Category: General

• Merger talks between Honda and Nissan might begin
• The merger would put the automakers under holding company
• EVs, hybrids, and software could be at the core of potential overlap
  

Honda and Nissan are close to starting merger talks aimed at fending off electric-vehicle competition, reports Nikkei.

The Japanese news daily reported on Tuesday that Honda and Nissan are close to signing a memorandum of understanding as a first step toward merger talks, with Mitsubishi potentially joining as a third partner. Nissan already owns approximately 34% of Mitsubishi shares, and there has been some platform sharing between the two automakers.

The current plan is for the merged automakers to operate under a holding company, according to the report, which cites competition from Tesla and Chinese automakers in the EV segment as one of the main factors behind the merger talks.

2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce

This follows a March announcement by Honda and Nissan of a memorandum of understanding for a “strategic partnership in the fields of vehicle electrification and intelligence” expected to cover EVs, hybrids, and software. Mitsubishi was tipped to join that partnership in August. The current alliance between Nissan, Mitsubishi, and French automaker has also collaborated with Honda in the past, most recently on the Altna battery-leasing joint venture.

Combined sales of Honda and Nissan in 2023 totaled more than 8 million vehicles. That would make the merged automaker the third largest by sales volume after Toyota and the Volkswagen Group, which sold 11.2 million and 9.2 million vehicles in 2023, respectively.

A full merger would likely be a needed lifeline for Nissan. The automaker in October announced plans to lay off approximately 9,000 employees, representing 6.7% of its global workforce, and cut production capacity by 20% due to declining sales, primarily in the U.S. and China.

2025 Honda Civic Hybrid

Both automakers are in the midst of an EV reset, with Honda preparing to roll out its 0 Series starting in 2026 and Nissan preparing a next-generation Leaf, as well as larger models for assembly in Mississippi.

Hybrids could present more immediate opportunities for integration. Honda’s two-motor hybrid system could replace Nissan’s e-Power hybrid system, which still hasn’t made it to the U.S. after years of discussion. Nissan, meanwhile, could take the lead in electrifying pickup trucks and SUVs—including the body-on-frame models Honda currently lacks.

• Ram now plans its first electric truck for a 2026 launch
• Series-hybrid Ramcharger on track for the first half of 2025
• Stellantis—without a permanent CEO—says battery-electric demand is slowing

The all-electric Ram 1500 REV full-size pickup truck has been delayed once again, with the series hybrid Ram 1500 Ramcharger now due to arrive before it, Stellantis confirmed Wednesday in a press release.

The REV was shown before the Ramcharger, debuting in a 2023 Super Bowl ad. It had been scheduled to arrive at dealerships before the end of this year as a 2025 model. But last month, now-ousted Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the launch would be delayed until the first half of 2025 to ensure quality. Now Stellantis says the REV won’t arrive until 2026.

2025 Ram 1500 REV

Instead, order books for the Ramcharger, which uses a 92-kwh battery pack and a 3.6-liter V-6 engine acting as a range extender, will open in the first half of 2025. Stellantis hadn’t confirmed exact launch timing for the Ramcharger until now, but it seems that introducing it first is a change of course by the automaker.

“The decision to launch Ramcharger first was driven by overwhelming consumer interest, maintaining a competitive advantage in the technology, and slowing industry demand for half-ton BEV pickups,” the release said.

2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger

The Ram 1500 REV had aimed offset its late arrival with big specs: up to 500 miles of range from a 229-kwh battery pack. If it launches with no mechanical changes in 2026, a 168-kwh pack will be standard, delivering what Ram estimates to be up to 350 miles of range. Ram has also confirmed a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain producing 654 hp and 620 lb-ft of torque, with a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds, 14,000-pound towing capacity, and 2,700-pound payload capacity.

Ram has said the Ramcharger can get 145 miles of pure electric range, but its V-6 range extender can add 545 miles. It also more or less matches the Ram 1500 REV’s power output, acceleration, towing, and payload numbers. And while its rivals already offer all-electric pickups, the Ramcharger will give Ram a head start on plug-in hybrid trucks. So from the outset, it was always likely that the Ramcharger would upstage the REV—and that is now happening.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday declined to hear a challenge to California’s emissions authority, allowing the state to, for the time being, continue with plans to gradually phase out sales of new internal-combustion vehicles.

The Court denied a petition by Ohio and other states to consider the merits of challenges by oil and gas companies to California’s Clean Air Act waiver, which allows the state to set its own, stricter emissions standards. The Court said it would only consider whether those companies had standing to bring their claims.

This removes one potential threat to California’s regulatory authority, but there’s likely more where that came from. As California prepares to ban the sale of non-plug-in gasoline vehicles by 2035, conservative interests are targeting its EV-friendly policies.

Rivian Adventure Network charging site in Joshua Tree, California

The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, which might serve as a blueprint for the incoming Trump Administration, doesn’t call for an outright revocation of the waiver, but does aim for it to be reduced to cover only pollution issues specific to that state, as well as ensuring that other states that adopt California environmental standards only do so for “traditional/criteria pollutants”—not greenhouse gas emissions.

This would effectively excise the EV portion of California’s emissions standards, making for a much more surgical strike against EV policy than in the previous Trump Administration, which acted to remove California’s emissions authority outright in 2019. That challenge went to the courts, for different reasons, and the emissions authority was eventually restored by the Biden Administration.

Nissan Leaf charging at EVgo fast charger in Baker, California

Last time around, a series of automakers made side deals with California, backing it because it simply made better sense on the global landscape. BMW, Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and Volvo asked a federal court to uphold California’s emissions authority, while General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (now Stellantis), and Toyota sided with Trump.

It’s unclear how persistent the second Trump Administration will be in trying to dismantle Biden’s clean-energy and EV-focused policy, but things do not look good on that front. In this case, though, attacking policies will also mean attacking states’ rights—ostensibly one of the core values of the Republican Party.

• Q6 E-Tron EV is Audi’s first on PPE platform shared with Porsche
• Arrives before the end of the year in Q6 and SQ6 forms
• California drive suggested around 300 miles from 100 kwh isn’t a stretch
• Roomy, comfortable interior and good ride quality; quirky regenerative braking

With its 2025 Q6 E-Tron lineup, Audi is helping solve a pesky logic problem that has plagued the whole round of electric sport-utility vehicle entries from German luxury brands over the past few years. 

SUVs are today’s family vehicles of choice. And luxury brands love pointing out that time is the new luxury. 

Then, why are so many luxury electric SUVs time bandits, leaving you to spend more time in the outer fringes of big-box parking lots charging up for the next stretch on the highway—while those in the mass-market Teslas, Hyundais, and Kias come and go?

The German luxury establishment might finally get it and be fixing this conundrum with next-generation EVs. But Porsche aside, Audi’s the only one here right now with circa-20-minute charging in a roomy-but-not humongous two-row luxury vehicle. 

In a first drive experience last week in the 2025 Audi Q6, I didn’t get far enough to warrant a road-trip charge; but it helped underscore that this new vehicle family is generally far better at avoiding a charging stop than its Q4 E-Tron and Q8 E-Tron counterparts.

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Q6 E-Tron family is mostly over the 300-mile mark

The Audi Q6 E-Tron family’s driving range spans from 321 miles for the rear-wheel-drive Q6 E-tron, to 307 miles in E-Tron quattro (dual-motor all-wheel-drive) form, to 275 miles in SQ6 E-Tron quattro form. 

Over an 83-mile drive with the Q6 E-Tron quattro and a 102-mile drive in the SQ6—both emphasizing a combination of tightly curved Sonoma two-laners with short stints on US-101, we averaged 3.0 miles per kwh overall. That’s an excellent result considering we were also driving to explore the ride, handling, and overall dynamics of the vehicle—I’ll get to that shortly—without a lot of heed to efficient driving. It should also be noted that we saw 2.9 mi/kwh in the Q6 E-Tron and 3.1 mi/kwh in the SQ6—perhaps more an indication of some additional afternoon traffic than anything else. 

Audi says that compared to the Q8 E-Tron, the Q6 E-Tron has a 33% improvement in performance and a 30% reduction in energy consumption. A shift to an 800 volts for the battery and propulsion system, borrowing wisdom from the Porsche Taycan and related Audi E-Tron GT, is at the core of the boost in efficiency and range, which makes the charging gains all the more meaningful. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Audi Q6 E-Tron aims for middle, makes it lux

With them, the Q6 E-Tron does indeed slot right into the heart of Audi’s lineup—especially right into the middle of its North American lineup. It’s about eight inches longer than the Q4 E-Tron and a foot shorter than the Audi Q8 E-Tron, but it ends up feeling nearly as big inside as the latter. And while its 187.8 inches of overall length and 113.7-inch wheelbase are only 3.5 and 2.7 inches greater than that of the Q5 gasoline SUV—with less than a couple inches extra in overall height and width—the Q6 feels almost a size larger. 

Those packaging advantages over the Q5 are made possible by what the Q6 was built on. It’s the launch vehicle for Premium Platform Electric (PPE), a dedicated EV platform that didn’t allow for combustion-engine space and aimed for reduced component dimensions and weight, plus strong performance. Initially shared with the Porsche Macan Electric, PPE is set to be utilized by the Q6 Sportback and A6 sedan lineup, both on the way next year. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

The packaging isn’t all perfect. If there’s a flaw here it’s that the rear door cuts are a little too short. While it means a little wedging for taller folks to get in (or a smaller space for leaning in on tots), there was plenty of space for this 6-foot-6 beanpole to sit behind myself. 

The floor is low, signaling some smart packaging choices with the battery pack, and there’s a 2.3-cubic-foot frunk that’s about the right size for a large daypack or carry-on—or stashing your mobile charge cord. In back, you get 30.2 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seatback up, or 60.2 cubic feet with them flipped forward—a significant amount more than the Q5’s 25.9 and 54.1 cubic feet.

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Q6 E-Tron batteries, motors, and more

What’s underneath? Keeping the battery pack modestly sized was a great start. Adding up to 100 kwh gross, or 94.4 kwh usable, it’s configured around 12 modules and 15 prismatic cells per module—for a total of 180 cells. It’s less complex versus the Q8 E-Tron’s 36 modules and 432 total cells, and the new pack allows individual modules to easily be replaced.

All models have a permanent-magnet motor unit at the rear wheels, and versions with quattro all-wheel drive get an induction motor at the front wheels. That essentially allows them to switch off the front motor, without drag, in cruising and light coasting situations, and weight savings and silicon carbide power electronics save weight and energy here, too. 

While the battery capacity may be the same, Audi is using two different EV battery cell chemistries, from two different global suppliers—Samsung SDI and CATL. Their lithium nickel cobalt aluminum oxide (NCA) and nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells, due to slight variations optimizing the charge, get to 80% in 22 or 21 minutes, respectively—with quattro and SQ6 versions getting the NMC cells for their slightly better tolerance of heat in performance situations. 

2025 Audi SQ6 E-Tron

Q6 E-Tron charging, brake regen

Fast-charging peaks at 260 and 270 kw, respectively, for these packs, with the 350-kw CCS DC fast-charging connectors that are increasingly common in the U.S. An adapter for Tesla NACS connectors is set to arrive in the next year. On DC fast-charging equipment limited to less than 800 volts—like much of the Tesla Supercharger network at present—Audi’s enabled 400V charging at a peak around 135 kw, by running the pack as two parallel 400-volt packs, allowing that 10-80% charge in around 35 minutes. Audi says that with a predictive thermal management system and battery management controller developed for this platform, fast-charges will be quicker and more efficient, and it’s planning to add a manual preconditioning setting for the U.S. (to allow for stations that aren’t yet in route planning, for instance). 

For home charging, by the way, the 9.6-kw onboard charger allows you to tap into charge ports on either side of the vehicle (DC only on the driver’s side), and with a home charge connector at that power level, on a 50-amp circuit, a full charge should take no more than 10 hours. 

The Q6 E-Tron packs a lot of energy back away to the battery pack every time you slow or stop; but it’s a different approach than what you’ll find in many other EVs. In its default settings, the Q6 lineup likes to glide when you lift off the accelerator, unless you deliberately select other settings at each key cycle. Audi points out that its stepped up the actual brake regeneration that you tap into when stepping on the brake pedal, to a maximum of 0.30 g, a level that many stops only use the friction pads the past few feet. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Shift to ‘D’ and the default setting takes you to an Auto deceleration mode that is a bit of a black box. It taps into inputs from the forward-facing camera, including the distance to vehicles ahead, as well as traffic and navigation data, making decisions about the curves along the road ahead—but arriving at unpredictable levels of regen that aren’t confirmed on the dash as you lift off the accelerator. Attempting to glide around a roundabout, for instance, warranted an unexpected ramp-up in regen. 

You do have choices, though, and it’s the way to go. From ‘D’ with the steering-wheel paddles you can click through levels 0, 1, and 2, ranging from a flat-neutral coast, to 0.06 g (about like a gasoline car in ‘D’), to 0.15 g (think downshifting one gear). Select ‘B’ on the very odd shift selector—one of my peeves with this vehicle—and you dial up a completely different personality, with a full 0.25 g of regen when you lift off the accelerator. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

Audi Q6 E-Tron price and value

The 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron quattro we spent much of the day with started at $67,095, including the $1,295 destination fee, and added the $6,800 Prestige package, $1,300 Warm Weather package (leather upholstery, cooled front seats, Bang & Olufsen audio), and $1,000 20-inch wheel package. That brought the total as tested to $76,195.

The quattro is right in the middle of the lineup, and it makes 356 hp in its launch mode and can get to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. Rear-wheel-drive Q6 E-Tron versions make 322 hp and take 6.3 seconds. SQ6 E-Tron bump power to 509 hp and can get from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds. 

The Prestige package, which I didn’t test a Q6 E-Tron without, adds two features that might change the fundamental feel of the vehicle: an adaptive air suspension, and acoustic glass in front. 

To those two points: The Q6 E-Tron doesn’t feel tuned like a performance vehicle, and we noted a fair amount of pitchiness that got in the way of backroad poise. This isn’t a vehicle that invites driving roads. Despite all the weight-saving measures in the propulsion system, this vehicle weighs nearly 5,300 pounds—but the air suspension and buttoned-down damping do help calm big body motions under hard acceleration and strong braking, making it feel very confident overall.  

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

But as I note in a companion review of the 2025 Audi SQ6 over at Motor Authority, what amounts to a collective set of tuning and hardware differences amounts to a very different-feeling vehicle that I actually enjoyed driving much more, while only modestly more expensive and less efficient. 

Q6 E-Tron Prestige versions also get acoustic front glass, and it’s hard to tell what additional noise this helps quell, as the Q6 E-Tron is very, very quiet inside—so much that it made us question why Audi has three simulated propulsion levels inside, with none of them completely off. 

Q6 E-Tron family gets all-new interface

The Prestige package also includes some head-turning personalized OLED exterior lighting, plus a noteworthy piece of technology in front of the passenger—a 10.9-inch front passenger display, with an active privacy filter, that lets the passenger view, communicate, or play DJ. 

2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron

It’s all part of a revamped interface the brand is calling the Audi Digital Stage, wrapping a 11.9-inch configurable cockpit screen with a 14.5-inch OLED touchscreen in a curved panoramic design, as well as an augmented reality head-up display that seemed to jam a lot of info in front of the driver (we turned it off, but appreciated the directional lighting within the dash. It’s shifted seemingly all of the climate controls into the screen area, but over the course of a day’s drive I found most of the controls, with a basic menu of icons on the left rail signifying items like sound, navigation, phone, and the like, quite intuitive. 

Audi has also added a new AI-informed digital assistant that can perform some tasks (like turning down the very strong heated seats) flawlessly—and it doesn’t appear to need a data connection for everything. 

While the Q8 E-Tron (and its E-Tron SUV predecessor) was among the first electric SUVs on the market—a full year before the Tesla Model Y—the brand has shown it’s learned and improved in nearly every respect with the Q6 E-Tron and its underlying PPE platform. For those holding out for better-driving, longer-range, faster-charging luxury EVs, they’re here.  

• Macan Electric builds on Taycan’s 800V tech
• Leads a new generation of very quick-charging EVs
• Up to 315 miles of range, 21 minutes from 10-80%

The Porsche Macan Electric is brimming with technology and engineering innovation that will help transform the middle of the luxury market, not just the fringes. That’s why it’s one of Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy 2025 finalists

As other brands have shuffled toward EVs in fits and starts, Porsche hasn’t wavered in its effort to remake nearly all its lineup around EVs, and redesigning a next-generation Macan, its top seller, without a combustion engine has been an especially bold move. 

Porsche’s sharp focus on electrifying its lineup started with the Mission E concept nine years ago, resulting in the production Porsche Taycan, sandwiched between the 911 and Panamera. Fully electric, and arriving for the 2020 model year, it was one of our Best Car To Buy 2020 finalists. 

PPE platform for VW Group, developed by Porsche/Audi

This past year, the 2025 Porsche Taycan has received all sorts of improvements to gain efficiency, boost performance, and make good on the mission. But the Macan Electric’s Premium Platform Electric (PPE) takes all Taycan’s tech in perspective—by allowing easier scalability, and simplifying for a higher level of mass production. It all shows that the electric version can be more space-efficient, comfortable, and luxurious, in addition to all those other clean-energy qualities. 

The Macan and its PPE platform-mates, including the Audi Q6 E-Tron, evolve the motor tech and carry over the Taycan’s 800-volt basis for battery and propulsion tech. However, it’s built with a 100-kwh battery pack that reduces complexity and shifts to a smaller number of prismatic cells and improved thermal regulation—enabling a 10-80% DC fast-charging time of as little as 21 minutes. With an EPA range rating of up to 315 miles, and 288 miles in even the top Macan Turbo, that’s not a lot of road-trip time spent charging. 

2024 Porsche Macan EV

2024 Porsche Macan EV

2024 Porsche Macan EV

So far, the German luxury establishment has been missing out on faster 800-volt charging, but the Macan and PPE shepherd it out to the 2025 Audi Q6 E-Tron and SQ6 E-Tron, also arriving now, and next year to the Audi A6 E-Tron hatchback and more. 

The Macan Electric’s thermal systems and performance credentials were well proven by our editorial team during Best Car To Buy testing at Georgia’s Atlanta Motorsports Park, where the battery, brakes, or motors never overheated, despite this performance SUV’s curb weight of nearly 5,400 pounds—although the Pirelli P Zero Corsa summer performance tires were definitely worse for wear. 

2024 Porsche Macan EV

The Porsche Macan Electric is offered at a range of different power levels, including the 335-hp Macan, 402-hp Macan 4, the 509-hp Macan 4S, and the 630-hp Macan Turbo—with the latter achieving a 0-60 mph dash in just 3.1 seconds. An air suspension and adaptive damping are included, allowing the Macan to raise or lower its ride height based on the drive mode, and the PPE underpinnings for the Macan Electric also include a new front suspension geometry plus a steering gear that’s rigidly attached to the structure for better steering feedback. On the street and on the track alike, the Macan’s rear-wheel steering is its secret weapon, allowing for better maneuverability in tight corners and better stability in high-speed maneuvers. 

Fun track time aside, it’s the Macan Electric and the platform it’s built on that will help prove that EVs don’t have to involve compromise, which can help elevate this technology to a broader market. 

It’s not “mission complete” yet, but this bigger mission is just starting.

• Eight EVs have earned Top Safety Pick+ ratings from the IIHS
• The Cadillac Lyriq was not one of those EVs
• Mazda and Volvo PHEVs joined the list of Top Safety Pick+ winners

A few more electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids earned the industry’s toughest safety award with a Top Safety Pick+ rating in the year’s final round of testing by the IIHS, but one model missed out.

The IIHS toughened requirements to earn the Top Safety+ award and second-tier Top Safety Pick award this year, but eight EVs achieved Top Safety Pick+ status in the first round of awards announced in September, with a further nine models earning the lower Top Safety Pick award.

2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally

On Tuesday the IIHS announced that, after an additional round of testing meant to accommodate models that hadn’t yet undergone the updated moderate front-overlap crash test or had been changed to achieve better performance, the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E and 2025 Rivian R1S have joined the list of Top Safety Pick+ winners.

Plug-in hybrid versions of the 2025 Mazda CX-70 and 2024 and 2025 Volvo XC90 are also newly minted Top Safety Pick+ winners. No new EVs or plug-in hybrids joined the ranks of Top Safety Pick winners this time around.

To qualify for either award, vehicles now need the highest “Good” rating in the small front-overlap and updated side crash tests, an “Acceptable” or “Good” rating in the pedestrian front-crash prevention tests, and headlights with those same ratings across all trim levels. The latter requirement tripped up the 2024 Cadillac Lyriq, which received a “Poor” headlight rating.

2025 Rivian R1S

Introduced for the 2023 model year, the Lyriq sees minor changes for 2025, as well as a price cut, but nothing that would likely impact its headlight ratings. That being said, automakers sometimes work with the IIHS to address issues found in the organization’s testing, so Cadillac could make changes that filter in later in the model year.

The Top Safety Pick+ award also requires a “Good” or “Acceptable” score in the updated moderate front-overlap test, which adds a second crash test dummy behind the driver and looks closer at rear-seat safety. A “Good” rating in the original version of this test is enough for the lower-tier Top Safety Pick award.

• The 2025 Toyota bZ4x costs $38,465
• Toyota gave the bZ4x a $6,000 price cut; Limited trims are now $5,380 less expensive
• EPA range ratings should max out at 252 miles

Expected to arrive at U.S. dealerships early next year, the 2025 Toyota bZ4x gets a price cut, as well as more driver-assist features and a new Nightshade Edition grade.

The base price of the entry-level XLE is now $38,465 with the $1,395 destination charge. That is $6,000 lower than the equivalent 2024 model.

The Limited grade now starts at $43,195 with destination, which is a $5,380 price cut. Limited models replace the XLE’s 18-inch wheels with 20-inch rolling stock, and add convenience features like power front seats with heating and cooling. For 2025, traffic jam assist, lane change assist, and front cross-traffic alerts are now standard on Limited models as well.

2025 Toyota bZ4x

Also new for 2025 is a Nightshade Edition that brings the blackout treatment previously seen on Toyota hybrids to the all-electric bZ4X for $41,815 with destination. Based on the XLE grade, Nightshade models add black 20-inch wheels, as well as a black rear spoiler, door handles, and badges, on the outside, and red contrast stitching on the inside.

A single-motor front-wheel-drive powertrain rated at 201 hp remains standard. Dual-motor all-wheel drive, with a bump to 214 hp, is a $2,080 option on the XLE and Limited grades, and standard on the Nightshade. Single-motor models continue with a 71.4-kwh battery pack using cells from Panasonic, while dual-motor models have a 72.8-kwh pack with CATL cells.

Toyota expects unchanged EPA range ratings, maxing out at 252 miles for single-motor XLE models. That drops to 228 miles for dual-motor XLE models. With their bigger wheels, Limited models should remain at 236 miles with the single-motor powertrain and 222 miles with the dual-motor powertrain. The latter number also applies to Nightshade models.

Introduced for the 2023 model year, the bZ4x is a virtual twin of the Subaru Solterra, and is also closely related to the Lexus RZ. It remains the only EV in Toyota’s U.S. lineup, but that will change soon as the automaker looks to start U.S. EV production within the next two years.

• Production of the Audi Q8 E-Tron ends Feb. 28
• It’s unclear if 2025 Q8 E-Trons will arrive in the U.S.
• Audi’s EV lineup will continue with the Q4 E-Tron, Q6 E-Tron, A6 E-Tron, and E-Tron GT

Audi will stop Q8 E-Tron production two months into the new year, bringing an end to the electric SUV that—in its original E-Tron form—ushered in Audi’s electric era.

First reported by Reuters, the factory in Brussels, Belgium, that builds the Q8 E-Tron will shut down by Feb. 28. Audi had been seeking to sell the Belgian plant, and a shutdown has seemed likely since November, when the automaker told Reuters that it had been unable to find a buyer. And Automotive News reported in July that the Q8 E-Tron might be on the chopping block.

2025 Audi Q8 E-Tron

Now we know that the Q8 E-Tron is indeed on the way out, as production will not be shifted to another plant. While Audi has already announced 2025-model-year pricing, a spokesperson told Green Car Reports that all vehicles currently in the automaker’s U.S. inventory are 2024 models. The availability of 2025 models will depend on whether any remaining production is allocated to the U.S.

Audi was only planning small changes to feature content for 2025, plus a $600 base-price bump to $76,095 (including a $1,295 destination charge).

2025 Audi Q8 E-Tron

The Q8 E-Tron was only launched for the 2024 model year, as a heavy update of 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 somewhat sharpened handling and more driving range. It achieved up to 300 miles of EPA range in sleeker Sportback form with the efficiency-focused Ultra Package, but that option was due to be discontinued for 2025, knocking range down to 272 miles.

While the Q8 E-Tron shares its MLB platform with gasoline models, Audi now has multiple dedicated EV platforms at its disposal. The entry-level Q4 E-Tron shares with MEB platform with Volkswagen EVs like the ID.4, the E-Tron GT is based on the same J1 platform as the Porsche Taycan, and the incoming Q6 E-Tron and A6 E-Tron use the same Premium Platform Electric (PPE) as the Porsche Macan EV. PPE will likely serve as the basis for Audi EVs going forward—including any potential replacement for the Q8 E-Tron.

Ford and SK On will receive a $9.63 billion government loan for their BlueOval SK battery joint venture, according to a report Monday from Reuters.

The news ups the original loan amount, which was $9.2 billion, reported in June by The New York Times.

The Department of Energy loan—the largest so far by the Biden administration related to EV manufacturing—will help finance construction of battery plants in Kentucky and Tennessee.

Ford announced the plants in 2021, quoting a record $11.4 billion investment and the creation of nearly 11,000 new jobs at the two mammoth manufacturing complexes. The automaker and SK On said in 2021 that the BlueOval SK joint venture would target 60 gigawatt-hours of annual battery cell production by the middle of the decade.

BlueOvalSK Battery Park – rendering, September 2021

The plans include Blue Oval City, in west Tennessee, and BlueOval SK Battery Park, with twin battery plants at the same site, in central Kentucky. Ford said in 2021 that it would build both complexes, and planned to have them operational by 2025.

Blue Oval City encompasses not only a battery plant, but also a supplier park and vehicle assembly plant that will produce electric trucks, including the next-generation F-150 Lightning. SK On is already manufacturing cells for the current-generation Lightning in Georgia.

The BlueOval SK Battery Park complex in central Kentucky will consist of two battery plants producing cells for future Ford and Lincoln EVs.

BlueOvalSK Battery Park – rendering, September 2021

In addition to the BlueOval SK complexes, Ford in February announced a deal with CATL for a $3.5 billion battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. The automaker also continues to assemble the Mustang Mach-E in Mexico using LG cells sourced from a factory in Poland.

The Energy Department loan is the largest so far under a revived program once used by the Obama administration to fund Tesla, Nissan, and Ford, among others, but ignored by the Trump administration. Under President Biden, the Energy Department has extended a $2 billion loan to Tesla veteran JB Straubel’s Redwood Materials battery-recycling company and a $2.5 billion loan to General Motors’ Ultium Cells LLC battery joint venture with LG.

Note – This story was update to reflect a new loan amount as of December

Lamborghini is delaying its first fully electric model by a year, hoping that market conditions will be more favorable at that time, Reuters reports.

“We do not think 2029 is late to have an electric cars,” CEO Stephan Winkelmann told Reuters and other media outlets Monday at Lamborghini’s headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy. “We do not think that, in our segment, the market will be ready in 2025 or 2026.”

Lamborghini Lanzador concept

Winkelmann said Lamborghini is also waiting for regularity clarification in Europe. In 2026, the European Union is scheduled to undertake a review of its plan to phase out sales of new internal-combustion vehicles by 2035 that Winkelmann believes could give Lamborghini an out from going all-electric.

“There are discussions around synthetic fuels and this is an opportunity for our kind of cars,” the Lamborghini CEO said.

In 2023, Lamborghini confirmed that its first EV would be a 2+2 grand tourer targeting 300 miles of range and a comfortable rear seat. It subsequently previewed this model with the Lanzador concept, announcing a 2028 target launch date.

Lamborghini Lanzador concept

Lamborghini has maintained throughout that its signature supercars will be the last to go electric. The automaker plans to stick with plug-in hybrid powertrains in those models for now, while reserving all-electric powertrains for other vehicle types. That view is shared by rival McLaren. In 2023, the British automaker’s CEO said he didn’t expect an electric supercar to be viable until 2030.

Meanwhile, Lamborghini’s traditional rival, Ferrari, is moving ahead with plans for its own $500,000 EV. Due for a later 2025 reveal, the electric Ferrari will be assembled at a new factory just north of the automaker’s existing campus in Maranello, Italy.