Author: EVAI

Mitsubishi plans to update its U.S. lineup with new hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs over the next few years.

The automaker on Thursday unveiled a new business plan called “Momentum 2030” which includes plans for one new or refreshed model to be introduced between 2026 and the end of the decade, nearly doubling the automaker’s U.S. lineup from its current four models, according to a Mitsubishi press release. An accompanying teaser image showed seven vehicles.

Mitsubishi to launch nine electrified vehicles by end of 2028

This new lineup will include two models in “segments in which the company does not currently compete,” according to Mitsubishi, with a powertrain mix of “advanced-technology internal combustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electrics.”

The announcement appears to be a long-awaited North American response to Mitsubishi’s global product plan released in March 2023. That included plans for an expanded “xEV” lineup encompassing hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and EVs, and saw 50% of its product mix electrified by 2030.

Mitsubishi to launch nine electrified vehicles by end of 2028

According to reports, Mitsubishi and parent brand Nissan might share an electrified pickup that would get both plug-in hybrid and EV variants (an electric pickup was also mentioned in the global product plan last March). Nissan and Mitsubishi compact vehicles are also expected to share the same updated platforms across multiple models.

While it previously sold the tiny i-MiEV electric car in the U.S., Mitsubishi’s only plug-in model at present is the Outlander PHEV, which shows the brand’s best with a hybrid system still superior to many others on the market. Launched for the 2023 model year, this second-generation Outlander PHEV boasts an EPA-rated 38 miles of electric range.

The latest U.S. tariffs on China may score political points, but there are trade-offs.

Alfa Romeo on Wednesday revealed special Super Sport versions of the Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio to mark the end of the performance duo’s run in the U.S. Just 72 examples of the Giulia Quadrifoglio Super Sport and 52 examples of the Stelvio Quadrifoglio Super Sport will be offered locally, with prices starting at $88,365 for the…

Aptera late Wednesday announced the end date for its crowdfunding stage, as it seeks private capital on its way “towards high-volume production” of its high-efficiency, three-wheel solar EV. 

The company’s Regulation A crowdfunding, which bypasses traditional investors and the stock market and emphasizes smaller amounts, will end on June 30, it says, and it’s engaging with the firm US Capital for additional funding.

Through all phases of crowdfunding so far, over three years, Aptera has raised more than $100 million from more than 17,000 investors. It was incentivized this past year with an Accelerator Program that gave investors—at a minimum of $10,000 each—priority for reservations of the first 2,000 initial build slots of the three-wheeled electric car. 

Aptera notably doesn’t say that funding has been secured. It instead says that its crowdfunding efforts “have paved the way for the company to engage with US Capital to secure funding for the production of Launch Edition vehicles.”

Aptera Launch Edition

Aptera Launch Edition charging

Aptera Launch Edition core specs

The Launch Edition was revealed in January 2023 with a 4.0-second 0-60 mph acceleration, a 42-kwh battery pack that would provide a range of up to 400 miles, and a solar system that can provide 700 watts of continuous power good for 40 miles of range per day, according to the company. Its price has been set at $33,200.

Aptera announced its use of the Tesla NACS port even before last year’s wave of American-market EV brands switching charging standards. 

Aptera investment perks

The company announced the completion of the Accelerator Program in February and noted that it had raised enough money to “to fund the initial phases of production”—about $33 million, as of the end of January. Aptera appeared to walk that back a few weeks later, when it provided an update noting that “the start of production for Launch Edition requires additional capital.” Aptera clarified later to Green Car Reports that the previous claim of initial production phases referred to “production-intent vehicle builds.”

Aptera now also says that it plans to bring the vehicle to market “at scale” in 2025, and it hinted in recent months that some design changes are coming for efficiency and cost-effectiveness. Up to now, it’s looked to CPC in Italy for its carbon-fiber body plus chassis and suspension components, to battery supplier EVE Energy for 2170-format cylindrical NMC cells, and to CTNS in South Korea for battery modules. 

Leading Formula 1 team Red Bull Racing has dominated the sport in recent years with the aid of Honda power units, including in its current 2024 cars. The Japanese automaker now plans to use some of the lessons learned in developing the electrified power unit for F1, which features two electric motor-generators, to aid development of its future 0…

A four-part docuseries covering the life of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr. is coming to Amazon Prime in 2025. Titled simply “Earnhardt,” the series will feature “unparalleled access and never before seen archival material,” according to an Amazon Prime press release. It’s part of a push for NASCAR content by the streaming service that will also…

• Hybrids upstage EVs

• Concerns about automakers’ use of data

• Volvo Q1 EV sales plunge

• BYD introduces plug-in hybrid pickup

• Carvana CEO: ADESA helps growth

BMW still aims for about 50% global EV sales by the end of the decade, in line with a plan the automaker rolled out in 2021, but still isn’t ready to declare an end date for internal combustion.

“By 2030, all-electric vehicles should account for about half of our deliveries,” CEO Oliver Zipse said Wednesday in a speech to shareholders. But the exact cadence of the ramp-up will be determined by market trends, Zipse added.

2024 BMW i5 Touring

“We remain committed to this goal and are steering the ramp-up in line with demand,” Zipse said. “We will stay flexible—even well into the 2030s.”

Zipse also emphasized that hybrids and plug-in hybrids remain a major part of BMW’s plans, noting that the automaker expects the plug-in hybrid version of its midsize 5-Series to account for about 20% of sales for that model in Europe. The 5-Series is also available with gasoline engines, and as the all-electric i5.

The electrification goal also applies to BMW-owned Mini and Rolls-Royce. The first Rolls-Royce EV—the Spectre coupe—arrived last year, and it accounted for 38% of Rolls deliveries in the first quarter of this year, Zipse said. BMW will have 15 all-electric models available globally across all of its brands, he added.

2024 Rolls-Royce Spectre

BMW will lead its next-generation EVs closer to the mass market with the Neue Klasse models, set to be made for the U.S. in Mexico. The first of these models—an SUV previewed by a recent concept—is scheduled to start production for the European market next year, in Hungary. Production will then be added in Germany, and finally in Mexico in 2027.

The Neue Klasse marks yet another swerve for BMW. After relatively slow sales of the i3 hatchback, BMW revised its electrification plans in 2019, with an emphasis first on fully electric variants or equivalents of its core internal-combustion models. 

In its fourth month on sale, the Tesla Cybertruck had 1,158 registrations versus the Rivian R1T’s 548. The Ford F-150 Lightning led the EV pickup segment with 2,893, S&P Global Mobility data showed.