Drew Dowdell

Germans and Americans don't seem to mix well when it comes to corporate operations.

also... thanks for getting Yakety Sax stuck in my head.

Ugh... I'm going to need to do the same on my Encore. We need to get your engine bay to a power wash.

I"m mostly interested in how flexible the platform is supposed to be. They didn't show any trucks, but apparently, they showed 11 different possible configurations.

What about a Model-X?

you just do better in more upright vehicles then...

We should start to see the first ones this year.

That's where I see Tesla getting (back?) into trouble. If Mercedes EQ comes out with the same EV performance as a Model-X but still has a Mercedes interior for the same price, where does Tesla go then? At that point, the only thing they have left is a name-brand advantage (even over Mercedes, it is slight, but it is there). The next refresh of the Model-S needs to focus heavily on the interior quality.

The most technologically advanced, fast, efficient, capable, minimal maintenance, and free fillups availabe..... all in one package. No ICE powered car can match that.

Definitely. The luxury is all in the powertrain, not in the interior.

Which fits you better. Model S or Bolt?

yeah, I already added it to the list above and William has the story up.

During GM's earnings call today, GM announced that a new, highly flexible, EV architecture is on the way and that Cadillac will be at the center of the release. The architecture, called BEV3, is said to be highly flexible, being able to be configured from small sedans to large crossover formats, and front-wheel, rear-wheel, or all-wheel drive configurations. GM is targeting a sweet spot of 300 mile in range according to GM CEO Mary Barra. GM is going to continue its development of autonomous technology. It currently offers SuperCruise automated driving on the flagship CT6 sedan and plans to expand that technology across the Cadillac lineup. Late last year, GM announced that it would be canceling two of its plug-in hybrid vehicles in a slew of cutbacks in the sedan segment. View full article

Put a bigger power pack in it, put it in the Altima or Maxima shell, and I'd have no problem driving it.

The battery tech and electric motors are essentially the same, just different in size.

Sometimes it is just about production volume. If they can use a common design, they can get economies of scale by buying components together. Fusion Energi, CMax, the coming Aviator and Explorer Hybrids The Fusion Energi is probably one the best but most ignored of the group because most people just see it as a Fusion hybrid.

That's really sexy!

Way to go prove me wrong Lexus.....

Tesla is moving further into exotic car territory with the Model-S and Model-X. Elon Musk announced in a tweet on January 9th that after January 13th, the 75D versions of both vehicles would no longer be available for order and the new entry-level model will be the 100D. The starting price for Model-S 75D is $76,000. That gets you an AWD EV with 259 miles of range that can do 0-60 in 4.2 seconds. Telsa's AutoPilot is available for an additional $5,000. Moving to the 100D is an increase of $18,000 to $94,000. That increases the range to 335 miles and cuts a tenth of a second off the 0-60. The Model-X 75D starts at $82,000 with a range of 237 miles. With that gone, the new base Model-X 100D results in a $15,000 increase in Model-X base price to $97,000 with an increase of range to 295 miles. These price increases come on the back of the reduction in federal tax credits that begin this year, from $7,500 to $,3750. That brings the total effective price increases for the Model-S and Model-X to $21,750 and $18,750 respectively. After June 30th of this year, the tax credit will fall further to $1,875. The Model-S and Model-X have been selling well against such heavyweights as the Mercedes S-Class and BMW X5. However, Porsche, Jaguar, Mercedes, and Audi, as well as upstart Rivian , are all releasing competitors to the Telsas in the coming months. Whether Tesla can maintain that momentum with $20,000+ price increases remains to be seen. Hat tip to reader @balthazar for pointing us to this story. View full article

Indeed. But their CEO doesn't seem to make the same wild promises that Elon makes.

I think Rivian has a real shot. They have the product that will compete with Tesla and none of the Elon Musk Ego Baggage. They're not spending millions trying to build stupid doors. Aside from the powertrain, the truck and SUV are pretty conventional.

EVs and Autonomous vehicles I'm sure.... possibly some engine or transmission sharing.

What you see is what you get. The only ones not listed (Hyundai, can't release the info yet) and (Nissan, honestly don't know yet) are the only surprises that will be there. It's going to be a light show this year.