Kia recalls Niro models worldwide for urgent fix

Kia has issued a voluntary global recall notice to drivers of its Niro hybrid and plug-in hybrid compact SUV models.  This is because an electrical relay fitted to 5020 vehicles built between November 2016 and September 2017 is prone to overheating. The Korean manufacturer says it isn’t aware of any fire or injury resulting from the issue but… Continue reading Kia recalls Niro models worldwide for urgent fix

Tesla’s new China-made Model 3 opens for pre-order with a 13% price cut

Tesla’s big bet on China-based production is key to a new effort to lure Chinese consumers with cheaper prices. Today the U.S. firm revealed that its incoming Model 3, which will be produced in China, will sell from 328,000 RMB — that’s around $47,500, and some 13% cheaper than its previous entry-level option. The company… Continue reading Tesla’s new China-made Model 3 opens for pre-order with a 13% price cut

HRE Wheels and GE Additive showcase next generation metal 3D printed on a 2019 Ford GT

HRE Wheels, a California-based wheel manufacturer, has added a new titanium 3D printed wheel to its HRE3D series. The second generation wheel, installed on a 2019 Ford GT, was designed and 3D printed with the help of metal 3D printing specialist GE Additive. HRE President and CEO Alan Peltier, said, “We’re proud to be breaking… Continue reading HRE Wheels and GE Additive showcase next generation metal 3D printed on a 2019 Ford GT

Elon Musk says he lost money running Tesla last year

Elon Musk says being the boss of Tesla actually cost him money last year. Responding to a Twitter thread about Business Insider’s coverage of a New York Times report on US CEO compensation, Musk refuted that he made more money than the next 65 highest-paid bosses put together in 2018. The Times said Musk was… Continue reading Elon Musk says he lost money running Tesla last year

Diess: Nuclear power plants should run longer

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Uber suspends XL service in Istanbul

ISTANBUL, May 31 (Reuters) – U.S.-based ride-hailing service Uber will suspend its UberXL services in Istanbul from Friday, it said, though passengers in Turkey’s largest city will still be able to call smaller yellow taxis through its app. The company, which reported a $1 billion loss on Thursday after spending heavily in the run-up to… Continue reading Uber suspends XL service in Istanbul

VW CEO says dieselgate disclosure allegations unfounded – Tagesspiegel

FRANKFURT, May 31 (Reuters) – Volkswagen Chief Executive Herbert Diess told German daily Tagesspiegel that he did not fail in his duty to inform markets about the gravity of VW’s diesel cheating scandal in 2015, when he was still VW’s brand chief. Prosecutors in Braunschweig, Germany are investigating whether VW executives including Diess and Chairman… Continue reading VW CEO says dieselgate disclosure allegations unfounded – Tagesspiegel

Take a look at the most expensive SUV in the world: the $1.9 million Karlmann King

The Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCIf you're looking to spend $1.9 million on a new vehicle, an Italian armored car based on a Ford F-550 chassis is probably not on your radar. Karlmann is trying to change that.
Reclining alligator skin back seats on the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCThe company operates from Los Angeles, has a factory in Italy and is largely financed by Beijing-based International Automotive Technologies. Its first product, the Karlmann King, is a massive rolling lounge complete with recliners, a coffee maker, champagne flutes, a massive TV and a price tag that makes it the world's most expensive SUV.
The exterior door hatch on the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCKarlmann King to debut at the New York Auto Show.Source: Karlmann KingOn top of the stratospheric starting price, buyers can customize the King to their liking. Alligator-skin seats, real gold trim and specialty upholstery are all available for a price. Michael Nothdurft, Karlman's sales director, says a client in Africa ordered a Karlman King with a $3.5 million price tag.
View of the interior dash on the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCOne big part of that additional cost: bulletproofing. Most King buyers opt for the bullet-resistant option, which adds at least $300,000 to the price depending on the level of protection clients want.
Enjoy coffee and champagne while riding in the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCThe buyers of these bulletproof monster trucks range from clients in dangerous parts of the Middle East and Africa to real estate moguls and high-dollar watch traders in the United States. But for less security-conscious shoppers, Nothdurft stresses that the King is supposed to be a rolling work of art.
Reclining in the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCIt's undeniably different than anything else you'll see on U.S. roads. It has extremely angular styling and is absolutely massive.
“This car is the most emotional car that you can see at auto shows,” Nothdurft told CNBC. “People either hate it or they love it.”
The backseat control panel on the Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCThe King is based on a Ford F-550 chassis. The F-550 a massive truck frame that Nothdurft says was chosen for its proven durability and ability to handle the weight of an armored luxury vehicle. The King maintains the 6.8-liter V-10, suspension components and transmission of the F-550 and is therefore limited to 87 mph. The interior, however, is bespoke.
The Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBCKarlman is looking to get a U.S. manufacturing line built in the next few months, but for now, the King is hand-built in Italy. For U.S. market cars, armoring takes place in the States.
The company currently has 20 buyers lined up in North America, Nothdurft said.
Buyers who order a King today should expect delivery in nine to 15 months.
The Karlmann King at the 2019 New York Auto Show.Adam Jeffery | CNBC

Ford recycles 1.2 billion plastic bottles a year for auto parts

An employee walks past a Ford logo in the yet-to-be-completed engine production line at a Ford factory on January 13, 2015 in Dagenham, England.Carl Court | Getty Images News | Getty Images Ford is trying to reduce its carbon footprint by recycling plastic bottles and using them to make vehicle parts.
The automaker uses an average of 300 recycled bottles per vehicle, roughly 1.2 billion plastic bottles per year, to make the underbody shields for all of their cars and SUVs as well as the wheel liners on F-Series trucks.
Ford said recycled plastic is ideal for automotive parts because of it's light weight, which gives the added benefit of improving the aerodynamics of vehicles. Better aerodynamics also promote fuel efficiency and have allowed for a quieter environment on the 2020 Ford Escape, according to Ford.
“The underbody shield is a large part, and for a part that big, if we use solid plastic it would likely weigh three times as much,” Thomas Sweder, a design engineer at Ford Motors, said in a statement.
The bottles are shredded into small pieces and sold to suppliers that turn them into fiber used to make sheets of plastic. Ford then uses these sheets to make the underbody cover for its vehicles.
Ford has used recycled plastic as far back as the 1990s. According to environmental advocacy group Earth Day Network, an estimated 9.1 billion tons of plastic has been manufactured since it's creation in the 1950s, and 91% of the world's plastic waste has not been recycled. Since it's not biodegradable, nearly all of that plastic is still in the world.
“We do it because it makes sense technically and economically as much as it makes sense for the environment,” Sweder said. “This material is very well suited for the parts we're making with it, and is extremely functional.”
Earlier this year, Ford announced that a number of its manufacturing plants will soon be powered by 100% locally sourced renewable wind energy.

Elon Musk says he earned nothing from Tesla in 2018

Tech mogul Elon Musk denied reports that claimed he had earned $2.3 billion in stock options in 2018 San Francisco: While his electric vehicle (EV) company Tesla struggles to make profit, tech mogul Elon Musk denied reports that claimed he had earned $2.3 billion in stock options in 2018. Instead, Musk said he had pocketed… Continue reading Elon Musk says he earned nothing from Tesla in 2018