Motor News

Kia has confirmed that a production version of the EV9 SUV will arrive in Europe in 2023.While Kia hasn’t yet confirmed whether the EV9 will be offered in the U.S., we’re sure that it will reach our shores.The all-electric, three-row EV9 concept was revealed at the L.A. auto show last November.Europe will be the first to get a production version of the Kia EV9 SUV sometime in 2023, according to a press release on Kia’s U.K. media site. Although the company didn’t say anything about a U.S. version, we believe that the EV9 will eventually make it to our shores, too.

For those who missed its reveal at the L.A. auto show last November, the EV9 concept is an all-electric SUV with three rows of seats that’s similar in size and shape to the Kia Telluride. However, thanks to the EV9’s blocky bodywork and futuristic styling elements, we don’t expect anyone to confuse the two.
Apart from confirming production for the European market, Kia hasn’t revealed any more details about the upcoming EV9. We already knew that it’ll share components with the Hyundai Ioniq 7, which was also revealed last year. Both Kia and Hyundai’s big EV SUVs will be based on a stretched version of the e-GMP platform that underpins the much smaller Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5.
Kia has claimed that the EV9 will have 300 miles of range on a full battery and a max charging rate of 350 kilowatts. We can only speculate at the moment, but we think the U.S. version will arrive for the 2024 model year and start around $50,000.
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The BMW Alpina B4 Gran Coupe makes 22 more horsepower than the standard M4 and 59 more pound-feet of torque than the Competition model.Alpina claims a zero to 62 mph sprint of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 187 mph.BMW would not confirm whether the B4 Gran Coupe will be sold in the United States.Earlier this month, BMW took full control of Alpina, the German tuning company that specializes in fast and luxurious Bimmers and had enjoyed a symbiotic relationship with BMW for decades. Now Alpina has revealed its latest BMW-based creation, the Alpina B4 Gran Coupe, which ups the performance of the four-door 4-series to create the closest thing to an M4 Gran Coupe.
Like the M4, the all-wheel-drive B4 uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, tuned by Alpina to produce 495 horsepower. This slots it neatly between the standard 473-hp M4 and the 503-hp Competition model. But the Alpina’s whopping 538 pound-feet of torque far surpasses the Competition’s 479 pound-feet. It uses a retuned version of the ZF eight-speed automatic and Alpina claims the B4 can hit 62 mph in 3.7 seconds, putting it three-tenths behind BMW’s claim for the all-wheel-drive M4 Competition. The B4’s claimed top speed is 187 mph.Alpina’s Sport Suspension includes specially developed front anti-roll bars and unique spring and damper configurations, aiming to provide a composed ride at high speeds. There is also an electronically controlled rear limited-slip differential, and the B4 receives a unique Alpina exhaust system.
The B4 gains minor aerodynamic enhancements, with subtle spoilers front and rear and a diffuser sandwiched between the four oval exhaust tips. The classic 20-inch Alpina turbine wheels are wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires developed specifically for Alpina. Inside is supple Lavalina leather, a unique sports steering wheel, and plenty of luxurious standard equipment including a heated steering wheel and driver-assistance features.

BMW would neither confirm nor deny the availability of the B4 Gran Coupe in the United States when asked, but did acknowledge to Car and Driver that “there has been no announcement by BMW of a 4 Series-based ALPINA model for the U.S.” In Europe, deliveries will begin this summer and the B4 costs the equivalent of around $100,000.
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VinFast, a Vietnamese startup, will invest at least $2 billion into a plant in North Carolina, where it will start building electric crossovers in 2024.VinFast is currently aiming to start deliveries later this year, with its VF 8 and VF 9 electric crossovers.Currently, the VF 8 is listed at $41,000 while the VF 9 rings in at $56,000.Last year, Vietnamese startup VinFast set up headquarters in Los Angeles and declared its intention to sell cars in the United States. Today, the company has revealed plans for its first U.S. factory in North Carolina, where VinFast will build its VF 8 and VF 9 electric crossovers as well as batteries, creating what it says will be thousands of jobs. The plant will be built at the Triangle Innovation Point “megasite” in Chatham County, North Carolina, on an approximately 2000-acre plot. VinFast said it will invest at least $2 billion in the first phase of construction, targeting an initial capacity of 150,000 units per year. Construction will get underway this year, with production starting in July 2024. Along with crossovers, the facility will also build electric buses and batteries. Initial reports from Raliegh’s TNews & Observer predicted the creation of between 7500 and 13,000 jobs.
Although VinFast initially sold gas-powered vehicles using BMW engines in its home market starting in 2019, its expansion to the U.S. site will bring two electric crossovers, the VF 8 and VF 9, which were previously called the VF e35 and VF e36. The two crossovers were penned by famed Italian design house Pininfarina.

VinFast claims the mid-size VF 8 will make 402 horsepower and 472 pound-feet of torque, accelerating to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds. A 316.9-mile range on Europe’s WLTP test cycle is targeted for the VF 8, and VinFast’s website currently lists its price at $41,000. The seven-seat VF 9 features the same power and torque output, but it is claimed to take an extra second to hit 60 mph and to achieve 422.5 miles on the WLTP cycle. VinFast says it will start at $56,000. Both crossovers will come with extensive driver assistance systems. VinFast told Car and Driver last year that the VF 8 and VF 9 will be built in Vietnam and imported into North America at first, with U.S. production expected to begin in the second half of 2024. That lines up with the timeline from today’s announcement. VinFast has previously said it aims to begin deliveries in the fall of 2022, and VinFast says its Haiphong, Vietnam, factory will have the capacity to build 950,000 vehicles per year by 2026.
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The new Lotus Eletre is an all-wheel-drive EV SUV with at least 600 hp.It has an 800-volt battery with more than 100.0-kWh of capacity and a claimed range that equates to about 315 miles using the EPA cycle. The Eletre will be built in Wuhan, China and will reach the U.S. in 2024.Almost all street-legal Lotus models have followed the same recipe for light, simple sports cars—with only a minority featuring more than two seats. So it’s no exaggeration to say that the freshly unveiled Eletre is a revolutionary departure for the Chinese-owned British brand: a high-performance electric SUV.Anyone who expected the production Eletre to be related to the existing Volvo and Polestar EVs (all three brands are part of the Geely Group) has been proved wrong. The finished car sits on a Lotus architecture which is more advanced than the underpinnings of any of its cousins, one that incorporates a new aluminum and high tensile steel structure and an 800-volt battery pack.

While there are many technical highlights to discuss, it is undoubtedly the Eletre’s dramatic styling that made the biggest first impression when we got to see the show car at Lotus’s design studio. This isn’t a far-out concept car, but rather what will soon become a purchasable model. It bears a strong resemblance to the Lamborghini Urus from both its front end and side profiles. That comparison holds true when it comes to dimensions too: Although Lotus doesn’t cite the Lambo as either a benchmark or a competitor, the Eletre’s 200.9 in length, 78.7 in width, 64.2 in height, and 118.9 in wheelbase are all within 0.7 inch of the corresponding Urus figures.
Yet closer inspection of the car in Lotus’s Coventry design studio reveals the Eletre has a more complex form than the Lamborghini. Its sculpted shape features lots of what the styling team, led by former Ford and Volvo design boss Peter Horbury, describes as “porosity.” There are sizeable apertures in the fenders and flanks to ease the passage of air over and through its low-drag shape. “As Colin Chapman once put it, there’s nothing as light as a hole,” Horbury said as he introduced C/D to the car.The Eletre also gets active aerodynamics, including a closing grille shutter and a three-position rear spoiler. The huge wheels you see here are 23-inch rims, which will be optional—we’re told that 22-inchers will be standard in most markets. The official images don’t show them in their deployed state, but the Eletre also has lidar sensors which rise out of the bodywork and will allow eventual high-level autonomous operation: there is one at each end of the roof and two more that emerge from above the front wheel arches. Lotus promises it will ultimately be possible to summon the Eletre from a parking space, or return it to one, exclusively through a smartphone app.Other futuristic details include a camera-based side mirror system which will be offered in territories where this is permitted; conventional door mirrors will be standard in more technologically unadventurous markets including the U.S. The full-width light bar on the liftgate has the ability to change green or blue as well as red and orange. It will only use legally permitted colors for stop lights and turn signals when the car is moving, but it will also be able to display a multicolor animation when the car is unlocked and will also indicate the battery charge status.
The Eletre’s cabin is where it feels most different from other Lotus models, none of which have featured milled bronze metal rocker switches or a buttressed hollow center console with LED backlighting. Company insiders say that much of the interior has been designed with Chinese tastes in mind—the Eletre will be produced in a new factory in Wuhan—and China will account for a substantial percentage of sales. Yet the overall experience certainly feels upmarket, with a stitched leather and microfiber dashboard and sports seats trimmed in high-density wool blend fabric. As with many other futuristic EVs, the Eletre’s steering wheel is far from round, but it does also incorporate paddles; the right one toggles drive modes and the left switches between regeneration levels. Both four- and five-seat versions of the Eletre will be offered, the latter having a single rear bench in place of the separate seats you see here. A full-length panoramic glass roof will be an option. It feels impressively light and spacious for both front and rear-seat occupants, the cab forward proportions allowed by the lack of a conventional engine.The Eletre’s user interface is new and, according to the design team, unrelated to the Google-based system used by Volvo and Polestar. The studio car had a display system which demonstrated the crisp resolution of the huge 15.1-inch OLED central touchscreen, but we weren’t able to test its functionality. Lotus promises it will be possible to access 95 percent of the car’s systems with three or fewer screen inputs. It will also get a head-up display with augmented reality overlays. An 800-watt, 15-speaker surround sound audio system will be standard, with a 23-speaker, 1500-watt system optional. We will have to wait for full powertrain details, but Lotus promises that even the least powerful Eletre will have all-wheel drive and at least 600 hp. The company is being similarly reticent about the battery pack’s exact capacity, saying that it will have more than 100.0-kWh of storage. Lotus claims it will sprint to 62 mph in under three seconds and top out at 161 mph. Lotus says it is targeting a range of 373 miles under the European WLTP testing protocol—that equates to roughly 315 miles according to the EPA methodology in the U.S.—and that the Eletre can replenish two-thirds of its battery in 20 minutes at a 350-kW fast charger.Adaptive dampers and an air suspension will be standard on all versions, the latter able to raise the ride height of the car by up to 2.0 inches for off-roading, and reduce it by 1.0 inch to improve stability at speed. Other optional dynamic features will include carbon-ceramic brakes, rear-axle steering, and an active anti-roll bar—but we will need to wait until closer to the start of U.S. sales for detailed American specs.
Several details are conspicuously missing from the early communications. The first is weight. While the company says that extensive use of aluminum and carbon fiber has reduced mass compared to a more conventional structure, we can still safely bet the Eletre will be the beefiest Lotus of all time: informed speculation suggests it will be around 5500 pounds. The other is price, which isn’t confirmed yet, but we’re told to expect proximity to the Tesla Model X—suggesting a starting point of around $120,000 when the Eletre reaches the U.S. in 2024.But one thing is already certain: Lotus’s future looks very different to its past.
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• The Nissan Sentra SE-R was one of the best sport compacts of the 1990s.• Offered only as a coupe, the SE-R had the 140-horsepower SR20DE inline-four and a five-speed manual transmission.• This example up for auction is practically brand new, as it only has 445 miles on the odometer.We can’t imagine mentioning today’s Nissan Sentra in the same breath as a BMW 3-series, but when the Sentra SE-R came out in the 1990s we couldn’t help but notice how it outperformed the 318is of the day. In the March 1991 issue of Car and Driver, we effectively dubbed this sporty two-door coupe the reincarnation of the legendary BMW 2002 and described it as “the dream of a brand-new $12,000 BMW come true.”

Bring a Trailer

That dream can still be alive today—minus the $12,000 part, of course—thanks to this astonishingly preserved 1992 Sentra SE-R that’s currently for sale on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos). With only 445 miles on the odometer, it has hardly moved since it was purchased new for $13,445 in Wisconsin in 1991. That equals about $28,000 in today’s dollars, but because bidding already sits at $27,188 at the time of writing with six days left, we’re guessing that this example’s price will continue to rise far past that sum.

Back in the day, the Sentra SE-R’s performance was a big draw, as its 140-horsepower 2.0-liter inline-four got it to 60 mph in a swift 7.4 seconds. We also praised the “supple and well-damped” chassis and likened the front seats to the Acura NSX’s. Indeed, the chairs in this black on grey example look like they’ve hardly been sat on. The new owner might want to replace the original-equipment Dunlop tires from 1991, however.

Bring a Trailer

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A new generation of the Mercedes-Benz GLC-class is coming for 2023.The new compact luxury SUV looks similar to the current model but should include new features.The base GLC300 model will share its 255-hp turbo 2.0-liter inline-four with the C-class sedan.The Mercedes C-class sedan’s SUV sibling is slated to get a redesign soon, and these are the first official photos of the new 2023 GLC-class compact luxury crossover. This prototype seen undergoing winter testing still has a bit of camouflage, but we can clearly see its overall shape and proportions, and Mercedes has revealed some specs about this new X254-generation model that should arrive in the U.S. later this year.

Mercedes-Benz

The new model appears to be a bit larger than before, with a wider stance and more bulbous rear fenders. The five-spoke wheels on this prototype have an interesting triangular design, and the slim headlights and taillights look similar to the C-class sedan’s. Mercedes hasn’t released photos of the interior yet but says it will have a new steering wheel, the latest MBUX infotainment software, and large screens including a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and an 11.9-inch central infotainment screen.We anticipate the base model to again be called the GLC300, as it will share the C300 sedan’s turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four and 48-volt hybrid system. This combination will produce 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. 4Matic all-wheel drive will likely be optional, with rear-wheel drive standard, as the new GLC once again shares its platform with the C-class. More powerful AMG variants will follow and may use the same hybrid four-cylinder powertrains expected for the C43 and C63 AMG, with the latter expected to produce over 500 horsepower.Look for more information to come soon on the new GLC, which will likely be revealed in full within the next few months before arriving in the U.S. near the end of the year.
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We don’t exactly know what’s going to happen with gas prices in the U.S. in the next few weeks or months; nor do experts. But we’ve found out what analysts predict is coming soon.Their best guess: slight fluctuations up and down, depending on where you live. And state “gas tax holidays” that should help—but may also hurt.The list of factors that go into gas prices is long and growing: the pandemic, supply chains, OPEC’s attitudes, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and all the consequences from that. The only certainty right now is uncertainty.Gas prices at the pump are constantly fluctuating. Given the state of our pandemic world, the numbers have been going up and down in what seems like confusing ways. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a month ago set off the latest round of highs—leading to the highest ever gas prices in the U.S., depending on how you calculate it—but now prices have somewhat stabilized at this high level. Which brings to the next big question: What’s next? We’ll spoil the ending here to say we can’t be sure, but we can look at the various factors influencing the price and let you make your own predictions.

Some states have responded to the recent price spike by introducing gas tax holidays. While this does lower the price at the pump, removing the gas tax—even temporarily—actually works to drive prices up in the long run. GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan posted on Twitter Monday that states should really be thinking of different approach to helping motorists when it comes to gas prices.
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According to De Haan’s numbers, gas tax holidays are boosting gasoline demand, especially in a place like Maryland, since that’s a place where D.C. residents can easily cross the border to fill up for less money. Maryland dropped its state gas tax (which is 36.1 cents per gallon for gasoline, 36.85 cents per gallon for diesel) on March 18 for a total of 30 days. As De Haan notes, demand for gasoline in the first nine days of the gas tax holiday was up more than 26 percent compared with right before the holiday was put in place. Georgia’s recent gas tax holiday resulted in a rise in demand of 13 percent. Nationally, demand for gasoline has been pushed up 8.7 percent since February, before these states lowered their state gas taxes.The problem is that reducing consumption is a long-term problem, while politicians often think in shorter-term efforts. AAA said Monday that with the price of a barrel of oil hovering around $110, the national average price for a gallon of gasoline has dropped a bit since the record highs earlier this month. On March 11, the average hit $4.33, but that has come down to $4.24 Tuesday.

AAA

“The global oil market reflects the volatility caused by the war in Ukraine grinding onward,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said in a statement. “And with oil prices refusing to fall, the price at the pump is likewise meeting resistance at dropping further.”Oil prices are steady, in part, because oil a group of producing countries (known collectively as OPEC+) said Monday it is unlikely to increase oil output in the near term. Insiders told Reuters that the major OPEC members are keeping production stable and the OPEC+ group, which includes Russia, “has steered clear of the topic of Ukraine,” Reuters reported.While demand for gas in the U.S. has increased some in the last month, it is still low by historical standards. AAA cites new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) that shows that the overall drop in demand is helping bring prices down. “However, the steady increase in the price of oil is slowing that decline,” AAA writes. “If oil prices continue to rise, pump prices will likely follow suit, reversing course from the current downward trend.”De Haan is also on board the train that sees mild price fluctuations in the near term. “We’ll see a mix of slight decreases and some potential increases mixed in,” he said in a statement. “California markets should finally cool off and areas could even move lower in Southern California, while the Great Lakes could see gas prices jump up after having fallen for the last week or so. While the national average should start to stabilize for the time being, there’s no telling what’s around the corner, at least for now, as the volatility in oil prices persists.”
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Ford is adding yet another off-road variant to the F-150 lineup with the 2023 F-150 Rattler.The Rattler adds some of the equipment found in the FX4 package, including an electronic locking rear differential and hill descent control.Ford hasn’t revealed pricing, but we expect the Rattler to cost slightly less than the FX4 package when it arrives this fall. Ford F-150 buyers are already spoiled for choice, with eight versions on offer that range from the bare-bones XL to the desert-conquering Raptor. Each model is also available with several different packages and equipment groups. But now the Blue Oval is adding a new configuration as the F-150 Rattler joins the lineup as yet another off-road package.

Ford

Ford

The Rattler will be based on the four-wheel-drive F-150 XL model, which starts at $39,200 for 2022. It includes some equipment found in the FX4 package such as an electronic locking rear differential, hill descent control, and shock absorbers tuned for off-roading. There are also skid plates protecting the fuel tank, transfer case, and front differential, and the Rattler is fitted with all-terrain tires. The Rattler will only be available as a SuperCab or SuperCrew, and like the $1005 FX4 option, it requires selecting one of the optional engines—either the twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6, 5.0-liter V-8, or twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6—and a more expensive equipment package.

Visually, the Rattler is distinguished by a dual exhaust tips that Ford promises produce “a bold sound” and painted 18-inch aluminum wheels. There is also a Rattler badge on the fenders and a Rattler graphic with a snakeskin look on the side of the bed. The interior features bronze accents and stitching. Ford hasn’t announced pricing, but we expect the Rattler to cost slightly less than the FX4 package when it arrives this fall for the 2023 model year.
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