After years of build-up, Tesla finally revealed the Model Y this week. Deliveries won’t begin until late next year, which could mean mid-2021 realistically, given Tesla’s track record with the Model 3. But when it finally does head to production, customers will only be able to choose the $48,200 Dual-Motor or the $52,200 Performance version. Both will offer 280 miles of range, while the rear-wheel-drive Model Y will go on sale about nine months later and come with a 300-mile range. But if you set aside factors such as price and range, how does the Model Y’s design compare to the Hyundai Kona Electric?
Up front, you immediately notice a lot of Model 3 in the Model Y. Whether that’s a good thing or not largely depends on your opinion of the Model 3, as well as the number of Teslas in your area. In an area such as Los Angeles, for example, the Model [...]
After getting a look at the Mahindra Roxor at this year’s Detroit auto show, we can officially confirm that the Jeep-like Indian off-roader is seriously cool. Yes, the Roxor’s legal situation is a bit precarious, but it still looks like it would be an absolute blast to drive. And although the Roxor is currently the only Mahindra Automotive product you can buy in the U.S., that will likely change soon.
According to a recent Reuters report, launching the Roxor is only one part of Mahindra’s plan. Eventually, the Indian automaker will introduce street-legal vehicles, but this time around, it hopes to avoid reliving the disaster that was its first attempt to sell a vehicle in the U.S. That means first introducing Americans to a product that doesn’t compete directly with road cars. The fact that there are fewer regulations on side-by-sides probably helps.
Mahindra also wants Americans to [...]
Following the successful launch of the third new Porsche 911 developed during his 18-year stint as product director of the iconic sports car, “Mr. 911” August Achleitner is transitioning to retirement. The Austrian-born mechanical engineer who started at Porsche in the chassis development department in 1983 will spend the first quarter of 2019 attending media launches of various 992-generation models and handing the reins to Porsche’s current head of motorsports, Frank-Steffen Walliser. We caught up with Achleitner at the official introduction of the 911 Cabriolet (and 718 Boxster/Cayman T models he also had responsibility for) at the Geneva motor show to chat about the challenge of reengineering an icon and his hopes for the 911’s future.
Is developing the next 911 the world’s easiest or hardest job?
What we are presenting today has involved decisions made over the past three years, and the Porsche engineer is always creative. There are of course new ideas. We [...]
Volkswagen Group has announced that its decarbonization plan has been signed off with a target of going carbon dioxide (CO2)-neutral by 2050. This reaffirms the German automaker’s commitment to electrification and it has raised the stakes even more by adding 20 more EV models in its product plans on top of the 50 it originally announced to launch. In total, Volkswagen will flood the market with 22 million EVs within 10 years’ time.
Herbert Diess, Volkswagen Group CEO, said that the automaker is using the Paris Agreement to create their goals and that it will change everything throughout the manufacturing process to minimize their vehicles’ environmental impact. Diess also noted that the automaker also needs to make improvements in efficiency and performance across the company. Three principles will be employed in Volkswagen’s electrification offensive: find ways to effectively reduce CO2 emissions, switch to renewable energy sources, and compensate for unavoidable emissions.
Jaguar Land Rover is looking to cut costs amid a 281-million-pound loss in the fourth quarter of last year. To return to profitability, the automaker is trimming its lineup, and it looks like the Jaguar XF Sportbrake is one of the vehicles in jeopardy—here in the U.S. that is.
According to The Detroit Bureau, the Jaguar brand will cut models that it no longer sees as economically viable, and that includes wagons in the U.S. We reached out to Jaguar Land Rover to confirm exactly when we can expect the XF Sportbrake to disappear on our shores. We’re sad to see it leave after having been introduced here less than two years ago.
Jaguar is also getting rid of manual transmissions after 2019. The Jaguar F-Type loses its manual option for the 2020 model year.
Additionally, Jaguar Land Rover is rethinking diesels due to slumping demand in the [...]
