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The 2023 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance is the first of AMG’s plug-in-hybrid models, which will also include the next AMG C-class. It’s powered by a twin-turbo V-8 paired with an electric motor on the rear axle, and it has 831 horsepower and 1082 pound-feet of torque. It will arrive in the U.S. for the 2023 model year. Mercedes-AMG has just revealed the first in its new product lineup of E Performance plug-in-hybrids. It’s called the GT63 S E Performance. It will be joined soon by other AMG PHEVs, including the next top AMG C-class. For now, the GT63 S is the most powerful AMG road car yet—but only until the 1000-plus-hp One arrives.

The new model uses a familiar twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 that produces 630 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, with a permanent-magnet synchronous AC motor and a 4.8-kWh battery pack incorporated in the rear axle. Through a two-speed gearbox, the motor adds an additional 201 horsepower for up to 10 seconds, or 94 horses continuously. The lithium-ion battery pack is charged via the 3.7-kW onboard AC charger.

Together, they make 831 horsepower and 1082 pound-feet of torque. A nine-speed automatic transmission handles the gear exchanges, and AMG’s 4Matic+ all-wheel-drive system delivers torque to all four corners. Additionally, the electrified rear axle has an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. AMG claims the GT63 S E Performance will reach 62 mph in 2.9 seconds with 124 mph arriving in less than 10 seconds. We expect it to be much quicker as a GT63 S reached 60 mph in 2.6 seconds in our test.Like the nonhybrid model, the GT63 S E Performance is equipped with AMG’s air springs with electronically controlled adaptive dampers. Seven drive modes are available, including an electric mode that’s good for a claimed 7 miles of driving range and speeds up to 80 mph, and four levels of regenerative braking are toggled via a button on the steering wheel. Its carbon-ceramic brakes measure 16.5 inches up front and 15.0 inches in the rear, 0.7 inch larger in the front and 0.8 inch in the rear than the nonhybrid.

Mercedes-AMG

You can tell them apart by a red GT63 S badge on the rear just above the charge port and a “V8 BiTurbo E Performance” badge on each front fender. Seven new exterior color choices are available, too, along with four matte and five metallic colors and new 20- and 21-inch wheels. The MBUX infotainment system can display hybrid-specific information such as electric driving range, the power of the electric motor, battery temperatures, and power flow, which can also be displayed on the optional rear passenger screens. Mercedes-AMG will announce U.S. specs, including pricing, closer to the GT63 S E Performance’s launch for the 2023 model year.
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Lotus Cars says its future EV lineup will include a sports car, a coupe-sedan, and two SUVs, following soon after the Evija EV hypercar.To facilitate its move to electrification, the British specialty firm is launching a new Lotus Technology subsidiary and opening a new headquarters in Wuhan, China.Group Lotus Design will now be headed by Peter Horbury, who is currently design chief at Geely, Lotus’s owner.We already know that Lotus’s future is electric: the company has already confirmed that the forthcoming 2022 Emira will be its last new model to have a combustion engine. Now the company has released some more details about what will be the rapid deployment of the four fully electric models that will follow on from the Evija EV hypercar.

The future Lotus electric lineup will include two new SUVs, a coupe-sedan (in other words, a low-roofline four-door), and the new EV sports car the company has already dropped details about. They’re all being developed under what is described as the Vision80 plan, which concludes in time for Lotus’s 80th anniversary in 2028. To speed its move into electrification, Lotus is also creating a new subsidiary, Lotus Technology, which will be based in Wuhan, China. This will work on the future models and will also have investment from Li Bin, founder of Chinese automaker Nio.

Lotus’s new headquarters in Wuhan, China.
Lotus Cars

Peter Horbury.
Stan Papior/Lotus

Car and Driver has also learned that Peter Horbury is set to become head of Group Lotus Design, leading work on this new generation of models as well as on the consultancy work for third-party automakers. The 71-year-old Brit is currently head of design for Chinese automaker Geely (which owns Lotus as well as Volvo) and was previously design director for Volvo (twice) and Ford Americas. Lotus Cars chief designer Russell Carr will continue to work under him. According to German media reports, former Bentley design boss Stefann Sielaff is set to replace Horbury at Geely. In terms of new product, the SUVs and the coupe-sedan, described by Lotus as “lifestyle vehicles,” will all sit on the company’s forthcoming Lotus Premium Architecture. The company says, with impressive exactitude, that this can sit underneath cars with wheelbases ranging from 113.7 to 122.0 inches and will feature batteries with capacities from 92.0 to 120.0 kWh and support 800-volt systems. The official release also says that at least some of the products developed from the new platform will be able to dispatch the zero-to-62-mph benchmark in under three seconds.We’ll see the larger SUV first, with its launch scheduled for next year. It will be followed in 2023 by the coupe-sedan, with a smaller SUV arriving in 2024. All these vehicles will be built at Lotus’s new plant in Wuhan, which is set to have a capacity of up to 150,000 cars a year, although Lotus insiders say it will take time to get close to that figure. The pure EV sports car that will follow in 2026 will be built in the U.K. and will also form the basis of a new model for Renault subsidiary Alpine.Two other fascinating details have emerged from the official announcement. First, Lotus’s Wuhan plant will include what is described as an “integrated intelligent test track” where vehicles will be able to operate autonomously at speeds of up to 140 mph through 16 corners. Secondly that Lotus is working on what it describes as “track-level intelligent drive,” a 10-year project with the ambition to “assist drivers to perform as well as an F1 driver on track.” We look forward to learning more about that one.

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Toyota will launch a hybrid version of the Corolla Cross subcompact SUV.We don’t know powertrain details yet, but we hope it will have more power than the Corolla sedan hybrid.The Corolla Cross hybrid will arrive sometime next year, likely as a 2023 model.The new Toyota Corolla Cross will join many of its brethren in offering a hybrid powertrain, as Toyota has confirmed that a gas-electric variant will arrive soon. The company had hinted at a Corolla Cross hybrid during this new model’s debut earlier this year, but we now have full confirmation that the hybrid variant will launch in the U.S. sometime in 2022.

There’s no word yet on which hybrid powertrain the Corolla Cross will use, but we sure hope it has more power than the Corolla sedan hybrid. That model has a 1.8-liter gasoline engine and the drivetrain makes just 121 horsepower in total, which resulted in a sluggish 60 mph time of 10.7 seconds in our testing. That hybrid setup wouldn’t suffice in the larger, heavier crossover version, so we can expect a larger, more powerful gasoline engine in the Corolla Cross hybrid.We also think Toyota is likely to offer an all-wheel-drive version of the Corolla Cross hybrid, possibly with a similar setup as the Prius e-AWD model that has an additional electric motor powering the rear wheels at lower speeds. The nonhybrid Corolla Cross uses a naturally aspirated 2.0-liter inline-four with 169 horsepower, and it’s offered with both front- and all-wheel drive.Stay tuned for more information still to come on the Corolla Cross hybrid, which should be added to the lineup for the 2023 model year.
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Ram was ranked #1 and Dodge #2 in the J.D. Power 2021 Initial Quality Study.The study surveys new-car owners on problems they had with their vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership, and it ranks brands according to problems per 100 vehicles. Lower scores are better.The study was redesigned last year to give new-car owners more ways to report problems. In the 2020 study, infotainment was the most troublesome category.The results of the 2021 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study are in, with Ram and Dodge securing the top two spots. The 223-question study surveys new-car owners on problems they experience with their new cars in the first 90 days of ownership and assigns each brand a score based on the problems per 100 vehicles. Problems could range from serious mechanical issues to difficulties related to the infotainment system. In this year’s survey, Ram owners reported 128 issues per 100 new cars, while Dodge owners had 139 complaints per 100 vehicles.

J.D. Power surveys tens of thousands of new-car owners each year to suss out problems with the quality and user-friendliness of new cars. Owners can report a wide variety of complaints ranging from problems with the powertrain to issues with the driver assistance systems, infotainment, or climate control. In fact, in 2021 smartphone connectivity was the issue most frequently complained about. The 128 problems per 100 vehicles reported by Ram owners in the 2021 study represented a 13-point improvement compared to 2020. Dodge’s problems per 100 cars score was up slightly from 136 last year. Ram is the first truck-only brand to top the J.D. Power survey rankings. Ram Brand CEO Mike Koval Jr. told Car and Driver that the ranking is “clearly an accomplishment, but also not a surprise,” citing what he described as a “clear trend in quality improvements.” The company says its rise from a 21st-place finish in 2019 was driven by the heavy-duty 2500 and 3500 trucks it released for 2020, which ranked first among heavy-duty trucks in this year’s study. The half-ton Ram 1500 ranked second in its class, which also includes the bestselling Ford F-150. The Dodge Charger and its cousin, the Chrysler 300, made the podium in the large-car class.

J.D. Power

The Initial Quality Study can be a helpful starting point when shopping for a new car, but it shouldn’t be taken as gospel. The study focuses entirely on the quality of brand-new cars. Ninety days is only a tiny fraction of a car’s life, and plenty of things can go wrong after that period that would never be captured by this survey. And though the study notes serious malfunctions and manufacturing defects, low scores could also be caused by so-called “design defects”—features that may work exactly as intended but are criticized by the customer because they are frustrating, unintuitive, or unfamiliar. If you’re interested in a bigger picture, J.D. Power also conducts a three-year vehicle dependability study. In this year’s study, which ranked cars from the 2018 model year, Lexus and Kia earned top honors.
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The EV startup Rivian announced in a statement Friday that it has submitted its registration to the Securities and Exchange Commission as it prepares to take the company public.According to Bloomberg, who spoke with people close to the matter, the company is aiming for a $80 billion valuation and hopes to have its IPO in late November. (For comparison, the Detroit Free Press notes that General Motors and Ford have market capitalizations of $72 billion and $53 billion.)Rivian said it will begin production of its R1T electric pickup in September, with the R1S SUV expected to enter production next year.Electric vehicle startup Rivian initially planned to launch its R1T pickup truck in July, but the start of production was delayed to September. With production now apparently right around the corner, Rivian is preparing to take the next step toward securing its future, with the company announcing on Friday that it has submitted its S-1 registration to the Securities and Exchange Commission in advance of an initial public offering.

Rivian is seeking an approximately $80 billion valuation, according to Bloomberg, which said it spoke with sources with knowledge of the situation. Bloomberg’s sources also said that Rivian, which is based in Irvine, California, but also has a large presence in Michigan, is aiming to have its initial public offering around Thanksgiving, but the company still needs approval from the SEC before that happens. Rivian officially says that the size and price range for the IPO is still being worked out, and the company is partnering with advisers including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Morgan Stanley on the process.If the $80 billion valuation proves accurate, Rivian would become more valuable on paper than General Motors and Ford. Those automakers, the Detroit Free Press notes, currently have market capitalizations of $72 billion and $53 billion, respectively. Ford has been a major investor in Rivian, helping contribute $10.5 billion to the startup alongside companies like Amazon. These investments have allowed Rivian to construct a factory in Normal, Illinois, where it will build the R1T and its R1S SUV counterpart. The company will also produce 100,000 electric vans for Amazon over the coming decade. Rivian is also planning to construct a $5 billion, 10,000-acre factory somewhere in the southwestern United States for additional production starting in 2023.
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Ford is no longer taking online reservations for the new Bronco SUV after receiving 190,000 refundable $100 deposits. The temporary move is because of high demand and production issues with the hardtop model’s roof. Ford’s Said Deep told Car and Driver that the reservation system will be back in October. The Ford Bronco can’t catch a break. Ford has stopped taking customer reservations for the new SUV because of increased demand and production issues, as first reported by the Detroit Free Press. Through July, about 3200 Broncos have been sold, Ford communications chief Said Deep told Car and Driver. To date, Ford has received more than 125,000 orders for the Bronco, which debuted as a 2021 model, with 190,000 people having put down $100 refundable deposits. The reservation system will be back in October. Ford’s website now directs customers interested in the Bronco to contact their local dealership for details on options and timing. “They have a better line of sight in what’s coming in,” Deep explained.

We contacted our local dealership, Varsity Ford in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Brian House, a Varsity sales manager, said the dealership is telling customers they’ll have to wait six months or for the 2023 model year, depending on what Bronco configuration they choose. Ford suggested that would-be Bronco buyers have the possibility of securing an incoming softtop model if someone else cancels an existing order. That’s because the softtop model is not affected by the supplier quality issue plaguing the two- and four-door hardtop models. A customer could also change their own spec. For instance, they could forgo the Sasquatch package and wait to add the beefier tires later if they are set on getting into a Bronco earlier. But House said lots of customers are already calling Varsity Ford and trying to switch their build to speed up the process. Unfortunately, there’s nothing coming in. Every Bronco Varsity has received has gone straight to the customer who ordered it, according to House.Production of the 2022 Bronco will begin in December. For 2022, changes include new colors, including Eruption Green, and the addition of manual-equipped models with the off-road-focused Sasquatch package. Ford is aiming to begin replacing every hardtop model’s roof in October.
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The city of New Orleans suspended a ban on parking on “neutral ground,” a term New Orleanians use to refer to grassy medians, during Hurricane Ida.The city sometimes lifts the parking ban during heavy rain events to help drivers keep their cars safe from potential floods. It’s never safe to drive through flood waters. Many cars will stall in six inches of water or less and can be carried away by two feet of water.

As New Orleans prepared for Hurricane Ida, which was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday before being downgraded to a tropical storm, city officials made one surprising move: They lifted a parking ban that usually makes it illegal for drivers to park on grassy medians, known as “neutral ground” in New Orleans. The medians are raised by several inches compared to the street, so parking there pre-emptively gives vehicle owners some protection against flood damage. Hurricanes and the flooding they cause can damage huge numbers of cars; in 2018, flooding from Hurricane Harvey may have destroyed as many as a million cars in the Houston area.
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This wasn’t the first time the New Orleans city government had suspended the neutral-ground parking ban. It’s a technique employed regularly to limit damage from flooding in the city, which sits around eight feet below sea level. But even in emergencies, it’s still not a parking free-for-all (at least according to the authorities). Drivers are allowed to park cars on neutral ground while the ban is lifted, but they still can’t park in ways that would impede the flow of traffic, block intersections, or block the travel of streetcars, which in some places run through the middle of the grassy dividers.

Some people in other flood-prone cities are calling on their governments to adopt a similar strategy during heavy rains. In Houston, which has had seven flooding events since 2014, the streets are designed to channel water during heavy rain, which can make street-parked cars vulnerable to damage. Drivers there may find themselves driving or pushing their cars onto medians or raised lawns for lack of better options once flood waters start rising, but it’s not currently an officially sanctioned practice.Whether your municipal government allows you to park your car out of harm’s way pre-emptively or not, it’s never safe to drive your car through flood waters. Many cars can stall in as little as six inches of water, float in a foot of water, or be carried away by two feet of water. Flood water may carry debris (including snakes, according to the National Weather Service) that can damage cars or injure people. And even shallow running water can sweep you off your feet. It may be hard—and expensive—but if you discover too late that your car is parked in the way of a flood, it’s best to leave it be. If you’re driving and come across flood water, turn around and head to higher ground. And if flood waters begin to rise around your car, abandon the car and seek safety.
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Ford is recalling 16,430 of its 2021 F-150 SuperCab pickup trucks over a seatbelt issue.Ford urges owners of the affected vehicles not to drive their trucks until the issue is resolved due to safety concerns.Vehicles that were manufactured between January 2 and May 27, 2021, are affected by this recall.Ford is recalling 16,430 F-150 SuperCab trucks from the 2021 model year over an issue with seatbelt installation. The webbing of the seatbelt may have been incorrectly routed through a rubber trim sleeve instead of an anchor as it should have been, and in the instance of a crash, the seatbelt may be unable to properly restrain the driver and passenger, increasing chances of injury.

Ford will be mailing owners information that will advise and instruct them to check their front-row seatbelts. If the passenger seatbelt does not pass the test, then they should avoid driving with a passenger. If the driver’s seat has the issue, then they are advised not t0 drive the truck until repairs are performed. All repairs will be performed free of charge.This recall is only for the F-150 SuperCab trucks; regular-cab and crew-cab vehicles are not affected. Owners are asked to contact their dealership and have the truck towed to receive repairs or call the Ford toll-free number (866–436–7332) for assistance.If you are unsure if your vehicle has been recalled, use the VIN (vehicle identification number) lookup tool on the Ford website or on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recalls site.

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