Tesla Navigate on Autopilot drives itself poorly, Consumer Reports finds

Consumer Reports Tesla Model 3 testing Navigate on Autopilot [CREDIT: Consumer Reports]Tesla says it has improved its self-driving Navigate on Autopilot system with its latest software update. Consumer Reports begs to differ. Last month, Tesla updated its Navigate on Autopilot software to allow its cars to change lanes automatically, without prompting or warning the driver. This gives the system the ability, for example, to navigate...

Audi boosts plug-in plans to include 20 all-electric models by 2025

Audi Q4 e-tron conceptAudi on Thursday announced a dramatic expansion of its plans to develop electric and plug-in cars. At its annual shareholders' meeting, the company told investors that it plans to release 20 new electric cars along with 10 new plug-in hybrids by 2025 as part of its "four rings" plan to reduce its carbon footprint by 30 percent (relative to 2015...

2020 Karma Revero GT breaks cover–with smaller mustache

2020 Karma Revero GTThe 2020 Karma Revero GT will trim back its signature handlebar mustache for a bushier walrus variety. And when it goes on sale late this summer, buyers will be able to order it at a new $100 million custom design center adjacent to the Karma factory in Moreno Valley, California. "Our [Karma Innovation and Customization Center] will offer every...

BMW posts a smart sendoff for longtime Mercedes chief

BMW i8 ad  -  Dieter Zetsche lookalikeGerman humor, as is quite often pointed out, is no laughing matter. Which is precisely what makes this sendoff to Dieter Zetsche, who on Wednesday stepped down from his position as CEO of Daimler, so funny. In a BMW ad called “retirement is about exploring your wide open future,” Zetsche [actually an actor dressed to look like him]...

2019 Audi E-tron road-trip review: Wait, range ratings aren’t everything?

2019 Audi E-tron  -  first drive report  -  Calirornia, May 2019Not every electric-car first-drive event urges us to climb a mountain to get a good idea of driving range. Actually make that no other automaker, ever. But that’s what Audi had us do with its 2019 E-tron electric SUV: drive it on a prescribed route that took us nearly 195 miles from Yountville, California (102 feet elevation) and over...

Want to charge up? EVgo builds chargers at Chevron gas stations

Chevrolet Bolt EV charging at EVgo fast chargers at Chevron station, Menlo Park, CaliforniaIf electric cars need more public places to charge, maybe they could just go to gas stations. That seems to be the approach behind the latest installations of EVgo stations in California. CHECK OUT: Gas stations OK, electric-car chargers too ugly? The company, which bills itself as the largest operator of DC fast charging stations in the U.S...

Electric-car startup Piëch sketches out future models, including SUV

Piech Mark Zero conceptSwiss startup Piëch wants to be more than a pretty face. The company showed a sleek new electric concept coupe at the Geneva auto show in March called the Mark Zero, which it plans to put into production in 2022, and recently released sketches of two models expected to follow the Mark Zero: a four-seat GT coupe, and a five-passenger SUV. As...

Rivian builds R1T Overland as cookout camping special

Rivian R1T Overlanding conceptRivian hasn't even launched any vehicles, and it's already building special editions and devising expensive accessories for its R1T electric pickup. The latest is a camping special, not sized for a giant slide-in camper, but outfitted with a bed-top tent and an integrated slide-out kitchen for camping or tailgating cookouts. MUST READ: Rivian R1T...