Motor News

Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV production restarted on Monday at the Lake Orion Assembly plant in Michigan.The Bolt EV and EUV had been recalled last year for manufacturing defects in the battery packs built by LG Energy Solution that could cause fires.The Bolt duo had been out of production since November, when GM issued a stop-sale order as it worked to fix the faulty battery packs. The LG packs now being used have been modified to fix the problem.Last year, General Motors recalled its affordable EV, the Chevrolet Bolt, and its crossover counterpart, the Bolt EUV, after multiple reports of battery pack fires. Production was halted in November and a stop-sale order was issued as GM and battery supplier LG Energy Solution worked on a fix. But now new Bolts will begin to roll off the line once again, with production of the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV resuming at the Lake Orion Assembly plant in Michigan on Monday.

Chevrolet

General Motors spokesperson Dan Flores confirmed that production restarted yesterday, adding, “We are very excited to restart production and we’ll continue to balance battery availability for new vehicle production while continuing to prioritize recall repairs.” In total, around 140,000 Bolts were recalled for a pair of manufacturing defects in LG’s battery packs that could cause a fire. GM has been working to repair the affected vehicles since battery production resumed last fall.

Since the third quarter of 2021, Chevrolet has delivered fewer than 400 units of the Bolt EV and Bolt EUV. Just 25 units were delivered in the fourth quarter of last year, while 358 Bolt EVs and EUVs found homes so far in 2022. This is down substantially from the 9000 Bolts delivered in the first quarter of 2021. Now that production of new Bolts is back underway, it will be interesting to see if sales recover. Chevrolet sold more than 24,000 Bolts in 2021 before the recall, but customers might now be wary of the Bolt EV and EUV. Several new EV models from other automakers have also gone on sale since Bolt production stopped, although none can match the Bolt’s $32,495 starting price.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Honda and GM will co-develop a line of affordable electric compact SUV models.They will share platforms and new battery technologies that could include solid-state batteries.We can expect these models to arrive in the U.S. starting in 2027.We already know that Honda will use GM’s EV platform for two upcoming electric SUVs coming in 2024. But that won’t be the end of the two automakers’ partnership, as they have just announced a massive expansion of their plans. GM and Honda now say they will co-develop a lineup of affordable compact crossovers set to launch in 2027 with new battery technologies. The companies clearly have high sales ambitions for these vehicles, as they cite manufacturing plans that will “enable global production of millions of EVs.”

These new models will use a common platform and share new battery technologies that the two companies are exploring, such as solid-state batteries and materials such as lithium-metal and silicon. Due to their affordability bent, we can assume that these compact SUVs will wear Chevy and Honda badges at first, but they may expand into GM’s more upscale Buick, Cadillac, and GMC brands as well and could also result in a product for Honda’s Acura luxury division.These new models will be smaller and cheaper than the previously announced 2024 Honda Prologue and its Acura spinoff, which could be called ADX. These vehicles, launching in about two years, are expected to use a version of the Ultium platform that will be similarly sized as the mid-size Cadillac Lyriq electric crossover that has already begun production.

2024 Chevy Equinox EV
Chevrolet

Both GM and Honda say they are working to achieve price parity between EVs and existing gasoline models, and that a key mission of this project is to drive down the cost of electric vehicles so that they can sell in higher volumes. GM, for its part, is currently way ahead of Honda towards achieving this goal; it already offers the Bolt, starting at $32,495, and has announced plans for an Equinox EV coming next year that it claims will start around $30,000. GM also claims it will later launch an EV to slot in below the Equinox EV price-wise. Honda, meanwhile, does not currently sell an EV model in the U.S. at all but has shown EV concepts (pictured at top) for various global markets.

Honda also says that it is developing electric models on its own platforms, but won’t share where these vehicles will fit in with the GM partnership. If we were to guess, we’d think that Hondas own EVs may take the form of smaller hatchbacks and sedans rather than the SUVs it will build with GM. The company does currently sell the tiny Honda e hatchback abroad but has no plans to bring this vehicle to the U.S. Honda also recently announced that it plans to establish a new EV brand with Sony, so we’re not sure how that fits in with these new plans with GM.Look for more information to come within the next few years as we find out more about GM and Honda’s growing collaboration in terms of production, technology, and where these new EVs will fit into the automakers’ respective lineups.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Hertz intends to add 65,000 Polestar electric vehicles to its global rental fleet within the next five years.The Polestar 2 will be the first model available, starting first in Europe and later expanding to Australia and North America.Hertz previously said it wants to make EVs 20 percent of its fleet.Teslas won’t be the only EVs available to rent through Hertz, as the company now says it plans to order 65,000 electric vehicles from Polestar within the next five years. The Polestar 2 hatchback will be the first model added to the fleet, starting this spring in Europe and reaching North America near the end of 2022. This is in addition to the order for 100,000 Tesla Model 3 vehicles that Hertz says it has already begun adding to its U.S. rental fleet in select cities.

This order will likely make up a significant portion of Polestar’s production over the next few years, as the company only sold 29,000 vehicles globally in 2021 and intends to hit a target of 290,000 vehicles produced in 2025. Hertz has not yet released details on the cost or availability of the rentals, but, like with the Tesla Model 3, we expect the vehicles to be priced similarly to other premium or luxury rental rates and available only in certain locations at first. Hertz also says the Polestar vehicles will eventually be available for ride-share drivers.Hertz has previously said it is investing in electric-vehicle charging infrastructure across its global facilities, as it is aiming to install both Level 2 and DC fast-charging stations. There will also be an EV-specific booking function on the company’s smartphone app. Hertz will be paying sticker price for the Tesla Model 3 vehicles it ordered in a $4.2 billion deal, but it’s unclear if it worked out a different financial package with Polestar.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Honda has revealed the first photos of the redesigned 2023 HR-V.The new model is larger than before, with a longer wheelbase. It now shares its platform with the Civic.More info will be coming soon and the new HR-V is scheduled to arrive at U.S. dealerships over the summer.Honda’s smallest SUV is entering its second generation, and there are some notable changes in store for the new 2023 HR-V. These are the first official photos of the redesigned model that’s headed to the U.S., which is larger than before and distinct from the smaller, hybrid-only Europe-market model revealed last year.

Honda

While the HR-V previously used the same platform as the now-discontinued Fit hatchback, Honda says that the new subcompact SUV rides on the same platform as the Civic. It has a longer wheelbase than before and now features an independent rear suspension.

All Honda claims about the powertrain is that it will be powered by a “more responsive engine,” and we’d guess that the Civic’s 180-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter inline-four will be under the hood to replace the old HR-V’s 141-hp 1.8-liter inline-four. The naturally aspirated 158-hp 2.0-liter inline-four from the Civic’s lower trim levels may also be offered as the HR-V’s base engine. Front-wheel drive will likely be standard, with all-wheel drive optional, and a CVT automatic should be the only transmission choice. An HR-V hybrid is likely to join the lineup, too, although it may launch later than the gas-only version.

Honda

Honda has yet to release photos or information about the HR-V’s interior, and we’re wondering what the new platform will mean for the packaging. The previous HR-V, like the Fit, featured a remarkably low cargo floor thanks to its fuel tank being mounted under the front seats. So we’re not sure if the old HR-V’s highly configurable rear seat that could fold in multiple configurations will carry over to the new model.
This content is imported from YouTube. 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.

The current model’s LX, Sport, EX, and EX-L trim levels are likely to carry over, and Honda released a video showing the new HR-V in several colors including red, grey, silver, black, and white. Expect pricing to rise slightly from the current HR-V’s $23,095 starting price, with loaded AWD models costing over $30,000. More information will be coming within the next few months before the 2023 HR-V goes on sale in the summer.

Honda

This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

• This 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser station wagon is a pitch-perfect example of GM’s once-ubiquitous A-body family of cars.• Its exquisite banality stopped us in our tracks as we scrolled through listings of supercars and other mega-priced exotica.• This highly original wagon is for sale right now on Bring a Trailer, and the auction ends on April 6.In the 1980s and well into the 1990s, GM disgorged onto the marketplace hundreds of thousands of copies of its A-body line of front-wheel-drive intermediate two-door and four-door sedans and station wagons—sold variously as the Chevrolet Celebrity, Pontiac 6000, Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera, and Buick Century. Most have long since been crushed into a cube, but the later models’ popularity with the senior set (particularly the Buick and Oldsmobile versions), means you occasionally run across a well-kept, low-mileage example. That appears to be exactly what we have here in this 1994 Oldsmobile Cutlass Cruiser that has turned up on the Bring a Trailer auction site—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—and we couldn’t help but linger over it.This Cutlass Cruiser has racked up just 54,000 miles. Included documentation shows that it was sold new in San Francisco, and it appears to be a lifelong California car. Critically, the selling dealer has included paint meter readings, so you know that the Light Adriatic Blue finish is original, as sprayed by the UAW’s finest.

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

The completely color-matched interior presents nicely. With a split-bench front seat and a vestigial, rear-facing third seat (!), this wagon boasted seating for eight (people were smaller then). It’s well-equipped for the era, with power windows, power door locks, air conditioning, and a tilt steering wheel. The display for the Delco AM/FM stereo has seen better days, so maybe just play your mix tapes.

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

GM’s corporate L82 3.1-liter V-6 sits sideways under the hood and spins out 160 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of fury, channeled to the front wheels via a column-shifted four-speed automatic with overdrive. Impressively, the car passes California emissions. It also benefits from relatively recent new valve cover gaskets and a new serpentine belt and tensioner. Per the commenters, the new owner might want to preemptively replace the intake manifold gasket. It was round about this era when Oldsmobile, desperate to shake off its old-man image, fielded the ad campaign “Not your father’s Oldsmobile.” Even then, the A-body Cutlass—which lingered in showrooms for more than a dozen years—was exactly the model that undermined the attempted image overhaul. If you’re of a certain age, it likely was your father’s Oldsmobile. In my case, it was my father-in-law’s, and he swore by his “Olds sport wagon”—he had two of them—until he ultimately had to switch to a Silhouette minivan. I think maybe it’s time he cruised in one again.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Artist Barbara Kruger’s work is heavily type based and expresses a strong point of view, as does the wrapped Hyundai Ioniq 5 shown here.The car is part of an exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art that is part of an ongoing museum sponsorship by Hyundai.After running through July 17, the Kruger exhibition will later travel to the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.Barbara Kruger is one of the most influential living artists, having developed an intentionally didactic and cuttingly acute linguistic, graphic, and visual style that has been endlessly copied and commodified. (Shepard Fairey’s Obama HOPE posters and skate/streetwear brand Supreme’s logos would not exist without her.) Her type-based work has a strong cultural critique, founded in feminism, anti-racism, anti-capitalism, and anti-homophobia (among other things), and remains resonant to this day.

LA County Museum of Art

Kruger is currently the subject of a compelling survey at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Barbara Kruger: Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You, which will travel to the Art Institute of Chicago and the New York Museum of Modern Art in the coming years. Don’t worry, there’s a car angle. Hyundai is a major corporate sponsor of this show (and the museum itself). For the event, Kruger created a new work, Untitled (Car), wrapping a Hyundai Ioniq 5 electric hatchback in text, all in her signature style. As it turns out, this isn’t out of character. “Since the late 1990s, Kruger has wrapped city and school buses in New York, Los Angeles, and Cologne, Germany, with vinyl text works that address celebrity culture, art education, and power structures,” said Rebecca Morse, the co-curator of the exhibition and curator of the Wallis Annenberg Photography Department at LACMA. “This car wrap refers directly to the LACMA exhibition with the use of Kruger’s black and green title graphic Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You.”

Public Art Fund/Marian Harders

The car will appear, as it did on the day we visited the exhibit, in front of a vintage Airstream food truck in the museum’s courtyard, as well as in the museum’s parking garage. It will also drive throughout LA during the run of the exhibition. The core goal of this is to publicize the exhibit, and to simultaneously provide some visibility for the Ioniq 5, which we don’t mind at all since it happens to be one of our favorite new EVs. (Watch for it on the streets, Angelenos.) Kruger often surprises people with the locus of her work, so this mobility is aligned with her challenging and delightfully insidious practice. “From billboards to bus shelters, construction fences, and vehicles, Kruger often addresses the public in outdoor spaces,” Morse said. “By adopting sites that are used predominantly for advertising, Kruger challenges the viewer’s expectations and creates a powerful art experience.”Unlike her contemporary Jenny Holzer—whose work also uses aphoristic-style type as cultural critique—Kruger has not made a BMW Art Car. But can such a thing be far behind? We can only hope. Though as Barbara would say, Whose Hopes? Whose Fears? Whose Values? Whose Justice?The Kruger exhibition opened March 20 at LACMA and runs through July 17, 2022.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Lancia is a storied Italian marque with more than 100 years of history, and the company’s Fulvia coupe was a frequent rally champion in its day, thanks to nimble handling and a reputation for reliability.This example has performed faithfully on long-distance classic-car tours and is a unique alternative to a contemporary Alfa Romeo.It’s up for auction right now on the Bring a Trailer auction site, with bidding set to end on Wednesday, April 6.Modern-day Lancia is a shadow of its former self, having been reduced to selling only a five-door hatchback that resembles a less-pretty Fiat 500. Before that were mostly Chrysler products rebadged for the Italian market, including the 300 (as the Lancia Theta) and the Voyager minivan. But wind the clock back far enough and you find cars packed with elegance and sophisticated engineering. And this 1972 Lancia Fulvia HF is one such rare machine. It’s currently up for auction at the Bring a Trailer auction site, which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. With just five days to go, the top bid currently sits at $26,000.

When it was introduced in 1965, almost everything about the Fulvia was revolutionary. It was a front-wheel-drive car with a canted narrow-angle V-4 under the hood, and it came with disc brakes at all four corners. The sedan was a bit of a shoebox, but the delicate coupe version was sufficiently winsome that it eventually captured the heart of none other than Car and Driver’s own editor-in-chief, Tony Quiroga.

Bring a Trailer

This particular example is a later S2 model with the larger 1.6L V-4 and a five-speed manual transmission. The HF designation is for “High Fidelity,” the appellation provided to the most sporting Lancias. In the same year this car was built, a Fulvia HF won the Monte Carlo Rally. It’s a tiny car, but it left big shoes to fill: Lancia’s follow-up act was the mighty Stratos.

Bring a Trailer

The characteristics that made the Fulvia a solid contender on rally special stages make for a classic car that stands up to regular usage. The owner of this one notes some recent servicing including replacement of the rear main seal, clutch, and engine and transmission mounts, but a bigger part of the story is the mileage. Far from being some garage-bound prima donna, this Fulvia has seen 12,000 miles added to its odometer over roughly five years of ownership. It’s a sorted example, ready for motoring con brio.Despite being only slightly longer than a first-generation Mazda Miata, the little Lancia is very stable at highway speeds. Handling in corners is deft and predictable, and the brakes are excellent. The V-4 puts out an unusual but satisfying soundtrack, and the upright driving position makes for clear sightlines. Reviewing a pair of Fulvias in 1967, Road & Track summed up, “The Rallye coupe is a car for anyone who wants a precision motorcar and engineering tour de force for less than $4000.”

Bring a Trailer

Adjusted for inflation, that figure will today land you a current Volkswagen GTI. That’s a perfectly sensible, modern choice for a front-wheel-drive machine with a dash of performance, but wouldn’t you prefer something with a touch more style? A little rally heritage? A small cup of espresso con Lancia?

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

For the first time, the Chevy Silverado 1500 is available as a pursuit-rated pickup truck for police departments.Known as the Silverado PPV (Police Pursuit Vehicle), it has huge 16.0-inch front rotors, a rear locker, and a 2.0-inch-lift option.Chevy’s police truck features a 355-hp 5.7-liter V-8 paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.Johnny Law is getting a new chase vehicle courtesy of Chevrolet that’s capable of pursuit on public roads, through the back woods, and everywhere in between. Enter the 2023 Silverado PPV. It’s the first time Chevy has built a pursuit-rated pickup truck, and it joins the Tahoe PPV that’s been a trusty steed to police departments since it debuted in 1997.PPV versions of the Tahoe and the Silverado share a lot of components, including a powertrain and other equipment. Both use a 355-hp 5.7-liter V-8 linked to a 10-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive. They also share black 20-inch rims mounted on Goodyear all-terrain tires and massive 16.0-inch iron front rotors clamped by Brembo six-piston calipers. For comparison, the Silverado’s standard front discs are three inches smaller, measuring 13.0 inches in diameter.

Chevrolet

Every 2023 Chevy Silverado PPV is configured with a crew cab and the short five-foot-eight-inch cargo box. The truck’s tow rating maxes out at 9300 pounds, and that’s 1100 pounds more than the Tahoe PPV can pull. Unlike its SUV counterpart, the Silverado is available with a 2.0-inch suspension lift. This raises its ground clearance and approach angle to 11.4 inches and 25.9 degrees, respectively, so lawbreakers will have a harder time using treacherous terrain to hide.Even without the lifted ride height, the Silverado PPV comes equipped with some notable off-road hardware. There’s a skid plate for extra underbody protection, a set of Rancho shocks from the regular truck’s Z71 package, and a locking rear differential. The cops can also opt for a hard tri-folding tonneau cover for the bed or Chevy’s multifunctional tailgate.

Chevrolet

The Silverado PPV’s interior takes a no-nonsense approach that we dig. From its tried-and-true column shifter to its power-adjustable cloth seats and vinyl flooring options, there are few creature comforts. The front jump seat can even be removed by request, freeing up space for whatever else cops might want to put there.While we certainly don’t want to see a Silverado PPV in our rearview mirror, we’d love to see one in our driveway. In fact, the more we thought about the truck’s off-road chops, bare-bones interior, and all the other neat features, it made us wish the bow-tie brand would offer one to regular law-abiding citizens. After all, it’d be a fitting rival to the recently revealed Ford F-150 Rattler, which exists as an entry-level off-roader.Chevy hasn’t said how much the 2023 Silverado PPV will cost, but the company did say it’ll be available in the U.S. and Canada sometime later this summer.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More