The Mini Cooper is a true icon of the automotive industry, sporting a powertrain that revolutionized car design and engineering. It’s about to celebrate its 65th anniversary and in this week’s Past Lane we look at how this improbable vehicle came to be.
Since the formation of Stellantis a few years ago, speculation about what will happen with the low-selling, but still-iconic Chrysler brand has run rampant. Officials, led by CEO Carlos Tavares, assured there were plans for Chrysler. However, time has passed with just one product left, the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, and now someone wants to resurrect the brand: Walter P. Chrysler’s great-grandson. Find out more at Headlight.News.
It may be one of the best-selling luxury brands in the U.S. but Lexus has never been one seen as pushing the edge when it comes to styling. Not until recently, that is. But it’s upending its conservative approach with concepts like the LF-ZC and LF-ZL and could carry those edgy design themes into production. But is it going “too far”? That’s a question its global design chief is asking.
If you had a faulty transmission on a General Motors vehicles built between the 2015 and 2019 model-years you could be covered by a new lawsuit certified by a federal court. The class-action could result in payouts to hundreds of thousands of owners across the U.S., as Headlight.News reports.
The end is near for the Mercedes-Benz EQS electric sedan as the company confirms that the S-Class flagship sedan will have ICE and EV versions when the next generation model arrives.
Ford Motor Co. will pare back its diversity efforts, joining companies like Lowe’s, John Deere and Beam Suntory, the producers of Jim Beam liquor who have entirely abandoned so-called DEI programs. Ford’s move was hailed by conservatives, but denounced as “shortsighted” by human rights advocates. For his part, CEO Jim Farley said the automaker will still work to creative an “inclusive workplace.”
Mercedes-AMG announces that the AMG PureSpeed has entered the final stage of testing as the inaugural model in the “Mythos” range attempts to not only pay homage to the past, but also push the limits of performance even further.
It normally takes some major hardware upgrades to deliver a 50 horsepower boost, but the Ford Ranger Raptor will get that big jump in performance with something as simple as a software upgrade, the automaker says. And the Bronco Raptor will get a nearly equal increase, according to Ford. Here’s how.
For the first time in several years, the number of people buying a new vehicle remained loyal to the brand of car, truck or SUV they were getting out of. According to S&P Global Mobility, the first half registration data showed 52.5% of buyers remained loyal — a 1.9% increase on a year-over-year basis. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Polestar CEO Thomas Ingelanth resigns from the company as Polestar continues to bleed money and navigate rough waters caused by slumping EV demand and cash burn.
South Korean automotive behemoth Hyundai Motor expects to sell 5.5 million vehicles globally by the end of the decade, including 2 million EVs and 1.8 million hybrids. The global number represents a 30% jump over last year’s numbers. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Audi plans to make some big news next week, the German automaker set to reveal the next-generation version of its best-selling model, the Q5. Ahead of that formal unveiling, Audi released this teaser image and gave some hints as to what’s coming. Significantly, the midsize SUV will be offered with a range of powertrains, including gas, hybrid and all-electric. Here’s what we’ve learned so far.