VW – Page 3341 – I wish I had more to offer

Price increases: VW to small cars with electric drive – “The current price level is unstoppable”

Volkswagen e-up “We have the clear goal of making electromobility accessible to a broad section of the population, which means making it affordable.” (VW Supervisory Board Chairman Hans Dieter Pötsch) (Photo: AP) BerlinWith the switch to electric cars also threatens VW an end to the low-income “affordable” Volkswagen. The pointed supervisory board boss Hans Dieter… Continue reading Price increases: VW to small cars with electric drive – “The current price level is unstoppable”

Dealers want free Wi-Fi in pedestrian areas

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55 pension for lignite workers?

Tesla layoffs, US-built VW electric car, an electrified Detroit: The Week in Reverse

Cadillac electric crossover SUV based on GM BEV3 modular platform
Which Chinese automaker showed an electric minivan in Detroit?

What upcoming SUV will underpin a new “elegant” electric from Lincoln?

This is our look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending January 18, 2019.

Last week, the CES show in Las Vegas was something of a disappointment for visitors looking for the latest in electric and self-driving car technology. The Detroit auto show, long a staple of big horsepower and heavy iron, provided the jolt for electric car fans that CES lacked, with several new-car introductions.

2020 Ford Explorer, 2019 Detroit auto show

Ford showed a hybrid version of its redesigned, top-selling Explorer for 2020. Following the show, the company revealed that it is working on an all-electric version of its top-selling F-Series pickup.

Cadillac gave a glimpse of its upcoming electric SUV for 2022 about which it revealed details in an investor conference last week.

GAC Entranze concept, 2019 Detroit auto show

Chinese automaker GAC revealed a new electric minivan concept that it says could be one of the first cars from a Chinese automaker to arrive in the U.S. in 2020.

Nissan revealed a new high-riding luxo-sedan concept, the IMs. It shares some details with last year's IMx concept, an electric crossover SUV expected to arrive in production form next year.

Infiniti QX Inspiration SUV concept, 2019 Detroit auto show

The company's luxury brand, Infiniti, also introduced a new electric concept, the QX Inspiration, that previews a new sporty crossover SUV due to arrive as part of the brand's electric transformation.

And Nissan discussed how it might position its new e-Power series hybrid system that's likely to also drive Infinitis in the U.S.

2019 Hyundai Kona Electric

In the North American car, truck, and SUV awards announced at the show the Hyundai Kona, including the Kona Electric, defeated the Jaguar I-Pace for the utility vehicle of the year award.

More automakers than usual made news at industry conferences immediately following the show, including Volkswagen, which announced that it will expand its factory in Tennessee to build electric cars for the U.S. and will partner with Ford to build light pickups and vans for overseas markets, in a deal that is expected eventually to encompass shared electric cars.

Volkswagen charging at VW Elli charging station

Separately, Volkswagen also announced that it will follow Tesla into the power business, with a new lineup of products and services. The effort is called Elli and it will sell electric-car chargers, manage renewable energy, and more, aimed at electric car customers.

Lincoln revealed that it will adapt a version of Ford's upcoming high-performance electric SUV into an “elegant” electric crossover vehicle.

Comments from General Motors President Mark Reuss suggested that the company is not planning any new hybrids to replace the Chevrolet Volt when it ends production in April, even though it is one of the best-selling plug-in cars in America.

2020 Hyundai Ioniq [2020 Euro-spec model]

Detroit also wasn't the only place where new cars were revealed this week. Hyundai showed a refreshed version of its Prius-fighting Ioniq lineup in Europe.

And we brought you a roundup of details about how Audi and Mercedes-Benz have smaller electric SUVs in the works to follow their upcoming mid-size offerings.

No week seems complete without news from Tesla, the EPA, or Faraday Future, either. Tesla announced it will lay off 7 percent of its workforce, about 3,200 people, even as it continues to try to build more Model 3s. The company also began selling a new portable charger that will deliver 40 amps at 240-volts.

NEVS 9-3 concept, 2017 CES Asia

After burying the hatchet with Faraday Future, the startup automaker's lead investor announced that it will invest in the Chinese company building electric conversions of the last Saab 9-3 in China.

Finally, as EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler headed to Capitol Hill in the midst of the government shutdown for confirmation hearings as the agency's permanent head, Colorado poked the bear with its announcement that it plans to join California in requiring automakers to sell electric cars there.

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UPDATE 1-GM warns workers in Brazil on losses, tough turnaround plan

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N) has warned employees in Brazil that new investments there depend on a painful plan to return to profit in the country, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Saturday. The GM logo is seen at the General Motors headquarters in Sao Caetano do Sul, Brazil March… Continue reading UPDATE 1-GM warns workers in Brazil on losses, tough turnaround plan

GM warns workers in Brazil on losses, tough turnaround plan

SAO PAULO (Reuters) – General Motors Co (GM.N) has warned employees in Brazil that new investments there depend on a painful plan to return to profit in the country, according to a memo seen by Reuters on Saturday. The GM logo is seen at the General Motors headquarters in Sao Caetano do Sul, Brazil March… Continue reading GM warns workers in Brazil on losses, tough turnaround plan

Britain’s Luxury Carmakers Prepare for Worst as Brexit Looms – Bloomberg

Britain’s Luxury Carmakers Prepare for Worst as Brexit Looms Bloomberg Aston Martin and Bentley Motors saw this crash coming — but it’s still going to sting. Go to Source

Automakers prepare for worst as Brexit looms – Automotive News Europe

Britain would suffer most if it lost free trade with European markets since 80 percent of vehicles assembled in the country are exported, mostly to the European Union. But for Germany the stakes are also high. In 2016, Britain was the largest single export market for German manufacturers, who sold 800,000 new cars there, or… Continue reading Automakers prepare for worst as Brexit looms – Automotive News Europe

Smaller electric SUVs coming from Audi, Mercedes-Benz

2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC
German luxury automakers Audi and Mercedes-Benz plan to be in the vanguard in launching new electric SUVs in 2019.

For the U.S, the long-awaited Audi e-tron quattro is slated to roll out by June, while the Mercedes-Benz EQC is planned to go on sale in early 2020.

Under intense sales pressure from Tesla, the stalwart German brands are not resting on their laurels.

READ MORE: Volkswagen details the foundation for 10 million electric vehicles

Both brands are planning to introduce smaller electric SUVs that could both end up at the Geneva auto show in March.

Mercedes is developing a smaller SUV based on an updated version of its B-class hatchback architecture. Called the EQB, the smaller electric model is expected to compete directly with the Audi Q3, BMW X1, and Lexus NX, according to a report in Autocar U.K..

CHECK OUT: It's a long(er) story? 2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC scraps 200-mile range estimate

The EQB will be based on the new GLB SUV, which will include gas and plug-in hybrid models as well as the electric EQB.

It will be slightly larger than Mercedes' existing GLA SUV, as well as somewhat larger than the B-Class Electric Drive (or B250e) that was sold through 2017. The report says the car will have a range of up to 310 miles from a 60-kilowatt-hour battery.

DON'T MISS: Electric cars from Audi, Porsche: Explaining platform magic

The plug-in hybrid version is expected to have an electric range of 62 miles, backed up by a 2.0-liter gas engine driving the front wheels. The drive system will use an electric motor housed with the transmission to provide clean power to the front axle, and an electric motor on the rear axle to provide all-wheel drive.

In late 2020, Audi is planning to introduce an electric crossover that's a size smaller than the e-tron quattro, to compete with Tesla's upcoming Model Y small SUV. It's expected, based on various hints from the automaker's executives, to appear at the Geneva auto show and be one of the most “premium” vehicles based on Volkswagen's MEB modular electric-vehicle platform.

Tesla layoffs, Hyundai Ioniq updates, Mercedes-Audi SUVs: Today’s Car News

Tesla Model 3 all-wheel drive Performance rolls off a new assembly line in a temporary structure
The Hyundai Ioniq hybrid and plug-in hybrid Prius-fighters are already set for a refresh. Mercedes-Benz and Audi are working on smaller electric SUVs. And Colorado took the first step to require electric cars to come to the state. All this and more on Green Car Reports.

Even amid sales of almost 150,000 vehicles in 2018, Tesla will lay off about 3,200 workers in an effort to maintain profitability, CEO Elon Musk announced in an open letter to employees Thursday evening. The move comes despite continued efforts to boost production of the Model 3.

Hyundai is bringing a wide range of updates to its Ioniq hybrid and electric lineup earlier than expected, including a bigger center screen and soon, potentially, a bigger battery.

Audi and Mercedes-Benz are already working on smaller follow-up models to their upcoming mid-sized electric SUVs. The new and potentially more affordable electric luxury SUVs could appear at the upcoming Geneva auto show, in March.

Colorado's new governor took the first steps to bring the mid-American state into the ranks of those that require electric cars to be sold there, following California and other coastal states.

Four more Audi executives in Germany were indicted in the United States on charges stemming from parent-company Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal. The four are unlikely to face trial, however, since Germany does not extradite its citizens,

Finally, Michigan became the fifth state to allow new-technology digital license plates on its roads. The plates, which can display ads when a car is parked and automatically renew their registration without a trip to the DMV, were legalized in California, Arizona, Florida, and Texas last year.

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