Industry News

Fisker Automotive seems to have made it a mission to give us cars that defy current trends. While it certainly is risky business, the company’s latest creation – the Fisker Ronin – is one that might actually be embraced wholeheartedly by the public. That’s because the Fisker Ronin brings back a body style that we haven’t seen in over 50 years – the four-door convertible. Moreover, it boasts impressive figures, which could make even those looking at a Tesla Model S Plaid reconsider.

Ford Thunderbird (or the T-bird) was announced for the first time in 1953 as a direct competitor to the just launched – at that time - Chevrolet Corvette. In just a year it went from an idea to a prototype and was unveiled to the public during the 1954 Detroit Auto Show. Sales started shortly after for the 1955 model year. The Thunderbird was produced without interruption for ten generations - from 1955 to 1997, then discontinued until it was brought back to life in 2002. However, the eleventh generation was produced only for 3 years, so in 2005 the name was discontinued again.

McLaren is synonymous with putting together some pretty cynical and darn right outrageous supercars, but we’re in 2022, and I’m sure that the idea of a McLaren SUV must have surely crossed your mind. Ever wondered what that could look like? Well, this digital render by andras.s.veres gives us a good idea of what an SUV made in Woking, the U.K. could look like.

Mazda’s potential future has been in a tug-of-war battle between rumors, consumer desires, and profitability. Over the last year or so, Mazda has confirmed that it has some very bold plans for the future, and there was even word that the next-gen Mazda 6 would make use of the brand’s new six-cylinder engine and RWD platform. Sadly, Mazda shot down any hope of a RWD Mazda 6 happening anytime soon back in March 2022, but the good news is that it won’t give up on the recipe that makes the MX-5 Miata so amazing. Now, however, it looks like any fun associated with the Mazda brand outside of the MX-5 could be left in the past.

Nissan is in an interesting place. It gave us the first new Z in 14 years and its newly introduced Ariya is the brand’s first EV crossover. While both models have been delayed due to supply chain problems, there is another interesting development. It concerns the Nissan GT-R and the possibility of a four-door version, which may also be an EV. If what we hear is true, this could mean that the R36 generation will come in, at least, two flavors. Is Nissan planning to compete with the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S Plaid?

When the world fell in love with SUVs, we also did automakers a favor. See, larger vehicles actually bring higher profit margins while smaller cars usually have razor-thin profit margins, if they even profit at all. Even with such a small profit margin, compact cars are somewhat of a necessity as they provide an entry point to a brand’s lineup and quite often lead to consumers purchasing larger cars with a higher profit margin in the future. This shift to stricter emissions regulations and electrification, however, is making it harder to justify having subcompact models, because they are becoming more expensive to produce yet must maintain their attractive entry-level price point. BMW is the latest automaker to recognize this and is currently weighing its options and reconsidering the future of its front-drive compact vehicles.

Hyundai’s luxury arm, Genesis, became its own brand in 2015 and it’s already making some pretty big changes. Aside from making a quick transition to electricity, Genesis is “re-arming” its flagship luxury sedan – the G90 – by introducing a completely new, “Frankenstein” engine option.

After an absence of more than 20 years, the Acura Integra made its comeback on the market for the 2023 model year. After being announced in early 2022, the Integra will arrive at dealerships in early June. The model will be offered in standard or A-spec versions, with a Technology Package offered as an option. Both CVT and manual transmissions will be offered.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk will buy Twitter for $44 billion. After regulatory and shareholder approval, Twitter will become a private company upon the completion of the deal.

The board of directors of the internet tech giant even attempted to reject the purchase last week. Musk now intends to establish a "global platform for free speech.” Twitter’s stock price was up, by up to six-percent TWTR.INC after this press release.

The Ford F-150 Lighting debuted in 2021, but a year later, the company is all set to officially launch it. The company had received around 200,000 reservations for the world’s best-selling truck’s electric alter-ego, but recently stopped taking any more orders for it. While the truck is sold out for the current model year is a piece of big news in itself, there’s another big news coming in, courtesy of LightningOwners.com.

As it turns out, Ford has filed a patent with the USPTO about the tank turn capability in the Ford F-150 Lightning. Looks like Ford has already started reaping the benefits of its investment in Rivian… or does this have nothing to do with it?

BMW just revealed the all-new 7 Series, with the all-new i7 taking the center stage as the brand’s largest and most powerful EV to date. One of the craziest features is the new 31-inch theatre display in the rear seat, but a lot of people are having a hard time looking past the larger-than-life grille. Now that the new 7 Series and i7 have been detailed to the fullest, people are starting to wonder whether or not there will be an M7 or, perhaps, an i7 M.

Lamborghini announced the Huracan for the first time back in 2014 and it only needed eight years to build its 20,000th example. We are talking about an STO model finished in Grigio Acheso Matt and built for a client in the Principality of Monaco.

During its eight years of history, the Huracan saw twelve road and three racing versions. Since 2014, 71-percent of customers have chosen the coupé versions and 29-percent opted for the open-air derivatives. As expected, the market with the highest sales is the U.S., followed by the U.K. and Greater China.

In 1954, a German Engineer called Felix Wankel developed what he thought was going to be the next revolution in internal combustion technology. The biggest gripe that Wankel had with the existing engine technology was the harshness and vibrations that transferred through to the cabin. He decided to bypass this problem by creating an engine that had just two moving parts, making it a lot smaller than a conventional combustion engine, all while achieving the refinement levels that he desired.

Unfortunately for him, his invention was still crude and it was Hanns Dieter Paschke, an engineer from NSU who extensively reworked it to make it suitable for road use and mass production. His improved engine design was officially called the "KKM 57P" and this became the blueprint for all Rotary-powered vehicles.

Every mainstream manufacturer and a handful of startups have started bowing to regulations, government influence, and the youngest generation of drivers to sink significant money into electric vehicles. It’s a noble thing that might be good for the environment, and it’s definitely good for an automaker’s bottom line, but are we to a point where it’s safe for all automakers to shift into an electric-only strategy? Well, there are a number of things to keep in mind, one of the most important being whether or not our electrical infrastructure can actually handle it, and then you’ve got the sheer cost, with one Mercedes executive recently saying that EVs won’t be getting cheaper anytime soon. The bottom line is that, right now, not everyone can afford to shell out EV money, and now BMW’s CEO Oliver Zipse, looks to that fact to explain why automakers should rely too heavily on all-electric strategies – at least not yet, anyway.