News

The Ford F-150 Lightning will be followed by a new electric pickup truck that will start production in 2025.Codenamed Project T3, Ford says the second-generation truck will and benefit from simplified manufacturing.The follow-up to the Lightning will be built at Ford’s huge Blue Oval City factory in Tennessee.Ford CEO Jim Farley said the company’s next electric pickup truck is going to be “like the Millennium Falcon”—whatever that means.Farley’s comments come with today’s announcement that Ford plans to follow-up the F-150 Lightning with a new EV truck that will go into production in 2025. While details about the second generation are scarce, we’re told it is codenamed Project T3 (as in Trust the Truck).Besides improving on the current Lightning’s driving range and towing capabilities, Ford says the next-gen truck will be “fully updatable” and “constantly improving.” These types of features are expected to be made possible by a new electrical platform and the expanded availability of over-the-air (OTA) updates.More on Ford’s EV PlansFord’s second electric pickup truck will be built at its Blue Oval City factory, a $5.6 billion, 3600-acre campus outside Memphis, Tennessee. The new state-of-the-art campus also includes a battery plant as part of a partnership with energy company SK Innovation. Not only are the benefits of all of this said to include simpler, more efficient, and more cost-effective manufacturing processes, but they’re claimed to allow Ford to build up to 500,000 EV trucks per year at peak production.Today’s announcement about the F-150 Lighting follow-up come on the heels of Ford forecasting a loss of $3 billion on EV sales in 2023. The increased losses are partly due to the company’s big investments in its facilities in Kentucky and Tennessee along with the money its spending on alternate battery chemistries. Of course, Ford understands this is part of the process of expanding its EV division, and it will continue to ramp up production of the Lightning and the Mustang Mach-E.Earlier this month, Ford said it hopes to build 150,000 Lightnings annually by the end of this year. That would triple the truck’s production. The Mach-E will also be built in higher volumes, with the company in January saying production will increase nearly 67 percent, from 78,000 units last year to 130k in 2023.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.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

Kia and Hyundai are recalling 570,000 vehicles with a potential fire hazard while parked. Affected models include the 2019–23 Santa Fe crossover, 2022–23 Santa Cruz pickup, and 2022–23 Kia Carnival minivan, totaling over 570,000 vehicles.Water accumulation on the tow hitch harness may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire. Hyundai and Kia issued a warning for owners of over 570,000 vehicles across multiple models and years to park away from structures, due to a fire risk. Hyundai Santa Fe models from 2019–2023 are at risk, as are 2022–2023 Hyundai Santa Cruz and Kia Carnival models. The fire risk stems from a defect with tow-hitch harnesses installed either as original equipment or purchased as a dealer accessory. The potential fire risk occurs through water accumulation on the tow hitch harness circuit board, which may cause an electrical short, and ultimately a fire. Hyundai reports a total of 567,912 affected vehicles combined across models, though the estimated percentage of vehicles with the defect is only one percent. NHTSA documents show Kia reporting 3555 vehicles potentially involved, also estimating a one percent defect rate.HyundaiNHTSA documents show that Hyundai has identified six total incidents related to the recall, with one report of a fire and five reports of thermal damage isolated to the trailer harness. NHTSA documents also show that there have been no reported instances of fires with the Kia Carnival. Neither manufacturer has identified injuries related to the recall. Owners of any of the affected vehicles are advised to park their vehicles outside, and away from any structures or other vehicles until a repair has been completed. Documents show that Hyundai plans to inspect affected vehicles and remove the tow hitch harness as necessary while working on a long-term solution. Once the final repair is available, dealers will install a new fuse and wire extension kit. Documents from Kia show a plan to verify whether the vehicle has a genuine Kia accessory tow hitch, and install a new fuse and wire extension kit where necessary. Owner notification letters will be mailed to those affected in May, 2023. Concerned owners can always check their VIN number on the NHTSA website.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

Ford expects to lose roughly $3 billion from the electric-vehicle arm of the company this year. The increased losses are expected due to money being spent on manufacturing facilities in Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as the addition of alternate battery chemistries. Ford issued the bleak forecast in a Thursday morning call with reporters. Ford is projecting an increase in losses from its EV unit, labeled Model e, up from $2.1 billion last year to total nearly $3 billion in 2023. The increase in losses is expected to come even as sales of the Mustang Mach-E electric crossover and F-150 Lightning full-size electric pickup truck grow and the company invests further in increased production. The forecast came in a Thursday morning call with reporters where Ford outlined a new financial-reporting structure. The company announced a new reporting structure broken into Ford Blue (gas/hybrid vehicles), Ford Model e (breakout EVs), and Ford Pro (commercial vehicles). Ford”We’ve essentially ‘refounded’ Ford, with business segments that provide new degrees of strategic clarity, insight and accountability to the Ford+ plan for growth and value,” CFO John Lawler said. “It’s not only about changing how we report financial results; we’re transforming how we think, make decisions and run the company, and allocate capital for highest returns.”Losses from the EV division will be covered by an expected increase in profits for the other two Ford divisions, with Lawler projecting $7 billion in earnings before interest and taxes this year for Ford Blue, and roughly $6 billion for Ford Pro. Speaking to reporters, Lawler explained the reasoning behind the expected losses for the Model e arm of the business.More Ford Stories”Ford Model e is an EV startup within Ford,” he said. “As everyone knows, EV startups lose money while they invest in capabilities, develop knowledge, build volume, and gain share.”Those mounting losses will come as Ford continues to invest in ramping up EV production numbers. The company is planning the construction of two new battery-cell factories in Kentucky and a third in Tennessee, along with the $3.5 billion lithium-iron-phosphate battery plant it will build in Marshall, Michigan. 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.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

Aston Martin has filed a trademark in the U.S. for the nameplate “DB12,” as first reported by CarBuzz.The DB12 is expected to be revealed this year as a refreshed version of the DB11, which has been on sale since 2017.We expected the DB12 to retain the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8, but it may gain a 48-volt hybrid system.Aston Martin’s aging sports-car lineup is due for a major overhaul, and a new trademark filing—first reported by CarBuzz—suggests that this update will usher in a new nameplate. The British automaker has filed for the name DB12 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which will presumably be applied to a heavily refreshed version of the DB11 expected to make its debut later this year.Jessica Lynn Walker|Car and DriverLast year, Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll said that all of the company’s sports cars—the Vantage, DB11, and DBS—would be overhauled in 2023. Stroll revealed that the changes would be so drastic that they would essentially be “all-new cars,” and the new trademark seems to confirm that. This would be the first time since the DB6 went out of production in 1970 that one of Aston Martin’s DB series of sports cars would bear an even-numbered badge. More Aston Martin NewsAlong with revised styling, the update is expected to bring a more modern infotainment system that will scrap the touchpad setup and be better differentiated from the Mercedes-Benz system on which it is based. The DB12 will likely retain the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8—also borrowed from Mercedes—although it could gain a 48-volt hybrid setup like in the Mercedes-AMG GLS63. It’s unclear if the V-12 will live on in the DB12. More details should arrive later this year.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.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More