Florida Could Suspend Carvana’s Dealer License For Not Submitting Title Applications

Posted on Dec 23, 2021Written by admin

Florida could suspend Carvana’s dealer license after it has failed to transfer the titles of some vehicles sold.

Carvana was reportedly notified of the issues in an email sent by Florida authorities last week. This email is said to have included a spreadsheet that showed 300 Carvana vehicle sales dating back to 2019 that had not had their titles transferred. More than 100 of these vehicle sales occurred in Florida.

State law in Florida requires retailers to apply for a title within 30 days of completing a sale. Speaking with Auto News, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said Carvana has until January 31 to submit title applications for all the vehicles it sold in 2021 before December 1.

“The department has been proactively working with Carvana to identify and assist Florida customers who have not received their title in a timely manner, and in accordance with state law,” the spokesperson added. “Florida law allows for the suspension of the dealer’s license if they fail to apply for a transfer of title in a timely manner.”

This isn’t the first time Carvana has been scrutinized for not delivering titles in time. Earlier this year it settled with Florida regulators and agreed to pay $500 each to 12 customers who had to wait three to eight months to receive titles on vehicles they purchased. In August, Carvana had its dealer license suspended for 180 days in Wake County, North Carolina for not producing titles fast enough, among other issues.

Carvana sold 244,111 vehicles in the U.S. last year, making it the country’s second-largest retailer of used vehicles. A spokeswoman from the company says Carvana has applied for around 23,500 titles in Florida over the past 12 months.

BMW M Rumored To Be Readying Special M4 For 50th Ann. With Manual Gearbox

Posted on Dec 23, 2021Written by admin

Next year is gearing up to be a special one for BMW’s M division. BMW M GmbH will mark its 50th anniversary in May, 2022, and new rumors suggest that there’s a special, limited production M4 on the horizon.

The lead comes from an alleged BMW insider on g80.bimmerpost. The user, who apparently has a good track record for new car info, suggests that the unnamed M4 special will be “configured like the CSL, but with a manual transmission.”

The forum member goes on to say that several options will be deleted, including comfort access, parking sensors, and electric seats. The absence of such would result in an M4 that’s even lighter than the already lightweight CSL, provided this special model is based on the upcoming CSL in the first place.

Although the production M4 CSL hasn’t yet been revealed to the public, our spies have spotted prototypes undergoing testing. These cars feature revised air intakes and grilles, as well as lightweight wheels, a more prominent lip spoiler, and a new diffuser.

Read: BMW Teases Next-Generation M4 GT4 Customer Race Car

A BMW M4 CSL prototype caught testing at the Nurburgring

As yet, powertrain details for the CSL have not been confirmed, although there have been reports that BMW may not offer a manual transmission. If that were the case, a limited, manual-equipped take on the CSL could prove to be the holy grail of BMW’s M4 line-up. The source also remarks that the new variant will be only produced for a few months, starting in November 2022, implying that production numbers will be kept low.

We already know that BMW M GmbH has big plans on the horizon for the upcoming year. Their 750hp plug-in hybrid SUV, the XM, is set to be in production before the end of 2022, and from January, customers will be able to order their cars with a roundel that harks back to the Motorsport division’s classic logo. If that weren’t enough, the new BMW M3 Touring would finally fulfill our M wagon dreams, and a series of 50 new M paint finishes will be made available. A special, ultra-limited edition of the M4 could just be the icing on the cake.

Mary Barra Says GM Can Catch Tesla In EV Sales By 2025

Posted on Oct 28, 2021Written by admin

General Motors chief executive Mary Barra says the car manufacturer can catch Tesla in U.S. sales of electric vehicles by 2025.

GM intends on launching no less than 30 electric vehicles by 2025 and while recently speaking during CNBC’s Squawk Box, Barra expressed confidence in her belief that the company will establish itself as the EV leader.

“I am very comfortable, because when people get into these vehicles, they are just wowed,” she said. “So we will be rolling them out and we’re going to just keep working until we have No. 1 market share in EVs.”

Tesla currently dominates the electric vehicle space in the United States. In fact, the automaker accounted for 79 percent of all EVs sold in the U.S. throughout 2020. However, research and forecasting company HIS Markit says Tesla’s U.S. share of EV sales will drop to 56 percent throughout 2021 and fall to approximately 20 percent in 2025.

Speaking with CNBC, LMC Automotive added that sales of EVs, including plug-in hybrids, will account for less than 4 percent of vehicle sales across the country this year. The research firm suggests that EVs will make up 34.2 percent of new U.S. vehicle sales by 2030, with 4.1 percent of those sales being for plug-in hybrids.

A key pillar in GM’s EV expansion goals is their plans to install up to 40,000 Level 2 EV chargers across the United States and Canada as part of a $750 million investment.

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16-Year-Old Allegedly Rolling Coal In Ford Pickup Hits Multiple Cyclists In Texas

Posted on Sep 28, 2021Written by admin

A 16-year-old driver of a Ford F-Series pickup truck is under investigation after striking six cyclists in Waller County, Texas while allegedly trying to roll coal.

Click 2 Houston reports that the accident happened just after 10:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, September 25. A group of cyclists were traveling along U.S. Route 290 at the time while training for a local Ironman event.

Watch: Toyota Camry Driver Bizarrely Slams Head-On Into Aussie Trucker

Chase Ferrell was traveling behind the group of cyclists and told local media that the driver of the pickup was rolling coal across the cyclists, repeatedly accelerating and braking to blow black soot from the truck’s exhausts across the group.

“A kid in a black truck attempted to ‘roll coal’ us where they accelerate past blowing diesel exhaust on cyclists,” Ferrell said. “It made me mad, so I accelerated to try to catch up to him, so I could take a picture of his truck, take a picture of him or his license plate or something.”

Soon after, Ferrell says the 16-year-old driver of the Ford hit six of the cyclists. While the cyclists were treated at a local hospital and released, some of them suffered shoulder, back, and neck injuries and are expected to require follow-up surgeries.

“When I pulled up on the scene, I thought I was going to be pulling up to people that were dead,” Ferrell said. “It’s senseless. It doesn’t make any sense for anybody to do that to any cyclist… it’s pointless.”

Click 2 Houston states that the 16-year-old driver spoke to officers on the scene but was not arrested. Local police have confirmed this is indeed the case, stating that the accident is still under investigation.

NEW AT 10 on @KPRC2: 6 cyclist are recovering after being hit by a truck. It happened on Business 290 in Waller County. A groups of cyclist were training for the Ironman Marathon. The driver identified as a 16-year-old pulled over until police arrived but has not been arrested. pic.twitter.com/spVBWf9Nj8

— Re’Chelle Turner Echols (@KPRC2ReChelle) September 27, 2021

BMW UK Introduces Point System For Electrified Vehicles, Earn As You Drive

Posted on Aug 5, 2021Written by admin

BMW has released their ‘BMW Points’ scheme, giving users an enthusiastic nudge to support the future of electromobility as electric and hybrid BMW owners are now rewarded for every mile they drive in the UK or Europe.

The program applies to you if your own a BMW 330e, 530e, 545e, 745e, X3 30e (models produced after August 2021) and BMW X5 45e owners who are equipped with the 7.0 operating system.

The premise is simple, adding a bit of loyalty and gamification to the EV driving experience. Drivers will be awarded two points for every electric mile driven, with that doubled for every electric mile driven in designated eDrive zones — of which BMW have already geo-fenced to ensure their electrified cars switch to an EV-only mode once entered. These eDrive zones can be found in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin and Limerick. Collected points can then be used in exchange for free charging.

Read: The First EV Safety Car For MotoE Electric Motorcycle Championship Is BMW i4 M50

This initiative has been implemented to bring down pollution caused by BMW owners in the UK, especially as the country struggles to control C02 emissions within their highly-populated zones.

BMW has also promised their users 20 bonus points every time their vehicle has been charged longer than 15 minutes, along with a monthly bonus of 500 points for users who charge their vehicles more than 20 times a month for more than 15 minutes per session.

Points will be awarded to those who have registered for BMW Points via the My BMW App, where miles will be automatically logged by the vehicle. The points scheme is one way in which BMW is driving the company’s directive towards a greener future.

Drivers who have collected 3,200 points will be rewarded with a £10 charging credit to be used across the BMW Charging network. At 7,500 points, customers will receive £25 and at 14,500 points a £50 free charging credit. Moreover, any e-miles driven in Europe will be recorded too.

The UK isn’t the first market to receive this concept, with the system already in place for customers in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Hellcat-Powered Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Reportedly Dying Later This Year

Posted on Jul 7, 2021Written by admin

The days of ‘Hellcat all the things’ could be coming to an end as Jeep has reportedly axed plans for a new Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

According to Mopar Insiders, there were plans for a redesigned Trackhawk but they were scrapped due to increasing emission regulations and Stellantis’ electrification plans.

As a result, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will reportedly die in November. If that happens, it will be disappointing as the model features a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 that produces 707 hp (527 kW / 717 PS) and 645 lb-ft (875 Nm) of torque. It enables the SUV to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 3.5 seconds, hit a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h) and run the quarter mile in 11.6 seconds.

Also Read: Dodge CEO Says The Hellcat V8’s Days Are Numbered

Of course, Jeep is putting the finishing touches on a new Grand Cherokee and it will effectively be a shorter version of the three-row Grand Cherokee L. The latter started arriving at dealerships last month and it’s available with two different engines, including a 5.7-liter V8 with 357 hp (268 kW / 362 PS) and 390 lb-ft (520 Nm) of torque.

While the Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is reportedly on death row, the publication suggested the model could eventually return with a turbocharged inline-six engine featuring plug-in hybrid technology. That remains to be seen, but Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis has previously said the “days of an iron block supercharged 6.2-liter V8 are numbered.” However, he stated the performance associated with Hellcat models is here to stay and that will be possible thanks to electrification.

We could learn more tomorrow as Stellantis is hosting an EV Day event and Dodge officials have suggested there will be performance-related announcements.

Toyota Keeping Its Options Open, Won’t Commit To An EV-Only Future

Posted on Jun 20, 2021Written by admin

Toyota believes that electric vehicles are not necessarily the only way forward and thus it will offer vehicles with many propulsion technologies for the foreseeable future.

“It’s too early to concentrate on one option,” said director Shigeki Terashi at the company’s annual shareholder meeting, per Automotive News. The comment was in response to a question about why the company wasn’t making a bold EV plan like Honda or GM.

Terashi argued that different technologies must be allowed to compete against each other in the marketplace in order to find the solution that best serves it. That’s why Toyota will continue to invest in hybrid and fuel-cell technologies in the years leading up to 2050.

“Some people love battery-electric vehicles but others don’t see the current technologies as convenient,” Toyota’s Chief Technology Officer Masahiko Maeda said. “In the end what matters is what customers choose.”

Toyota recently competed in a 24-hour race with a hydrogen-powered Corolla that used a converted combustion engine from a GR Yaris in order to prove that hydrogen engines can be a better, carbon-reduced solution for long distances.

The automaker also pointed to lifecycle emissions, which remain high for EVs, despite their low local emissions. Batteries, in particular, are carbon-intensive to mine and manufacture, though Polestar found that its vehicles gain a carbon advantage over gas-powered vehicles after just 31,000 miles on the road. Another study argued that the cost of producing hydrogen, especially if there was a sudden, intense demand on the supply, could lead to a fossil-fuel backslide.

Toyota recently came under fire from investors for what they felt was an incorrect stance on green technologies and its anti-environmental governmental lobbying efforts. That led to a public recommitment to green technologies.

Indeed, despite its commitment to multiple fuel types, Toyota is actually investing in EVs, like the recently announced bZ4X that it’s making in partnership with Subaru.

The New 2023 BMW M2 Could Have Up To 490 Horsepower

Posted on May 31, 2021Written by admin

BMW will introduce the redesigned 2-Series Coupe later this year and new details are starting to emerge about the next-generation M2.

According to BMW Blog, the high-performance model will go into production in December of 2022 and be significantly more powerful than its predecessor.

While nothing is official, the publication suggests the M2 will have a twin-turbo 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that produces between 480 hp (358 kW / 487 PS) and 490 hp (365 kW / 497 PS). That’s a huge jump over the current M2 Competition which is rated at 405 hp (302 kW / 411 PS). The model would also be significantly more powerful than the limited production M2 CS, which had 444 hp (331 kW / 450 PS) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 3.8 seconds.

Must See: Barely Disguised 2022 BMW 2-Series Coupe Looks So Pretty From This Angle

The numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, but they fall in between the 473 hp (352 kW / 479 PS) M3/M4 and the 503 hp (375 kW / 510 PS) M3/M4 Competition. It’s also reasonable to assume the 480 hp (358 kW / 487 PS) to 490 hp (365 kW / 497 PS) output would be for the M2 Competition as it would allow the larger and more expensive M3 and M4 to have bragging rights.

Also Read: Next-Gen BMW M2 Coupe Returns To Dry Tarmac, Spied At The Nürburgring

Besides mentioning a rumored output, the report suggests the M2 will be offered exclusively with rear-wheel drive. That would buck the current trend, but the publication noted all-wheel drive could potentially be offered on future variants.

Of course, that remains to be seen and we likely won’t find out for sure until late next year.

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Tesla Model 3 Stripped Of IIHS Safety Award And CR Top Pick Status Following Radar Removal

Posted on May 29, 2021Written by admin

One of Tesla’s best sellers, the Model 3, is losing its safety designations from two testing organizations. Accordingly, the Model 3 will no longer be considered a CR Top Pick, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety plans to remove the Model 3’s Top Safety Pick+ designation.

It’s the result of a bold decision to remove forward-facing radar sensors from both the Model 3 and Model Y. A statement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made it clear that Model 3 and Model Y units built after the 27th of April, 2021 will not receive the agency’s check-mark for FCW, AEB, lane departure warning (LDW), as well as dynamic brake support, since these units will be equipped with Tesla Vision technology, omitting radar.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has previously stated that their new ‘Tesla Vision,’ which uses cameras in conjunction with sonar sensors, is a more intelligent and more accurate way for Teslas to read their surroundings. Still, both Consumer Reports and the IIHS aren’t convinced.

According to these leading testing organizations, the integration of this new technology could mean that Tesla vehicles will lack some key safety features, including forward-collision warning (FCW) and automatic emergency braking (AEB).

Read: New Models To Switch To Camera-Based Autopilot As Tesla Goes Radar-less

With AEB and FCW not standard, the Model 3’s CR score drops from 78 to 75, and the Tesla Model Y, which was not a recommended vehicle to begin with, drops from 50 to 47. However, even with the drop in Overall Score, the Model 3 is still recommended.

Tesla Vision uses cameras, sonar, and a neural network (Tesla’s machine learning software). However, The tech giant mentioned via a blog post that certain features would be ‘temporarily inactive,’ with over-the-air updates making them accessible in the weeks to come. Inactive features may include Smart Summon and Emergency Lane Departure Avoidance, while it was started that Autosteer will only be functional up to a maximum speed of 75 mph.

Research scientist Bryan Reimer was concerned as to why Tesla was replacing a proven safety feature with an unproven one. “Will the system fueled by vision data alone have an equal or better performance than what has been produced with a radar?” asked Reimer in a report by CR. “If performance is not greater in the new system, we are taking a step backwards in efficacy and consumer transparency, negatively impacting safety,” he says.

Rhine River Area With Enough Lithium For 400 Million EVs Could Reduce Germany’s Dependence On Imports

Posted on May 3, 2021Written by admin

Germany may look to mine an area thousands of meters below the Rhine river that is believed to be one of the world’s biggest deposits of lithium.

Geologists believe that the area of the Upper-Rhine Valley in the Black Forest area of southwestern Germany has enough lithium for more than 400 million electric vehicles. German-Australian start-up Vulcan Energy Resources believes the deposit can reduce the German car industry’s reliance on imported lithium and wants to built five power stations in the area.

“The lithium deposit we’re talking about here is gigantic and its properties are ideal for our goal of producing high-quality lithium on a large industrial scale in Germany,” Vulcan Energy Resources co-founder Horst Kreuter told Reuters.

Kreuter added that the company plans to invest €1.7 billion ($2 billion) to build geothermal stations and facilities that will extract the lithium. The company claims that it would be extracting up to 15,000 tons of lithium hydroxide per year at two sites by 2024. From 2025 onwards, a second phase of extraction could see it achieve an output of 40,000 tons per year at three additional sites.

The European Union has estimated that the region will need 18 times more lithium by 2030 than today and 60 times more by 2050. Most of the lithium imported into Europe comes from remote Australia and the deserts of South America where the lithium is produced by the evaporation of salt flats. Portugal is the biggest lithium producer in Europe but most of its lithium is sold to the ceramics industry.

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