Author: Sofia

Ohio’s Lordstown Motors announced that it “has experienced performance and quality issues with certain Endurance components.” That’s led to a temporary stop to both production and customer deliveries, and it will lead to the company’s first recall. According to the company, it’s already filed paperwork with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to voluntarily recall affected trucks due to “a specific electrical connection issue that could lead to a loss of propulsion while driving.” That issue affects 19 vehicles already delivered to customers or in use by the companies. Additional vehicles at the plant will also need the recall…

California is considering efficiency standards for replacement tires, helping ensure that hybrids and electric cars sold with efficiency-focused tires would consistently get comparable replacements. As noted by trade publication Modern Tire Dealer, replacement-tire efficiency standards have been discussed for some time, but may be moving closer implementation following data gathered by the California Energy Commission (CEC), the regulatory agency in charge of drafting proposed standards. The CEC was previously granted authority to adopt and implement tire-efficiency standards via legislation, and it launched the data-gathering campaign in November 2020. Earlier this month it recommended a minimum standard for rolling resistance, along…

Volkswagen’s ID.Buzz is already on sale overseas but the electric van will finally reach U.S. showrooms later this year. The reason for the delay is that the U.S. will get a long-wheelbase version that’s still in development, and one of the prototypes was recently snapped by our spy photographer. The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6, a sleek electric sedan featuring strong Porsche and Mercedes-Benz vibes, goes on sale this spring. Pricing information has been released and the figures are comparable with the Tesla Model 3, but the Ioniq 6 has the range advantage. Bentley’s twin-turbo 6.0-liter W-12 engine is on its…

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…