Author: Sofia
General Motors has filed a patent application for an augmented reality (AR) auto-dimming windshield to protect drivers from the glare of oncoming headlights. First spotted by Motor1, the application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and published Jan. 17, 2023. It describes a lot of added hardware, including an AR head-up display, sensors to detect the amount of light shining on the windshield, and smart glass that allows the amount of light transmitted through the windshield to be electrically tuned. General Motors augmented reality head-up display patent image If the sensors detect that light shining…
Global demand for luxury cars increased significantly in 2022. After Bentley, BMW M, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce, Porsche has announced that its North American division set a new delivery record in 2022, while its global deliveries increased by 3% compared to 2021. Porsche delivered a record-breaking 70,065 cars in the United States in 2022. In comparison, the company’s 2021 deliveries checked in at 70,025 units. It’s a razor-thin margin but it’s a record nonetheless. Fourth-quarter deliveries grew by 14% over 2021 to 20,955 units. Unsurprisingly, the Macan took the top spot on the sales podium with 23,688 deliveries in 2022, a…
Mercedes-Benz has been spotted testing a compact electric sedan with coupe-like styling, which will likely end up as an electric alternative to the CLA-Class. It isn’t clear what it will be called, but if Mercedes sticks to its current naming practice the sedan might be called the EQA. If that happens, the current EQA compact electric crossover sold overseas would need to be rebranded as the EQA SUV, something that has a strong chance of happening next year when the current EQA is updated along with the related GLA-Class. The prototypes are believed to be the first testers based on…
New federal EV tax credit rules have set price caps that are narrowing the field of qualifying EVs, but a leasing loophole is already opening up a much wider field eligible for federal subsidies. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) re-upped the federal EV tax credit of up to $7,500 for qualifying vehicles. It added price caps of $55,000 for cars and $80,000 for pickup trucks and SUVs. That nominally excludes luxury EVs like the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S, if you buy them. Luxury brands are already at work on the leasing workarounds that may, conveniently, help counteract rising…
A prototype for the redesigned Mercedes-Benz E-Class due out later this year has been spotted. The new mid-size sedan looks like it’s taking on a sleeker design for its next generation, adding to rumors that the sleek CLS-Class and GT 4-Door Coupe may be phased out at the end of their current life cycles. After selling a handful of supercars from his collection in 2021, Toto Wolff, the current chief of the Mercedes-Benz AMG Formula 1 team, is now selling another one. This time it’s a Ferrari F40 with less than 3,500 miles on the clock. Historic F1 team Vanwall…
Quick Facts About Roadblocks to EV Sales Despite nonstop positive press, government subsidies, and Americans’ propensity for wanting and acquiring the newest “big thing,” electric vehicles (EVs) remain out of reach or unwanted by many in the United States. EVs are those cars, SUVs, and light trucks powered solely by electricity from a battery charged by plugging into an outside source. You will also sometimes see them called battery electric vehicles (BEVs). According to the latest numbers, 5.8% of all U.S. new vehicle sales in 2022 were EVs, up from 3.2% in 2021. The number will grow even more in…
Hey, Editor Tim here — we’re trying something new. Keep an eye out each Sunday morning for a review from the past, chosen more or less arbitrarily, for you to peruse over your morning coffee.If you’re old enough, you might remember reading the newspaper on Sunday mornings. Consider this a digital replacement that you browse on your laptop, tablet, or phone. First up: Tim Cain’s review of the 2015 Cadillac CTS-VSport.Click here to check it out. Happy Reading![Image: Cadillac (standard, non-Vsport 2015 XTS shown]Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth…
The Bugatti Centodieci is a tribute to the EB110 supercar of the 1990s, but one owner decided to take things further by commissioning a one-off livery matching the EB110S that raced at the 1994 24 Hours of Le Mans. The car, one of 10 Centodieci customer cars produced, went to a U.S. owner, Bugatti said in a Facebook post. The Centodieci is a coach-built special based on the Chiron, and was revealed in 2019 to commemorate the original EB110, a car that helped bring the Bugatti name back from dormancy. Bugatti Centodieci in 1994 EB110 LM Le Mans livery Unveiled…
The Mercedes-AMG SL is remarkably sporty to drive, so much so that there is now a racing-themed special edition. This is the SL 63 Motorsport Collectors Edition — limited to 100 units — and while it’s not adding any extra performance to the table than a regular SL 63 has, it sure will remind you of Mercedes’ F1 team in appearance. It’s meant to reflect the look of Mercedes’ 2021 F1 car, the W12. Lewis Hamilton raced that particular machine to a controversial second place in the Driver’s Championship, but Mercedes won the Constructors Championship without too much trouble over…
Which automaker revealed this week that some of its front-wheel-drive EVs are going rear-wheel-drive? Which charging network did Shell announce plans to buy? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at DriftBreath Reports—for the week ending January 20, 2023. The 2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe is the king of the plug-in hybrid off-roaders for practicality. And in a recent test drive, while we found it’s easy to rack up the electric miles, it’s also hard to keep the gas engine off with plenty of charge, amid blizzard conditions. Volvo has announced the return of rear-wheel drive, in…