#affordable-suv

#affordable-suv

Davine Greene, a nursing student, described her car as 'the bane of my existence' and called it 'probably the worst decision I've ever made, like, financially speaking.'

Lucid delivered a remarkably small number of vehicles in Q1, at 3,903. It produced 5,500. The company blamed much of this on a supplier's lack of inventory, which cost it 29 days of disruption.

On average, fuel prices are up almost a dollar per gallon, or 25 percent, according to AAA. For a nation as addicted to the automotive as we are, that's bad news. Except, of course, for electric vehicles.

A seatbelt status indicator that doesn't work correctly could create confusion. Not wearing a seatbelt increases the risk of injury in a crash.

Sony Honda Mobility announced Wednesday it's scrapping development of its joint venture electric vehicle after Honda flagged a writedown of as much as $15.7 billion and had to overhaul its entire EV strategy.

Honda, which is grappling with President Trump's tariffs, had been one of the most aggressive automakers in pursuing EVs. The company said it was aiming for 30 new EVs by 2030 with 2 million units sold, 100 percent zero-emission auto sales by 2040, and carbon neutrality "for all products and corporate activities" by 2050.

When shopping for a vehicle, most buyers are looking for more than just a good deal. A vehicle purchase isn't worth it to them without peace of mind. While style, technology, and performance all play a role, affordability and reliability consistently rise to the top of the priority list. A car that's reasonably priced but frequently in the shop quickly becomes an expensive headache. Drivers know that long-term dependability is just as important as the sticker price.

Besides making cars, what do Rivian and Toyota really have in common? I'd say that they share an unfortunate sense of bad timing. It's not their fault, either. But both companies picked a rough year to launch crucial new electric-vehicle products, now that EV tax credits are gone and the U.S. government has largely soured on electrification from a policy perspective.

That's because the e-Hijet's electric architecture has vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H) functionality baked in. On the V2H front, the tiny EV's front-mounted CHAdeMO fast charging port can be used to keep the lights on, but additional hardware is needed. On the V2L front, however, things are much simpler. There's a 100-volt household outlet right on the center console, which can output a maximum of 1,500 watts, according to Daihatsu and Toyota.

Mazda will begin selling a new electric mid-size SUV in Europe this year. It's not coming to the U.S. The CX-6e will compete with models such as the Tesla Model Y, BMW iX3 and Audi Q4 e-tron. It looks sharp and gets a high-tech interior. Mazda has been late to the electric vehicle party, but it's finally picking up the pace in a market that doesn't reward laggards.

A B-segment electric crossover, the Kia EV2 is expected to start from around $35,000 (30,000) when it goes on sale next month, making it the Korean automaker's cheapest new EV yet. For reference, the boxy battery-powered crossover will compete with cars like the Renault 4, Ford Puma Gen-E and the upcoming Volkswagen ID. Polo Cross, all of which are or will be similarly priced.

Toyota is turning the Highlander - one of its most established nameplates - into an EV. The 2027 model is the SUV's first ground-up redesign in more than a decade and will be Toyota's first three-row EV for the US market. It's also the first battery-electric Toyota to be assembled in America, with production set for Kentucky using US-made batteries.

Plug-in hybrids are like communism: great in theory, but often lacking in real-world execution. A car that can run on electricity for nearly all of most Americans' daily drivingabout 30 to 40 milesbut still has a gas engine for longer trips seems like it should be the ultimate do-everything vehicle. In reality, however, it's highly debatable whether owners actually plug them in.