Author: EVAI

As dealer profits fallfrom pandemic highs, a growing number of retailers are considering a controversial tactic to help offset one of their top monthly costs: surcharges on credit card transactions in the service lane.

Small electric cars are becoming more numerous. After years of debuts of large-sized models with high prices, here come the electric city cars designed for global markets. These cars were born for the city but can also cross city boundaries with decent range ratings. There is not enough range for long road trips, but they are still suitable for some drivers.

This is the case with the Fiat Grande Panda, which was presented on July 11 and should arrive in dealerships by the end of the year. It is also similar to the Hyundai Inster, a small crossover that was recently unveiled. So, while waiting to test them on the road, we present them here in an on-paper comparison.

Exterior

Coming to terms with small dimensions means creating bodies that are regular in shape and do not sacrifice interior roominess. Both competitors accomplished these missions.

The Fiat Grande Panda has square lines reminiscent of Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Fiat Panda, a roof parallel to the ground, and an almost vertical rear window. Many elements, trim above all, bring it into the city crossover segment. The overall design is definitely impactful and not uncommon: the closed grille with square motifs echoing the daytime running lights gives it character, and Fiat and Panda lettering and logos are scattered here, and there is a way of connecting it to the past.

The Hyundai Inster also does not feature particularly intricate lines, preferring—like the Grande Panda—to distinguish itself mainly by the front end. This is also characterized by lights with a pixelated effect, much thinner than those of its competitor, and circular headlamps with a generous diameter below. Again, we found crossover elements, including plastic guards, skid plates, and roof bars.

Interior 

The Fiat Grande Panda has an ultra-decade-long tradition to live up to, and there are numerous references to the original Panda, such as the pocket in front of the front passenger, typical of the 1980s Panda.

For price reasons, hard plastic dominates unchallenged, but the assemblies seem well made. However, there are no sacrifices on the technological side. Digital instrumentation is presented on a 10-inch screen, while infotainment is displayed on a 10.25-inch monitor. There’s wireless smartphone charging, automatic climate control and various USB outlets.

Space-wise, the nearly 4 meters are well utilized, with enough room for those sitting in the back and 361 liters of trunk space.

The Hyundai Inster also does not shy away from technology in the interior, with two 10.25-inch monitors each for instrumentation and infotainment and various physical buttons to manage climate control and other functions. Again, this classic setup is accompanied by hard plastics that give a good feel to the touch. USB and 12-volt sockets are not missing either.

The Hyundai Inster’s interior is for 4 passengers who, thanks to the sliding rear seat, can enjoy plenty of space or increase the trunk capacity from 238 to 351 liters.

Engines 

Though the Fiat Grande Panda and Hyundai Inster overlap in design and interior, the matter changes regarding powertrains.

The Grande Panda will be available with a 113-hp pure electric powertrain and 44-kWh batteries or a 100-hp 1.2-liter engine with a mild hybrid setup and an automatic transmission. Credit to the Smart Car multi-energy platform. There will be no gas-only version. The claimed range of the electric Fiat Grande Panda is 199 miles WLTP, with DC charging up to a maximum power of 100 kW.

The Hyundai Inster, on the other hand, relies solely on electric powertrains. There are two on the list: 97 or 115 hp with 42 and 49 kWh batteries, with 186 or 217 miles of WLTP range. 

Prices

The most important part is how much these two small city crossovers cost.

Prices for the Fiat Grande Panda have yet to be made official, but at the unveiling press conference, there was talk of less than 19,000 euros (around $21,000 USD) for the hybrid version and 24,900 (~$27,000 USD) for the electric. Like numerous competitors, the target price remains below the psychological threshold of 25,000 euros (~$27,300 USD).

Like the Hyundai Inster, the small Korean car aims to have a target price of under 25,000 euros ($~$27,300) for the version with 42 kWh batteries. 

There’s no confirmation that either the Inster or Grande Panda will be sold in the U.S. However, Fiat has hinted that the Grande Panada could be sold here.

• Vinfast delayed U.S. production of its EVs by three years
• Vinfast lowered volume targets for 2024
• Vinfast has fallen behind sales targets despite pivoting its sales model

Vinfast on Saturday announced that its North Carolina factory would be delayed, while also lowering its 2024 annual delivery target.

In a press release discussing its second-quarter financial results, Vinfast said the factory would start producing vehicles in 2028, rather than 2025, as the automaker said in its last update on the project. Construction at the 2,000-acre site in Chatham County, near the state capital of Raleigh, was reportedly paused earlier this year.

“This decision will allow the company to optimize its capital allocation and manage its short-term spending more effectively,” the release said.

Vinfast VF 9

Announced in 2022, the factory netted Vinfast a $1.2 billion incentive package from the state of North Carolina, which the automaker said at the time would complement its own $2 billion investment in the first phase of construction. Vinfast originally said the factory would open in 2024, but told shareholders earlier this year that it was aiming to complete the factory by 2025, with annual production capacity of 150,000 vehicles.

In the same release, Vinfast said it’s now aiming to deliver 80,000 vehicles this year, down from the previous target of 100,000 vehicles. The automaker reported 21,747 deliveries in the first half of 2024, with 12,058 of those in the second quarter. The automaker has a long way to go to hit even the lower target, which would still be a major increase from the 34,855 vehicles Vinfast delivered in 2023.

VinFast VF 3

Vinfast appeared to be falling behind on sales targets earlier this year, even as it added U.S. dealer franchises in an ongoing pivot away from the direct-sales model pioneered by Tesla and taken up by other EV hopefuls like Lucid and Rivian. As of April the automaker had 18 franchised dealerships in seven states, plus 15 company-owned stores and service centers in California, the nation’s largest EV market.

Vinfast’s sole offering for the U.S. is the VF 8 electric crossover SUV. A first drive of the VF 8 last year led us to warn that it simply doesn’t feel ready yet. A follow-up, the three-row Vinfast VF 9, has been officially rated with a 330-mile EPA range, but deliveries haven’t started yet. Vinfast has also shown several smaller crossovers, as well as a pickup, in concept form, and has begun taking reservations for its VF 3 mini-SUV.

The model likely to be called Ioniq 9 will arrive in 2024 as a three-row electric SUV The Ioniq 9 may share its platform, powertrain, and packaging with the Kia EV9 The Hyundai Ioniq 9 would sit alongside the three-row Palisade in dealer showrooms Hyundai has confirmed that its electric three-row crossover SUV will debut later this year. The debut…

• Hyundai’s three-row electric SUV will arrive in 2024
• The electric three-row SUV will likely be called the Ioniq 9
• Interior packaging, range, and powertrain outputs could compare to the Kia EV9

Hyundai will unveil an electric three-row crossover SUV later this year, the automaker has confirmed.

The unnamed three-row crossover will debut as a 2025 model. It was listed in a Hyundai press release detailing changes for that model year, with no additional details other than a promise of a “world premiere later in 2024.”

This larger crossover has been teased for some time. It was announced along with the Ioniq EV sub-brand in 2020, and then previewed by the Hyundai Seven concept first seen at the 2021 Los Angeles auto show.

Hyundai Seven concept

The Seven concept’s nomenclature indicated the production model (which was spotted testing earlier this year) would be called the Hyundai Ioniq 7, which would also make sense considering that this crossover will be positioned above the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6 in the lineup. But a range of reports from Korea indicate it will likely be named Ioniq 9, syncing it with the Kia EV9 it might share some specs with.

If the Hyundai crossover hews closely to the EV9, it might be offered with a 76.1-kwh battery pack and single-motor, rear-wheel-drive powertrain in base form, with a 99.8-kwh battery pack and rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive available. The EV9 is rated at a maximum 304 miles of EPA range with the larger pack and single-motor powertrain.

Hyundai Seven concept

Meanwhile, Hyundai’s Genesis luxury brand is planning its own “super-large GV90,” previewed by the Genesis Neolun concept unveiled ahead of the 2024 New York auto show. It’s expected to arrive in 2026.

The GV90 will reportedly be built in South Korea, while EV9 production for the U.S. recently began shifting to that brand’s West Point, Georgia, factory. Hyundai has its own Georgia EV “Metaplant” that will initially build the Ioniq 5, but Hyundai will also have to make room for the three-row model in order to make it tax-credit eligible.

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Polestar’s next new vehicle will be the 5 electric sedan Polestar has the Model S in its sights—and also, the Lucid Air Engineered in the U.K., the 5 has a bonded-aluminum body like those from Jaguar “We’re 80 percent done, but there’s more to do,” said Polestar’s Chris Baguley as he tossed a Polestar 5…

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Following a mid-model-year update for 2024, the 2025 Audi Q4 E-Tron electric crossover receives a few more significant changes for the new model year.

The single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model gets an 81-hp boost to 282 hp, which lowers the 0-60 mph time by 1.7 seconds, to 6.2 seconds, according to Audi. Revisions to the 82-kwh battery pack (with 77 kwh of usable capacity) should also yield an additional 23 miles of range, Audi estimates, which would mean 288 miles on the EPA testing cycle. The rear-wheel-drive model has been renamed from Q4 40 E-Tron to Q4 45 E-Tron to highlight these changes.

2025 Audi Q4 E-Tron

This follows similar updates to all-wheel-drive Q4 E-Tron models midway through the 2024 model year. Audi replaced the previous Q4 50 E-Tron with the more powerful 335-hp Q4 55 E-Tron, which also got a range boost to an estimated 258 miles. Audi said at the time that changes to the battery chemistry would also yield faster charging, while changes to the steering and suspension aimed for battery response when driving enthusiastically.

The Q4 E-Tron is also available in a Sportback body style with a lower roof. It received the same updates as the standard all-wheel-drive Q4 E-Tron, and continues to be offered only with the dual-motor powertrain for 2025.

2025 Audi Q4 E-Tron

The previously-optional Technology Package is now standard on all Q4 E-Tron models for 2025, adding the Virtual Cockpit Plus digital instrument cluster, navigation, and traffic sign recognition to the list of standard features. An optional Cold Weather Package for all-wheel-drive models adds a heated windshield and heat pump, which may help improve on the underwhelming real-world range we noticed in a previous cold-weather test drive.

Pricing starts at $51,095 for the base single-motor Q4 45 E-Tron Premium (all prices include a mandatory $1,295 destination charge), while a Premium Plus grade starts at $54,895. The dual-motor Q4 55 E-Tron is available in Premium ($56,495), Premium Plus ($59,000), and Prestige ($63,095) grades. The Sportback body style adds $3,000 to the price of all-wheel-drive models.

The 2025 Audi Q8 E-Tron electric SUV receives minor changes for the new model year, while some reports indicate it will be discontinued in the near future.

Launched for the 2024 model year, the Q8 E-Tron replaced the Audi E-Tron, the automaker’s first volume EV. It carried over all the good things from the E-Tron—including good safety ratings—but with more driving range and somewhat sharpened handling.

For 2025, Audi adds access to an app store for the infotainment system and Homelink buttons integrated into the rearview mirror. The previously-available park assist system has also been upgraded to a remote version, allowing drivers to engage it from outside the vehicle. An available Magnesium trim package and different bits of exterior trim round out the changes.

2025 Audi Q8 E-Tron

The Q8 E-Tron is once again available in both standard SUV and sleeker Sportback body styles, with a 114-kwh battery pack (with 106 kwh of usable capacity) and dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain rated at 402 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque. EPA ratings for the 2025 model year aren’t available yet, but for reference the 2024 Q8 E-Tron was rated at a maximum 300 miles of range in Sportback form and 285 miles in standard SUV form.

A sportier SQ8 E-Tron treatment with a tri-motor powertrain is also available in combination with both the SUV and Sportback body styles. This ups output to 496 hp and 718 lb-ft, allowing for an Audi-estimated 0-60 mph time of 4.5 seconds, compared to 5.6 seconds for the Q8 E-Tron models.

Pricing starts at $76,095 for a Q8 E-Tron SUV in base Premium spec (all prices include a mandatory $1,295 destination charge). Premium Plus and Prestige grades are also available, priced at $80,495 and $86,495, respectively. Sportback models are priced $3,400 higher.

2025 Audi Q8 E-Tron

The SQ8 E-Tron skips the Premium grade, and is priced from $91,495 in Premium Plus spec and $97,495 in Prestige spec, with the SUV body style. The Sportback body style adds $2,800 to the price.

Audi draws on a variety of architectures for its current EV lineup. The Q8 E-Tron is still based on the original E-Tron architecture, the Q4 E-Tron uses Audi parent Volkswagen’s MEB platform, and the E-Tron GT shares the J1 platform with the Porsche Taycan. Yet another architecture is being introduced with the 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron, which uses the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) as the Porsche Macan Electric.