Auto Lovers Land

The 2024 Nissan Z NISMO There’s nothing to not like about Nissan’s newest Z except, perhaps, the lack of a NISMO variant. That changes for 2024, as the Japanese automaker looks to build on the performance of the Nissan Z’s Sport and Performance models, which boast 400 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque from the Z’s 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V-6. Nissan is clearly hoping its newest track toy can help juice the redesigned Nissan Z sales, which numbered 966 units in the first half of 2023. That compares to the 25,471 Ford Mustangs, 17,337 Chevrolet Camaros, 1,621 Toyota Supras and 1,122 BMW Z4s sold during the same period, according to Automotive News. NISMO, a primer NISMO stands for NISsan MOtorsports. Its story starts in 1964, when the Prince Motor Co. shoehorned the the 2.0-liter 6-cylinder engine from the Gloria luxury sedan into a Nissan Skyline. With a vastly increased power-to-weight ratio, they had created the Prince Skyline 2000GT, which competed in its first race...

Genesis has been making a lot of noise the past few years, first with the addition of its SUVs and, more recently, with its battery-electric models.  The 2023 Genesis G90 is a reminder of just what got the luxury brand started in the first place. It’s award-winning EVs, I should correctly note. The brand’s all-electric sedans and crossovers have either captured or placed highly in a slew of competitions or studies ranging from North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year, MotorTrend, J.D. Power & Associates rankings and more.  All this from a brand that once was a Hyundai model that grew into a luxury vehicle unit that defied the conventional wisdom of the time.  Overview In fact, it’s easy to forget the brand started off with just a few sedans while working to round out its line-up in the years following. However, just one look at the impressively styling of the 2023 Genesis G90 will very quickly remind you just how the brand got popular — and quickly. ...

The new Chevrolet Blazer EV won’t come cheap, not if you want one of the all-wheel drive or high-performance RS packages, which carry MSRPs starting as high as $61,790. The new Chevrolet Blazer EV is headed to dealer showrooms, in some cases, with a hefty price tag. Whichever version of Chevy’s new battery-electric model you choose, expect to pay a premium over the conventional gas-powered model. The first Blazer EVs began shipping to dealers on Monday, and consumer response to the all-electric crossover could provide a measure of how well parent General Motors’ all-in battery-electric vehicle program will be received. Blazer is the first in an assortment of new EVs Chevy and the other GM brands will be bringing out during the next several years. A broad array of trim packages Chevy previously indicated pricing for the entry-level Blazer EVs would start around $44,995 for the front-wheel-drive LT, the slightly more sporty 2LT package starting at $47,595, and the RS FWD going f...

Lamborghini reported record results for the first half of 2023. The success of the  Lamboghini Urus  SUV and  Huracán  spots car, and the pending the debut of the  Revuelto , led Lamborghini to sell a record 5,341 vehicles in the first six months of 2023, an increase of 4.9% compared with the same period in 2022.  “We are really excited about these numbers, delivered with only two models in the range, in a year that we can define as special for Lamborghini,” said  Stephan Winkelmann , chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, in a statement. With the growth in sales come growth in revenue, which rose to €1.42 billion, up 6.7% from the same period in 2022. Operating income increased 7.2% to a record of €456 million, compared to €425 million in 2022. Return on sales registered a healthy 32.1%, but the company will need the cash.  Who’s buying where The Lamborghini Urus remains among its most popular vehicles. Lamborghini’s three regi...

When Mazda  announced the MX-30, the brand’s first battery-electric vehicle in 2021 , the company also teased the return of the iconic rotary engine, this time as a range extender similar in implementation to the late, lamented Chevy Volt or the BMW i3.  Mazda cancelled the MX-30, its first battery-electric vehicle. The range-extender rotary was going to be a key feature, because the MX-30 came with only 100 miles of range from its 35.5 kWh battery pack.  With a starting price of $33,470 for 2022, rising to $37,120 for the Premium Plus package, Mazda was going to need that range extender to make the MX-30 a viable EV. Buyers could spend less and get more than twice the range with the Chevy Bolt or Nissan Leaf.  However, the rotary range extender never appeared and consequently, very few buyers chose the MX-30. Further, the MX-30’s 9-second 0-60 time and top speed of 87 mph were at odds with Mazda’s traditional emphasis on performance and driving enjoyment. Th...

Truck buyers can be a persnickety lot, many wanting their trucks — regardless of size — to be equipped to look just a certain way. Ford is pushing hard to let Ranger buyers have plenty of options hoping to drive sales of the truck.  Ford Ranger sales are down through the first sixth months, but buyers definitely know how they want the pickup equipped. The Ranger runs with a tough crowd “at home” where it’s sandwiched between the bestselling vehicle in America, the F-Series, which saw sales jump 34% last quarter and 27.9% for the year to date period. On the other side is the popular compact Maverick pickup where enjoyed a 7.8% rise for the quarter and 9.7% for the first six months. It’s also wrestling for attention in what may now be the most competitive segment in the industry: midsize trucks with perennial favorite, the Toyota Tacoma, getting a major update this year, along with new offerings from Nissan with Frontier, and Chevrolet and and GMC.  What they are picking...

William Crapo Durant knew a good deal when he saw it, at least most of the time. This week in 1909, the CEO of newly formed General Motors buys the Cadillac Automobile Co. for $5.5 million in GM stock. It was proof that Cadillac was the leading manufacturer of luxury automobiles in the United States, if not the world. It’s a position it would maintain until the 1970s, when misguided penny-pinching managers squandered its predominance, a failure of leadership from which the brand has never recovered — and most likely never will. But it’s hard to know if Cadillac founder Henry Martyn Leland knew what lie in store for him and the brand he would make famous worldwide. A farm boy learns a trade Barton, Vermont, birthplace of Henry Leland Leland was born on a farm in Barton, Vermont. Even today, this is a small, remote village with limited opportunities. So it’s little wonder that, having had experience with farm equipment, Leland left by the age of 14, opting to become a machin...

After suffering a series of setbacks in recent months, VinFast finally got to enjoy some good news Friday, the Vietnamese auto startup breaking ground for its new, $2 billion assembly plant near Raleigh, North Carolina, the same day the Securities and Exchange Commission gave permission for the automaker’s planned merger with special purpose acquisitions company, or SPAC, Black Spade. VinFast Global CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy says the company is learning from the problems it’s experienced. With the SEC’s go ahead, that deal now should be completed in August, VinFast officials told TheDetroitBureau following an official groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new plant. The automaker hopes that will then allow it to raise as much as $2 billion in additional funding to back its plan to rapidly expand in the American market. “The last few months have been challenging,” the automaker’s global CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy said in an interview at the plant site. “But everything is falling into pla...

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Ford Motor Co. have  announced a voluntary recall  of 870,701 F-150 pickups from the 2021-2023 model years. According to NHTSA, the recall applies to, “certain 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a single exhaust system.”  Ford recalled about 870,000 F-150 trucks from the 2021-2023 model years. Contact with the rear axle housing may damage the wiring harness, causing the electric parking brake to activate unexpectedly. Damaged electric parking brake wiring may lead to inadvertent parking brake application while driving, potentially resulting in loss of control of the vehicle and increasing the risk of a crash.”  NHTSA estimates that fewer than 1% of potentially affected vehicles will actually experience the problem. The problem may be preceded by a parking brake warning light and message on the instrument panel cluster. The investigation was opened in February of this year.  As of J...

Another cargo ship laden with vehicles, this time EVs largely from BMW and Mercedes-Benz, is on fire at sea — this time off the coast of Denmark. It’s the second high-profile car carrier that’s caught fire at in the last 18 months. The Fremantle Highway caught fire July 25. Allegedly the fire was caused by an EV onboard. Photo credit: Dutch Coastguard According to  reports from the Dutch Coastguard , recovery crews are working to put the fire out. They boarded the Freemantle Highway, Friday after it was determined the temperatures on the ship were falling and the was a decrease in smoke.  The group managed to set up a stronger towing connection to move the ship, which is connected to another boat named Fairplay 30. There are four other ships on site as part of the operation, including two tugs (Guardian, Hunter) a salvage vessel (Multrasalvor) and an oil recovery vessel (Arca) The recovery teams are now working with Dutch Coastguard to determine the best course of acti...

Research into EV batteries is one of the most intensely studied technologies of our era.  Rick Luebbe, CEO & co-founder, said the company’s recent expansion helps it get closer to its European customers. The rewards for the company that can “build a better mousetrap” are essentially unlimited, especially if the new and better battery can reduce the amount of rare and expensive minerals used in its construction.  Researchers worldwide are looking at silicon as a substitute for graphite as a building material for battery anode substrates. Group14 Technologies of Woodinville, Washington, outside Seattle, is one such company. Group14 just acquired Schmid Silicon Technology Holding GmbH, a silane gas producer in Europe.  The acquisition ensures a secure supply of silane gas, a critical precursor for the company’s proprietary silicon battery technology, called SCC55. The company says this material is an advanced silicon battery technology that delivers higher energy...