August 2020

Toll roads — Modern day highwaymen

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DRIVER'S SIDE DIATRIBE
By Al Vinikour   

Throughout history thievery has been commonly associated with transportation. Stage coaches were robbed repeatedly and often; trains were ravaged by roving gangs of bandits (and bad actors); and in a more personal confrontation, the infamous highwaymen would “earn their livings” stealing from travelers making their way through the wilderness.

Volkswagen begins production of electric ID.4 SUV

(August 21, 2020) HERNDON, Va. — Volkswagen’s electric offensive continues to gather speed: Series production of the brand’s first all-electric SUV, the ID.4, gets underway in Zwickau. The world premiere of the ID.4 follows at the end of September. Volkswagen is thus underscoring its ambition to become the world market leader in e-mobility. To this end, the Group is investing some €33 billion in the period to 2024, €11 billion of which have been earmarked for the Volkswagen brand. The brand expects to produce 1.5 million electric cars in 2025.

Lunaz unveils world's first electric classic Rolls-Royce cars

(August 21, 2020) SILVERSTONE, England — Lunaz, the leading creator of electric classic cars, has announced the start of production of the world’s only electrified Rolls-Royce cars. The Rolls-Royce marque joins existing electrified classic cars from Jaguar and Bentley in the Lunaz portfolio.  A 1961 Rolls-Royce Phantom V has now completed the Lunaz reengineering process.

Torch Red 2020 Corvette Stingray official pace car of delayed Indy 500

(August 20, 2020) INDIANAPOLIS — A Torch Red 2020 Corvette Stingray coupe will serve as the Official Pace Car for the 104th Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, continuing Chevrolet’s tradition of leading the field to the green flag. The Pace Car will be driven by GM President Mark Reuss. This year, the race will be held outside of May for the first time – this Sunday (Aug. 23) — with live NBC coverage at 2:30 p.m. (ET).

GM outlines advanced EV technology roadmap for China

(August 20, 2020) General Motors has announced its technology rollout plan for electrification, intelligent driving and connectivity in China, with an immersive display at the PATAC Design Dome in Shanghai and virtual presentations from the Warren Design Dome in Michigan.

At Tech Day, China’s version of GM’s EV Day held in March in Warren, the company provided a fast-forward look at its technologies developed globally that combine a local perspective. They included GM’s new global EV platform, the Ultium battery system and next-generation EVs to be launched in China.

Ram 1500 TRX Launch Edition orders filled in three hours

(August 20, 2020) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Ram Truck has announced that orders for the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX Launch Edition were filled in approximately three hours on Aug. 18. Only 702 — commemorating the TRX’s barrier-shattering 702-horsepower 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 — of the Launch Edition trucks were offered to U.S. buyers.
 

Q by Aston Martin creates 007 special editions ahead of new Bond film

(August 19, 2020) GAYDON, UK — Aston Martin is celebrating the release of the 25th James Bond film, with two exclusive 007 special editions inspired by the cars featured in No Time to Die. This new collaboration between Aston Martin and EON Productions, the company that produces the James Bond films with Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, delivers new 007 editions of the Aston Martin Vantage and DBS Superleggera.

Toyota, Amazon Web Services collaborate on Toyota mobility services

(August 19, 2020) PLANO, Texas  — Toyota and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) are expanding their global collaboration, applying AWS’s vast portfolio of services to expand Toyota’s Mobility Services Platform (MSPF), an ecosystem to help Toyota engineers develop, deploy, and manage the next generation of data-driven mobility services for driver and passenger safety, security, comfort, and convenience in Toyota’s cloud-connected vehicles.

Nissan to discontinue sales of Titan pickup in Canada

(August 19, 2020) Nissan will discontinue sales of its full-size Titan pickup in Canada because of anemic sales in that country. Canadian sales of the Titan last year dropped to 2,807, down nearly half from a year ago. Meanwhile, Nissan sold only 800 Titans in the first half of this year, accounting for just 0.5 percent market share in the segment.

"Based on our market objectives for Canada specifically, we have decided to focus our resources on current and future core models in our crossover and sedan portfolios," Nissan spokesman Dan Passe told Automotive News on Monday.

Ford cutting prices on 2021 Explorer by as much as $3,500

(August 18, 2020) DETROIT — Ford is cutting prices on the 2021 Explorer crossover by more than $3,000 on certain trims and repackaging some content in a bid to bolster its front-runner status in the large crossover segment, according to Automotive News.  The base Explorer will cost $33,470 for the 2021 model year, including shipping, a $540 decrease from the 2020 model, according to prices first reported by Ford Authority.