The Kia logo is seen on a vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., January 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Kia Motors Corp (000270.KS) said on Wednesday it would recall 68,000 U.S. vehicles at risk of fuel leaks after it previously recalled them in 2017 for engine fire… Continue reading Kia issues new U.S. recall of 68,000 vehicles for fire risks
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GM’s Cruise self-driving car venture plots a course to get its Seattle team up and running
Cruise Automation self-driving Chevy Volt took a scenic tour of Seattle, including the Pike Place Market, over the weekend. (Cruise Automation Photo / Stephen Brashear) The Seattle “tech talk” sponsored this week by GM’s autonomous-vehicle subsidiary, Cruise Automation, had all the hallmarks of a recruiting event for software engineers, plus an extra twist: the self-driving… Continue reading GM’s Cruise self-driving car venture plots a course to get its Seattle team up and running
Faconauto supports Anfac’s complaint to the European Commission
The dealers ‘association, Faconauto, today showed its support for the complaint filed by the employers’ association, Anfac, before the European Commission and before the Council for the Market Unit of the Law on Climate Change and Energy Transition of the Government of the Balearic Islands, by which diesel cars can not circulate on the islands… Continue reading Faconauto supports Anfac’s complaint to the European Commission
[Exit factory] When Volkswagen customers assemble their future car themselves
In the factory in Dresden (Germany), built in 2001, buyers of Volkswagen Golf Electric can now attend the assembly of their future vehicle … and even participate. Volkswagen opens the doors of its “transparent factory” (“Gläserne Manufaktur” in VO) from Dresden, the capital of Saxony, to the east of Germany. This production site inaugurated in… Continue reading [Exit factory] When Volkswagen customers assemble their future car themselves
Faraday Future funder writes its own Saab story
NEVS 9-3 concept, 2017 CES Asia
Chinese health insurer Evergrande Health really wants in on electric cars.
After backing Faraday Future and running into a feud with its Chinese founder Jia Yueting, Evergrande on Tuesday bought a controlling interest in National Electric Vehicles Sweden, the Chinese company that bought the rights to what was Saab, and continues building electric versions of the last Saab 9-3.
READ THIS: With cease-fire agreement, spark flickers toward Faraday's Future
NEVS has 500 employees in Sweden at Saab's former headquarters in Trollhätten, along with a factory in Tianjin, China, that builds electric 9-3s for the Chinese market. NEVS is one of 10 Chinese automakers with permits for mass production in China and is one of the main providers of cars for Chinese ride-sharing service Didi, according to the British Auto Express.
According to a report in the South China Morning Post, Evergrande paid $930 million for 51 percent of NEVS. Following its long-running dispute with Faraday Future, Evergrande still owns 32 percent of that startup company as well.
Faraday Future FF 91
In June, Evergrande agreed to invest $2 billion to revive Faraday Future. It invested the first $800 million at the time to acquire the first 32 percent of the company. In lawsuits and countersuits launched throughout October and November, Evergrande and Faraday Future argued over whether Faraday had met the terms to receive a second $700 million installment from Evergrande and it became clear that Faraday Future had spent the first $800 million earlier than planned on hiring employees and building several prototypes of the company's first car, the FF91.
DON'T MISS: Faraday Future sues investor claiming takeover “plot”
In subsequent weeks, Faraday Future was forced to furlough most of the workers it had hired, and most of the senior management resigned, including the five founding executives credited with designing and engineering the car.
On Dec. 31, the two sides agreed to a cease-fire on the lawsuits, Evergrande agreed to restructure its investment and freed Faraday Future to seek new investors. So far, none have been announced.
That opened the door for Evergrande to seek a new investment in electric cars that was farther along the path to production, such as NEVS.
Nissan e-Power hybrids for the US will aim for performance, not just mpg
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Nissan Note e-Power hybrid
Considering how much of a commitment Nissan has made to electric vehicles over nearly a decade—mass-producing them on three continents—the lack of any parallel commitment to plug-in hybrid models, or even hybrids, has been baffling.
Nissan finally remedied that in 2016, with the introduction of its e-Power hybrid system, on the Japan-spec Nissan Note. At that time it was claimed to be the first series hybrid system in a mass-produced compact car.
Nissan then said that e-Power, which harnesses some know-how from the Leaf, promised to offer the driving characteristics of a fully electric vehicle, and that it was quieter than other hybrid configurations in comparable vehicles.
DON’T MISS: Nissan Gripz Concept uses Note e-Power series-hybrid system
Just after the launch of e-Power, Nissan had said that it was studying the technology for use in the U.S., with a stronger motor/generator and different tuning to suit the higher-speed higher-demand situations that American drivers encounter, versus Japan. Many years ago Honda considered a similar series-hybrid layout and after examining those driving differences, opted instead for its series/parallel two-motor hybrid system that—as with GM’s Voltec, clutches the internal combustion mechanically into the system.
Nissan Note e-Power hybrid
Still studying—but Japan, China, and Europe are the priority
That appears to be where Nissan remains today—still studying the technology, still not committed to it for the U.S. on any large scale, and not arriving soon, according to Ivan Espinosa, Nissan’s corporate VP for global product strategy and product planning. When it arrives—or if it does—it may be presented as more of a performance system, he says.
Part of the issue in why the U.S. is waiting longer for the system, Espinosa says, comes down to demand. Japan, China, and Europe are going to be the prime markets for e-Power for now because of regulatory concerns and environmental awareness.
CHECK OUT: Nissan e-Power series hybrid builds on electric-car expertise
Globally, Nissan is taking a patchwork approach with its powertrains. As Espinosa underscores, some markets will remain somewhat dependent on internal combustion, while others will prioritize e-Power and others will push harder on EVs. “For Nissan, the priority is battery electric vehicles, combined with our e-Power technology, which has been very successful in the markets in which it has launched.”
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Which company will sell the first personal-use electric pickup? Twitter poll results
Rivian R1T electric pickup concept
The race is on to sell an electric car that doesn't look like an economy hatchback or a luxury sedan.
With light trucks—pickups and SUVs—making up almost 70 percent of the market in 2018, automakers are scrambling to build these types of vehicles with all types of powertrains, including electric models.
DON'T MISS: Rivian R1T all-electric pickup revealed: 400-mile range, 160-kw DC fast charging
Studies have shown that the biggest obstacle to electric car sales now is a lack of model selection. So far, none are pickups, long the bestselling class of vehicles in the U.S., but that looks about to change, with at least four companies working on building electric pickup:
– Rivian, which showed its first prototype at the LA auto show in November;
Bollinger B2
– Tesla, whose CEO has been talking up an electric pickup from the brand for years now, and has asked customers to suggest features they want, but has yet to actually show anything;
– Ford, which has promised a hybrid version of its new F-150 pickup, along with six pure electric vehicles by 2022, and may be working on an electric F-150;
CHECK OUT: Bollinger Motors announces B2 electric pickup alongside SUV
– Or Bollinger Motors, which has built prototypes of a one-ton SUV and shown concept renderings of a planned pickup based on it, but is still seeking funding to produce either.
For our Twitter poll last week, we asked our followers which of these companies they thought might get an electric pickup into consumers' driving or work gloves first.
Our poll asked: “Which company will sell the first personal-use electric pickup?”
Rivian, whose R1T electric pickup prototype ran away with the show in LA, also ran away with our poll, garnering 36 percent of responses.
That was followed by Bollinger, whose recent renderings were inspiring. Bollinger received 30 percent of our responses.
READ MORE: Ford to electrify most SUVs, promises to pass Toyota in hybrids
From our ever Tesla-loving crowd, the global-warming disruptor earned 25 percent of our votes.
With only 9 percent of our responses, Ford, which has not confirmed a production-bound electric F-150 but has dropped hints it's working on a prototype, may be seen as an old-Detroit dinosaur.
As always, remember that our Twitter polls are not scientific, because of their low sample size, and because those who respond are self-selected.
Faraday’s Saab future, Nissan-Infiniti hybrids, global Geely: Today’s Car News
Infiniti Q Inspiration, 2018 Detroit auto show
Nissan is working on a more powerful hybrid system for U.S. models. Geely gives a peak at its first electric model planned to go on sale worldwide. And our Twitter poll last week answered which electric pickup may cross the finish line first. All this and more on Green Car Reports.
After ending a dispute with Faraday Future, Hong Kong investment firm Evergrande Health appears to be taking its money elsewhere—to Saab's Chinese guardian NEVS. which is cranking out old Saab 9-3s with electric power. The cars are among the primary vehicles used by Chinese ride-sharing service Didi.
In another Chinese-Swedish tie-up, Geely, which owns Volvo, revealed a peak at the first electric sedan it plans to sell worldwide. The company has announced that Volvo will add electric power to its entire lineup this year.
Nissan's head of product planning says the company is upgrading its e-Power hybrid system to deliver more, seamless power for U.S. models—which could primarily be Infinitis to start with, since that brand has said it will convert its lineup to mainly electric cars and hybrids starting in 2021.
In our Twitter poll last week, readers revealed which electric pickup they think may make it to market first.
BMW boss Klaus Froelich revealed plans to build an electric supercar based on the company's current i8.
Finally, the CEO of the National Automobile Dealers Association says car prices are climbing to an unsustainable level, and fears that many Americans will be shut out of the market.
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Next lawsuit against truck cartel
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Chinese property developer buys 51% of reborn Saab maker
China’s third-largest property developer, Evergrande Group, has paid $930 million to become a controlling shareholder of EV maker National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS). The move comes as part of Evergrande founder Hui Ka-yan’s ambitions to diversify the company’s business portfolio and tap into a burgeoning electric vehicle market. NEVS acquired the main assets of Swedish… Continue reading Chinese property developer buys 51% of reborn Saab maker