2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime adds fuel efficiency and power in equal measure
The 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime is a plug-in hybrid version of the popular RAV4 crossover. It may also be the best version. The Prime is the most powerful, quickest accelerating, and most fuel-efficient RAV4, Toyota claims. The RAV4 Prime debuts at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show and goes on sale in 2020.
Too hip for a minivan? Check out VW’s all-electric ID.Space Vizzion concept
The Volkswagen ID.Space Vizzion is the latest in a series of electric concept cars from the company. It previews a potential production model with a 300-mile range. Volkswagen claims the ID.Space Vizzion's interior was made using only sustainable materials, and that the car is very aerodynamic.
All-electric Mini Cooper SE road-tripped from San Francisco to Los Angeles
Ahead of the 2019 Los Angeles Auto, the 2020 Mini Cooper SE did a road trip from San Francisco to the City of Angels. Mini's first mass-market electric car goes on sale in March 2020. Mini previously sent the Coope SE on a road trip from Munich to Frankfurt, but this California drive was much longer.
Acura adds some supercar touches to its MDX family crossover
Contining the trend started by the TLX, the 2020 Acura MDX PMC Edition is built in the same factory as the NSX supercar. Acura PMC Editions get fancy Valencia Red Pearl paint, and go through the same thorough inspection process as the NSX. The MDX PMC Edition debuts at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Inside Volkswagen’s plan to finally bring affordable electric cars to the masses
Volkswagen is opening its first factory dedicated to electric car production, the first step toward a goal of selling 22 million electric cars worldwide by 2028. Digital Trends got a firsthand look at the factory building the Volkswagen ID.3, the automaker's first mass-market electric car.
Denver residents now have more opportunities to hail an electric Lyft ride
Lyft is making 200 electric cars available to Denver drivers through its Express Drive rental program. The company claims this is the most electric cars it has ever launched at once. Lyft wants more ridesharing drivers to use electric cars, but feels additional backing from lawmakers is needed.
Daimler is taking a ‘reality check’ on self-driving cars over safety challenges
Daimler is reigning in expectations for self-driving cars, CEO Ola Kaellenius told a group of reporters. Safety has proven a greater challenge than originally anticipated, he said. Daimler is also unsure if it could make much money off the ridesharing fleets of self-driving cars originally envisioned.
How do you get people to take your electric supercar seriously? Set a lap record
A new Japanese electric supercar called the Aspark Owl will head to the Nürburgring in 2020 to attempt a lap record at the famous German racetrack. Aspark has to beat Porsche to secure a place in the record books. The Aspark Owl boasts a claimed 2,012 horsepower and zero to 60 mph in 1.69 seconds.
Ferrari rediscovers beauty with the 612-horsepower, 199-mph Roma
The Ferrari Roma coupe proves modern Ferraris can be both high tech and beautiful Ferrari clothed the basic platform and twin-turbo V8 from the Portofino in sleeker bodywork to create the Roma. Ferrari claims the coupe will do zero to 62 mph in 3.4 seconds, with a top speed north of 199 mph.
Volkswagen breaks ground on U.S. electric car factory, production starts in 2022
Volkswagen plans to start making electric cars in the United States in 2022. The German automaker is expanding its current Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant to make that possible. Volkswagen will build a crossover based on the ID.Crozz concept at the Tennessee factory alongside internal-combustion models.
F1 has plans to race the world’s first net zero carbon engine in 2030
Formula One wants to effectively eliminate emissions by develop a "net zero" carbon hybrid powertrain. That will likely involve a combination of efficiency improvements and carbon offsets. Formula One also wants to eliminate single-use plastics at its races by 2025, and reduce emissions in other areas.
With newly added AWD, Toyota’s Camry and Avalon are ready to battle winter
The Toyota Camry and Toyota Avalon are getting optional all-wheel drive, which should make both sedans a more practical option in snowy regions of the country. The all-wheel drive system from the Toyota RAV4 was modified to work in the Camry and Avalon, which are currently front-wheel drive only.
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus Boot aims to be the supercar of off-road vehicles
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus is shifting focus from racetracks to the legendary Baja 1000 off-road race. The Boot is a reincarnation of a classic off-road racer, packing up to 650 supercharged horsepower. A racing version will compete in the 2019 Baja 1000, where the original raced 50 years ago.
Volkswagen and HP want your next car to have 3D-printed parts
Volkswagen and HP are looking for ways to get 3D-printed metal parts into production cars. HP was able to print 10,000 scale models of the Volkswagen ID.3 electric car, proving its Metal Jet 3D printers can work at high capacity. Volkswagen wants to 3D print gearshift knobs and other small parts.
Mercedes-Benz’s brawny G-Wagen will get an electric makeover
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class way be one of the last of the old-school SUVs, but it's about to get a modern electric powertrain. The CEO of Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler confirmed it in a speech. Mercedes-Benz plans to launch 10 electric cars by 2022, but it's unclear when the G-Class will go electric.
Former GM factory will get new lease on life building electric trucks
A new startup has acquired the General Motors factory in Lordstown, Ohio, and plans to convert the factory to build electric trucks. These electric trucks will be sold to fleets rather than retail buyers. The startup, Lordstown Motors Corporation, was spun out of Ohio-based Workhorse Group.
Infiniti bets its future on a hybrid system that has flummoxed other automakers
Infiniti plans to offer a hybrid or all-electric powertrain in every model beginning in 2021. But the Nissan luxury brand won't rely on an ordinary hybrid system. Infiniti plans to use a series hybrid system in which a gasoline engine acts only as a generator, without driving the wheels directly.
