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Porsche was caught testing a new all-electric SUV early Tuesday, with multiple spies reaching out to offer us early samples of a new model clearly intended to slot in above the Macan EV. Just how far above is a matter of some debate, our spies and other outlets are suggesting that this is the new three-row Porsche K1 — but from eyeballing it, we're more inclined to believe this is an electrified two-row. Cayenne EV, is that you?
Tesla removed virtually all of the more than 3,000 open positions that were posted to its jobs board earlier this week in what appears to be a company-wide hiring freeze, Quartz reported Wednesday. As of Thursday morning, only three positions remained posted, all for the company's «Manufacturing Development Program» — an internship that appears to include several perks with no mention of any sort of wage. So if you really want to work for Tesla, it appears you can do so for free.
More intel courtesy of BMW whisperer ynguldyn, an oracle concerning future product out Munich who contributes regularly to the Bimmerpost forums. This time the proclamations touch on the 2025 BMW M5, the longtime super sedan that will pull an M5 Touring wagon to the states as well. The bullet points start with powertrains, which will feature the hybrid setup from the XM. In the hottest version of the XM, the so-called XM Label, the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six and an electric motor combine to produce a square 738 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. In the M5, we're told the paring will make a combined 718 horsepower and 760 lb-ft. These figures generously up the ante from the previous-gen M5's 600 hp and 553 lb-ft.
Here's a report that made us check the calendar to make sure about when in April this is. Mopar Insiders says it heard from one of its sources that Jeep's making changes to the powertrain lineup for the two-row Grand Cherokee and three-row Grand Cherokee L next year. Currently, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 making 293 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque is the entry-level engine in both models. The only way to upgrade that situation on the Grand Cherokee is to get the plug-in hybrid 4xe model that starts at about $24,000 more. The upgrade for the Grand Cherokee L is the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 making 395 hp and 410 lb-ft, a $3,995 option on the trims that offer it. For next year, Mopar Insiders says Jeep parent company Stellantis will insert a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder as the standard engine on the Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L. The crazy bit is that, according to this rumor, the 2.0-liter will replace the Pentastar and the Hemi, and so be the only engine offered in the Grand Cherokee L. The Grand Cherokee will still be offered as a PHEV.
Tesla has canceled the long-promised inexpensive car that investors have been counting on to drive its growth into a mass-market automaker, according to three sources familiar with the matter and company messages seen by Reuters.
The turbocharged, 1.6-liter three-cylinder engine inaugurated by the rally-bred GR Yaris and also found in the GR Corolla could make its way to a Lexus. The brand put the engine in a concept unveiled earlier in 2024, and a recent report claims the model is headed to production.
We think there's little argument that the Mercedes-Benz EQS is, in many or most ways, a sensational vehicle. Here's the hurdle it hasn't been able to clear: It's undoubtedly the electric version of the venerated S-Class, but is the EQS an S-Class in the ways that matter to buyers — as clearly as the BMW i7 is a BMW 7 Series that just happens to have an electric powertrain? The answer for the EQS, at best, has been, «Not really.» Georg Kacher spoke to named an unnamed sources to figure out how the brand is addressing the character gap, the summary being Mercedes is «rethinking the strategy for its flagship sedans.»
Toyota took a concept called the IMV 0 to the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, a small, chassis-cab pickup designed to lure buyers in emerging markets by being rugged, versatile, and inexpensive. A production version entered the Thai market a month after the show with the name Hilux Champ, at a price equal to about $13,000 U.S., that price achieved by selling buyers a truck that's 70% finished, the remainder being in the use-specific upfit the customer needs (and pays for). Despite at least one reviewer calling the truck «perfect,» and several commenters writing some variation of, «I'd buy it right now,» the Hilux Champ has almost zero chance of making it to the states. According to Japanese outlet Best Car (translated), however, the Hilux Champ's ladder frame might visit our shores underneath the body of the reborn FJ Cruiser.