Auto News Net

Starting next month customers that use Hertz rental cars will have the option to rent one of the 100,000 Tesla Model 3s, the company has bought from Tesla. This is one of the largest EV purchases made by a US Car rental company and making 20% of Hertz's fleet EVs.  While most of the Europe has transitioned to EVs, US buyers are having trouble with letting go of their love for the gasoline engine. One of the reasons is the lack of charging stations as you travel further away from major cities. The Volkwagen's Electrify America program is working to address this issue but still it may take a few years. This move from Hertz is a great step towards transitioning the customers to EVs. This gives customers the opportunity to try out EVs before purchasing one.  Also there is another benefit, anyone who rents a Tesla from Hertz between now and February 2022 will have access to Tesla's charging stations at no cost. So this holiday season you can save on gas cost if you are planning

Mazda recently announced that they will be adding to their current suv line up. CX-50 which is scheduled to start production at their Huntsville plant in January of 2022 will be the first addition. Introduction of CX-70 and CX-90 will soon follow.  The CX-50 will not be replacing their most popular model the CX-5, at least for now. The CX-70 will be a new 2 row SUV that would be slighly larger than the CX-5. The CX-90 will be the only 3- row SUV for Mazda and expected to replace the current CX-9, which is overdue for an upgrade. This is exciting news for Mazda which is becoming more popular not just among the younger buyers but also among those who love the excitement of driving, as Mazda continues to enhance on their ideology of "Driving Matters".

In 2019 when Elon Musk, revealed the Cybertruck, it immediately grabbed the attention of the Tesla fans. It unique design and body structure stood out to make truck enthusiasts.  While the company is continuing testing of the Cybertruck, we continue to learn new things about this unique ride. Latest is the ability to remove the truck's side mirrors. This is definitely very interesting as side mirrors are required by law.  Many automakers like Jeep, provide the owners the ability to remove body parts, such as the doors and the roof panels of their popular Jeep Wrangler. But no automaker had given the ability to remove the side mirrors before.  While this sounds very exciting, it would be nice to see how practical it would be and how this would affect the current laws related to side mirrors. 

Acura Integra was once an iconoic japanese luxury sports coupe. It delivered style, luxury and sportines in an affordable package. However it was discontinued in the early 2000's.  But we have great news from Acura as they have announced their plans to bring back the Integra for the 2023 model year This is exciting news for sports coupe enthusiasts.  Based on the initial information shared, the Integra will share components with the new Honda Civic. However Integra will have it own unique styling. Excited to see more details from Acura.

Today, Lexus unveiled their latest SUV Lexus LX600. The LX model has been part of the Lexus line up for several years and although it has not been one of their top selling models, it always maintained image of a luxury three-row SUV. The latest LX600 continues that image with an bold and elegant design coupled with a luxurious and comfortable cabin.  In some part of the world the LX is known as the Toyota Landcruiser, which is considered a benchmark for luxury SUVs. Although the Landcruiser nameplate is no longer available in the U.S, the new LX600 delivers the same level of luxury as the Landcruiser.  Starting at $90K this is targeting the premium buyers. The new LX600 will pose a real challenge to the BMW X7 and the Mercedes-Benz GLS.

Mazda just announced that their latest Mazda SUV is going to be built in Huntsville, Alabama at the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing Co. This is going to be the first American made Mazda SUV.  This is a whole new SUV for Mazda called the CX50. The question is whether the CX50 is going to replace their most popular vehicle the CX5 or is it going to add to their existing SUV line up. Mazda is yet to provide any information on this, so we could only speculate.  But there is one this we know for sure, like any other Mazda it's going to be one sporty ride with top notch handling. 

Lucid Motors has been making news lately, with their stunning car designs. Today we learned that the EPA has rated their Lucid Air Dream Edition with a driving range of 520 miles. That is by far the longest range EPA has rated any pure electric vehicle.  Lucid Motors is a california based company with their factory located in Arizona.  Lucid Motors plans to revolutionize the EV industry with their Lucid Air model which they believe would be like Ford's Model T, a mainstream automobile.  Hope Lucid will be able to accomplish their goal of making EVs more accessible to all. 

As you all know, the chip shortage has been affecting auto manufacturers for several months and the industry isn't expected to recover until at least 2023.  So some auto manufacturers are getting creative to minimize the number of chips used in each vehicle. Several chevy trucks are being shipped without the fuel management system that shows data on fuel consumption. Elon Musk recently announced that some Tesla's will loose lumbar support function. Some auto manufacturers are shipping cars without the blind Spot monitoring system.  While some of these are features that cosumers can live without, removing useful safety features is alarming. But these are expected to be short term solutions.  The current administration is working with U.S chip manufacturers to scale up their production. While this may take some time, this is a step in the right direction. In the meantime we may have to let go a few car features that we have come to enjoy.