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Tesla Model 3 makes way for Jaguar as I-PACE secures World Car of the Year Award

(Photo: MotorTrend)

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The Jaguar I-PACE swept a new round of awards recently at the 2019 New York Auto Show. After a long deliberation, over 80 judges from 24 different countries dubbed the all-electric premium crossover SUV as the 2019 World Car of the Year, beating the Audi e-tron and the Volvo S60/V60 in the process. The I-PACE was also the winner of the World Car Design of the Year and World Green Car of the Year awards, adding to the vehicle’s ever-growing list of accolades.

The judges of the World Car of the Year award were notably impressed by the Jaguar I-PACE’s looks and its capability to mix a range of 292 miles WLTP (234 miles EPA) and a brisk 0-62 mph time of 4.5-seconds. Prof. Dr. Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer of Jaguar Land Rover, received the award for the I-PACE, noting that the all-electric crossover is but the first step in the automaker’s journey towards a zero-emissions future.

“It is an honor that the Jaguar I-PACE has received such an accolade from the prestigious World Car jurors. We started with an ideal, to move towards our Destination Zero vision; zero emissions, zero accidents, and zero congestion. I-PACE is our first step to achieving this, and it was conceived when EVs were little more than a niche choice,” he said.

Notably absent in the World Car of the Year nominees for 2019 was an electric sedan that is disrupting the US and international market today: the Tesla Model 3. The World Car of the Year title requires nominated vehicles to be sold in at least five countries to be considered, and this is a requirement that the Model 3 did not meet.

It is then quite interesting to see the Audi e-tron qualifying for the award despite the vehicle’s status when nominees were being listed. The e-tron was listed as a nominee by AutoExpress.uk on September 14, 2018, a few days before the SUV was unveiled on September 18, 2018. Ars Technica, whose auto journalist Jonathan Gitlin was among this year’s judges, explained the Model 3’s absence in the 2019 World Car of the Year nominees, stating that the vehicle “went on sale too long ago to be considered for this year’s awards.”

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The absence of the Model 3 in the nominees for the 2019 World Car of the Year does not mean that the awards program is biased against Tesla. Back in 2013, the Tesla Model S walked away with the World Green Car title, and in 2017, the Tesla Model X was a finalist in the same category, before losing to the Toyota Prius Prime.

With Tesla now focusing its Model 3 deliveries to the international markets, it will not be surprising if the electric sedan will make it as a nominee for 2020’s World Car of the Year awards. Perhaps, just like the Jaguar I-PACE, the Model 3 could even go further than its more expensive siblings, earning not only the World Green Car title, but the World Car of the Year trophy as well. With the Tesla Model 3’s shadow hovering over the international market’s electric car industry, next year’s awards will likely be very compelling.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla Full Self-Driving gets sparkling review from South Korean politician

“Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasn’t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about.”

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Credit: Soyoung Lee | X

Tesla Full Self-Driving got its first sparkling review from South Korean politician Lee So-young, a member of the country’s National Assembly, earlier this week.

Lee is a member of the Strategy and Finance Committee in South Korea and is a proponent of sustainable technologies and their applications in both residential and commercial settings. For the first time, Lee was able to utilize Tesla’s Full Self-Driving technology as it launched in the country in late November.

Her thoughts on the suite were complimentary to the suite, stating that “it drives just as well as most people do,” and that “it already feels like a completed technology.”

Her translated post says:

“Finally, today I got to experience Tesla FSD in Seoul. Thanks to the Model S sponsored by JiDal Papa^^, I’m truly grateful to Papa. The route was from the National Assembly -> Mangwon Market -> Hongik University -> back to the National Assembly. Having already ridden in an unmanned robotaxi, the novelty wasn’t as strong for me, but it drives just as well as most people do. It already feels like a completed technology, which gives me a lot to think about. Once it actually spreads into widespread use, I feel like our daily lives are going to change a lot. Even I, with my license gathering dust in a drawer, don’t see much reason to learn to drive a manual anymore.”

Tesla Full Self-Driving officially landed in South Korea in late November, with the initial launch being one of Tesla’s most recent, v14.1.4.

It marked the seventh country in which Tesla was able to enable the driver assistance suite, following the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Mexico, Australia, and New Zealand.

It is important to see politicians and figures in power try new technologies, especially ones that are widely popular in other regions of the world and could potentially revolutionize how people travel globally.

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Tesla dispels reports of ‘sales suspension’ in California

“This was a “consumer protection” order about the use of the term “Autopilot” in a case where not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem.

Sales in California will continue uninterrupted.”

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has dispelled reports that it is facing a thirty-day sales suspension in California after the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) issued a penalty to the company after a judge ruled it “misled consumers about its driver-assistance technology.”

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the California DMV was planning to adopt the penalty but decided to put it on ice for ninety days, giving Tesla an opportunity to “come into compliance.”

Tesla enters interesting situation with Full Self-Driving in California

Tesla responded to the report on Tuesday evening, after it came out, stating that this was a “consumer protection” order that was brought up over its use of the term “Autopilot.”

The company said “not one single customer came forward to say there’s a problem,” yet a judge and the DMV determined it was, so they want to apply the penalty if Tesla doesn’t oblige.

However, Tesla said that its sales operations in California “will continue uninterrupted.”

It confirmed this in an X post on Tuesday night:

The report and the decision by the DMV and Judge involved sparked outrage from the Tesla community, who stated that it should do its best to get out of California.

One X post said California “didn’t deserve” what Tesla had done for it in terms of employment, engineering, and innovation.

Tesla has used Autopilot and Full Self-Driving for years, but it did add the term “(Supervised)” to the end of the FSD suite earlier this year, potentially aiming to protect itself from instances like this one.

This is the first primary dispute over the terminology of Full Self-Driving, but it has undergone some scrutiny at the federal level, as some government officials have claimed the suite has “deceptive” naming. Previous Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg was vocally critical of the use of the name “Full Self-Driving,” as well as “Autopilot.”

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New EV tax credit rule could impact many EV buyers

We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date. However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla owners could be impacted by a new EV tax credit rule, which seems to be a new hoop to jump through for those who benefited from the “extension,” which allowed orderers to take delivery after the loss of the $7,500 discount.

After the Trump Administration initiated the phase-out of the $7,500 EV tax credit, many were happy to see the rules had been changed slightly, as deliveries could occur after the September 30 cutoff as long as orders were placed before the end of that month.

However, there appears to be a new threshold that EV buyers will have to go through, and it will impact their ability to get the credit, at least at the Point of Sale, for now.

Delivery must be completed by the end of the year, and buyers must take possession of the car by December 31, 2025, or they will lose the tax credit. The U.S. government will be closing the tax credit portal, which allows people to claim the credit at the Point of Sale.

We confirmed with a Tesla Sales Advisor that any current orders that have the $7,500 tax credit applied to them must be completed by December 31, meaning delivery must take place by that date.

However, it is unclear at this point whether someone could still claim the credit when filing their tax returns for 2025 as long as the order reflects an order date before September 30.

If not, the order can still go through, but the buyer will not be able to claim the tax credit, meaning they will pay full price for the vehicle.

This puts some buyers in a strange limbo, especially if they placed an order for the Model Y Performance. Some deliveries have already taken place, and some are scheduled before the end of the month, but many others are not expecting deliveries until January.

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