Aurelia Butler

Mini has revealed the Aceman concept, an electric crossover that could eventually join the brand’s lineup situated between the Cooper and the Countryman.While there’s no timeline yet for when the Aceman could reach production, it will be shown in late August at Gamescom 2022, a video-game convention in Germany. Mini hasn’t revealed much in terms of technical specs, focusing instead on quirky design elements such as matrix LED headlights, a Union Jack roof rack, and a dashboard projector.While many of today’s EVs embrace sleek designs that appear to be inspired by Tron or Star Trek, Mini’s new electric concept takes a different approach. Called the Mini Aceman concept, this new crossover looks cheeky and appears to take its inspiration from video games like Nintendo’s Animal Crossing or Super Mario Brothers. Mini claims the Aceman previews a future production vehicle that will fit in between the Cooper hatchback and Countryman subcompact SUV.
There’s currently no timeline for when the Aceman could enter production, but with the Clubman slated to exit the lineup in 2024, it could be sometime around then. There are also no technical specs to speak of as of yet, but hopefully the Concept Aceman improves on the Cooper Electric’s 110-mile range. You’ve likely noticed by now that the Aceman’s name is just one letter off from the oddball Mini Paceman, a two-door version of the Countryman sold from 2013 to 2016. Compared with that model, the Aceman is wider and taller, which should make it roomier inside. Plus, with its four doors, plastic cladding, geometric wheel arches, and roof rack, the Aceman should appeal to a more rugged crowd, albeit one who can also appreciate cute things.The Aceman’s basic shape is pure Mini, but the details look like they came from an alternate cartoon universe full of 8-bit shapes and rainbow lights. The rims look like fanned-out playing cards, and the headlights and the grille are outlined in solid light with a central LED matrix that calls to mind Lite-Brite toys of old.

The matrix lights are able to wink at the driver and display the top half of the Union Jack flag, and the front shines brighter and brighter as you approach the vehicle. The taillights, too, feature similar lighting motifs with their pixelated half–Union Jack shape. Colorful accents such as the green roof and blue front bumper piece complete the look.
Step inside and you’ll be welcomed with a colorful burst animation on the circular main display, along with a projection on the cloth dashboard. Images and an interactive map can be projected onto the dashboard through the Aceman’s three Experience Modes. One of the modes even lets you play with gamified bubble letters on the dashboard while the vehicle is stationary. All of the visual animations are accompanied by sounds as well.The rest of the interior also embraces cloth, as Mini specifically touts the Aceman’s lack of chrome and leather. The steering wheel is wrapped in velour and the seats are embroidered with a whimsical Tic-Tac-Toe-inspired pattern. Elsewhere inside, there is a modular center console, bright purple seatbelts, and sunset-colored speakers.
As much as the Aceman concept looks to a cartoonish future, it also honors the Mini legacy. The roof-rack crossbars are designed to look like the Union Jack flag, and the roof itself and some interior details are dressed in British Racing Green.
Curious eyes can view the electric crossover when it is unveiled in person next month at Gamescom 2022, a video-game convention in Cologne, Germany.
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CHRIS AMOS, THE MANUFACTURER

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking into complaints that water has leaked into Jeep Cherokee SUVs and caused the parking brake to activate while the vehicle is moving.The investigation, which involves 1.3 million Jeep Cherokees from 2014 through 2020 model years, is looking into 80 reports of problems with the vehicle’s electronic parking brake module.These are investigations only at this time, and neither NHTSA nor the manufacturer has announced recalls. NHTSA has announced it is investigating the 2014–2020 Jeep Cherokee SUV after receiving 80 complaints from Cherokee owners regarding problems with the electronic parking brake. The problem appears to be that the brake may activate while the Cherokee is moving, which causes the vehicle to stall and stop. According to the reports and documentation from repair invoices, NHTSA is theorizing that water may be leaking in, causing damage to the electronic parking brake module. An estimated 1,341,055 Cherokee vehicles could be involved, and the investigation is currently at the “preliminary evaluation” stage.One example of a consumer complaint found on the NHTSA recalls website reads: “While driving on a four-lane highway at 65 mph the vehicle partially lost power and would not accelerate, upshift, or downshift, the brake lights started flashing, along with many other lights on the dash including check engine.” The owner reported being shown the parking brake module of the car by a mechanic and informed that water had seeped into the system, leaving the electronic parking brake module corroded. The NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation noted that a previous recall in 2015 of nearly 100,000 2014–2015 Jeep Cherokees addressed issues with the power liftgate module being damaged by water leakage, noting in the current documents that the liftgate and brake modules are “located in a similar area of the vehicle.”For now, NHTSA has not called for the Cherokee to be recalled for the brake issue, and there are no reports of accidents or injuries. Owners can check the NHTSA recalls website for updates.

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Lamborghini has teased a new Huracán variant which appears to be a production version of the 2019 Sterrato concept.The Sterrato will be a V-10–powered supercar that isn’t afraid to get dirty, sporting a raised suspension, plastic body cladding, and rally lights.The Sterrato, presuming it keeps the same name, should debut in full before the end of the year.At the start of the year, Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann revealed that 2022 would bring two new variants of the V-10–powered Huracán supercar. The first, called Tecnica, appeared in April, packing the same rear-wheel-drive, 631-hp powertrain found in the track-focused Huracán STO but with less extreme aerodynamic components. Now Lamborghini has confirmed the identity of the second new Huracán model, releasing a video that teases the impending arrival of the off-road-oriented Sterrato.
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Lamborghini first hinted that it was interested in turning its 200-mph wedge into a rally machine in 2019 when it showed the Sterrato concept. At the time, the Sterrato was simply referred to as a one-off concept, but the new video showing a camouflaged prototype tearing up a dirt road indicates that the Sterrato will reach production.

Lamborghini

There are a few noticeable differences between the concept and the test vehicle that stars in the teaser video. The production version still wears a pair of rectangular LED rally lights atop the front bumper, but the third LED light bar mounted to the roof rails has been removed—although the presence of the roof rails will allow owners to install their own aftermarket auxiliary lights. The production car appears to feature similar black plastic cladding around the wheels as the concept, as well as the same slatted engine cover, but there also appears to be an air intake emerging from the engine bay.

The teaser did not include a reveal date, but the Sterrato is expected to arrive before the end of 2022. No technical specifications are known at the moment, but the Sterrato will presumably feature all-wheel drive and the same 631-hp version of the 5.2-liter V-10 found in other AWD Huracán models.
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Volkswagen started production of the ID.4 at its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.The 2023 ID.4 models built in the U.S. will be slightly different from the existing Europe-built models.A cheaper version of the ID.4 with a smaller battery pack is coming later this year.Volkswagen ID.4 models have begun rolling off the assembly line in Chattanooga, Tennessee and will reach dealerships starting in October. The electric SUV first went on sale here for the 2021 model year, but has been imported from VW’s plant in Germany since its launch.VW says it intends to ramp up production in the U.S. to 7000 cars per month by the end of the year; for reference, it has sold just 4415 ID.4s on our shores through the first half of this year and moved 16,742 units in 2021.

The U.S.-built 2023 ID.4 will also feature a few changes compared with the Europe-built car. VW says that the center console is revised, and that the 77.0-kWh battery will come from a different, U.S.-based supplier, SK Innovation in Georgia. Some interior materials will also be sourced from suppliers in the U.S. There will also be a new entry-level model added by the end of the year that will come with a smaller battery pack, rear-wheel drive, and a lower base price that VW previously estimated at around $35,000. Pricing for the 2023 ID.4 models will be released next week.

Volkswagen

Even still, these differences will be subtle, and Tennessee-built ID.4s will likely be found alongside Germany-built models at dealerships as production ramps up. So if you’re shopping for an ID.4 starting in October, when the first U.S.-built cars are estimated to arrive, you’ll have to check the VIN to see where any given car was made.
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