Latest news with #TeslaModel3s
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New report reveals 'outrageous' issue with Tesla Model 3s: 'We have no reason to believe [newer models] will differ significantly'
A new report from the Federation of Danish Motorists revealed that nearly 1 in 4 2020 Tesla Model 3s failed safety inspections in Denmark last year, yet another troubling development for the company. According to the Bulgarian news outlet Facts, the Danish Road Traffic Authority requires new cars in Denmark to undergo mandatory periodic car inspections, called MOTs, four years after the car's registration date. That means in 2024, electric vehicles from the 2020 model year — including Model 3s — were due for their first MOT. Alarmingly, vehicle inspectors found that of the 4,668 Model 3s tested, 1,051 failed the annual MOT — a 23% failure rate. Carscoops reported that, in comparison, four-year-old rival EVs in Denmark only have a 9% average market defect rate. In total, inspectors discovered 1,392 problems with Model 3s — three times more than they found on other EVs. Common issues noted by the inspectors were with the brakes, lighting, suspension, and steering. According to Facts, the Federation of Danish Motorists called the defect rate of American EVs "outrageous," though it's unclear from the report whether they are actually applying that conclusion to any other American brands. While the data only applies to MY2020 Model 3s, FDM's Lone Otto told Carscoops that owners of newer models may face some of the same issues. "We have no reason to believe that younger generations of the Tesla Model 3 will differ significantly from the 2020 generation when it comes to defects and the failure rate," the manager of the technical advisory team said. "It will be more exciting to see how the Tesla Model Y fares." Seeing as Tesla has made headlines recently for numerous issues, including declining sales, protests at Tesla dealerships, and a voluntary recall of almost every Cybertruck sold in the United States to repair exterior trim panels that could come unglued as owners drive, the latest news is yet another blow to the company's image. The Model 3 was the world's second best-selling EV in 2024 after the Model Y, according to Autovista24, but with the car's quality seemingly going down, sales and brand loyalty will likely take a hit. Carscoops reported that in February, Tesla recalled 380,000 Model 3s and Model Ys in the U.S. after some drivers reported a total loss of steering assist. The company sent out an over-the-air update to address a software issue found in the vehicles. In China, Tesla's Full Self-Driving software has also faced major challenges, as drivers have received unexpected fines due to system errors. Do you trust Tesla to produce quality products? Absolutely I trust Tesla not Elon I'm not sure Not at all Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The latest report out of Denmark could make customers hesitant to buy an EV, which would have negative impacts on the environment if fewer people want to drive non-polluting vehicles. According to Facts, FDM recalled that Tesla released an updated version of the Model 3 in 2023 to address some of the problems noted in the safety inspection. These updates may have included suspension tuning improvements, improved handling, and software updates allowing smoother steering. Tesla also released an update for its Model 3s and Model Ys in Europe that introduced adaptive headlights — a way of using the car's tech to light up the road ahead more fully while specifically pointing the light away from drivers coming from the other direction, which could be a major improvement for roads across the world. If you're considering making your next car an EV, check out this guide — you can still get the $7,500 federal tax credit for select models. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Miami Herald
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Can An Enthusiast Go Electric?
Like a lot of automotive enthusiasts, I never really yearned for an electric vehicle. What I wanted (and bought) tended to be sporty, German, and burned gasoline. But then the stars aligned, politically and economically-along with year-end incentives and probably some other accounting witchcraft-and dealers here in Colorado practically started giving the things away. By the end of 2024, monthly leases on EVs could be had for less than you'd spend on a pair of decent jeans. RWD Tesla Model 3s were reportedly going for under a hundred bucks a month. Nissan Leafs were available for nine dollars. And, for a brief moment in time, someone like my pal Kevin could walk into a Fiat store and get a 500e. For free. Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch or a truly free car. So, if there's one caveat before we continue, it's with the way vehicle registration fees are structured here in the Rocky Mountain High state. When you register a new vehicle, you're required to pay a significant amount up front. The fee is based on a percentage of the MSRP, and that percentage gradually decreases over the years. But with a short-term lease, you're essentially paying those same upfront costs, just as if you had purchased the car, but without the benefit of the future fee reductions. Still, the deals were too good to be true, and I wanted in. My daily driver at the time was a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan that my wife and I bought new. Ours was one of the very last of the German-made Tiguans before 2018 brought an all-new platform and production moved to Mexico. While it was reasonably fun to drive and had decent punch, thanks to the ubiquitous VAG 2.0 turbo-four under the hood, gas mileage was never great-especially considering its modest size-and it was starting to show its age. Time, technology, and my own enthusiastic heart had evolved. We were simply ready for a change. Our needs were simple: a safe and stylish car for our family of three that could handle Colorado's snow, offer reasonably good driving dynamics, and provide enough power to tackle the thin air at mountain elevations. It also had to pass the school carline test, which meant nothing too flashy, too pricey, or too precious. It didn't need to double as a sports car since I already had a GT4 in the garage. Having just moved into a new home, price was definitely a factor, and now that we had a garage with a 220V outlet, the idea of an EV started to make more sense. We'd use the car for errands around town and the occasional in-state road trip. For longer journeys, we'd rely on air travel or rental cars. We briefly considered a dual-motor Tesla Model 3, but in the end, we just couldn't see ourselves embracing one of Elon's (many) offspring. A Leaf would've worked fine as a commuter but simply wasn't enough car-or range-for us, and it didn't offer AWD. Fiats are fun but even less practical than Nissan's offering. Volkswagen's own lone EV at the time-the ID.4-was relatively new to the market and wasn't offered at a discount. I would've loved a Rivian, but an R1S was just too much of everything for my partner. So we landed on an electric Volvo. But the new XC40 Recharge seemed too small and had some funky details. The upcoming EX90 was too big and too expensive, and the middle bear-the XC60-was hybrid-only and just… old. Our goldilocks moment came when we discovered that a Volvo-adjacent Polestar 2, in AWD, dual-motor form could be had for just $220 a month, with no down payment. If you're not familiar with the Polestar brand, you're not alone. Polestar has always struggled with its identity, and its humble network of showrooms-mostly in larger cities-doesn't do it any favors. Neither does the huge amount of Volvo-sourced componentry in their cars. While the brand remains a mystery to many, Polestar's origins actually lie in motorsport. Formed in 1996 as a race team to compete in the Swedish Touring Car Championship, Polestar later became Volvo's performance division before being spun off as an electric-only standalone brand in 2017. The company's first car, the Polestar 1, was a gorgeous coupe, but, priced like a fully-loaded 911, it found few takers. The more mainstream and much more affordable Polestar 2 sedan was released in late 2020. Polestar smartly placed my local Denver showroom in the city's fashionable Cherry Creek neighborhood-which is effectively one big shopping mall-and the Polestar leasing experience itself feels more like an upscale retail experience than a traditional automotive dealership. Our sales rep was polite and efficient, and the whole process was transparent. The lease deal proved to be exactly as advertised. Even the trade-in offer they gave us on our outgoing Tiguan was fair. The whole transaction took less than an hour, and most of that time was spent walking us through the car's features and infotainment system. Other automotive manufacturers should take note. By the time we made our deal, there was only one car available on the virtual lot. Fortunately, it was a dual-motor model, as the RWD, single-motor car was a non-starter for us. While our car lacks many of the Polestar 2 options like the glass roof, Brembo brakes, adjustable Öhlins dampers, and Harmon Kardon sound system, none of the essential goodness is missing. For us-and for what we use it for-the car is just right. Despite the lean specs, our 2024 model is a facelifted version that includes some significant power and tech upgrades over its predecessor. And, as an enthusiast, there's considerably more performance at hand with our Polestar 2 than in any previous daily driver I've owned, including an Audi S4. For canyon carving, I have my Porsche, though at least here at altitude, the Polestar's probably quicker in a straight line. As a daily driver, the thing's damn-near perfect. The ride is a bit rough over broken pavement, the rear seats lack some legroom, and the audio system isn't amazing, but 416 horsepower and 546 lb-ft of torque go a long way in making me overlook its shortcomings. The car is easy to live with, well-made, and easy on the eyes. We plug it in overnight once or twice a week, and that's it. I suppose it's what you drive if a dual-motor Model 3 appeals to you, but Tesla-and all its current baggage-doesn't. Which, incidentally, is a position Polestar seems to be capitalizing on in their current marketing. But as wonderful as our Polestar 2 is-and as evolved and superior as the new Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 seem to be-I'm not quite sure where Polestar goes from here. The recent release of its new models gives me confidence in the brand's future, but as Volvo becomes more committed to electric vehicles, it feels like there's less room for differentiation. If Polestar truly wants to become the choice for performance-minded enthusiasts, it'll need to fully commit and distinguish itself, just as Mercedes-Benz has done with AMG. Only then will they carve out their own, lasting niche. Or maybe it'll just become the brand for Tesla drivers who no longer want to drive Teslas. In any case, this daily-driving enthusiast will be first in line for the next one once our current lease is up. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Can An Enthusiast Go Electric?
Like a lot of automotive enthusiasts, I never really yearned for an electric vehicle. What I wanted (and bought) tended to be sporty, German, and burned gasoline. But then the stars aligned, politically and economically—along with year-end incentives and probably some other accounting witchcraft—and dealers here in Colorado practically started giving the things away. By the end of 2024, monthly leases on EVs could be had for less than you'd spend on a pair of decent jeans. RWD Tesla Model 3s were reportedly going for under a hundred bucks a month. Nissan Leafs were available for nine dollars. And, for a brief moment in time, someone like my pal Kevin could walk into a Fiat store and get a 500e. For free. Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch or a truly free car. So, if there's one caveat before we continue, it's with the way vehicle registration fees are structured here in the Rocky Mountain High state. When you register a new vehicle, you're required to pay a significant amount up front. The fee is based on a percentage of the MSRP, and that percentage gradually decreases over the years. But with a short-term lease, you're essentially paying those same upfront costs, just as if you had purchased the car, but without the benefit of the future fee reductions. Still, the deals were too good to be true, and I wanted in. My daily driver at the time was a 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan that my wife and I bought new. Ours was one of the very last of the German-made Tiguans before 2018 brought an all-new platform and production moved to Mexico. While it was reasonably fun to drive and had decent punch, thanks to the ubiquitous VAG 2.0 turbo-four under the hood, gas mileage was never great—especially considering its modest size—and it was starting to show its age. Time, technology, and my own enthusiastic heart had evolved. We were simply ready for a change. Our needs were simple: a safe and stylish car for our family of three that could handle Colorado's snow, offer reasonably good driving dynamics, and provide enough power to tackle the thin air at mountain elevations. It also had to pass the school carline test, which meant nothing too flashy, too pricey, or too precious. It didn't need to double as a sports car since I already had a GT4 in the garage. Having just moved into a new home, price was definitely a factor, and now that we had a garage with a 220V outlet, the idea of an EV started to make more sense. We'd use the car for errands around town and the occasional in-state road trip. For longer journeys, we'd rely on air travel or rental cars. We briefly considered a dual-motor Tesla Model 3, but in the end, we just couldn't see ourselves embracing one of Elon's (many) offspring. A Leaf would've worked fine as a commuter but simply wasn't enough car—or range—for us, and it didn't offer AWD. Fiats are fun but even less practical than Nissan's offering. Volkswagen's own lone EV at the time—the ID.4—was relatively new to the market and wasn't offered at a discount. I would've loved a Rivian, but an R1S was just too much of everything for my partner. So we landed on an electric Volvo. But the new XC40 Recharge seemed too small and had some funky details. The upcoming EX90 was too big and too expensive, and the middle bear—the XC60—was hybrid-only and just… old. Our goldilocks moment came when we discovered that a Volvo-adjacent Polestar 2, in AWD, dual-motor form could be had for just $220 a month, with no down payment. If you're not familiar with the Polestar brand, you're not alone. Polestar has always struggled with its identity, and its humble network of showrooms—mostly in larger cities—doesn't do it any favors. Neither does the huge amount of Volvo-sourced componentry in their cars. While the brand remains a mystery to many, Polestar's origins actually lie in motorsport. Formed in 1996 as a race team to compete in the Swedish Touring Car Championship, Polestar later became Volvo's performance division before being spun off as an electric-only standalone brand in 2017. The company's first car, the Polestar 1, was a gorgeous coupe, but, priced like a fully-loaded 911, it found few takers. The more mainstream and much more affordable Polestar 2 sedan was released in late 2020. Polestar smartly placed my local Denver showroom in the city's fashionable Cherry Creek neighborhood—which is effectively one big shopping mall—and the Polestar leasing experience itself feels more like an upscale retail experience than a traditional automotive dealership. Our sales rep was polite and efficient, and the whole process was transparent. The lease deal proved to be exactly as advertised. Even the trade-in offer they gave us on our outgoing Tiguan was fair. The whole transaction took less than an hour, and most of that time was spent walking us through the car's features and infotainment system. Other automotive manufacturers should take note. By the time we made our deal, there was only one car available on the virtual lot. Fortunately, it was a dual-motor model, as the RWD, single-motor car was a non-starter for us. While our car lacks many of the Polestar 2 options like the glass roof, Brembo brakes, adjustable Öhlins dampers, and Harmon Kardon sound system, none of the essential goodness is missing. For us—and for what we use it for—the car is just right. Despite the lean specs, our 2024 model is a facelifted version that includes some significant power and tech upgrades over its predecessor. And, as an enthusiast, there's considerably more performance at hand with our Polestar 2 than in any previous daily driver I've owned, including an Audi S4. For canyon carving, I have my Porsche, though at least here at altitude, the Polestar's probably quicker in a straight line. As a daily driver, the thing's damn-near perfect. The ride is a bit rough over broken pavement, the rear seats lack some legroom, and the audio system isn't amazing, but 416 horsepower and 546 lb-ft of torque go a long way in making me overlook its shortcomings. The car is easy to live with, well-made, and easy on the eyes. We plug it in overnight once or twice a week, and that's it. I suppose it's what you drive if a dual-motor Model 3 appeals to you, but Tesla—and all its current baggage—doesn't. Which, incidentally, is a position Polestar seems to be capitalizing on in their current marketing. But as wonderful as our Polestar 2 is—and as evolved and superior as the new Polestar 3 and Polestar 4 seem to be—I'm not quite sure where Polestar goes from here. The recent release of its new models gives me confidence in the brand's future, but as Volvo becomes more committed to electric vehicles, it feels like there's less room for differentiation. If Polestar truly wants to become the choice for performance-minded enthusiasts, it'll need to fully commit and distinguish itself, just as Mercedes-Benz has done with AMG. Only then will they carve out their own, lasting niche. Or maybe it'll just become the brand for Tesla drivers who no longer want to drive Teslas. In any case, this daily-driving enthusiast will be first in line for the next one once our current lease is up.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford's Fake Shifter Patent Doubles Down On The Worst Trend In Modern EVs
Smooth, uniform power delivery is one of the best parts of driving an EV, but some drivers hate good things. They're too terrified of change to ever get past swapping jets in their carburetors, but they're also prospective buyers — buyers that automakers are targeting with fake shifts programmed to interrupt the otherwise blissful experience of electric power. Hyundai and BMW have already jumped on this dumb trend, but it seems Ford wants to outdo them both: Designing a manual transmission for its future EVs. The Drive spotted a patent application from Ford, originally filed back in 2023, for a traditional H-pattern manual shifter for use on electric vehicles. If this has you thinking that EVs generally only have one or occasionally two gears, which don't exactly form the minimum number of points necessary for an H shape, you're right. The idea here isn't actually to shift gears, but to give the driver the experience of shifting gears. For some reason. Read more: Hertz Is Selling Its Fleet Of Rental Tesla Model 3s For Cheap Ford's patent application does offer one prospective use case that has at least some functionality — changing drive modes — but even that is surely better accomplished by a mechanism that takes up less space in your center console. Even within that use case, though, this stick is routinely referred to as a shifter. Shifting is simply not an experience that benefits EVs, not something they need to drag forward from the era of internal combustion. EVs are like vegan food. They're fantastic when taken as they are — who doesn't love falafel? — but they're poor imitators when they try to be something they're not. Let EVs be EVs, and they'll wow you with power uninterrupted power delivery and one-pedal driving — experiences no ICE vehicle can match. Interrupt what makes them great in service of bringing back feelings from the Good Ol Days, though, and you'll find a whole that's less than the sum of its parts. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Republican Tariffs On Imported Auto Parts May Be Even Worse For Your Wallet Than Tariffs On Cars
President Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on all imported cars Wednesday night, presumably — at least in part — to distract from his cabinet's ongoing national security scandal. That's bad news for anyone who needs to buy a new car, but in addition to repeating the absolutely ridiculous claim that these tariffs "[address] a critical threat to U.S. national security," the White House confirmed the tariffs will also apply to imported auto parts. It's still entirely possible Trump will blink, and the tariffs won't go into effect, but assuming they do, that's going to be bad news for your wallet. Possibly even worse than the tariffs on imported cars. If the tariffs were just on new cars, that would, of course, make those cars a lot more expensive. From there, it's just basic economics. Demand for cars built in the U.S. goes up, dealers start charging more for those cars, and now everyone's paying more for new cars regardless of where they were built. That, in turn, pushes more people to look at used cars, driving up the cost of those vehicles, and since it's so hard to opt out of car ownership in the U.S., we all end up paying more whether we buy new, used, imported or domestic. Still, you can't pay more for something you don't buy, so theoretically, you could avoid the entire boondoggle by sticking with your current car and fixing whatever breaks between now and whenever Trump leaves office. Not so much anymore. Read more: Hertz Is Selling Its Fleet Of Rental Tesla Model 3s For Cheap The Trump administration claims it's still working out the details, so it's going to be difficult to get hard numbers, but the White House has said the tariffs will apply to "key automobile parts," including "engines, transmissions, powertrain parts, and electrical components." They also plan to include "processes to expand tariffs on additional parts if necessary." It also isn't clear what "if necessary" means, especially since the White House claims the tariffs "[address] a critical threat to U.S. national security." Previously, the White House blamed fentanyl trafficking, even though almost none of the fentanyl brought into the U.S. comes from Canada. In fact, a DNI threat assessment that was released just this month doesn't even mention Canada at all, much less in relation to fentanyl. Now they claim it's because the domestic auto industry is vital to national security, so "excessive imports" are therefore a national security threat. Trump, of course, negotiated the USMCA during his first term and would therefore be responsible for creating that national security threat, but I've given up on logic with these people. The White House also made sure to highlight our country's "trade deficit in automobile parts" and said USMCA-compliant parts will be tariffed, as well, just as soon as the Secretary of Commerce figures out how to do that. So it's pretty clear that while imported vehicles are the main focus, Republicans intend to drive up the cost of parts, too. That means every repair you have to do to keep your car on the road will take more money out of your pocket. If, by some miracle, your car doesn't need any repairs before Trump leaves office, the Republican tariffs will probably still cost you more in the form of pricier insurance. After all, when cars cost more and repairs get more expensive, insurance rates go up. Back in February, NBC News reported that according to one analysis, a conservative estimate of how much tariffs would raise insurance rates by the end of the year was eight percent, bringing the annual average cost to insure a vehicle to $2,502. "When people think about tariffs, they typically think about goods they might get from somewhere else," the author of the Insurify analysis, Matt Brannon, told NBC News. "Many times, we don't think about services like car insurance." That analysis also appears to have just looked at how tariffs on Canada and Mexico would impact insurance rates. The tariffs Trump announced last night apply to all countries, which means there's a good chance insurance rates will climb even higher. Exactly how high is unclear, but with about 60 percent of replacement parts reportedly coming from Canada, China and Mexico every year, don't be surprised if your insurance premium climbs by double digits. Just like we're seeing from Trump voters negatively impacted by Republicans indiscriminately firing hundreds of thousands of federal workers, don't be surprised when Trump voters insist they didn't vote for everything to get more expensive. Unfortunately for those voters, they absolutely did vote for this. As outlined by PBS before the election, Trump made it clear throughout his campaign that, if elected, big tariffs were coming. In September, he claimed, "Tariffs are the greatest thing ever invented." He also referred to himself as "Tariff Man" on the campaign trail. Even if some of his more extreme ideas, such as placing a 60-percent tariff on Chinese imports, hitting Mexican imports with a 100-percent tariff, 200-percent tariffs on John Deere and using tariffs to get rid of the income tax, never happen, it was clear from the beginning that a Trump win last November meant increased tariffs once he took office. And while it's possible for companies to move production to the U.S. to avoid the tariffs, that takes time, even in the best of circumstances. You can't build a billion-dollar plant overnight, and the auto industry runs on a complex international supply chain that regularly sees parts travel across multiple borders before they end up in completed vehicles. Higher prices were guaranteed. Trump's advisors are also pro-tariff, and even if they weren't, tariffs have been one of the few things Trump has consistently supported for decades. Forget the tariffs he implemented during his first term, including steel tariffs that CBS News reports Ford's then-CEO Jim Hackett said "took about a billion dollars of profit from [Ford]." As the New York Times reported in 2019, Trump has advocated in favor of tariffs since at least the late 1980s. Trump instituting more aggressive tariffs using legally sketchy at best emergency declarations in his second term was as predictable as finding out he cheated on Melania. So whether they're willing to admit it or not, everyone who voted for Trump in November absolutely voted for this. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
