Author: EVAI

In the next two years, Audi plans to launch 20 new models globally. About 15 of those models will be sold in North America. No other luxury automaker has such an intense product launch, and it’s fueled by two new platforms. The Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) builds out vehicles powered by more efficient internal combustion engines and the…

Newest doesn’t mean best, but when the newest minivan challenges the stalwart best minivan for years running, it promises to make both of them better. Such is the case with the refreshed 2025 Kia Carnival and the carryover 2024 Chrysler Pacifica. When Kia reimagined its minivan and also changed its name from the Sedona to the Carnival for…

The 2025 BMW i5, the all-electric version of the 5-Series midsize luxury sedan, returns essentially unchanged for its second model year.

The entry point to the i5 lineup is the single-motor rear-wheel drive i5 eDrive40, which costs $68,275 with the mandatory $1,175 destination charge. It’s still rated at 335 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, with a BMW-estimated 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds.

2025 BMW i5

The dual-motor all-wheel drive i5 xDrive40, which joined the lineup midway through the 2024 model year, starts at $71,275 with destination. Adding a motor powering the front axle, it bumps output to 389 hp and 435 lb-ft, lowering the 0-60 mph time to 5.2 seconds.

A more powerful dual-motor i5 M60 (badged as the M60 xDrive) remains at the top of the lineup, with 590 hp and 586 lb-ft of torque and can do 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, according to BMW. It also adds an adaptive suspension and upgraded brakes to live up to the “Ultimate Driving Machine” mantra. For 2025, it’s priced at $85,275 with destination.

2025 BMW i5

All i5 models continue to use an 84.3-kwh battery pack. EPA range ratings likely won’t be different from 2024, meaning a maximum 295 miles for the i5 eDrive40, 266 miles for the i5 xDrive40, and 253 miles for the i5 M60, with the optimal wheel and tire combinations.

Launched for the 2024 model year, the i5 is similar in concept to the BMW i4 and i7, in that it’s an all-electric version of a gasoline model. In a first drive, Green Car Reports found the electric version trounces its gasoline sibling. It’s simply a better car than the standard 5-Series. But it might be even better if BMW brought the stylish i5 wagon to the U.S. alongside the sedan—something that’s unlikely to happen due to Americans’ aversion to that body style.

The Ram 1500 has the most power of any light-duty pickup truck, except Raptor R Hooking up a 5,000-pound trailer to the Ram 1500 doesn’t phase the truck The Ram instantly integrates its active safety tech with a trailer The Ram 1500 may not have the highest towing rating, but it offers one of the best towing experiences among gas-powered…

• Bloomberg New Energy Finance expects EV sales to grow exponentially
• General Motors has criticized President Biden’s EV sales goals as unrealistic
• California aims to end the sale of most vehicles with an ICE by 2035

EVs could make up almost a third of U.S. new-car sales by 2027, assuming current policies remain in place, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance report published in July.

Automakers sold 1.5 million new EVs in the U.S. last year, accounting for 10% of the new-car market, but BNEF expects sales to increase to 4.5 million vehicles in 2027, on the way to 48% market share by 2030. That would nearly meet President Biden’s goal of 50% EV sales by the end of the decade without new policy interventions, BNEF notes, a goal General Motors has criticized as unrealistic.

2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5

This would also put the U.S. on track for 7.7 million EV sales by 2030, BNEF predicts, setting up the ramp to 67% EV sales by 2032, as predicted by the EPA based on its latest round of emissions standards. That’s assuming the 2024 presidential election doesn’t bring policy change. Former President Trump’s overall EV policy is shaping up into something that could subsidize gasoline vehicles, from some perspectives.

BNEF expects California to continue leading the nation in EV sales. In 2023, one in four new vehicles sold in California had a charge port, and EVs are expected to account for 65% of new car sales in the state in 2030 and 90% in 2040, after stricter emissions rules go into effect.

2025 Volkswagen ID.4

In 2035, California aims to end sales of most vehicles with combustion engines, but with a carve out for plug-in hybrids with at least 50 miles of electric range. Toyota is advocating plug-in hybrids, BNEF notes, and aims to push their electric range as high as 120 miles. But BNEF doesn’t expect the U.S. market share for plug-in hybrids to expand beyond the 20% to 25% it’s sat at in recent years, and predicts global plug-in hybrid sales will peak at 10% of the market in 2030.

Globally, BNEF expects EV sales growth to continue. EV sales are predicted to rise 21% annually to 2027, after average growth of over 60% between 2020 and 2023. EV market share in the U.S. will likely be lower than China and Europe, where BNEF expects EVs to compose 60% and 41% of the market by 2027, respectively.

• U.S. dealers heavily rely on after-sale services and products for revenue
• EV buyers are willing to see dealerships manage EV maintenance, for a subscription fee
• Study also found dealerships can still do more with EV education

EVs have lower maintenance needs than internal-combustion vehicles, but a new survey suggests that buyers may be interested in subscriptions for any maintenance they do require—helping dealers maintain this source of revenue even without oil changes and timing belt replacements.

Analytics firm Escalent looked at the dealership experience in the eyes of consumers and dealers in its 2024 EVForward survey. Dealers and their business models, which currently relies more on maintenance and other after-sale services and products than vehicle sales themselves, could be affected by low-maintenance EVs.

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E

Analysts found that customers were willing to let dealers manage the maintenance of their EVs, even at the lower level required. The majority of EV “intenders”—survey respondents identified by Escalent as being 15 times more likely to purchase an EV than the average new-car buyer—indicated they would be interested in a subscription plan for routine maintenance.

Brake replacement (82%) and tire replacement (84%) were the most popular options. EVs need new tires much more often than gasoline vehicles, partly because of their weight and torque—but tiremakers are working on it. Current EVs still need their friction brakes serviced like gasoline cars, but as regenerative braking gets stronger, EVs might not even need brake-pad replacement, as they’ll only be for emergency braking and the last few feet of a stop.

2024 Hyundai Ioniq 5

One thing that isn’t going away, though, is the need for consumer education—something the survey also emphasized. More than 80% of respondents said that having the dealer review proper maintenance would be very important in an EV purchase (only 62% reported dealers actually doing this). Almost 70% of EV intenders and 48% of EV owners said they would be interested in taking courses on topics like maximizing range and battery life.

While EV maintenance needs are typically far lower—helping to keep their five-year ownership cost below many gasoline cars, according to one study—higher insurance cost is a concern. Perhaps more automakers should step up and help assure that insurance is more affordable, too?

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An electric iteration of Mercedes’ compact sedan is just around the corner.

On Friday, Autocar reported Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius said during the automaker’s second-quarter earnings call that the Mercedes-Benz C-Class EV will arrive in two years. 

Källenius said the electric C-Class will arrive alongside the electric GLC-Class SUV.

Both the electric C-Class and GLC-Class SUV will follow immediately after the upcoming electric CLA-Class and CLA-based crossover SUV, the latter of which is expected to enter production in October 2025. The CLA-based crossover SUV, which carries the internal codename of X174, is said to be aiming for the Tesla Model Y.

The Mercedes electric lineup is going to be crowded quickly. The C-Class and GLC-Class EVs will aim upmarket with higher price points than the CLA-Class and CLA-based crossover.

While the CLA models will ride on Mercedes’ upcoming Mercedes-Benz Modular Architecture (MMA), the C-Class and GLC-Class EVs will ride on the brand’s MB.EA EV platform. The electric vehicle platform was supposed to spawn two versions, MB.EA Small and MB.EA Large. The latter was destined for the EQE and EQS successors along with their respective SUVs, but development of MB.EA Large has been stopped to curb spending amid an EV sales slowdown. Development of MB.EA Small continues.

Prototypes of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class EV have already been spotted testing on public roads in production form. The electric iteration of the C-Class will feature more aerodynamic styling than the gas-powered model, while borrowing from the upcoming electric CLA-Class lighting and logos.

Mercedes hasn’t detailed specifications for the electric C-Class, but expect a range of 300 miles or more.

Like a fine wine, the Toyota GR Corolla just gets better with age. Toyota on Thursday announced updates for the GR Corolla for the 2025 model year, the compact hot hatch’s third year on the market, and the big news is the availability of an automatic transmission as an alternative to the current 6-speed manual. The automatic isn’t an old slushbox…

The first Lobo model arrives as an updated 2025 Maverick Lobo gets a lowered suspension aimed at on-road performance Prices have not been confirmed; it arrives in 2025 The truck tuning scene today is dominated by rugged machines designed for climbing boulders or desert racing, but it wasn’t that long ago when street performance was all the rage…