Future Cars
-
The numbers are in, and for the Nissan Leaf electric car, they're not pretty. Despite a boost in its EPA-rated range from 84 to 107 miles, its year-to-date sales of 4,697 units are down 40 percent on the 7,742 that were sold in the same five months last year. And those were down on the total of 10,389 over the year-earlier total during the first five months of 2014. DON'T MISS: Plug-in electric car sales for May flat: Leaf struggles despite range boost A host of reasons for the steady decline is possible, but journalist Brooke Crothers suggested in Forbes that it's all due to what he calls...
-
Apple will build electric cars by 2020: Tesla's Elon Musk
Elon Musk believes Apple will build electric cars by 2020.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model 3 owners will pay to use Superchargers, cost TBD
In the beginning, the use of Tesla's nascent network of Supercharger DC fast-charging sites wasn't going to be free. Not for owners of the less-expensive Model S 40 and 60 versions, at least: if they wanted to use the Supercharger network, they paid a $2,500 fee up front. But demand for the...
John Voelcker -
Mercedes-Benz electric cars: more details of 4 models for 2020 emerge
All three German luxury car makers now have plans to launch battery-electric vehicles before 2020 to counter the unlikely success of California's Tesla Motors. Whether their electric cars are sedans, SUVs, or both, they will likely be sized and priced to compete with the Tesla Model S and Model X...
John Voelcker -
Volvo will build compact electric car in 2019, along with larger model
Volvo will build electric cars based on its two main vehicle platforms.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model 3 targets: 100K in 2017, 400K in 2018, say skeptical suppliers
Tesla Motors' audacious goal of building half a million cars a year by the end of 2018 will require boosting its production by a factor of 10 over just two and a half years. And it will require nothing less than a reorientation of the entire company toward manufacturing, even as vehicle development...
John Voelcker -
In March, BMW was the top alternate brand considered by Tesla shoppers.
-
BMW iNext concept previews electric sedan flagship to come in 2021
BMW is reportedly planning an electric flagship sedan that will supplant the current 7-Series.
Stephen Edelstein -
Tesla Model 3 reservations: 373K after duplicates, speculators removed
The hundreds of thousands of $1,000 deposits placed for the Tesla Model 3 electric cars by potential buyers around the world came as an eye-opening shock to the auto industry. More than 100,000 such deposits were placed during the day that preceded the car's unveiling on the evening of March 31...
John Voelcker -
Audi CEO pledges one electric (or electrified) car each year
Audi is a little behind fellow German automaker BMW in the area of electrified autos, but it has a plan in place to address this shortcoming. Speaking during Audi’s annual general meeting in the automaker’s home of Ingolstadt, Germany, CEO Rupert Stadler outlined a plan to introduce at...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Hyundai's Genesis luxury brand will offer plug-in hybrids, then fuel cells
Hyundai's Genesis luxury brand will get plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel-cell cars eventually.
Stephen Edelstein -
Ford CEO Mark Fields confirms 200-mile electric car coming (updated)
What a difference a week makes. In late April, Ford's director of electrification programs and engineering, Kevin Layden, said the 100-mile range of the 2017 Ford Focus Electric would suffice for most drivers. But then on Ford's second-quarter earnings call, CEO Mark Fields announced that the...
John Voelcker -
When Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk said two years ago that the electric-car maker planned to be building half a million cars a year by the end of 2020, it seemed an ambitious stretch goal. When he said on last week's quarterly earnings call that the company was pulling that goal two years ahead to 2018, you can almost hear the gasps. That means that Tesla intends to boost its production by a factor of 10 in a mere three years. DON'T MISS: Tesla projects total 2016 sales of 80,000 to 90,000 electric cars Tesla delivered 50,557 cars last year, a 60-percent increase over the 31,655 it sold in 2014...
-
Smaller, cheaper Toyota Mirai fuel-cell car coming in 2019, company says
To increase the reach of its hybrid cars, Toyota launched the Prius C subcompact in 2012 as a smaller, less expensive alternative to the Prius Liftback that's the linchpin of its lineup. Now, Toyota says it may be planning to do something similar with its Mirai hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle. The 2016...
John Voelcker -
Nissan Leaf ads poke fun at Tesla Model 3 reservation queue
Nissan pokes fun at Tesla in new print ads.
Stephen Edelstein -
How BMW can compete with Tesla electric cars: future i5, plug-in hybrids, says advocate
For a decade now, Tesla Motors has been the "black swan" of the auto industry. It's a California company startup, founded from scratch, using a new powertrain, that against all odds has sold more than 100,000 electric cars and created a brand known worldwide. You can almost hear the grinding of...
John Voelcker -
Tesla's huge warehouse lease seems to be Model 3 preparation
Tesla is leasing multiple warehouses near its Fremont, California, factory.
Stephen Edelstein -
Next electric MINI confirmed by development team?
The MINI Rocketman concept may go into production with an electric powertrain.
Stephen Edelstein -
German luxury carmakers may now view Tesla as a threat.
-
Hyundai to launch all-electric SUV in 2018 with 200-mile range
Carmakers need to launch more plug-in electric vehicles to meet global regulations on emission reduction and energy efficiency. And small to mid-size SUVs are the fastest-growing segment in auto markets around the world. Now we learn that Hyundai is planning to launch a dedicated all-electric SUV...
John Voelcker -
Four new (or updated) electric cars coming for 2017
Among battery electric cars on sale in the U.S., only three vehicles have sold more than 10,000 copies since 2010: the Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, and BMW i3. But four new or updated models coming for the 2017 model year may change those equations. The most eagerly awaited new 2017 electric car is...
John Voelcker -
Ford says 'no thanks' to 200-mile electric car race, for now
Electric cars with 200 miles of range will be the next big step in expanding the global market for plug-in vehicles. Leading the charge will be GM, with the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV that will go on sale in less than a year. That car will be followed at some point by the next-generation 2018 Nissan...
John Voelcker -
Volvo's ambitious sales plans: 1 million electric & plug-in hybrid cars by 2025
Volvo plans to offer two hybrid versions of every model, and at least one all-electric car.
Stephen Edelstein -
2018 Honda Clarity electric versions: first details, including 40-plus-mile range for plug-in hybrid
The 2017 Honda Clarity will arrive in showrooms late this year with a hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain, one of three hydrogen-powered vehicles that will be sold in limited numbers in specific California regions that have hydrogen fueling stations up and running. But Honda has much larger plans for the...
John Voelcker