Industry News

The winter snow in Texas left people dead in their tracks. It has impacted even basic services like power and water and has left the Lone Star state crippled. People there are facing electricity bills as high as $17,000, which shows what a massive impact the storm has had on the day-to-day lives of the residents. The rocketed prices have affected EV owners, too, as Oilprice.com reports that charging a Tesla cost the owners around $900, which is almost 50 times more than how much it generally costs!

The Volkswagen Group could be on the verge of selling Bugatti to Rimac. A report from German weekly Automobilewoche quoted Porsche CEO and Volkswagen AG management board member Oliver Blume hinting that a decision on the blockbuster sale could happen by the middle of 2021.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz EQC launch date in the U.S. has been pushed back yet again after what the German automaker described as a “comprehensive review of market developments.” The all-electric SUV was originally scheduled to arrive in the U.S. in early 2020, but Mercedes pushed back deliveries of the model by a year to early 2021. Now, it looks like we’re not going to see the EQC anytime soon.

With the increasing expansion of electric vehicles, more and more car companies are rethinking their strategies. One of the latest cases is Jaguar. The esteemed car manufacturer from Great Britain will be making a complete transition to electric propulsion in the coming years. This means that some of our favorite models from Jaguar will undoubtedly face extinction, starting with the flagship sedan – XJ. What does this mean for the rest of the brand’s current lineup? How much of it will be left and what can we expect in the future?

In case you missed it, FCA and PSA made their marriage official recently in an even-steven partnership. The merger is called ‘Stellantis’ and is now the world’s fourth-largest automaker, sitting behind Toyota, Volkswagen, and Renault-Mitsubishi-Nissan. Both the groups have many marquees under their respective umbrellas, but Stellantis won’t be operating all of them. While there were rumors of which brands would make the cut and which ones would be knocked off, there was nothing concrete so far.

But, Stellantis’ has now dropped the first bomb saying the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division is getting chopped off, On the bright side, however, the engineers working for the performance division will be integrated into the “company’s global engineering organization”, which means many brands under Stellantis could be SRT-ified!

Only ten Centodiecis are going to be assembled and each of them is paying a tribute to Romano Artioli and Giampaolo Benedini, the two minds behind the mind-boggling Bugatti EB110.

Even if Bugatti had the right platform for the Centodieci thanks to the Chiron’s underpinnings, developing a limited run hypercar that had to trigger sweet memories of the EB110 was no easy task.

Ford has been busy with its trucks lately. First came with the 2021 F-150, which also featured a hybrid model in the lineup. Recently, Ford unveiled the F-150 Raptor as well, and announced one with a V-8 engine coming next year. Then there’s the electric F-150 in the works and we should hear more about it soon. Given how all vehicles are getting electrified, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that the Raptor’s next in line.

But, Ford has ruled this out even before the topic got picked up. According to Muscle Cars and Trucks, a higher-up from Ford has made it clear that the Raptor will continue to be a pure internal combustion-engined model.

Don’t look now, but a collaboration between Halo and Tesla could be more than just a pipe dream. The potential partnership received a shot in the arm after Microsoft Xbox executive Aaron Greenberg took to Twitter to respond to Tesla big boss Elon Musk admitting that Halo is the only console game he’s ever played.

Ford launched the third-gen Raptor with a lot of interesting goodies. However, the 37-inch tires from the factory caught everyone’s attention. This is the largest size ever offered by any automaker from the factory in the light-duty truck segment. While it sounds exciting, it forced Ford to make some drastic changes to its production lines to accommodate it.

Folks from the Blue Oval spoke to Road and Track about this and it surely wasn’t as easy as it looks.

The latest BMW M3 and M4 are the most dynamic and powerful of their kind, but they also stand out due to their polarizing exterior designs. The huge kidney grille is the main culprit. While some BMW enthusiasts find it daring, others think that the German company ruined them. Some would rather have Chris Bangle back on the design team!

BMW is well aware that many do not like the new grille, but it doesn’t have a problem with all the criticism it’s getting on social media. Design boss Domagoi Dukec explains that the oversized kidney grille was created for customers that want to stand out. In short, if you don’t like, you weren’t among BMW’s targeted customers anyway.

The days of Dodge’s supercharged, 6.2-liter V-8 engine are numbered, says company CEO Tim Kuniskis, who predicts that the infamous Hellcat models won’t be around for long. But while V-8 power is slowly dying due to tightening fuel economy requirements, muscle cars won’t disappear altogether. Kuniskis predicts that electrification will bring a new "golden age of muscle cars" upon us.

Last week’s biggest news came from yours truly Tesla, who announced that the Model S and X will be going under the scalpel for much-needed nip and tuck. The highlight of said nip and tuck was the yoke-style steering wheel which is certainly an enticing feature for Tesla die-hards and at the same time, something that might not see fruition.

Mercedes-Benz just announced pricing for the range-topping AMG GT model, the Black Series, and it’s anything but affordable. At $325,000 before options, it’s the most expensive Mercedes-Benz out there, but that’s hardly surprising. Equipped with a highly efficient aerodynamic package and a beefed-up V-8 engine that packs 720 horsepower, the AMG GT Black Series is the most extreme Merc you can buy. And it’s also the lap record holder on the Nurburgring Nordschleife, so you get plenty of bang for the buck. But isn’t the AMG GT Black Series still a bit too expensive compared to what’s available on the market?

A lucky individual from Georgia named Dennis Kahler scored a huge win when he won a brand-new Chevrolet Corvette C8 from a scratch-off Georgia Lottery ticket. He also pocketed a cool $250,000, which would’ve made anyone’s day.

Turns out, some jackpot prizes take time to bear fruit, especially if there’s no plan in place to actually award Kahler with a Corvette C8 the moment he won it. What was supposed to be a joyous moment for the lucky fella has turned into bouts of frustration after Kahler discovered that the Georgia Lottery didn’t set up a designated winner’s car or even acquire a Corvette C8 order slot.

Tesla is a hot company with its own, growing community of fanboys that are relentless in sharing their beliefs. In some respect, it’s understandable – some of the world’s largest automakers could learn a thing or two from Tesla. But can the company continue as it has? As reported by pymnts.com, Tesla’s market value just hit $820 billion on January 8, 2021, pushing the company into the top 5. This puts the company under Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet. This means Tesla has seen a 700-percent growth in market value over the last year, and Wedbush analyst – Daniel Ives – saying Tesla could become a $2 trillion company within two years. Is it sustainable and how is it possible?

While Tesla keeps rolling out over-the-air updates frequently, it has never really refreshed the Model S and the Model X. The Model 3 is an exception, but even that didn’t come with any major changes. There have been no real facelifts so far, no new generations; just software updates. It didn’t matter until now because none of its products had real competition, but it looks like times are changing and Tesla is feeling the heat.

According to Electrek, Tesla is planning to refresh the Model S and the Model X after all. The production lines for these two models have been shut down longer than expected, thus hinting at a design refresh. High time!

2021 was supposed to be the year when Spyker finally introduced the production version of the B6 Venator, a concept that it first unveiled in 2013. The Dutch were also supposed to launch the D8 Peking-to-Paris SUV. Sadly, none of that will happen as Spyker filed for bankruptcy. Again. It’s been almost six years since the Dutch company resumed operations following its first bankruptcy and Spyker no longer has the financial power to continue. But it might not be the end for the brand.

Alex Zanardi, the ever-green race-driver-turned-Paralympian, continues his recovery and is finally able to speak to his family once again. The 53-year-old has been recuperating following what can only be described as a heinous crash that took place in June 2020 while the two-time CART champ was racing on his handbike. The collision with a truck, which occurred during the ’Obiettivo Tricolore’ relay race, put Zanardi in an artificially-induced coma but the most recent reports coming out of Italy prove once again that there’s no stopping Zanardi.

By now, a lot of you have your opinions of BMW’s new — and very controversial — kidney grille. Seen in models like the M3 and M4, the front kidney grille is, for better or worse, a visual conversation starter. But as much as it captures our attention, very little has been said about the functions of the kidney grille and, more importantly, what you can find behind the new nose.

See, there’s more to the kidney grille than meets the eyes, and thanks to Bimmer’s new “M3 and M4 - Explained” web series, we get a peek behind the curtain, or, in this case, a peek behind the two kidney grilles.

When Dodge launched the Durango’s 710-horsepower alter-ego, it took the auto world by storm. The automaker made it clear that it would be a limited-run model and production for the same would last for just six months. But, thanks to the crazy demand for this three-row monster, Dodge has decided to extend the production timeframe before taking the model off the assembly lines in June 2021, according to Mopar Insiders.

Automakers are coming up with multiple ways to counter range anxiety. Other than developing batteries that offer more miles per charge and fast charging options, there are portable chargers that can be hitched to the back of your ride, too.

Now, Volkswagen has developed a mobile charging robot that can walk up to an EV on its own, charge it up, and walk out of there without any human intervention.

Toyota will discontinue the big Land Cruiser SUV in the United States after 2021. That’s the word from Road&Track, the outlet that received confirmation from Toyota that 2021 will be last year for its range-topping hauler in North America. The Japanese automaker will reportedly return with an all-new Land Cruiser that’s more modern and luxurious, but there’s no specific timeline for that.

Carmakers are nothing else but businesses and when a product isn’t generating the expected sales levels, it’s a likely candidate for axing. SUVs and crossovers have already punched sedans in the gut and it looks like they’re about to claim the Chevrolet Camaro.