Maxxd.com

Category: Highlight

  • 2022 Subaru BRZ, 2022 Honda Civic, Volkswagen Aero: Today’s Car News

    Subaru has unveiled a redesigned BRZ and it packs a bigger, more powerful engine. The lively rear-wheel-drive sports car is due out next year and once again there will be a Toyota twin.

    Subaru has previewed its redesigned Civic sedan with a prototype. The new compact will feature a more rigid version of the current generation’s platform, which bodes well for the eventual Si and Type R performance variants.

    Volkswagen has confirmed plans for a four-door EV currently doing the rounds as the Aero. It is likely to replace the Arteon when it enters production in 2023.

    You’ll find these stories and more in today’s car news, right here at Motor Authority.

    2022 Subaru BRZ preview: No turbo, but more power

    2022 Honda Civic dials up the wow factor with good looks, digital dash

    Volkswagen Aero: New EV coming in 2023 as likely replacement for Arteon

    2017-2019 Chevy Bolt EV recalled for battery fire risk

    UK confirms plans to move up ban on ICE cars to 2030

    Tesla is discontinuing the $35,000 Model 3—yes, again

    1952 Ferrari that raced at Le Mans and once traded hands for $200 is up for sale

    2021 Mazda CX-30 review

    2021 Land Rover Range Rover Velar receives mild-hybrid tech but loses V-8

    Rivian R1T configurator reveals $10,000 premium for 400+ mile range in electric trucks

    Source

  • 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV spy shots: Electric SUV to join S-Class family

    Mercedes-Benz is out testing a new member of its EQ family of battery-electric vehicles.

    It’s a crossover SUV to be called the EQS SUV, and it’s due on sale in 2022 likely as a 2023 model.

    As the name suggests, the EQS SUV will be a high-riding counterpart to the EQS sedan due in 2021 as a 2022 model. Both EQS models will form part of an expanded S-Class family. Smaller EQE and EQE SUV models are also coming. The EQE, a sedan, is also out testing.

    [embedded content]

    These future EVs will be based on Mercedes’ first dedicated EV platform, known as EVA (Electric Vehicle Architecture). It’s the familiar skateboard design and in some models will potentially support a driving range higher than 400 miles.

    Previous Mercedes EVs such as the current EQC are all based on platforms originally developed for internal-combustion models, hence many of the packaging benefits of EVs couldn’t be fully realized. This won’t be the case for EVA-based models. For instance, the EQS and EQS SUV will rival mid-size models in exterior dimensions but should offer the interior space of full-size models.

    For future compact and small vehicles, Mercedes will develop a second dedicated EV platform, dubbed MMA. The first MMA-based vehicles will arrive around 2025.

    2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS prototype and Vision EQS concept

    2022 Mercedes-Benz EQS prototype and Vision EQS concept

    Styling for the EQS and this EQS SUV was previewed in 2019 with the Vision EQS concept car. The look is characterized by slim headlights whose lines flow into a sealed-off grille. In the case of the EQS SUV, the design appears closer in style and proportion to a minivan than an SUV, similar to the Tesla Model X against which it will compete. Other potential rivals include the upcoming BMW iNext and Cadillac Lyriq.

    In the United States, Mercedes was meant to kick off its EV transformation this year with the arrival of the EQC. The automaker has since confirmed that the EQS will be used to spearhead its EV plans in this market. It’s part of a new top-down approach announced by Ola Kaellenius, CEO of Mercedes parent company Daimler, in October.

    The EQS and this EQS SUV, along with the EQE and EQE SUV, are part of Mercedes’ plan to have 10 EVs in its lineup by the end of 2022. Others include EQA and EQB compact SUVs, and electric commercials like the eVito and eSprinter vans. An electric G-Class is also in the works. Some of these upcoming EVs will also have Mercedes-AMG and Maybach variants.

    Source

  • Uber reportedly wants to offload self-driving division

    Uber is looking to sell its self-driving technology division known as Uber Advanced Technology Group, according to media reports.

    Citing three people familiar with the matter, TechCrunch reported last week that Uber is in talks to sell the Uber ATG division to Aurora Innovation, a much smaller rival in the self-driving technology space.

    Uber ATG as recently as 2019 received a $1 billion investment from a consortium of Japanese firms that included Toyota and automotive supplier Denso. At the time, Uber ATG was valued at $7.5 billion.

    But the division, which in 2018 saw one of its prototypes hit and kill a pedestrian, has been burning through cash as it seeks to develop a self-driving system, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, which could potentially be too costly for Uber as the ride-hailing giant continues to deal with the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.

    As for Aurora, the company was established in 2016 with Chris Urmson, one of the early heads of the Google Self-Driving Car Project, now Waymo, among the co-founders. Another co-founder, Sterling Anderson, was in charge of development of Tesla’s Autopilot self-driving system before he quit to join Urmson at Aurora.

    While the company initially made headlines with deals with Volkswagen Group and Hyundai, things have been quiet recently and VW Group and Hyundai have since gone on to establish more substantial deals with rival self-driving technology companies Argo AI and Aptiv, respectively.

    Unlike Uber, Aurora doesn’t plan to offer a self-driving service. Instead the company wants to sell or license its self-driving system to other firms. As a result, any deal between Uber and Aurora could see Uber end up using a self-driving system from Aurora in the future.

    Source