Pro driver Randy Pobst hot laps the 2016 McLaren 570GT around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for Motor Trend’s 2017 Best Driver’s Car.
Month: July 2020
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Friday posted a second-quarter loss of $1.24 billion as North American operations contributed a small profit despite lost production due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second quarter, when factories in North America and Europe were closed for weeks to reduce spread of the coronavirus, FCA’s net revenue plunged 56 percent
By Eric Ralph Posted on July 31, 2020 At long last, SpaceX’s fifth Starship prototype has successfully ignited its lone Raptor engine in a test known as a static fire, paving the way for the first flight of a full-scale Starship as early as this weekend. After almost three weeks of delays and several aborted
Car dealer Pendragon has said it will cut 1,800 jobs and shut 15 of its dealerships. The firm, based in Annesley, Nottinghamshire, runs the Evans Halshaw and Stratstone brands. It said a review had begun before coronavirus but the pandemic had made the trading situation more difficult. About 400 of the jobs will be from
Volkswagen Group on Thursday asked the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to reconsider a ruling that said two counties could seek potentially billions in financial penalties over excess diesel emissions. The 3-0 ruling in June said Utah’s Salt Lake County and Florida’s Hillsborough County could seek “staggering” damages over updates made to polluting diesel
Polestar has today delivered the first European Polestar 2 customer car at the company’s iconic global headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Thunder-coloured fastback is specified with a Charcoal WeaveTech vegan interior. The new owner, Sture Stensson gets a walk through the extensive technology onboard. New owner Sture Stensson commented: “I ordered my Polestar 2 on
Lexus’ LC is, without a doubt, the best-looking model in the brand’s range no matter if you go for the Coupe or the Convertible. Sure, the latter does come with a less stiff chassis and is a bit heavier, but if driving at the track is not your thing and live in a sunny place,
Volkswagen Group on Thursday asked the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals to reconsider a ruling that said two counties could seek potentially billions in financial penalties over excess diesel emissions. The 3-0 ruling in June said Utah’s Salt Lake County and Florida’s Hillsborough County could seek “staggering” damages over updates made to polluting diesel
Back off, Boomers. Ease up, Xers. It’s time to quit criticizing the Millennials and their supposed disinterest in the collector car hobby. No only are Millennials “the fastest-growing demographic of car collectors,” according to Hagerty, but as John Wiley, senior data analyst for Hagerty Valuation Services, points out, “the oldest ones are around 40 years
Succinct as it is accurate, “It’s a Subaru” pretty well describes the 2021 Subaru Ascent three-row crossover SUV. All-wheel drive? Check. Horizontally opposed engine? Yup. Room for people and gear? Uh-huh. Hard-wearing interior? Sure. The 2021 Subaru Ascent soldiers into the new year with minimal changes on what’s been a reliable formula so far. The
General Motors, once known for big, gas-guzzling trucks, will show its commitment to electric vehicles over the next few years. In recent months, GM has plotted a road map that begins its transformation into a profitable EV maker. The company has teased plans for 12 EVs across its four U.S. brands and shared details on
The number of cars built in the UK over the past six months has slumped to the lowest since 1954, according to the industry’s trade body. A total of 381,357 cars were made the six months to June, down 42% on the period last year, said the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The
DuPont reported a wider second-quarter loss on Thursday and wrote down the value of its automotive business by $2.5 billion as the industrial materials giant struggles with a prolonged weakness in one of its biggest end-markets. DuPont, which makes materials used in products ranging from engine covers to brake fluid, is heavily exposed to the
Panasonic says that Tesla’s ‘2170’ batteries produced at Gigafactory Nevada are going to get a 20% increase in energy density over the next five years, which could result in significant performance improvements. Tesla has been partnering with Panasonic to produce a new 2170-format battery cell at Gigafactory Nevada. Panasonic produces the battery cells, but Tesla
DETROIT — General Motors’ first battery-electric pickup, the GMC Hummer, will be unveiled this fall after the automaker postponed the May reveal because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Hummer could better position GM to compete against off-road rivals, such as the Ford Bronco. “We look at each brand and are continuing to build on our
General Motors showed today new photos of its all-new Ultium Cells LLC battery cell manufacturing facility in Lordstown, Ohio, to mark the beginning of steel construction. The company said that the joint venture project with LG Chem is progressing on schedule. “Since May 2020, ground has been broken and concrete footings have been poured at
The VW ID.3 has been a long time coming. After a few issues, it has finally gone on sale across Europe and Autogefühl recently had the opportunity to test it out. A host of different variations will be offered depending on the market. In Germany, the ID.3 range includes the Pro Performance, Life, Style, Business,
PARIS/TOKYO — When the French part of the Renault-Nissan alliance reports its results on Thursday, investors expect confirmation of a harsh reality: automakers that already had weaknesses are having them mercilessly exposed by the pandemic. All the world’s automakers have been in crisis at one time or another in the past few years, but it
Automotive designer Frank Stephenson has created a YouTube series called “How I Designed” in which he discusses greatest hits like the first modern Mini. Now he is auctioning off sketches from the video series for charity, according to a Wednesday press release. The online auction starts Aug. 1 and ends Aug. 14. Proceeds will go
A Lexus coupe or convertible might be the best way to take a hammer to that ginormous change jug or piggy bank you’ve had going since elementary school. An 84-month loan would be OK, too, we guess. For less than $100,000, the 2021 Lexus LC has all the standard touches expected from a car that
Pent-up demand from coronavirus lockdowns has brought car and truck buyers back to the market, but once there, they may see little wiggle room on price. With limited inventory, dealers are often taking top dollar for the vehicles they do have. For several weeks, the average industry gross, or the gross profit dealers get on
Nissan’s shares have plunged by 10% in Tokyo trading after warning that it would see a record annual loss. Japan’s second largest carmaker said it expects a $4.5bn (£3.5bn) operating loss this year as the coronavirus hinders its turnaround efforts. The worse-than-expected forecast came as the company predicted its sales will be the lowest in
DETROIT — General Motors reported a $758 million second-quarter loss as the coronavirus pandemic sharply cut production and revenue by more than half. GM said cost cutting and strong pricing allowed the automaker to nearly break even in North America despite its plants being closed for eight weeks. GM lost $101 million in North America,
By Simon Alvarez Posted on July 29, 2020 The Tesla Model Y Performance may be the electric car maker’s most conservative “P” branded vehicle in its lineup today, but the all electric crossover is no slouch. With its 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, the top tier Model Y has enough acceleration to battle high
Tesla Inc.’s surging stock price has already let CEO Elon Musk collect two tranches of his moonshot compensation award, valued at a collective $3.94 billion. Now he’s at most a couple of months away from securing the third, according to the company’s own estimates, lining him up for yet another multibillion-dollar payout. Barring a prolonged
The UK’s largest free retail charging network for electric vehicles has so far given away enough renewable energy to power the homes of almost 130,000 people. Volkswagen, Tesco and Pod Point teamed up to provide the largest free retail charging network for electric vehicle owners across the UK. The partnership has now hit the landmark
When Honda unveiled the e last year, many were eager to find out more about it after seeing its final design, reading the specs, finding out that it’s rear-wheel drive and that it has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution. We still haven’t had the chance to sit in it, but Carfection’s Henry Catchpole did and,
PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares said the strength of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will determine whether a planned combination with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles can move ahead under terms agreed to last year. “At this stage it is premature to discuss this matter as long as we don’t see the magnitude of the rebound both
When Hyundai Motor America and the National Salute to America’s Heroes had to cancel their 2020 Air and Sea Show in Miami Beach, Fla., because of coronavirus concerns, they didn’t let it stop them from giving back. Instead, they hosted a giveaway called the Salute 365 initiative for “local healthcare professionals, first responders and others.”
Motor Authority So many loud, high-horsepower machines parade in front of the security guards at Porsche’s headquarters in Zuffenhausen, Germany, that even a 911 Speedster begins to look a little dull. Arriving to drive 2021 Porsche Panamera prototypes, I pulled up in a two-seater that caught them completely off-guard: a 2007 Renault Kangoo panel van,