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- New RAV4 revealed, Porsche investor revolt, Maserati GT2 road-trip
New RAV4 revealed, Porsche investor revolt, Maserati GT2 road-trip
PLUS: Civic Hybrid lands, Vantage Roadster thrills, Pininfarina pain
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2025-05-22
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Releases & Reviews
Toyota’s sixth-gen RAV4 arrives as a PHEV only, topping out at 300 horsepower (224 kW) and 0–62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.8 s. A 22.7 kWh battery yields 62 mile (100 km) EV range, while GR Sport trim adds wider stance, adaptive dampers and 20 in alloys.
MotorTrend finds the dual-motor Q6 E-Tron “crushingly normal”: 456 hp (340 kW), 0–60 mph in 4.6 s yet familiar Audi ride. Its 94.4 kWh pack can recoup 177 miles (285 km) in 15 minutes, averaging 195 kW on DC fast charge.
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Technology, Market Data & Analysis
At Porsche’s AGM, major funds blasted CEO Oliver Blume’s dual Porsche-Volkswagen role, blaming divided focus for a 42 % China sales plunge and 45 % share slide. Critics warn a governance discount weighs on valuation and demand he surrender one chair.
BMW’s prototype i7 loaded with 390 Wh/kg solid-state cells from Solid Power enters durability trials at the Parsdorf lab. Silicon-anode, sulfide-electrolyte chemistry targets nearly double today’s 220 Wh/kg packs and promises cooler, fire-safe, highly recyclable modules.
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Car Culture
Henry Catchpole road-trips the £300 k GT2 Stradale, an MC20 turned 631 hp (471 kW) track refugee with 531 lb-ft (720 Nm) and 500 kg of downforce. Adaptive hydraulics deliver real-world compliance, yet its 198 mph (319 km/h) fury still channels Mugello’s vintage racers.
New Jersey chef LJ Koch grafted a 6.2-liter C8 chassis under a 1950s IH Metro, creating the “Vettro”—a mid-engine food truck with beer taps aiming for a 130 mph (209 km/h) Guinness record during Indy festivities.
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Miscellaneous
Washington DOT installed paired I-5 and I-90 speed cameras that mailed 8,300 “courtesy notices”—not fines—to drivers, including 47 clocked above 100 mph (161 km/h) in one month, hoping behavioral data justify or kill real-ticket deployment.
Mystery flat-nose vans seen on California and Arizona carriers are Zeekr RT robotaxis bound for Waymo service. The Chinese-built EVs feature pillar-less sliding doors and lidar mounts; 100 % U.S. tariffs mean future batches may switch platforms.
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Quick Links
Spy shots show the 510 horsepower (380 kW) Juniper Model Y Performance testing at the Nürburgring with 21-inch Plaid-style wheels, adaptive dampers, and an estimated 290-mile (467 km) range ahead of a ~$55,000 year-end launch.
Unmasked prototypes show the street-focused F-150 Lobo with 22-inch wheels and aero skirts, and insiders say power could range from the Raptor’s 450 hp (336 kW) twin-turbo V6 to the 720 hp (537 kW) supercharged V8.
Pirelli’s AI-developed P Zero PZ5, offered in 18–23-inch sizes, claims shorter wet and dry stopping distances, lower noise, and longer life than the PZ4 thanks to a digital-twin test program that compressed development time.
Ferrari design chief Flavio Manzoni says the 2013 decision to end 60-year Pininfarina ties, sealed when LaFerrari leadership picked his in-house proposal, was painful but essential for tighter aerodynamic and engineering collaboration at Maranello.
MotorTrend’s year-long Civic Sport Touring Hybrid begins with a 2,000-mile (3,219 km) shakedown, its 200 hp (149 kW) drivetrain averaging 41 mpg (6 L/100 km) versus the EPA-rated 49 mpg (5 L/100 km) in a $33,100 monospec sedan.
Honda’s 2026 HR-V quietly adds a 9-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, new Solar Reflection and Boost Blue paints, privacy glass, and fresh wheel designs while base pricing nudges to $27,595 and AWD adds $1,500.
Aston’s fortified Vantage Roadster keeps the coupe’s chassis tune yet folds its roof in 6.8 seconds at 31 mph (50 km/h), unleashing 656 hp (489 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) for 0–60 mph in 3.5 seconds and 202 mph (325 km/h).
Responding to dealer pleas, Toyota is studying a TNGA-K-based compact truck using RAV4-hybrid hardware that could return roughly 40 mpg (6 L/100 km), undercut Tacoma pricing, and challenge Ford’s 131,000-unit-a-year Maverick with established truck credibility.
The IEA predicts EVs will seize 25 % of global 2025 sales, buoyed by China’s 11-million-unit surge and Latin-Asian growth, while U.S. share languishes at 6.8 % amid subsidy pullbacks and charger funding freezes.
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