Jeep Has Some News. It's 6 Speed and Electric. [ Weekly Car News Round Up]

These days your favorite vehicle manufacturers are making a daily splash in the electric vehicle sector plus BMW is bringing back its M8 Coupe and Convertible.

An EV Jeep may be on the horizon and it includes a six-speed transmission.

Jeep revealed a zero-emissions 4x4 Jeep Wrangler EV concept called The Wrangler Magento. This concept will gauge consumer interest in Jeep's first electric vehicle. The company currently sells a hybrid version of its Wrangler so the possibility of entering the EV market isn't completely new. The Magento concept is based on the 2020 two-door Rubicon, with batteries in place of an internal combustion engine. The concept car includes a very unique feature. EV’s typically have an automatic transmission feel to them, but the Magento features a six-speed manual transmission for a “ direct-drive feel”.

 

Porsche is “charging up” for some these 3 big changes.

As electric vehicles news continues to heat up, Porsche is among the brands making headlines in the EV industry. This week we have tracked three new developments featuring the brand and its ventures into EV.

It appears that Porsche, which is owned by Volkswagen Group may take responsibility for French car brand Bugatti. Nothing has been confirmed, but VW CEO Herbert Diess has commented on this potential development and he has also mentioned that there is a likelihood that Porsche and Rimac may embark on a joint venture. Rimac is a Croatian electric vehicle manufacturer. According to the Robb Report, the news outlet speculates that we may just see an “all-electric hypercar” if these new developments materialize.

 Porsche is no stranger to the EV market. The company has already launched its first electric vehicle, the Taycan. It recently announced that owners can upgrade their Taycan Turbo S with new features. The upgrade will improve acceleration, charging power, and the navigation system. With the upgrades, Taycan 2020 owners will experience an increased acceleration from zero to 124 mph in 9.8 seconds to 9.6 seconds.

Porsche does not plan to stop with the Taycan. The sports car brand plans on expanding its number of electric vehicles and with that, it also plans on researching and developing high-performance batteries. These batteries would initially power Porsche’s motorsports cars and then later inhabit other Porsche car lineups. To support its expansion of EVs, Porsche also plans on expanding customer access to charging stations. The company plans on creating its own network of charging stations with lounges where drivers could relax. These stations would available on highways around Europe first. Lastly, Porsche also plans on installing charging stations at its dealerships.

 

A successful launch means an increased price for the Tesla Model Y in China.

Tesla’s successful launch of the Model Y in China has to lead to a price increase of 8,000 CNY (about $1200). The Tesla Y are manufactured in Gigafactory Shanghai and the EV's popularity and modest price was greeted with consumer enthusiasm. Tesla’s price increase was announced without explanation, but the prices of Tesla's worldwide have increased as well.

 

By 2030 you may have to be a race car driver to enjoy drive ICE Aston Martin.

Initially, Aston Martin didn’t seem to have many EV plans, but recently the company’s plans have fast-forwarded straight into the EV market. According to the company’s CEO, by 2030 we should plan to see only 5% of the company’s sales come from ICE cars. We may encounter the remaining 5%  of these ICE vehicles on the track only. The majority of the companies vehicles will include a line up of EVs and hybrids which will kick off the company’s first all-electric vehicle becoming available by 2025.

 

Despite unimpressive sales, BMW is bringing back the M8 convertible and the coup.

Some BMW enthusiasts may be elated to hear that BMW plans to bring back a trio of M8s (the Coupe, Convertible, and Gran Coupe Competition)  in 2022. In 2020, a BMW spokesman told Car and Driver that the M8 would not be available in 2021 due to the pandemic's impact on inventory and sales. Perhaps the rumored power increase in the 2022 M8s will power up the vehicle's sales success.

 

 See you again next Friday!