Luxury Cars

  • 2018 BMW 5-Series Li

    While the diesel backlash stemming from the VW emission scandal is real, BMW is forging ahead with the high-torque, high-efficiency engines regardless. For its latest 5-Series luxury sedan, it will announce that a new 540d mid-size diesel luxury sedan will arrive in U.S. showrooms later in 2017, Car and Driver reports. At this point, we'd generally launch into a litany of power and efficiency figures, but one simple fact clouds our crystal ball—the 540d doesn't exist in Europe. DON'T MISS: All 2017 BMW diesels certified by EPA, production now starting Over there, the most potent...

  • Teaser for Fisker EMotion debuting on August 17, 2017
    All-electric Fisker EMotion luxury sedan to debut in August

    The low, sleek Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid luxury sedan had a stunning design but numerous problems, and Tesla mopped the floor with it. Now designer Henrik Fisker is ready for a rematch, this time with an all-electric sedan promising 400 miles of range (and unusual doors). The Fisker EMotion is...

  • Tesla Model S lithium-ion battery pack in rolling chassis   [photo: Martin Gillet via Flickr]
    Tesla Model S battery life: what the data show so far

    Perhaps the biggest question in buyers' minds over electric cars is how long the batteries will last. Most new-car buyers have mobile phones whose batteries have only lasted a couple of years, perhaps less. Even as electric-car battery packs are warranted against outright failure for eight or 10...

  • Tesla Model S at Supercharger site in Ventura, CA, with just one slot open  [photo: David Noland]
    Tesla to double global Supercharger fast-charging network this year, it says

    Tesla continues to make sweeping changes as it prepares for the launch of the Model 3, its first mass-market electric car. The company has announced a significant expansion of its global network of Supercharger DC fast-charging stations. Executives believe, it said, that charging should be...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    Used Tesla Model S values stay higher than expected

    A new report from Autolist says the Tesla Model S is faring well as a used car when compared to other luxury models. On average, the electric car sells in around 87 days, which is about 5 percent faster than competitors. The report compared the Model S to the Audi A7, Porsche Panamera, BMW 6...

  • 2013 Tesla Model S owned by David Noland, Catskill Mountains, NY, Oct 2015
    Life with Tesla Model S: replacing the drive unit (aka 'the funny noise')

    Back in 2014, Tesla had a spate of problems with the drive units in early-production versions of its Model S electric sedan. (The drive unit is essentially the car’s power train: electric motor, inverter, and gear box.) High-profile multiple failures occurred in long-term test cars driven by...

  • Hyundai Vision G (HCD-16) concept

    Tesla has made an unexpected success out of its pioneering luxury electric vehicles, which offer a healthy dose of performance for good measure. Hyundai's Genesis luxury brand, while taking a couple pages from Lexus for its launch strategy, may be following a similar path to Tesla for a future sport coupe. The Australian outlet Drive reports a V-8 engine has been axed in favor of an electrified powertrain for the Genesis coupe, due to arrive by the end of 2020. DON'T MISS: Germans are coming for Tesla, German paper says, so now it's 'interesting' “As much as I like to drive V-8s, I...

  • 2016 Tesla Model S
    Tesla recalls 53,000 Model S, Model X electric cars for parking-brake issue

    Tesla has issued a voluntarily recall for roughly 53,000 of its Model S and Model X electric cars to address an issue in which the parking brake might stick in the engaged position. The recall was first reported yesterday by CNBC. The vehicles affected were built between February and October of...

  • 2017 Tesla Model X
    2017 Tesla Model X electric-car pricing, feature changes

    Tesla has released updated pricing and features for its 2017 Tesla Model X all-electric crossover utility vehicle, including lower prices for both the 75D and 90D models. Like the changes released at the same time to the Model S sedan, the new lineup increases the distance between the two lower-end...

  • 2018 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, 2017 Geneva auto show
    What's the best Porsche Panamera? It's a plug-in hybrid now

    The top 2018 Porsche Panamera that money can buy now comes with a plug. That’s according to Porsche Cars North America’s Chief Operating Officer Joe Lawrence, who said as much to Green Car Reports last week during the 2017 New York auto show. “I think what we have with the (2018...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    2017 Tesla Model S pricing, feature changes: breaking them down in detail

    As its owners know, although much of the car-buying world doesn't, Tesla doesn't believe in the idea of model years. Rather than updating its electric cars each autumn, to correspond to a new model year, it simply changes them when it feels the updates are ready. This can lead to some confusion...

  • 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid
    2017 Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid sedan reviewed by LA Times

    While the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and the Chevy Malibu Hybrid rack up four-figure sales in most months, the third vehicle to use elements of that same drivetrain remains all but invisible in the U.S. That's the 2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid, a version of the CT6 large luxury sedan from...

  • Teaser for Audi e-tron Sportback concept debuting at 2017 Shanghai auto show

    The Shanghai auto show is shaping up to be a showcase for all the green cars and concepts that were absent from last week's New York auto show. Among them is a concept for a "four-door coupe" version of the Audi e-tron all-electric SUV that'll go into production sometime next year. The Audi e-Tron Sportback Concept doesn't necessarily preview a specific production model; it's more of a showcase for design elements for future models developed under the guidance of current Audi design boss Marc Lichte. DON'T MISS: After Audi e-tron, next electric car to be compact BMW i3 competitor The e-tron...

  • Lucid Air
    Luxury electric Lucid Air sedan hits 217 mph in stability test

    Only a handful of people have ridden in one outside the company, but development of the Lucid Air luxury electric sedan seems to be proceeding apace. The company said yesterday at the New York auto show that a development prototype had reached an electronically limited top speed of 350 km/h (217...

  • Genesis GV80 Concept, 2017 New York auto show
    Genesis GV80 fuel-cell concept SUV at NY auto show

    These days, it's all but de rigeur that concept cars from major global automakers be shown with some form of alternative propulsion. They may preview future production vehicles powered by plain old conventional gasoline engines, but a plug-in hybrid or other greener powertrain shows the automaker...

  • 2015 Tesla Model S 70D in new Ocean Blue color
    Tesla Model S at 36,000 miles: Car and Driver's long-term Midwest test

    We're long past the days when car enthusiast publications sneered at electric cars as underpowered golf carts. Much of the credit for that goes to Tesla, the first all-electric carmaker, whose Model S won the hearts of 'buff-book' writers everywhere for its speed and shape. Now electric cars...

  • First Tesla Model S delivered in Hong Kong
    Hong Kong closed a tax loophole; is Tesla ancillary damage?

    Government officials in Hong Kong have eliminated a popular tax exemption that made electric vehicles much cheaper to buy than comparable gasoline-powered models. Now Tesla worries it could take the brunt of the blowback. The loophole helped make Hong Kong one of the biggest overseas markets for...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    Tesla delivered 25,000 electric cars in Q1 2017, plus or minus

    The numbers are in, and Tesla says it delivered 25,000 electric cars globally in the first quarter of this year, from January through March. That's a new quarterly record for the Silicon Valley company, which delivered 76,230 cars last year. Analysts and Tesla fans had eagerly watched for this...

  • 2017 Tesla Model X

    The ability to travel long distances has long been a distinguishing feature of Tesla's luxury electric cars, whose Supercharger fast-charging network now offers access to essentially every part of the 48 continental states. But where hydrogen infrastructure exists, which can cover a long road trip faster: a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle or a Tesla? Last fall, Edmunds set out on a road trip of almost 1,000 miles in the hydrogen fuel-cell-powered Toyota Mirai and an electric Tesla Model X to see which could do the trip in the least amount of time, refueling (or charging) included. DON'T MISS: 2017...

  • Nissan e-NV200 revolutionizes iconic Harrods fleet
    European brands adopt electric delivery trucks: Harrods, Hermes

    In the U.S., electric-car advocates and green energy fans have been dealt some setbacks during recent weeks. In Europe, however, the push toward electrification remains as strong--and trendy--as ever. Delivering on zero emissions In Germany, courier service Hermes (not to be confused with French...

  • Mercedes-Benz EQ electric car concept  [photo: Axel Harries]
    Mercedes-Benz electric cars to arrive sooner as urgency increases

    Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler is speeding up its shift towards electrification. The auto-maker remains on track to bolster its portfolio with 10 electric vehicles, but they’ll arrive three full years sooner than expected. The battery-powered cars are now scheduled to debut by 2022...

  • 2017 BMW i3
    Soon, 'electric-car range will no longer be a factor,' BMW chief says

    Among German luxury brands, BMW was the first to show significant interest in electric cars. It launched its "i" sub-brand in Europe in 2013, and its plans have evolved to include adding all-electric powertrains to models within the main BMW brand in future. That is part of an effort to grow sales...

  • Aston Martin Rapid-E concept
    Aston Martin Rapide luxury sedan to go all-electric; cheerio, V-12!

    Many luxury automakers are planning new electric cars, both to meet future emissions standards and as a response to the success of Tesla. So far, though, no established automaker has discussed directly replacing an internal-combustion model with an all-electric one. But that may be exactly what...

  • 2017 Tesla Model S
    Tesla electric cars have quality issues, but owners love them regardless

    Tesla electric cars have many notable and pioneering qualities. Faultless reliability has not necessarily been one of them. Since the Model S launched in 2012, multiple quality issues have been documented by both owners and media outlets like Consumer Reports. The Model X debuted with a...

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