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Do you remember the first car you built? Of course you do. The first car that John Lau modified is probably similar, if not the same as many others’: a 1993 Honda Accord, turbocharged, with Work wheels and lowered over Koni shocks. John also installed alternating strobe lights and a Kenwood sound system. Sounds about right, especially considering that John grew up surrounded by the strong JDM-influenced scene in Los Angeles, California. At the time, he often found himself out in Gardena Mexico, watching the street races that went down on any given Thursday night. John laughs with me as he recalls those days, and…
I’m a fan of special-order colors. Ever see a Chevy ordered in Pontiac’s Verdoro Green? Or an Oldsmobile ordered in Dodge’s Plum Crazy? I have, and it’s somewhat neat to see. The day of paying extra for a non-production color are long gone for most “regular” cars, but fancy brands and special models (Corvette, anyone?) offer bespoke colors. BMW offers a program called BMW Individual for drivers who desire “expressive and exclusive” paint colors and finishes, and now the program has been expanded to include the controversially styled 644-hp XM plug-in hybrid “Sports Activity Vehicle.” The German brand’s 29 year-old…
Fiat’s sole electric vehicle at present is the 500e minicar but it will soon be joined by two more battery-powered offerings. Parent company Stellantis announced on Tuesday in a presentation outlining its financial results for 2022 that Fiat will launch two EVs in the second half of 2023. It’s likely neither of the new EVs will reach the U.S. Fiat has confirmed it will bring the 500e to the U.S. in 2024, but at the Los Angeles auto show last year CEO Olivier Francois said “Fiat is the 500, no other car,” when asked what his vision is for Fiat…
Toyota might opt for U.S. EV production in Kentucky. VW is keeping EV components in-house so it can optimize them for efficiency. And the Hyundai Ioniq 6 gets priced in the same range as the Model 3. This and more, here at DriftBreath Reports. The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric sedan has a price tag for the U.S., and it sets the 361-mile version that outdoes the Tesla Model 3 in range at $46,615. Base versions of the Ioniq 6 start at $42,715 with a 240-mile range. That positions Ioniq 6 prices just below those of the Ioniq 5 crossover. …
The Land Rover Range Rover was redesigned for 2023, and the latest SUV has spawned its first special edition. Called the Range Rover Sport Deer Valley Edition, the special SUV takes its name from the Deer Valley Resort ski resort located in Park City, Utah. Just 20 examples are available with prices starting at $166,475, including a $1,475 destination charge. The basis of the vehicle is the range-topping Autobiography grade, which comes with a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 good for 523 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, or enough for 0-60 mph acceleration in 4.3 seconds. All 20 examples will come…
VerdictThe ID. X concept is more than just a hotted-up ID.3. It feels a step above the brand’s GTX rung, and our first taste proves that there could be fun to be had in faster, sharper EVs based on the MEB platform. It changed our perceptions; from the passenger seat, at least. All that’s left is to drive it…Back in 2021, then-Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter revealed in a Linkedin post the brand’s ID. X concept, an all-wheel- drive hot hatch that potentially previewed an ID.3 GTX performance model. Now Auto Express has sampled this very prototype, albeit only from the…
Rolls-Royce’s first series-produced electric car, the Spectre unveiled in 2022, won’t be its last. The BMW-owned company announced that every new car it launches after 2030 will be electric-only, though it stressed that there’s still space in its range for V12-powered models. “All future Rolls-Royces, new ones, will be only electric while maintaining what Rolls-Royce stands for,” company boss Torsten Müller-Ötvös told British magazine Car. He added that this thinking explains the Spectre’s overall design. “That’s why we also decided to go with classical Rolls-Royce proportions. It needs to look like a Rolls-Royce: monolithic, great stature, it carries proudly the…
A recent patent filing indicates Rivian is looking to alternative cooling methods as a way to speed up EV fast-charging. A patent application published Feb. 14 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) notes that thermal management during charging can take up quite a lot of power. As a solution, it proposes shifting some of the load from the vehicle’s cooling system to the charging system. Battery packs need to be within a certain temperature window to achieve peak charging speed, and according to Rivian, that cooling takes real power, which detracts from peak charge rate. That cooling…
As automakers look to boost EV efficiency, Volkswagen believes bringing development of more components in-house will lead to big gains. VW announced this strategy shift at its Tech Day 2023 event, claiming efficiency improvements of up to 20% by developing its own optimized components. “The Volkswagen Group and its brands stand for first-class products and technologies,” VW Group CEO Oliver Blume said in a statement. “Thanks to the size and breadth of the group, as well as our in-house expertise, we can leverage economies of scale.” Future Volkswagen thermal management unit developed in-house VW used to rely on several large…
Jeep must be feeling the heat from the Bronco, as it’s just added two factory-installed options to its latest JL Wrangler that are already available on the Ford. They include a wash-out floor system that can be used in lieu of traditional floor mats, and heavy-duty vinyl seats that can also be hosed down for easy cleaning. The floor system features multi-layer construction that Jeep says offers thermal protection and sound dampening properties. It also features integrated channels that line up with the Wrangler’s original floor drains. It comes in black and fits each foot well. The option costs $995…