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Archive for the ‘green cars’ Category

Let’s be honest here; the Tesla Model 3’s interior isn’t exactly rich and well defined. It is sparsely equipped with one massive screen that hosts virtual buttons for all functions. In higher grade trims, Tesla did manage to offer nice upholstery on the seats and more expensive materials on the doors. It does give a bit of style and pizzazz to the Tesla Model 3, but nowhere near enough to match the lavish of the Lexus IS, 3 Series, or, the Mercedes-Benz C-class. The problem is that even the most expensive Model 3’s interior cannot hold a candle to the interiors of even less expensive cars. And now, we have a stripped-down Model 3. What could Tesla possibly delete from the Model 3 to lower its price to $35,000? Well, here’s a list of everything you don’t get with the entry-level Tesla Model 3.

Committed to making its facilities carbon-neutral by 2030, Audi started with the e-tron multi-structure plant that covers 540,000 square-meters and is located in Brussels, Belgium. Audi improved the body shop, paint shop, and assembly shop and added a new battery manufacturing plant.

The Brussels facility is blanketed with a 37,000-square-meter photovoltaic system. This enables the generation of more than 3,000 megawatt-hours of electricity, thus saving
700 metric tons of CO2 per year. The Brussels plant is the first in the world with certified carbon-neutral production in the premium auto segment.

Volkswagen also made an eco promise. By the end of the year the Stuttgart factory, set to start producing all-electric Porsche Taycans, will be carbon-neutral as well.

The 2019 Bentley Bentayga Hybrid is the electrified version of the company’s first SUV. It’s also Bentley’s first hybrid ever, as well as the world’s first luxury SUV with an electric motor. The Bentayga Hybrid joins the original 2017 Bentayga with the W-12 engine that Bentley unveiled in 2015, as well as the V-8 and diesel variants that the British firm launched since 2017.

The Bentayga Hybrid is virtually identical to the regular SUV inside and out. The exterior features an additional “fuel” cap for the plug-in socket, while the interior includes new tech and a revised infotainment system for hybrid duty. Things are notably different under the skin though, where the familiar W-12 and V-8 engines were replaced with a V-6 and an electric motor. The layout is similar to that in the Porsche Panamera E-Hybrid. Let’s find out more about this electrified SUV in the review below.

The Bentley Flying Spur Hybrid is an upcoming plug-in hybrid version of the company’s full-size sedan. The four-door follows in the footsteps of the Bentayga Hybrid, Bentley’s first-ever electrified model, which was unveiled in 2018. The Flying Spur Hybrid is part of the third-generation model lineup that should debut by the end of 2019.

Spotted testing with a Porsche Panamera body in 2017, the Flying Spur began making appearances in its camouflaged production shell in 2018. Come 2019, and the sedan is slowly losing camo, but Bentley is also testing new versions. Our paparazzi caught a batch of Flying Spurs testing on public roads in April 2019, including a plug-in hybrid version. Let’s find out what we already know about it in the speculative review below.

Over the last year, legislators became more and more concerned about EV’s drivers not paying any gas taxes. Last February,
a team of Republican senators, sponsored by the oil industry and other supporters, introduced a bill that destroys the federal electric vehicle tax credit of $7,500, and includes an annual tax for “alternative fuel vehicles.”

At Volkswagen’s annual media conference in Wolfsburg, VW commented on its new strategy to cut from 5,000 up to 7,000 jobs by 2023. Through reducing such operating costs, VW aims to save 5.9 billion Euro
($6.7B). The German automaker will invest the savings in its top-selling division – which generates more than a third of the company’s total sales – in an attempt to raise the operating margin to 6%. Last year, the brand’s operating margin fell to 3.8% where Peugeot read a margin of 8.4%.

Randy Pobst is the racing driver employed by MotorTrend to test the highest performance cars on track, gauge their talents, and attempt to post consistent lap times. But Randy also worked for Tesla during the development of the new Model 3, more specifically that car’s track mode, so if there’s a person who could put it through its paces, then it has to be him. So, how did it perform?

As the automotive industry gears up for a full-blown EV onslaught over the next decade, Porsche is confidently stepping into the space with the new 2020 Porsche Taycan sport sedan. As if it weren’t obvious, the Taycan is a critical development for the Stuttgart brand as it looks to explore what it means to offer Porsche-style performance without the dinosaur juice. We’re currently about six months away from the Taycan’s official debut, but we’re still getting a few tasty tidbits to sate our appetite before the final sheet pull. The latest is an official update from Porsche as the Taycan enters the final round of pre-production testing.

Volkswagen’s bespoke electric prototype racer that was the fastest at last year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event will most likely add another record to its cabinet. Romain Dumas will pilot it in September on the so-called “Road to Heaven” that features 99 bends along 6.83 miles of road, longer than the original Spa-Francorchamps road course.

This year, Volkswagen will finally introduce the first model from its much-advertised I.D. family of electric models that are supposed to make us all rethink our lives, ponder on existence as a whole and so on and so forth. To keep the ball rolling and the buzz going, Volkswagen is yet to park the glorious LMP-like I.D. R in a museum and, instead, it will take the 670 horsepower beast all the way to China to compete on a strip of road that’s not opened to the public.

Tesla is at the forefront of autonomous driving tech in the automotive industry, but competitors are hot on its heels trying to match the broad array of features provided by its Autopilot system. Now the EV maker is consolidating its position as a leader in this field with its newly released Advanced Tailgater mode that will be added for free to all Autopilot-equipped Tesla models via an over-the-air update.

Volvo has been more than vocal about its electrification ambitions. By 2025, the Swedish company plans to generate 50-percent of its sales volume from its fully electric vehicles. In fact, the automaker has decided to turn its sub-brand, Polestar, into a fully-electric performance brand. The Polestar 2 was unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and was rather well received, but does it have in it to take on the Tesla Model 3?

Volvo has been more than vocal about its electrification ambitions. By 2025, the Swedish company plans to generate 50-percent of its sales volume from its fully electric vehicles. In fact, the automaker has decided to turn its sub-brand, Polestar, into a fully-electric performance brand. The Polestar 2 was unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show and was rather well received, but does it have in it to take on the Tesla Model 3?

Elon Musk is no stranger to making outrageous claims on his Twitter account. True or not, the Tesla CEO also doesn’t hold back from engaging other Twitter users in colorful dialogue. One user who proudly displays his affection for the Dodge Ram found that out the hard way when he threw the Ram’ 1500’s 12,000-pound towing capacity right in the direction of Musk and his Twitter account. In true Musk fashion, he responded the only way Elon Musk knows how to respond, putting “Dodge Ram Owner” in his place by thumbing his nose down the towing and hauling abilities of Motor Trend’s 2019 Truck of the Year.

The Mercedes-Benz Concept EQV is a vehicle that previews the company’s upcoming all-electric passenger van. Based on the existing V-Class production model, the EQV is part of Mercedes’ recently introduced EQ brand, which currently includes the EQC crossover. The production model is set to break cover at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Part of the EQ family of all-electric crossovers, the EQV follows in the footsteps of the Concept EQ, Concept EQA, and EQC. The second EQ show car to become a production model, the EQV doesn’t have a unique design language like the EQC. The concept is heavily based on the V-Class van and adds only a handful of new styling features, mostly inspired by the EQC, to the front fascia. But the good news is that it will become the first premium van with a seating capacity of up to eight people that features an all-electric drivetrain.

If you went up to me 20 years ago and told me that electric cars would eventually become some of the quickest, sexiest vehicles on the planet, I would have asked what you were smoking and why weren’t you sharing. But oh how things have changed. Now the calendar says it’s 2019, and the appeal of cars like the Tesla Model S is undeniable. With cutting-edge technology, insane levels of torque, and head-turning style, the Tesla brand is a force to be reckoned with. Now, with the recent debut of the 2020 Tesla Model Y,Donut Media is diving deep on everything you need to know about Tesla.

The scene may have been busy over the past few days, comparing the new Tesla Model Y and the very similar Model 3, calling them too similar, but the fact of the matter is, the new small Tesla crossover has a direct rival. I am, of course, talking about the Polestar 2, itself a strange model that’s neither a sedan nor a crossover – that’s right up the Model Y’s alley. These two cars are direct rivals if we’ve ever seen any, and while their styling may be radically different, they are undoubtedly targeting the same market segment. The Tesla is the more bubble-like of the two, with its strongly arched roofline, but it can seat two more people than the Volvo (in theory, at least), so at least there’s a purpose behind the hunchback design.

In terms of performance and range, the two are very close, at least if we compare the higher-spec Long Range or Dual Motor AWD versions of the Model Y to the Polestar and its single powertrain choice. You will be able to get the Tesla Model Y Performance model that will blow the Polestar 2 clean out of the water with its 3.5-second zero to sixty time, but the other two versions available from launch are comparable.

Tesla has put a stay in its decision to raise prices on most of its models worldwide due to what it described as “unusually high volume” on orders being placed on its website. The slight price adjustment was supposed to take effect midnight Pacific Time last Monday, March 18. Now, the price hike will happen midnight Pacific Time on Wednesday, March 20. The decision to raise prices by three percent on some of its models was announced last week after Tesla abruptly reversed course on its plan to close all of its retail stores and focus all sales online. With the deadline fast approaching, it’s gonna be interesting to see if Tesla experiences the same “unusually high volume” when the clock hits midnight Pacific Time today.

Do you remember Henrik Fisker? He is the man behind the original Karma PHEV that drove Fisker Automotive into bankruptcy. However, Fisker has now announced a sub $40,000 SUV that will be one of the three mass-market cars that his company, Fisker Inc., plans to build in the near future. The automaker is aiming for a 300-mile range and is planning to launch this unnamed SUV in the second half of 2021. Will Mr. Fisker be able to secure a chunk of the market this time around?

The 2020 Tesla Model Y has arrived, making its grand entrance in a live event broadcast from Tesla’s design studio in Hawthorne, California. However, the debut really didn’t bring anything terribly surprising, despite widespread predictions to the contrary. In fact, the whole thing was more like a history lesson than a typical Tesla debut event. But why?

The 2020 Tesla Model Y is here, promising all the tricks and tech that the California brand can muster, but in a small, yet practical package. But the question is this – how does it stack up against the Tesla Model X SUV? To find out, we compared the two in terms of their exterior design, interior design, and powertrain specs.