VinFast Automotive— the Vietnamese car startup — is set to build its first North American assembly plant in North Carolina’s Triangle Innovation Point, right outside of Raleigh. The company will invest a total of $5 billion in the facility which will eventually employ 13,000 workers, according to the Raleigh News and Observer. The Vinfast plant won’t just be North Carolina’s first EV facility, it’ll also be the state’s first car manufacturing plant. Toyota also announced plans last year to build a $1.29 billion battery manufacturing plant in Randolph County, further cementing North Carolina’s status as the next potential EV hub.
We’ve already heard about VinFast’s two new electric crossover cars — the VF32 and the VF33 — that it plans to debut in the US this summer. But the North Carolina plant will focus on building two other cars: the VinFast VF 9, a 7-passenger all-electric SUV and the VinFast VF 8, a 5-passenger, all-electric mid-size SUV. The company is aiming to make both lines available for delivery in the US later this year.
As far as SUVs go, both VinFast models will be reasonably priced. The smaller car, the two-row VF 8, will retail for $39,400. The three-row VF 9 will retail for $53,700. Drivers have the option of selecting different battery sizes for each model. The VF 8 with a smaller battery has a range of 285 miles, with a bigger battery the range increases to 313 miles. Meanwhile, the VF 9 is likely to come with a larger battery pack that could give it a range of up to 423 miles, InsideEVs reported. If this actually happens, this would put the VF 9 at a higher maximum range than many of its competitors in the electric SUV space. For the sake of comparison, the 2021 Tesla Model X has a range of 360 miles and the Kia EV9 SUV has a range of 300 miles.
Even as far as EV startups go, VinFast is relatively new to the game. The company is a subsidiary of a Vietnamese conglomerate called VinGroup, and only started making cars in 2017. Both its cars and scooters are popular in Vietnam, but it has yet to sell any cars abroad, reported the Raleigh News and Observer. But with its first US manufacturing facility in the works, the Vietnamese startup is likely to gain more credibility stateside.
It’s a terrible time to buy a car. The global chip shortage and a pandemic-driven demand for safe transportation has pushed prices to obscene levels. It’s not unusual to see dealers adding on $10,000 or more in “market adjustment fees.” For most people, the smartest decision right now is to hold onto your current car for as long as possible. But as my wife and I began preparing for our second child, we realized we needed a larger vehicle for carrying twice as much baby gear, as well as to take the occasional road trip.
As much as I loved my 2017 RAV4 Hybrid, it would have been too tight with two car seats in the backseat along with two kids worth of gear in the trunk. It also didn’t have CarPlay integration, which meant I had to rely on Bluetooth audio and Toyota’s abysmal infotainment apps. (I was particularly annoyed that I couldn’t even play the radio while using Google Maps navigation.) There weren’t any rear vents for heating and cooling, either, which inevitably turned the back seat into a furnace during Georgia’s obscenely humid summers. That’s a surefire way to make a toddler cranky, and it would be even worse with an infant onboard.
Thankfully, I’ve spent the last few years obsessively researching the perfect family car. (You can thank the pandemic and my desire to tinker with new hardware for that.) Toyota’s hybrid 2021 Sienna taught me that minivans can actually look cool these days and get decent mileage. I’ve also tested out Toyota’s RAV4 Prime, Prius Prime and the Kia Sorento, all of which were plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) with a bit of electric driving range.
At first, I leaned towards the updated Sienna: I genuinely loved our review unit, and Toyota’s reliability is legendary. But it turns out tons of other people had the same idea earlier this year. New Siennas were selling for $8,000 over their list price, based on what I saw at several local dealers. (Who, of course, didn’t tell me about those extra fees until I stepped foot in their godforsaken offices.) And used 2021 models were actually going for more than their original list price. I wasn’t about to spend over $50,000 on a used Sienna.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
Then I remembered the other popular minivan, the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. It’s the only PHEV minivan on the market, delivering 33 miles of electric range and 32 MPG of gas driving. We gave it a glowing review in 2018, and, well, my options were pretty limited earlier this year. My dream car would have been a large family-sized EV, but with the Tesla Model X still far out of reach and no alternatives available, a PHEV simply made more sense.
After being burned by several useless car dealers, I spent weeks hunting through Carvana listings. I appreciated that they were up front about extra fees, they don’t gouge you as much as dealers and I had a great experience buying my RAV4 from them in 2020. Eventually, I found my ideal Pacifica: a Limited 2018 model with low mileage, CarPlay, a tri-plane sunroof, advanced safety features and a 20-speaker sound system. There was no way I was going to look like a cool dad in a minivan, but at least I could have a bit of fun driving it.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
A week later, Carvana took away my RAV4 as a trade-in and delivered the Pacifica to my driveway. It was love at first sight. Even though it’s not as sporty as the Sienna or RAV4 Prime, I love the Pacifica’s cute and quirky aesthetic. It’s as if Chrysler took the idea of a family van and processed it through a ’90s anime filter. Its arched LED daytime running lights seem like they’re winking at you, while the elegant body lines give it a sense of motion while it’s standing still.
The sheer practicality of the Pacifica also won me over quickly. The Pacifica’s sliding doors made it a cinch to install my daughter’s 30-pound car seat, and I appreciated having much more room for child loading/unloading. Being a minivan, its trunk area was massive, even if I decided to have the third-row seats opened up. Those rear seats are a serious upgrade over mid-size SUVs, where they’re only meant for children.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
My wife and I also loved having more interior space in general, since we inevitably found ourselves buried in toddler toys and gear in the RAV4. There’s even enough room for my daughter to use her portable potty between the seats! Another bonus: The rear seats also have two separate video screens, which will be perfect for keeping the kids entertained during long trips.
Things got even better in the driver’s seat, where the Pacifica’s UConnect infotainment system finally made me feel like I was driving a modern car. The 8.4-inch screen was bright enough to be clearly visible in direct sunlight (something my RAV4 struggled to do), and it had a surprisingly responsive touchscreen. While I was most excited to have CarPlay integration, it was nice to see that UConnect’s entire interface could be customized as easily as an iOS device.
Unfortunately, Carvana didn’t ship the Pacifica with a Level 1 charging cable, but I received a voucher to receive one from a local mechanic. That process would take a few weeks though, so I bought another charger myself to get juice up sooner. After 12 hours of charging from a standard wall socket in my garage, the Pacifica truly became the PHEV of my dreams. It handled quietly and smoothly around my neighborhood, giving us enough EV driving to deal with daycare drop-off and pickup, as well as our typical neighborhood errands.
While I’m sure nobody would ever mistake the Pacifica for a Tesla, I definitely surprised some local drivers when I zoomed ahead of them at stop lights. That’s the power of EV torque in action: It was so smooth, it never felt like I was driving a large minivan.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
My family and I had a blissful first few weeks with the Pacifica. We rarely exceeded the 30 miles of EV range we typically saw every day (a bit less than EPA estimates), which meant the gas gauge pretty much stayed put. Sadly, our honeymoon period ended shortly after Valentine’s Day, when Chrysler announced it was recalling 16,741 2017-2018 Pacifica hybrid models. The company said it was aware of 10 vehicles that caught fire while the ignition was off, many of which were also charging at the same time. Chrysler’s advice: Park outside and don’t charge your Pacifica until the problem is fixed.
Sadly, our car was among the recalled models, so now we’re stuck using it like a standard hybrid. The Pacifica is still a very nice family minivan, but without EV driving it just felt less special to me. Occasionally, its regenerative brakes will gather enough juice for a bit of electric fun, but it’s never too long before the V6 engine kicks in and it starts guzzling gas again. We’re also not getting anywhere near the 32MPG estimated mileage. Instead, it’s hovering around 21MPG, which is more in line with the standard gas Pacifica.
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget
After all that research and anticipation, it’s heartbreaking to see our dream PHEV turned into a hybrid with so-so mileage, especially with skyrocketing gas prices. I’m also kicking myself for taking a risk on a Chrysler car, a brand that hasn’t been known for reliability nearly as much as Toyota. All I can do now is hope Chrysler comes up with a fix soon and pray that we don’t have to deal with a car fire with kids onboard. (Or just throw caution to the wind and swap to the Volvo XC90 PHEV.)
The electric revolution is no longer limited to daily drivers and eco-commuters. Luxury brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Porsche have already begun augmenting their lineups with EV variants, while hypercar makers like Lamborghini and Ferrari expect their first electrics to arrive in the next few years. On Tuesday, British automaker Lotus announced that it too has an EV, the 600HP Eletre, with deliveries beginning next year in China, Europe and the UK.
Lotus
Developed under the codename Type 132, the Eletre “takes the heart and soul of the latest Lotus sports car – the Emira – and the revolutionary aero performance of the all-electric Evija hypercar, and reinterprets them as a Hyper-SUV,” according to the company’s press release. It also accomplishes a number of firsts, the release continued: “first five-door production car, the first model outside sports car segments, the first lifestyle EV, the most ‘connected’ Lotus ever.”
The Eletre was developed atop Lotus’ 800V Electric Premium Architecture (EPA) platform. That voltage puts it on par with the Audi e-Tron and Hyundai Ioniq 5, meaning that on a 350 kW DC fast charger, drivers will be able to add around 248 miles of range in a 20 minute charge, according to the company. Lotus hasn’t specified how big the battery will be beyond that it “has a battery capacity that’s over 100 kWh” but the company is estimating a total range of 373 miles, equivalent to that of the Tesla Model X Long Range Plus. Its dual front and rear motors will reportedly output 600 horsepower producing a top speed of 161 MPH and a sub-3 second 0-60.
Lotus
Ben Payne led development of the Eletre’s exterior design, which features “porous” aerodynamics, a low stance atop the platform’s long wheelbase with short overhangs at either end. “The Eletre is a progressive all-electric performance vehicle embodying emotion, intelligence and prestige and, as the first of the brand’s lifestyle cars, it sets the standard for what will follow,” he said. “We have taken the iconic design language of the Lotus sports car and successfully evolved it into an elegant and exotic Hyper-SUV.”
The interior will offer either the traditional two-buckets-and-a-bench layout or an optional four individual seats, front and rear, beneath a fixed panoramic sunroof. The material choices for the cabin reflect Lotus’ net-zero goals, with “durable man-made microfibres on the primary touchpoints, and an advanced wool-blend fabric on the seats,” while the hard parts are constructed from little bits of carbon fiber recycled from the edge of weaves rather than being made specially.
Lotus
The infotainment system is a whole production. “Below the instrument panel a blade of light runs across the cabin, sitting in a ribbed channel that widens at each end to create the air vents,” Tuesday’s announcement read. This light blade serves as part of the vehicle’s HMI and changes color to alert occupants of important events like incoming calls.
Below that is a 30mm tall “ribbon of technology.” On the driverside, that ribbon serves as the instrument cluster, displaying vehicle and trip information, which can also be displayed via the AR system, which comes standard. On the passenger side, a second ribbon shows relevant contextual information like the nearby points of interest or the current music selection which plays through a KEF Premium 1,380-watt 15-speaker surround sound set-up with Uni-QTM.
Lotus
Between these two ribbons sits a 15.1-inch OLED touchscreen infotainment system that folds away when not in use. While most of the cabin controls are digital and can be used either through the touchscreen or voice interfaces, Lotus deemed some functions vital enough to warrant being mirrored to physical knobs and switches so drivers won’t have to dig through submenus to turn on the windshield wipers. Even those digital controls, Lotus boasts that “with three touches of the main screen users can access 95 percent of the car’s functionality.”
Lotus
The Eletre is also the first vehicle on the market with a deployable LIDAR array. Used to supplement the driver assist system the unit pops up from the top of the windscreen, top of the rear glass and the front wheel arches — like the headlights from a 1990 MX-5 — when in use and then retracts when finished to maintain aerodynamics.
“ADAS technologies such as LIDAR sensors and cameras will become increasingly common on new cars as we move into a more autonomous era, and to have the world’s first deployable LIDAR system on the Eletre is a signal of the technology vision we have for Lotus,” said Maximilian Szwaj, Vice President of Lotus Technology and Managing Director, LTIC. “This car has tech for today, and also for tomorrow, as it’s been developed to accept OTA updates as standard.”
Lotus
Manufacturing begins later this year at Lotus’ new production plant in Wuhan, China with deliveries beginning in 2023. The model will be available first in China, Europe and the UK. The company hasn’t disclosed pricing details yet.
If you thought it wouldn’t be long before Kia turned the Concept EV9 into a production model, you guessed correctly. The automaker has revealed that a road-ready version of the electric SUV will be available in Europe in 2023. There was no mention of launches in North America or other regions, but it’s an SUV — it may just be a matter of time before you see the EV9 cruising American and Canadian streets.
Kia didn’t say what would change in the transition from concept to production. However, we’d expect the badge to cut many of the more exotic features, including the yoke, giant wheels, retractable roof rails and lounge-like seating modes. We wouldn’t be surprised if Kia kept the 27-inch display and even the hood-mounted solar panel, though.
The production EV9 might also preserve the claimed specs. The concept promised up to 300 miles of range and 350kW fast charging that could take it from a 10 percent charge to 80 percent in 30 minutes. Kia also recently detailed autonomous “Automode” technology for the EV9 that can take over from the driver on the highway.
There are still important unknowns like pricing. Even so, the EV9 could be one of Kia’s most important all-electric vehicles to date, at least in some areas. While the EV6 has been well-received so far, some markets (particularly North America) skew heavily toward crossovers and SUVs. The EV9 could help Kia take on competitors like the Tesla Model Y and Volkswagen ID.4, not to mention reel in buyers who haven’t been thrilled by the Niro EV.
For years, the Nissan Leaf was the best-selling EV in the world — then the Model 3 appeared on the scene. Still, Nissan has lots of EV experience and it’s transferring all that knowledge into the 2023 Nissan Ariya SUV. With a starting price of around $40,000, the electric vehicle is expected to land in US showrooms this fall.
Ahead of that, we had a chance to drive the latest Nissan EV on a track in Spain. The automaker set up various portions of the track to recreate different driving conditions. The result isn’t as good as a real-world drive, but we did get a good feeling of how the vehicle drives and got a chance to check out its very nice interior. Watch the video above for the full story.
With its newly minted bi-directional charging capabilities, the Ford F-150 Lightning can now serve as a backup home power supply in a pinch. Soon, the automaker hopes it might do the same for your office space thanks to a new partnership with Cisco, makers of Webex conference software.
Ford CEO Jim Farley announced on Tuesday, “We’re going all in, creating separate but complementary businesses that give us start-up speed and unbridled innovation.” So far that effort has seen the company announce in recent months plans to separate its EV and ICE businesses, produce in excess of 600,000 EVs annually by in 2023, and introduce seven new EV models to the European market in the next few years.
And what better way for Ford to fully capture the hearts and minds of the American driving public than to outfit their electric vehicles with the internet’s most popular pastime since March 2020, online conference calling? “We’re looking at ways to bring the human connection in,” Darren Palmer, Vice President, Ford Electric Vehicle Programs, said in a press statement. “We don’t see why people wouldn’t be using their vehicles as a fantastic quality office, to be able to collaborate together.”
To that end, Ford and Cisco have partnered to “unlock the browser experience on SYNC4A,” the automaker’s infotainment system, and are currently developing a WebEx app capable of running natively on the HTML 5-centric OS. “Ford is excited to be collaborating with Webex by Cisco for next-gen experiences in our electric vehicles,” Palmer continued. “We see Webex as providing a secure and immersive collaboration experience.”
Your cat jumping in front of the webcam can be quite cute when you’re conference calling from home. Your kids loudly melting down in the back seat about who may or may not be touching whom is decidedly less adorable. To help prevent those high-decibel interruptions, future Ford EVs will be outfitted with Webex’s Optimize for My Voice feature which automatically mutes out everybody in the cabin who isn’t part of the meeting. To further minimize distractions to the driver, “We’ll make sure that any collaboration like Webex is deployed only when the vehicle is stationary, or audio-only when driving,” Palmer said. The companies did not disclose a timeline for the application’s eventual release.
Tesla has delivered the first 30 Model Y cars manufactured at its $5.5 billion Grenheide, Germany Gigafactory that officially opened today, Reuters has reported. “Excited to hand over the first production cars made by Giga Berlin-Brandenburg tomorrow!” tweeted Tesla CEO Elon Musk yesterday.
The event, delayed from last year due to environmental and other complaints, is being attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz. “Some people didn’t trust Germany could do this,” regional finance minister Joerg Steinbach told RBB radio yesterday. “We showed the world.”
Excited to hand over the first production cars made by Giga Berlin-Brandenburg tomorrow!
Tesla came close to losing its water supply contracts following a complaint by local environmental groups. It addressed them by promising to minimize water usage, and also said it would plant more trees than it removed during construction.
The company received final approval to start production on March 4th. Steinbach said that there was currently enough water for the plant, but added that Tesla will have to tap additional sources a longer distance away for any expansion.
Tesla plans to produce 5,000 to 10,000 vehicles per week by the end of 2022, and the plant will eventually have a production capacity of 500,000 vehicles per year and 50 gigawatt hours (GWh) of battery power, more than any other German factory. Volkswagen produced around 450,000 EVs globally last year, and is planning a €2 billion EV plant in Wolfsburg that’s set to open in 2026.
Chosen buyers will receive the €63,990 ($70,370) Model Y Performance EV with 320 miles of range. Tesla has released several stories marking the occasion, showing several shots of the Gigafactory’s interior and exterior.
It’s all too common for electric vehicle makers to delay releases, but GM claims it’s bucking the trend. The company says it has started production of the Cadillac Lyriq at its Spring Hill, Tennessee plant about nine months ahead of the initial schedule. GM didn’t say how many of the sold-out reservations for the luxury crossover translated to real purchases, but it will take more orders for the Lyriq starting May 19th. The EV is due to reach dealers in the first half of the year.
The Lyric is Cadillac’s first EV, and the first passenger vehicle to use GM’s Ultium platform beyond the Hummer EV. It won’t be as brawny as the Hummer with its estimate 340HP motor system, but it’s expected to net 300-plus miles of range and 190kW fast charging at compatible stations. You can also anticipate plenty of tech, including a 33-inch OLED screen and Super Cruise hands-free highway driving. More importantly, the Lyriq will start at $59,990 — still not cheap, but it’s far more affordable than the $79,995 minimum you’ll pay for the Hummer.
The Lyriq doesn’t quite represent the next generation of mainstream GM EVs. For that, you’ll have to wait until Chevy’s electric Silverado ($39,900) and Equinox (roughly $30,000). It does serve as a bridge between the Hummer and more affordable models, though, and it’s certainly easier to justify for those that don’t need the Hummer’s off-roading abilities.
Lucid Motors had a plan: Instead of taking on Tesla, it was determined to shoot past the EV-only automaker with its vehicles and instead, go after Germany. More specifically, the German luxury sedan. With a combination of power, range and opulence, it …
Porsche is today updating the world on its financial results and, by extension, its plans to remain relevant in a world that’s clearly not going to survive climate change. The German luxury brand said that it had seen sales leap by €4.4 billion (around $4.8 billion) and plenty of interest in its models. For the third year running, Porsche’s pure-EV Taycan line managed to outsell the iconic 911, with 41,296 units of the electric ride out the door, while the flagship managed 38,464 units. To Mother Nature’s chagrin, however, both were outsold by the Macan and Cayenne SUVs, which sold around 171,433 units between them.
The company has said that it wants 80 percent of its sales to be “all-electric” by 2030, with an additional plan to be carbon-neutral at the same time. Part of that push will be led by a new version of the mid-engine 718, which will be released “exclusively in an all-electric form” at some point around 2025. Of course, it won’t be until we get an entirely electric 911 and Cayenne that we’ll see the real extent of Porsche’s commitment. But hopefully the baby steps so far will translate into much faster action the closer we get to the end of this decade.
Porsche has also announced that it will invest in “premium charging stations” and “its own charging infrastructure.” The company has experience in this area, after launching a high-profile charging station in Leipzig, but this is likely to be a neat euphemism for taking a leaf out of Tesla’s book, launching or franchising a wide network of own-brand EV stops explicitly designed to cater for its own customers. It’s something that (stablemate) Audi has also spoken about doing, and showed off a concept for an Audi-only, premium charging hub last year. The company added that it is looking to get new, high-performance battery cells from Cellforce which are due to begin shipping in 2024.
