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Lucid Motors announced today that the delivery of the 2021 Lucid Air electric luxury sedan to customers will not happen this spring as it had earlier announced.
The automaker now expects to begin deliveries to customers sometime in the second half of 2021, according to a letter from CEO Peter Rawlinson.
Lucid states that the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on its supply chain are a major reason for the delay.
The effects of COVID-19 have caused a delay in the arrival of an eagerly awaited new electric car from a startup: the 2021 Lucid Air. In a letter from Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson, the company announced that vehicles will not be delivered this spring as originally promised. Instead, customer deliveries will begin sometime in the second half of 2021.

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In the letter, Rawlinson stated that despite excellent progress bringing the car to market, “We now know that we won’t be able to start delivering Lucid Air this spring at the level of quality we insist on providing.” The automotive startup cited the effects of the coronavirus on the supply chain, testing, and preparing for sales. Currently, the company is building “release candidate” near-production-ready vehicles at its Casa Grande, Arizona, facility.
Lucid made big news when it announced that its Air electric luxury sedan had a projected range of 517 miles putting it in league with Tesla. When it later unveiled the vehicle, its launch-edition Dream trim level range was a little less than the earlier announcement but still impressive at 503 miles. At the time, it was more than anything Tesla produced. Since then, Telsa has announced an updated Model S with an estimated range of 520 miles. It’s expected to be available in late 2021.
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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety named 90 vehicles a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ for 2021, up from 64 in 2020.
One reason is that automakers have been improving their vehicles in the ways the IIHS tests for, including better headlights and active-safety features for crash prevention.
Test results aren’t out yet on the 2021 Genesis GV80 (pictured below), in the news this week when golfer Tiger Woods was injured in a crash driving one, but a spokesperson said IIHS expects it to do well since the G70 and G80 are both Top Safety Pick+ winners.
Cars are getting safer all the time. Thanks to innovations in computer modeling, metallurgy, and electronics (among many other things), we generally expect the new-car fleet to make gradual improvements in overall safety. But this year was a bigger leap than most, as the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety bestowed awards on 90 vehicles. Last year, the number was 64.
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The awards in question are Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+. Getting that “+” includes an extra requirement that a vehicle offer above-standard headlights across every trim level. Forty-one Top Safety Pick and 49 Top Safety Pick+ winners were named for 2021. To score either award, a vehicle has to earn a Good rating in six different crash tests, plus a Superior or Advanced score in automated braking tests. Essentially, any car that earns an IIHS accolade has a robust structure and effective passive safety measures, plus electronic crash prevention and (probably) good headlights.
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The IIHS, if you’re unfamiliar, is not a government agency. It’s funded by the insurance industry, which has a vested interest in safer cars. The IIHS mission is twofold, really. There’s the scientific side, with its crash testing and crash-prevention assessments, and the media side to mete out public praise—or, as the situation warrants, shame. Manufacturers rue the dreaded IIHS Poor rating, because that invites attention of a most unwanted sort.
Moving Up by Getting Better
The Mazda CX-9 is a case in point. The 2014 Mazda CX-9 earned a Poor rating in the small-overlap test, which replicates the kind of collision where you drift out of your lane and hit an oncoming car, but not totally head on. It’s a brutal test because most of the front crash structure isn’t engaged when only a corner of the car makes impact. In the CX-9’s case, the A-pillar folded and the dashboard deformed such that the steering wheel ended up somewhere between the front seats. Mazda took the situation to heart—the IIHS putting the destroyed CX-9 carcass on display might’ve helped—and the redesigned CX-9 addressed its predecessor’s structural issues. In fact, the 2021 CX-9 is a Top Safety Pick+ recipient.
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Sometimes manufacturers move to improve a model even before a redesign. In 2017, the Chrysler Pacifica was brand-new when an IIHS test prompted Fiat Chrysler to modify the front door structure. Again, the small overlap test was the cause. Now, the IIHS assessment of the Pacifica notes: “Two tests of the Pacifica were conducted because the driver door was torn off its hinges in the first test. As a result, Fiat Chrysler strengthened the upper hinge and reinforced the joint between the door hinge pillar and inner body panel in front of the pillar. In the second test, the upper hinge held and the door stayed shut.” After that modification, the Pacifica earned across-the-board Good scores on all six crash tests. Thanks, IIHS.
Genesis Tests Coming Soon
This year’s plaudits are spread across a wide range of companies, but you may notice a few absences. Like, what, is a Bentley Bentayga not safe? What about the Genesis GV80, lately in the news for its crashworthiness? Both are absent from the list, though for different reasons. To conduct its tests, IIHS either buys a given car or gets reimbursed for it by a manufacturer that wants to prove the mettle of a given model. So they’re not going to go spend $183,425 on a Bentley (or Bentleys) to run into a wall. And neither has Bentley seen fit to gift them any crash-test vehicles, evidently.
And the Genesis just hasn’t been in production long enough for IIHS to complete its testing. As the IIHS director of media relations, Joe Young, told us: “Tests of the 2021 GV80 (pictured on IIHS tweet above) and the 2021 G80 are underway now, and we expect to have results out in the second half of March. These vehicles are simply too new and we weren’t able to get testing completed in time for this release. The G70 and G90 both earn Top Safety Pick+ awards, and we expect the GV80 to perform well in our tests as it’s a brand-new model and Hyundai Motor Group has a solid track record of performing well in our crashworthiness, crash avoidance, and headlight evaluations.”
While the Top Safety Pick glory will surely be amplified by the winners, it’s up to the IIHS to scorn the losers. Mitsubishi, step right up! The agency notes that 2021 extends Mitsubishi’s unprecedented streak of never winning a single award. Also, “The low number of awards for General Motors is striking for such a large manufacturer.” GM earned a single Top Safety Pick+ and one more regular Top Safety Pick, for the Cadillac XT6 and Chevy Equinox, respectively.
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Perhaps the most encouraging thing about IIHS’s 2021 report is that many more vehicles almost made the list, but came up short in a single category. There were 12 more vehicles that aced every criteria except headlights, and seven fell short on pedestrian crash prevention. Only five cars missed the cut solely because of crash-test shortcomings, and in all five cases the passenger-side small overlap test was the culprit. (If you’re wondering: Toyota Prius, Toyota Prius Prime, Volkswagen GTI, Audi A5 coupe, and Chevy Traverse.)
As the IIHS data shows, cars are safer than ever. If only the same could be said for drivers.
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Tesla halted the Model 3 production line at the Fremont factory for two days due to parts shortages.
Other automakers have been feeling the pinch of a semiconductor shortage that’s caused production delays.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk shared information about the shutdown via Twitter but did not elaborate on what parts may have caused the issue.

Semiconductor Shortage Is Halting Car Production

Tesla isn’t immune to supply-chain issues. On Twitter, CEO Elon Musk announced that the Model 3 line at the Fremont, California, facility had been shut down for two days, Monday and Tuesday of this week, and had restarted production on Wednesday, February 24. The reason for the shutdown, according to Musk, was “parts shortages.”
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The Tesla CEO didn’t elaborate on what parts had caused the Model 3 line to stop producing vehicles. But supply chain issues involving semiconductors have caused delays in production for many automakers. Whether this was the issue that halted the Model 3 line or was something else is unknown.
A story in Automotive News earlier on Thursday reported that Tesla was halting the Model 3 line from February 22 until March 7 and that employees were told they would not be paid for four of those days and to use vacation time if they had it.

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At the end of 2020, Tesla brought the Model S and Model X line to a stop for 18 days while it was retooled to build the updated Model S and Model X that were introduced on January 27.
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The updated 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid comes with a more powerful 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine plus more battery capacity at the same base price of $37,490.
The updated PHEV crossover is not based on the Nissan Rogue–based Outlander, which is coming this spring as a 2022 model.
The 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is available in U.S. showrooms now.

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Tested: Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-In Hybrid

The updated 2021 Outlander PHEV might look the same on the outside, but just like our mothers used to say, “it’s what’s inside that counts.” The updated PHEV gets a nice powertrain boost thanks to a larger 2.4-liter cylinder engine vs the previous 2.0-liter engine and a more powerful 70-kW rear electric motor. The updated powertrain has increased the SUV’s output by 31 horsepower to 221 horsepower. Mitsubishi added the extra power without padding the starting price which is unchanged at $37,490.
On the battery front, capacity has jumped from 12.0 kWh to 13.8 kWh, resulting in an increase in all-electric driving range from 22 to 24 miles with an EPA-estimated 74 MPGe and 26 mpg. Charging is taken care of via one of two ports available on the vehicle, a DC fast-charging CHAdeMO port (a standard seen more often in Japan) or Level 2 charging port.
For those interested in traction in the winter, the 2021 Outlander PHEV comes standard with Mitsubishi’s S-AWC all-wheel-drive system and two new modes: Snow and Sport. Mitsubishi also announced a new LE trim, starting at $39,190, that comes with a sunroof, blacked-out grille, Mitsubishi Power sound system, and dark chrome dual-spoke 18-inch wheels.
The updated Outlander PHEV has some stiff hybrid competition. Potential buyers will likely be pitting it against the impressive 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime PHEV starting at $39,275 and the non-plug-in 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid, starting at $31,735.
It is important to note that this vehicle is not a plug-in-hybrid version of the new 2022 Outlander (available in April 2021) that’s been redesigned inside and out and uses the Nissan-Mitsubishi platform that also underpins the Nissan Rogue.
A plug-in hybrid version of the new 2022 Outlander is expected sometime in the future, although its timeline to market is unknown. But for now, the 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is available now in U.S. showrooms.
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President Biden signed an executive order Wednesday evening to review the semiconductor supply chain in order to address the current shortage and prevent future supply shocks.
The president said that the administration hopes to expand domestic production of semiconductors so the U.S. is less reliant on foreign suppliers.
Other goods will also have their supply chains examined as a part of the executive order, including large-capacity batteries for electric vehicles, critical and strategic earth minerals, and pharmaceuticals.
The problem of a global shortage of the semiconductors that are crucial in producing computers, electronic devices, and cars has now reached the Oval Office. President Biden last night signed an executive order launching a 100-day review of the semiconductor supply chain to address the shortage. His stated goal is to increase U.S. domestic supply of the tiny objects, which are needed everywhere that electronics is present in a vehicle, so as to avoid this kind of bottleneck in the future.
Three other goods will also have their supply chains reviewed: large-capacity batteries for electric vehicles, critical and strategic earth minerals, and pharmaceuticals.

A Microchip Shortage Is Disrupting Production

Semiconductor Shortage Is Halting Car Production

Since early 2021, the worldwide semiconductor shortage has sent shock waves throughout the automotive industry. GM, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, VW, Honda, Nissan, and Subaru have all had to adjust production at assembly plants in North America to properly allocate an inadequate supply of semiconductors, the parts that make up microchips and are used all over a vehicle, notably for infotainment and driver-assist technology.
Under the executive order, policy recommendations will be made to strengthen the supply chain for semiconductors and the other named products. The goal, President Biden said at a press conference last night, is to implement those recommendations and expand domestic semiconductor production. Currently, a vast majority of semiconductors are made outside of the U.S.
“Diverse, resilient, and secure supply chains are going to help revitalize our domestic manufacturing capacity,” Biden said. Nonetheless, he added, “We all recognize that the particular problem won’t be solved immediately. In the meantime, we’re reaching out to our allies—semiconductor companies and others in the supply chain—to ramp up production to help us resolve the bottlenecks we face now.”
The executive order was well-received by Autos Drive America, an industry trade group representing automakers including Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, and others. “We applaud the administration’s Executive Order that will review U.S. supply chains to identify ways to avoid future shortages of critical products and help grow our economy and America’s workforce,” Jennifer Safavian, president and CEO of the group, said in a statement.
The shortage of semiconductors has begun to impact industries beyond autos, now reaching companies such as Apple and Sony. However, automakers were first to feel the supply crunch. That’s in part because the companies themselves cut their semiconductor orders when new-vehicle demand collapsed at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. Then, when demand recovered quickly and the automotive industry ordered semiconductors again, the consumer electronics industry was already ahead in line for the parts and took precedence. That, along with a lack of production capacity to meet current demand, has led to the shortage.
Earlier this month, trade groups representing industries including autos and tech sent a letter to the president asking him to work with Congress to invest in semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. “Given the central role of semiconductors, strengthening the U.S. position in semiconductor research, design, and manufacturing is a national priority,” the letter says. “To be competitive and strengthen the resilience of critical supply chains, we believe the U.S. needs to incentivize the construction of new and modernized semiconductor manufacturing facilities and invest in research capabilities.”
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