LONDON — Laid off tech industry workers in Britain could find a new home at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), as the 100-year-old luxury carmaker looks to hire hundreds of engineers to help develop electric car technology.
The carmaker, which wants to become an “electric-first” business from 2025, on Friday announced a jobs portal for displaced tech workers to fill 800 roles spanning self-driving, electrification, machine learning and data science.
The company said it believed workers leaving big tech groups like Amazon were most likely to have the required skills to fill new roles in Britain, Ireland, the United States, India, China and Hungary.
The majority of the jobs will be in Britain.
The hiring drive comes after thousands of layoffs in recent weeks at U.S. tech firms including Twitter, Meta and Amazon, some of which have offices in London and Dublin, Ireland.
“Our digital transformation journey is well underway but being able to recruit highly skilled digital workers is an important next step,” Chief Information Officer Anthony Battle said in a statement.
JLR last year announced an electrification strategy under which all Jaguar cars would be fully electric by 2024 and an electric option would be offered across its entire portfolio including Land Rover.
Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.
Black Friday will be here before you know it, to start the holiday shopping season in earnest. If you’re hoping to save on some cellphone holders, then check out this list below with some of the best early deals we could find for the occasion. We’ll be keeping this list updated prior to and throughout Black Friday, so check back often!
This Qifutan phone holder sets itself apart thanks to its bendable aluminum gooseneck, which allows drivers more options for phone placement than more traditional mounts. Although the photo above shows the holder attached to the windshield, there’s also an option to attach it straight to the dashboard. There’s even a helpful video that gives users step-by-step instructions on how to set it up. This mount even includes an anti-shake stabilizer, despite its unique design. Last but not least, like many others, it also includes a 360° rotating ball joint. The Qifutan is currently the best-selling dash-mounted holder on Amazon, with over 13,000 reviews and a 4.4 out of 5 rating.
This Cindro option is another vent-mounted phone holder, but it’s made of hollow silicone rubber, intended to hold your phone more tightly than other silicone arm clips. It also has a 360° rotating ball joint, allowing drivers to adjust the position phone to their liking. With over 3,000 Amazon reviews, it’s sitting at 4.4 out of 5 stars. A word of caution about the Cindro, though, this one can only be used on a traditional style horizontal air vent and can’t be used on vertical or round vents.
This Suuson phone holder is great if you’re the kind of person who likes options. This one can be mounted to your vent, windshield or dashboard. It employs a strong adhesive that won’t leave residue and also uses a 1-step locking mechanism for ease of use. The material used can even withstand temperatures from -4°F to 203°F! Like the others, this phone holder includes a 360° ball joint, but unlike many others it also has a telescopic arm which extends from 4.43-inches to 7.31-inches, allowing for more maneuverability. The Suuson is also covered with a thick layer of silica gel to help prevent potential scratches to your phone, even during bumpy rides. It’s the highest-rated mount on our list with a score of 4.6 out of 5 stars after 4,300 Amazon reviews.
This Vanva isn’t discounted per se, but it’s still a pretty great deal even at full price. It clips right onto your vent, making it one of the easiest-to-use styles of phone holder out there. The manufacturer claims to have used “sturdy aviation-grade materials” in its design making the holder “more resistant to abrasion and corrosion.” Don’t worry if your car provides a bit of a bumpy ride, thanks to a mechanical lock design, this mount is made to hold your phone securely to the vent, even during bumps and sharp turns. It also features a 360-degree swivel head, anti-slip rubber pads and a 24-month warranty. Currently, it has over 6,000 reviews on Amazon with a 4.4 out of 5 star rating.
For GREAT deals on a new or used Toyota check out Toyota of Las Vegas TODAY!
Premium SUVs are a thing nowadays, and the next 2024 Volvo XC60 is no different. This model will reportedly undergo some serious changes and upgrades. Reportedly, the all-new XC60 will be completely electric, although this is not official yet.
In any case, numerous improvements are on the way. That includes various cosmetic upgrades and interior updates. Clearly, the biggest upgrades will happen under the hood, and generally, under the skin. With no further ado, this is everything you need to know.
Exterior Redesign Still Not Certain
Visually, the new 2024 Volvo XC60 will gain a couple of upgrades. Since the Swedish carmaker plans to completely electrify this SUV, more futuristic upgrades are natural. However, we are waiting for Volvo to make it official. Some other reports are saying that this model will undergo mild exterior changes.
In any case, things such as 19-inch alloy wheels will remain. On the other hand, a new grille is on the way, along with new bumpers, headlights, and taillights. As this is a premium SUV, Volvo will surely make it better by adding more chrome accents and similar luxury touches.
Premium Interior
The interior of the next 2024 Volvo XC60 will receive numerous updates in terms of technology. On the other hand, we are not sure if Volvo plans to introduce a new and larger touchscreen or a new dashboard. The comfort is great, especially up front. Allegedly, the vehicle’s dimensions will remain, so don’t expect improved interior room just yet. New Volvo Cars software is on the way.
This sophisticated piece of technology will allow you to control the XC60 SUV in many ways. You can adjust the temperature, lights, and much more. Moreover, you can also track the vehicle’s battery. Volvo also offers Luminar LiDAR, which is a hands-free autonomous driving technology.
Engine Specs and Rumored Volvo XC60 Electric Model
The all-new 2024 Volvo XC60 could become just one of the models that run on electricity. Right now, this SUV provides engines with internal combustion, but that is about to change. Volvo plans to completely electrify XC60 and XC90 models. The architecture will undergo modifications, in order to accommodate motors and different battery packs. Besides impressive driving range, Volvo also plans to improve charging time.
A two-motor setup will reportedly produce around 530 horsepower. That is a lot of power for a two-row SUV of this size. Hopefully, Volvo will reveal official details by the end of the year. From what we know, the XC60 Recharge plug-in hybrid model will be on offer, offering small improvements over the outgoing model.
2024 Volvo XC60 Price and Release Date
The price of the upcoming 2024 Volvo XC60 will start at $57,000 and it will move up from there. Of course, the all-electric model will cost significantly more than that. In any case, Volvo is yet to announce all of the details, including the vehicle’s price, and driving range. The sales will begin at some point in the later stages of 2023.
For GREAT deals on a new or used Jaguar check out Jaguar Cincinnati TODAY!
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — Who among us hasn’t imagined what it would be like to drive a car from the future? And we’re not talking about a 2028 Honda Prelude or whatever, interesting as that may be. No, we’re talking decades, maybe even centuries beyond what we have now, where even quaint notions like circular tires are reimagined. Something akin to a spinner from “Blade Runner” or one of those light cycles from “Tron.” So color us stunned when Mercedes-Benz actually offered us some seat time behind the wheel of their Vision AVTR concept.
Mercedes unveiled the AVTR at CES in 2020 as a tie-in to the upcoming movie “Avatar: Way of the Water,” which will hit theaters December 16.The car and the motion picture have the same name, though Mercedes says that AVTR stands for Advanced Vehicle TRansformation. To understand what that means, we have to catch up on the fantasy world writer/director James Cameron created.
“Way of the Water” is a sequel to 2009’s “Avatar,” which imagined a future in which humans have depleted most of Earth’s natural resources. To keep civilization going in the year 2154 they need to mine other planets, including the Earth-like moon Pandora. Unfortunately for the humans, a sentient race of blue-skinned humanoids resides on Pandora, keeping us from harvesting a compound named, literally, unobtainium. These Na’vi live in harmony with nature, hunting with bows and arrows, wearing loincloths, and generally wishing not to be exterminated by a heavily militarized space mining corporation.
The film was groundbreaking in its use of special effects. Cameron — of “Titanic,” “Aliens” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” fame — said that he wanted to make the movie in the 1990s but had to wait a decade for technology to catch up. We say this only in an attempt to explain just how much of a visual feast the natural beauty of Pandora was. Cameron painted a world awash with bioluminescence, lush vegetation and spectacular landscapes.
Mercedes’ designers wanted to make the AVTR look as if it belonged in this world. As such, the car is imbued with design so organic it makes a 1996 Ford Taurus look like a Volvo 240. In profile, its lines are fluid and unbroken as a river pebble’s, with no angles or corners to denote a traditional three-box shape. An ultra-low roofline melts into a glass bubble cabin nestled more between the wheels than above them. Speaking of the wheels, they’re urethane-skin spheres instead of traditional discs.
The most animal-esque feature of the car can be found on the back, where an array of 33 bionic flaps open and close independently of one another. Each moves on carbon fiber hinges that accordion like pieces of origami. Their lightness allows for extremely quick actuation, and they can be programmed to flicker in a wave-like pattern like a bird fluffing its feathers. The honeycomb of holes radiates blue light, but if you were to stop suddenly, the flaps would go vertical like air brakes while the openings glow red. It’s an undeniably neat effect, but you probably shouldn’t stare at them too long if you suffer from trypophobia.
To be clear, the car never actually appears in “Avatar: Way of the Water.” In the movie, machines are the enemy, destroyers of the natives’ lifestyle. Also, the Na’vi civilization is pre-agrarian, and it would be rather difficult to drive a car in a land where no paved roads exist.
It would’ve been easy — expected, even — for Mercedes to stop there. Many show cars aren’t drivable, but it went ahead and built an actual running concept and let ham-fisted journalists go for a spin.
Approach the car and it comes to life with a dazzling array of lighting animations that pulse and ebb like the glowing flora of Pandora. It’s almost as if the car is breathing, a sensation amplified by the twitching of the back flaps. Gander at the illuminated front end graphic and you’ll see where the EQS and EQS SUV got their noses. LEDs streak down the lower shelf beneath the taillight like comets. Even the wheels have throbbing light patterns that form the “spokes.” Mercedes chief of design Gorden Wagener says they were inspired by the wood sprites from the film.
Glass scissor doors swing open on massive chrome hinges to allow access to the cabin. Points of light swirl and trace the edges of nearly every interior surface, adding to the sense that the car is somehow alive. Settling in gracefully requires you to back your posterior onto the thin, leaf-like seats, then swing your legs into the car.
The AVTR is so low that you don’t sit so much as you do recline. The first thing you notice is that there’s no steering wheel, no screen, no controls of any kind before you. The dash is simply one sweeping blank curve. All movement of the car is done through a mushroom cap-like joystick in the center console. Its location means either driver or passenger can operate it.
Push the pad forward for Drive, push it backwards for Reverse. Roll it to the left or right to turn in that direction.The AVTR has rear-wheel steering, so the front and rear wheels can angle in opposite directions for a tightened turning radius. Rotate the pad to the left or right and the wheels will angle in the same direction for a diagonal crabwalk. And no, the wheels don’t actually spin in three dimensions like Will Smith’s Audi in “I, Robot.” The spherical shape looks cool, and only the band at the “equator” ever touches the ground. That’s how the lighting on the tires remains undamaged.
We were able to test these functions in a short drive around a parking lot, but it wasn’t as intuitive as it sounds. To my brain, it would’ve been more natural to rotate to turn and roll to crabwalk. It was also a tad difficult to finesse the pad slowly while the car was in motion, as the car has almost no suspension and minor bumps would transmit through my arm to unintentionally jolt the controller. It’s not the fault of the technology per se. This is just a concept and not designed to be driven at more than a few miles per hour. It also admittedly may have been easier if I were using my dominant hand.
The absence of a steering wheel lets the entire expanse of the curved dash become a screen of sorts. An overhead projector beams a map onto the surface, and as a nod to the movie, Pandora is one of the selectable locations. Changes to the menu are made via gesture. Simply raise your hand to a spot above the console and you’ll see icons projected onto your palm. Then you flick your hand to the left or right to make selections. Like a touchscreen, it takes considerable focus, so such a system would only be prudent when the car is in autonomous mode.
Because environmental consciousness is a major theme of the “Avatar” movies, Mercedes says that the 110-kWh battery is organic and compostable thanks to the use of graphene and no rare earth metals. Total system horsepower is 469, and power comes from four motors, one at each wheel.
It’s a fascinating thought exercise to imagine how a car from 2154 — or perhaps more accurately, a car not born on planet Earth — might differ from our current machines. Mercedes engineers assured me that I’d get used to it with more practice, but perhaps it was too big of an evolutionary leap for this particular human.
Related video:
For GREAT deals on a new or used Nissan check out Regal Nissan TODAY!
TOKYO — Japan’s Honda Motor Co posted on Wednesday a 16% rise in second-quarter profit and lifted its full-year outlook, as better pricing, strong sales of motorcycles and a weak yen helped it ride out semiconductor shortages.
While Japanese automakers, like many of their overseas rivals, have been hit by shortages of chips and supply chain snarls, Honda has been helped by robust performance in its motorcycle business, particularly in Asia.
The company also said it was helped by pricing that reflected its “increased product value” and by reducing consumer incentives.
The automaker raised its forecasts “to reflect our efforts to further improve profitability, higher automobile sales volume and the impact of the yen’s depreciation“, Honda Executive Vice President Kohei Takeuchi told a results briefing.
Still, he noted there were plenty of pressures, including inflation.
Operating profit totaled 231.2 billion yen ($1.59 billion)in the three months to end-September, short of the average estimate of 243.3 billion yen in a poll of 10 analysts by Refinitiv. The same period a year earlier, the company earned 198.9 billion yen.
Honda raised its full-year operating profit forecast to 870 billion yen from 830 billion yen for the year ending March 31 mainly helped by weak yen. That compares with a 922.05 billion yen average forecast by 24 analysts.
The automaker was forced to consistently cut vehicle production at two domestic factories as COVID-19 outbreaks and semiconductor shortages caused delays in parts shipments. Production of its Vezel sport-utility vehicle, Stepwgn minivan and Civic compact car were all hit.
Its global vehicle production for the first six months of the financial year was down 6.1% year on year while domestic production was up 5.5%.
($1 = 145.7500 yen)
(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by David Dolan and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
For GREAT deals on a new or used Jaguar check out Cole Jaguar TODAY!
Tom Hartley buys and sells classic cars at his private estate and showroom in northern England.
He started out on the grey market and now finds cars through wealthy owners.
His estate offers a resort-like experience, with a private spa and cinema available for visitors.
In 1992, Tom Hartley was in a traffic jam on the edge of Hyde Park in London when a classic Bentley caught his eye. He immediately rolled down his window and struck up a conversation with the man in the back seat, who was being driven by a chauffeur.
“I bought the car off him in the traffic jam. We pulled over, he got out, I did an invoice, and we picked up the car from his address that day,” he told Insider. “And, of course, we sold it a few days later.”
This is typical for Hartley, who spends his days brokering deals for supercars and classic cars, focusing on manufacturers like Ferrari and Lamborghini. “I’ve bought cars in saunas, in swimming pools, on airplanes — you can’t name where I haven’t bought a car,” he said.
Hartley, now 60, runs an eponymous showroom on a 48-acre family estate in Derbyshire. He said his team sells between 40 and 50 vehicles per month, and past clients of his include Elton John, Rod Stewart, Nicolas Cage, and Rory McIlroy. The average sales price of his vehicles is £250,000, or around $286,000 — but a rare Ferrari could fetch $30 million.
He shared with Insider how he got into the trade and what his job entails.
He learned the art of selling from hanging out in his father’s store
Growing up, Hartley’s father owned a carpet business, and Hartley said he spent most of his time at the shop watching deals being made. He itched to follow in his dad’s sales footsteps, and as he watched his family change cars every few months, it seemed like the perfect industry to get into.
His first deal was brokering the sale of a luxury Range Rover between two of his father’s acquaintances when he was a teen. “I made myself 150 quid on that car, which was a lot of money then,” he said. “By the age of 12, I had the experience of an 18-year-old.”
After selling the Range Rover, he stumbled onto what’s now known as the grey market, where barely-used luxury goods can be traded at a premium on the secondary market. If you could source an in-demand car like a Range Rover, Hartley’s theory was, there was easy profit in reselling it to a buyer unable to find one.
Hartley. Courtesy of Tom Hartley
He began buying cars from manufacturers like BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche, which were mostly based in Germany, directly and imported them to the UK to resell to hungry buyers.
When car brands began cracking down on nonauthorized dealers, he quickly pivoted to buying up supply from car owners.
Soon after, he saw a man pull up outside a luxury hotel in London driving a brand-new Jaguar Daimler XJ40, a particular model launched on the market just days earlier, and offered to buy it for £3,000 over asking price. Within days, he said, he’d sold it to a C-suite executive who’d been unable to secure one from the manufacturer for £42,000, a profit of just over 16% in a few days.
Customers can come via appointment only and enjoy resort-level amenities
Hartley in his showroom. Courtesy of Tom Hartley
Hartley started out primarily in the supercar market, but he added classic cars to his roster in the wake of the Great Recession, when he saw wealthy clients turning to assets rather than keeping money in cash or stocks.
“It was an addition to what we were doing, but we didn’t change our method of buying and selling,” he said. “We wanted cars with great history, low mileage, and real rarities.” He handles all his sales from his family estate in northern England, a property he bought in 1981 to serve as both a home and a showroom.
At any one time, he said, there are 75 cars worth more than $150 million onsite. The key difference between his assortment and that of conventional dealers, he added, is that he stocks different brands like Mercedes and Ferrari in one place — a move aimed at his ideal customer. “Back in the 1970s, a successful guy would have one car, maybe two. A lot of buyers mix and match now and might have anything from six to 10 cars,” he said.
Hartley in front of his estate. Courtesy of Tom Hartley
Hartley said he gets about five customers a day and takes visitors by appointment only. Despite the car world being mostly dominated by men, Hartley said around 20% of his clients are women.
Those that stop by his showroom can expect more than just a selection of unique cars: Customers can enjoy the estate’s private spa and cinema, as well as a full restaurant. Sometimes, they’re even invited to stay overnight in one of the estate’s four bedrooms. “I wanted to create an experience around buying a secondhand car,” he said. There’s a helipad for those that travel by air, but Hartley can also send a chauffeur to collect someone from a nearby private airstrip.
The cinema at the estate. Courtesy of Tom Hartley
Despite being around expensive cars 24/7, he’s never owned one himself. “It’s a personal statement that I can’t get attached to them,” he said.”I always say when you walk on the Hartley estate, everything has a price, except my wife.”
Could we be experiencing peak GT-R right now? With the insane attention Nissan’s performance icon is enjoying globally, I feel like I’m living back in the year 2000!
Except it’s better than that, because there’s never been a more ideal time to fine tune, modify and perfect these cars. In my mind, it’s led to a GT-R rebirth of sorts.
Last weekend’s R’s Meeting, once again held at Fuji Speedway, had an electrifying atmosphere – something I hadn’t experienced since its very early days.
I’m not sure if I am interpreting this right, but with all the international attention the GT-R is receiving, I feel like it’s helped reignite the passion of Japanese owners.
A lot of that probably has to do with the fact that their cars have tripled in value (insert grinning emoji here), but hey, I’ll take it.
I’ve seen a lot of people leave the GT-R world in favour of European and American sports cars, but many have now flocked back for a taste of that old school feel and rawness that makes these cars so damn addictive.
With this event, the 12th R’s Meeting, GT-R Magazine have stuck to their successful recipe of keeping things small and not trying to do too much. And with Japan having now reopened to the world, seeing familiar faces from overseas was so refreshing.
I’ve got a few stories planned from this event, but we’ll kick things off today with a walk through Fuji Speedway’s upper paddock area where R’s Meeting was held.
After visiting Yasui-san’s secret storage compound in Osaka last year, I was glad to see the special Rs that make up his insane collection – part of Global Auto – out in the sunshine.
While the 400R is a significant Skyline in its own right…
… It’s always special seeing a Z-tune R34 in the flesh. Not even Nismo bring out their examples, so props to Yasui for keeping us GT-R nerds drooling.
Finishing off his line-up – or at least part of it – was this Nismo GT-R on BBS LM wheels.
What R’s Meeting does really well is showcase every aspect of GT-R tuning, not just the performance side of things. This includes all the shops crafting bespoke wide-body conversions and dropping cars on air suspension.
There were glimpses that Japan’s once manic GT-R drag scene still has some life left in it, and that some people were always waiting for a four -door R34 GT-R. The latter never came of course, so the next best thing is to build your own.
I’m a massive fan of Auto Gallery Yokohama, their no-frills time attack style and the parts they continue to develop help the whole scene evolve.
Shibata-san at R31 House has decided to jump out of his comfort zone – specializing in and having the biggest R30 and R31 stock in the country – to do something with the second generation GT-Rs. He had this complete BCNR33 on display which has been completely restored to showroom spec.
I arrived at Fuji Speedway 30-minutes after the gates opened at 7:00am and, just like any other event in Japan, the place was already packed. It’s crazy how early people arrive at venues, but despite that there was a steady stream of amazing Rs still rolling in, including this ex-MCR demo sanyon.
I’m always interested to see what parts companies like Trust are working on, and it’s cool that their R34 GT-R demonstrator keeps evolving. In one of my upcoming posts I’ll be taking a closer look at a new component they’ve recently released. Hint: you can see it in the engine shots above.
While Mine’s needs no introduction, it wasn’t their R34 that was stealing all the attention this year…
Their collaborative BCNR33 Skyline GT-R build with Built By Legends was (mostly) completed just a few days prior to R’s Meeting. This is such a special creation that I’ll be showing you all the details in a little spotlight, and then following that up with a full feature before it’s shipped off to its lucky owner in the US.
The white R34 above is another amazing BBL project that we’re keeping an eye on. Garage Yoshida, the specialist shop that strips down, reinforces, spot-welds and preps in minute detail all of Built by Legends’ cars is almost done with it. It’ll then be sent over to Mine’s for reassembly.
I’ve always been a fan of how Midori Seibi modifies their GT-Rs. The approach is similar to the way Mine’s does things – if not a little more extreme and track-focused – but these days they cater to whatever the client requires.
This R34 has just been refreshed; it’s simple but effective with all the important performance parts in place.
On the other side of the spectrum, you can always expect Phoenix’s Power to hit hard when it comes to power and looks.
Their customer base is mainly made up of R35 owners, so they really have their VR upgrade engine packages sorted. Most of their builds are around the 1,000hp mark, but many push higher numbers.
That spectrum can take a sudden turn with surprising builds like this wild R34 on air.
The twin top-mount turbo setup was receiving a lot of attention, and how could it not with those welds.
Nismo had a display of CRS (Clubman Race Spec) specials, a package that along with various chassis refresh options and complete engine kits are keeping the Omori Factory very busy. In fact, the last I heard there was a one to two-year waiting list on everything.
Kazuhiko ‘Smoky’ Nagata and his Top Secret team had their usual selection of Wangan-spec GT-Rs on show.
Like every other prominent GT-R shop Japan, they too have done a u-turn and come up with their own complete cars marketed towards overseas buyers. Plus, Smoky has been busy with the new Z, rushing to develop parts and complete a demo machine in time for the 2023 Tokyo Auto Salon, which is now just a couple of months away.
No event in Japan would be complete without a RAYS wall of alloy awesomeness. It’s always a fun stop to contemplate your next wheels.
Another great build was this ex-RGF demo car, which Powervehicles is currently looking after for a customer at their Ebisu Circuit base.
The R34 looks amazing, but I’m told it’s going to be given a bit of a refresh very soon. I’m hoping we can shoot at Ebisu’s Higashi course one of these days.
Top Rank, a performance car trader that acquires a lot of GT-Rs, had a booth showing off this crazy-low mileage R34. I think it had something like 500km on the clock!
Tomei Powered has added a full exhaust to their ‘Genesis’ complete RB28 display engine so people can visualize the path the Expreme titanium exhaust takes. It’s pretty straight, so awesome for flow.
I made sure to stop by the Auto Select booth for a chat with the guys. I’ve always loved their style.
It’s so much more in-your-face than anything built up in the Kanto area, where tuners are under so much scrutiny from the authorities. In Kansai, the letter of the law isn’t followed so strictly when it comes to vehicle modifications, so enthusiasts and tuners have always gone all-out.
This is one serious-looking R34; the owner obviously likes her GT-Rs with some track flavor.
The question here is, which one would you choose?
There was another 400R that people could get a little closer to at the Nakane Racing display. It’s crazy to think that these cars are now worth 10 times what they originally sold for.
GT-R Magazine has always worked closely with Nissan for this event, and one of the big drawcards is the cars they bring out from the automaker’s Heritage Collection.
Not to mention some of the legendary engineers who worked across most generations of the GT-R’s development.
A bonus for GT-R owners attending this event is an opportunity to have their cars featured in a GT-R Magazine insert.
As such, all day long there was a continuous line of GT-Rs slowly moving towards the areas where the magazine’s photographers were snapping away.
It’s here that you find some amazing rare cars, like the Autech R33 GT-R two images up and the stunning Hakosuka GT-R above.
I hope this post has gotten you into a GT-R kind of mood, as there is a lot more to see from R’s Meeting 2022. Check back soon for the spotlight post!
If there’s one message that Dodge has consistently tried to reinforce over the past couple of decades, it’s one of muscle. From the rebirth of the Hemi engine to the new introduction of its current Hellcat-branded apogee, Stellantis has clearly positioned Dodge as the preeminent power broker in the United States. And that’s not likely to change as Dodge makes the transition from gasoline to electricity, as evidenced by the Charger Daytona SRT Concept that bowed over the summer. Dodge is still tweaking pretty much everything about the concept, from the color of its retro-inspired interior and exterior to the sound of its so-called Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system. The latest iteration will debut this week at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The most immediately recognizable change to the Charger Daytona SRT Concept is its Stryker Red exterior color. But while we appreciate the change in hue, much more important is the announcement of a “stair-step” approach to electrified power levels. First, bear in mind that Dodge is calling these “nine possible powertrain outputs for the all-electric muscle car concept,” so they aren’t meant to be taken as final figures. But Dodge has committed to displaying three levels of electric power at SEMA. The first two are based on a 400-volt system with output levels of 340 kilowatts (456 hp) and 440 kilowatts (590 hp). The third level is an “as-yet-unannounced, factory delivered, power-level 800-volt SRT Banshee powertrain package.” Perhaps it’s a coincidence that 340 and 440 are two classic Dodge muscle car engine displacements, but probably not.
Those are base power levels, and Dodge plans to offer upgrade kits courtesy of its Direct Connection in-house aftermarket arm. Two so-called eStages are proposed for the 340-kW model, boosting power to either 370 kW (495 hp) or 400 kW (535 hp). The 440-kW level has kits of 470 kW (630 hp) and 500 kW (670 hp). Each eStage includes a “crystal” key that plugs into the dash and is tied to the vehicle’s VIN, enabling the extra power.
You’ll note that Dodge isn’t talking horsepower for its highest-rung of electric performance. The 800-volt SRT Banshee powertrain package will indeed offer Direct Connection upgrades, as proven by the “Stage 2” fender badging on the SRT Concept, the 18-inch Direct Connection lightweight carbon-fiber concept wheels, and, perhaps more tantalizingly, the 305mm drag radials at all four corners. Remember, this EV sends power to all four wheels, and we’re expecting some truly ridiculous measurements — four-digit horsepower levels? — from the impending production car this foreshadows.
Another unique feature of the Charger Daytona SRT Concept is its Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust. Dodge says all exhaust sounds are basically caused by the movement of air, and that the same kind of tuning that’s done with internal combustion can be done with its EV. To aid in getting it just right, Dodge is inviting people who show up to their booth at SEMA to hear various tunes, then rank and evaluate them.
For GREAT deals on used cars check out AutoLand USA TODAY!
BMW has raised more than a few eyebrows with its recent designs, and that’s completely intentional. Company boss Oliver Zipse argued that a controversial-looking car is better than one that leaves onlookers indifferent, and he pledged to continue pushing the envelope.
“If you want to change design, any step into the future that is perceived as new will be controversial automatically. There’s no such thing as a future-oriented design without controversy,” he explained in an interview with Australian publication CarSales.
Zipse cited the cars designed under Chris Bangle in the 2000s as an example: the E65-generation 7 Series and the E9X-generation 3 Series left no one indifferent, and the head-turning look ultimately increased buyer awareness. He also floated the XM (pictured), a recently-unveiled SUV developed by BMW’s M division. Styling cues like the huge kidney grilles and the massive rear lights have fueled a great deal of debate, but Zipse noted the overall response has been positive. “There are a lot of discussions here, but almost everyone loves it.”
One point to keep in mind is that BMW, like all automakers, designs cars for a specific target audience. Someone hoarding E32s and E34s undoubtedly has unkind words for BMW’s latest cars, but that’s not who the Munich-based company is trying to appeal to with, say, the i7.
“[The i7] will never be a mass-market car. It will only be a super minority of people who will sit in that car. The majority of people will never sit in that car. It only must be appealing to the customers who are in that segment, not anybody else,” he clarified. With that said, he stressed the company will continue to give high-volume models like the 3 and 5 Series, the X1, and the X5 relatively conservative-looking designs.
“I want controversy. If we don’t have controversy [in the early design process], I already know it’s too easy,” he told CarSales. “Out of the controversy you get engagement. You get people thinking about it and thinking about alternatives.”
For GREAT deals on a new or used Nissan check out Tracy Nissan TODAY!
Tesla is under criminal investigation in the United States over claims that the company’s electric vehiclescan drive themselves, three people familiar with the matter said.
The U.S. Department of Justice launched the previously undisclosed probe last year following more than a dozen crashes, some of them fatal, involving Tesla’s driver assistance system Autopilot, which was activated during the accidents, the people said.
As early as 2016, Tesla’s marketing materials have touted Autopilot’s capabilities. On a conference call that year, Elon Musk, the Silicon Valley automaker’s chief executive, described it as “probably better” than a human driver.
Last week, Musk said on another call Tesla would soon release an upgraded version of “Full Self-Driving” software allowing customers to travel “to your work, your friend’s house, to the grocery store without you touching the wheel.”
A video currently on the company’s website says: “The person in the driver’s seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself.”
However, the company also has explicitly warned drivers that they must keep their hands on the wheel and maintain control of their vehicles while using Autopilot.
The Tesla technology is designed to assist with steering, braking, speed and lane changes but its features “do not make the vehicle autonomous,” the company says on its website.
Such warnings could complicate any case the Justice Department might wish to bring, the sources said.
Tesla, which disbanded its media relations department in 2020, did not respond to written questions from Reuters on Wednesday. Musk also did not respond to written questions seeking comment. A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment.
Musk said in an interview with Automotive News in 2020 that Autopilot problems stem from customers using the system in ways contrary to Tesla’s instructions.
Federal and California safety regulators are already scrutinizing whether claims about Autopilot’s capabilities and the system’s design imbue customers with a false sense of security, inducing them to treat Teslas as truly driverless cars and become complacent behind the wheel with potentially deadly consequences.
The Justice Department investigation potentially represents a more serious level of scrutiny because of the possibility of criminal charges against the company or individual executives, the people familiar with the inquiry said.
As part of the latest probe, Justice Department prosecutors in Washington and San Francisco are examining whether Tesla misled consumers, investors and regulators by making unsupported claims about its driver assistance technology’s capabilities, the sources said.
Officials conducting their inquiry could ultimately pursue criminal charges, seek civil sanctions or close the probe without taking any action, they said.
The Justice Department’s Autopilot probe is far from recommending any action partly because it is competing with two other DOJ investigations involving Tesla, one of the sources said. Investigators still have much work to do and no decision on charges is imminent, this source said.
The Justice Department may also face challenges in building its case, said the sources, because of Tesla’s warnings about overreliance on Autopilot.
For instance, after telling the investor call last week that Teslas would soon travel without customers touching controls, Musk added that the vehicles still needed someone in the driver’s seat. “Like we’re not saying that that’s quite ready to have no one behind the wheel,” he said.
The Tesla website also cautions that, before enabling Autopilot, the driver first needs to agree to “keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times” and to always “maintain control and responsibility for your vehicle.”
Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney in Detroit who prosecuted automotive companies and employees in fraud cases and is not involved in the current probe, said investigators likely would need to uncover evidence such as emails or other internal communications showing that Tesla and Musk made misleading statements about Autopilot’s capabilities on purpose.
In August 2021, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into a series of crashes, one of them fatal, involving Teslas equipped with Autopilot slamming into parked emergency vehicles.
NHTSA officials in June intensified their probe, which covers 830,000 Teslas with Autopilot, identifying 16 crashes involving the company’s electric cars and stationary first-responder and road maintenance vehicles. The move is a step that regulators must take before requesting a recall. The agency had no immediate comment.
In July this year, the California Department of Motor Vehicles accused Tesla of falsely advertising its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving capability as providing autonomous vehicle control. Tesla filed paperwork with the agency seeking a hearing on the allegations and indicated it intends to defend against them. The DMV said in a statement it is currently in the discovery stage of the proceeding and declined further comment.
Reporting by Mike Spector and Dan Levine; Additional reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and David Shepardson; Editing by Deepa Babington
