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Lotus is a brand that has been part of the automotive scene since the early 50s. It has been loved by collectors, designers and engineers. Today, Lotus is owned by Chinese auto group Geely. And while Lotus has been primarily known in recent years for the Elise roadster, today it is charting a growth plan around EVs that includes a new CUV and sporty sedan, with a new roadster on the horizon. Today...

EV sales will top one million this year, and that's a 50% gain from 2022. But that growth is not fast enough to match the production plans and investments made by automakers and suppliers. Host David Kiley talks with Cox Automotive's industry analyst Michelle Krebs about what is holding back consumers.

It looks like it was sketched by Marvel Comics artists, and cast as a menacing robo-character in a blockbuster film. In reality, Tesla Motors' Cybertruck, which Founder and CEO Elon Musk began delivering to customers on Nov. 30, is just a wacky, difficult to manufacture, question mark. You have seen the picctures and the videos. Now, WardsAuto Podcast Host David Kiley discusses the truck everyone...

Auto Shows aren't what they used to be, but the LA Auto Show '23 had a decent share of debuts including the Toyota Camry, Lucid Gravity, Subaru Forester, Hyundai Santa Fe and more. Plus a bonus look at Karma Automotive's new hyper-car EV Roadster in Las Vegas on the eve of the F1 race in Sin City. Host David Kiley talks to some of the executives behind these important models.

Dealer inventories of EVs are swelling, so discounting is kicking in and production plans are being rethought. But government and corporate fleets keep buying because they have mandates and zero-emission vehicle goals that aren't impacted by consumer adoption rates. That has opened up opportunities for entrepreneurs and start-ups like Lightning eMotors, which manufactures EV coaches, buses, etc.,...

Nearly 40% of consumers surveyed are ready to consider an EV for their next purchase. But even with those folks, there is a certain amount of anxiety and trepidation over making a radical transition from an ICE vehicle to an EV. John Possumato is Founder and CEO of driveitaway.com, which is a company that works with dealers to allow customers rent to own vehicles. We can use the service for any ty...

WardsAuto announced its annual "10 Best Engines and Propulsion Systems" recently, and made the presentations to the winners at the Informa/WardsAuto Electrification 2023. The list of winners includes internal conbustion engines, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. The judges--Editor-in-Chief Bob Gritzinger, Editorial Director Dave Zoia, Managing Editor Jim Irwin, WardsAuto Contributor...

The U.S. government is putting $7 billion into building hydrogen hubs across the country. There is more than $50 billion in additional investments in hydrogen production and applications: cars, hydrogen production, trains, planes, stationary power and even ships. The first big push, set to happen over the next ten to fifteen years, is converting diesel-powered semi-trucks and generators to hydroge...

The car-driving public in the U.S., as well as Europe and China, is getting used to the idea that we are heading toward driving electric. By 2040, a scant 17 years from now, every new car sold is expected to be a battery-electric vehicle (BEV). But that is not the only big change coming. Over the same period, cars will get better and better at driving themselves. Ride with Host David Kiley as he e...

Honda has an amazing reputation the world over for its internal combustion engines. But for its first BEVs, the Japanese automaker is using General Motors' Ultium platform. We address why. And we ventured to Utah's Zion National Park to put the the Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness Edition through off-road paces and diascuss the company's electrification plans.

Government mandates are pushing the U.S., China and Europe to electrification of our personal vehicles. In a decade, two-thirds of all new-vehicle sales are supposed to be battery-electric-vehicles. But dealers are not exactly enthusiastic. An EV fleet will mean less service business for dealers, plus they are being required by automakers to make significant investments to sell, service and rechar...

There are always developments happening with batteries that will bring down prices and give us longer ranges. Wards Intelligence's battery analyst Adam Raggozzino chats about solid state tech and why battery prices are falling. And Steve Patton from global consulting firm EY talkis about what consumers like and fear about EVs. The WardsAuto Podcast is sponsored by leading global auto supplier AAM.

Range is extremely important in the BEV wars, and the '24 Acura ZDX has range up to 320 miles. Acura sales chief Emile Korkor joins us. Meantime, Hyundai added two more BEVs to the IIHS list of Top Pick+. We speak to Hyundai's global safety chief Brian Letouf about engineering safety into BEVs.

In episode 12, WardsAuto Podcast Host David Kiley talks to Mike Austin, senior analyst for EVs at GuideHouse Transportation Insights. Austin, a former journalist and now leading analyst jawbones the big issues with WardsAuto. WardsAuto Podcast is sponsored by American Axle.

Continental North America, a unit of Continental AG is a major supplier of systems, components and parts, as well as tires. But it is becoming a more software-focused company to maintain its leadership as a Tier One supplier to automakers as the whole global business shifts from internal combustion engines to electrification. CEO Aruna Anand talks about the shifts inside Continental that made it W...

There is a lot of pain and disruption in the transition from the ICE Age to the BEV Age. And ome of that pain and disruption can create tension and conflicts in an organization in which there are engineers and other personnel that have worked in the ICE world for decades and the newer fresh faces in the software engineering ranks. Gravitas Detroit's Jan Griffiths was an auto industry C-suiter and...

John Bozzella is CEO and President of The Alliance for Automotive Innovation. That makes him the industry's point person with The Biden Administration, the Congressional Auto Caucus, NHTSA, The Dept. of Energy and The EPA. Currently, the EPA is in process of finalizing a rule that would drive automakers to chalk up two-thirds of sales to BEVs by 2032. Bozella says that pace will reward the Chinese...

The transformation from an ICE business to one centered around electrification is a messy road. And not just for OEs. It's topsy turvy for suppliers too. We talk with Paul Thomas, President of Bosch Mobility North America, who assumed this leadership post earlier this year, about how the world's biggest auto supplier is tracking with its OE customers.

Karma Automotive CEO Marques McCammon talks about the future of the automaker.

Episode Six of The WardsAuto Podcast has Host and WardsAuto Senior Editor David Kiley talking to WardsAuto Germany Correspondent Greg Kable about the financial alarm bells in Wolfsburg brought about by lower sales volume and massive EV investments being made by VW, as well as a chat with VW's head of product planning in North America about the new 2024 Atlas SUV.

The transition to EVs will not happen in a straight line. In this episode, we discuss: opposition to the EPA's proposed rules on greenhouse gas emissions from the auto industry; Elon Musk's big win on charging infrastructure; and the introduction of the Chevy Silverado EV, including our first drive.

Scout Motors is a new, independent vehicle company part of The Volkswagen Group, gearing up to launch as a BEV SUV and pickup company. Scott Keogh, former CEO of Volkswagen of America, is heading up the effort to leverage the "Scout" brand in a new era of electrification. We talk with Keogh about starting up a new company and what we can expect from Scout.

In Episode 3,we talk with Autoline Editor and WardsAuto columnist John McElroy about how difficult it is for automakers and suppliers to manage profits while investing big in electrification and while waiting for consumers to get excited about the new vehicles in bigger numbers. Then, we discuss the topic with Zf North American Chief Martin Fisher. Zf is one of the leading, most innovative Tier-On...

Lithium-ion batteries are the principal source of power for BEVs, but there are other battery chemistries in development. The worry over lithium supplies and pricing has moved auto companies to invest in their own lithium mines. And we talk about the China effect on batteries. Host David Kiley talks with Wards Intelligence Battery Tech Analyst Adam Raggozino. And Adam talks wth leading lithium ana...

In this episode Host David Kiley talks to Wards Intelligence Sustainability Analyst Christie Schweinsberg, who keeps tabs on EVs and EV infrastructure for Wards, as well as Toyota's North American Powertrain Chief Jordan Choby.