Daily Archives: April 18, 2018
Elon Musk To Push Through With Tesla Model Y
Elon Musk’s Tesla is making the ambitious plan to commence production of its Model Y in November 2019. Reports from Reuters said that Musk is accepting preliminary bids for supplier contracts of the Tesla Model Y, which will be a more affordable version of the Model X.
The Model Y was first teased at Tesla’s Annual Shareholder meeting in 2017. That time, Musk said that the Model Y will be built on an entirely new platform. But the Tesla CEO recently admitted that feat was ambitious and the Model Y will instead be using the same architecture as the Model 3, Tesla’s latest production car.
If the production of the Model Y will continue, that will be in November 2019 at the Fremont factory in California. Two years after, the production will move to China.
This may sound all too exciting, but remember that Tesla is under fire now for its issues with the production of Model 3. What’s up with that, anyway? The sedan had 500,000 initial orders in refundable deposits in July last year. The company, however, failed to deliver the cars on time. There was an initial promise for these to be ready by November 2017, but that did not come into fruition.
Earlier this month, Tesla tried to convince investors and the general public that the production was getting better, doubling during the first quarter of 2018 and increasing to 5000 units per week in the second quarter.
As for the Tesla Model Y, the “ultimatum” is November 2019, which means that the company might skip the pre-production phase at all. We’re hoping these reports are false because safety is very important in these electric vehicles. A Model X crashed because of the Autopilot feature’s failure, so it makes no sense for Tesla to escalate the production of the Model Y when there are still clear issues with its previous model.
5 Things You Need To Know About The All-New Ford Focus
The new Ford Focus is taking over everything in Europe. It’s new. It’s a fan favorite. Everyone’s clamoring for a piece of the hot action. It’s set to be Britain’s best-selling cars, which is a lot to say considering the massive options that the British have.
1. C2 Platform Made Everything Possible
Ford’s global divisions got together and discussed what they expect from the new Ford Focus. From there, the designers and engineers worked to come up with the C2 platform. It is roomier and stronger than the old one, but it is notably a lot lighter.
2. There Is More Space
Thanks to the stretched wheelbase, there is more rear legroom and a space under the floor of the boot to store the internal roller-blind. Essentially, the front seats have been redesigned to give rear dwellers more space for their feet. They can also see better outside the windows because these have been stretched rearward into the pillar. The new Ford Focus is just 18mm longer despite all this new-found space.
3. New Dashboard And Better Specs
The new dashboard has a cleaner and more streamlined look. It was moved forward to give better space for the driver and the passenger, though it is still easily reachable and accessible. The touchscreen, all of its eight inches, is mounted high and runs Ford’s Sync 3 system. If that’s not your cup of tea, you can mirror your phone through CarPlay. There’s a B&O Play music system and a wireless charging option, too.
4. It Has An Embedded SIM
Like the Astra, the new Focus has an embedded SIM card, which allows it to receive high-definition live traffic updates. It can run several navigation and shopping apps, making it easier for you to arrive at your destination. This same data connection can also act as a hotspot. From your phone, you can manage the car and do several things like lock and unlock.
5. New Petrol Engines
The new Ford Focus will likely have a 1.0-liter Ecoboost, which will come in options of 85, 100, and 125bhp. It will have just 108g/km CO2 even in the strict new WLTP test. The bigger petrol engine, a 1.5-liter, will have either a 150 or 182bhp. For economic use, the three-cylinder machine can shut down one of their cylinders to eliminate the losses of pumping air.
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5 Features Of The 2019 Toyota RAV4 Crossover
The Toyota RAV4 first arrived in 1994 as the Japanese brand’s oldest and most popular vehicle in the crossover segment. Since then, the demand for crossovers has grown exponentially and sales of the Toyota RAV4 grew alongside it. It last received a redesign in 2013 and to keep it updated and fresh, Toyota revealed a fifth-generation model at the 2018 New York International Auto Show.
1. Exterior
The RAV4 is still considered a subcompact but it has SUV-like proportions, thanks to the lower and wider stance and extended wheelbase. The RAV4 has a more angular defined nose with the headlights angled toward the front fenders. There’s black detailing on the lower half of the bumper and a silver skid plate protects the chin.
The sides are sharper as well with a built-up shoulder line and creases that lead to the fender flares. Optional 19-inch wheels finish off the sides.
2. Interior
There’s a new simplified design for the cabin’s layout. The thing about the new RAV4 is that it has more space for the rear passengers, thanks to the extended wheelbase it used as a platform. It has a more streamlined and elegant appearance with a lot of techy details. The new RAV4 has hands-free power liftgate, which can be opened by waving a foot under the rear bumper.
Standard safety tech includes Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Forward Collision Warning, Brake Assist, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Full-Speed Range Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist, Automatic High Beam headlights, Lane Tracing Assist, and Road Sign Assist. You can go for the options: Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Cross Traffic Alert, a Bird’s Eye View Camera, Intelligent Clearance Sonar, and Rear Cross Traffic Braking.
3. Drivetrain
There are two powertrains to choose from: a Dynamic Force 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder. Equipped on the five individual gas-only models and a Dynamic Force 2.5-liter inline four-cylinder mated with the latest Toyota Hybrid System II (THS II) efficiency-booster.
4. Prices
The 2019 Toyota RAV4 will arrive in dealerships at the end of this year in gas-only variant. The hybrid will arrive sometime in 2019. There are no pricing details yet, but it will likely have the tag of the current model, which is priced $24,510. The hybrid model starts at $27,235.
5. Competition
The RAV4’s direct competitors are the Honda CRV and the Mazda CX-5.
