GM doesn't want people buying some of its newer and most sought-after models, such as the GMC Hummer EV, to quickly sell them for a profit. The automaker is implementing several aggressive measures meant to discourage the practice, even if it ends up losing the company some customers. In a letter obtained by Corvette Blogger, Steve Carlisle, GM President for North America, told the GM Dealership team that the company is "limiting the transferability of certain warranties" if the vehicle being resold was purchased within the past 12 months. Further, GM will ban the seller from "placing future sold orders or reservations for certain high demand models (as identified by GM)."

Carlisle said the models affected by this new rule are the GMC Hummer EVs (SUT and SUV), the 23MY Cadillac Escalade-V and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. GM has been struggling to keep up with the demand for its electric Hummer vehicles, and the company said it's because it was developed from scratch and was built on top of its new Ultium EV platform. According to a Wall Street Journal report earlier this month, GM has only been producing up to a dozen electric Hummers a day. A spokesperson told the publication that the company's output will increase sharply in the second half of the year, but the automaker has over 70,000 reservations for the vehicle, and some people may run out of patience and just purchase from a reseller. 

"When vehicles are quickly resold, particularly by unauthorized dealers or other resellers that do not adhere to GM's standards, the customer experience suffers and GM's brands are damaged," Carlisle said, explaining the reason behind the automaker's decision. "These changes are being implemented to ensure an exemplary customer experience, to ensure our brands remain strong, and to help prioritize ownership by brand enthusiasts and loyal customers."

In addition to these particular measures, GM also recently announced that it's giving $5,000 in reward points to customers who keep their eighth-generation Corvette Z06 sports car for a year.

Automakers might just get the EV tax credit extension they've been hoping for. Bloomberg and InsideEVs claim Senators Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin have reached an agreement on the Inflation Reduction Act that would replace the 200,000-unit cap on federal EV tax credits with a system that would restore those perks for GM, Tesla and Toyota. According to Bloomberg's sources, the new approach is a compromise that would switch to price- and income-based limits, drop union manufacturing requirements and offer credits for used EVs.

The Act would provide up to $7,500 in credits for electric SUVs, trucks and vans priced up to $80,000, while cars would have to cost $55,000 or less. Individuals would have to earn no more than $150,000 per year, while couples could make up to $300,000 with the credit intact. You would reportedly get up to a $4,000 credit for buying a used EV, although the income ceiling is said to be much lower. Crucially, the credit could be offered at the point of sale (such as online or a dealership) rather than as a tax refund — you'd get your savings much sooner.

Although the agreement is expected to drop the union production requirement, there would still be incentives for domestic manufacturing. Although the exact terms aren't clear, EVs would have to be built in North America and source many materials from the region. This would mainly represent a concession to Canada, which balked at earlier proposed legislation that would have required US-only assembly. Canadian factories produce US-destined cars for multiple major brands.

The Schumer-Manchin pact is also poised to revive some of the Biden administration's environmental strategy, including its hopes of zero-emissions vehicles representing half of new sales by 2030. It's expected to include $369 billion in climate and energy spending, Bloomberg said. Manchin had objected to the past proposal, in part because he felt the union requirement would favor incumbent American brands like Ford and GM while disadvantaging rivals like Tesla. 

More details of the deal are still to come, and there's a chance the terms could change. If the Inflation Reduction Act passes as claimed, though, it could significantly alter the automotive landscape. GM, Tesla and Toyota could effectively lower the prices of their EVs and offset recent hikes, while Nissan and other marques wouldn't have to worry about hitting a unit cap in the first place. The move could also spark life in the used EV market by offering a clearer financial incentive versus buying new. Simply put, EVs could become more accessible even without lower-cost models in the pipeline.

Volkswagen has begun producing its all-electric ID.4 crossover SUV in the United States. The automaker announced on Tuesday that it plans to scale production of the ID.4 at its Chattanooga, Tennessee factory to 7,000 vehicles per month by the end of 2022 before further increasing output throughout 2023.

According to Volkswagen, customers can expect deliveries to begin by October, starting with both rear- and all-wheel-drive variants of the 82kWh model. Later this year, the facility will begin manufacturing the more affordable 62kWh variant as well. To date, the automaker says it has delivered more than 190,000 ID.4 units globally since it launched the crossover last year.

Volkswagen credits this week’s milestone to an $800 million investment the company made to electrify its Chattanooga factory. With today’s announcement, the facility is now one of six sites worldwide where Volkswagen is producing electric vehicles. In March, the automaker said it would spend $7.1 billion over the next five years to increase its North American EV production capacity. By 2030, Volkswagen plans for electric vehicles to account for about 55 percent of its sales in the US.

The Mercedes EQB holds a unique place in the automaker’s US lineup: unlike other EQ vehicles, it’s built upon a platform that supports gas, hybrid and electric drivetrains. If you’re familiar with Mercedes vehicles, you’ll see it’s unmistakably the electric-powered version of the GLB SUV, but it’s had a small makeover to make it fit better with the rest of the EQ line. Those tweaks are mostly saved for the exterior – the interior is nearly identical to its gas counterpart.

The vehicle’s approximate range of 230 miles and DC fast-charging capability of up to 100kW don’t stack up favorably to the latest generation of purpose-built EVs, which could hurt its sales with potential buyers. But for an around-town family SUV, the EQB is hard to beat, offering a combination of comfort, utility and technology in a Mercedes SUV that starts under $60,000. Watch the video below for the full story.

Mercedes had a singular goal: Build a one-off concept vehicle that could travel 1000 kilometers (621 miles) on one charge from a battery pack slightly smaller than 100kWh. The result was the EQXX, a coupe that looks as good as the technology that powers it. Typically these vehicles are off limits to anyone outside of a chosen few within an automaker. But Mercedes decided to let us behind the wheel for a test drive.

Designed to slip through the air with as little drag as possible, the EQXX doesn’t wow with off-the-line performance. Instead, the power really comes after you’ve gotten to highway speed. But even then, the concept vehicle is an efficiency machine that feels like the future. Mercedes has no plans to put the EQXX into production, but what it's learning now will at some point land in its vehicles. Watch the video below for the full story.

If you have a spare $300,000 burning a hole in your pocket but don't mind waiting a couple of years for a luxury electric vehicle, Cadillac's Celestiq might be of interest. The automaker pulled back the curtain to properly reveal the EV for the first time.

Given the expected price, it's not surprising that Cadillac sees it as an "ultra-luxury" flagship model. While it's keeping quiet on most of the specs for now, the brand has revealed some intriguing details for the hand-built sedan. The Celestiq will feature hand-crafted materials, all-wheel drive, four-wheel steering and GM’s next-gen driver assist system, Ultra Cruise. It will also be powered by GM’s Ultium powertrain tech.

Cadillac/GM

The interior is said to offer a customizable experience for drivers and passengers. For one thing, the roof has "four-quadrant, suspended-particle-device smart glass." The idea is that each person in the vehicle will be able to set their own roof transparency level.

There are several screens inside the cabin, including a 55-inch, end-to-end LED dashboard display. Cadillac says it boasts a feature called "electronic digital blinds." It says this will allow the passenger in the front seat to watch videos without distracting the driver. There are also screens on the back of each of the front headrests and a touchscreen console between the seats in each row.

Cadillac/GM

While the model Cadillac revealed is a show car, the production version will be very similar. According to Motor Authority, the Celestiq is expected to go on sale in 2024 as a 2025 model. Maybe it's best to put that $300,000 into a savings account for now.

Automakers are frequently keen to show off self-driving concept cars without steering wheels, but Baidu is close to putting a vehicle like this on real-world roads. The tech giant has unveiled a new robotaxi, the Apollo RT6, with a removable steering wheel. The option lets ride hailing services offer more space for passengers — this can include extra seats, work desks or even game consoles.

The RT6 unsurprisingly includes Baidu's newest autonomous driving tech. The Level 4 system (full self-driving under specific conditions) uses a total of 38 sensors, including eight LiDAR units and 12 cameras, to navigate dense urban environments. The company didn't mention range for the all-electric design, but the flat floor, sliding doors and "interactive" lights should make your commute more enjoyable.

More importantly, the machine is production-ready. The car will cost businesses the equivalent of $37,000 in China, and it should first enter use with Baidu's own Apollo Go service in 2023. The relatively modest price will make it practical for the company to roll out "tens of thousands" of vehicles across China, and it envisions a future where robotaxi fares cost half as much as those of conventional rides. While that's not great news for taxi drivers, it suggests that driverless ride hailing could soon be relatively ubiquitous in the country.

Ford is refining its plans to expand EV production, and it will partly lean on new battery materials to achieve those goals. The automaker now expects to hit a global production rate of 600,000 EVs per year by late 2023 thanks in part to lithium iron phosphate battery packs in some of its vehicles, starting with Mustang Mach-Es sold in North America (in 2023) and F-150 Lightnings (in early 2024). The chemistry will expand Ford's capacity, allow for "many years" of use with little range loss, cut manufacturing costs and reduce the dependence on shortage-prone materials like nickel.

At that 600,000-EV rate, nearly half (270,000) of the vehicles produced will be Mustang Mach-Es destined for China, Europe and North America. The F-150 Lightning in North America will account for 150,000 EVs, while the rest include 150,000 electric Transit vans and 30,000 units of a still-unnamed European SUV. Ford said it has secured all the yearly battery capacity it needs to make this target, and 70 percent of the capacity it needs to reach a more ambitious objective of 2 million EVs per year by late 2026.

The news comes just hours after a report that Ford may cut up to 8,000 jobs to help fund its EV plans. The brand recently split into combustion and EV divisions to help with the electric transition, and has committed to spending $50 billion on electrification.

Ford had floated the 600,000-EV production target before. However, the battery developments and narrower timeframe paint a clearer picture of how that growth will take place. As it stands, there's mounting pressure on the company to ramp up its manufacturing. It only built 27,140 EVs in 2021, and has a significant backlog — you can't even place a standard retail order for the 2022 Mach-E "due to high demand." To some extent, the improved scale is as much about catching up as it is preparing for an all-electric future.

GM previewed its 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV today, adding the two-row mid-size crossover [in a variety of trims, including the SS performance model,] to its growing lineup of all-electric cars. As far as SUVs go, the Chevy Blazer hasn’t ever been the most eye-catching or highest rated. But the new Blazer EV could stand out as a solid, reasonably priced electric mid-sized SUV in a market filled with (way too many) options. The vehicles include a 11.5 kW AC charging module for at-home charging and charging capability of up to 190 kilowatts. Roughly 10 minutes of charging will add up to 78 miles of range. 

The 2024 Blazer EVs take things in a dramatically different direction than older models of the Blazer, at least design-wise. The exterior is a tad more aggressive and futuristic than older models of the Blazer. The RS model features 21-inch wheels and a black grille and accents and the SS features a black roof, ultra-thin 22-inch wheels. Depending on the size of the battery pack, the RS has a maximum range of 320 miles, while the SS can run for 290 miles. The SS model can produce up to 557 horsepower and has a high-performance mode known WOW (Wide Open Watts) mode that can enable 0-60 mph times of less than 4 seconds. Both the RS and SS models feature heated front and rear outboard seating (though on the RS it’s an additional charge) and a flat-bottom steering wheel and sculpted vents.

The most bare-bones option of the bunch, the LT (with two different trim levels), comes with 18-inch wheels and a monochromatic coat. The 2LT delivers an estimated range of 293 miles, while the 1LT can go for 247 miles on a single charge.  

The vehicles are all equipped with a 17.7-inch-diagonal screen and Chevy's infotainment system. To top it off, the Blazer EV is built on GM’s Ultium EV platform, which kind of serves as a unified battery system for all of GM’s electric vehicles. The automaker believes that using just one battery — the Ultium — for all of its EVs will cut down production costs and allow it to easily convert to an all-electric lineup by 2035.

The new cars will arrive next year: The 2LT and RS will debut in the summer of 2023, and are priced starting around $47,595 and $51,995, respectively. The SS will arrive later next year, and starts at $65,995. Finally, the 1LT will debut sometime in the first quarter of 2024 and start at $44,995.

We were impressed with the Lucid Air Dream Edition earlier this year, even though it was just a pre-production vehicle. Well, the automaker gave time behind the wheel of its latest top-of-the-line Grand Touring Performance model with all the proper pieces of hardware and software ready to go. This is a Lucid you can actually buy — although the starting price is $179,000. We have to say, it's better than anticipated.

The Grand Touring and Grand Touring Performance deliver on the Lucid promise to take on the German sport sedans in an all-EV package. The newish automaker was so confident in the 1,050 horsepower Performance trim level that it took it to the Goodwood Festival hill climb and was victorious in the production vehicle category. The regular $154,000 Grand Touring model is a touch slower — it takes 3 seconds to hit 60MPH, rather than 2.6 in the Performance — but you'll get another 70 miles of range (516 total, compared to the Performance's 446). 

All of which is to say, the Lucid Air GT models are more than just fast electric sedans. Check out the video below for the full story.