Category: Automotive

Mullen Automotive has acquired a controlling stake in electric vehicle startup Bollinger Motors, buying up 60 percent of the struggling company’s stock for $148.2 million, the companies announced Thursday.

Mullen said it will add Bollinger-designed medium-duty trucks and sport utility trucks to its inventory. The deal “positions Bollinger to capture the electric sport utility and commercial vehicle markets,” the company added.

Mullen is a relatively unknown Southern California electric vehicle manufacturer with the stated goal to build “the next-generation of premium electric vehicles that are affordable and built entirely in the United States.”

Bollinger burst onto the scene in 2015 with a pair of very cool-looking, rugged, box-like electric truck prototypes. The company has since pivoted to electric commercial vehicles after running into speed bumps in its quest to build a complex vehicle manufacturing business from scratch.

Earlier this

BREA, Calif., Sept. 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via InvestorWire — Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN) (“Mullen” or the “Company”), an emerging electric vehicle (“EV”) manufacturer, issues a response to shareholders today regarding its recent majority acquisition of Bollinger Motors, Inc.

David Michery, CEO and chairman of Mullen Automotive said, “All cash and stock required to close the Bollinger transaction on Sept. 7, 2022, has been funded or placed in escrow as required by the transaction documents. We are excited about the opportunities this acquisition brings and look forward to updating our shareholders with the positive outcomes resulting from this transaction.”

For more information regarding the transaction, please refer to the Current Report on Form 8K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Sept. 8, 2022.

About Mullen
Mullen Automotive is a Southern California-based automotive company building the next-generation of premium electric vehicles (EVs) that are affordable

(The Car Connection) — For the 2022 model year, more automakers built their cars to better withstand and avoid crashes, according to the latest ratings announced Thursday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

More than 70 models earned a 2022 Top Safety Pick+ designation, which is considered the most rigorous independent safety rating in the automotive industry. Last year at this time, 49 models earned the accolade. Another 37 models in 2022 testing earned the next highest rating of Top Safety Pick, bringing the total to 108 models out of about 223 tested.

Every 2022 Volvo and Genesis models earned a TSP+, marking a rare sweep for the brands, though it’s easier to accomplish with lineups that consist of only five key models. Hyundai Motor Group, the parent company of Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis, earned the most total safety picks, with 11 TSP+ and 10 TSP awards.

Only

(Motor Authority) — Self-driving cars are part of an uncertain future, but automakers have signaled they are constantly moving to a day when at least some of us won’t drive at all.

Along the way, automakers will offer various levels of self-driving capability. Just what are those levels and how are they defined? We are here to help.

While the levels of self-driving sophistication can vary significantly from one brand to another, the defined bounds of those levels are relatively set.

In 2014, the Society of Automotive Engineers adopted a common taxonomy for self-driving cars that defined six levels—from Level 0 to Level 5—of automated driving. The boundaries are pretty obvious. Level 0 was no assistance and Level 5 was fully autonomous. The SAE updated their tiers in 2021, and while Level 5 remains fully autonomous, Level 0 has changed to include some active safety features that have become in

Large variation in the number of problems

In some instances, the study showed a wide variation in the number of problems for a particular technology.

JD Power found a feature that reminds drivers that a person, pet or package is still in the rear of a car when they exit ranged from 1.9 problems per 100 vehicles to 26.2 depending on the manufacturer.

The disparity demonstrates that the technology works and will generate only a small number of complaints when executed correctly, JD Power said.

Since features such as rear-seat reminders have widely varying scores, Rizk said automakers need to benchmark new tech offerings better.

“This could allow them to identify and integrate best practices,” she said.

While automakers routinely benchmark technologies from competitors, Rizk said they typically use an engineering perspective, not a consumer standpoint.

“We often see technologies that are designed to specification but do not meet the

Kodiak is already operating trucks with a safety driver on board on routes between Dallas and six cities, including Atlanta. In a couple of years, Kodiak expects to take that safety driver out of the cab and operate completely autonomous large freight trucks. A slew of other startups are also chasing the driverless dream.

Embark Technology Inc., Aurora Innovation Inc., TuSimple Holdings Inc. and others are all testing autonomous truck technology on the highway. Aurora has said it expects to operate without a driver on board as early as next year. Aurora and Embark went public through special purpose acquisition companies while TuSimple did a tradition initial public offering. All three have performed small and are down more than 75 percent since first trading.

Kodiak, which has investors including tiremaker Bridgestone Corp. and BMW’s venture fund, is teaming up with Pilot to create an autonomous truckport in Atlanta that would

We’ve been seeing a torrential and exciting downpour of automotive designs at Yanko Design in August 2022. Each automotive was innovative, bringing to us something we had never seen nor experienced before. From killer speed to dashing good looks, to impenetrable safety standards, every automotive we featured at YD broke some design barrier for us, and hopefully, they did the same for you as well. Hence, we’ve curated a collection of automotive designs that we feel were the best of the lot! From a futuristic two-seater city vehicle to a Scandinavian-inspired SUV concept – each of these drool-worthy automobiles is mercilessly pushing the boundaries of the automotive industry! Automotive enthusiasts will be itching to get their hands on them, and take them for a spin on the streets!

1. Citroën La 2 Deuche Concept

The legendary 1945 Citroën 2CV often referred to as the umbrella on wheels had a fixed

LONDON — A car driven by Princess Diana in the 1980s sold for more than $763,000 (650,000 pounds) at auction Saturday, just days before the 25th anniversary of her death.

Silverstone Auctions said there was “fierce bidding” for the black 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo before the sale closed. The UK buyer, whose name was not disclosed, paid a 12.5% ​​buyer’s premium on top of the selling price, according to the classic car auction house.

Britain and Diana’s admirers worldwide are preparing to mark a quarter century since her death. She died in a high-speed car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997.

Diana drove the Escort from 1985 to 1988. She was photographed with it outside boutique shops in Chelsea and restaurants in Kensington. She preferred to drive her own car, with a member of her security team in the passenger seat.

The RS Turbo Series 1 was

That mix is ​​beginning to shift quickly, though, and Ford is rushing to get ahead of the curve. Since April 1, it has reported selling 286 more of its Mustang Mach-E electric crossover in the US than gasoline Mustangs.

The company recently stopped selling the EcoSport in North America, and the Transit Connect, Escape and Edge are expected to vanish in the coming years. Ford is now largely focused on the F-Series, Mustang and Bronco — vehicle families using platforms with relatively long life cycles that can be occasionally upgraded with derivatives and special editions, reducing the urgency of ground-up redesigns.

Enter the 2024 Mustang. The car has a new platform, called S650, but it’s not expected to depart drastically from the current S550 model. A hybrid variant that was planned for mid-decade has been scrapped, according to three people familiar with the plans, and the car isn’t expected to

VANCE, Ala. — Mercedes-Benz’s US assembly plant, which has been building gasoline-powered trucks for 25 years, could switch to all-electric vehicle production as early as 2025, the luxury brand’s global production chief Jörg Burzer told Automotive News Thursday.

It’s a bold bet on EV adoption in the US and worldwide.

On Thursday, Mercedes’ more than 6-million-square-foot factory in Vance, Ala., celebrated the start of production of the plant’s first electric model — the battery-powered version of Mercedes’ flagship GLS.

The EQS full-size SUV is the first of two EVs initially planned for the factory, and will roll into US stores in the fall. Early next year, the plant will also begin producing the EQE, the electric version of Mercedes’ top-selling GLE midsize crossover, Burzer said.

Vance will supply EQEs to all markets except China, pumping out more than 100,000 EVs next year, a third of its annual capacity of 305,000.