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Hybrid for me next I think. Maybe even Maverick hybrid. World is getting nuts. This design is growing on me. This looks interesting The hiker and woodworker in me loves this next one.

I can't imagine owning one as anything other than a novelty. Or winning it as part of a contest.

Everything is up. I thought about buying a new Ranger since my Ranger is at 86k. Keeping my Ranger. New Ranger starts mid thirties rather than mid twenties. Religion continues to go the way of the DODO bird... Interesting take on things.

I have to say that Mercedes has FAILED in giving the EQS a better look, changing from dots on the 2024 front end to lines does not change the ugly nature of this dated tech EV. Nor does the going from a flat emblem to a traditional stand up version make any difference. EV Price Shock: Mercedes EQS Loses Almost Half Its Value In A Year | Carscoops 2025 model is top, 2024 model is bottom.

I agree. There's just something in me still that would make it really difficult to buy any Hyundai/Kia. I would rock a Genesis though. We were recently at a Porsche dealership looking at a used Range Rover Sport SVR they had. I asked the salesman a few questions about the Taycan. He said they lose a ton of value right up front but when people do trade them in and they're listed at 70-90k used, they sell within a week. He said they're a tough sell brand new at 120-150k (or whatever they're listed at) but used they sell super quick. So, what it seems like, that's quite obvious here, they're just priced too high brand new. Porsche (and all OEM's, really) needs to find a way to knock 20k off the starting price and a lot more will sell.

Loving this and hope it comes true. Kia’s EV9 Pickup: A Miserable Design or a Future Success? (kangnamtimes.com)

I have also thought HARD about the Maverik

Cool. Resale also plays a part. at least here in Ohio, Toyotas hold their value way better than Kias.

Although I like Kia products I find myself really not wanting to own one. Not sure why.

I agree.

Thank you!

There will be initial bump, sure but long term it will be niche at best (as far as full size pick ups go). All the pros being an EV (although they, once again, lied about the range and price) are being killed by the fact that it is half baked (at best) as an actual pick up. Countless reviews all say the same thing about it. Oh and haven't seen one here yet but plenty of Model Ys and 3s.

I was hearing this from GM fanbois from the early 1970's onward. 50 years of the same narrative is enough. Thank you! This site usually has a problem with the stability of the folks that post on it, not the stability of adverts. Odd. Toyota will fall way behind. Does not mean I won't be considering a Prius or RAV 4 for next vehicle. Want a hybrid. Not ready for full electric yet.

It will sell big time. Starting to see them around. I wrote an aviation short story based on both of those accidents. Decided to destroy a 737 MAX as part of the process.

Ford needs an Electric Ranger. However, they are selling every Bronco they can build and the Bronco and Ranger shar an assembly line. Ergo, they build very few Rangers. Zero incentive to do an electric one in quantity. Good luck with your choice. Musk and his antics would keep me from ever considering one of their products. Which is sad, because from a need and affordability standpoint we are looking Hybrid/EV for the next car. Kia has some of the best styling right now. Odd, but true. I am highly jealous. I have thought about moving into town and onto the bus line. As is everyone else. I have never owned an SUV (other than a junker 69 Bronco) and am considering one. Everyone can flame me, but if I buy one it will be a RAV 4. Probably a hybrid.

For the Avenir version (or bring back the Limited name) they need to do the grille like the '58 Buick with a sea of chrome squares..

FICTION: - - - - - FACT: The Griffith Observatory does NOT sit right above downtown. LOL. Far from it.

To those who celebrate it, Happy Easter.* To those who don't, have a great weekend. * I always struggle with the after-the-event deeply discounted chocolate in the stores. However, I've read more than one source that says some dark chocolate is actually good for one's heart ... I'll run with that one.

You can see some Camaro in those headlights DNA. Would be a Nice Impala replacement or Malibu replacement as a 4-door sedan with haunches.

I just recently saw this ... me and my smooth riding I.C.E. sedans ... and coupes, too. What's baking in the oven here is mostly looking good. Mostly. Captivating enough front end ... nicer than that of Camry. A little too heavy handed on the grille, at least for the base model. Attractive enough side windows in the greenhouse with nice lower sculpting and beltline/flank rounding at the rear passenger doors, and quality looking door handles. The exhaust area is handled nicely and the rear lights are sort of thin, jellybean-like, and anticlimactic. Also, it does NOT want to be a '60s Plymouth Barracuda, a '70s Mustang Mach I from a James Bond movie, nor today's Buick Envista. Big demerits for what could turn out to be a 2 volume vehicle. Clean it up some ... then "just do it."

The 3 OR Y outsell all of Cadillac. Selling nearly 2 million a year is pretty much a sht ton when you can't get in one for under 50k. If your ONLY comparison to attempt to bring Tesla down is a cheap Chinese company, it's safe to say Tesla's are selling very well, better than any other electric vehicle. Also, just because BYD surpassed them in one quarter, doesn't mean Teslas aren't selling well. Again, just because you don't like Elon, doesn't mean people don't love his products.

I saw every CT6 built and imported here from China sold fast. I think the cost of building and exporting was not what GM wanted for profit level and did the stupid thing of walking away as reviews are all positive on the car. Sales have always been positive, I think GM due to the idiot leadership that moved Cadillac to New York and tried to make it a clone of the Germans was the wrong leader for Cadillac.

Yes, Production was crazy low for such a popular car.

A local dealer has one, white also with like 38k miles for $69k. I looked at a 2020 CT6 Platinum w/ the 3.6 for $55k w/ 35k miles. Also looked at a 2019 CT6 Sport (I think that was the trim level?--didn't have the chrome window trim).., I didn't realize how low the production numbers for 2019 and 2020 CT6 in all specs were, like 7500 in 2019 and 3600 in 2020...

WOW, Rare 2020 Cadillac CT6 Blackwing edition with only 18,000 miles @ Brotherton Cadillac NW Shoreline. Twin Turbo V8. The only hard part is the $80,519.14 asking price for a 4 year old auto. https://buy.brothertoncadillacnw.com/shopping/inventory/vehicle/CT6-V/2020?client=T3_CPO_VS[…]ck=DealerStock&vinSlug=1G6KW5RJ9LU103644&zipCode=97201

I.C.E. It's going to be slightly used. I'm thinking Opel, SEAT, VW, and maybe some French models ... mostly ones I've already rented at some point. There's enough to adjust to across so many realms that this isn't going to be an arena where I want to experiment, especially with so many things on my plate.

Amazing. Today marks 5 months of not owning a vehicle. I use a cheap monthly transit pass. It goes most everywhere I need to go. I'm saving a lot of coin. For one, I'm going to be going back and forth a bit this year. Then, I really want to do the research before making an auto purchase, especially since I foresee it being a lightly used vehicle in this fairly different context.

Crazy but cool too, India gets their own special edition Bently that cannot be bought anywhere else. The Rare Bentley Model Sold Only in India (kangnamtimes.com)

WOW, If Kia did make the EV9 into a pickup truck and give it the style of these images created by Hot Cars, I bet it would sell big time especially over the hideous CyberTruck that is clearly not setting the after market on fire. Kia’s EV9 Pickup: A Miserable Design or a Future Success? (kangnamtimes.com) Very cool updated images of the nearly done Hyundai Ioniq9 SUV. Hyundai’s Ioniq 9: Likes and Dislikes Divided by Unique Blinker Design (kangnamtimes.com)

So I posted this in my company Slack auto channel and am reposting it here to share my crazy Sunday with the Wife who is now considering retiring the SS for a new auto. Interesting, my SS that the wife drives has started to have gremlins. As such upon my return on Saturday from my work trip, she complained to me about not feeling she can rely on the auto. I asked her what she would like to do since I picked the SS for her and over all she loves the power, AWD of the 2008 Trailblazer SS AWD, but at approaching 300,000 miles, it is coming time to retire rather than put money into the auto. She responded that she would be open to an EV. So, Sunday we spent the day driving EVs to check them out. My wife's response to the following EVs we drove: BMW - Nice to drive, was fine with the interface, but the exterior was just ugly with the big kidney grill in the front and weird pinched rear end look. Still will consider. Mercedes - Interface was fine, driving was nice, liked the interior for the most part, but what were they thinking with the Jellybean shape? Hard pass. Cadillac - Nice to drive, exterior was far better than the Mercedes or BMW, Failure in that they do not support Android Auto / Apple carplay. As such not acceptable. Yes, there is the * that Lyriq has a limited support for Android Auto, no Apple Carplay and the sales rep did say that GM was moving away from it with their Android system that is voice controlled and easier than using your cell phone. Wife was not impressed with the limitations, wants full support of her Ultra S23 in the auto. Hyundai - Was not wowed with the style exterior, but interior loved it and roomy for me. Loved the full Android Auto/Apple Carplay support. A solid candidate to consider. Kia - Again the exterior was not bad, but not wowed by it either. Interior was nice and fit her well, but the tight bucket seats of the EV6 were super tight for me and she said it would not work for us due to my size as no one could sit behind me. EV9 was great, anyone can sit behind me and was very spacious for both of us. Liked the style much better exterior and interior was very nice to her. One to consider, only thing was the poor slow charging speed for L1/L2. Genesis - GV60, she liked exterior was fine, Interior was very nice. It fit us fine though no one could sit behind me. Interface was very easy to use. But she even asked them if there was a bigger version for the GV70 or 80 and they said not yet, it was coming. Ford - F150 Lighting she liked allot about it exterior and interior wise, just was hoping for a mid-size rather than full size vehicle so would think on the truck. Mach e she liked, we both fit comfortably and clearly anyone could sit behind me, as the lead developer who is 6'2" tall stated, the EV was designed to handle tall people. Major dislike was the salesperson who was very pushy and made comments that told my wife he was a male chauvinistic pig. He actually to me to man up as the wife would drive whatever I decided for her since I was the man. Big mistake, if we go with a Ford, it will be a different salesperson and might even be a different dealership. Rivian - Exterior and Interior were big wins for her, she loved everything about it and even the test drive was great. Sadly, Rivian is off the list as she asked the counselor about Android Auto/Apple Carplay and no support, no plan for support. FAILURE big time. Tesla - She wanted to look at the Y. We went in and over all the experience was good, but no one can sit behind me. The counselor went over the interface and then offered for us to take it for a drive. Wife asked if it supported Android Auto/Apple Carplay and the Answer was no, and then they said a major failure. Musk knows how to build a superior interface, and no one needs those old cell phone connections, only Bluetooth to use your phone. With the crazy way to start the EV and lack of cell phone support she passed on even test driving it. One thing my wife did tell me was that an all-software app interface is a failure point to her. She wants physical buttons for the basic stuff and then will be happy using the touch screen. Not sure what her choice will be, but she is going to think on this.

The charger is L2 capable, i just don't have an outdoor 220v outlet. They give you two connectors with the charger. One is for your standard 110v plug and one is a 220v plug. I actually don't see any issue with 7.2Kw for at-home charging. I guess you may need more if you had a truck and actually drove 200+ miles a day and needed to fill a massive battery overnight. 11Kw is more than enough for something like this, IMO. If you completely drained the 96kWh battery, it would still be easily charged overnight in less than 9hrs at that rate. Plus, if you were actually trying to maintain your battery, you wouldn't be charging to 100% every time anyway so it would be even less time.

Not sure. I think her vehicle is done, actually. It may be going away today.

This is my feeling about this that Auto companies are shooting themselves in the foot in regards to EV charging. GM is a perfect example of this in that the Chevrolet line of EVs have the slowest L1/L2 charging controller and Cadillac has the fastest. The charging speeds start at a pathetic 7.2kW to 19.2kW. Yes when it comes to GAS Autos they all fill the same into the tank. As such, if an Auto company really wants to give the best experience possible and not have charging complaints, all their Autos from the lowest level to the highest should have the fastest possible. Mercedes is pathetic with only an 11kW onboard controller for charging their EVs at home compared to Porsche and Audi that are 19.2kW charging controllers. Mercedes FAILs here in that this is an EQE and as such should have the highest available charging controller. 19.2kW

Interesting read, I think some over estimated the ease of an ICE to EV transition as Hertz never took the time to train and inform renters of the difference between EVs and ICE in driving and operating them. https://fortune.com/2024/03/15/ceo-steps-down-prices-following-purchase-teslas/

While Ugly as hell and you and I agree on that, I will say I do like the Rhino color that has become very popular on many an OEMs product line. Rear Lights are nice and very visible. I like that the charging menu is very easy to understand and straight forward. Need that for my wife who is not a tech person. Sorry to hear about the G wagon, sucks when you have to get them repaired.

13hrs on the slowest charger possible:

The Ecocharging is turned off. Yeah, I don’t think I could commit to an EV Until we built a garage and I could put a L2 outlet in there. Im just saying that L1 could work for us, if I really wanted to.

See if turning off Eco Charging helps the time. That’s Mercedes being “smart” and charging at a slower rate because your grid isn’t green right now. If you bought one you’d want to put an L2 box in.

Is it pi or pii or both ... I believe I've seen formulii and formulas at one point. You can't argue with a hotel's breakfast buffet in Spain. Did you have a good flight over there (on an interesting plane)? I am amazed at how international nonstops to/from Seattle/Europe have increased. It used to be just British and Scandinavian (I took the latter once). British still does it, Scandinavian no longer does it, and Air France came and went. Now, add Finnair, Lufthansa, Icelandair, and Turkish. - - - - - Food ... Phenomenal breakfast buffet in Palermo last month ... that red slice of cake was strawberry flavored (it rotated and not every day) and off the charts, as was the pineapple juice and Sicilian blood red orange juice Here's a recent economy lunch packaged deal at a restaurant in a town in Central Italy.

Today would be Michelangelo's birthday. He lived to be 89. This was unheard of at that time, and probably almost double the longevity of most people. I only remember this because I know two people with this birthday, one of whom points out this tidbit of info. (I am almost sure Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, hence tax day in the yet to be established colonies which would become the country I hope we all know and love.)

That’s a side effect, but no. It’s harder to do both engine and vehicle platform at the same time than it is to have them alternate in cadence. but that’s kinda true of all major projects with large separate components.

It's too bad the US is so fixated on trucks, SUVs and CUVs..there are many wagons sold elsewhere that would be nice here...or wagon versions of US market sedans. I loved the looks of the CTS wagon 15 years ago, a modern CT5 wagon would be sweet...

WOW, If this is what BYD is delivering, then Tesla/Musk needs to be scared, such a superior EV to Tesla 3. BYD Seal Test Drive, Review: Elon Musk's Lucky It's Not on Sale in US (businessinsider.com) This just proves that Apple has the WRONG leadership and is going down. A CEO can be one of three things: Hatchet CEO that cuts up a company and sells off the parts for a golden parachute Stagnant CEO- Current Apple, can run the business to keep making money but has no ability to see the future and lead it to new levels. Visionary CEO - One who can make money and steer the company to new worlds of product / money making. Apple is failing and clearly people should be aware that some Chinese companies are pushing the future of tech in all things including EVs. Xiaomi Just Showed Apple a Smartphone Maker Can Make an Electric Car (businessinsider.com)