The Auto World

GM software services generate margins traditional vehicle sales can’t approach. Drivers are signing up for tech like Super Cruise after complementary periods expire. Automakers are increasingly chasing recurring revenue instead of one-time wins. For more than a century, automakers have relied on a simple business model. Build a car, sell a car, then hope the owner comes back years later for another one. But GM discovered a few years ago that there’s a much more lucrative option hiding in plain sight. Charge customers every month instead. The numbers are eye-opening. According to GM , its software and services business keeps roughly 70 percent of every dollar it generates, Business Insider reports. Compare that with the razor-thin margins often associated with vehicle sales, where manufacturers can sometimes hold onto just 4-10 cents from each revenue dollar, and it’s easy to see why executives are excited. More: BMW Charg...

Mercedes has sold the G-Class for decades with no German rival. Both Audi and BMW are now reportedly weighing rugged off-roaders. Renderings preview how a future BMW off-roader could look if approved. For decades, Mercedes-Benz has sold the G-Class without a single direct rival from Audi or BMW, a rare stretch of open road for a vehicle this expensive and this recognizable. That’s unusual for the German three, who tend to answer each other’s every move, matching sedan for sedan, coupe for coupe, and SUV for SUV until every niche has three badges fighting over it. That stretch could soon come to an end. Reports now suggest Audi is weighing a rugged SUV of its own, and BMW is thinking along the same lines, with a new model possibly arriving in 2029. Read: BMW Is Planning A Rugged G-Class Rival That May Kill The XM As any potential G-Class from BMW is still several years away, assuming it ever reaches production at all, there...

A number of Chinese automakers want to enter the United States. Some have even suggested they’d be willing to build plants here. Polestar built in South Carolina and was still banned after 2026. Xpeng CEO He Xiaopeng recently announced his desire to launch the brand in the United States and suggested the company could even build factories here. However, he acknowledged the political climate isn’t conductive to such a move. That brings us to our question of the day: should Chinese automakers be allowed in the United States if they build vehicles here? It sounds like a win-win as consumers would get new options and potentially lower prices. New plants could also generate thousands of jobs and even more would be created locally thanks to new dealerships across the country. More: Xpeng CEO Eyes US Launch, Suggests Company Could Build Plants In America On top of that, there would be new investment in the United States and new ta...

Used EV prices rose sharply in the US while overall used market softened. Tesla models dominated price increases but 911 values dropped by 10 %. Higher fuel costs due to Iran war may have pushed shoppers back to EVs. For the past few years, buying a used EV has been a waiting game, with would-be buyers often waiting for prices to fall a little further. That strategy may no longer be paying off. Used electric vehicle prices are climbing rapidly while the rest of the used car market continues to drift in the opposite direction, making dream cars like the Porsche 911 more affordable. New data from iSeeCars suggests the turnaround isn’t a one-month anomaly, either. Used EV prices have now posted three straight months of year-over-year gains, moving from a 2.7 percent increase in April to 5.2 percent in May before reaching 7.4 percent in June. Related: This Is How Much A 17K-Mile EV From A Dead Brand Sells For After 3 Years That push...

Land Rover is recalling 15,535 Discovery models across the USA. It knows of 100 claims or field reports tied to rearview camera faults. Repairs are free, with owner letters expected by September 11. The Land Rover Discovery is the latest vehicle pulled back in the United States over a rearview camera issue, though the cause here isn’t the usual software gremlin. Land Rover points instead to an inadequate “water management system,” and while the company does have a fix ready to go, the method it has landed on is about as low-tech as recall remedies get. According to Land Rover , water may not drain away from the Discovery’s rearview camera as it should. Instead it pools around the camera and, over time, can damage it. That leaves the driver unable to see what’s behind them, making it a safety hazard on top of an annoyance. Read: Land Rover Halts Sales Of Three SUVs Over A Dab Of Gel The NHTSA’s recall ...

The redesigned Kia Sportage has been spied undergoing testing in Europe. It sports a more upright and linear design that echoes the Seltos and Telluride. Crossover will likely be powered by new hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. Spy photographers have caught the redesigned Hyundai Tucson on numerous occasions, but they’ve finally snapped the first photos of its Kia counterpart. We’re talking about the next-generation Sportage and it could debut in time for the 2028 model year. Spotted undergoing testing in Europe, the compact crossover is heavily disguised but appears to follow in the footsteps of newer models such as the Seltos and Telluride. Details are hard to make out, but it’s clear the redesigned model will have split lighting units. The mid-mounted headlights reside at the outside edges of a wide grille and a prominent horizontal bar. We can also get a glimpse of the lower intake, which features a central sensor p...