With a 16% increase, Hyundai set a new Q1 record for total sales. March alone had a 27% increase in total sales, marking five months in a row that they set a record for total sales. 🎉
🐭 Hidden Mickey? Hyundai announced a collaboration with Disney to produce a limited edition custom design IONIQ 5 EV. The platinum with purple accent design is a reference to the color scheme of Disney's 100 Years of Wonder celebration.
Other than a few references to the historied entertainment company - Disney start-up animation, firework-inspired headlights, hidden Mickey wheel design, etc. - it mostly looks like a car. We were expecting more... Lightning McQueen vibes. Maybe our vision will be realized when Pixar turns 100.
🥈 GM has surpassed longtime rival Ford on the road to EV dominance but still trails pack leader Tesla by... a lot.
Ford reported just under 11K EV sales in Q1 this year, while GM sold nearly 21K in the same period. Tesla sold over 400K.
How did those buyouts go? Layoffs loom over most industries lately, but GM CEO Mary Barra's voluntary buyout plan avoided the worst of it. 5K employees opted to accept the buyout, which will cost the automaker $1B, but tighten the budget heading into its big electrified plans. 💰
Robotaxi drama. GM's driverless vehicle subsidiary Cruise is recalling 300 robotaxis following an accident in San Francisco. A software error caused a minor collision with the back of a city bus, resulting in a damaged robot. Luckily nobody was hurt in the accident (because robots don't have feelings). 🤖
🔓 Rivian has unlocked a new Dual-Motor Performance AWD option for eligible order holders to select in the configurator.
The 700-horsepower option takes a second off the 0-60 time for an extra $5K. For context, the standard Dual Motor is 600 hp with a 0-60 of 4.5 seconds. 🐴
🚨 Back up... The EV startup is recalling some 5K of its R1S SUVs to replace inadequate reverse lights. Due to low visibility from certain angles, the recall covers every R1S made between November 19, 2012 and March 21, 2023.