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Mercedes-Benz is recalling nearly 125,000 coupe and sedan models to address a potential defect with their sunroof panels that may allow them to detach from the vehicle while in motion. Broadly speaking, the campaign covers various 2001-2011 C-Class, CLK, E-Class, and CLS models — including AMG variants where applicable. Per Mercedes, the vehicles included in the campaign may have shipped with inadequate bonding between the glass panel and sliding roof frame, which may allow them to separate.  “Due to a production deviation at a supplier, glass panels might have been bonded without proper application and/or ventilation of the primer (bonding…

Tesla has lowered prices across its lineup, according to the automaker’s online configurator. The Model Y got the biggest price cut, with the base Long Range now starting at $52,990, which is 20% lower than before. The starting price for the Model Y Performance was cut by 19% to $56,990. Model 3 prices were cut 6% for the base version to $43,990 and 9% for the Model 3 Performance, which now starts at $53,990. 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid Tesla in December also offered credits on the Model 3 and Model Y of $3,750 and later $7,500 for cars delivered…

Keeping up with anticipated U.S. EV sales growth will require a lot more chargers, according to a new S&P Global Mobility study. Even accounting for home charging, which is how most EV drivers currently charge most of the time, the U.S. public charging network will need to quadruple in size between 2022 and 2025, and grow more than eightfold by 2030, according to the study. The study estimates that there are currently about 126,500 Level 2 AC chargers and 20,431 DC fast chargers in the U.S., plus 16,822 Tesla Superchargers and destination chargers specific to that automaker. The number of…

Production of the 2023 Honda Civic Type R has ramped up in Japan. This video takes viewers inside Honda’s Yorii Plant to see how the latest Type R gets built. Pay attention, though, because there is no narration. The video shows the entire assembly process in just about eight and half minutes, starting with the body shop, where sheet metal is pressed into body panels. Those pieces are then welded and bonded together to form the body shell, after which the hood, doors, and hatch are attached. The completed body shell is then painted. 2023 Honda Civic Type R assembly  Everything…

Typically, pickup-truck redesigns are methodical evolutions of whatever came before—a little more power, a little different styling, maybe some clever new features. But the Toyota Tundra’s 2022 redesign was more extreme than most, given that the previous generation remained mostly unchanged throughout its 14-year run. In the case of the TRD Pro, a naturally aspirated 5.7-liter V-8 was replaced by a twin-turbo V-6 and a hybrid system. The transmission went from a six-speed to a 10-speed, and the leaf-sprung rear end gave way to coil springs. And that’s not to mention the new interior and exterior styling, which in the…

Fast Facts 2022 Lexus NX 350 AWD Fast Facts 2.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder (275 horsepower @ 6,000 RPM, 317 lb-ft @ 1,700-3,600 RPM) Eight-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel drive 22 city / 29 highway / 25 combined (EPA Rating, MPG) 10.5 city / 8.3 highway / 9.5 combined. (NRCan Rating, L/100km) Base Price $43,025 (U.S) / $54,850 (Canada) As Tested N/A (U.S.) / N/A (Canada) Prices include $1,075 destination charge in the United States and $2,245 for freight, PDI, and A/C tax in Canada and, because of cross-border equipment differences, can’t be directly compared. I’ve always had mixed feelings about Lexus’ NX…

Mercedes-Benz could drop its EQ badge for electric cars as it moves toward an EV-only lineup, a German business newspaper reported. EQ was launched in 2016 as a sub-brand that would serve as a launch point for EVs, but Mercedes plans to drop the EQ nomenclature from the end of 2024, according to Handelsblatt (via Automotive DriftBreath Europe). 2022 Mercedes-Benz EQB Class The change is reportedly in keeping with CEO Ola Kallenius’ focus on EVs. Under Kallenius, Mercedes has set the goal of eliminating combustion engines from its lineup in at least some markets by 2030. That would make the…

GM and Ford look at using EVs as virtual power plants. Cell-to-chassis tech nears production in an EV from China. And we look at how the inductive charging robot that Ram teased might work in the real world. This and more, here at DriftBreath Reports.  The Ram EV inductive charging robot shown last week at CES with the introduction of the electric truck concept is indeed production-bound—and we took a closer look at how this unit works and how it could make things easier for owners with multiple EVs in the garage.   GM and Ford are among the companies that…

Cadillac on Thursday revealed the final liveries for its fleet of V-LMDh race cars ahead of their competition debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona set for Jan. 28-29. The V-LMDh is Cadillac’s entry into the new top class of endurance racing in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (of which the Rolex 24 is a part) and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), competing in the GTP and Hypercar classes, respectively. Cadillac will field three cars, each in a livery featuring one of the colors from the V-Series logo, including the no. 01 in gold, the no. 02 in blue,…

The 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon is all go, and if you caught my preview post this morning you’ll know that modified versions of Nissan’s new Z are – as expected – on show in numbers. One of the most anticipated RZ34 builds belongs to VeilSide. Knowing how cool this car was going to be (Yokomaku-san teased us with plenty of progress shots late last year) I made a plan to visit VeilSide ahead of TAS and take a proper look. Luckily for me, there was no last-second ‘TAS crunch’ dash to the finish line; Yokomaku-san had the car completed right on schedule, meaning…