Author: Sofia

Beyond the three trim levels, Skoda also offers a range of four ‘Design Selections’. They’re taken from the Skoda Enyaq electric SUV and feature ‘coordinated colours and materials’, according to Skoda. ‘Loft’ gets grey recycled fabric seat upholstery, and ‘Lounge’ uses grey suede microfibre upholstery with a combination of wool, artificial leather, and x-shaped yellow stitching. ‘Suite black’ has perforated artificial leather with grey stitching, whereas ‘Suite Cognac’ uses leather upholstery in black with x-shaped needlework in a ‘Cognac’ brown colour. Comfort is the Skoda Kodiaq’s forte, because it’s not very exciting to drive. That’s what you’d probably like more…

As the incoming Trump Administration remains committed to stiff tariffs on Mexican imports, the Mexican government is pushing ahead with its affordable electric-vehicle project. The project,—called “Olinia,” meaning “movement” in the indigenous Nahuatl language—was announced last October, but President Claudia Sheinbaum provided the first details earlier this month. As reported by the Financial Times, the goal is an “ultra-compact” electric car—designed and built in Mexico—with a base price between 90,000-150,000 pesos, or approximately $4,400 and $7,300 at current exchange rates.  Ford Mustang Mach-E assembly – Mexico This will be achieved with smallness and simplicity. According to the Financial Times, officials…

Ford officials believe the battery-related issue that led to an F-150 Lightning catching fire has been resolved. On Thursday, Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg told Motor Authority production of the Ford F-150 Lightning will restart on March 13. The continued production shutdown will allow the Lightning’s battery supplier, SK On, time to build battery cells into arrays and packs before delivering them to the production line, according to Bergg. All Lightnings already built but not shipped will continue to sit under the in-transit stop-ship order as the teams work through “engineering and parts updates.”  Bergg would not elaborate what those engineering…

Quick Facts About Transmission Problems Vehicles that need a new clutch often need many accompanying parts replaced at the same time. Automatic transmissions are far more complex than their manual counterparts because they have twice the number of parts and sophisticated electronics. Checking transmission fluid is the first step in diagnosing automatic transmission problems. Transmissions are an incredibly complex part of your vehicle. If you Google “transmission interior parts,” you’ll see an overwhelming number of images of assorted gears, clutches, converters, strange-looking bearings, and shift levers, all of which must work in harmony to get you down the road. The…

Porsche once used Volkswagen vans to support to its race teams, and now the automaker is continuing that tradition with a re-branded version of VW ID.Buzz electric van. An ID.Buzz wearing the classic Porsche Renndienst (German for “race service”) livery will appear at eight dealerships in the Netherlands alongside a matching Taycan Sport Turismo starting this month as part of Porsche’s 75th anniversary celebrations, according to the automaker’s Netherlands media website (via Google Translate). Volkswagen ID.Buzz Porsche Renndienst tributeVolkswagen ID.Buzz Porsche Renndienst tributeVolkswagen ID.Buzz Porsche Renndienst tribute The original Porsche Renndienst vans were used to transport cars, parts, and crews…

Kia is close to revealing an electric SUV with rugged looks and third-row seats. The vehicle is the production version of the EV9 concept unveiled at the 2021 Los Angeles auto show, and new teaser videos suggest it will be similar in design to the striking show car. Another vehicle due to be revealed soon is the redesigned Mini Countryman, which will offer buyers the choice of gas or electric powertrains. Mini has confirmed the new Countryman will enter production late this year at a plant in Leipzig, Germany, which will make the subcompact crossover the first Mini to be…

A redesigned Mini Countryman is coming for the 2024 model year, and it will be introduced later this year. Prototypes have been testing around Europe for the past couple of years and this week Mini confirmed production will start late this year, but at a plant in Germany and not the Dutch plant of contract manufacturer VDL Nedcar, where the current Countryman is built. The redesigned Countryman will be built at a BMW plant in Leipzig, which will make it the first Mini to be built in Germany. The plant is where BMW builds the latest 1-Series, 2-Series Active Tourer,…

Tesla opens up 10 Supercharger locations to CCS charging. The USPS buys Ford E-Transits. And bidirectional charging is coming to Tesla models. This and more, here at DriftBreath Reports.   At Wednesday’s Investor Day, Tesla revealed that it will be rolling out bidirectional charging capability to its vehicles over the next two years. The tech will be part of a retool of the company’s power electronics. That said, CEO Elon Musk is still not convinced that EVs with bidirectional charging would be good for home backup and pointed to Tesla’s Powerwall for that.  Tesla also confirmed Wednesday that it’s opened “select”…

The Austrian village of Reifnitz, located on the shores of Lake Wörthersee and forming part of the municipality of Maria Wörth, has played host to an annual meet for Volkswagen GTI fans going all the way back to 1982. VW itself has joined the fun and used the event to introduce new models and concepts in the past. The event hasn’t run since 2019 due to pandemic, and now the municipality of Maria Wörth has decided to cancel it due to the sustainability concerns of locals. In a statement issued in February, the municipality said the huge growth of the…

The 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V is the luxury muscle SUV to rule them all. Handling? What handling? This is a freakin’ Escalade. Noise? Oh, this entire review could exclusively consist of noise impressions, and there would still be more to say. Luxury? You bet. Nothing about the Escalade-V’s pursuit of performance interferes with its traditional role of being a driving barcalounger, which is as it should be.  Unlike other performance-focused SUVs, Cadillac simply said no to worrying about things like skidpad figures, high-bolstered seats and a boy-racer appearance makeover. Frankly, it’s refreshing that a new “performance” SUV isn’t pretending to be…