2016 Tesla Model S on 2040-cars

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Toyota sells off Tesla shares, too

The incredible rise of Tesla's stock price has done little to now stop two major shareholders from ditching their stake in the American EV manufacturer. First, Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz, ditched its four-percent stake, and less than a week later, Toyota is doing the same thing, selling off an undisclosed bit of its Tesla investment.
The move comes as Toyota winds down sales of the RAV4 EV, which gets its batteries and electric motor from Tesla at the company's Fremont, CA factory.
"We have a good relationship with Tesla, and will evaluate the feasibility of working together on future projects," Toyota spokesperson Kayo Doi told Bloomberg via email.

Guess which brand's not on a top 10 list of best EVs (hint: it's Tesla)

Few surprises lurk in Autotrader’s list of its 10 best electric vehicles of 2023, but there is one that stands out: no Teslas. There's Hyundais and Kias, Porsches and Fords, a BMW and a Nissan. But Â… no Teslas. Although many of us admit to being over-Musked and tired of reading about him, the lack of a Tesla model on a selection of the 10 most desirable current EVs is conspicuous by its absence. Asked about this particular omission, we received this rather vague response from Autotrader spokesperson Brenna Buehler at Cox Automotive: “Tesla models were included in consideration but didnÂ’t get sufficiently high scores by the Editorial team to qualify for the top 10.” At least some Tesla offerings appeared to meet all the requirements set by the website. The manufacturers must offer 2023 model year vehicles, and they have to be sold in at least 15 states. Check. Only pure EVs were allowed on the list; there are no hybrids, plug-in hybrids or hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. Check. The base manufacturer's suggested retail price must be less than $100,000. Check. Let the debates begin. Moving on, it should be noted that two Genesis models, a G80 sedan and GV 60 SUV, are listed, along with a Lucid Air midsize sedan, the Rivian R1T pickup, and the Porsche Taycan. Here is the full list, with the remarks and comments from Autotrader's raters. (And we've included links to Autoblog's own reviews for a deeper dive). The EVs are listed in alphabetical order by brand, so don't read anything into the order of presentation: 2023 BMW i4 BMW reboots its EV approach and comes up with a winner: Whatever you thought of BMW's first run at EV, the i3, it was missing a certain something – it didn't look or perform like a BMW. The 2023 BMW i4 corrects course with a Gran Coupe that our editors agree looks and drives like a BMW. 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Ford's electric pickup gathers steam in its second year: The F-150 Lightning somehow synthesized decades of pickup truck knowledge with the latest and greatest EV technology and infused thoughtful details and user-friendly features. 2023 Genesis Electrified G80South Korea's luxury brand shows how to elevate the executive EV sedan without breaking the bank: Genesis, Hyundai's luxury offshoot, rethought the gasoline-powered luxury sedan, the G80, and developed the 2023 Genesis Electrified G80. Precisely as the name hints, the Electrified G80 replaces the G80's engine with an all-wheel-drive EV powertrain.

Rinspeed details Tesla-based autonomous XchangE concept for Geneva [w/video]

Like it or not, the age of the self-driving autonomous automobile is just around the corner. But what form will a car's cabin take when the emphasis is taken off of human operation? That's the question that Rinspeed aims to answer with the XchangE concept. Previewed two months ago, Rinspeed has now revealed details, photos and even video footage of the self-driving electric vehicle. This year's concept car from the self-styled "Swiss idea factory" takes a Tesla Model S and modifies it for autonomous operation, freeing up the driver to sit back and enjoy the ride.
The redesigned cockpit includes a pair of highly adjustable front seats that can tilt, swivel and recline to make for a business class-like cabin space for driver and passenger. The drive-by-wire steering wheel slides out of the way when not in use. The dashboard displays all manner of data on four screens through a scalable infotainment package controlled by gestures, based on HTML5 and developed by Harman. The vehicle is fully networked with car-to-car communications and integrated LTE connectivity furnished by Deutsche Telekom. Access to the calming cabin space is granted by RFID technology, there's an LED plexiglass roof panel and a Carl F. Bucherer timepiece mounted in a watch winder on the dashboard.
It all comes across as a rather innovative take on the automobile from a design firm known for doing exactly that with its annual Geneva show cars. There's plenty more to digest in the press release, so check it out along with the video footage below and scope out the hundred-plus high-resolution images in the gallery above.