Motor News

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EPA range numbers are out, and they’re better than the company’s earlier estimates.The best-performing version manages 361 miles on a charge, while the shortest-range variant is still good for 270 miles.All range figures are with a 77.4-kWh battery pack. A smaller pack (with less range) will join the lineup sometime after launch.From the time Hyundai first unveiled the Ioniq 6 sedan, it boasted that the slippery sedan would offer the most range of its siblings on the E-GMP platform. Now, official EPA estimates are out, and the results verify those claims.The 225-hp single-motor, rear-wheel-drive Ioniq 6 SE (with 18-inch wheels) sees a headline-making range estimate of 361 miles. The 320-hp dual-motor, all-wheel-drive SE is good for 316 miles.The SEL and Limited trim levels (with 20-inch wheels) have somewhat lower range figures of 305 miles for the single-motor, RWD variant and 270 miles with dual motors and AWD.These range figures are for the 77.4-kWh battery pack, which will be the only one available when the Ioniq 6 goes on sale this spring. A smaller, 53.0-kWh unit (with a commensurately shorter range) will join the lineup at some point later in the model year.Hyundai E-GMP SiblingsWith the same powertrain and battery pack, the Ioniq 6 goes farther than its EV siblings, the Ioniq 5, the Kia EV6, and the Genesis GV60. Credit in part goes to the banana-shaped sedan’s slippery aerodynamic profile, which gives it a claimed coefficient of drag of just 0.22 (foreign-market versions with side-view cameras instead of mirrors are 0.21).Asked about the large range difference between the Ioniq 6 models with 20-inch wheels versus those rolling on 18s, Hyundai says that the smaller wheels are also narrower and wear narrower, lower-rolling-resistance tires. The SE model also has less equipment than the SEL and Limited, making it slightly lighter. Like the other cars on the E-GMP platform, the Ioniq 6 will offer both 400- and 800-volt charging. Hooked up to a 350-kW charger, the Ioniq 6 battery can be replenished from 10 to 80 percent in less than 20 minutes, according to Hyundai. The car will also offer V2L (vehicle-to-load) capability to power outside accessories, using an available adaptor.The Ioniq 6 goes on sale this Spring. Pricing has not been announced, but we estimate it will come in under $50,000. More

The Rolex 24 at Daytona blends European sports-car racing with a little Florida grit, and it has become one of the premier motorsports events on the racing calendar. Endurance racing, like it sounds, is a motorsports marathon, testing the cars and the teams’ abilities to go hard all through the night. It’s also a multi-class format, which means different kinds of cars all run at the same time, ostensibly each in its own category’s competition, but in reality often blocking, crashing, or causing cautions that can change the race for everyone. The Daytona 24 isn’t just a challenge for the racers; it’s also both exciting and maddening to cover as a fan or reporter. The rules are opaque, and watching multiple classes on the same track can feel like watching a football, soccer, and basketball game all played at once, without knowing the rules of any. It doesn’t help that some cars race in European races that have different class names for the same kind of build, so you end up with LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid) running in a class called GTP (Grand Touring Prototype), and the slightly more production-appearing sports cars you might think of as GT3-spec machines race Daytona as GTD or GTD Pro. So if you’re confused now, imagine doing this without any sleep. The Porsche 963 GTP car.Car and DriverAnd 2023 has been especially interesting because the top class now is GTP, which used to be Dpi. GTP is a now a new category, spaceshippy purpose-built race cars that must include a hybrid component and bear some tiny resemblance to their street brands. The goal is to keep racing tech evolving ahead of, or at least along with, production car technology. At Daytona, there are nine GTP cars, backed by four big brands: Acura, BMW, Porsche, and Cadillac. Their gas engines are unique, but all the hybrid systems come from the same supplier. How they are implemented during the race is up to the teams, but the biggest concern going in was reliability of the finicky new electronics. It would take more than 24 hours to lay out the tech in detail, but we can recommend this explainer by our friend Marshall Pruett over at Racer magazine. This year’s race brought several of us out to the track. Associate editors Frankie Cruz and Caleb Miller were covering Acura and the Lamborghini GTD team, respectively. Buyer’s Guide director Rich Ceppos was hanging with the big dogs at Cadillac and reminiscing about C/D’s old racing days at Daytona (which will be a separate story), while Features editor Elana Scherr spent time with BMW looking at both their new GT3 car and their LMDh car. Cruz, Miller, and Scherr decided to run their own challenge: Who could do the most in 24 hours at the track? Ceppos, as a veteran, was too smart to participate. Here’s how it played out. Caleb Miller|Car and Driver11:40 a.m., ElanaThere’s a pit walk ahead of the race, and it’s the only time that the massive Daytona Speedway seems truly crowded at the Daytona 24. While the spectator turnout is a fraction of what the NASCAR Daytona 500 brings, 2023 was a good year as far as sports-car fandom goes, and the funnel of people waiting to get out on the track is a proper crush. As I try to avoid having my face smushed into the back of a man wearing a satin jacket embroidered with Shelby Cobras, I overhear a security guard shouting as he opens the gate. “If you have an alcoholic beverage, chug it now!” A good half the crowd pauses and chugs. It’s not even noon. Welcome to Daytona. 12:00 p.m., ElanaBottles of nitrogen gas taller than me line the outside of the hot pit walkway. On the inside of the fence, stacks of glossy slicks look like licorice and smell like pencil erasers. The pits are all clean and organized, stocked with cleaning supplies, tools, and snacks. Later it’ll seem like a hurricane ripped through, browning bananas next to half-cans of degreaser, but that is yet to come. My personal pre-race strategy is to make friends in as many pits and hospitality areas as I can find, with an eye on their coffee makers. Usually the Italian makes have the best coffee, but I find BMW to be the winner this year. By lunchtime I’m on my third doubleshot. 12:00 p.m., FrankieI head down to walk the grid. It’s an absolute mosh pit, but I don’t mind. I’m too excited to be bothered by crowds. Met up with the lovely and talented Elana Scherr [Flatterer—ES]. The Acura NSX pace car looks good, even in a sea of full-blown race cars.Elana Scherr|Car and Driver12:40 p.m., ElanaThe track walk is utterly surreal. The cars pull into their grid spots, parting the crowd like Moses at the edge of the Red Sea. Children roll down the banking (18 degrees at the start/finish, 31 degrees in the turns, but they don’t let us go walk those). There’s a person in an inflatable Michelin Bibendum costume who is probably there in an official capacity, as Michelin is the tire provider of the race. There’s also someone in an inflatable flamingo costume, who almost certainly isn’t. A marching band goes by, flags waving over the high wings of the GTD Porsches and Aston Martins. A group of kindergarteners, all buddy-system in a line, walk in formation past the pit wall, high-fiving the crews. Somehow the officials eventually clear us from the track, even the flamingo, and play the National Anthem. 1:40 p.m., CalebAfter a long morning—I got to the track at 8:30 a.m. for a hot lap ride in a Lamborghini Huracán STO, then spoke with driver Romain Grosjean about his adaptation from open wheel to endurance racing—the Rolex 24 is finally underway. The massive pack of cars rips past the green flag, but the Tower LMP2 car, driven by my two favorite drivers (Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin), comes to a stop on the first lap, briefly dampening my mood. Probably theirs too. 1:40 p.m., ElanaDrivers, start your engines! The old days of thunder are no more. There’s some rumble from the Cadillacs, a little accented snarl from the Lamborghinis, but at idle, you don’t even need your earplugs in. Will it eventually change to “Drivers, start your motors”? “Power up your energy storage systems”?1:40 p.m., FrankieGreen flag! I capture the critical Instagram story. A lunch of chicken, risotto, and kale salad proves disappointing, but sausage and peppers save the day. More important, on the racetrack, pole position proves to be valuable for Acura as the No. 60 car extends its lead with each lap.2:16 p.m., ElanaIt doesn’t take long before the fast GTP and prototype cars are whipping by the more production-like GTD racers. The blue passing flag gets a lot of action on the starter’s stand over the start/finish line. Caleb Miller|Car and Driver2:31 p.m., CalebEven up in the Lamborghini suite at the top of the grandstands, the noise is deafening. I reluctantly put in ear plugs to preserve my hearing and sanity over the next 23 hours. The speed difference between the GTP and GTD cars is stunning, especially as they barrel into Turn 1. The sense of speed is heightened further when there’s contact—I let out an audible gasp as the No. 31 Cadillac gives the No. 6 Porsche a little nudge into the first corner, sending the Porsche skittering off track.2:55 p.m., ElanaThere’s already been some on-track action, but the first big groaner for the GTP class happens to BMW, when the No. 25 car comes to a halt on the track, sort of half in, half out of the exit. One of the interesting elements of hybridization has to do with the dangerous high voltage in the battery packs. All the hybrid cars have red/green light warnings to tell the crew and the driver when it’s safe to touch the car. Over the course of the weekend, several drivers will express minor frustration with having to learn new safety protocols and being unsure what to do when the cars misbehave. After about 15 minutes, which must feel like an eternity to driver Nick Yelloly, the No. 25 goes to the garage, and although it does return hours later, it’s too far behind to expect a win. It’s always a bummer when a big problem happens so early. I guess it’s a bummer when it happens anytime during the race, but one always feels extra sympathy for a team that still has 23 hours of work ahead of them but little hope of victory. 3:30 p.m., CalebWe had a chance to talk with Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann and CTO Rouven Mohr about what motorsport means to Lamborghini and how racing will inform their future products. It’s hard to take a break from watching the action, but my ears definitely appreciate the time inside. I notice Winkelmann keeps an eye on the TV during the entire interview, keeping track of his Huracán GTD cars as they battle on track.3:30 p.m., ElanaIt’s windy, and I do Buster Keaton proud as I lose my hat to the breeze, bend over to grab it and drop my sunglasses, and then fling a ring off trying to scoop those up. The one good thing about humiliating yourself at Daytona is that the track is big enough to never see the same people again. Caleb Miller|Car and Driver3:46 p.m., CalebThe No. 42 Lamborghini locks up, spins off, and plows into the tire barrier. I had been starting to zone out a bit, just mindlessly letting the cars zip past, and the Lamborghini’s screech-and-thud misfortune instantly snaps me out of it.4:00 p.m., FrankieFeeling a slight tinge of tiredness and the beginning of a headache—but this is no time for weakness . . . IT’S THE ROLEX 24! We’re “only” three hours in—which is already as long as your average NASCAR race.4:29 p.m., CalebPart of what I love about endurance racing is that there is so much going on and so many different cars on track. It’s overwhelming and hard to follow everything. At this point I’m basically just focusing on the GTP battle. But I love that everywhere I look, I see wheel-to-wheel racing.4:40 p.m., CalebI’m having my first espresso of the afternoon—not because I am tired yet, but as preparation for the long night ahead. 5:15 p.m., CalebWe’re in Race Control, surrounded by more screens than Times Square. There are about 50 different camera views on display, while other screens show timing, scoring, and other crucial information. This is the nucleus of the whole operation, and the team seems surprisingly relaxed given how much is going on and the weight their decisions hold. They’re chatting and cracking jokes but still always at attention. Someone tells me that this year has set an all-time attendance record for the 24, which checks out with the throngs of people I had to squeeze myself through on the grid earlier.Elana Scherr|Car and Driver5:44 p.m., ElanaFrom the back, the GTP cars look like partially surfaced whales, all dorsal fin and tail. They aren’t particularly pretty, but they do look intense. In the Rolex suite, there’s a painter making one of the Porsches into art on a canvas in real time. In the Acura suite, they are out of canned wine. 5:53 p.m., CalebIt’s starting to get chilly as the sun begins its descent. The view is spectacular from the roof of the grandstands, allowing you to see every inch of the track and the LED lights of the cars dancing around the corners. This is where the spotters live, guiding the drivers as they navigate through the traffic.Caleb Miller|Car and Driver6:09 p.m., ElanaAcura and Cadillac have shown themselves strong in the GTP class from the get-go. Porsche is mixing it up, but the lead is mostly swapping between the No. 01 Cadillac and the No. 60 Acura, which makes it especially startling when Scott Dixon in the Caddy checks up to avoid a spin in front of his car and gets rear-ended hard. He saves it, and he stays on track with what looks like half his diffuser dangling behind him. “That is a rather large piece of carbon,” says the announcer, in the understatement of the race so far. 6:53 p.m., CalebIn the infield, and my feet are starting to hurt. My phone says I walked about three miles so far, and I definitely should have worn more supportive shoes. Perhaps a Corona will help. 7:02 p.m., ElanaIn the infield, there are dueling pianos, which is not a thing I have said at a race before. They play “Johnny B. Goode” with a ragtime swing. I put my earplugs back in. One of the Porsche GTP cars goes into the garage with a battery issue. The hybrids have a strange smell when things go wrong, the usual burnt oil and hot lining tang of unhappy mechanicals with an unusual sour note, like chardonnay spilled in an electrical outlet. Maybe it’s the cooling fluid?7:20 p.m., ElanaIn the Cadillac hot pit, Chip Ganassi has his hands in his jacket pockets, headset on, as he moves from screen to screen staring at the data and occasionally asking a brusque question to the race engineers. Scott Dixon is done with his stint, his white fire suit smudgy with tire dust and what appears to be a red fruit punch spill down the front. “It’s from the grease marker on the seatbelt,” he says, looking down in mock chagrin. “My junk isn’t bleeding.”He’s headed to the press room, where he hints that the new cars are challenging to the drivers not just because of the safety concerns of the electrical systems, but because there are so many different settings, and so many of them need to be run by the engineers rather than done by the driver’s gut instinct. “Old school, you could adjust the power, play around a little more. Here it’s in this very automated box. They are very technical cars, lots of different parts that weren’t made to work together, but you have to make them work together.” This echoes an earlier interview with BMW drivers Connor De Phillippi and Augusto Farfus. “There could be 20 different settings being adjusted,” Farfus told me. “It’s F1-esque in a sense. We rely a lot on the engineers looking at the data and telling us what to change.”Caleb Miller|Car and Driver7:26 p.m., CalebWow, it is so so so much louder in pit lane, and being closer to the cars really illustrates the insane speeds they travel at, especially with the GTP cars topping out around 200 mph. I’m trying to stay out of the mechanics’ way, dodging tires and spare parts. Being this low down on the track also shows just how colossal the grandstands are. They’re mostly emptied out, with only the most die-hard fans left.8:00 p.m., CalebDinner time! Gnocchi, potatoes, and steamed carrots. 8:04 p.m., FrankieJust got back to the suite from the pits . . . wow. The smells, intense sounds, the palpable tension, it’s intense down there. In my notes, I wrote the word “intense” twice because it seriously is that intense. I forgot my ear plugs at the suite and might’ve suffered some hearing loss, but it was worth it. Seeing the BMW pull away just on the electric motor, all silent but for tire noise, was weird. Over in the Gradient Racing No. 66 NSX pit, the tire changer’s air hammer “socket” seized to the wheel hub stud. Detaching it required a Vise-Grip, blowtorch, hammer, brake clean, and more folks than you might expect.Caleb Miller|Car and Driver8:50 p.m., CalebI accompany Romain Grosjean to a media briefing. He is his usual chipper, positive self while remaining realistic about the team’s chances given their pace disadvantage, saying it’s been “pretty fun” even though the “car was not that easy to drive.” It’s quiet in the media center, a nice respite from the constant noise of the past several hours.9:46 p.m., ElanaI’ve lost track of how many coffees I’ve had. I need another. I’ve walked almost eight miles so far. This is a workout routine I could get into. The track is settling down, clearing out. The garages are mostly empty, a few techs folding shop rags or checking their Instagram accounts. In the BMW No. 24 garage, a battery pack sits on a roller cart, blocked off by stanchions like it’s an exclusive club you can’t get into. In one of the Lambo garages, four individual tubs of brake discs sit at the ready. It speaks to the reliability of all the classes that there’s so little action off-track. 9:50 p.m., CalebI’ve spent the last hour or so chilling inside, resting and preparing for the night ahead. Occasionally one of the drivers comes in for a bite to eat or to debrief with an engineer, looking weary and, unfortunately, disappointed with the race so far. But there are many hours to go to recover positions.9:54 p.m., FrankieWow, the No. 60, with Tom Blomqvist driving, fought back up to fourth. This guy is an absolute beast behind the wheel.Elana Scherr|Car and Driver10:02 p.m., ElanaFireworks! They look amazing over the Ferris wheel with the cars on the banking behind them. In the infield, fire pits blaze merrily and someone has set up a seven-foot-tall decorative tree, festooned with beer cans. 10:01 p.m., FrankieFireworks! I feel like an overstimulated cat. 10:05 p.m., CalebThe fireworks show just happened and it was spectacular. It was the first time in my life where the sound of the fireworks was being drowned out by something louder: the pops from the exhausts of the entire field downshifting into Turn 1 behind me.11:15 p.m., CalebI spent the last 40 minutes on the roof trying to take panning photos of the cars going past. Panning is already incredibly hard, but it’s even more challenging at night, and my respect for motorsports photographers has grown even more. Elana Scherr|Car and Driver11:16 p.m., ElanaThe BMW barista cut me off after 10, so everything is getting blurry. All I’ve eaten today was a hot dog. Was that today? On pit lane there’s a sleeping mechanic tucked in every possible place large enough to fit a sleeping mechanic. Top of a tire rack, inside of a tire, draped over a generator, all snoozing away, helmets in hand. 12:00 a.m., FrankieGame time decision. I’m going to get some sleep at the hotel and return for sunrise. 12:00 a.m., CalebI’ve yawned a couple of times. Time for an espresso.12:01 a.m., ElanaI cry uncle and head back to the hotel. Caleb wins. 12:40 a.m., CalebI’m off to explore the infield. Luckily, the weather is still quite nice. The chain-link fence by the International Horseshoe is lined with amateur photographers with stepladders trying to perfect their shot as the cars whiz by.1:54 a.m., CalebI meet up with a friend who is an open-wheel racer in the IndyCar junior ladder. He gives me the inside scoop on the business of motorsport and, unfortunately, just how much of a role money plays in finding opportunities. Wandering around the track, past parking lots full of semi trucks, I’m realizing how huge this operation is and how many resources are needed to make this work.Caleb Miller|Car and Driver2:40 a.m., CalebIn the grandstand opposite the International Horseshoe—the best overtaking spot on the circuit. I’ve been trying my best to snap photos of the cars entering the corner side by side in a fierce battle. I’ve given up on actively following the race at this point—I’ll start paying attention more closely come morning, but for now I’m just soaking up the atmosphere. Losing positions right now is not super detrimental, as long as you can keep the car in one piece for the end of the race.2:59 a.m., CalebI just noticed that some of the Mercedes-AMG GTs have a glowing orange light tucked in behind the grille, a little glowing ember in a fireplace grille. 3:10 a.m., CalebIt’s a perfect night, cool but not cold. I’ve been watching cars go in circles for well over 12 hours and I’m not even close to bored. The grandstands are fairly empty, save for scattered beer cans and a small contingent of dedicated fans.3:45 a.m., CalebSnack time. I’m getting tired. More coffee or try to take a quick nap somewhere? Watching the cars on the banked turn, I’m reminded of what it felt like in my hot lap ride this morning. The g-forces pulled at my face, melting it like a clock in Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory. I can’t imagine putting up with that for hours on end.4:05 a.m., CalebI’m honestly not sure how tired I am at this point. I feel fine right now but I also feel like if I sit down I might just pass out. There are still another nine hours.4:30 a.m., CalebI’m going to let myself close my eyes.5:00 a.m., ElanaWake up maybe? No.5:25 a.m., CalebI definitely drifted off. I’m going to sleep a little more.5:53 a.m., CalebI fell asleep again. I’m going to try to stay awake now, though, even though I feel really groggy at the moment.Caleb Miller|Car and Driver6:30 a.m., ElanaThe sunrise looks incredible over the grandstands. It also looks really nice over the Atlantic Ocean, which I can see from my bed. 6:30 a.m., FrankieExistence is pain—I decide to sleep another hour or so. 7:08 a.m., CalebThe sun is starting to rise, casting an orange glow across the sky, and I’m beginning to wake up. The nonstop parade of race cars continues. It’s hard to believe that this is the same race that started yesterday afternoon—that feels like eons ago. Unfortunately most of my favorite drivers, as well as the Lamborghini teams, are out of contention for overall or class wins, but I’m still having a blast watching the on-track action.9:45 a.m., ElanaReunited with my barista and catching up on the race. The cars are spread all over the track. Every corner contains a battle. Even from the grandstands you can see how dirty the machines are, the noses gray like grubby gym shoes. If any one looks glossy, you can assume they wrecked it during the night and had to replace it. Car and Driver10:00 a.m., CalebBack into the pits. I always get nervous in the pit lane, hoping I don’t make it harder for the mechanics to get their work done.10:02 a.m., ElanaThe No. 20 LMP2 car takes a hard hit, and there’s a long caution. I get a chance to go up on the flag stand overlooking the start/finish line. It’s a vertical climb up a slippery metal ladder—I wouldn’t want to do it in the rain—but once on top, the view is one few people ever see. The cars run directly beneath, sending vibrations up through the floor. The race goes green while we’re up there. “Hold on to your hat,” says one of the flaggers. Too late, man, I lost it 12 hours ago. 10:25 a.m., FrankieWE WATCH A RESTART FROM THE FRIGGIN’ FLAG STAND!! After climbing down, I pick up a couple of pieces of tire as keepsakes. Elana and I stand on the finish line stripe, and I wonder if this is what it feels like to have your own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.11:21 a.m., CalebMy feet hurt and my legs ache, so at this point I’m just sitting on a couch and watching the race on the TV. A couple of late yellows have made the battle for overall lead exciting again.11:30 a.m., FrankieThe pressure is building in the Acura suite. We attempt to diffuse it with mimosas and a competitive game of Uno. For some reason, only folks from New York City seem to know the rules to Uno. Elana Scherr|Car and Driver11:46 a.m., ElanaEven with a few hours of sleep, my second-day notes aren’t as legible as yesterday’s, so the entry here just says, “Porsh ohNO.” Porsche had another issue, this one looking more serious from a repair perspective. In the BMW pits they joke about being up to sixth position via attrition. “Now we just need that to happen to five other cars.”12:10 p.m., ElanaThere seem to be a lot of slow-speed spins. 12:38 p.m., ElanaThe pit stalls are full of the night crew sleeping while the day crew moves tires around their crumpled forms. I watch a driver finish his stint and attempt to get in four different golf carts before someone helps him identify his own. 12:53 p.m., CalebThe battle in GTP is getting close, and the No. 10 (the car I’m personally rooting for) is closing in on the No. 60. Farther back, there’s an epic duel among four GTD cars. A yellow just came out, setting the stage for a nail-biting finale.1:00 p.m., FrankieBack in the infield I find a little nook in the No. 60 Meyer Shank pits. It’s the best seat in the house, but I see an older woman there and offer her my seat—it turns out she’s there with her husband for their 57th anniversary. Two of their daughters are there, and her son-in-law works for Liberty, which is a co-owner of the race team. They’ve been Florida residents since the ’70s, moved there from Michigan. I wonder about doing the same since it is 75 degrees in Daytona and about 25 back in Ann Arbor, Michigan.In a few moments the entire team is standing along the wall, waiting for Blomqvist to come around the corner and cross the finish line. The checkered flag waves, the crowd roars, the team explodes onto pit road, and after the field clears they rush towards the fence, some of them even climbing it. Acura vice-president Jon Ikeda comes running like a kid on Christmas morning. It was truly a sight to behold, and I’m beyond grateful to have experienced it first hand. Caleb Miller|Car and Driver1:40 p.m., CalebThe battle between the No. 10 and No. 60 failed to materialize, with Tom Blomqvist in the Acura pulling away like he had a rocket rather than an electric motor at the rear axle. He and the entire MSR team have been in excellent form over the past 24 hours and are certainly deserving of the win. It’s not a boring finish, though; LMP2 pulls me back with can’t-look-away drama, as the No. 55 Proton makes a last-gasp effort on the tri-oval to snatch the class victory by just 0.016 second. A thrilling end to an action-packed weekend. Now time to sleep.1:43 p.m., ElanaAnd just like that, it’s over. The No. 60 Meyer Shank Acura takes the GTP win, and the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Acura gets second place. Cadillac rounds out the podium. The No. 55 Proton Competition LMP2 car gets the class win, just barely ahead of the second-place runner. LMP3 was less fraught; the No. 17 led for several hours before the checkered flag. Mercedes-AMG claimed the GTD Pro victory with Corvette close behind, and Aston Martin nabbed the first two spots for GTD. The track goes quiet after not just the 24 hours of racing, but all the days of practice and qualifying beforehand. The teams will head on to other tracks and other races, but for now, it’s safe to say almost everyone is headed to bed. More

GMC began production of the Hummer SUV EV on Monday, and customers should begin receiving deliveries by the end of the first quarter, the brand confirmed today.Like the Hummer SUT before it, the Hummer SUV will begin production with the Edition 1, which is already sold out in advance. The SUV will be built alongside the pickup version at GM’s Factory Zero production facility in the Detroit-Hamtramck area. Reservation holder rejoice! Duncan Aldred, GM’s global vice-president of Buick and GMC, has confirmed that the electric Hummer SUV officially entered production Monday. GM first brought back the Hummer nameplate with the 2022 Hummer EV SUT pickup. That behemoth’s slightly smaller SUV shaped sibling, the 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV, is a reimagining of one of the most iconic American off-roaders of the past century. GM received more than 90,000 reservations for the Hummer pickup and SUV combined, with numbers split mostly evenly, according to Aldred. Car and DriverProduction began with the sold-out Edition 1, which had a starting price of $105,595 when reservations went live in 2021. It will be built alongside the pickup version of the Hummer at GM’s Factory Zero production facility in the Detroit-Hamtramck area. The SUV version will be powered by two or three electric motors. The EV2 and EV2X with the dual-motor setup generate an estimated 625 horsepower. The EV3X and the Edition 1 have a trio of motors (one in front and two in back) with a claimed 830 horsepower. Torque numbers are more complicated, with GMC claiming 7400 and 11,500 pound-feet respectively, though the real figures likely fall between 1000 and 1100 pound-feet. Range in the Edition 1 is estimated to be more than 300 miles. Last summer, we managed 290 miles in our 75-mph highway range test of the pickup version.Just as with the pickup, color options are limited for the SUV. Edition 1 SUVs will all be painted in Moonshot Green Matte, with a slightly expanded list as production of standard models ramps up in the latter half of the year. GMC expects that production rates for the Hummer lineup will be considerably higher than last year, though it plans to ramp it up incrementally. Production will begin similarly slowly in the first half of the year, with increased production in the second half of the year, according to Aldred. Deliveries of the Edition 1 SUV are expected by the end of the first quarter.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

There were 120 Tesla Model Y electric vehicles listed in two large salvage auction houses recently, and the “vast majority” had under 10,000 miles on them, according to a report from the Reuters news service.The insurance companies that covered these vehicles decided that even with so few miles on them, these Teslas aren’t worth the $50,000 or so they sometimes cost to repair.The cost to fix a car has gone up as the ease has decreased over the years, which has prompted a discussion over so-called Right to Repair laws, which would give owners more rights to fix the things they buy.Right-to-repair laws are starting to get some traction, giving customers more rights to fix the products they buy. But just because you can fix something doesn’t mean that it will be easy or affordable. Repairing your own car has become less and less common over the years, but at least local mechanics can come to the rescue . . . usually. When it comes to Tesla electric vehicles, though, some insurance companies are reportedly deciding that even low-mileage vehicles aren’t worth the hassle.Details, Specs, PricesOwners of certain automotive brands know that expensive repair bills come with the territory. But that doesn’t mean insurance companies want to play that game, and some of them are increasingly deciding to write off low-mileage Tesla electric vehicles because they are too expensive to fix, according to a new report from Reuters.Tesla Model Y.Reuters looked at recent salvage auction listings and found that the “vast majority” of the 120 Model Y vehicles listed had less than 10,000 miles on them. While these EVs originally cost between around $60,000 and $80,000, high repair costs will keep them off the road in the future, despite their low odometer readings. A $61,000 2022 Model Y Long Range EV, for example, was in a front collision and would have cost more than $50,000 to fix had the insurer approved the repair. Reuters was not able to determine the types of incidents that caused the damage in these cases but did note that multiple well-known insurance brands, including State Farm, Geico, and Progressive, all decided the fix wasn’t in.Insurance Bill up to 30 Percent HigherIt’s not like people aren’t paying to protect their Teslas. In late 2022, Nerdwallet reported that the average Tesla owner with a good driving history and good credit could expect to pay about $2040 a year for a Model Y and as much as $3044 for a Model X. The average cost to insure a Model 3 is almost 30 percent higher than the national average for car insurance, Nerdwallet said.Exactly how much more it costs to repair the average Tesla after an incident compared to other vehicles, both electric and ICE models, is difficult to gauge, but Tesla has long been aware that insurance costs for its EVs are out of line with the average cost for the industry. Tesla started offering its own insurance policies for customers in late 2019, promising that it would lower costs for Tesla drivers. Customers could certainly benefit from lower costs. As a story from The Drive in 2021 showed, a Tesla service center quoted one Model 3 owner $16,000 to fix a battery pack coolant leak after it was damaged by road debris. An independent mechanic was able to fix the issue for $700, and The Drive argued the story proved that the Right to Repair is an important issue for EVs.Tesla Model 3.Chris Doane|Car and DriverFor its part, Tesla’s insurance side business is now helping the automaker lower future repair costs, according to company executives. “[Tesla insurance] is also giving us a good feedback loop into minimizing the cost of repair of Teslas—for all Teslas worldwide—because we obviously want to minimize the cost of repairing a Tesla if it’s in a collision,” CEO Elon Musk said during a recent earnings call, according to Teslarati. “Previously, we didn’t actually have good insight into that because the other insurance companies would cover the cost. And actually, the cost in some cases were unreasonably high.” Tesla is using its insurance arm to make changes in how it designs its vehicles, Musk said on the call, according to Reuters. “It’s remarkable how small changes in the design of the bumper [and] providing spare parts needed for collision repair have an enormous effect on the repair cost,” he said. “Most accidents are actually small—a broken fender or scratched side of the car.” More

The 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E lineup sees its base prices drop between $400 and $5700.The price of the Mach-E’s extended-range battery is $1600 lower too, dropping from $8600 to $7000.Ford also says it plans to increase production by nearly 67 percent, from 78,000 units last year to 130k in 2023.The 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E is now more affordable and will be more available than before. Along with base prices dropping between $400 and $5700, depending on the configuration and trim level, today Ford also announced it plans to increase production of the Mach-E by almost 67 percent in 2023.Ford says the Mach-E’s price cuts are immediately effective. For the customers who have already ordered, but who have not yet taken delivery, the price adjustment will be automatically applied. Ford also said it will directly reach out to customers who took delivery of their Mach-Es after January 1.More Affordable Mach-EsThe biggest discount applies to the high-performance Mach-E GT, whose price will drop $5700 from $71,195 to $65,495. It’s worth noting that a Ford spokesperson told us that the included destination fee is now $1500, up $200 from the previous $1300 charge.Car and DriverAs for the rest of the lineup, the entry-level rear-drive Mach-E Select with the standard battery pack now starts $700 cheaper at $47,495. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive Select receives the smallest price cut of $400, with a new base price of $50,495. The California Route 1, which now comes standard with all-wheel drive, drops to $59,495—a $5350 discount. Finally, the Premium model with the standard battery is down between $3480 and $3780, with new base prices of $52,495 and $55,495 for the rear-drive and all-wheel-drive models, respectively.While the Mach-E’s $800 Nite Pony appearance package and $6000 GT Performance pack keep their previous prices, the extended-range battery pack is $1600 cheaper, dropping from $8600 to $7000.More Available Mach-EsIn 2022, Ford said it put 78,000 Mach-Es on the street. The company has now said it aims to produce 130,000 units in 2023. That’s nearly 67 percent, a notable increase in production. It will also make more Mach-E models available to more customers. Perhaps coincidentally, the Mach-E’s slashed prices come shortly after Tesla announced large price cuts to the Model 3 and Model Y. Could this be the beginning of a price war? While we can’t say for sure, Ford claims its decision is due to improvements in its supply chain that contribute to streamlined costs and allow it to reduce Mach-E prices.Mach-E Awarded and TestedThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Saudi Arabia is already tightly involved with Lucid Motors, but rumors late last week that the government’s Public Investment Fund wants to buy even more of Lucid’s stock sent the price up 43 percent. It then backtracked a bit over the weekend.The PIF owns over 60 percent of Lucid already and has promised to buy up to 100,000 EVs from the automaker over the next 10 years. Lucid has also announced it will build a plant in Saudi Arabia.Also, last week, Lucid announced that it is providing a 469-hp electric drive unit for all Formula E race cars this season. The EDU includes a motor, inverter, differential, and transmission and will be used to capture braking energy.Even with its vast oil reserves, Saudi Arabia is interested in electric vehicles. Whether it’s a deal with Canoo for fleet vehicles or the Saudi Ceer, an upcoming, home-grown mass-market EV scheduled to arrive in 2025 with help from FoxConn, Saudi Arabia is in the EV game. The country’s relationship with Lucid is well established, and rumors that the Saudi government might increase its investment in the luxury automaker sent the stock price up 43 percent Friday, ending at $12.87.All the Specs and DetailsNothing has been officially announced regarding any such deal, but Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is considering buying out the rest of Lucid’s stock. Lucid’s stock price dropped 4.5 percent over the weekend from the Friday high.Last year, Lucid sold almost 86 million shares to a PIF affiliate for around $915 million. Lucid sold other shares to other groups, but the deal kept the PIF’s overall investment in Lucid steady, at around 62 percent, according to CNBC. Last spring, Saudi Arabia’s government announced it would buy between 50,000 and 100,000 Lucid EVs over the next decade. Lucid also announced it would build its second plant in Saudi Arabia. Last year, Lucid built a total of 7180 vehicles at its only plant in Arizona.Lucid made news of another sort in the all-electric Formula E race series. The company announced that its in-house electric drive unit (EDU), which includes a motor, inverter, differential and transmission and produces up to 469 horsepower, will be used in every Gen3 Formula E race car. Lucid said the EDU would provide regenerative energy recovery from the front wheels. The EDU will not be able to send all 469 horses to power the front wheels due to Formula E regulations, but Lucid has plans for the EDU’s technology beyond Formula E.Actually, in its announcement, Lucid technically didn’t say anything about Formula E. Instead, it said the EDU could be found in the cone of every car in the “world’s leading single-seater electric racing series,” so, well, it’s Formula E. Lucid has a history with the race series, having developed a battery pack that was used in previous Formula E seasons.Lucid is highlighting the high power density of the EDU (6.7 hp per pound) in a unit that weighs just over 70 pounds and can spin up to 19,500 rpm. While not the same unit found in the Lucid Air electric sedan, some technologies, like the proprietary microjet cooling system, are found in both vehicles. “I’m excited by the prospect that some of the technical advancements introduced may, in turn, make their way to future Lucid road cars,” Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson said in a statement. “For Lucid, the transfer of technology between motorsports and road cars is a two-way symbiosis.”Lucid builds each of the Formula E EDUs at its California headquarters. More

Unlike in decades past, there aren’t a ton of cars for sale outside the U.S. that we pine for. The Suzuki Jimny is a notable exception. While we can’t imagine many American buyers would go for such a small off-roader, we can’t help but want one. Unlike compact crossovers like the Ford Bronco Sport and Jeep Renegade, the Jimny is a true, old-school off-roader with a ladder chassis and an honest four-wheel drive system.The Jimny EV teaser is seen at the top right.SuzukiThe latest Jimny was a huge hit in Europe, Japan, and elsewhere, and its successor will be electrified. Suzuki announced its roadmap to 2030 on Thursday, and naturally, it includes a lot of hybrids and EVs. The presentation made no specific reference to the new Jimny, but a slide teasing future models for Europe teased what is almost certainly a Jimny EV. Currently, the Jimny uses a 101-hp 1.5-liter four-cylinder, though it’s offered with a 660-cc turbo three-cylinder in Japan to comply with kei-car regulations. Suzuki recently launched a five-door version of the Jimny, which will be built by the company’s Indian subsidiary, Maruti Suzuki. While a five-door, electric Jimny has a much broader appeal than an underpowered three-door, don’t expect to see it come to America. Suzuki says it will focus on Europe, Japan, India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Notably, the slides from its presentation indicate that Suzuki will only sell the Jimny EV in Europe. Instead, they’ll get an electric version of the Hustler, a Jimny-inspired crossover. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

BMW and battery developer Solid Power expand plans to collaborate on solid-state battery technology, with plans to begin testing vehicles will these cells in 2023. The automaker is preparing to build a prototype line in its Cell Manufacturing Competence Center (CMCC) in Germany to test solid-state battery production.BMW says a working prototype with solid-state batteries will be presented before 2025, but market launch timing remains fluid for now.Several automakers and tech startups have been working on solid-state battery technology, with the promise of lighter weight and longer range in EVs being just two of the benefits. The race to offer solid-state batteries in production vehicles is arguably the single most important one when it comes to EV technology in this decade, with a number of developers pursuing different battery compositions, and working to scale them up from the lab to the production line.Battery developer Solid Power, backed by Ford and BMW, is working on using a sulfide-based solid electrolyte in place of the traditional liquid electrolyte in its battery design, with the same aim of offering a lighter battery and a higher energy density, compared to traditional lithium-ion designs.BMW revealed this week that Solid Power plans to deliver full-scale automotive cells for testing this year. The two companies have also expanded their joint development agreement, allowing BMW to build a prototype line in its Cell Manufacturing Competence Center (CMCC) located in Parsdorf, Germany, near Munich. This expanded agreement will allow BMW and Solid Power to perform cell development and manufacturing activities at locations owned by both companies.Before the prototype manufacturing line gets rolling, BMW Group staff will work with the startup’s engineers to fine tune cell manufacturing processes. The automaker says a demonstrator vehicle with a solid-state battery on board will appear before 2025.”Expanding our relationship with BMW is further evidence that both companies believe in Solid Power’s technology development and the value of solid-state batteries,” said David Jansen, interim CEO, president, and chair of Solid Power.Other German automakers are also in the race, with Mercedes-Benz backing solid-state startup Factorial Energy, based in Boston and also backed by Stellantis and Hyundai, as well as solid-state developer ProLogium. Battery ProgressSolid Power has been developing sulfide-based solid electrolytes at a pilot scale, but they will soon be ready for testing in actual cars.Solid PowerBut BMW’s Neue Klasse EVs, due in 2025, won’t immediately benefit from solid-state tech. The automaker plans to introduce the next generation of cylindrical lithium-ion cells, dubbed Gen6, in Neue Klasse models, promising a 30 percent improvement in range in the WLTP cycle. So solid-state batteries aren’t quite around the corner by BMW’s estimates, even though the automaker will begin testing them in prototypes later this year.”The new BMW round cells come with a diameter of 46 millimeters and two different heights of 95 mm and 120 mm,” the automaker said in regard to its next-gen lithium-ion cells. “Compared to the prismatic cells of the fifth BMW battery cell generation, the cell’s volumetric energy density will improve by more than 20 percent.”However, BMW has refrained from predicting just when we’ll see solid-state batteries in its production cars, including the Neue Klasse models. BMW expects that before 2030, 50 percent of its sales will come from battery-electric models, but whether most of these will be its next-gen lithium-ion designs or solid-state compositions remains to be seen. BMW certainly knows other automakers also want to be the first to offer this technology in their cars.But Solid Power has a more definitive estimate, indicating it expects to scale its electrolyte production by 2028 to power 800,000 vehicles annually.”BMW remains committed to the pursuit of all-solid-state batteries, a technology which we believe has significant potential for the future,” said Frank Weber, member of the Board of Management for BMW, Development. More