Tesla needs to be “hardcore” about reducing headcount, Elon Musk emailed senior managers.
While it’s not as major a the company’s announcement to cut 10% of its global staff earlier this month, Tesla commenced another wave of layoffs this week, including two executives, according to a report by The Information.
This time around, the 500 employees losing their jobs are largely within the EV firm’s Supercharger division. Among the key departures is senior director Rebecca Tinucci, who joined Tesla in 2018 and directed its charging infrastructure efforts since 2020. Daniel Ho, who headed the new vehicles program, has also departed the company. Ho joined the company back in 2013 and was a program manager for the Model S as well as the Model 3 and Model Y, before heading up all new vehicle developments.
After former executive Rohan Patel left among the major wave of layoffs in mid-April, Tesla will reportedly now dissolve the public policy team he lead since January 2017. Development manager Drew Baglino also announced his departure at that time.
In an email to other senior staff, CEO Elon Musk said the company needs to remain “absolutely hard core” about reducing headcount and curbing costs in the wake of weakening sales, both within Tesla and the electric car market as a whole, as the industry faces headwinds courting a new wave of mainstream buyers away from internal combustion vehicles. The email, and that statement in particular, could be a warning shot to Tesla’s management to more aggressively drop staff, meaning we could see more and larger layoffs in the near future.
According to its quarterly earnings statement to shareholders, Tesla posted a 9% year-over-year drop in revenue and a 55% decreased operating income of $1.13 billion in Q1 2024. Quarterly production fell 2% overall from the first quarter of 2023, while deliveries dropped 9%, largely precipitated by a 10% decrease in Model 3/Y sales.
While the Tesla Model Y has been explosively popular, it isn’t the only EV option in the game.
As part of the EV shopping process, or any new car for that matter, we’re often fixated on which model is the out-and-out best of any given segment. That’s an entirely understandable thought process, especially in the EV world where you’re expected to drop upward of $50,000 at the top end on a compact SUV like a Tesla Model Y.
For hundreds of thousands of people, Tesla’s offering has been (and in several metrics, still is) the best option in terms of range, performance or general lack of charging anxiety thanks to the Supercharger network. Nevertheless, there are plenty of others out there who don’t want a Model Y for whatever reason. That’s where cars like these two come in: the 2024 Toyota bZ4X Limited and the Nissan Ariya Platinum+. Both offer dual motor, all-wheel drive alternatives to the Tesla, and both command high price tags in their top-end trims. The Toyota, for its part, costs $53,883, while the Nissan comes in at $56,490. In the video below, Tommy takes a closer look at these two EVs to decide which of the two is the best alternative.
Taking a closer look at the Nissan Ariya and Toyota bZ4X
The 2024 Nissan Ariya comes in five general trims (Engage, Venture+, Evolve+, Empower+ and Platinum+), with two different battery pack options. Base Engage models get a smaller 63-kWh unit, while all other “plus” trims get a larger 87-kWh pack. Prices across the board actually dropped by up to $6,000 for the new model year, with the new base price now coming in at $40,980 including Nissan’s $1,390 destination charge.
Even at the lower end of the trim walk, the Ariya comes fairly well equipped. You get heated front and rear seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual-zone climate control, two 12.3-inch displays and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, plus a host of standard driver assistance technology including automatic front and rear emergency braking, lane-keep assist, bling-spot monitoring and lane change collision mitigation, rear cross-traffic alert and a driver attention monitor. ProPilot 2.0 doesn’t come standard on the lower trims, but you do get it on the Empower+ and Platinum+, the latter of which we’re testing here.
With the 87-kWh pack, the 2024 Nissan Ariya Platinum+ e4ORCE AWD gets an EPA-rated 267 miles on a charge. That said, it’s also fairly slow when you do have to charge it, topping out at 130 kW (fairly weak by today’s standards). Power ranges between 214 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque at the low end, and 389 horsepower with 442 lb-ft of torque at the top of the range (with a 0-60 time between 7.2 seconds and 4.8 seconds, depending on the model).
As for the Toyota bZ4X, you only have two trim options: XLE and Limited. That does mean even your “base” version comes well equipped, while either can be had with either a single motor front-wheel drive configuration or dual motor all-wheel drive. Standard equipment includes adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist, Safe Exit Assist and rear cross-traffic alert. You have to upgrade to the Limited to get “Softex” leatherette upholstery, as well as heated seats and heated steering wheel. So, on balance, the Ariya may be a more appealing package for some, to say nothing of the styling differences between the two.
On the performance front, the front-wheel drive version gets 201 horsepower and 196 lb-ft of torque, while the AWD is only slightly more power. Opt for the dual motor, and you get 214 horsepower and 248 lb-ft of torque. That makes it far less potent than either the 389-hp Ariya or the Tesla Model Y in either Long Range or Performance flavors. Range is also a limiting factor, as Toyota’s offering gets just 222 miles on a charge of its 72.8-kWh battery pack (the FWD unit is slightly smaller, at 71.4-kWh). The bZ4X’s DC fast-charging capability also tops out on the lower side, at 150 kW.
What does Tommy think of both EVs?
Against Tesla’s folkloric reputation as the electric car to buy, any automaker wading into the fight is going to have a tough time conquesting Tesla buyers. For those who are looking around the entire field, though, both the Nissan Ariya and Toyota bZ4X can be compelling alternatives depending on your budget and use case.
Both cars offer practical alternatives, and neither the range nor the DC fast-charging capability (or lack thereof) may affect everyday buyers who generally charge their cars overnight at home. Depending on where you’re shopping in the market, too, each car offers pretty good value in terms of features and usability, even if neither is currently eligible for the federal $7,500 EV tax credit, as Tesla is.
Check out the video below to get a better look and impression of both the 2024 Nissan Ariya Platinum+ and Toyota bZ4X Limited:
We’re getting closer to EVs reaching parity with gasoline vehicles on “fill-up” time.
Part of the general reluctance surrounding electric car adoption is how long they take to charge. Virtually every automaker and market suppliers are tackling the issue, though Polestar and battery manufacturer StoreDot announced their progress using a prototype Polestar 5 sedan: a 10-80% recharge in just 10 minutes.
This particular prototype uses a special 77.0-kWh battery that incorporates StoreDot’s “Extreme Fast Charging” or XFC technology. Even though that’s not a huge pack, Polestar says it can be increased up to at least 100-kWh (in other words, the same battery capacity as a Tesla Model S), though charging rates between 310 kW and 370 kW enable the smaller pack to replenish 200 miles of range in that 10-minute time span.
“Time is one of life’s greatest luxuries,” said Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath of today’s announcement, “With this new technology, on longer journeys when drivers do stop they’ll be able to spend less time charging and be back on the road faster than before. In fact, that stop time will be more akin to what they experience with a petrol (gasoline) car today.”
And that last bit is the key. To wit, our cross-country road trip with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 comprised 9 hours of charging time, while this sort of charge rate would chop several hours off a similar journey. Even better, Polestar said it didn’t need to modify the cooling system (and thus add weight) to handle the higher charge rates. The pack uses “silicon-dominant cells” in its design, in part to even out the spiky nature of charging today’s commercially available battery chemistries, where charging rate heavily depends on when the driver decides to charge. Usually, the “meat” of the charge curve — where you actually can charge at 350 kW-plus — is between about 30% and 60%, before and after which speeds will drop off dramatically.
StoreDot’s pack as it exists in this prototype Polestar 5 is a fully drivable rig, and it’s compatible with existing DC fast-charging infrastructure without the need for special accommodations in a CCS or NACS charging station.
Of course, the charge rate is only one facet of the EV ownership experience. While some models currently on sale can feasibly charge up toa around 350 kW, it’s only within a limited part of the charging curve, and depends on charging infrastructure that can actually push all those electrons at the desired rate. Apart from the battery itself, there’s still a wide amount of variability between charging stations in different areas, unlike pumping gasoline, where the experience is roughly the same anywhere you go.
For the moment, Polestar says this is just a proof-of-concept. The technology “could be applied to future Polestar vehicles”, the company says, but it hasn’t outright committed to putting such packs into its production vehicles. If it does happen, it certainly won’t be in the immediate future, while the company’s recent financial troubles could further delay XFC’s rollout. (In late February, Polestar secured a nearly $1 billion lifeline from banks to keep going, while Chinese parent company Geely pledged to financially support its efforts as Volvo turns toward developing its own EVs.)
A new NHTSA probe focuses on more than 130,000 Mustang Mach-E vehicles.
This week, a new preliminary investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is underway to determine whether Ford Motor Company should launch a recall to address two fatal accidents where the system was engaged. The probe specifically homes in on 2021-2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0, which includes the company’s semi-autonomous driver assistance system, though BlueCruise is available on a growing range of Ford and Lincoln vehicles at the moment.
Both incidents in question occurred in nighttime conditions.
The agency’s initial resume opening the investigation states that it will “evaluate the [BlueCruise] system’s performance of the dynamic driving task and driver monitoring.” It also notes that drivers can only engage Ford’s system on certain roads and uses a camera system to determine whether the person behind the wheel is paying attention to the road. Ideally, the system is meant to work on high-speed, limited access highways, and does not engage in typical urban driving or if the system detects the driver isn’t looking forward.
This probe by the ODI focuses on an estimated 130,050 Mustang Mach-E models, though it’s reasonable to interpret any escalation of this probe to a full-blown recall would impact other models like the Ford F-150 Lightning and the Lincoln Navigator.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) also took aim not just at Ford’s BlueCruise, but similar Level 2 systems as well. Evaluators rated BlueCruise “Poor” — the worst level in its safety scoring system — alongside 10 other systems including Tesla’s Autopilot and Full Self-Driving, Mercedes’ Distronic system (its upcoming Drive Pilot setup has not been tested yet) and Volvo’s Pilot Assist. Nissan’s ProPilot Assist 2.0 system and GM’s Super Cruise managed “Marginal” ratings, while Lexus’ Teammate was the only system out of 14 the IIHS tested to earn an “Acceptable” rating. However, even that is not an accolade in itself, as the IIHS says the whole industry has work to do, but it also expects rapid advancements in the coming years.
Even taking into account the tragic fatalities that led to the investigation, Ford is hardly alone in facing scrutiny from federal regulators. Tesla is also under the microscope, as the agency announced last week it was opening a probe into some 2 million vehicles to improve the safety of its Autopilot system. Several accidents have been reported over the years, including some that occurred after Tesla vehicles received a recent over-the-air update after a voluntary recall.
While we are still talking about the preliminary stages of this investigation, the Ford Mustang Mach-E is not yet under recall. However, owners should pay close attention to the outcome of this probe, and keep in mind that these Level 2 semi-autonomous systems are not designed to completely remove the driver from the equation. These systems work on the basis that the driver should be paying attention and ready/able to take over at any given moment, and that’s especially true in challenging driving conditions.
The first question comes from a fan who wants a Ram 1500 RHO vs TRX episode on TFLtruck.
Q (via asknathan@TFLcar.com): Which would you or Andre choose, with the Ram 1500 RHO vs TRX?
On the outside it looks like Ram simply pulled the old Hellcat and added the Hurricane. I am sure there is more to it. If it were up to you guys. Which one would you buy?
– NetCarbs_67
A: That’s a tough question, as we have yet to drive an RHO.
After consulting with Andre, who knows a lot more about the truck than I do, it’s almost a draw. The TRX has a lot more personality, just from having that massive V8. That I know for sure. It’s still the most powerful Ram 1500 too. On the pother hand, the RHO is lighter, (probably) more maneuverable, less expensive to own and more frugal.
I guarantee it isn’t as thirsty as the outgoing TRX.
Keep this in mind: Ram never said that the RHO is replacing the TRX. There’s a lot of talk about the Ram TRX returning in a form that will directly take on the Raptor R. As it stands, the Ram 1500 RHO outguns the regular Raptor in terms of horsepower and torque.
I think it’s best if we let the video below explain.
– N
The next question is about the Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter vs TRD Pro.
Q (via: Twitter/X @NathanAdlen) RE: TRD Pro vs Trailhunter!
Second question and thank you for answering the last one. One thing I like about you is that you find the good and bad in every truck and car. I’ve watched TF L for 10 years and I like the fact that you look at the real financial burden cars put on people. Sad to say that I can’t afford anything more than a basic truck. Your purchase of the Santa Cruz for 32 thousand was right in my market.
I dream of getting a Tacoma or a Ranger one day. I can’t spend 45 thousand on a small truck! That’s the cheapest I can get the configurators to go on a basic truck I want. I have a family of four and need a crew cab that can hold my kids or its no go!
All of you have done a amazing job covering the new Tacoma and you’re not afraid to tell us the good and bad. Thank you! So I was wondering from a fan boy perspective about which new Tacoma is better. Is it the TRD Pro or Trailhunter?
Honestly you guys are the best!
– Randy_Ranger99
A: At first, I thought the differences between the TRD vs Trailhunter would just be cosmetic, but I was wrong.
Sure, they look a bit different, and both have enough garnish to tell them apart. The main differences come from the two completely different suspensions. Also, the interior of the two trucks are very different; especially the front seats.
The simple way it was explained to me was: the Tacoma TRD Pro is built to be a serious desert runner. Sure, it can be a daily driver, but if can run Baja trails at serious speeds. It’s not built for overlanding like the Trailhunter is. If you want similar running gear, but have no intention to shoot the dunes often – and camp a lot – the Trailhunter is your jam.
If you head to TFLtruck.com, you’ll get the inside differences between the two. Both the above and below videos give you an inside look at the differences between the two.
As for your comment about pricing: I totally get it. The least expensive crew-cab I could find was a $34,000 Nissan Frontier. While it’s a bummer that it’s a base model 2WD, I still think the Frontier is a great truck. Sadly, the aforementioned Nissan is priced about 1/2 of these Tacomas.
Crazy, right?
– N
The last question is from a friend who wants to know about the longevity of hybrids, being that they are having a bit of a resurgence.
Q: (summarized from a conversation with a friend) Now that hybrids are becoming popular again, I wonder how they do with longevity?
With so many extra parts, it must be a pain to service and fix them. What happens when the battery completely dies? Does the car just die as well?
– M.M Cat
A: I have personally witnessed many hybrids lasting in excess of 200,000 miles – and still going strong.
In addition, many of those hybrids are Toyotas. Regardless of how you feel about the automaker, they are the biggest producers of hybrids, and they are their biggest champions. As much as I dislike the earlier Toyota Prius, I fully admit that it is a technical marvel that proves hybrids can last as long, if not longer than a conventional internal combustion vehicle.
Given that most hybrids use an electric motor to move them, AND to slow them down (regenerative braking) it usually means less wear and tear on the gas engine. Electric motors rarely fail, and battery tech has a long shelf life in most hybrids.
While hybrid powertrains are a proven, reliable motivator – they are not “bullet-proof.” There have been cases of ECUs, and other technical components failing, completely disabling the vehicle. Sure, that can happen to an internal combustion powertrain as well, hybrids can be more challenging to repair.
Now – IF – a battery completely dies, the hybrid will not run. The car will have a few fail-safe systems lined up to prevent sending charge to a battery that won’t accept it. That means that your hybrid will not run – period. I have seen a few cases where this happens; mostly to hybrids with extremely high miles, owned by abusive drivers.
Recently, a former colleague of mine replaced the battery on his mother’s RAV4 hybrid. It cost him over $1,200 to do it, but the vehicle began to run like new – which is cheaper than buying another used hybrid. His odometer is past the 210,000 mark. This is just one example of how these things can run a long time, and they could have a second life – if the owner is so inclined.
The 2025 Chevy Equinox brings a fresh face and more tech to the most competitive segment.
As GM continues to overhaul its lineup, the latest Chevy Equinox‘s arrival is arguably the most important of the bunch. Now, we know how much this latest update will cost. And even with all the changes, the 2025 model is remarkably affordable, if you compare it apples-to-apples with the last generation.
Before digging into the new trim walk, there is one caveat to mention. Because there’s no basic LS model this time around, the 2025 Chevy Equinox does fundamentally get more expensive than 2024’s baseline price. However, at $29,995 to start, the new front-wheel drive LT model is $500 more than it was before, and limbos in just under that $30K mark…if only just.
For that price point, the Equinox LT features an 11.3-inch infotainment display as well as an 11-inch digital gauge cluster. You get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support, remote start, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, and adaptive cruise control from the jump. From there, buyers can move toward either the sporty-looking RS or the lifestyle-focused, off-roadish Activ. Both upper trims start at $34,395 (including $1,395 destination), so which one to shop for mainly comes down to your own preference.
Front-wheel drive is the default across all trims, while all-wheel drive is a $2,000 option. As before, the powertrain remains a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, putting out 175 horsepower and 203 lb-ft of torque. FWD versions get a CVT, while AWD models get a conventional 8-speed automatic.
Each 2025 Chevy Equinox gets a host of standard safety kit, including automatic emergency braking, lane-deep assist, lane departure warning, automatic high-beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear parking sensors with cross-traffic alert and a rear seat reminder as standard fare.
While we do have pricing, we still have a little while to wait before the Equinox hits dealerships. It should arrive on actual lots in mid-June.
While the automaker isn’t rushing headlong into EVs, it is offering this model to Chinese customers.
When it was still in production, I and most of the automotive media praised the Mazda6 as one of the best looking sedans in the segment. Sadly, with the waning market, Mazda’s third-generation 6 went the way of the dodo in 2021 for the North American market, and bowed out altogether late last year. Now its successor has arrived, making its debut at the Beijing Auto Show: the Mazda EZ-6.
Unfortunately, if you were expecting a rotary renaissance, that Mazda would revive the 6 as a straight-six sedan, or we’d see some follow-up in the U.S. market at all, the answer is “none of the above”. While this car is actually rear-wheel drive, it’s fully electric and only going on sale in China later this year.
Mazda developed the EZ-6 in coordination with Chinese automaker Chengan, as most foreign companies selling cars in China do so though a joint venture (with Tesla being a notable exception). This new model has fairly classic sedan proportions and sleek exterior styling with thin LED lights at both ends. However, it is roughly an inch longer than the old Mazda6 sedan, and this car has plenty of special touches like a retractable wing at the rear and a far different interior than anything we get in the States.
Looking inside the Mazda EZ-6
Looking inside, we see some decidedly un-Mazda-like design cues, like a two-spoke steering wheel and a conspicuous lack of physical buttons where but the steering wheel. Instead, it appears occupants control most items through the 14.6-inch central infotainment screen (that also gets gesture and voice controls), while the driver gets another 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster.
The rear seat passengers get more controls still, including haptic controls for the HVAC system.
What about the powertrain?
Mazda did not share too many specifics about what powers the EZ-6, apart from the fact that it is electric and rear-wheel drive. The automaker touts 50:50 weight distribution between the front and rear axles, front strut suspension and multilink rear suspension.
As for range, Mazda says the BEV model will have an expected driving range of about 373 miles (600 kilometers). The EZ-6 will also sell as a plug-in hybrid with more than 621 miles of range, but the company said precisely nothing about which engine is under the hood, how large the battery is, or anything else of consequence. Both range figures use the “CLTC” testing cycle, so it’s unclear how that would transfer to EPA range. Not that such a figure is relevant anyway, since there is no sign this car will make it to North America, even as a PHEV.
But that’s not all…
Beyond the EZ-6, Mazda also brought a concept much more likely to appeal to American buyers: the Arata concept. Promising “Soulful + Futuristic x Modern” design (I suppose we’re meant to do the math on that to see which elements crop up in what proportions there), this electric SUV evolves the existing Kodo aesthetic into a new era of vehicles.
While the first impressions give off strong CX-5 vibes, the Arata brings in a few new aerodynamic touches. Mazda integrated air tunnels at the tips of the hood and on both sides of the front bumper, and inside the D-pillars, for example. In addition to just making it look cooler, the company says those features “contribute to improved environmental performance”, which I take to mean “better range”.
If you’re excited to see this SUV over here, don’t get too excited yet: Mazda has not confirmed the Arata will make it into production form over here either. Instead, this will be the automaker’s second EV in China following the EZ-6.
Look, after the dismal performance of the MX-30 on our shores, it’s understandable why we aren’t seeing new electric car plans in the U.S. at the moment. With EV sales plateauing, as well, the smart move right now is toward plug-in hybrids, as Mazda’s done with both the CX-90 and CX-70.
While some expressed their consternation at Mazda’s evident refusal to launch the EZ-6 in our market, I also get why it won’t arrive in North America. However, the Arata is a much better option to launch (in some form) over here, given Americans’ strong preference for SUVs. Just as it was an incredibly important decision to launch its own SUV with the CX-5 more than a decade ago, it makes a great deal of sense to lead a revitalized EV charge in the American market with a model that can compete against the likes of the Tesla Model Y, Ford Mustang Mach-E and Hyundai Ioniq 5, among a growing list of contenders.
As ever, we’ll have to wait to hear (and see) more about Mazda’s electrification plans for the U.S. market in the coming years, as it completes its current SUV revamp with the CX-70.
Yes, this Urus is a plug-in hybrid…but that’s mainly about adding power.
While plenty of folks are still skeptical about jumping toward fully electric cars, some are warming up to the idea of a plug-in hybrid. Not only do you get the added benefit of some electric driving capability with the peace of mind of a traditional gas engine, but you also get a fair amount of extra power, as demonstrated by the 302-horsepower Toyota RAV4 Prime. Granted, that’s a weird comparison to make to this Lamborghini Urus, but the principle is the same: This Urus SE is a plug-in hybrid SUV…and it just happens to have 789 horsepower on tap.
For reference, the “two hearts” comprising this new model are an electric motor integrated into the transmission, as well as the fully expected 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8. On its own, the V8 makes 612 horsepower in this configuration. However, the 189-horsepower electric motor sandwiched against the 8-speed automatic transmission brings the total output up to 789 horsepower and 701 lb-ft of torque. That’s good enough to catapult the 2025 Lamborghini Urus SE from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, which lands right between the standard Urus S and the Performante.
Lamborghini pegged the Urus SE’s top speed at 194 mph — this is an all-wheel drive, family-hauling SUV, remember — while you can drive it in all-electric mode up to 81 mph. A 25.9-kWh (gross capacity) battery sits below the cargo floor and above the Urus’ electronically controlled rear differential. The automaker says the SE can travel “more than 60 km”, or about 37 miles, on pure electric power.
The 2025 Lamborghini Urus SE may not have quite as much power as the V12-backed Revuelto PHEV, but some of the tweaks to the car’s styling like the hood do take after the automaker’s latest flagship hypercar. This plug-in hybrid Urus also gets revised aerodynamics to both improve downforce by 35% and improve brake cooling.
Inside, the new Urus SE gets a revamped interior with a center-mounted 12.3-inch infotainment screen. While most cars now make the infotainment system a front-and-center feature above everything else inside the car, it’s interesting that the screen actually sits below the HVAC vents here.
Pricing for the 2025 Lamborghini Urus SE is not available just yet, as is usually the case with debuts. However, it should start around the same point as the Performante, so expect MSRPs to land somewhere around $275,000 and run up to $300,000 or more with some options. That may sound heartbreakingly expensive, but if it does land in that range, it’d still be $100,000 cheaper than a Ferrari Purosangue.
Roman just bought one of the most hated modern Land Rovers to prove a point: Even this SUV doesn't suck! Or maybe it does...that's what we're going to find out in our latest project series.
