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Which automaker (not Tesla) re-upped its plans to bring a steering yoke to the U.S.? And another solar car was canceled. Which one? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at DriftBreath Reports—for the week ending February 24, 2023. 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 last year launched a Defender equipped with a V-8, but a more hardcore V-8 option is still in the works. The latest Defender is expected to have at least two V-8 grades: the regular Defender V8 launched for the 2022 model year, plus a more capable version possibly wearing an SVX badge and targeting the likes of the Ford Bronco Raptor and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, but with a luxury twist. Prototypes for the potential Defender SVX have been spotted, revealing a number of key details. The prototype features a titanium exhaust with quad tips, along with widened…
Barn finds aren’t as common as they used to be, but there are still a few hidden gems out there, like this rare 1931 Duesenberg Model J, which was recently uncovered after almost six decades in storage. Classic car YouTube channel Nobody’s Show documented the story of the Duesenberg, which was parked in 1967 and just recently unearthed by the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Company, an Oklahoma Duesenberg specialist built around the defunct automaker’s leftover parts inventory. This particular car was left to the owner by her father, so it wasn’t really missing. Just in storage. After decades sitting in the…
In case you missed it, Chrysler is still a happening item. The V8-powered 300C was a hit when it was revealed last year, selling out in mere hours. The Pacifica minivan is a rocking family bus, and there are some concepts floating around, too. That said, it’s been a minute since we sat down with Chrysler to see what’s new. CEO Christine Fuell — known as Chris — has been on the job since 2021. To get a sense of where she thinks the company is now and where it’s headed, we sat down with Fuell at last week’s Chicago…
We look at the shortlist of safest electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The Sono Sion solar car is no more. And will worries over gasoline-car resale value drive subscription models? This and more, here at DriftBreath Reports. Sono Motors announced that the Sono Sion solar car project has been terminated. The company will instead focus on solar retrofits for trucks and other arenas, although it’s leaving the door open for a sale of the Sion program. While we often hear about electric vehicles together with by-the-month subscriptions as the future of the vehicle market, a study from Deloitte points out…
Originally limited to 1,500 units in the U.S. for the 2023 model year, the Toyota GR Corolla Circuit Edition will now be available for 2024 as well. Toyota made the announcement on Thursday, though the automaker didn’t say whether production will still be limited. It did however confirm that production for the GR Corolla will be increased. Part of the reason for the limited supply is that the GR Corolla range is built at the Gazoo Racing factory in Motomachi, Japan, alongside the smaller GR Yaris sold overseas. Toyota cited strong demand as the reason for increasing production and extending…
Fernando Alonso made the switch from Alpine to Aston Martin for the 2023 Formula 1 season, and his new team is already making use of the two-time F1 champion’s star power with a video featuring Alonso behind the wheel of the Aston Martin DBX707 SUV. Alonso philosophizes about the perfect lap, noting that while computers can predict the limit, a driver’s intuition can exceed it. Yet, in a voiceover over a mock test session at an unnamed track, Alonso concedes that the perfect lap “is always out of reach.” The Spaniard’s handling of the DBX707 is dramatic but doesn’t seem…
A possible coolant pump problem for the HVAC system is causing Porsche to recall 24,467 units of the Panamera from the 2017 to 2020 model years. Bentley’s recalling 650 examples of the sibling 2020 Continental GT for the same issue. Porsche was notified of a malfunction in the external heat pump for the Panamera’s climate control in December 2022. An automaker investigation found that it’s possible for excess humidity or even liquid to get past the pump seals and short out the pump’s circuit board and connector. In rare instances, the malfunction could cause a fire. This can happen even…
Lamborghini celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023 and has a number of events planned. One of these was the reveal this week of the Huracán STO Time Chaser_111100, a one-off Huracán STO with an exterior dressed up by Japanese artist IKEUCHI. IKEUCHI’s art work features a cyber-industrial style, with broken computer parts, electrical wiring, and plastic bits and pieces all utilized by the artist. For the Huracán STO Time Chaser_111100—the numerical component of the name is binary code for the number 60—IKEUCHI looked to combine elements from Lamborghini’s past to create something that looks like it might be from the future.…
Chinese auto giant Zhejiang Geely on Thursday introduced Geely Galaxy as a sub-brand of its mass-market Geely brand, aimed at buyers seeking upmarket cars equipped with either hybrid or fully electric powertrains. At a launch event held in Hangzhou, China, Geely showed two Geely Galaxy-branded vehicles, one a sleek sedan concept and the other a plug-in hybrid SUV that will start sales in China in the second quarter of 2023. There’s been no mention of sales in other markets. Geely said Galaxy will have a lineup spanning seven distinct models within two years, four of them plug-in hybrids and the…