VW Cuts Back On EV Production, Citing Poor Sales

[Auto Styling News]

Volkswagen is temporarily cutting back production of e-cars at its Emden plant in the German seaport town of Lower Saxony, citing flagging sales, according to the works council. In the next two weeks until the plant vacations, the late shift in the production of the ID.4 compact SUV and the first models of the new ID.7 electric sedan will be canceled, works council head Manfred Wulff said in response to a question, confirming a report in the "Nordwest-Zeitung" newspaper. 

A VW spokeswoman in Emden told the paper, "We are confident that capacity utilization at the plant will increase again with the market launch of the ID.7 at the end of the year."

The workforce was informed of the move on Monday, the works council said. According to the statement, while production of combustion models, such as the Passat, will continue unchanged, the three-week plant vacation for employees in the E-segment is also to be extended by one week. In addition, around 300 of the 1,500 temporary workers currently employed in Emden are not to be kept on from August.

For the past decade, The German automaker has been promising an electric version of its wildly popular VW Van. But its success was pinned to the nostalgia of Baby Boomers (1946-1964) who remembered the original. The oldest cohort of the group is in their 70s now, and are unlikely to be buying "family vans."

In February, VW booted it's design chief, who was a proponent of "retro" designs.
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Auto Styling News is a blog that covers car concepts, newly released models, and the auto industry.

Ford, GM, Make Deal To Charge EVs at Tesla Charging Stations

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Ford and GM electric vehicles on the road today, like Ford's 2024 F-150 Lightning, above, will be getting EV adapters that will allow them to use Tesla Superchargers, and future electric cars from the two companies will reportedly be fitted with Tesla chargers at the factories.

On a Twitter Space, General Motors’ CEO Mary Barra reportedly followed Ford’s CEO Jim Farley in their move to collaborate with Tesla to integrate the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector design into its EVs beginning in 2025.

The partnership also includes the ability for GM EV drivers to charge at a growing number of Tesla Superchargers (currently 12,000), throughout North America. Observers say Tesla will rap up building charging stations to keep up with the increased demand. 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that  the "Tesla (now NACS) design, [is] fundamentally better in every way for consumers," and "Worth mentioning that Tesla is supplying the adapter & other hardware to car companies at zero profit.' Musk lamented the fact that the Europen Union rejected his overtures, according to its Transportation Mjnister, “a committee decided the standard years ago” which elicited an online  comment, Sigh, from Musk.

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Auto Styling News is a blog that covers car concepts, newly released models, and the auto industry.

Cadillac's 2024 CELESTIQ Is A Badly Needed Beapoke Halo Car

[Auto Styling News]

Cadillac is set to release an all-electric bespoke halo vehicle that will come in just over $300,000.  Each all-Electric CELESTIQ will be a bespoke, fully customizable vehicle on the level of the Bentley Continental or Bentayga and will have a similar price point.

Cadillac gushes that the car will be "the ultimate manifestation of ultra-luxury redefined through the spirit of futurism and the avant-garde." And it looks like that isn't an exaggeration at all.

A Cadillac lowest-ever coefficient of drag coupled with Cadillac’s most technologically advanced suspension ever - including Adaptive Air Ride with the latest generation of Magnetic Ride Control - will create, says the American brand, "an addicting intensity."

As you can see from these photos, the cars exterior and even interior are absolutely gorgeous. Like the Bentley, they will likely be thousands of individual combinations of materials and colors inside and out of each of these, making them utterly unique and customized to each individual buyer. 

As for styling, this vehicle will stand out on whatever road it chooses to drive on. The gorgeous rear featuring massive tail lamps and a gently sloping bobtail that gives it it's incredible drag coefficient alone make it stand out. But it's front grill is large and impressive, reflecting a natural evolution of Cadillac styling that nonetheless is somewhat surprising, in a pleasant way. 

That's not a given in the auto industry, as a decade of horrendous Acura front ends, with a buck tooth grill that was distracting and not at all upscale, will testify to. And BMWs recent laughable foray into massive grills will haunt the German automaker for the next decade if they don't do a major design U-turn in the mid-20s. 

A bespoke Halo vehicle is long overdue for a so-called luxury brand like Cadillac, which has in recent decades falling into a potentially brand killing process of nameplate switching with other GM vehicles like GMC, Buick, and others in the GM stable. The vehicle will never be a mass market blockbuster seller, but that's the point.

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Auto Styling News is a blog that covers car concepts, newly released models, and the auto industry.

Lucid Joins Tesla In Price Cutting War

[Auto Styling News]

 

Lucid is setting new standards with the longest-range, fastest-charging electric car on the market, today announced that customers can receive a $7,500 EV credit on the purchase of the award-winning Lucid Air. Starting today, this limited time offer is available for select configurations of Lucid Air Touring and Air Grand Touring models purchased by March 31, 2023.

“We think our customers still deserve a $7,500 credit for choosing an EV,” said Zak Edson, Lucid’s Vice President of Sales and Service. “Lucid Air owners have told us how much they love this car, from the world-class driving experience to the elegant design and spacious interior. With this limited time offer, we hope to get Lucid Air into the hands of even more customers so they can experience the best for themselves.”

With this, Lucid joins Tesla in a price cutting war that will likely give more consumers access to electric vehicles in near term.
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Auto Styling News is a blog that covers car concepts, newly released models, and the auto industry.

VW Designer Out, Replaced By Bentley Exec

[Auto Styling News]

The Volkswagen brand is replacing its design chief, Jozef Kaban, famous for his retro designs, with Bentley's design boss, Andreas Mindt, according to company sources.

Mindt will take up the post at VW brand on Feb. 1, the sources told European magazine Automobilwoche.

Mindt's successor at Bentley will be Tobias Suehlmann, who currently heads exterior design at the VW Group's ultraluxury brand, people familiar with the matter said. Suehlmann joined Bentley in October 2021, having previously worked at Bugatti, Aston Martin, McLaren and VW brand.

Kaban, who took charge of VW brand design in 2020, will be given a new post within VW Group.

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Auto Styling News is a blog that covers car concepts, newly released models, and the auto industry.

2023 Prius Has Striking New Design

[Auto Styling News]

Striking from any angle, Prius’ sleek new design profile  is features smooth curves and sharp details. And optional 19-in. alloy wheels give it an even sportier look. The sexy full length glass sunroof curves gently down to the rear of the vehicle, offering great interior light and visibility.

It comes with the added bonus of 194 horsepower and up to 54 MPG. The new hybrid will cost you $27,450 (MSRP) but this is lower than all new purely Electric Vehicles. It's well worth a look.

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Auto Styling News is a blog that covers car concepts, newly released models, and the auto industry.

(Photos: Toyota USA)

Genesis Stuns With Electric GV60 SUV

[Auto Styling News]

Hyundai Motor Group has launched a line of electric vehicles called Genesis that has seriously impressed the Auto industry with both styling and quality.

in some time.  The company's latest platform is called E-GMP. And on this platform the Electric Genesis GV60 has been built.

Kia and Hyundai have each delivered their first E-GMP EVs, and both have seriously impressed auto enthusiasts. Now it's time for Genesis to apply its first take on automotive luxury as applied to the E-GMP platform with this electric vehicle. 

The GV60 is just stunning to look at. It's curved front and signature Genesis slits for headlamps all look "right." In a world in which many SUVs look nearly identical from the front and side and even the rear, this vehicle manages to look different than every other vehicle, and that's quite a feat. 

Part of what makes this car so handsome are the panels behind the rear doors. The gentle curve of the rear door leading into it looks quite beautiful as well. While they likely cause a bit of a blind spot, they are undoubtedly handsome. As are the tail lights, which mimic the slit style of the headlamps up front. The lights on this vehicle mean that day or night, it will be instantly recognizable by anyone as a Genesis.

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Auto Styling News is a blog that covers car concepts, newly released models, and the auto industry.