Are auto industry investors getting fed up with legacy auto OEMs riding the brakes on the EV transition? At Daimler Truck’s recent annual general meeting, a group of activist shareholders highlighted the company’s anemic 2025 financial results and raised concerns that the company’s lobbying against climate regulations might be jeopardizing its long-term competitiveness. Recently, Toyota,… Read more »
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2027 Volvo EX60 First Drive: Volvo starts over on EVs with midsize SUV
Quiet, calm, and identifiably a Volvo, the EX60 expands the brand’s EV lineup into the popular midsize SUV segment—in a variety of performance levels and prices. The 2027 Volvo EX60 is only the brand’s second ground-up battery-electric vehicle, after the larger US-built three-row EX90 SUV launched in September 2024. That model had major teething troubles… Read more »
Influencers are introducing US web surfers to Chinese EVs
Forbidden fruit tastes sweetest, ‘tis said. Chinese EVs, which by all accounts are as good as or better than anything US automakers have to offer, are taboo to US buyers (but soon, not to Canadians). However, American early-adopter types are developing a taste for them, thanks to internet influencers. Bloomberg reports that an annual survey… Read more »
Dealerships sue Volkswagen over plans to sell Scout plug-in vehicles directly to consumers
In the Internet Age, consumers have gotten used to buying products directly from their makers, and many see the traditional arrangement by which automakers can sell their wares only through independent dealerships as a vestige of a previous century. “Not so!” say dealers. “We provide essential product information and after-sales service.” But EVs require less… Read more »
2027 Chevrolet Bolt First Drive: $29K price, 262 miles, all the old Bolt virtues
Components borrowed from other GM EVs, a LFP battery, and up-to-date new software gives the classic Bolt a brief new life. The Bolt is back! The new 2027 Chevrolet Bolt has been available at some Chevy dealers since last month, and now we’ve driven it. GM’s lowest-priced EV remains what it always was: a practical… Read more »
Next year, your luxury Uber robotaxi may be a Lucid; how it all came together
From the sensor-packed ‘tiara’ on the roof to the Nuro software stack providing autonomous driving, the Lucid Gravity met all the qualifications for a self-driving luxury Uber. Lucid’s robotaxi is ready for the road—except for one small detail. It still needs to fit the microsprayers that will clean its various sensors to ensure they work… Read more »
Ford dials back EV efforts, will focus on high-margin fossil fuel trucks
As expected, Ford has cancelled production of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. Also no surprise to those of us who follow the industry: the company has issued a pair of press releases designed to frame the failure as a positive development. And it may be—if the company’s goals are to shore up its bottom… Read more »
USPS finally gets some EVs on the road
How long does it take for a fleet to electrify? The answer depends on various factors, but it really shouldn’t take nine years—unless the fleet in question belongs to a quasi-governmental agency, and the transition is taking place against a background of unprecedented political turmoil. Postal delivery vehicles are a picture-perfect use case for EVs—short,… Read more »
China’s 51% EV tipping point comes with a couple of caveats
New energy passenger vehicles (the Chinese term for what we call plug-in vehicles, including EVs and PHEVs) have achieved a year-to-date market share of 51% in China. According to registration data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), plug-ins have exceeded a 50% market share for each of the last five months. China is… Read more »
2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9: priciest Hyundai is huge inside, offers comfortable three-row travel
PROS: Capacious; rated range over 300 miles; built in the US; silent, smooth; NACS charging port. CONS: The most expensive Hyundai; looks are in the eye of the beholder. The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is the brand’s largest and priciest electric vehicle. In fact, it’s the priciest Hyundai period, now that Genesis is the Korean… Read more »