Auto Lovers Land

Most of my time on the road is spent comfortably cocooned in a four-wheeled vehicle, whether sedan, sports car, SUV or pickup. But there’s something about driving al fresco that has its unique appeal. I’ve got an old convertible parked in my driveway. And, over the years, I’ve owned a few motorcycles. But I had the opportunity to check out an interesting alternative during a recent visit to Southern California: the 2023 Polaris Slingshot. The Polaris Slingshot R offers plenty of performance with an attention-getting look. First launched for the 2015 model year, the Slingshot is something of a hybrid. Rather than tandem, it offers side-by-side seating and a bit more comfort and protection than a motorcycle — with a 2+1 wheel layout that, physics reveals, is a bit more stable than a bike’s design. But with no roof, side doors or windows, and only a stub of a windshield, the driving experience is a lot closer to what you’d experience on a two-wheeler. There’s no question this isn’t...

EV maker Tesla is ready to report a record number of vehicle deliveries for the second quarter. The big number is due in large measure to the federal tax incentives for electric vehicles. Tesla is expected to set a new record for second quarter deliveries. Texas-based Tesla delivered more than 445,000 vehicles during the April through June timeframe, according to analysts estimates. The strong result comes despite other automakers seeing an increase in EV sales as well. In Tesla’s case, a rising tide does seem to lift all boats. Sales of pure battery electric vehicles are forecast to reach nearly 500,000 units in the first half, up from 355,000 a year earlier. EV share is approaching 7% of the total U.S. auto market, according to Cox Automotive. The  uptick would be a 5% jump  from the 422,875 Tesla vehicles delivered during the first quarter of the year, Reuters reported. However, the steady increase is all part of the plan for Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who forecast more t...

By 1927, Ford Motor Co. had sold more than 16 million examples of the revolutionary Model T. Founder Henry Ford’s obsessive focus on cost-cutting and vertical integration literally put America behind the wheel of the automobile by making cars affordable to the nation’s growing middle class.  The automotive aftermarket is a $51 billion business — and growing. The Model T was an essay in simplicity, with nothing included but what was necessary to go, turn and stop. There were very few options available from the factory. To find such luxuries as side windows for convertibles, windshield wipers or effective brakes for descending hills, Ford owners needed to look to outside companies. Thus, the automotive aftermarket was born.  Today  the automotive aftermarket  is one of America’s fastest-growing industries. According to a report from the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), an industry trade group founded in 1963, the total value of the automotive after...

Created in-house, the GT2 is the successor to the MC12, which was derived from the Ferrari Enzo. Maserati officially announced its return to GT competition with the unveiling of the Maserati GT2, a modified track-ready rendition of the  Maserati MC20  supercar. The automaker revealed its newest track rat Friday at the 24 Hours of Spa — one of the most anticipated racing events in the international motorsports season. The Maserati GT2 is due to debut in the 2023 Fanatec GT2 European Series. The new race car is the brand’s first since the Maserati MC12. With a top speed exceeding 205 mph, thanks to its donor car, the Ferrari Enzo, the MC12 dominated the FIA GT championships from 2005 to 2010. Maserati is looking for more of the same with the GT2. Completely developed at Maserati, the GT2 will use the MC20’s water-cooled, 90-degree Nettuno twin-turbocharged V-6 engine that produces 621 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. It allows for a power-to-weight ratio is 207 h...

Change normally doesn’t come quick to the auto industry, yet it’s taken barely a month for Tesla’s NACS charging plug to become the likely standard going forward. Polestar is just the latest auto brand to make the switch to the Tesla NACS standard. Since Ford and General Motors first announced plans to switch to the Tesla plug — and gain access to the EV maker’s Supercharger network — in late May, a number of other automotive manufacturers have signed on, including Stellantis, Volvo and Polestar. Even Verge Motorcycles said it will to make the switch. And several key charger companies say they’ll add plugs compatible with Tesla’s NACS — or North American Charging Standard — including Electrify America. “Since our founding, we have focused on building an inclusive and open hyper-fast charging network to facilitate the adoption of electric vehicles,” Robert Barrosa, president and CEO of Electrify America, said in a statement issued Thursday. “We look forward to continuing to supp...

2011 Rolls-Royce 102EX With the introduction of the 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre, the company is launching its transformation into a pure electric vehicle brand, a conversion the company expects to complete by 2031. It’s a journey that started in 2011, when Rolls-Royce revealed its first electric vehicle in the form of the 102EX, a plug-in version of the Phantom sedan, at the Geneva Motor Show. It used a 71-kilowatt-hour battery pack and two electric motors to produce 388 horsepower, rather than the vehicle’s V-12 gas engine. But with the launch of the 2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre, the automaker is offering its first luxury EV, one that will change the course of the boutique luxury automaker.  We had the chance to sit down and talk with Rolls-Royce CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös about the transition and what it means earlier this week. The interview that follows has been edited for length and clarity. TheDetroitBureau.com:  “When you introduced your first electric vehicle concept, ...

Grumblings by senior leaders at the Volkswagen Group about Audi’s performance came to a head Thursday as the premium brand’s CEO Markus Duesmann was given his walking papers. Markus Duesmann’s time as the head of Audi ended due to poor results. He will be replaced by VW Group strategy chief Gernot Döllner starting Sept. 1, according to Audi. Duesmann, a former BMW executive who was named CEO in 2021, was thought to be in the hot seat. VW Group CEO Oliver Blume grumbled about Audi’s performance in certain areas of the business recently, in particularly, innovation. Speaking at VW Group’s Capital Markets Day last week, he said the brand was “lagging the competition.” To hasten change at the Audi Group, which includes Bentley, Lamborghini and Ducati, the brands were reclassified as progressive, reported Automotive News Europe. The move aimed to accelerate the pace of innovation and change. Blume also told investors the brand was not only falling behind its competitors, like BMW a...

Just one day after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and filing a lawsuit against partner Foxconn, Lordstown Motors received a deslisting notice Wednesday from Nasdaq. Lordstown Motors officials told investors it received a delisting notice from Nasdaq. The electric pickup maker  revealed the notice in a filing  Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission, noting the exchange said it will suspend trading the stock (RIDE.O) July 7. The move is a standard practice by Nasdaq, and the company said in the filing it doesn’t plan to appeal the move. Nasdaq suspending the company’s stock is what put Lordstown back into the spotlight in recent weeks. In April, the exchange informed the company it was in danger of being delisted because its stock traded below $1 per share for 30 consecutive trading days.  The company then  floated the idea of a reverse stock split , ranging from ratios of 3-to-1 all the way to 15-to-1. On May 23, it pulled the trigger on the mo...

Stellantis’ mobility business, Free2move, remains in growth mode, adding EV charging to the portfolio with Free2move Charge. Free2move Charge brings EV charging to the vehicle owner rather than them driving around looking for a charger. The new business is a “360-degree ecosystem” that will essentially bring charging and energy management to electric vehicle owners, rather than them searching for places to get more juice. The offering is part of the new Stellantis Charging & Energy Business Unit. “As the pace of mainstream EV adoption accelerates, our customers need us to be more than just a mobility provider,” said Ricardo Stamatti, senior vice president, Stellantis Charging & Energy Business Unit.  “We are taking the lead in establishing a dedicated business unit that will support our bold electrification strategy and act as a natural extension of our iconic brands. Free2move Charge is the first product rolling out, exemplifying our purpose of delivering performan...

It’s an article of faith among sports car cultists that manual transmissions are better than automatics. It’s the subject of t-shirts and ball caps, bumper stickers and snide comments about millennials and now, Gen Z.  Nissan has been on a voyage back to the original styling that made the 240Z the most exciting sports car of the early 1970s. Arguing the issue is pointless because there is no evidence that will sway a single mind. So it was with some trepidation that I collected the new Nissan Z equipped with a 9-speed automatic transmission for this week’s review. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried about anything except my old sports car guy street cred.  Overview The 2023 Nissan Z is still technically in its first model year, having appeared in late 2021 as a 2023 model. However, the automatic transmission option came a little later, after the manual-only launch edition had its moment.  But the Z car is still a two-seat, two-door fastback hatch sports car,...

There’s nothing automakers like more than loyal customers and, with that in mind, Ford and Chevrolet clearly have reason to celebrate the results of S&P Global Mobility’s 2023 loyalty rankings. Keeping them coming back is a key to sales success, and Ford is the most successful based on brand loyalty. The two Detroit automakers were “neck-and-neck” in this year’s study of mainstream brands, Ford with a 59.5% loyalty rate , Chevrolet at 57.1%, according to S&P analyst Tom Libby. But the news wasn’t nearly as good for Toyota which was a “disappointment” in the new study, Libby said during a media webinar, adding that “We will obviously have to watch the results going forward” to see if Toyota can recover. Ford’s loyalty rate held roughly flat with its 2022 numbers, but Chevy posted a 2.6-point improvement. Bringing ’em back Automakers struggle to keep existing owners coming back, among other things, by offering discounts and other promotions designed to boost loyalty. Th...

Few, if any, vehicles have ever created the sensational buzz as the debut of the Cybertruck in 2019 when it literally broke the internet as it was it revealed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who also collected more than $100 million reservations from more than 1 million potential buyers. Tesla’s Cybertruck is not likely to have a major impact on the U.S. market, says one analyst. Almost four years later, the uniquely designed battery-electric Cybertruck — aggressively promoted by Musk — is finally inching towards production. But its ultimate impact on the U.S. market will likely be far more muted than once predicted, according to a leading automotive analyst. Cybertruck destined to be a niche product John Murphy, the lead analyst for Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, said during a recent appearance at a meeting of the Automotive Press Association in Detroit, said the production of the Cybertruck will give Tesla a boost. However, its ultimate impact will be limited.  “I think it will ...

Kia Motors continues to expand its EV lineup in the U.S. market, following the  Kia EV6  with the three-row EV9, the brand’s first global fully-electric SUV, one that’s more or less the same size as the  Kia Telluride .  2024 EV9 features animated lighting that frames its updated Tiger Face grille. Overview It would seem to be a vehicle that’s particularly well-timed; the popularity of both three-row SUVs and battery-electric vehicles are increasing. One only has to look at sales of the Telluride to understand the appeal of a Kia three-row SUV. As such, it follows the familiar path trod by other electric vehicles, starting with a standard, single-motor rear-wheel drive offering, with a dual-motor setup with all-wheel drive being the step up.  Specific details, such as trim levels and pricing are not yet finalized, however.   Exterior Despite its boxy silhouette, the Kia 2024 EV9 has a drag co-efficient of 0.28. The 2024 Kia EV9 is crispl...