Tag Archives: Reports

Florida Could Suspend Carvana’s Dealer License For Not Submitting Title Applications

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Florida could suspend Carvana’s dealer license after it has failed to transfer the titles of some vehicles sold.

Carvana was reportedly notified of the issues in an email sent by Florida authorities last week. This email is said to have included a spreadsheet that showed 300 Carvana vehicle sales dating back to 2019 that had not had their titles transferred. More than 100 of these vehicle sales occurred in Florida.

Read Also: Carvana Banned From Selling Used Cars In North Carolina Area Until 2022

State law in Florida requires retailers to apply for a title within 30 days of completing a sale. Speaking with Auto News, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said Carvana has until January 31 to submit title applications for all the vehicles it sold in 2021 before December 1.

“The department has been proactively working with Carvana to identify and assist Florida customers who have not received their title in a timely manner, and in accordance with state law,” the spokesperson added. “Florida law allows for the suspension of the dealer’s license if they fail to apply for a transfer of title in a timely manner.”

This isn’t the first time Carvana has been scrutinized for not delivering titles in time. Earlier this year it settled with Florida regulators and agreed to pay $500 each to 12 customers who had to wait three to eight months to receive titles on vehicles they purchased. In August, Carvana had its dealer license suspended for 180 days in Wake County, North Carolina for not producing titles fast enough, among other issues.

Carvana sold 244,111 vehicles in the U.S. last year, making it the country’s second-largest retailer of used vehicles. A spokeswoman from the company says Carvana has applied for around 23,500 titles in Florida over the past 12 months.

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BMW M Rumored To Be Readying Special M4 For 50th Ann. With Manual Gearbox

Next year is gearing up to be a special one for BMW’s M division. BMW M GmbH will mark its 50th anniversary in May, 2022, and new rumors suggest that there’s a special, limited production M4 on the horizon.

The lead comes from an alleged BMW insider on g80.bimmerpost. The user, who apparently has a good track record for new car info, suggests that the unnamed M4 special will be “configured like the CSL, but with a manual transmission.”

The forum member goes on to say that several options will be deleted, including comfort access, parking sensors, and electric seats. The absence of such would result in an M4 that’s even lighter than the already lightweight CSL, provided this special model is based on the upcoming CSL in the first place.

Although the production M4 CSL hasn’t yet been revealed to the public, our spies have spotted prototypes undergoing testing. These cars feature revised air intakes and grilles, as well as lightweight wheels, a more prominent lip spoiler, and a new diffuser.

Read: BMW Teases Next-Generation M4 GT4 Customer Race Car

A BMW M4 CSL prototype caught testing at the Nurburgring

As yet, powertrain details for the CSL have not been confirmed, although there have been reports that BMW may not offer a manual transmission. If that were the case, a limited, manual-equipped take on the CSL could prove to be the holy grail of BMW’s M4 line-up. The source also remarks that the new variant will be only produced for a few months, starting in November 2022, implying that production numbers will be kept low.

We already know that BMW M GmbH has big plans on the horizon for the upcoming year. Their 750hp plug-in hybrid SUV, the XM, is set to be in production before the end of 2022, and from January, customers will be able to order their cars with a roundel that harks back to the Motorsport division’s classic logo. If that weren’t enough, the new BMW M3 Touring would finally fulfill our M wagon dreams, and a series of 50 new M paint finishes will be made available. A special, ultra-limited edition of the M4 could just be the icing on the cake.

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Buick Trademarks The Electra Name, Does It Hint At Upcoming Electric Crossover?

Buick’s range in North America comprises exclusively of SUVs including the Envision, Encore and Enclave, but none of them is fully electric. This could change in the near future as the automaker filed a trademark for the Electra name in Canada, a move that could hint at a production version of last years’ fully electric crossover concept bearing the iconic name.

General Motor’s trademark filing from December 20 for the Buick Electra name was posted at the Rivian Owners Forum. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that Buick will use the Electra name on a production vehicle, nor that this will be a fully electric crossover, however both of those assumptions sound plausible given the timing.

See Also: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq Electric SUV Unveiled In Production Form

The pictured Buick Electra concept was unveiled last year in Shangai. The prototype brought back an iconic name used in full-size luxury sedans from 1959 to 1990. Unlike its predecessors, the new Electra adopted a sleek crossover-style silhouette previewing Buick’s future design language.

Like the Cadillac Lyric that was unveiled in production form earlier this year, the Buick Electra concept was based on GM’s Ultium architecture with a fully electric powertrain. In the concept, the dual electric motors produced 583 hp (435 kW / 589 PS), while the Ultium battery allowed a range of more than 410 miles (660 km). The production version could use the Lyriq’s 100 kWh lithium-ion battery pack which is good for a more down-to-earth 300 mile (483 km) electric range.

See Also: Buick Smart Pod Is A Futuristic Luxury Minivan Concept

A Buick Electra SUV could be a competitor for the rumored Chrysler Airflow and the Ford Mustang Mach-E, or move upmarket to rival more premium electric SUV proposals from BMW (iX), Audi (e-tron), and Mercedes-Benz (EQE). In any case, the design of the concept would have to be toned down for production, including a more conventional design for the greenhouse and the doors while retaining elements like the overall crossover shape, the Matrix LED lighting units, and the large-diameter wheels.

Buick hasn’t made any announcements for the future product strategy so we don’t know if and when they are planning to introduce their first fully electric SUV. Outside North America, the automaker is steadily increasing its sales in China, where it is also offering a wide range of sedans, SUVs, and luxury MPVs.

Stellantis’ Brampton Plant Could Close As Dodge Charger And Challenger Might Move Stateside

Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis recently confirmed the current Charger and Challenger will be phased out in late 2023 and it appears their deaths will also spell the end of the Chrysler 300.

According to Automotive News Canada, the Premier of Ontario was “blindsided” by reports the Brampton Assembly Plant would be without any products when production of the “Chrysler 300, Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger end in the third quarter of 2023.”

Doug Ford went on to say he’s been getting “mixed messages” about the plant’s future and just wants “someone to be honest” with him. The Premier added the government is willing to provide support to help keep the plant open, but someone at Stellantis needs to reach out and ask for it.

Also Read: The Devil’s Coming For Dodge As Charger, Challenger And Hellcat Engine To Die In 2023

However, the offer might fall on deaf ears as AutoForecast Solutions believes the next-generation Charger and Challenger – if they retain the names – will be built in the United States at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois. If that were to happen and Brampton doesn’t get any new products, approximately 3,163 people would be out of a job.

The company is staying tight-lipped, but Chrysler Canada’s Head of Communications, LouAnn Gosselin, told the publication Brampton will have products through the end of 2023. However, she added the automaker has “not made any future product announcements” and said the company considers “many factors” when determining where to build new vehicles.

While Ford is willing to provide support to keep the plant open, he’s also trying to make closing the facility less appealing. As he explained, it was made “very clear to Chrysler and Stellantis, if they think they’re going to sell that property into residential, it’s not going to happen.” Banning residential development on the land occupied by the plant would seriously limit its appeal and Ford added, if “they have dreams of grandeur and that they’re going to make a fortune [on the land], well, it’s just not going to happen.”

Forget About America’s 11ft8 Bridge, Check Out Britain’s Infamously Narrow 7ft Woodmere Avenue

You might know the “11foot8” bridge (which is now 12’ 4” tall, but the name has stuck) in Durham, North Carolina that became viral following a number of accidents with tall trucks. Now, the latest piece of bad road design comes from the U.K.

The Woodmere Avenue width restriction has its own Facebook group with plenty of humorous memes thrown into the mix and a number of YouTube videos dedicated to it and has even become the subject of some political action as a result of the numerous victims it has left in its wake.

Located in Watford, Hertfordshire, near London, the Woodmere Avenue width restriction is a form of traffic control that’s designed to limit the width of vehicles driving through it. Intended as a means of preventing very big vehicles from entering residential areas, it allows only those that are up to 6’6″ (198cm) wide, per the Daily Mail, though a sign seen on Google maps (below) says its 7.0″ (210cm) wide.

Read Also: North Carolina’s Infamous ’11foot8′ Bridge Kills A Caravan’s A/C Units

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U.K. drivers with large SUVs sometimes complain about width restrictions preventing them from driving through. But it’s not just very wide models like the 6’9” wide Land Rover Disovery Sport that are having a hard time passing, videos of the Woodmere Avenue one show it all kinds of vehicles crash as they climb the curb and hit a bollard.

Footage posted to YouTube show a VW Golf popping one wheel in the air as it tries to navigate the width restriction and a small Skoda Roomster becoming stuck in it. In August, meanwhile, the Hertfordshire Mercury reported that a Volvo became so stuck in it that it had to be lifted out with a digger.

What’s your meme on Woodmere Avenue?

Video captured by one resident’s Ring cam showed as many as 12 accidents there in a period of six weeks. Such is the issue that Watford MP Dean Russell raised the issue in Parliament in September, asking for a different kind of width restriction to be installed.

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“This is something that I have been working on for quite some time now, securing an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons and raising at Ministerial level,” Russell said.

Local resident and former bus driver Barry Felton told the outlet, though, that the solution to the issue is really simple.

“I get fed up with it and the damage it causes,” Felton said. “It’s like a time bomb. All we want is the reinforced posts taken out.”

BMW Is Ready For ICE Bans Say Boss, But Hints It May Not Be The Way To Go

Unlike many of its competitors, BMW won’t commit to an end date for its internal combustion engines. However, CEO Oliver Zipse said that the company will be ready for ICE bans as and when they come into force. 

His comments came during a conference in the town of Nuertingen, near Stuttgart, reports Reuters. “We will be ICE-ban ready,” said Zipse. “If a region, a city, a country gets the idea of banning ICEs, we have an offering.”

However, Zipse appeared to cast doubt on whether such blanket bans were the best way forward: “The BMW Group is not worried about this. Whether it’s a good idea is another question… but we will have an offering.”

The EU has proposed a ban on the sale of fossil-fuel cars from 2035 as it focuses on combating global emissions. But although BMW expects half of its global sales to be EV by 2030, the Bavarian marque appears to think there’s life in the ICE yet.

Also Read: European Union’s Internal Combustion Engine Ban To Be Fought Against By Czech Republic

A BEV 5-Series undergoing testing ahead of a 2023 launch

Last month, BMW development chief Frank Weber questioned whether both the system and consumers are ready for the shift, and cited reasons why the brand is avoiding a cut-off date. “The last thing we want is that customers have to buy electric cars, and there is no adequate charging infrastructure,” said Weber, speaking to Auto News.

The news of BMW’s readiness for ICE bans is unlikely to appease environmentalists, some of which have already sued the automaker for alleged climate change complacency. DUH, a German NGO, has accused BMW and Daimler of not doing enough to curb carbon emissions.

However, BMW has committed to electrifying their line-up, with the new iX and i4 EVs already being rolled out across markets. They will be followed by battery-electric derivatives of the 7-Series and X1 next year, with an EV 5-Series and Mini Countryman expected in 2023.

Foxconn Will Buy Lordstown’s Plant For $230M And Build Its Electric Truck

Foxconn will buy the factory currently being used by Lordstown Motors for around $230 million and has also agreed to build the automaker’s electric Endurance pickup truck at the plant.

Lordstown has been in dire straits in recent months after investigations from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the U.S. Justice Department. In June, Lordstown said it wouldn’t be able to start production of the Endurance unless it raised more money. That’s what Foxconn is providing.

Read More: Lordstown Gets Lifeline As Investment Firm Agrees To Buy $400 Million Worth Of Stock

The Taiwanese company’s deal with the electric vehicle startup will also see it buy $50 million worth of Lordstown Motors shares, which ups the total investment to $280 million. The Lordstown site will also be Foxconn’s first automotive factory and comes as it tries to establish itself as a serious contender in the electric vehicle space. It has previously struck deals with the likes of Geely and Fisker.

Lordstown Bough The Ohio Plant From GM For $20 Million In 2019

Lordstown famously purchased the Ohio factory from General Motors in 2019 for just $20 million after the Detroit automaker announced plans to close it down and stop production of the Chevrolet Cruze. The Verge reports that the electric startup has invested $240 million into equipping the factory to begin producing its pickup truck.

The deal excludes asserts such as Lordstown’s electric hub motor assembly line, battery module and packing line assets, and certain intellectual property rights. It has also been confirmed that reaching a contract manufacturing agreement was a key condition to closing the purchase of the factory.

In July, Lordstown secured a lifeline after investment firm Yorkville Advisors committed to buying up to $400 million of shares from the company.

BMW Confirms LMDh IMSA Entry Using Dallara Chassis

BMW M Motorsport has confirmed it will enter the LMDh class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship from the 2023 season through a partnership with Dallara.

BMW is the latest car manufacturer to commit to the new LMDh class. Just last month, Cadillac confirmed it will participate in both LMDh and Le Mans with its new prototype. Lamborghini is also expected to join, alongside other brands including Acura, Audi, and Porsche.

BMW will run two prototypes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship that feature chassis produced by Dallara. The first test car will be built at Dallara’s site in Italy in a close collaboration between BMW M Motorsport engineers and a team of Dallara engineers. The car will make its on-track debut at the Varano circuit in 2022.

Read More: BMW To Join Le Mans Daytona Hybrid Class In 2023

“In Dallara, we are delighted to have found a partner for our LMDh project that shares our passion, professionalism and huge ambition in motorsport and, like us, is fully committed to the goal of writing a new success story in the history of BMW M Motorsport from 2023,” BMW M chief executive Markus Flasch said in a statement. “After speaking to all the possible chassis partners, the decisive factor in our decision was that Dallara, with all its expertise and experience, was enthusiastic about working together with BMW M Motorsport. The chemistry was there between us from the word go. We see our relationship as a real partnership in which we are fighting for a common goal of success at the racetrack.”

On his part, Dallara president Giampaolo Dallara commented: “I’m honored to have been selected by BMW M Motorsport and with great enthusiasm I’m looking forward to begin this new adventure. Back in 1977 I had the opportunity to work alongside BMW on designing the M1 as Lamborghini consulting. It was a great experience and a lot was learned. I hope to repeat the same adventure in LMDh. I firmly believe that we will do great things together.”

Dallara is one of four companies approved to make chassis for the series, the others being ORECA, Multimatic, and Ligier. Cadillac will also source their chassis from Dallara, while both Porsche and Audi have partnered with Multimatic.

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For First Time Since 1923, No Driver On Earth Can Legally Buy Leaded Fuel

The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) announced that the toxic legacy of leaded fuel has officially come to an end. Algeria, the last country on earth to use leaded gas, has finally phased the fuel out.

“The successful enforcement of the ban on leaded petrol is a huge milestone for global health and our environment,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.

Developed by GM in 1921, the addition of tetraethyl lead into fuel was initially heralded as a breakthrough that would power a new generation of cars, planes, and motorcycles thanks to its ability to tame engine-destroying “knock.”

Read Also: U.S. May Reinstate Pre-Trump Economy Fuel Penalties

The exhaust from engines that ran leaded fuel was highly toxic, though. Wherever leaded fuel spread, epidemics of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and developmental delay in children followed.

“Leaded petrol was a huge mistake from the start, even if people may not have known it at the time,” said Rob De Jong, the head of sustainable mobility at UNEP. “The world would be dealing with the consequences for a century.”

That the fuel has finally been phased out everywhere on earth is, UNEP says, the result of a 20-year-long campaign that used a mix of science, public education, and policy work. Per the program, the ban on leaded fuel saves 1.2 million lives while sparing the world $2.4 trillion in healthcare expenses and other costs.

“I think this may be the single biggest success story in the environmental field,” said Michael Walsh, the former head of motor vehicle pollution control programs with the United State’s Environmental Protection Agency.

Although unleaded fuel was made universally available in the U.S. in 1975 and banned in 1996, poorer countries struggled to make the switch.

“They were getting the dirtiest fuel. It was very frustrating,” said Walsh. “The people that were most vulnerable were getting poisoned.”

As recently as 2002, leaded fuel was still being used in 117 countries, which included every country in Africa, where people in fast-growing cities were suffering. UNEP quickly published studies debunking the myths that unleaded fuel hurt engines and encouraged governments to update their air pollution standards, among other measures.

By 2006, sub-Saharan Africa was lead-free. For the next 15 years, the UNEP would fight to get tetraethyl lead out of the remaining countries, facing stiff resistance from Innospec, a U.S. and U.K.-based company that was the last remaining maker of the substance.

As countries pulled out, though, the market was cratering and Innospec was found guilty of bribing officials in Indonesia and Iraq. Over the last decade, more and more countries have stopped using leaded fuel, and finally, in September 2020, Algeria announced that its state-owned oil company would stop making leaded fuel, and now it has been phased out completely.

“I’m certainly not a Pollyanna about climate change,” said Walsh. “But at least we can say ‘We solved (the leaded fuel) problem. Let’s do something similar.’ It gives me hope.”

Geneva Motor Show Organizers Announce A Spin-Off Auto Event In Qatar

The organizers behind the Geneva International Motor Show have partnered with Qatar Tourism and announced plans to host an automotive show in Doha.

The show will be dubbed the Qatar Geneva International Motor Show (strange, we know) and the first edition is planned to take place in the autumn of 2022 or 2023. Final dates are expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks, with current plans to hold the event every two years.

Full details of the event will be announced at the official Geneva International Motor Show in Switzerland being next held from February 19-27, 2022.

Read Also: The Geneva Motor Show Is Coming Back In 2022

“We are very proud and honored, that Qatar Tourism has put their trust in us for the conception of the new motor show in Doha,” president of the permanent committee of the Geneva International Motor Show, Maurice Turrettini, said in a statement. “Our partnership is the result of very trusting and constructive discussions from day one. The joint forces with Qatar Tourism empower us to focus on the upcoming 91st edition of GIMS in February 2022, where we will be able to gather ideas and learnings for the new motor show in Doha.”

“In line with the national strategy, Qatar National Vision 2030, we are expanding our tourism proposition to position Qatar as a world-leading destination and ensure guests enjoy the very best of Qatar,” added Qatar Airways Group chief executive and chairman of Qatar Tourism Akbar Al Baker.

After the Geneva International Motor Show was canceled at the last minute in early 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, organizers of the event were forced to sell the show to Palexpo SA, which runs the exhibition center in Geneva where the show is held. The event didn’t run this year.