Bengt Halvorson

Polestar 4 Finds Freedom in the Rearview The newest BEV from upstart brand Polestar does away with a rear window and opts instead for an advanced rearview camera system.

The Polestar 4's rear-window delete—and new kind of roofline—might be moot without tech from Gentex.

I still can’t provide driving impressions on the U.S.-spec EV, but hear this: once acclimated, I found it better in a downpour than a rear window.
www.wardsauto.com/industry/pol...

SoftBank acquires Foxconn’s Ohio EV plant to power $500B Stargate AI infrastructure push - Tech Startups SoftBank Group Corp is acquiring Foxconn Technology Group’s electric vehicle plant in Ohio, in a bid to launch the Japanese company’s Stargate data center project, Bloomberg reported Friday. According...

So the plant that once made Vegas and Cavaliers and Cruzes will now be... a giant server farm?

So much for an ever-lighter footprint for the location. Must be cheap power or a great PPA. techstartups.com/2025/08/08/s...

Without the focus on the soundtrack, for now, GM has delivered a well-rounded go-fast version of its luxury EV that’s real-world satisfying and not at all gimmicky. Calculated or not, that's refreshing!

[4/4]

Given the bellyflop of the Charger Daytona EV and its synthetic V-8 revs, did GM pull back on similar plans?

Remarks suggested GM is still working on the sound and it may be beyond software. Will it arrive with less Blackwing faux-ruckus?

[3/4]

BUT… The special V-Series sound wasn’t yet cued up in Lyriq-V models we drove.

Cadillac confirms the Lyriq-V was shipped with the new exterior hardware to make this noise. For whatever reason, GM hasn’t yet included or enabled the sound file in its software (coming! OTA!).

[2/4]

The 2026 Cadillac Lyriq-V beats the raucous CT-5 Blackwing to 60 mph. And earlier this year GM teased a Lyriq-V signature sound inspired partly by Blackwing, virtual revving mixed in.

So it’s where my mind went first for the 2026 Lyriq-V first drive…
www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a655...

[1/4]

Solar panels, EV batteries. All the mark of commies.

But seriously, this may be one to follow. Accusations from Middle America that China is funding "environmental lawfare" in the courts
kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansa...

The 1070-HP Lucid Gravity SUV Is Quicker Than the Chevy Corvette Z06 to 150 mph The Gravity is the quickest SUV we've ever tested, beating out the 850-hp Rivian R1S Tri-Motor and Lamborghini Urus Performante.

This is bonkers. And yes, it's talking about the launch version of the Lucid Gravity, not the Sapphire. Or the Air Sapphire. 😉 www.caranddriver.com/news/a654694...

Sampling some electric V this week. Impressions to come!

The tariffs "amount to an average tax increase per US household of $1,296 in 2025 and $1,683 in 2026," says the Tax Foundation, pointing to "the loss of choice and higher prices for substitute goods."

Tricky Main St. economics now owned by former free-trade party.
taxfoundation.org/research/all...

Here’s who will — and won’t — qualify for the new car loan interest deduction | CNN Business President Donald Trump’s mega tax-and-spending cuts bill, signed into law last week, contains plenty of new tax provisions, the contours of which Americans are still digesting.

Right. Props to my tax guy for being on top of it -- he's the first I heard of that provision... which prompted me to see that the mass media got on this way before the auto media
www.cnn.com/2025/07/09/b...

But there's much left to interpretation.

I don't understand the logic here and why the bigger benefit wouldn't be to the higher-priced (low-mpg) domestic pickups Americans have been barely affording on 96 months.

Auto loans load more interest up front and because a $90k pickup/SUV means 84 or 96 mo., it's not linear vs. a $30k Corolla.

That is quite an achievement for 110! I have this 450E in my drawer of sidelined/vintage cameras and the last (and probably final) roll I shot with it tripped over the ridiculously narrow field of focus. Kudos to those who can work with it.

Nothing to do whatsoever with waking up more coal plants. Nothing at all...

Having AI truly manage the power grid still looks far in the future, but it might soon be a sharp tool for experienced humans.

Note there's no official mention of the 2027 Chevy Bolt EV yet...but I'll place my bets on a very active shipping route of LFP batteries from Tennessee to Kansas.

Or they simply yawned.

Cupholders. Been there, done that.

Tesla drivers, you're totally fine with this in your cabin experience, right?

The lineup of Porsche Taycan models is vast, and the prices can be breathtaking. But without the track time or the budget for the $231,995 Turbo GT, "the 4S might just be the ideal Taycan for public roads."
www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a651...

NACTOY Welcomes Four New Jurors - North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year New jurors Jason Fogelson, Petrina Gentile, Matthew Guy and Tom Voelk will bring their auto industry knowledge and viewpoints to the North American Car and Truck of the Year Awards™ as the newest appo...

As Volunteer President of @NACTOY I’m proud to announce we’ve added four new jurors to our panel of 50 journalists who decide North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year northamericancaroftheyear.org/nactoy-welco...

Why Lucid Gravity Charges Past Tesla, Even at Tesla Chargers The new Lucid Gravity has what it takes to make the most of the most common Tesla Supercharger connector.

Yes, the Lucid Gravity adds miles quicker at common V3 Supercharger hardware than Tesla's Model Y or X. My latest for Wards breaks out how 800V+ vehicles like Gravity, Taycan, EV9, Ioniq 9 and more cleverly tap into lagging infrastructure, NACS or not. www.wardsauto.com/industry/why...

Happy to announce I'm back contributing at @caranddriver.bsky.social, with EV reviews and perhaps more!

Here's how the Q6 e-tron quattro is a good thing for the EV market but might not tick all the boxes for Audi fans.
www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a650...

Flurry of investments poised to bring EV battery swap tech to Europe | Autocar Battery swapping is popular in China but has yet to materialise in Europe – until now

Glad to see Stellantis stay engaged in battery swap possibilities… It’s going to happen at scale in a passenger car eventually.

How exactly? It will require a lot of tests like this. And, maybe, gas stations.
www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/bus...

GM to invest $888 million for engine production at New York facility General Motors is investing $888 million at a New York propulsion plant to increase engine production and build a next-generation V8, the company said on Tuesday.

Ultium is the next small-block V-8.

Oh wait, never mind. After stumbles, let's pivot from EV drive-unit plans, invest the bulk of $1B on V-8s.

In a few yrs: How did GM fall behind on EV hardware and platforms? Special concessions needed.

GM gonna GM.
www.reuters.com/business/aut...

Hot take: A major travel site's AI-generated meta-review capsules remain more misleading than useful—far too often.

Example: "Guests speak positively of the proximity of clean rooms."

Huh?

SO many surviving Think City EVs in Portland! And yes, the plastic panels really are this faded on this one in my neighborhood...

Like the early Leaf we had in our household until recently, a short-range EV like this might be totally fine for a daily around-town 2nd vehicle. Light footprint!

And it sounds like they forgot to consider the Robobus in its true RobŌbus form...

P.S. TL;DR version-- Cadillac's been the most consistent thing GM has. It appears to be paying off.

Inside GM’s decade-long battle to revive Cadillac as the quintessential American luxury car brand Here's how the brand is trying to get its portfolio back into shape and boost its status in the competitive luxury vehicle market.

Comprehensive roundup by @mikewayland.bsky.social on Cadillac's past decade and Reuss.
www.cnbc.com/2025/05/05/g...

It's not his first decade influencing a revamp... Previous one started with CTS-V and GM Performance. But with different priorities—and electric—this one's more likely to catch hold.

Going by what I’ve seen simply being parked and used on Portland streets recently, vanning, of the plush, shag-and-skylight sort, is back?!?

One of many glorious survivors.