Good morning and welcome back to The Morning Something, The Autopian’s daily roundup of the news that matters most in the world of cars. It’s Wednesday, which is the same thing as Friday, if you believe hard enough. On today’s docket: Some apparent details emerge on Porsche’s next EV, which is due to be very voluminous; President Joe Biden defends the Inflation Reduction Act at the State of Union address; Subaru has EV plans now, too; and Tesla has a new “Master Plan” coming soon.
Porsche’s K1 Project Is A Big Deal, Literally
At the risk of sounding like a fanboy, because I’m not, one thing that’s cool about Porsche is that it doesn’t really make bad cars. Seriously, what was the last bad Porsche? Maybe the 924, with the underpowered cargo van engine? Or the 968, which was kind of half-assed? But even those are very cool and have plenty of their own merits. The point is, when Porsche sets out to do something—like an SUV or an EV—the end result is usually going to be pretty great. Even if you’re anti-crossover, would you really say no to a weekend in a top-shelf Macan? I didn’t think so.
So when Porsche says it’s going to make a big, seven-seat electric SUV next, I have faith that the German automaker will make it a good one. That’s what’s next on the P-Car docket, reports the UK’s Autocar. It’s called Project K1, “a very sporting interpretation of an SUV.”
When it arrives, the advanced four-wheel-drive flagship will head a growing Porsche line-up, consisting of seven individual models. The K1 will offer the latest in synchronous electric motor, high-performance battery and rapid-charging technology – developments that, insiders at the company’s Zuffenhausen headquarters in Germany say, will extend its price well beyond the £150,500 of the existing internal-combustion-engined Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.
Already three years in conception and planning, the new Porsche model aims to build on the success of the Porsche Cayenne and Porsche Macan, Porsche’s two best-selling models over the past two decades, as well as last year. The K1 is intended to support this trend with a combination of sportiness and utility that, it is hoped, will appeal to customers in its two largest markets: North America and China.
Biden Defends Inflation Reduction Act In SOTU Address
[…] In response to Biden’s remarks, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., blasted Biden’s “rush-to-green agenda.” She said Republicans will continue their oversight of how the Biden administration implements the Inflation Reduction Act, arguing that the law “embraces massive government subsidies and regulations to place unreliable, weather dependent renewables above all other energy sources.”
Subaru’s Big EV Push Starts In 2025
“Our main electrification strategy centers on strong hybrids and electric vehicles and introducing such models in the U.S. by 2025,” Tomoaki Emori, senior vice president of the corporate planning division, said at the company’s Wednesday quarterly earnings announcement.
Anyway, Subaru makes a ton of U.S.-market vehicles at its Indiana plant, but no word yet on whether that factory will see a big battery investment to take advantage of IRA rules.
Tesla’s New ‘Master Plan’
Master Plan 3, the path to a fully sustainable energy future for Earth will be presented on March 1.
The future is bright! pic.twitter.com/11ug0LRlbD
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2023
It’s that time again! Time for Tesla to make some big pronouncements to gin up its stock price and cash from reservations on cars (and robots?) that may never happen. Okay, that’s a little harsh, but it’s not wrong.
We will, however, get some big Tesla news on March 1, its Investor Day presentation in Austin, Texas. In the past, such Master Plans have outlined the path from the Roadster to the lineup Tesla has today; and then where Tesla stands on buses, trucks, autonomous tech and duds like the Boring Company. So what’s in Part Three? Here’s some analysis from The Verge, emphasis mine:
Tesla has already said that it would reveal concrete details about its next-generation vehicle platform during its Investor Day event. The company is working on a refreshed version of the Tesla Model 3 as well as a robotaxi designed to be a shared vehicle.
Robotaxis and the next-gen platform will for sure get more fleshed out during Musk’s presentation. Given his focus on scaling Tesla’s operations to extreme size, we should expect some mention of the long-promised $25,000 EV. And some mention of the company’s controversial Full Self-Driving system and how it will plan into Musk’s stilted vision of an autonomous future is all but guaranteed.
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NEITHER THE 924 OR 968 WERE BAD, PATRICK
YOU CANNOT HIDE THESE EGREGIOUSLY BAD TAKES FROM ME
I WILL FIND THEM AND CALL YOU WRONG
I would like to see an EV announced that has no screens, everything is operated with switches levers and dials. Let’s make it out of concrete too.
I think Musk will tell us that the Semi will be in full production in two years, that a $35k sedan will go on sale next year, they cyber truck is just a year out and will be under $40k, and the new roadster will be released in three years.
And all of that will be just as true the last time he proclaimed it.
Glad the toilet humor has been excised from this feature, which was otherwise killer.
counterpoint: boo, I love poop jokes :'(
Remember when all Teslas became robotaxis in 2019? They must have tons of new features for those coming out like contactless payment for riders and such.
I want Elon to announce the firing of the exterior designers of everything but the S and the rehiring of the S designer to redo the entire line. Then the firing of the UI designers as well.
Came here to say exactly this – The S was a really good looking car when it came out. I seem to remember that Henrik Fisker did the design (and then never got paid).
Subaru, among other vehicles, owner here. Subaru intends to introduce serious hybrids in 2025? (Yes, yes the Crosstrek, which disappoints profoundly.) Also, Subaru is woefully behind on EV press announcements and EV roadmap hand-waving.
We live in prime Subaru country, and maybe the Subie die-hards will wait until 2025 for a decent hybrid. I see many nimble AWD hybrid choices on showroom floors now. Maybe Subaru couldn’t read the competitive analysis reports because they were covered in stacks of money and hubris.
I was at the Subaru dealership the other day having some warranty work done on my Legacy. They had the EV in the lobby, but I didn’t even get up to look at it. I saw it, shrugged, and went back to looking at my phone. I’m not sure why, I like Subarus, but couldn’t be less interested in that EV.
Didn’t realize the Solterra was in showrooms already. I’d read only 6,500 were to be manufactured, so in the words of this web site, you were only a few feet away from a Holy Grail.
Our Legacy, knock wood, is a complete rock star. The only non-maintenance issue we experienced is we can’t convince a lock to switch out of child imprisonment mode in one of the rear doors. The Legacy is quiet, rides well, and when when Mrs. OverlandingSprinter is in a yabbo state of mind, the Legacy stays planted and inspires confidence in the curves.
There’s one at the dealer around the corner from me. It sticks out fairly prominently. Interestingly the Toyota dealer a mile down the road doesn’t have the Bz4838295gge or whatever it’s called. And the two L2 chargers are often ICE’d.
That Subaru looks like a bad copy of the Mustang Mach-E. Hopefully it has a better name that Mustang Mach-E.
(Re-reads the article) Solterra? WTF? They should have gone with Outback Mach-E….
>What do you want to see from Tesla’s Master Plan presentation?
For the emperor to show that he has no clothes.
He has clothes… he just likes being nude because he’s a Nudist.
Nothatthereisanythingwrongwiththat…