Auto Lovers Land

Thought of as being behind the EV curve in recent years, Toyota’s looking to make up for lost time by producing an all-new battery-electric sport-utility at its massive Georgetown, Kentucky plant starting in 2025.  Toyota’s Susan Elkington celebrates new EV investment in the U.S. Toyota also plans to invest an additional $2.1 billion in its North Carolina battery production facility, which is also expected to be up and running by 2025. The new influx of cash pushes the total investment in the plant and other facilities in Liberty, North Carolina, which was announced last year, to $5.9 billion. It will have six battery production lines, four for hybrid vehicles and two for electric vehicles, however, no details about the new SUV were released — other than it was a three-row ute. Making change Officials said the new plant and three-row electric ute are aimed to help the company meet its carbon reduction efforts. “We are committed to reducing carbon emissions as much as poss...

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares told reporters in France the company will need to build one or even two new factories for electric vehicle batteries in the United States to reach its output targets. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the company needs at least one more EV battery plant in the U.S. to meet demand. The comments, reported by Reuters, are the latest in a series of words spoken and actions taken by the automaker to secure a stable supply of batteries for its upcoming EVs. Just last week, Stellantis used its venture capital fund to  invest in a California company called Lyten  to develop and commercialize potential applications for Lithium-Sulfur EV battery production. Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, Lyten’s  Lithium-Sulfur batteries  do not use nickel, cobalt or manganese in the battery substrate, resulting in an estimated 60% lower carbon footprint than today’s best-in-class batteries. According to the Stellantis announcement, raw material...

Compact utility vehicles are the most popular and most competitive segment sold around the world by carmakers.  The 2023 VW Tiguan jumps into an extremely competitive segment as more and more automakers are leaving it. But the popularity and competition in the segment seems to have unnerved some executives. Fearing thinning margins and endless competition, those execs are thinking about ditching the segment in the hopes of finding fatter margins in some other segment, which is not quite so popular. Overview Volkswagen, however, is staying put, and the 2023 Tiguan SEL R-Line comes into VW showrooms fully loaded to take on the competition from popular vehicles such as Honda CRV, Toyota RAV 4 and Chevrolet Equinox.  The 2023 Tiguan enters the fray with plenty of spirit, a full array of technology as well as comfort and convenience features and a solid and deftly tuned chassis and suspension, which gives it an advantage over a number of competitors. Exterior Tiguan st...

The 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale plug-in hybrid has 33 miles of pure electric driving range. According to the EPA, the brand-new  2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale  has a 33-mile electric driving range and a 77 MPGe rating. The Alfa Romeo Tonale has a 360-mile driving range on a full battery charge. Combined fuel economy is 29 mpg. The company appeared happy with the ratings, which will allow owners to tackle their daily commute without using a lick of gasoline, all the while providing the driving characteristics expected of an Alfa Romeo.  “The Alfa Romeo Tonale represents the beginning of our transformation to greater electrification while staying true to the performance characteristics our customers expect from the brand,” said Larry Dominique, senior vice president and head of Alfa Romeo North America.  Putting that fuel to use The Tonale is a landmark vehicle for the brand, being its first gas-electric Plug-In Hybrid Electric vehicle, as well as the first new offering f...

Chevrolet is the latest to up its game in the battle of the midsize extreme machines, offering up a first look at the 2024 Colorado ZR2 Bison. Chevrolet is upping its midsize truck game with the 2024 Colorado ZR2 Bison. Much like the new Canyon AT4X AEV from sibling brand GMC, the latest version of Chevy’s midsize truck is being billed as “the ultimate Baja desert racer.” If the name sounds familiar, no surprise. Chevrolet first introduced a version of the truck back in 2018 and, a year ago, brought out a ZR2 Bison version of the bigger Silverado a year ago. For 2024, the Colorado package gets big updates in power and performance as well as creature comforts. Ready to go The midsize truck is “extreme off-road ready and factory warranted right from the showroom,” Michael MacPhee, the director of Chevrolet truck marketing said during a background briefing for journalists ahead of the Memorial Day holiday. As with GMC’s new offering, Chevrolet turned for help to American Expedit...

Whether it’s to carry kids to a soccer match or to add some extra cargo space, American motorists have avidly embraced three-row SUVs – and automakers have rushed to respond. Once rare, they’re an increasingly common sight, more and more coming to market each year. With the Sequoia, Toyota was an early entrant into the segment. For the coming model year, it’s adding another option, a three-row version of the popular Highlander. Toyota’s looking to take advantage of the shift toward three-row SUVs with the new 2024 Grand Highlander. While the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander uses the same platform as the two-row model, it’s more than just a stretched edition. It adds not only more room but significantly more features. And buyers will have the option to get the beefy new Hybrid Max powertrain that delivers 265 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. To get a sense of what the new Grand Highlander is all about, I set off for the Big Island of Hawaii where Toyota set up the first media...

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced Tuesday that it is concluding its investigation into 580,000 Tesla vehicles since the carmaker initially decided to permit gaming on the front center touchscreen. Drivers were able to play video games while driving a Tesla Model 3. Concluding the inquiry without a recall request, NHTSA stated Tuesday this did not constitute “a finding by NHTSA that no safety-related defect exists.” Additionally, it does not preclude the agency from taking additional action if necessary. Tesla informed NHTSA that throughout a year of use, no consumer complaints or collisions had been documented about the use of Passenger Play in the relevant vehicles. Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NHTSA guidelines and warnings Nearly a decade ago, NHTSA published recommendations to encourage auto manufacturers “to factor safety and driver distraction-prevention into their designs and adoption of infotainment devic...

A lot of people exuded scathing derision when Ford announced its first all-electric crossover SUV would carry the Mustang name and galloping pony logo. Even more outrage ensued when the company had the audacity to appropriate the name of one of Mustang’s most revered performance packages for the EV to boot. The SUV profile notwithstanding, the lines of the current Mustang coupe are faithfully reflected in its electric sibling. Overview As is often the case however, those who griped the loudest weren’t being counted upon to buy the cars anyway. Meanwhile, those who  were  being counted upon went for the Mustang Mach-E in a huge way. More than 27,000 copies of the EV found takers in 2021, its first full year of production.  What’s more, nearly 40,000 examples found owners in 2022. Production constraints have slowed the pace a bit for ’23, but consumer acceptance of the Ford Mustang Mach-E cannot be denied.  Exterior The SUV profile notwithstanding, the lines ...

Bridgestone Americas is the exclusive tire supplier to the IndyCar series, and for this year’s running of the Indianapolis 500, the company provided a new tire compound that uses recycled plastics in its construction.  Bridgestone Americas provided new tires for this year’s Indy 500 that use a compound featuring recycled plastics in its construction. The Firestone Firehawk race tires used at the Indy 500 include recycled butadiene, a material produced from consumer products such as plastic shopping bags, cling film, stretch wrap and other flexible polymers. The new material was developed in partnership with Shell plc. The new butadiene material used in the tires replaces a petroleum-based monomer, and it will be supplied by Shell. “We’re pleased with the performance of our Firestone Firehawk race tires during practice and qualifying for the Indianapolis 500.” said Cara Krstolic, chief engineer, Bridgestone Americas. “Recycled monomer was used in the production of these tires...

1983 Chevrolet Cavalier This week in 1982, General Motors introduces the J-Cars, aka the Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac J2000, Oldsmobile Firenza, Buick Skyhawk and Cadillac Cimarron — the first cars ever designed by GM to be shared across all of its divisions. But GM’s first subcompact front-wheel-drive automobiles were emblematic of deep problems at the world’s largest automaker, ones that would eventually lead to its bankruptcy. But like all such stories, the real beginning of the J-Cars can be traced back to 1956. Too successful It’s 1956, and General Motors holds a 50% U.S. market share, manufacturing one of every two cars sold in America. When Henry Ford commanded 60% the U.S. market in 1921, there were dozens of American automakers. 1983 Oldsmobile Firenza Even by the end of World War II, there were 10 major carmakers. But within a decade, there five with GM, Ford and Chrysler accounting for 94% of sales. That was the year that the idea of dismantling General Motors ...