Next M5 will be electric, Tesla faces “right to repair” lawsuit, buy Paul Newman’s Volvo

BMW

BMW’s next M5 will be all-electric

Intake: BMW’s next-generation 5 Series is ready for launch in October and, alongside mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions, there is to be a fully-electric Five for the first time. What’s more, BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse has confirmed that there’ll be an M version powered only by volts. “A fully electric Performance model from BMW M GmbH will also be included in the new BMW 5 Series lineup,” he said. The 5 Series celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022 and more than ten million have been sold worldwide since. The eighth will be the most advanced iteration ever and a major part of the “systemic expansion” of BMW’s electric-vehicle range.

Exhaust: Building another all-electric M car is an absolute no-brainer after the battery-powered, M-badged 4 Series proved to be a huge hit. “The all-electric BMW i4 M50 shows how BMW blends dynamic performance and electric mobility to perfection. It was the best-selling BMW M model worldwide in 2022,” said Zipse. —Nik Berg 

VW’s next Golf GTI will probably look like this

Volkswagen VW ID.2all concept exterior
VW | ingo barenschee

Intake: VW just showed the world this cute little concept, called the ID.2all. ID, in VW speak, means “all-electric.” The smaller the number that follows ID, the smaller the vehicle. This front-wheel-drive concept previews a sort of people’s EV—if those people live in Europe, that is—which VW will reveal in production form in 2025, hopefully with a roughly €25,000 price tag. The relevant bit for the U.S.? This tidy hatch previews VW’s new design language, and given that it’s “as spacious as a Golf,” it’s a pretty fair bet that the next GTI will look similar. The ID.2all was designed in what had to be a serious rush by Andreas Mindt, who stepped in as Head of Volkswagen Design only February 1 of this year, after VW CEO Thomas Schaefer decided he’d had enough of the previous design head’s retro schtick. That said, ID.2all is quite sympathetic to the traditional silhouette of the Golf: a happy, humanoid face, a dominant C-pillar, and an arrow-straight beltline.

Exhaust: The exterior may be quite handsome, but peek inside. Looks like Mindt got the memo about customers’ clamoring for real buttons, rather than haptic sensors. A real, push-it-and-it-clicks button to adjust cabin temperature? Don’t tell Schaefer, but it almost feels retro. —Grace Houghton

Volkswagen VW ID.2all concept interior
VW | ingo barenschee

“Confuse onlookers” with Audi special edition

2023 Audi RS e-tron GT project_513/2
Audi

Intake: Audi of America is offering 75 copies of what’s referred to as the 2023 Audi RS e-tron GT project_513/2. “Customers now have the opportunity to drive a version of the e-tron GT that most closely resembles the prototype car. This limited edition leverages the original design used for global prototype testing with ‘e-tron’ camouflage script on both the exterior and interior, and is exclusive to the U.S. market,” says the automaker. It’s the first Audi to offer an exterior skinned and wrapped in camo from the factory. “Camouflage graphics are often used by Audi for initial testing, and are designed to create confusion for onlookers that may be looking to capture the latest glimpse into automotive exterior design and technology before it is made public.”

Exhaust: As special editions go, this one is pretty mild—and a little confusing, alright, consisting mostly of graphics inside and outside the car. Of course the EV already has 637 total horsepower, so you really don’t need a lot more performance. Price of the GT project_513/2 is $179,900, plus shipping and a $595 metallic paint charge. —Steven Cole Smith

Honda’s big seatbelt buckle recall

2019 Honda CR-V interior
2019 Honda CR-V Honda

Intake: Honda is recalling 448,613 vehicles in the U.S. over front seatbelt buckles that may not latch properly. A manufacturing issue can cause the surface coating on the buckle to deteriorate and lead to the belt-release button to shrink at lower temperatures. The recall covers the 2017–20 Honda CR-V, 2018–9 Accord, 2018–9 Accord Hybrid, 2018–20 Odyssey and 2019 Insight, and the 2019–20 Acura RDX. No injuries have been reported as a result of the issue, but there have been 301 warranty claims.

Exhaust: Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seatbelt release buttons or buckle assemblies. Owners who paid for repairs related to the issue will be eligible for reimbursement. Letters will begin going out April 17. —SCS

Automotive News proclaims EV startup boom “is over…”

Faraday Future FF 91 electric vehicle ev startup
Faraday Future FF 91 Faraday Future

Intake: “…and companies now are trying to avoid a bust.” The publication found that, “Of the 10 EV startups reviewed by Automotive News, only four have enough cash on hand to cover a year or more of operating expenses, and only a couple can cover more than two years of their cash burn, according to their most recently available Securities and Exchange Commission filings.” Several, including Nikola, Faraday Future, and Arrival have identified doubt about their “abilities to continue as a going concern.”

Exhaust: It’s a tough world out there for EV startups, now that major OEMs have fully embraced the electric market. “There’s definitely a sense of fatigue,” said Jeff Osborne, a senior analyst focused on the sustainability and mobility technology sectors at TD Cowen, an American investment bank owned by Canada’s Toronto-Dominion Bank. “These stocks, putting it bluntly, are dramatically out of favor. It’s very unclear who’s going to win.” —SCS

“Right to repair” lawsuits filed against Tesla

2021 Tesla Model 3 Performance front three-quarter
Cameron Neveu

Intake: Reuters is reporting that Tesla has been sued in a pair of proposed antitrust class actions accusing the company of “unlawfully curbing competition for maintenance and replacement parts for its electric vehicles, forcing owners to pay more and wait longer for repair services.” The lawsuits, filed on Tuesday and Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, “allege that Tesla designed its electric vehicles, warranties and repair policies to discourage owners and lessees from using independent shops outside of Tesla’s control.”

Exhaust: Tesla joins other manufacturers facing “right to repair” antitrust litigation over alleged exclusionary conduct. Cases have also been filed against Harley-Davidson and John Deere. Both those companies have denied claims, but Deere has already lost one case. Reuters reached out to Tesla for comment, and none has been forthcoming. —SCS

You can buy Paul Newman’s Volvo

1988 volvo 740 wagon buick engine paul newman for sale
Bring a Trailer

Intake: Bring a Trailer is offering a 1988 Volvo 740 Turbo wagon that was acquired new by actor Paul Newman and subsequently modified with a Buick Grand National–sourced turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6, a Borg-Warner five-speed manual gearbox, and an Aero-style body kit. The car is finished in gray and features 16-inch Gemini wheels, lowering springs, a limited-slip differential, an HKS turbo timer, a power-operated sunroof, heated front seats, third-row seating, and air conditioning.

Exhaust: Connecticut dwellers like Newman and David Letterman preferred hot-rodded Volvos to help confound state troopers who might doubt their radar readings when a Volvo sped by. The auction ends Friday, and bidding, at this writing, is up to $26,000. Watch this space; we’ll be analyzing the final result in a separate article. —SCS

1988 volvo 740 wagon buick engine paul newman for sale
Bring a Trailer

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Comments

    USA lawmakers need to decide where they stand on antitrust or not. Pretty strong history on that topic –last couple of decades seem a bit weak (as an outsider).

    EV startup boom is over… directly tied to the recession we’re in. Watch for Chinese purchases.

    Paul Newman’s Volvo is awesome. GN V6 Turbo motor? Yes!

    EV startups are going to have a hard time. Despite their lack of leadership the mainline brands will do better with their established networks. Either way the Lucid and Tesla models do appear to be the best of the breed. How is Lucid doing?

    A guy in my area has a Volvo wagon with a 5.0L in it and a Tremec 5 speed donated from a rolled Mustang. I have always appreciated his effort to build it.

    So, the M5 is going EV. I can now remove it from consideration. The world hardly needs yet another one-trick pony.

    The EV push is a serious misstep and will lead to a major set back. While BEV have their place, they also have serious limitations. Power generation shortfalls and raw material prices will confound the cost reductions, where as hybrids continue to be the most economically viable mileage enhancing technology.

    Anti-trust and right to repair all comes down to who owns the tech in your machine? Microsoft and Apple have set some strong precedents.

    I am glad the EV “boom” is over. EVs are a version of the future we are being forced down against our wills, but it is not the correct future we should be pursuing. All attention should be placed on replacing fossil fuels with carbon neutral, clean-burning alternatives. ICE is already ubiquitous and can run on anything that can be atomized and has enough energy density.

    As far as the right to repair thing, the whole John Deere fiasco can’t be compared to Tesla. John Deere had people buy their equipment and then locked the people they sold it to out from being able to work on any of it. They were forced into a maintenance plan and would have to pay to have John Deere technicians travel to them to “fix” whatever the issue is. There is no shortage of various parts that work on tractors that people could have replaced on their own. As far as Tesla, no one else is making replacement parts for them. You can’t just roll into Autozone and buy a duralast drive motor. Considering that EVs have a propensity to just randomly ignite and burn uncontrollably for hours, does it really make sense to let inferior products being made in China be installed by a random dude with a screwdriver and expect there not to be issues?

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