Tag: automotive news europe

Buick Electra E4 goes on sale in China

By on June 25, 2023

Buick launched sales of its second Ultium platform-based electric vehicle, the Electra E4, this week in China, as General Motors continues to expand its lineup of EVs in a key market. The electric coupe, available in two- and all-wheel-drive versions, is priced from 189,900 yuan ($26,448) to 259,900 yuan, GM’s China unit said. It is 4,818 mm long, 1,912 mm wide and 1,581 mm tall, with a 2,954 mm wheelbase. The two-wheel variant, installed with a 65 kWh battery pack, can drive up to 530 kilometers on one charge. A permanent magnet synchronous motor in the front generates a maximum…

Tesla EV charging agreements with Ford, GM muddle standard

By on June 14, 2023

Two pathways are emerging as electric vehicle charging infrastructure expands across the US Automaker partnerships will determine whether those technologies will coexist or whether one will push the other out, like VHS and Betamax. Four months ago, the US was heading toward a standard way of charging EV with chargers other than those built by Tesla using a common connector to become eligible for federal funding. Tesla’s charging agreement with Ford Motor Co. and General Motors threw that push to standardization into question and could further fragment the country’s charging infrastructure, at least for now, analysts say. GM and Ford…

Elon Musk’s politics play to potential EV buyers in red states

By on June 6, 2023

Mario Natarelli, managing partner of the MBLM marketing group, doesn’t see Musk’s political shift and controversial Twitter posts as an attempt to shift from “blue” liberal customers to “red” conservative shoppers. “I don’t buy the argument that Musk is trying to pivot to red customers,” Natarelli said. “To think that he’s doing it on purpose seems really shortsighted.” Many brands seen as blue, such as Apple, or red, such as Walmart, are able to attract broad swaths of the American political landscape by focusing on their brand strengths, Natarelli said. MBLM publishes an annual brand intimacy report that ranked Tesla…

Panasonic Confirms Third EV Battery Plant For The US

By on June 2, 2023

Japanese battery and electronic manufacturer Panasonic has confirmed it will build a third EV cell factory in the United States, according to Automotive Newsciting Panasonic Energy’s CEO Kazuo Tadanobu, who spoke at the company’s annual business strategy meeting yesterday. Currently, the Japanese electronics company operates a manufacturing facility along with Tesla at the EV maker’s Giga Nevada plant, and a second battery plant is being built in De Soto, Kansas, which will cost an estimated $4 billion when it’s all said and done. Reports of a third Panasonic EV battery plant in the United States surfaced last year, when “people…

US judge throws out lawsuit against Elon Musk over Twitter

By on May 29, 2023

A judge dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Elon Musk that claimed he cheated Twitter shareholders several times last year in the course of buying the social media company for $44 billion. In a decision on Monday, US District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said plaintiff William Heresniak lacked standing to sue because he challenged “wrongs associated with” Musk’s buyout, not the fairness of the buyout itself. Breyer said Heresniak did not show harm from Musk’s belated disclosure of a 9.2 percent Twitter stake, which the suit said let him buy more shares at lower prices before the buyout…

CarGurus COO: CarOffer digital wholesale platform remains solid

By on May 27, 2023

Editor’s note: CarGurus said it has the right to buy the rest of CarOffer but has not made a final decision to do so. An earlier version of this story said the company planned to move ahead with that transaction. CarGurus Inc., which acquired a majority stake in CarOffer in 2021, might proceed with plans to buy the rest of the wholesale digital trading platform, a move that could be a show of confidence for the struggling division. And CarGurus COO Sam Zales said CarOffer is poised to break even or become profitable in the second quarter because of the…

Polestar 3 electric crossover delayed again

By on May 20, 2023

Polestar now expects 2023 global sales volumes of 60,000 to 70,000, compared with its earlier forecast of about 80,000 units. Polestar delivered 51,491 units last year. “Given the tougher economic climate, it is difficult for us to compensate for the absence of the Polestar 3 volumes with an incremental Polestar 2 volume,” Polestar CFO Johan Malmqvist said on an earnings call Thursday. “That, coupled with high market uncertainties, led us to call down the volumes.” Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath said the volume forecast adjustment would also help the automaker protect the profit margin on the Polestar 2. “We are intent…