Autos

Sony and Honda have formed a strategic alliance to build electric vehicles together. Announced today, the companies said that they have signed a memorandum of understanding and aim to “create a new era of mobility and mobility services.” Through the joint venture, Sony and Honda will focus on the development and sales of high-value EVs. Right now, the corporations are negotiating a number of specific definitive binding agreements but plan to establish a new company within 2022. “This alliance aims to bring together Honda’s mobility development capabilities, vehicle body manufacturing technology and after-sales service management experience cultivated over many years, with Sony’s expertise in the development and application of imaging, sensing, telecommunication, network, and en...

In hopes of becoming more competitive against both conventional automakers and new electric vehicle producers, Ford is now splitting its business into two, one focusing specifically on EVs and one on vehicles carrying internal combustion engines (ICE). The new decision comes as part of the American automaker’s wider Ford+ business strategy and will give the company a leg up in creating more specialized vehicles for their target market. The EV division will be named Ford Model e, while the ICE unit will be renamed to Ford Blue. According to Ford, Model e will concentrate on developing high-tech solutions to create better electric vehicles as most of the world moves into an all-electric future, and company chief Jim Farley will be serving as president, accompanied by Tesla and Apple ve...

Classic 9 Motorwerks is bringing its Porsche C9 RS Turbo project to Amelia Island. Staying true to Classic 9 Motorwerks’ ethos, the build maintains a form that’s true to the original design, yet sees a perfect balance between modern technology and the removal of the superfluous — how much can be removed or added to achieve the ultimate analog driving experience. Classic 9 Motorwerks requires the client to use their existing chassis from the years 1969 to 1988 where the entire car is disassembled, stripped to bare metal, treated for rust prevention, and then reconstructed with strategic reinforcement points. The nose is then enhanced with the flared fenders and the relocation of the front turn signals under the headlights. The car also sees a custom front air dam with an i...

With its second-generation Polestar 2 sedan in production, performance EV automaker looks to the future with its latest concept, the Polestar O2 convertible. “Polestar O2 is our vision of a new era for sports cars,” Polestar’s design head Maximilian Missioni said to the press. “By mixing the joy of open top driving with the purity of electric mobility, it unlocks a new mix of emotions in a car.” The vehicle will be a more compact variant of its unreleased Polestar 5 grand touring vehicle, with a 2-door roadster feel similar to the BMW 8-Series Cabriolet. Convertible EVs are hard to find on the market, and a big reason is due to the inefficiency of traditional designs leading to a much lower range. While the company has yet to release supporting data, it claims...

Ken Block‘s taste in cars is eclectic, and many petrolheads know the Hoonigan Racing Division driver for his Ford F-150, Ford Mustang, or perhaps even the Ford Mach-E, and now following in the footsteps of his recent Audi partnership that proffered a custom S1 e-tron Quattro Hoonitron, Block has unveiled his new daily driver: an Audi RS e-tron GT. Of course, as this car belongs to Block it is anything but standard. A white and black color scheme is accented with carbon fiber all around and sits low and stanced on a huge set of white Rotiform rims wrapped in branded Toyo Tires rubber. A roof box holding his snowboarding essentials sits on top and wears Hoonigan branding in light gray, matching the colorway of the Rotiform Aerodiscs on the front wheels. An adjustable suspension set-up ...

Kia electric vehicle owners are now able to order on-demand charging from a human technician whenever they need it. The company has partnered with the mobile EV charging app Currently to bring services to its own fleet of customers. On-demand charging is rolling out first to drivers located in Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Jose. To access the service, users simply download the Currently app and book a location and time slot for their vehicle to be charged, and a technician will show up to give the EV a boost good for 50 miles. Drivers don’t have to be present during the service and should note that Currently won’t dispatch its technicians to highways, so in the case that they’re stranded, it’s best to call for roadside assistance instead. To celebrate the launch of the new partnership...

Jeep’s first fully-electric SUV will be launching in early 2023. The news arrives as part of the automaker’s “Dare Forward 2030” plan, which aims to have 100% of sales in Europe and 50% of sales in the United States be for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) by the end of the decade. Jeep shared that it wants to have more than 75 different BEVs by that time, and reach annual BEV sales of at least five million vehicles globally. The automaker shared an image of a compact model in a bright yellow color, though it didn’t offer specific details about the name of the electric SUV Autoblog reported that due to its relatively small size, “it may be on the STLA Small platform, which can accommodate anywhere between 37 to 82 kWh of capacity and as high as 300 miles of range.” Stellantis, Jeep...

Following a Suzuki Jimny that was spotted on the streets of London made to look like the Brabus 800 G-Wagon, the official importer for Liberty Walk vehicles in South Africa, Race!, has revealed a custom Liberty Walk Suzuki Jimny that looks like a mini Mercedes-AMG G63. “It’s really not our thing,” said Race! owner Marco Casciani, “But we had a boisterous client who bought one (Suzuki Jimny) and laughingly we made a joke that Liberty Walk made a widebody for this thing that looks like a mini G. Luckily, he’s got more money than sensibility, and here it is.” The Suzuki Jimny mod is decked out in adjustable Zenon headlights, custom Liberty Walk exhausts, top-of-the-line interiors and sound system, LB badges, and “every possible option that was availab...

Felicity Ace Information Centre has officially confirmed that the cargo ship carrying thousands of Volkswagen Group cars from Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley and Audi, has sunk in the Atlantic Ocean around 220 nm off the Azores. Near the time of the incident, it was reported that the ship’s 22 crew members were safely rescued by the Portuguese Navy and Air Force. Unfortunately, the ship’s nearly 4,000 vehicles, with over 25% of the cars being from Porsche, were unable to be salvaged. The fire broke out on February 16 on its journey from Germany to the U.S. and though the cause remains unknown, Reuters reported that captain Joao Mendes Cabeccas of the port of Hortas believes that the lithium-ion batters from EVs caught on fire on the ship. The Felicity Ace was carrying both electr...

Mercedes-AMG‘s all-new SL roadster isn’t technically available just yet, but that hasn’t stopped the tuning company MANHART from envisioning what its take on the car would look like. This is the MANHART SL 800 R, and as the name suggests, its four-liter BiTurbo V8 sees its power increase from 585 HP and 800 Nm of torque to 800 HP and 1,000 Nm of torque. As a result, its 3.6-second 0-62 MPH time and 195 MPH top speed is sure to be smashed out the ballpark with these newfound figures, especially seeing the car is fitted with Mercedes-AMG’s proprietary 4MATIC+ all-wheel-drive system. The power comes from MANHART’s new turbochargers, intercooler and carbon intake, while a lowered stance and “Concave One” rims add to the car’s menacing aesthetic. ...

Back in January, Bentley revealed plans to invest £2.5 billion GBP (approximately $3.56 billion USD) into manufacturing electric vehicles with the goal of becoming net-carbon neutral by 2030. A big chunk of the funds will towards its current Crewe manufacturing plant in England, which will be developed into its new “Dream Factory” concept. Part of the plan is to double its 3D Printing capabilities, which produced 15,000 components in 2021. Bentley currently uses its 3D printers for printing out precise work equipment as well as physical components for prototypes and racing cars. The luxury automaker plans to use its new 3D printing capacity to create personalization options for its mainline models including the Bentley Bentayga and for vintage continuation offerings such as the...

Collecting Cars is back with another off-road Porsche, but this time in the 924 chassis rather than the 911. Rebuilt to Safari specifications, this 1978 Porsche 924 features a 2.0-liter inline-four that drives the rear wheels. This is all matched to a refurbished five-speed dog-leg manual transmission. Other details include 15-inch mesh alloy wheels, spaced wheels for a wide stance, Auto Style bucket seats, D1 Spec harnesses, VDO dials, a hydraulic handbrake, and a Martini Racing livery. With three days left on the auction, those interested can head over to Collecting Cars for the listing page. In other automotive news, Audi reveals its new V6 diesel models will run on renewable fuel. Click here to view full gallery at HYPEBEAST