Author: EVAI

The 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata has been revealed The new model year brings a 35th Anniversary edition for $37,435 Pricing for the 2025 lineup starts at $30,515, including destination The Mazda MX-5 Miata enters the 2025 model year with relatively few changes, as the convertible sports car received an update only a year ago. The highlight for 2025 is a…

The Car Connection’s email newsletter is splitting into two. Today’s email newsletter is shifting to a new afternoon delivery schedule with the addition of a morning email to provide more timely delivery of news and reviews. The shift taking place next week on Jan. 27 will deliver reviews and news at more convenient times. The current daily…

Mitsubishi has been invited to join a planned merger between Honda and Nissan, though the automaker is reportedly considering turning down the offer, Reuters reported on Friday, citing anonymous sources. According to the sources, Mitsubishi was expected to decide by this month whether to join Honda and Nissan in the merger. However, the only…

The Audi Q6 E-Tron electric crossover wasn’t designed for hardcore off-road use, but a new concept car explores the possibilities of a more rugged EV from the German automaker.

Audi posted photos of the concept—dubbed the Q6 E-Tron Off-Road—on social media Thursday, but didn’t provide much detail on its features. But it appears to use portal axles to raise ground clearance and allow for the biggest-possible tires.

Audi Q6 E-Tron Off-Road concept

Unlike conventional axles, portal axles situate the wheel hub below the axle hub, separated by gears. In addition to increasing ground clearance, portal axles allow for a wider stance, and the additional set of gears allows for lower gearing beyond the differential.

Mercedes-Benz previously used portal axles for a concept version of its EQC electric crossover, which was originally slated for U.S. sales but never made it here. That concept scouted the trail for Mercedes’ electric G-Class, but it’s unclear if Audi has a similar off-road production model in mind.

Audi Q6 E-Tron Off-Road concept

Audi teased a more rugged EV in 2023 with the Activesphere concept, which was based on the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) as the Q6 E-Tron. PPE, which brings high-power charging hardware pioneered in the Audi E-Tron GT to more EVs, is also shared with the A6 E-Tron sedan and the electric version of the Porsche Macan.

The Q6 E-Tron Off-Road is based on the sleeker Sportback body style of the Q6 E-Tron, which hasn’t reached the U.S. yet. Only the standard SUV body style is currently available to order in the U.S., as a 2025 model, with a $65,095 base price including a $1,295 destination charge. It offers up to 321 miles of EPA, and a first drive in California indicated achieving something close to that in the real world isn’t a stretch.

Rivian plans to quickly catch up with rivals in the area of self-driving technology As soon as 2026, Rivian expects to have an eyes-off self-driving system—a technology only Mercedes offers at present Rivian is open to offering some of its technology to other automakers Rivian plans major updates to its automated driving technology in the…

A joint venture between Rivian and the Volkswagen Group is attracting interest from other automakers as Rivian looks to roll out more advanced driver-assist systems.

Announced last June and formally created in November, the joint venture calls for Volkswagen to take a $5.8 billion stake in Rivian in exchange for access to the U.S. automaker’s electrical architecture and software development expertise. Now other automakers are reportedly looking to join in.

2025 Rivian R1T

“I’d say that many other OEMs are knocking on our door,” Wassym Bensaid, who serves as both Rivian’s chief software officer and CEO of the joint venture, said in an interview with Reuters published Thursday. Bensaid declined to provide the names of the interested automakers.

Rivian’s electrical architecture, as used in the current R1S SUV and R1T pickup truck, requires fewer electronic control units and wiring, making it attractive to other automakers looking to cut weight, cost, and complexity from their vehicles, Reuters reported. But for now, Rivian’s priority is to get the more affordable R2 electric SUV into production and then integrate its tech with VW Group vehicles, Bensaid emphasized.

Rivian R2

“Obviously other OEMs are talking to us and we’re trying to figure out how to support that in the future,” Bensaid told Reuters. “Any other OEM who wants to make a leap from a technology standpoint, the joint venture today becomes one of the key partners with whom they can make that collaboration.”

In a separate Reuters interview also published Thursday, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said the automaker also aims to launch a hands-free driver assist system in 2025 and an “eyes-off” system in 2026. Hands-free systems like Ford’s Blue Cruise and General Motors’ Super Cruise are already available, while Mercedes-Benz is the only automaker to offer a true eyes-off system in the U.S., albeit on a limited basis.

New Model Y launches with 320 miles of range, 0-60 mph time of 4.1 seconds New look mimics the light bars on the Cybercab concept Starting price jumps to $61,630, but it includes “Full Self-Driving (Supervised)” The bestselling EV in the world gets a glow up—and a price blow up—of $12,000 more than last year’s Model Y. Tesla debuted…

• Gas or electric, future BMWs will have the same look
• Upcoming Neue Klasse EVs set stage for design of gas models too
• BMW sold more EVs in 2024 than Audi and Mercedes-Benz combined

During a media roundtable at CES 2025 in Las Vegas earlier this month, BMW’s chief development officer Frank Weber, who’s been tasked with leading development of BMW’s forthcoming product portfolio, declared: “A BMW is a BMW and for us this is so fundamental.”

The executive was referring not just to the automaker’s Neue Klasse EVs, which will launch later this year, but to what will follow with gas tanks and tailpipes. What powers a vehicle shouldn’t define the design, according to Weber.

“We can only have one design,” Weber said, followed by “there is no difference between an ICE car and a battery electric car.”

The issue with two designs stems from making one feel newer and the other older or outdated, Weber explained. BMW won’t try and sell an electric car as “more modern” than its other vehicles either, he said.

BMW Vision Neue Klasse X concept

Unlike other automakers, BMW is in the process of embracing the same essential design language among both internal combustion engine vehicles (ICE) and battery-electric vehicles (BEV). Smaller differences such as grille shapes or rear diffusers can be different, but the language and essence are the same as seen with the current 5- and 7-Series lineups. The i4, i5, and i7 all look like they fit alongside their gas-powered siblings.

The executive noted that splitting EV design completely from gas-powered cars is “probably one of the biggest mistakes some of the competitors were doing.” BMW’s upcoming Neue Klasse EVs, on the other hand, will share their design with gasoline-fueled models, Weber confirmed.

If this is a big mistake by Weber’s description, BMW made it too. The automaker’s early EV, the i3, featured futuristic design that stood out from the rest of the lineup. The same could be said for its wild i8 plug-in hybrid sports car that came alongside the i3. The iX crossover SUV has stood differently in design from other models for several years, though it might bridge the gap between today’s gas-powered lineup and tomorrow’s Neue Klasse EVs.

2024 BMW i4 M50

Audi reported that in 2024 it sold over 164,000 EVs, while Mercedes-Benz said it sold 185,100 EVs, and BMW said it sold 426,594. Weber attributed BMW’s EV sales dominance over fellow German luxury brands Mercedes-Benz and Audi in 2024 due to its strategy of all cars getting equal design treatment. 

Mercedes and its lineup of EQE and EQS EVs shifted to a cab-forward design language that’s markedly different from both its E-Class and S-Class sedans and its GLE and GLS crossover SUVs. Notably, the new electric G-Class looks like its gas-powered sibling aside from its different wheels and grille.

Audi’s lineup of EVs, which includes two crossovers SUVs and a four-door sports sedan that’s a reskinned Porsche, doesn’t stand out like the Mercedes EVs. Those models blend into the automaker’s lineup in terms of design. 

What Weber confirmed won’t change in this methodical shift to EVs is BMW’s hierarchical lineup of number-based model series, which spans from a 1-Series (X1, for the U.S.) all the way to a 7-Series. “This is so precious that you have a certain hierarchy that people know what to get,” he said.

According to Weber, dealers report people aren’t walking in knowing which exact powertrain they want. Customers are really thinking about it and asking themselves, “Am I ready?” And if the answer is no then the automaker’s able to accommodate that. 

“The more relaxed we are and the more they feel respected in the strategy of the company, the easier it is to sell vehicles,” Weber noted.

BMW paid for travel and lodging so we could bring you this firsthand report

Genesis’ performance sub-brand, Magma, has been spotted testing its first model The GV60 Magma is scheduled to debut in 2025, likely as a 2026 model for the U.S. A Magma version of every vehicle in the Genesis lineup is planned, with some anticipated to feature hybrid technology Genesis launched a performance sub-brand last year, similar to…

• Nissan reassesses plans to build a fifth EV model in the U.S., but four remain set
  
• Shift of Mississippi plant to EVs has in recent months been pushed out to 2028
• Plans to build a small electric crossover there have reportedly been canceled

Nissan has abandoned plans to produce a particular small crossover electric vehicle in the U.S., Automotive News reported Wednesday.

According to the report, Nissan made plans to build the EV—codenamed PZ1L—at its Canton, Mississippi, plant for U.S. sale. But amid evolving product plans, it’s reportedly now consolidating production of that vehicle to its Sunderland, U.K., plant. That likely means the PZ1L won’t be sold in the U.S., according to the report.

But beyond the four EVs already planned for Canton, there may still be room for more, according to Nissan.

“At the current time, we are focusing our planning efforts on the other four EV projects for the Canton plant, which will better meet the needs of the market and deliver higher volumes,” Nissan vice president of communication Brian Brockman said to Green Car Reports. “As is always the case in the planning process, we will continue to evaluate market opportunities for new models and make adjustments accordingly.”

2025 Nissan Leaf

The automaker’s plans to build Nissan and Infiniti EVs in Canton had recently been delayed to 2028, from a 2027 start noted last year. It had originally announced plans for a 2025 start—back in 2022 when it announced the project.  

According to recent comments from the automaker, Nissan is indeed planning for five vehicles from the plant.

“Nissan remains committed to the future of mobility and electric vehicle production,” said manufacturing and labor spokesperson Amanda Plecas last week to the Madison Country Journal. “Our Canton, Mississippi facility will transform into a Nissan Intelligent Factory, supporting the manufacture of five next-generation electric vehicles beginning in 2028.”

The Journal noted that the Nissan official would not confirm rumors over whether the Canton plant’s workforce might be downsized as the plant transforms into a Nissan Intelligent Factory that embraces more robotics and a zero-emission production system.

It’s unclear if the PZ1L is one of the three electric crossovers Nissan confirmed for its Sunderland plant in 2023. Two of them included electric versions of the Juke and Qashqai, with the latter unlikely to reach the U.S. The third is expected to be a crossover-influenced sequel to the Leaf, which is expected to arrive for the 2027 model year and has been tipped as U.S.-bound by Nissan officials.

Nissan EV to be made in Mississippi

The Mississippi plant currently assembles the gasoline Altima sedan and Frontier pickup truck. Although Nissan has communicated the plant timing changes as a delay, Automotive News noted that last summer’s delay was different, with the automaker telling suppliers that it was pausing plans for EV production in Canton and putting a $500 million investment in the plant on hold.

A few months later, Nissan announced that it would lay off approximately 9,000 employees globally, representing 6.7% of its global workforce, and cut production capacity by 20% due to declining sales, primarily in the U.S. and China. The situation has led Nissan to pursue a merger with Honda, which the two automakers hope to complete by 2026.

—Senior editor Robert Duffer and senior editor Bengt Halvorson contributed to this report.