VW’s Scout EVs Will Be Built In South Carolina, Pickup and SUV Teased
The return of the Scout brand to the U.S. is in full swing. Volkswagen Group’s revival of the Scout name for a dedicated EV off-roading brand comes with big plans to finally crack the U.S. market, something the company has struggled with in the past. On Friday, the company announced its first manufacturing facility based in Columbia, South Carolina, reports The Drive. Original plans for producing the new Scout-branded trucks and SUVs stateside revolved around partnerships with iPhone maker Foxconn and automotive manufacturing giant Magna but talks with both ended earlier this year. It is unclear if there are talks with other manufacturers, though Scout is apparently making its own EV platform that is not shared with other VW Group cars. Scout also released a teaser image of the truck and SUV, showing some details of both. Mostly, we see the profile of the pickup truck, which looks upright and traditional. The SUV is largely in shadow but there is some shape to it. Both look rugged and boxy, something close to the current Land Rover Defender. There were also no hints or easter eggs to be found when using editing software. Click here for the full story.
Surprisingly Strong Sales in Feb. Means Stay the Course
The pace of new-vehicle sales improved in February compared with a year ago as previously sidelined demand — including that from fleet customers — kept transaction prices high and incentives low, even as inventory shortages eased. Automotive News reports, results were split in February among automakers reporting their sales, with Ford Motor Co. and Hyundai-Kia posting double-digit gains, led by Ford's 22 percent jump. Meanwhile Mazda North America, Subaru of America, and Volvo Car USA also posted sales increases last month, while sales fell 2.4 percent at Toyota Motor North America, despite the first year-over-year increase at Lexus since January 2022. Data firm Motor Intelligence estimated February's seasonally adjusted, annualized sales rate at 15.19 million, up from 13.96 million a year ago. January's rate was 16.21 million. LMC Automotive said industrywide February sales rose 9.5 percent over a year ago to 1.14 million vehicles, including automakers that won't report sales until the end of the quarter. February's showing, along with continued demand from fleet customers, convinced LMC to raise its outlook for U.S. sales in 2023 to 15 million, up from 14.9 million. Click here for the full story.
Cox Automotive Buys Mobile Repair Provider FleetNet America for $100 Million
Cox Automotive has acquired fleet maintenance and repair service provider FleetNet America for $100 million. Cox, dealership technology and wholesale auction giant, said that the acquisition will add a network of more than 60,000 independent service providers throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico to its business. The deal also includes FleetNet America's mobile app. Cox said the acquisition will help its mission of supporting fleet flexibility, transparency, and communication. Together the companies will "deliver turnkey solutions backed by fleet experts and an expansive Service Provider network," the statement said. "Empowered by our combined decadeslong legacy, best-in-class customers and service provider networks and industry expertise, we're disrupting the status quo and leading the fleet future — but not in the breakdown business — in the problem-solving business," said Steve Rowley, president of Cox Automotive. The acquisition follows Rowley's reaffirmed commitment in an interview with Automotive News at the National Automobile Dealers Association show in January that the company is "always looking" for acquisition targets that enhance its current products and fill portfolio gaps. Click here for the full story.
Hyundai Serious About Making Dual Joystick Controls
In transitioning from the striking Prophecy concept to the production-spec Hyundai Ioniq 6, Hyundai's svelte EV sedan ditched its dual joysticks instead of a traditional steering wheel. But a new patent unearthed by CarBuzz and filed with the USPTO explains this system's operation in detail, suggesting it may become a reality sooner rather than later. Steering wheels take up plenty of space, so Hyundai proposes a dual-joystick driver interface for these conditions instead, with one mounted on either side of the driver. Unlike the controls found in an airplane, for example, Hyundai's invention can only pivot in one direction, either left or right. They are also not showcased as single shafts, but rather handle-like controls hinged into the armrests. The shafts are linked to force feedback actuators to provide counter-pressure to the driver's hands in an imitation of steering feedback. Armrest pressure sensors, steering rack actuators, and a processor unit form the rest of the steering hardware, with the latter being crucial to the operation of the setup. That's because, using the feedback actuators, the system will attempt to synchronize the movements between left- and right joysticks, to minimize driver confusion. Click here for the full story.
These Are the Most and Least EV-Friendly Places to Live in America
Electric vehicles still only account for a small percentage of overall vehicle sales in the U.S. but their market share is growing rapidly and has increased from 2.7 percent to more than 6 percent in the past two years. But one factor that might be persuading some buyers to make the switch, and others to stick to ICE power, is the availability of charging stations in their city and state. No one buys a gasoline-engine car and worries where they’ll be able to fill it up, but some regions in the U.S. are far better covered for EV charging than others. ISeeCars analyzed America’s charging infrastructure to work out which cities and states offer the best access to charging points, and which came off worst. The team looked at both snail-pace Level 2 chargers and fast Level 3 DC chargers as well as separating Tesla and non-Tesla networks. Carscoops reports some of the results proved entirely unsurprising: looking at the charging stats including Tesla and non-Tesla chargers, five of the top 10 EV-friendly cities are in California. Click here for the full story.
Around the Web
Mississippi Passes Bill That Could Ban Establishment of Future EV Stores [Carscoops]
Porsche Is Leading the Charge on Dealership EV Charging [Carbuzz]
Shoichiro Toyoda, 1925-2023: A Personal Remembrance [Wards]
Mazda Says Miata 'Will Continue to Exist Forever' [Road & Track]
