Here’s our first look at Kia’s EV9 three-row electric SUV
Enlarge / This is a prototype of the new Kia EV9 electric SUV, which goes on sale in the latter half of 2023.Kia SEOUL, KOREA—In 2021, Kia used that year's Los Angeles Auto Show to debut a new electric concept called the EV9. Today, Kia took the wraps off the production version, which goes on…
The 2023 Kia EV6 GT: We determine its fun formula
Enlarge / Can a 400-mile road trip up the California coast tell us whether the EV6 GT adds enough smiles to justify its added expense over the regular—and already excellent—EV6? We are emotionally connected to our cars. Even when we buy something that's purely utilitarian, we can't be expected to spend that much time with…
Mostly hits with a few misses: The Lucid Air Grand Touring,...
Enlarge / Efficient design and a big battery combine in the Lucid Air Grand Touring.Jonathan Gitlin It's been more than a decade since Tesla proved that it's possible to start a new American automaker—and even become profitable. Its success has sparked a wave of subsequent EV startups, each with a mission to decarbonize our transportation…
Ford will spend $3.5 billion to build lithium iron phosphate battery...
Enlarge / On the left, a nickel cobalt manganese battery cell; on the right, a lithium iron phosphate cell.Ford The US is getting yet another new electric vehicle battery factory. On Monday afternoon, Ford announced that it will spend $3.5 billion to build a new plant in Marshall, Michigan. Significantly, this new site will make…
How Cupra made an electric hot hatch alternative to the Volkswagen...
Enlarge / The Cupra Born is a sporty alternative to the Volkswagen ID.3.Cupra Recently, we reviewed Audi's RS e-tron GT, a handsome four-door electric vehicle that, while closely related to the Porsche Taycan, still manages to feel quite distinctive to drive. As I detailed in that article, the practice of sharing common platforms or architectures…
When is a Porsche not a Porsche? When it’s a 2022...
Enlarge / Danish racing driver Tom Kristensen leads another pair of Audi RS e-tron GTs through the corkscrew corner at Laguna Seca.Audi Call it platform sharing, call it badge engineering, call it what you like—car companies have collaborated with each other to make cars for much of the automobile's history. Sometimes these link-ups happen between…
A Polestar-tuned Polestar 2 is the best Polestar
Enlarge / You can tell this Polestar 2 is a bit more special than most Polestar 2s by the great big stripe and the large number two.Roberto Baldwin Polestar tunes Volvos. Polestar used to tune only Volvos. Taking a Volvo and making it better was Polestar’s only real job until it became one of the…
A Polestar-Tuned Polestar 2 is the best Polestar
Enlarge / You can tell this Polestar 2 is a bit more special than most Polestar 2s by the great big stripe and the large number two.Roberto Baldwin Polestar tunes Volvos. Polestar used to only tune Volvos. Taking a Volvo and making it better was Polstar’s only real job until it became one of the…
Electric doesn’t mean boring—Porsche’s EV future includes plenty of power
Enlarge / The exterior clues that this is a Porsche 718 GT4 ePerformance and not a 718 GT4 Clubsport are subtle; it's 140 mm (5.5 inches) wider, and the headlight projectors look more like a Taycan's than a Cayman's. But it's an all-electric car with more than a thousand horsepower on tap.Jonathan Gitlin FRANCIACORTA, ITALY—The…
Volvo’s next electric vehicle is the new US-made EX90 SUV
Enlarge / Volvo's designers have evolved the distinctive "Thor's hammer" headlights.Volvo On Wednesday, Volvo gathered media together in Sweden to reveal a new car. It's called the EX90, and it's a battery-electric SUV that goes on sale in early 2024 alongside the conventionally powered XC90 SUV as the brand's new flagship. "The Volvo EX90 is…