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“Boutique” EV Company, Now Named Canoo, Plans to Market by Subscription Only

Former Evelozcity, wants to change the way cars are designed, built and marketed.

by on Mar.26, 2019

Canoo's leadership team is looking to change the way electric vehicles are built and bought.

In a market crowded with wannabe battery-car manufacturers, Los Angeles-based Canoo hopes to create a niche for itself with what’s its describing as a vehicle using “minimalist design that maximizes interior space.”

“Boutique” start-up Canoo is trying to to pitch itself as the alternative to conventional automotive manufacturers, as well as some of its new EV competitors, among other things by “Liberating you from the tyranny of auto ownership.” That translates into offering its planned products only through a subscription service.

Electrifying News!

Originally known as Evelozcity, Canoo has yet to show any of the vehicles it’s planning to bring to market, something that might raise questions about the start-up’s viability. But to gain at least a little credibility, the company has announced it is hiring three battery-car veterans from BMW and rival EV wannabe Faraday Future. (more…)

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Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Executives, Financials, Financing, Funding, Investors, Leasing, Markets, Personalities, Sales, Sales, Technology, Trends, U.S./North America | No Comments »

Deal with Mobile Gaming Company May Save Faraday Future

California-based EV maker to launch a “two-brand strategy” in China.

by on Mar.25, 2019

Faraday Future has been at death's door for several months now, but a new deal with an investor may clear the way for its return to life.

Once again, struggling battery-carmaker Faraday Future may have found a way back from the abyss, this time with the help of Chinese mobile gaming company The9 Limited.

The California-based FF is getting a $600 million lifeline from The9 as part of a new, 50/50 joint venture that will target the Chinese market with a new battery-electric vehicle based on Faraday’s FF91 concept.

News You Can Trust!

Only a handful of details have yet to be released but the long-troubled Faraday said the plan is to produce up to 300,000 vehicles in China. It also said it will have the right to produce additional vehicles in China in the future. (more…)

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Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, China, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Executives, Faraday Future, Funding, Investors, Luxury Vehicles, Markets, Personalities, Sales, Technology, Trends, U.S./North America | No Comments »

Oslo First City to Institute Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicles

City wants taxis to be zero-emission vehicles by 2023.

by on Mar.22, 2019

Oslo wants to install induction plates into taxi stands to allow them recharge wirelessly by 2023.

One of the issues limiting the appeal of electric vehicles is recharging, but Oslo, Norway will be the world’s first city to mitigate that problem as it will install wireless charging systems for taxi cabs.

The city is requiring all of its taxis be zero-emission vehicles by 2023 while Norway is requiring all new vehicles sold in the country be the same by 2025. The new induction-based chargers aim to make recharging quick and easy, according to Finnish utility Fortum.

The Last Word!

“The future is electric, and it is already here, right now. Wireless charging is a potential game changer,” said Sture Portvik, Oslo’s electro mobility manager, in a statement. “From 2023 onward, all taxis in Oslo will be zero emission.  (more…)

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Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Europe, Executives, Lawsuits/Legal, Markets, Personalities, Politicians, Regulatory, Technology | No Comments »

GM Investing $300M in Detroit-Area Plant for New EVs

Barra declines to reveal contents of Trump phone call.

by on Mar.22, 2019

GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra discusses the addition of 400 new jobs at the plant in Orion, Michigan.

General Motors continues its push toward an electric future by investing $300 million in a metro Detroit assembly plant to build a new Chevrolet battery-electric vehicle. The new investment also means 400 new jobs at the site.

The project is part of a broader, $1.8 billion U.S. investment program, CEO Mary Barra revealed Friday morning. The announcement comes just two days after President Donald Trump fired the latest in a series of broadsides at the automaker over its plan to close four U.S plants, including two assembly lines.

News Now!

“We are excited to bring these jobs and this investment to the U.S.,” Barra said in prepared remarks. (more…)

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Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Cadillac, Chevrolet, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Executives, GM, Markets, Personalities, Sales, Sales, Technology, Trends, U.S./North America | 2 Comments »

First Drive: 2019 BMW X7

Bavaria’s big boy offers Euro alternative to Escalade, Navigator – as well as 7-Series.

by on Mar.21, 2019

The 2019 BMW X7 shown here in Euro trim heading off into the sunset.

Laissez les bon temps rouler…let the good times roll. And since I’m heading to New Orleans, it’s nice to be rolling that way in the new 2019 BMW X7.

The German automaker was one of the first to get serious about building luxury SUVs with the 1999 launch of the original X5. And as the global market has steadily shifted from sedans and coupes to SUVs and CUVs, it has steadily expanded the range of what the Bavarian marque prefers to call “Sport Activity Vehicles.” The X7 is the latest and most lavish entry, essentially a two-box alternative to the brand’s familiar flagship, the 7-Series.

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Reviews You Can Trust!

To see if it’s really up to the challenge I headed down to Tallahassee to pick up one of the Bavarian brutes, beginning a day-long drive across the Florida Panhandle, through Alabama and Mississippi and wrapping up in the Cajun State, just in time for the start of the annual Mardi Gras.

(more…)

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Posted in Audi, Automakers, Automobiles, BMW, Business, Cadillac, Crossovers/CUVs, Electrified Vehicles, First Drive, First Look, Infotainment, Lexus, Lincoln, Markets, Mercedes, Reviews, SUVs, Sales, Sales, Semi-autonomous Driving, Technology, Trends | 1 Comment »

Ford Investing $900M in Second EV Plant, AV Facility in Michigan

New operation set to open in 2023, add 900 workers.

by on Mar.20, 2019

Ford is planning to use its underutilized plant in Flat Rock, Michigan, to build electric vehicles starting in 2023.

Ford Motor Co. will invest $900 million in two Detroit-area facilities meant to focus on the cars of the future.

The bulk of the investment, about $850 million, will go to Ford’s now under-utilized Flat Rock facility that will become the automaker’s second source for pure battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs, in the process creating 900 new jobs. The rest will fund what the automaker is describing as an “Autonomous Vehicle center,” where conventional vehicles will be modified to operate hands-free and even entirely without a driver.

Product News!

Ford was one of the earliest of the automakers to focus on battery-based powertrain technology, though it won’t bring out its first long-range all-electric model until next year, a “Mustang-inspired” SUV expected to take aim at the new Tesla Model Y. It will be produced at Ford’s first battery-electric vehicle plant in Cuautitlan, Mexico. (more…)

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Posted in Asia Pacific, Automakers, Automobiles, Autonomous Driving, Business, China, Driverless Vehicles, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Europe, Executives, Ford, Funding, Markets, NAFTA, Personalities, SUVs, Sales, Sales, South America, Technology, Trends, U.S./North America | No Comments »

SEC Says Musk’s Response to Lawsuit “Borders on the Ridiculous”

Regulators tell court Tesla CEO failed to clear a single tweet with automaker per settlement.

by on Mar.19, 2019

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shown during last week's unveiling of the new Model Y.

Federal regulators have shot back at Tesla CEO Elon Musk in their battle over a contempt-of-court lawsuit, claiming the 47-year-old executive’s legal argument “borders on the ridiculous.”

The case stems from a tweet Musk filed last month declaring that Tesla would produce 500,000 vehicles this year. The Securities and Exchange Commission considered that “material” guidance which, under terms of a separate case last year, required the CEO to first get the approval of the company. But, the SEC said in a new filing, Musk has not cleared a single tweet with Tesla as he had agreed to.

Breaking News!

The lawsuit is being heard by U.S. Judge Alison Nathan who could hold Musk in contempt and levy fine or other forms of punishment. The Tesla executive was already forced to relinquish his post as chairman and could now be removed as the automaker’s chief executive officer.

(more…)

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Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Concept Cars, EVs, Earnings, Electrified Vehicles, Executives, Financials, First Look, Investors, Lawsuits/Legal, Personalities, Technology, Tesla | 2 Comments »

Aiming to Launch Tesla Model Y Challenger in 2021, Fisker Searching for Plant Site

Electric SUV planned at "below $40,000."

by on Mar.18, 2019

The Fisker SUV will adopt an SUV style and offer more interior space than the typical ute by placing key components under the floorboard.

Long-time automotive designer and entrepreneur Henrik Fisker is readying a challenger to the upcoming Tesla Model Y that will be ready for production during the second half of 2021 at a price of “below $40,000.”

With a range estimated at “around” 300 miles, Fisker Inc. plans to produce it at a factory in the U.S. and is currently searching for a plant site in one of eight states, the Danish-born executive told TheDetroitBureau.com in an exclusive interview. The company is putting an emphasis on acquiring an existing factory, preferably one of the many abandoned auto plants around the U.S.

Beyond the Headlines!

“We hope to pick a site within the next eight to 10 weeks,” Fisker said, noting that a Midwest site with ready access to existing suppliers is high on the priority list, though the final choice would also be impacted by available incentives.

(more…)

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Posted in Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Concept Cars, Crossovers/CUVs, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, First Look, Fisker, Fuel Economy, Hybrids, Product Reveals, SUVs, Sales, Sedans, Sports Cars, Technology, Tesla, Trends | 2 Comments »

Cadillac’s New CT5 Revealed Through a “Sensory Symphony”

“We’re very much committed to sedans,” says brand boss Carlisle.

by on Mar.18, 2019

The Sport edition of the 2020 Cadillac CT5.

Hoping to rebuild momentum for its struggling turnaround strategy, Cadillac has been putting a premium on SUVs, rolling out new models like the XT4 and XT6 this past year and preparing to upgrade the older XT5 and Escalade models, as well.

That’s a logical move, considering utility vehicles now dominate the luxury car market. But General Motors’ flagship brand isn’t abandoning its more traditional product family. The CT5, the new midsize sedan that will be replacing the old CTS, is making its debut today through a broad social media campaign it is calling a “Sensory Symphony,” ahead of its more formal appearance at the New York International Auto Show next month.

Product News!

“We’re very much committed to sedans. Let me clear the air about that,” said Caddy President Steve Carlisle said during a media background briefing.

(more…)

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Posted in Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, BMW, Business, Cadillac, China, Crossovers/CUVs, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, First Look, GM, Infotainment, Luxury Vehicles, Markets, Mercedes, New York, Product Reveals, SUVs, Sales, Sedans, Technology, Trends, U.S./North America | 2 Comments »

Mustang Electrified?

Ford counter-programs debut of the Tesla Model Y and hints of a high-performance CUV to come.

by on Mar.15, 2019

“Hold your horses,” or so said Ford Motor Co. in a tweet not-so-coincidentally timed to reach the social media world just as Tesla CEO Elon Musk was getting ready to debut his company’s new Model Y battery-electric SUV.

The Ford post featured that short blurb and a blue version of the Mustang logo against a black background, nothing more. But it does hint at several projects that Ford has already confirmed are in the works. That includes both a hybridized version of the pony car, as well as a Mustang-influenced all-electric SUV that Ford announced during the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Electrifying News!

An early player in the electrification field, Ford has fallen behind not just Tesla but conventional rivals like General Motors and Volkswagen, both investing heavily in long-range, battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs. Ford officials say they are going to make a push to catch up and have confirmed that the first entry into next-gen electric technology would be a performance-oriented crossover tentatively named Mach 1 and due to market about when the Tesla Model Y hits the street about a year from now.

(more…)

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Posted in Aston Martin, Auto Shows, Automakers, Automobiles, Business, Concept Cars, Crossovers/CUVs, Detroit, EVs, Electrified Vehicles, Environment, Executives, Ferrari, First Look, Ford, Fuel Economy, Hybrids, Mercedes, Muscle Cars, Personalities, SUVs, Sales, Sedans, Technology, Tesla, Trends | No Comments »

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