Latest news with #SUVs
Top Gear
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Top Gear
General Motors is investing $888m in a factory to build its sixth-gen V8 engine
General Motors is investing $888m in a factory to build its sixth-gen V8 engine And it's the single biggest investment made by GM in an engine plant, too Skip 3 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. 1 / 3 While most of the world's manufacturers wind down their cylinder count and head deeper into the electric era, General Motors has just pumped $888m into its Tonawanda Propulsion plant in Buffalo, New York. The purpose? To build its next-gen V8 engine. It's the single biggest investment GM has ever made in an engine plant, bringing tonnes of new machinery, equipment and tools, alongside a general mop-up of the place. It also means Tonawanda will be the second facility (after Michigan) to manufacture its sixth-gen V8. Advertisement - Page continues below That engine will continue to power various full-size pickups and SUVs; a portfolio that currently includes the GMC Sierra and Yukon, and the Chevrolet Silverado, Suburban and Tahoe. This refurbished factory could keep that lot surviving for a while longer. Oh, and there's that other Chevy, which does 233mph and wants to eat European supercars for breakfast, lunch and tea. The aim for this next-gen V8 is simple: stronger performance than the current one, improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. How? By focusing on the combustion and thermal management processes. Not the sort of thing you can cook up in a secondary school lab, but perhaps the sort you could with an $888m investment. Advertisement - Page continues below Top Gear Newsletter Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Success Your Email*
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
New 'ute and SUV tax' proposed to sting drivers in Australia
By Experts are calling for owners of large SUVs and utes to pay higher registration fees to make up for the damage they do to the environment and roads. SUVs and light commercial vehicles comprise nearly four in every five new vehicles sold in Australia and account for the vast majority of emissions, road wear and take up more space . As recently as 2014, small cars and family sedans dominated the ten most popular cars bought by Australian consumers. Ten years later, large cars comprised nine of the top ten most purchased vehicles in 2024. Milad Haghani (pictured), an associate professor in urban resilience at the University of Melbourne, says it's time for Australia to consider vehicle registration fees based on weight - meaning SUV and ute owners would pay more. 'Bigger cars mean bigger costs for everyone else - it's only fair those costs are reflected in how we price their use of public roads,' he wrote in The Conversation. 'Larger vehicles – no matter how they are powered – generally impose bigger costs on society than smaller cars. 'Large SUVs and utes (if powered by fossil fuels) have a far greater climate impact. On average, a small car emits 2,040 kilograms less carbon dioxide (CO₂) a year than a pickup truck. 'Bigger vehicles also need more space. Standards Australia has proposed making car-parking spaces larger to accommodate the trend to larger cars. Cities such as Paris have introduced higher parking fees for SUVs on these grounds.' He also said larger vehicles slow overall traffic flow. 'For example, they have longer braking distances and other motorists tend to drive further behind them than smaller cars. And at signalised intersections, a large SUV's impact on traffic flows is equal to 1.41 passenger cars,' he said. He also claimed that larger vehicles cause more road wear, which leads to higher road maintenance costs. 'Let's compare a vehicle with an axle weight of 500kg and a vehicle with an axle weight of 1,000kg. The second vehicle doesn't produce double the road damage – it produces 16 times the damage. This phenomenon is known as the fourth power rule .' Mr Haghani believes state-based registration fees have failed to keep up with the trend towards bigger and heavier vehicles. Vehicle registration is calculated in different ways between states and territories. In Victoria, for example, it is calculated primarily based on whether the vehicle was registered in a rural or metropolitan area while, in the ACT, it is derived from the vehicle's emissions. 'I absolutely cannot fathom why registration fee calculations should be so vastly different across states,' Dr Haghani told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's as though we collectively know what the contributing factors are; the reasons we pay rego in the first place, the costs it's meant to offset; but each state has cherry-picked just one of those elements to focus on. Emissions alone don't tell the whole story. Neither does your postcode.' Dr Haghani said a fair vehicle registration model would account not only for the size and weight of the vehicle, but how often it is driven in order to offset road surface damage, emissions and congestion impacts. Adjunct professor in Engineering at the University of Technology, Sydney Robin Smit agreed but added a fair change would go beyond a review of the registration system. 'There are several aspects to consider (e.g. safety, parking space, road damage), but from an emissions perspective it is important to look at the impacts over the whole vehicle lifecycle to ensure a fair comparison is made,' he said. Research suggests Australians are buying bigger cars for multiple reasons including tax incentives, a perception of greater safety and lifestyle. Dr Haghani revived calls to put an end to a luxury car tax loophole that critics claim incentivises roadusers to buy big. Research published last year by the Australia Institute found the Luxury Car Tax, introduced in 2000 to protect the domestic car industry, has the effect of subsiding luxury utes. In 2023 alone, the tax break cost Australians over $250 million in foregone revenue according to the think tank. The tax puts a 33 per cent tax on the value of any imported car over a certain threshold - this financial year it applies to vehicles valued at more than $80,576. However that tax does not apply to commercial vehicles, making it cheaper to buy an imported ute than a similarly priced sedan or small vehicle. 'With this current system, why wouldn't consumer go for a bigger, heavier option?' Dr Haghani said. 'They have already been subject to the commercials that have depicted them as "cool" and "family friendly" and all that, so of course there is every incentive (financial and psychological) to go big (and also match the size of the big cars around you and not feel vulnerable).'
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE New ute and SUV tax proposed in Australia to help fight climate change
Experts are calling for owners of large vehicles to pay higher registration fees to account for the damage they do to the environment and roads. SUVs and light commercial vehicles comprise nearly four in every five new vehicles sold in Australia and account for the vast majority of emissions, road wear and take up more space. As recently as 2014, small cars and family sedans dominated the ten most popular cars bought by Australian consumers. Ten years later, large cars comprised nine of the top ten most purchased vehicles in 2024. Milad Haghani, an associate professor in urban resilience at the University of Melbourne says it's time for Australia to consider vehicle registration fees based on weight - meaning SUV and ute owners would pay more. 'Bigger cars mean bigger costs for everyone else - it's only fair those costs are reflected in how we price their use of public roads. 'Larger vehicles – no matter how they are powered – generally impose bigger costs on society than smaller cars. 'Large SUVs and utes (if powered by fossil fuels) have a far greater climate impact. On average, a small car emits 2,040 kilograms less carbon dioxide (CO₂) a year than a pickup truck. 'Bigger vehicles also need more space. Standards Australia has proposed making car-parking spaces larger to accommodate the trend to larger cars. Cities such as Paris have introduced higher parking fees for SUVs on these grounds.' He also said larger vehicles slow overall traffic flow. Mr Haghani believes state-based registration fees have failed to keep up with the trend towards bigger and heavier vehicles. Vehicle registration is an annual fee paid by road users to allow the government to recoup administrative costs and wear on public infrastructure. It is calculated in different ways between states and territories. In Victoria, for example, it is calculated primarily based on whether the vehicle was registered in a rural or metropolitan area while, in the ACT, it is derived from the vehicle's emissions. 'I absolutely cannot fathom why registration fee calculations should be so vastly different across states,' Dr Haghani told Daily Mail Australia. 'It's as though we collectively know what the contributing factors are; the reasons we pay rego in the first place, the costs it's meant to offset; but each state has cherry-picked just one of those elements to focus on. Emissions alone don't tell the whole story. Neither does your postcode.' Dr Haghani said a fair vehicle registration model would account not only for the size and weight of the vehicle, but how often it is driven in order to offset road surface damage, emissions and congestion impacts. Adjunct professor in Engineering at the University of Technology, Sydney Robin Smit agreed but added a fair change would go beyond a review of the registration system. 'There are several aspects to consider (e.g. safety, parking space, road damage), but from an emissions perspective it is important to look at the impacts over the whole vehicle lifecycle to ensure a fair comparison is made,' he said. Larger vehicles tend to emit more carbon than smaller vehicles, they require more fuel and do more damage to roads. A one-tonne vehicle has been estimated to do approximately 16 times the damage to roads than a vehicle half its weight while pickup trucks emit roughly 2,040kg of carbon dioxide more per year than small cars. Research suggests Australians are buying bigger cars for multiple reasons including tax incentives, a perception of greater safety and lifestyle. Dr Haghani revived calls to put an end to a luxury car tax loophole that critics claim incentivises roadusers to buy big. Research published last year by the Australia Institute found the Luxury Car Tax, introduced in 2000 to protect the domestic car industry, has the effect of subsiding luxury utes. In 2023 alone, the tax break cost Australians over $250 million in foregone revenue according to the think tank. The tax puts a 33 per cent tax on the value of any imported car over a certain threshold - this financial year it applies to vehicles valued at more than $80,576. However, the tax does not apply to commercial vehicles, making it cheaper to buy an imported ute than a similarly priced sedan or small vehicle. 'With this current system, why wouldn't consumer go for a bigger, heavier option?' Dr Haghani said. 'They have already been subject to the commercials that have depicted them as "cool" and "family friendly" and all that, so of course there is every incentive (financial and psychological) to go big (and also match the size of the big cars around you and not feel vulnerable).'
Business Upturn
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Upturn
Tata Motors gains control over Fiat's 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine: Report
Tata Motors has made a significant breakthrough in its powertrain strategy by acquiring licensed development rights to the 2.0-litre Multijet II diesel engine, a move that grants the company freedom to upgrade and modify the engine independently, according to Autocar India. This engine currently powers the Tata Harrier and Safari SUVs and is produced at the Ranjangaon plant by Fiat India Automobiles Pvt Ltd (FIAPL) – a joint venture between Tata Motors and Stellantis. While the intellectual property rights (IPR) for the engine remain with Stellantis, Tata Motors now holds full control over engine development, ECU calibration, performance upgrades, and emission compliance modifications for its own use. The development was first reported by Autocar India. 'Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles (TMPV) and Stellantis have entered into a License Technology Agreement in Q4 FY25 under which TMPV has acquired licence… enabling technical changes in the 2.0-litre diesel engine,' a Tata spokesperson stated. What changes with this deal? Tata can now recalibrate ECU settings and unlock new power outputs without seeking external approvals or paying hefty licensing fees. The license enables Tata to meet upcoming emission norms and introduce multiple power tunes , a flexibility it previously lacked. This also lowers the investment requirement significantly when compared to developing a new engine platform from scratch. Previously, any calibration—even minor ECU tweaks—required Stellantis' approval and incurred steep costs, reportedly as high as €10 million. This restricted Tata to a single 170hp calibration during the BS6 transition. In contrast, rivals like Mahindra offer multiple tunes and drive modes using its in-house 2.2-litre mHawk diesel, giving them a competitive edge. Tata had long aimed to boost the Multijet's output to 180hp, especially for the Harrier and Safari facelifts. However, Stellantis' involvement made such changes slow and expensive. Now, with development autonomy, Tata is positioned to bridge the performance gap with Mahindra and respond to evolving market demands more swiftly. No change to production, Jeep and MG remain unaffected (for now) Tata has clarified that engine manufacturing will continue at FIAPL, supplying both Stellantis and Tata Motors, while IP rights for the base engine stay with Stellantis. Tata, however, will own the IP for its modifications. Jeep models like the Compass and Meridian will continue to use the existing 2.0-litre diesel. The engine also powers the MG Hector, but it's unclear if MG Motor India will benefit from Tata's upgrades. Industry speculation suggests MG may discontinue the diesel variant by 2026. Tata's move to acquire licensed control — rather than building a diesel engine from scratch — brings cost efficiency and agility at a time when the future of diesel remains uncertain. The 2.0-litre Multijet II, though not cutting-edge, remains relevant for large SUVs, and with this deal, Tata Motors now has the freedom to evolve it further. The engine's lineage is notable — Fiat's 1.3-litre Multijet, dubbed the 'national engine of India,' once powered over 24 models across 5 brands. The 2.0-litre Multijet continues that legacy and, with Tata now at the helm of its evolution, it could fuel a new phase of diesel performance in India.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Yahoo
Diddy's ex-assistant spills details on near-gunfight with Suge Knight
Sean "Diddy" Combs' ex-assistant testified about a 2008 ordeal involving Suge Knight. An armed Combs went after Knight after he was spotted at an LA diner, the man testified. Combs faces federal charges, including sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy. With three guns on his lap, Sean "Diddy" Combs ordered his driver to "motherfucking go" as they lit out for a Los Angeles diner — itching to confront longtime rival Suge Knight, Combs' ex-personal assistant testified Tuesday. David James, Combs' then-personal assistant, described the dramatic 2008 ordeal — in which an early morning cheeseburger run nearly escalated the notorious East Coast-West Coast rap feud— while on the stand at Combs' federal sex-trafficking trial. "It was the first time I realized my life was in danger," James told the Manhattan jury during his second day of testimony. Knight, the Death Row Records cofounder, had been spotted at Mel's Drive-In diner some 20 minutes prior, James testified. It was James who drove Combs and one of the hip-hop tycoon's trusted security guards back to the diner, guns at the ready. "I remember complete silence" during the 10-minute drive from Combs' Hollywood Hills home to the diner, James testified, adding, "I remember thinking there are three guns and three people in this car" should anything happen. James, who said he served as Combs' personal assistant from 2007 to 2009, told the jury that by the time Combs got to the diner, Knight had already left. "We didn't see any black Escalades or black SUVs" in the lot by the time they returned, James said, referring to the four cars he said Knight had been traveling the end, Combs just went home. "We eventually drove back to his house in Hollywood Hills," James told the jury. James said that Combs' human resources director tried to talk him into continuing to work for the rapper's Bad Boy companies. She offered him a job with the Sean John fashion line, or in marketing, he said. "I told her no," he testified. "I just wanted to get out." Last week, Combs' ex-girlfriend — star prosecution witness Cassie Ventura — described the Combs-Knight incident from her vantage point, back at the rapper's home. On Tuesday, James described it from his own perspective, telling jurors what he heard and saw from behind the wheel. It was 4 a.m., and Combs wanted cheeseburgers after a late-night recording session at his rented Hollywood Hills mansion. James and one of Combs' security guards, Damian "D-Roc" Butler, were sent to Mel's, a popular all-night diner. "I drove the staff truck, a silver Lincoln Navigator," James testified. James had just pulled the Navigator into a parking spot at Mel's when Butler saw Knight at the wheel of an Escalade parked a few spots over. "That's motherfucking Suge Knight!" Butler said, according to James. James testified that the security guard walked up to Knight's car and said, "What's up? It's me D-Roc, Biggie's boy," referring to rapper Notorious B.I.G. "Oh, what are you doing in my city?" Knight asked Butler, who replied, "I'm just here getting money, you know how it is," James testified. "I know what it is," Knight responded. The two men shook hands, and parted ways. But as James and Butler were placing their order inside Mel's, they saw someone pass a gun to Knight — and saw four SUVs drive into position at different corners of the parking lot, James testified. "We gotta' fucking go," Butler said, and they sped back to Combs' home, James testified. Knight, who is serving a 28-year prison sentence in connection to a fatal 2015 hit-and-run, has recently commented on Combs' criminal case in interviews. An attorney for Knight did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Outside of Combs' home that early morning, James told jurors he saw Combs arguing with Ventura. "She was telling him not to go. She was very upset," James said of Ventura. In her testimony last week about the situation, Ventura said that she had been involved in one of Combs' "freak off" sex performances at the time. "I just remember we were kind of, like, just chilling at this point and D-Roc came in and he said that Suge was down at Mel's diner, which was just right down the hill," Ventura had testified. "And they quickly packed up and drove down there." Ventura said she got upset. "I was crying. I was screaming, like, please don't do anything stupid. I just was really nervous for them," Ventura testified. "I didn't know what it meant, what they were going to do." Ventura testified that Combs and the other men put on black clothes, covered up their heads, went into a safe, and grabbed guns. "And next thing I knew, they were in the SUV," she said. They returned to the house in about half an hour, Ventura testified. Prosecutors say that for two decades, Combs led a "criminal enterprise" that involved the sex trafficking of Ventura and another woman. Combs is accused of coercing those women, plus two additional women, into sex through a pattern of threats, manipulation, and violence. Combs and his associates also committed other crimes, including forced labor, kidnapping, arson, bribery, drug offenses, and obstruction of justice, prosecutors allege. If convicted on the sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy charges against him, Combs could spend the rest of his life behind bars. Read the original article on Business Insider
