The BMW Vision iNext previews a future self-driving luxury electric crossover SUV. Tesla opens its first in-house body shops. A British engineering firm wants to bring lightweight racing platform methods to production cars. And Nissan reveals pricing for the 2019 Leaf. All of this and more on Green Car Reports.
The BMW Vision iNext made its global debut and previews a flagship electric crossover SUV, designed for wealthy patrons to ride in comfort—and perhaps occasionally drive. Initial specs peg range from the all-electric luxury car at 370 miles.
Tesla has opened its first in-house body shops to shorten months'-long repair times to as little as an hour. CEO Elon Musk said in a tweet that he hopes most repairs can be completed in as little as a day.
Gordon Murray Design in England wants to bring lightweight racing technologies to production cars. The firm showed off its iStream Super Light architecture, which claims to be 50 percent lighter than a traditional steel-stamped body-in-white—without being any more expensive to produce.
Nissan announced pricing for the 2019 Leaf. As buyers wait for the debut of the longer-range Leaf e-Plus later in the year, the Leaf will get one extra feature—and no increase in cost.
The Boring Company, another Elon Musk venture, wants to connect garages to the company's proposed series of tunnels. The company has purchased a prototype home to begin work on a garage elevator that will connect to a test tunnel in the future.
Finally, Volvo has asked the U.S. government for a tariff exemption on the China-built XC60 crossover SUV. General Motors has made a similar request for the China-made Buick Envision.
_______________________________________
