Drew Dowdell

Minivan AWD seems to have a lower take rate than with crossovers. That could be some selection bias with customers seeking AWD heading straight for crossovers in the first place, but the lack of AWD hasn't hurt the Honda Odyssey any, and Sienna sales aren't up drastically with the recent addition of it.

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We get it. The last time the minivan was popular was in the mid-90s, after they had successfully shoved the faithful family station wagon off the market. But even then, the sands of time weren't staying still. Larger crossovers were starting to come out and eat into the minivan market. By the early 2000s, manufacturers were looking for ways to revitalize the market, and in 2004, General Motors debuted their new U-Body vans as "Crossover Vans" to widespread ridicule. Twenty years later, Kia is giving it another go with the Kia Carnival MPV. Last year's Carnival MPV still retained some of its minivan looks. For 2025, the Carnival is built with a distinctly SUV shape; you'd be hard-pressed to tell it was a minivan until you see the location of the rear door handles, and Kia gave the Carnival a bold, upright grille and near-flat roofing, mimicking that of an SUV. This might be enough to convince shoppers that doesn't look like a minivan. The Kia Carnival has been one of the most luxurious minivans on the market since the nameplate's North American release in 2021. For 2025, the Carnival's cabin has been reconfigured with a new operating system that can respond to voice commands. Most commonly used controls are accessible via a swipe of the screen, but physical controls for HVAC are still there. Voice commands can open windows, change the cabin temperature, and even recognize if the voice is coming from the front or second row. The VIP Lounge Seat package can even recline into "relaxation mode" via voice command. An optional rear entertainment system has two 14.6-inch screens that can stream video or mirror from devices via HDMI and connect to Bluetooth headphones. There are seven USB-C ports scattered throughout the cabin, two standard power ports and two more 115V inverters guarentee every device stays powered up. The seat belt buckles light up to make them easier to find in the dark, and an available rear-view camera mirror allows for unobstructed rear vision. Carnival gains a digital key that allows drivers to use their smartphone as their key, leaving their device in their pocket. Drivers can share the key to others over text messaging. Keeping the family safe is a new feature called Highway Driving Assist 2, which first debuted on the Kia EV6, and keeps the vehicle a set distance from the vehicle in front on certain select highways. Under the hood, the Carnival retains its 3.5 liter V6, though very slightly down in power from last year, at 287 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque paired with an 8-speed automatic. New for 2025 is a hybrid powertrain available on all but the base trim. With a combined output of 242 horsepower and 271 lb-ft of torque, the system blends a 1.6-liter turbo 4-cylinder with a 54 kW electric motor through a 6-speed automatic transmission. Both powertrains drive solely the front wheels. Hybrid models get additional upgrades to improve performance and fuel economy. In Eco/Smart mode, the hybrid system can be set to three different levels of deceleration control, with higher levels allowing greater battery regeneration. E-Handling and E-Ride improve handling, cornering, and smooth out the ride. E-Evasive Handling Assist helps to control the vehicle's movement during emergency steering. The 2025 Kia Carnival will be available in five trims, LX, LXS, EX, SX, and SX Prestige, while Carnival HEV will be limited to LXS, EX, SX, and SX Prestige when it hits dealer showrooms this summer. View full article

Choice Hotels has announced a deal with Tesla to install chargers across its range of properties. Participating brands Radisson, Quality Inn, Cambria, Comfort, Country Inn & Suite, and other Choice brands can add four or more Tesla Universal Wall Connectors for guests to use. Guests are able to filter their hotel search to find properties offering charging inside the Choice Hotels app. Customers who have one of Choice Hotels' branded credit cards will be eligible for points bonuses when used for charging at Choice Hotel locations. The Tesla Universal Wall Connector is a 240-volt unit that uses a 48-amp circuit and can provide 11.5 kW of power. Its primary connector is the North American Charging Standard (NACS) format while a J1772 adapter is stored in the unit itself. While not a fast charger, the availability of these units at a hotel solves the issue of charging while traveling. For a Tesla Model-3, this charger can add up to 44 miles of range per hour. The Tesla Universal Wall Connector costs $595 per unit at the time of this writing and is natively compatible with virtually all new EVs on the road today. Owners of the Nissan Leaf and other older EVs, however, are out of luck. The Cambria brand of Choice Hotels has been aggressively expanding its EV charging availability, with 41% of properties already offering at least one charger and a goal of 100% by the end of 2024. The Choice Hotel footprint includes over 7,500 hotels in 46 countries. Choice Hotels joins the Marriott and Hilton hotel chains' similar recent announcements of expanding EV charging access. Our take: Charging while you sleep has always been one of the selling points of EVs, so charging while you sleep away from home makes perfect sense. Cheers and Gears is reader-supported. If you purchase through the links provided, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Read More: Hilton Adding EV Charging to Over 2,000 Hotels in North America Marriott and EV Connect Partner to Install EV Chargers in North America View full article

I tend to go the other direction. I like when there are modern takes on older songs. I recently stumbled onto this new version of Clocks, even more chill than the original.

Yeah, but none of those companies are domestic-based, as the Magna release states. The only other option could be Rivian, but I don't see them going that way either. Ford is undoubtedly working on a lower-cost EV platform. This is being farmed out to Magna because they don't want to commit resources to something so low volume as a Navigator EV. Again, it is unlikely that Ford needs such a unit from Magna. Manufacturers will only go out to Magna for this stuff when it is lower volume so they don't have to develop it themselves.

The already fast Porsche Taycan has received some significant updates for 2025. Already one of the fastest-charging electric vehicles on the road today, the 2025 Taycan improves charging times significantly. At 800v charging stations, the Taycan is capable of 320 kW charging, 50 kW more than the first generation. Inside the high-speed charging range of 10% to 80% capacity, the Taycan can pull through that range in 18 minutes rather than the previous 37 minutes. (at 59 F ambient). Also, now standard is a 150 kW DC/DC converter to improve charge speeds even at 400v stations. We first saw this new converter in the 2024 Porsche Macan that splits the batteries into two packs for faster charging. All Porsche Taycan buyers get three years of complimentary 30-minute DC Fast Charging at Electrify America. Porsche has increased the range, depending on the body style and powertrain selected, by up to 35% in the WLTP test. Now, reaching up to 364 miles in the European test, the Taycan lets you go further between charging stops. For Taycan buyers who opt for the Performance Battery Plus, capacity has increased from 93 kW to 105 kW. Additional efficiency changes to improve range include a new next-gen HVAC heat pump system, a new rear axle motor with 80 kW (107 horsepower) more than its predecessor, revised thermal management, and a stronger energy recuperation system. The maximum recuperation capacity during deceleration from high speeds has increased from 290 kW to 400 kW. All versions of the Taycan come with new aerodynamically optimized wheels. Porsche has increased performance across the entire range as well. The rear-wheel drive Taycan sedan gets to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, 0.6 seconds quicker than last year. At the other end of the spectrum, the Taycan Turbo S sedan can make it to 60 mph in just 2.3 seconds, down from 2.6 seconds before. This top-line Taycan's output is 938 horsepower, the most powerful production Porsche ever. Additions to the standard equipment list for this year include Lane Change Assist, a heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, electrically folding exterior mirrors, Porsche intelligent range manager, a new cabin cooling system, and a smartphone tray for wireless charging. Apple Carplay is now more deeply ingrained into the Taycan's functions, and Porsche is now supporting Apple Maps EV routing, which features estimated charging times and energy usage information. Exterior styling has received subtle updates with new flatter headlights, new taillights, and new front fenders that emphasize the Taycan's width. 2025 Taycans are available for order now with delivery in the U.S. expected to start in the summer of 2024. Pricing is below and does not include the $1,995 destination charge. 2025 Taycan: $99,400 2025 Taycan 4S: $118,500 2025 Taycan Turbo: $173,600 2025 Taycan Turbo S: $209,000 2025 Taycan 4 Cross Turismo: $111,100 2025 Taycan 4S Cross Turismo: $125,200 2025 Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo: $176,300 2025 Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo: $211,700 View full article