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Range Rovers are the second most often stolen vehicle in the U.K., with most thefts occurring in London.Insurance brokers have responded by refusing to insure London-based Range Rovers, or increasing rates by as much as double.There have reportedly been no thefts of new-shape Range Rovers—yet.The Range Rover is a common sight in the metropolises of the world, built to handle mud and gravel but more usually seen gliding up to the valet at a fancy restaurant. Even on London’s busy and sometimes narrow streets, a wafting Rover is a popular choice, whether for actual Royals or just the very well-heeled. But in the U.K.’s capital city, Range Rovers have become popular with a more nefarious set.Thieves. (Or, as a London bobby might call them, the criminal element.) According to recent reporting from the U.K. magazine Autocar, Range Rovers have become the second most popular vehicle to steal in the U.K., with 5200 of them nicked in 2022. The vast majority of these thefts happened in London, and insurance companies have taken notice. (We know you will ask: the U.K.’s number-one most frequently stolen car in 2022 was the Ford Fiesta.)This situation isn’t like that of the recent rash of thefts of Hyundais and Kias. Instead of pranksters on TikTok, many of these Range Rovers are said to be stolen by networks of professional thieves taking advantage of keyless entry technology. Apparently it’s all too easy to fence a hot Range Rover, either locally or by shipping it overseas, never to be seen again. According to one investigator interviewed by Autocar, the issue isn’t with some security flaw, but simply because a Range Rover is a fat and valuable target. Crime pays.Insurance companies, on the other hand, do not enjoy paying out. Premiums for Range Rovers have reportedly skyrocketed in the U.K., doubling in some cases. That’s assuming you can get coverage at all, as some insurers will flat out not cover a Range Rover. Autocar did its homework here, requesting quotes on a current full-size Range Rover vs. an equivalently priced Bentley Bentayga. Quotes on the Rover topped out at the equivalent of $7200, double to triple the prices quoted for the Bentayga.Thefts reported are of older Range Rover models, not the current one. JLR representatives noted to Autocar that they were working on solutions to the insurance issue and further pointed out the advanced security features available via the company’s Remote app. C/D has also reached out to the automaker for additional comment.Back in the Day, a Jaguar Was a Hot TargetAs a fun aside, this is not Jaguar Land Rover’s first experience as the choice of criminals. In the 1960s, Jaguar’s Mk II sedans were the pick of the likes of Roy “The Weasel” James, a getaway driver in a number of brazen heists. In those cases, the Jag was picked for its ability to outrun the coppers. Here, the Range Rover is itself the ill-gotten gain.In the U.S., the most commonly stolen vehicle is the Ford F-150, a consequence of its ubiquity. But there are periodic hot spots of Range Rover theft too—one brief spate just happened north of the border in Edmonton, Alberta, where thieves made off with six 2017–2021 model Land Rover products.So if you own a Range Rover, perhaps invest in the best immobilizer and vehicle tracking technology you can afford. And if you see a bunch of shifty-looking figures with Cockney accents hanging around, best to lock the garage up extra tight. Car and driverCar and driver Lettermark logoContributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More

There’s no question the Inflation Reduction Act is driving massive changes in the U.S. electric vehicle market, both for shoppers buying them and companies making them.No decisions have been announced, but the new law makes building EVs in America “very attractive,” Audi CEO Markus Duesmann said late last week.If Audi does build EVs here, it will be just the latest in a long line of companies. Following the signing of the IRA last August, over $28 billion in EV manufacturing investments for the U.S. have been announced.The IRA’s hits just keep on coming.The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which was passed into law last August, shook up the electric-vehicle market in the U.S. One shakeup came in the way the law encourages domestic EV production, and the latest automaker to respond is Audi, which said Friday that it is evaluating construction of a new EV factory in the U.S. Full Details and Specs”The IRA has made building a U.S. plant for electric cars very attractive,” Audi CEO Markus Duesmann told the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. Duesmann said if Audi does build EVs here, it would probably be at a joint plant with the Volkswagen Group, according to Reuters. The Washington Post quotes Duesmann as saying, “Decisions have not yet been made, but the VW Group will probably make more cars over there [in the U.S.] in the future for the U.S. market.” While Volkswagen has a plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Audi does not currently have any plants in the U.S., and the automaker’s e-tron EVs are built in Brussels, Belgium. The Audi production facility closest to the U.S. is in San Jose Chiapa, Mexico, where Audi builds the Q5. To qualify for some of the changed tax credits laid out in the IRA, EVs increasingly need to be assembled in the U.S. Other recent federal legislation, especially the CHIPS and Science Act, are also encouraging companies to make EV components, like batteries and silicon chips, in the U.S. The IRA’s details change as the years go on, but the overall trend has already prompted over $28 billion in EV manufacturing investment announcements between the signing of the law in August and the end of 2022, according to the Electric Vehicle Association. Figures from the Bureau of Economic Analysis show that investment in U.S. factories of all types is rising, too, from around $70 to $75 billion per quarter in 2020 to $88–$105 billion per quarter in 2022, the Washington Post noted. An analyst the paper spoke to said the industry expects these numbers to keep going up in the years to come as more incentives come online.More about the IRAAudi has ambitious electrification plans for its U.S. fleet. Audi of America has said it will have one-third of its portfolio be electrified by 2025. Audi has also said it will invest around $19 billion to develop and produce new hybrid and electric vehicles. A new U.S. plant would fit well with those plans. 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.Contributing Editor Sebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

Porsche has updated its Roads route-planning app with AI that seeks out twisty or scenic roads; to add to the AI input, the app’s 180,000 users can rate routes, create their own, and add in useful tips.The app was launched in 2019 but now has been upgraded with artificial intelligence that can help find roads to suit user-entered specifications.Route planning connects directly to any vehicle equipped with Apple CarPlay; no Porsche required.Artificial intelligence isn’t quite at the level of HAL or Skynet yet, but the internet has adopted the technology as its new fun toy. Want to see art of every U.S. president as a Pixar character, or challenge a chatbot to write a Seinfeld episode in the style of Shakespeare? AI can do that for you. But Porsche thinks AI can be more than just a distraction. It’s betting that AI can help you generate the drive of a lifetime.PorschePorsche launched its Roads app in 2019, and today the company says this app currently has approximately 180,000 users. The latest refresh adds in the ability for route planning that incorporates an algorithm to find the best way to get from point A to point B.Full Details and SpecsBig deal! Plenty of navigation apps already do that. But the difference with Porsche’s app is that “best” here is defined by the operator. Where Google Maps takes into account driving time or fuel efficiency, Roads lets the user select for a more challenging or scenic route. If you’re looking to tear things up in your 718 Cayman GTS 4.0, you set your profile to look for something curvy. Want to hit the sights on a cross-continent trip in a Cayenne? Roads will help you find the best local can’t-miss spots.Best of all, while the app currently runs only on iPhones, not Android phones, you don’t need a Porsche. Roads will work on any car fitted with Apple CarPlay, letting you pick out your route on your phone and then follow it on your car’s infotainment screen.Along with the AI-generated routes, Roads also incorporates crowdsourced elements. Users can rate the various routes, create their own, and leave comments.Where this tech really shines isn’t so much in your local area; if you’re an enthusiast, you probably have worked out your favorite back roads already. But if you’re on a road trip, or traveling in an unfamiliar area, the Roads app will help you find the good driving roads. It’s a free download, so make sure you have it with you on your next trip—and maybe take the upgrade at the rental counter for something a bit more fun to drive. Car and driverCar and driver Lettermark logoContributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More