’s North American operations, especially in the state of Michigan which is becoming a key region for many automakers including Toyota. More than 400 officials from Toyota as well as state officials …

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9-3 EV

NEVS To Build Electric 9-3s In China

In an announcement released earlier today, National Electric Vehicles Sweden (NEVS) has revealed that it will be building an electric version of the 9-3 in China over the next few months. For those not familiar with NEVS, it is the company that bought out the remnants of Saab following the brand’s last gasp under the ownership of Spyker. While NEVS currently has the rights to continue building the aging and increasingly obsolete 9-3 sedan, it could not purchase the Swedish firm’s iconic Griffin logo, and actually lost the rights to the Saab name itself in 2014 after entering bankruptcy. According …

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