Howdy and welcome to another installment of Cold Start, your daily recap of the most important news stories of the last 24 hours. After a bumper weekend, things have slowed a little into the week, but there's trouble for Tesla as it faces 38 open investigations into Autopilot after yet another fatal crash involving the software. Hyundai and Rolls-Royce are co-developing flying personal mobility devices, and Australian lawmakers want crash tests to include underwater escapes as a factor.
More importantly, Porsche has confirmed a new electric SUV will slot in above the Cayenne in a few years and has also upgraded the Taycan for 2023 to better challenge its rivals. Volkswagen is making the ID.4 cheaper with a new model and General Motors is kicking its EV operations into overdrive to try and outsell Tesla by 2025. Keanu Reeves, meanwhile, is working on a new Formula 1 documentary. Take a sip of your coffee, and let's dig in.
Porsche’s New Halo SUV Arriving Soon
Hidden within Porsche's Capital markets Day presentation, brand CEO Oliver Blume divulged that Porsche is working on entering new segments and that it will have an all-new electric SUV joining the fray. This wasn't a reference to the electric Macan, which we've known about for some time, but an all-new nameplate that will slot in above the Cayenne as a new EV-only halo for the brand. He didn't give away many details but did say the brand was targeting higher-margin segments to tap into new opportunities. The new model is expected to arrive within a couple of years, so we should see development mules cropping up soon enough.
Click here to read what Oliver Blume had to say about the new model
GM Wants To Outsell Tesla By 2025
With a new Blazer EV freshly revealed, the Hummer EV in full swing, and an electric Silverado along the way, among many others, General Motors is fully invested in its EV future. CEO Mary Barra believes the American automaker is poised for market dominance within the next few years and believes that the group can outsell the current EV market leader, Tesla, as soon as 2025. That would be some improvement from the group that only sold 25,000 EVs in 2021, during which Tesla sold 352,000 units.
Click here o read about GM's ambitious EV plans
Budget-Friendlier VW ID.4 Incoming
EVs are more affordable than ever but still aren't within reach of many Americans. Volkswagen wants to change that and will introduce a more affordable ID.4 crossover for the 2023 model year. To meet a lower price point than the current starting MSRP of $41,230 before incentives, VW has confirmed the new base derivative will use a 62-kWh battery instead of the 82-kWh unit found in the current ID.4 models. Power outputs have not been confirmed, but around 150 horsepower would be a fair estimation based on a similar variant available in the UK. With incentives, the new ID.4 could dip beneath the $30,000 mark.
Click here to get the scoop on VW's cheapest American EV
2023 Porsche Taycan Rolls Out Fresh Updates
In the age of the EV, annual updates to cars are now as simple as a software update. The 2023 Taycan range is getting just that with revised UI designs, new infotainment apps like Spotify and wireless Android Auto, and new features to select EV charging stations based on their power output. There's a new aero wheel design for the Taycan S and Variable Light Control on models with a panoramic glass roof. Notably, the updates now allow the front motor to be de-energized on dual-motor variants for enhanced efficiency - although a change in EPA range is unconfirmed as yet - and the battery preconditioning routine happens a little quicker.
Click here for all the details on Porsche's updated Taycan
Keanu Reeves’ F1 Documentary To Highlight Sport’s Most Successful Team
If you've only become a fan of F1 due to Netflix's Formula 1: Drive to Survive, then you may not know of Brawn GP. The Brawn team only partook in one F1 season but is statistically the most successful team in F1, with a 100% success rate as far as championship wins go versus seasons entered. In the team's only season in the sport, it took both the Drivers and Constructors Championships, winning eight races from 17 entered. Keanu Reeves is now producing a four-part docuseries highlighting the team's success. Interestingly, after just a season in the sport, Brawn GP was bought out by Mercedes-AMG, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Find out all about Keanu's Brawn GP documentary here
