Author: EVAI

GM said it set records for global revenue, North American profit and North American revenue in the second quarter, by strong sales of pickups and SUVs.

Donald Trump hates electric cars—particularly Chinese electric cars—but his administration’s sanctions against China’s Xiaomi in early 2021 sparked the company’s decision to build an EV, CEO Lei Jun told Reuters at a company event Friday.

Best known for its smartphones, Xiaomi launched its first EV earlier this year. It’s the product of a move Lei said only happened after he learned that the Trump administration had placed the company on a U.S. sanction list.

“I received a phone call from a friend saying that we had been sanctioned,” Lei said, adding that Xiaomi convened an emergency board meeting that day that kicked off its EV efforts.

2024 Xiaomi SU7

“If it weren’t for the huge impact of the unexpected U.S. sanctions, we would not have rashly entered the complex automotive industry,” Lei said. Xiaomi challenged the 2021 sanctions in federal court and that May won a reversal of the sanctions, which would have restricted U.S. investment, Reuters noted. But by then development of the Xiaomi SU7 electric sedan was already underway.

Unveiled at the end of 2023, the SU7 is a rival sized like the Tesla Model S but offered at a Model 3 price—around $30,000 in China, the only market where sales are planned. It amounts to competition to Tesla as well as other Western brands. Multiple powertrain and battery-pack options will be available, including a 664-hp dual-motor powertrain and up to 600 miles of range on China’s very generous CLTC testing cycle.

2024 Xiaomi SU7

President Joe Biden has placed bigger tariffs on Chinese EVs while supporting policies to grow U.S. EV sales, including charging infrastructure investments and a revamped EV tax credit. While its a little uncertain where Vice President Kamala Harris—now the likely Democratic nominee following Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election—stands on Chinese EV imports, the policies of a future Harris administration are likely to be similar.

Trump, meanwhile, has promised a 100% tariff on vehicles made in Mexico—EV or not—targeting vehicles from Chinese companies manufactured there. He’s made clear that Chinese companies wouldn’t be blocked from making EVs in the U.S., with U.S. labor and U.S. materials, but Trump’s overall EV policy is essentially looking like one that, from some perspectives, subsidizes gasoline vehicles.

Automakers have been partnering to develop and produce new vehicles for decades, and the tradition continues in the EV age. The Toyota bZ4X, Subaru Solterra, and Lexus RZ are the result of such an effort, with each bringing reasonable range, tech, and comfort in a tidy, compact crossover body. Though they share a platform and several other components, and all are made at Toyota’s Motomachi assembly plant in Japan, there are differences between the three worth discussing.

The Solterra and bZ4X are most similar, competing against each other in the same segment. That similarity makes them ripe for comparison. This write-up will cover the main differences between the two and help you make an informed decision when it’s time to start shopping. 

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Price

Despite their similarities, the Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra sell at different price points, with the bZ4X undercutting its counterpart by almost $2,000. The base bZ4X XLE starts at $43,070 before destination, and the top Limited trim at $47,180. Both variants see a $1,350 destination charge tacked on at the bottom line, and all-wheel drive is available. Subaru charges $44,995 for the base Solterra Premium, $48,495 for the midrange Limited trim, and $51,995 for the range-topping Touring model. All variants have a $1,345 destination charge, and all-wheel drive is standard. 

Those prices aren’t cheap, but the money buys plenty of standard features for both models. The bZ4X comes standard with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and more. It also gets Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which brings pane departure alerts, lane keep assist, automatic high beams, adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection, and more. Toyota equips blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts, front and rear parking assist, and safe exit alerts for both trims. 

The Solterra comes standard with an 8-inch touchscreen, but the Limited and Touring trims step up to a 12.3-inch unit with navigation. Both screens bring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Subaru also equips a long list of standard safety equipment in its EyeSight technology package, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision warnings, automatic emergency braking blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts, automatic high beams, and more. 

Note that lease deals between the two vary wildly. Toyota has been offering aggressive incentivized leases on the bZ4X, making it at times one of the cheapest cars to lease in the country. As of July 2024, it’s still cheaper to lease than the Subaru, though that’s the front-wheel-drive version. incentives change monthly, so pay attention to our monthly lease deal tracker. 

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Range

Subaru claims 227 miles for the Premium trim, 222 miles for the Limited trim, and 222 for the Touring. As the Solterra only comes with dual-motor all-wheel-drive, it loses some range to the front-wheel drive versions of the Toyota. The bZ4X is capable of 252 miles in the base XLE trim and 236 in the Limited. 

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Efficiency

The Toyota bZ4X has an advantage over the Subaru because of its front-wheel drive standard configuration. The base model returns 131/107/119 city/highway/combined MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent). The entry-level Solterra is rated at 114/94/104 MPGe. Stepping up to the bZ4X Limited with all-wheel drive and larger wheels changes that picture, as it returns 112/92/102 MPGe. Electric vehicles are very sensitive to wheel sizes, tires, and other external conditions. 

While it’s true that going electric can save money on fuel costs, the bZ4X and Solterra are far from being the most efficient EVs. The related Lexus RZ is the EPA’s eighth most efficient EV, returning 125 MPGe on the EPA’s combined cycle, but the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Lucid Air are the most efficient, at up to 140 MPGe combined. 

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Charge Time

Subaru said the Solterra can charge from 10 to 80 percent in 35 minutes on a 100kW DC fast charger, and a full charge on a Level 2 home charger takes about 9.5 hours. The 2024 bZ4X got some tweaks that improved its DC fast charging time, with the SUV now capable of reaching 80 percent from a low battery warning in 30 minutes on a 150kW charger. Charging on a Level 2 charger takes 9.5 hours, and reaching a full charge on a 120-volt home outlet takes around 50 hours.

Those charging times are just about average, as there are far faster- and slower-charging models on sale. It’s important to note that a range of factors impact charging times, including the beginning state of charge. EVs charge slower as their state of charge (SoC) rises, and it slows considerably after 80 percent. Temperature also plays a significant role. Batteries return their best performance for range and charging times in temperate climates. Many new models have robust battery management systems that include heating and cooling elements to improve range and charging, but external temperatures are a big deal,

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: 0-60 MPH

Neither vehicle is particularly quick, and nobody should expect to win many drag races, but the bZ4X and Solterra are more than powerful enough for most drivers. In front-wheel drive form, the Toyota runs 0-60 mph in about 6.7 seconds. Moving to an all-wheel drive configuration cuts that number to just under six seconds, which is plenty quick for most driving scenarios. Subaru quotes a 6.5-second 0-60 mph time for the Solterra, and its standard all-wheel-drive helps get power to the ground.

Aggressive driving can quickly cut an EV’s range, but the instant torque from the electric motors helps make the bZ4X and Solterra feel quicker than they appear on paper. Electric motors don’t take revs to generate torque, giving them a livelier feel than gas engines, which take some time to reach their peak torque numbers.

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Top Speed

Neither the bZ4X nor the Subaru Solterra have awe-inspiring top speed numbers, but the truth is that they’re both capable of exceeding all public speed limits in the United States. The Toyota is limited to a top speed of 100 miles per hour, while the Subaru can reach 110 mph. While those numbers are low compared to sportier gas cars, electric vehicles are about as home at high speeds as an elephant in Antarctica, with their range and efficiency falling drastically as speeds climb.

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Driver-Assistance Systems

These two EVs are very closely matched on safety equipment. The Solterra comes standard with Subaru EyeSight tech, which brings adaptive cruise control, forward collision warnings, automatic emergency braking, emergency steering assistance, front cross-traffic alerts, lane change assist, and traffic jam assist. Additional safety tech includes blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts, driver distraction mitigation, and automatic high beams.

Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 comes standard for every bZ4X. The package includes automatic emergency braking, forward collision warnings, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane departure alerts, a proactive driving assistance system, pedestrian detection, and road sign recognition. The SUV also gets blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alerts, safe exit alerts, and front/rear parking sensors with automatic braking. 

The bZ4X missed out on an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick award, but the Solterra earned one for 2024. The Subaru dropped slightly from 2023, when it earned a Top Safety Pick + designation, due in part to the IIHS’ updated testing regimen, which includes more intense side-impact crash tests and more scrutiny on rear passenger safety.

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Interior

The Toyota and Subaru show their family roots inside, where the control layouts and other design elements are nearly identical. Subaru equips cloth upholstery and heated front seats as standard, but higher trims add synthetic leather, a heated steering wheel, and ventilated front seats. Both bZ4X variants get synthetic leather, but heated seats are not standard. The top trim gets heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, a heated steering wheel, and a radiant leg warmer in the front. 

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Build Quality

Since they share so much under the skin, the bZ4X and Solterra are remarkably similar inside and out. Both feel solid and planted on the road, and they offer a quiet, refined driving experience. The exterior panel fitment is superb for both, and the exterior finishes are sharp. Inside, the cabin materials aren’t quite as premium as either vehicle’s price tag suggests, but the build quality is excellent. There are enough upscale materials to make them feel nice, and the pair gets unique finishes to make the interior look special. 

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Driving Dynamics and Ride Comfort

Both SUVs trade sporty performance for ride comfort, as both more than easily smooth out all but the worst road imperfections. Even so, they manage body roll well and can handle a corner without much hassle. The Subaru’s standard all-wheel drive provides confident traction in most situations, which requires an added-cost option for the Toyota. Both vehicles are available with larger 20-inch wheels that cut into the ride quality and can feel harsh at times.

Toyota bZ4X vs. Subaru Solterra: Expert Opinions From InsideEVs

Still unsure which one to get? Let the experts at InsideEVs help with your decision. Here are some of our editors and reporters to weigh in:

• My car-buying advice is usually “Buy the one you like the best, and can get the best deal on.” That really applies to the Solterra vs. bZ4X debate. These cars are so remarkably similar that any driving differences between the two might be almost imperceptible, especially if you want to get an all-wheel-drive EV like so many American buyers do. I reviewed the bZ4X earlier this year and actually rather enjoyed the car, even if I found its fast-charging, plug-finding and route-planning skills to be well behind the competition. That will hold true for the Solterra as well, and you may want to consider the bZ4X’s front-wheel-drive version to maximize range. That said, these are better cars than you may think, and if you can find one that’s cheaper than the other, pay attention to the deal—not the brand. –Patrick George, Editor-in-Chief

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• EPA range numbers span from 261 to 318 miles with larger Performance Battery Plus
• Those with standard Performance Battery return an EPA 252 to 274 miles of range
  
• All 2025 Taycan models can do 10-80% DC fast-charge in as little as 18 minutes

The revamped Porsche Taycan earns EPA range numbers of up to 318 miles, the automaker confirmed Monday to Green Car Reports. 

The 2025 Porsche Taycan is now being delivered to U.S. dealerships, and official EPA ranges, as calculated by Porsche and set to be displayed on those window stickers, show that the big improvements in range and efficiency that it’s been touting for this engineering-focused refresh do indeed translate to U.S. ratings. 

With the larger battery pack, termed Performance Battery Plus, ratings top the range at 318 miles. The ratings drop to 295 EPA-rated miles with the Taycan 4S and 292 miles with the Taycan Turbo due to its higher-power propulsion system and more aggressive wheels and tires. Perhaps most impressive in taking in these ratings is that the lineup of Taycans doesn’t get any lower than 266 miles with the larger pack (for the Turbo S), and even the edgy Turbo GT with Weissach package gets 269 miles. 2025 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo models, with their completely different roofline, range from 261 to 277 miles. 

2025 Porsche Taycan

The additional range wasn’t simply a game of boosting the size of the battery pack. Porsche did that, but it’s only part of the story. The Performance Battery Plus has gone from 93.4 kwh gross and 83.4 kwh usable in the 2024 Taycan up to 105 kwh gross and 97 kwh usable in the 2025 model—roughly a 15% increase in battery capacity. 

Last year’s Taycan returned up to 246 miles of range, so the 2025 model goes nearly 30% farther. As Porsche pointed out, it’s made big improvements in drivetrain efficiency, tweaked brake regen and overall recuperation, and optimized the whole package with improvements to aero and rolling resistance. 

2025 Porsche Taycan

With the Taycan’s smaller “Performance” battery, it has a range of up to 274 miles—longer than with the larger pack last year. That standard pack in the Taycan now has 83.6 kwh usable (89 kwh gross). Yes, that’s a couple ticks more than usable in the larger pack for 2024.

Throughout the lineup, the 2025 Taycan is also likely to return higher range numbers more of the time. Porsche redid the Taycan’s thermal management with a higher-power 800-volt climate compressor plus a heat pump that’s used 100% of the time for interior heating. 

2025 Porsche Taycan

When the Porsche Taycan launched for the 2020 model year, it had some of the lowest EV efficiency ratings, (not counting electric trucks, obviously). But it made a series of incremental gains along the way—including updated motor behavior for 2023 and thermal improvements for 2022. 

As Green Car Reports found in a first drive of the 2025 Porsche Taycan back in April, the refresh at last makes good on the mission of not just one-upping Tesla on technology and driving attributes, but at last being being comparable in terms of how much range you can gain in a short time on a road trip.

Porsche quotes an impressive 10-80% charge time of just 18 minutes for the 2025 Taycan, which has a charge curve that’s been lifted and broadened, with its peak of 320 kw (or 270 kw for the base battery) now taking better advantage of 350-kw CCS connectors. Now we know that in EPA-range terms, 70% of its range can equate to 223 miles—an astounding number that now makes the Taycan a more serious fast-charging rival to the efficiency-leading Lucid Air and Tesla Model S, even if you put the priority on minimizing energy use as much as maximizing performance.

• Cadillac’s latest EV concept previews a potential convertible flagship
• The Sollei concept seems like a convertible riff off the Celestiq
• The Sollei features a 2+2 layout

Might an electric convertible be in Cadillac’s future?

The reveal of the Sollei concept on Monday hints that Cadillac is at least considering it.

The big drop-top has been inspired by Cadillac convertibles of the 1950s, though instead of tail fins the body adopts a sleek design that shares many of its lines with the current Celestiq flagship hatch.

The debut took place at Cadillac’s personalization center in Warren, Michigan, known as Cadillac House at Vanderbilt. The site is close to the specialized production line for the Celestiq.

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The Sollei, whose name references Sol, the Roman god of the sun, also likely shares the Celestiq’s Ultium EV platform and battery technology set. Cadillac hasn’t revealed any specifications for the concept.

The exterior design isn’t the only part of the concept’s design that borrows liberally from the Celestiq. The dash also features the same 55-inch curved display found in the Celestiq, as well as the Escalade IQ.

There are some new elements in the cabin, though. One of these is the use of a sustainable material made from mycelium, which is the underground structure of mushrooms and other fungi. Cadillac used the leather-like material for the Sollei’s mobile phone charging pad and on some other areas of the dash.

Cadillac Sollei concept

Cadillac Sollei concept

Cadillac Sollei concept

Actual leather lines the 2+2 seats with seat backs that feature wood paneling meant to represent the rays of the sun. The color of the leather matches the exterior paint, known as Manila Cream, which Cadillac last used in the late 1950s.

Cadillac hasn’t indicated whether the Sollei will enter production, though the brand dropped some hints by describing the concept as an exploration of the “possibilities of custom commissioned vehicle design,” as well as the brand’s “vision to offer modern design” in an “open-air format.”

Should the Sollei enter production, it will likely be priced over $340,000, just like the Celestiq. There wouldn’t be any direct competitors for the Sollei at that price point, though Rolls-Royce offers an electric coupe alternative in the form of the Spectre.

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