Author: EVAI

Porsche is recalling 2,941 electric Macans because their headlights are too bright, which can reduce visibility for oncoming drivers and increase the risk of a crash.

The recall includes 2024 and 2025 Porsche Macan Electric models manufactured between Mar. 15, 2024, and Nov. 04, 2024. Headlight-control software in the affected vehicles was programmed to European standards rather than U.S. standards, resulting in beams that exceed brightness levels specified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, according to the NHTSA.

2024 Porsche Macan (electric)

Porsche told the NHTSA that the programming error was corrected for later-production vehicles, but that 100% of the recalled vehicles are estimated to have this issue. And customers will have to take their cars to dealerships to have the headlight software reprogrammed, free of charge, as the fix can’t be implemented via an over-the-air update.

Porsche expects to mail owner notification letters Jan. 24, 2025. Owners can also contact the automaker’s customer service department at 1-800-767-7243 for more information. Porsche’s reference number for this recall is ARC5.

2024 Porsche Macan (electric)

The electric Macan arrived for the 2024 model year as one of the first electric vehicles based on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) shared with Audi, and also underpinning that brand’s Q6 E-Tron SUV and A6 E-Tron sedan. The new architecture advances tech first used in the Porsche Taycan to the mass market, including an 800-volt charging system that allows a peak charge rate of 270 kw.

Only dual-motor Macan 4 and Macan Turbo grades were available for 2024. Porsche expanded the range for 2025 with a single-motor rear-wheel drive base model that effectively lowered the electric Macan’s price by about $3,000, as well as a dual-motor Macan 4S slotting between the Macan 4 and Turbo models. Porsche is still selling the previous-generation gasoline Macan alongside the Macan Electric, but has said only the electric model will be available starting in 2026.

Testing of an electric version of the Range Rover luxury SUV continues apace.

Reservations for the electric vehicle, dubbed the Range Rover Electric, opened in late 2023, with deliveries slated to start next year. That will likely make it a 2026 model in the U.S. Before that can happen, Land Rover is conducting testing in extreme conditions to ensure the Range Rover EV offers the same off-road capability as the internal-combustion version.

Range Rover Electric prototype

Land Rover said that it was close to finishing a hot-weather testing program in which prototypes were subjected to temperatures as high as 122 degrees F, as well as up to 90% humidity.

Prototypes were also taken to Dubai and driven up a 300-foot sand dune five times. Accomplishing this without any loss of performance from high temperatures is required of all new Range Rover models, Land Rover said.

Range Rover Electric prototype

This follows a trip to the Arctic Circle last winter for cold-weather testing. Engineers evaluated how prototypes responded to temperatures as low as -40 degrees F, and tuned chassis systems for low-grip surfaces. These include a traction control system that manipulates the electric motors, rather than the brakes, as in combustion Land Rovers.

The Range Rover Electric is expected to use a modified version of the MLA (Modular Longitudinal Architecture) platform from current gasoline and plug-in hybrid Range Rover models. It will be built at the same Solihull, U.K., factory that has built Land Rovers for decades. An electric Range Rover Sport, as well as an electric replacement for the Range Rover Velar, are expected to follow as well, along with three EVs for sibling brand Jaguar.

A concept car previewing the design direction of Jaguar’s upcoming electric-vehicle lineup leaked Monday ahead of its official debut.

The Jaguar Design Vision concept was due to be unveiled Monday night at Miami Art Week, but images were posted online ahead of that on the CocheSpias Instagram page. Those images show a two-door fastback coupe with a somewhat more angular appearance than current Jaguar models, but with a long hood that nods to classic Jag sports cars like the E-Type.

The concept also lacks a rear window, like the Polestar 4, with a camera system likely aiding rear vision. A slat motif is repeated at the front and back, and even the roof, although it’s unclear if this serves a functional purpose such as cooling or is merely for decoration.

Jaguar Design Vision Concept leak – Photo via CocheSpias Instagram page

The interior features an oval steering wheel and a divider between the seats, but seems to lack screens, suggesting that relevant information will be projected onto the windshield itself.

Many of the Design Vision concept’s features are expected to show up on the first of Jaguar’s upcoming EVs, a a low-slung grand tourer the automaker has already shown testing with camouflage. The production version, which could have four doors instead of two, is scheduled to debut in 2025 sporting a six-figure price tag and more power than any previous Jaguar road car, with deliveries starting the following year.

Jaguar Design Vision Concept leak – Photo via CocheSpias Instagram page

The grand tourer will be one of three models comprising Jaguar’s electric reboot, announced in 2021. In the meantime, Jaguar has been discontinuing most of its current gasoline models, as well as its first EV, the I-Pace, leaving only the F-Pace SUV in showrooms until the new electric models arrive. An SUV and a more traditional-looking sedan are expected to follow the first model.

All three will be based on a new platform called JEA (Jaguar Electrified Architecture) and will feature North American Charging Standard (NACS) ports to give drivers access to Tesla Supercharger stations.

The U.K.’s Alan Mann Racing today specializes in maintaining classic cars and developing restomods, but it was once a mainstay of the racing scene, as this video explains. Alan Mann Racing, or AMR for short, was founded in 1964 by racing enthusiast Alan Mann, who’d gotten his start running a garage that prepared race cars for competition. Mann…

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The potential high cost of EV battery replacements is a major worry for new-car shoppers, but that likely won’t be the case for long, according to battery-analysis firm Recurrent.

Recurrent, which produces battery health reports for used EVs, predicts that plummeting new-battery prices will make replacing a battery pack cheaper than repairing a gasoline engine by the end of the decade.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5

Whether it’s a gasoline engine, a battery pack, or any other component, repairs don’t make financial sense if they exceed the value of a car. Battery replacement costs are already trending away from that, according to Recurrent. They now represent 75% of the value of a $15,000 used car, down from 100% in 2020, the company estimates, adding that by 2030 battery replacements will be equivalent to 30% of the value of a $15,000 used vehicle.

This is being made possible by declining costs for new EV batteries. As Recurrent notes, Goldman Sachs predicted earlier this year that average battery prices would reach $80 per kwh in 2026—almost 50% lower than 2023. With the exception of a bump in 2022 due to high raw material prices, that’s generally been the trend since the start of the modern EV era. The U.S. Department of Energy has estimated that EV battery costs have dropped 90% since 2008.

2025 Kia EV6

Recurrent assumes that these trends will continue, and that by 2030 there will be a robust market for used EV batteries that could allow owners to offset some of the cost of replacement. Growth of so-called second-life applications such as stationary energy storage could allow EV owners to negotiate the sale of their vehicles’ used packs, potentially lowering the effective price of new packs by $10-$20 per kwh, Recurrent predicts.

Lower costs could not only help make used EVs more affordable, but might keep more of them in circulation. A 2023 report found that it’s more common to replace battery packs than repair them, which, at current battery prices, could lead to relatively new vehicles being “totaled” by insurance companies over minor damage and higher insurance premiums for those that remain.

Jeep is looking at ways to integrate drones with its vehicles, as recent patent filings indicate. One possible use Jeep is looking to patent is off-road spotting. Instead of a person getting out of the vehicle to survey the terrain ahead and direct the driver over the appropriate line through obstacles, Jeep proposes deploying a drone from an…

Kia is recalling 62,872 EV6 electric vehicles because onboard charging control units could become damaged and trigger a reduced-power driving mode.

The recall covers 2022-2024 models, which have integrated charging control units that may become damaged by certain electrical loads, preventing them from charging the vehicles’ 12-volt batteries, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

2024 Kia EV6

Failure of 12-volt battery charging causes the vehicle to enter a fail-safe mode, which will gradually reduce power if the vehicle continues to be driven. If this condition occurs, drivers will hear warning chimes and see dashboard warning lights, according to the NHTSA.

The remedy involves updating the charging control unit’s software, as well as inspection of the unit and its fuse, with replacement as needed. All of this work will be performed by dealerships free of charge to owners. Kia expects to mail owner notification letters Dec. 13. Owners can also contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542 for more information. Kia’s reference number for this recall is SC327.

2024 Kia EV6

Some of the recalled vehicles were involved in a previous recall for the same issue, but will still need to have the new recall work completed, the NHTSA confirmed. That recall also included EVs from the related Hyundai and Genesis brands, some of which are also being recalled a second time to address this issue.

The EV6 arrived for the 2022 model year and was a Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2023 finalist. For 2025, it gets a number of updates including bigger battery packs, a North American Charging Standard (NACS) port, and revised styling. Kia will also build U.S.-market vehicles at its West Point, Georgia, factory.

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A 1967 Chevy II Nova Sport Coupe once owned by “Fast and Furious” star Paul Walker is up for sale on Bring a Trailer. This coupe was modified by muscle-car parts specialist Year One following production of 2003’s “2 Fast 2 Furious,” which featured a Chevrolet Camaro and Dodge Challenger kitted out by the company, and was presented to Walker in…