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For Polestar, the twos are anything but terrible
The Polestar 2 Launch Edition arrived last year with every bell and whistle the company could manage to pack into its frame. For 2022, Polestar is taking a different tack: splitting the vehicle’s bevy of features into optional packages fitted onto a surprisingly well-appointed — and inexpensive — base model.
Toyota teases an electric SUV that will launch in 2021
Now that electric vehicle sales are starting to take off, however, Toyota is has unveiled a pure EV SUV for the European market.
Toyota's 2019 Prius will offer electric all-wheel drive
As efficient as it is, the Prius probably isn't your first pick if you need a car that can navigate a snowy backroad. You might have to rethink your assumptions, though. Toyota is introducing the 2019 Prius with an option for an electric all-wheel drive system (AWD-e in Toyota-speak). Choose the option and you'll get a sedan that can muster a combined 50MPG without losing its footing quite so quickly as front wheel drive cars. The system revolves around an independent electric motor that will always power the rear wheels up to 6MPH, and can continue up to 43MPH when necessary. It doesn't need a center differential or front-to-rear driveshaft, either, and it won't intrude into cargo space.
Up close with Rivian’s R1T electric adventure truck
After nine years of design and development, automotive startup Rivian unveiled not one but two new electric vehicles (each with Level 3 autonomy, no less) on Tuesday at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show. The R1T is a pickup built specifically for off-road adventuring while the swanky R1S is competing with Range Rover's line of upscale SUVs in both looks and amenities.
Tesla opens Model 3 orders to more people and trims prices
If you're in line for a Model 3 then we have good news. The company has announced that it's opening pre-orders to all reservation holders in the US and Canada, now that it's able to produce more cars (apparently that tent manufacturing line is helping). Better yet, the pricing has improved, with certain options (like dual-motor AWD) getting cheaper, as well as lower starting prices for options like the Performance package, now that many of the features in it are optional. All of this points to the company's improved production process, which would help with the price cuts and make it easier to build different configurations. While a $35,000 Model 3 still has not appeared, the current base model with Long Range 310-mile battery is available for $49,000. The price to add a second motor and AWD (plus 0 - 60 MPH in 4.5 seconds) is now $4,000 extra instead of $5,000 and starts at $53,000. According to Electrek there are also updated color options available in the online design studio, however, estimates for a cheaper "standard" battery has changed to 6 - 9 months out.
Tesla's performance Model 3 delivers 3.5 second 0-60 for $78,000
Tesla is almost ready to start shipping Model 3s equipped with an AWD dual-motor option, so CEO Elon Musk announced specs and pricing for the new options on Twitter. The Performance trim Model 3 will sit at the top of the line, with 20-inch wheels, carbon fiber spoiler, black and white interior and specially-selected dual-motor setup available for $78,000 (adding AutoPilot costs extra). Musk said that its cost is "about" the same as BMW's M3 (a base model starts at $66,500), but it's supposedly quicker by 15 percent (3.5 seconds 0-60, 155 MPH top speed, 310 miles of range) and handles well enough to fulfill a promise it will "beat anything in its class on the track." If you're not looking for all of the upgrades, simply adding a second motor for all-wheel-drive (and extra reliability -- Musk said either one can drive the car if the other breaks) is an option that costs an extra $5,000, just like it used to on the Model S. Compared to the standard sedan's 0-60 time of 5.1 - 5.6 seconds and 130 MPH top speed, this one can do it in 4.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 140 MPH.
Elon Musk: Tesla Model 3 dual-motor ordering opens next week
In a sign that Tesla's Model 3 production continues to improve, CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the company will enable ordering of dual-motor versions of the sedan at the end of next week. Customers waiting for a Model 3 in performance or all-wheel-drive trim can find out how much the options will cost and put orders in with production scheduled to start in July, consistent with Musk's statement last month. We don't know anything about the specs on either model, but AWD was a $5,000 option on the Model S until it became standard (as it is on the Model X) late last year. Also, in his response to IGN's Ryan McCaffrey, Musk said air suspension could arrive as an option in 2019.
The Infiniti QX80 is too pricey to have this little tech
I'm not kidding (okay, I'm sort of kidding) when I say that the Infiniti QX80 (starting at $64,750) is only slightly smaller than a studio apartment I used to live in. It's a very large SUV that's packed to the gills with luxury features. It's certainly nicer than my old home. And, with room for eight, it has more seating, too. But like my old abode, it's not exactly on the cutting edge of technology. Sure, it's filled with modern touches you would expect from a luxury SUV, but the QX80 is in a weird spot right now. With parent company Nissan introducing its impressive semi-autonomous driving system ProPilot Assist to the Infiniti Q50 sedan and CarPlay making its way into Nissans, the QX80 feels left behind.
Tesla Model 3 'release candidate' drives off the lot
As Tesla continues its march towards producing a mass-market electric vehicle, CEO Elon Musk gave us a brief glimpse at the latest prototype. This Vine-length clip showed the first drive of a "release candidate" Model 3. Autoblog explains that unless there's some unforeseen problem, it's unlikely there will be any major styling or content revisions from this before the car goes into production, but engineers can still test and tweak things like brake calibration.
Volvo melds technology and luxury in the XC90 T8 hybrid
The name Volvo conjures up the incredibly safe but visually bland 240 Wagon sold during the '70s, '80s and '90s. You'd buy a Volvo because you were practical and possibly a bit paranoid about other drivers slamming into you. But the Swedish automaker has been working hard to make its cars not only safe but also stylish and high-tech. That work has culminated in the hybrid XC90 T8 luxury SUV.
Riding shotgun in Tesla's fastest car ever
Tesla's "D" unveiling had a little early reveal thanks to USA Today but now we've had a chance to see it for ourselves. As rumored, Tesla is rolling out new all-wheel-drive-equipped versions of its Model S (check out our review of the original here). The top-of-the-line, dual-motor-equipped P85D has a measured 0-60 time of 3.2 seconds, which should put it among the fastest sedans ever when it starts shipping in December. According to Elon Musk, the system is a "huge improvement" that actually adds efficiency over a single motor -- about 10 miles in range per charge. That's apparently because there's no shaft between the front and rear axles, and the motors constantly adjust output so well that the car overcomes the weight of the second engine. Update: Musk revealed the truth about D's dual-motor setup, and then we rode along in the P85D. Check out the video and details after the break!
Acura unveils updated NSX concept, has one V6 and three electric motors (eyes-on)
Acura chose last year's NAIAS to unveil the reborn NSX, heir to an epic throne of motorsports lineage. But, it was lacking a few things -- most notably an interior. This year, Honda's superlative brand is showing off a new generation of concept for the car that is still, sadly, at least two years away from production. As before it's powered by the company's Sport Hybrid SH-AWD, a system that's spun most forcefully by a mid-mounted V6, helped by three electric motors. One is mounted to the V6 to provide a hybrid setup, the other two slung between the front wheels to give those tires up front little spin when needed. The new interior is a typically focused experience, full of leather and carbon fiber. It looks perfectly ready for production, but we're told it's just one potential design from a few they're toying with. No word on how much Acura's return to the supercar world might cost when it goes into production, but we're just glad to see this on a definite path to availability.
Volvo releases more details on 124MPG V60 plug-in, shows off iPhone app (video)
Current gasoline-powered hybrids can barely manage to keep ahead of small diesels in the mpg wars that will shape our future transportation structure, but in theory a diesel hybrid would rule the roost -- for the moment, at least. That's what Volvo will be showing off in Geneva shortly, promising a whopping 124MPG from the V60 plug-in diesel hybrid it announced a few weeks back. The car uses an internal combustion engine driving the front wheels and an electric one to spin the rears, meaning 2WD efficiency but AWD grip -- and a combined 285hp to handily blow the doors off any Prius that dares step up at a streetlight. Volvo is saying the car will take about five hours to charge on a standard household outlet and that you'll be able to monitor that status from your iPhone. Check it out in the video below and turn up those speakers in preparation for one heck of an inspirational piano solo.
Kepler Motion brings 800bhp using dual-engine hybrid magic
Since we're already on the topic of fairy dust, how about a new all-wheel drive supercar that can purportedly thrust you from nought to sixty in 2.5 seconds? New startup Kepler Motors is about to unveil its first vehicle and its ambition is nothing short of staggering. Employing a 550bhp Ford Ecoboost petrol engine to drive the rear wheels and a 250bhp electric motor for the front pair, this machine also comes with a carbon fiber chassis and carbon ceramic brakes to really make the theoretical numbers look ridiculous. Of course, it's still only a concept for the Dubai International Motor Show, but production plans are already set for 2011. You'll just have to make sure to be among the 50 richest people interested in owning one, because that'll be the entire production run.
