Industry News

Tesla was quite active at the Green Hell before the Covid hit us, but it seems like it’s back there again; this time, with a prototype of the Model S Plaid. The only logical explanation for the red prototype to be there is it gunning for a record lap. The company had unofficially set a record back in 2019, but is back two years later to set another record that could possibly be an official attempt to dethrone the Porsche Taycan. Exciting stuff, isn’t it?

The world has never been the same since the invention of lithium-ion batteries and their widespread use since the early 90s. The importance of its role in our daily lives can’t be understated. It powers everything from our smartphones and electronics to its more recent use in electric cars and grid-scale energy storage.

Regardless of their applications, current lithium-ion batteries have some drawbacks. It contains a liquid electrolyte solution, and if it is not managed correctly or damaged in an accident, they tend to bloat due to temperature fluctuations. They can even leak due to mechanical stress and electrolytic decomposition at higher voltages. And hence, this increases the chances and risk of a fire.

Toyota launched the 13th-gen Land Cruiser a couple of months back. Moniker’d the Land Cruiser 300, this new generation succeeds the Land Cruiser 200 that was in production for 14 years. It is, however, forbidden fruit in the U.S. as the company has pulled the plug on it here. Just as the hype of the new SUV was dying down, a report by Creative311 has brought it back to the headlines.

According to the publication, Toyota is asking the owners not to sell their SUV within 12 months of purchase, citing global security. In fact, the company is even making the owners sign the dotted line and make it a contractual agreement. How about that!

Porsche’s sports car lineup is quite diverse, having numerous high-performance models based on both the 911 and 718. That said, the German carmaker currently doesn’t have a proper flagship model. Previously that role was filled by the hybrid 918, but its production was ended back in 2015. Of course, Porsche brought back the 911 GT2 RS, which was based on the 991 and they even did a homage to the 935 Moby Dick, based on that GT2 RS. With this in mind, we’ve been getting mixed reports about a potential “GT1 successor,” some of which are quite interesting.

Hyundai has announced that the Santa Cruz pickup will go on sale at the end of July 2021. It will carry a price tag of $23,990 for the entry-level, FWD, SE model, while the range-topping limited trim with the 2.5-liter turbocharged engine and AWD will command a steep price of $39,720. In comparison, the new Ford Maverick starts out at just $19,995, and it’s coming from an automaker that knows a thing of two about trucks. It will even be offered with an FX4 package that will being with it more off-road capability, but with AWD vs. 4WD. The Santa Cruz will offer up to 275 horsepower, which isn’t bad for a smaller truck, which might be its strongest selling point as the range-topping Maverick will come with just 250 horsepower and 277 pound-feet of torque from a turbocharged, 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder. Click on the full-screen button on the slider above to read our dedicated webstory on the Hyundai Santa Cruz and what it brings to the table.

The Ford vs Chevy rivalry is one of the oldest and biggest in automotive history. The two American carmakers have been going at it, across the lineup for decades. We have the Mustang vs Camaro, F-Series vs Silverado, and Bronco vs Trailblazer, but before all of those there was the Thunderbird vs C1 Corvette. And guess what, the Thunderbird wiped the floor with the Corvette, in the 1950s, outselling it 23 to 1.

The automotive industry is fast-paced and not everyone manages to adapt. Mitsubishi is a perfect example as the once glorious carmaker has gradually been reduced to making cheap and boring vehicles. Mitsubishi is not in a good place financially and axing their pride and joy – the Lancer Evolution – speaks louder than any words about Mitsubishi’s declining situation. Given the recent developments, it seems Mitsubishi’s future will involve a bland vehicle lineup and the obligatory electrification, probably with help from Nissan.

The Chevy C8 Corvette is officially one of the most un-tunable vehicles on the road today. It’s not because it’s already powerful enough or because mechanical engineering prevents it. And, the C8 can be tuned to some extent, such as throwing in a bolt-on supercharger, for example, or however this record-breaking C8 Corvette managed to reach 1,000 horsepower. But, in terms of conventional tuning, aka, ECU remapping, tuners are essentially out of luck and probably will be for some time to come unless someone manages to crack the code.

Stellantis showcased future developments for several brands under its corporate belt during its very first EV Day event. A six-minute film was shown by its Jeep brand to demonstrate the automaker’s goals. The company that specializes in off-road vehicles puts a great degree of emphasis on the brand’s 4xe goals, part of which includes the installation of Solar charging stations on trails across the country.

Despite the Dino being called a Ferrari by, well, just about everyone, and being produced by Ferrari, it didn’t actually wear a Ferrari badge. In fact, the Dino name itself was created in Ferrari’s attempt create a low-cost sports car, ultimately opening the door to people a little less fortunate than those that could actually afford a real Ferrari. Ferrari produced several versions of the Dino like the V-6 206 GT, 246 GT, the 246 GTS, and there was even an eight-cylinder model, the 308 GT4. Be that as it may, the Dino is remembered as a V-6 Ferrari first and foremost, while the original plan for the Dino name to represent any car that didn’t have a V-12. The name itself was somewhat successful but was discontinued after 1976. Ferrari hasn’t used the Dino name since, although, it’s been highly speculated for years that the name would make a comeback. With the reveal of the Ferrari 296 GTB, we now know why it hasn’t and probably never will.

Rivian took the internet by storm back in the day when it announced a feature that would turn the truck on a dime. Such technology was possible because you have a motor on every wheel which controls them individually. Now, the automaker has milked this hardware some more to come up with something known as a K-turn. In its essence, it is pretty much the same as the Tank Turn, but it isn’t as aggressive and won’t dig a hole if you attempt it on a soft surface.

When an automaker is in turbulent times, sometimes all it takes is the right person to turn it all around. Take Jaguar and Land Rover for example – two companies that have been plagued by quality and reliability issues to the point that the whole world knows just how bad they really are. And I’m not even exaggerating, either. In What Car’s 2020 reliability survey, Land Rover landed dead last in position No. 31 with a score of 78.2-percent, or 10-percent less than Renault at 87.6-percent in position No. 30. Jaguar did a little better in position 21 with a score of 91.8-percent, but you get the idea – neither company is known for two things that matter the most. There was even a protest at JLR’s Shanghai headquarters in 2018 over poor performance. For 2021 and beyond, however, both brands could very well see a completely different fortune.