Hey, Your Top Automobile News for December 29, 2020

Your Daily Automobile updates From Around The World [img]  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [img]( [The Automobile News]( [This Is What the Ford Mustang Mach-E Almost Looked Like]( Before Ford’s all-electric Mach-E was a member of the Mustang family, it was a futuristic-looking concept that Ford executives were convinced wouldn’t sell. With tall rooflines and a forgettable face, the design of the would-be all-electric vehicle became an impasse to management. Engineers were sent back to the drawing board to create something more memorable, but for a while, there was nothing Mustang about it. The project began in May 2017. According to the Detroit Free Press, the Mustang Mach-E had been in development for some time already, and its original purpose wasn’t to create a brand icon, but instead to create a vehicle that simply helped meet government-mandated fuel economy targets. But that would all change once Ford executives got a look at what designers had been up to. Jim Farley, who wasn’t yet Ford’s CEO when the initial concept was revealed, immediately spotted a problem with the design. “When I first saw it … I said, ‘Oh, boy. Houston, we have a problem.'” He went on to call the entire package “a science project,” and with the blessing of then-CEO Jim Hackett, sent the engineers back to the drawing board. Farley has been credited by other Ford executives as “instrumental” to the Mach-E’s inclusion into the Mustang family. It was him, according to the lore behind the project, that decided to use the Mustang as a spiritual lodestar–inspiration–for the Mach-E. Design concepts were reportedly drawn up that showed more and less Mustang influence until a suitable middle ground was met. The final product was unveiled at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show and while it retained the proportions of a crossover, it now had much more For starters, the wheelbase was extended while maintaining the overall vehicle length. The Tesla-esque front bumper was made taller, adding Ford’s signature shark nose to the package. Next, the A-pillar was pulled back, which gave the concept a more contemporary look, while the roofline was more closely matched to the Mustang product line, giving it a sportier appearance. It only made sense to then add the Mustang’s quarter panel haunches above either rear wheelwell, and the chef’s kiss was the tri-bar Mustang tail lights to complete the look of the rear-end. [Read More.]( The post [This Is What the Ford Mustang Mach-E Almost Looked Like]( first appeared on [TheAutomobileNews.com](. [Read Full Story]( [Toyota Finally Has a New RWD Two-Seat Coupe]( Have you ever played “corrupt a wish?” It’s a game where someone makes a wish, and the next person in line “grants” it, but adds caveats that ruin it. Toyota has seemingly been playing for years, first answering calls for a new, rear-wheel-drive sports coupe with a rebadged Subaru that’s got cylinder head problems, then a rebranded BMW with under-developed factory suspension. And before 2020 was out, Toyota had to yank our chains again, releasing yet another lightweight, rear-drive two-door, this one compromised by its meager output of 12 horsepower. The coupe in question is the C+pod, a $15,900 electric city car Toyota hopes will appeal to corporate fleets and local governments. It’s about the same height as a Smart Fortwo (or its weird high-performance Brabus version), but four inches shorter in length, and over a foot narrower, making it just large enough for two adults and the groceries needed to feed them for a week. It’s not completely spartan, either, as it features collision detection technology and both LED headlights and taillights. Rather than being a safety feature, though, those LED taillights are likely a measure to reduce load on the C+pod’s minuscule, 9.06-kilowatt-hour battery. Toyota claims it to be good for 93 miles of city driving on the WLTP cycle, making the C+pod roughly twice as efficient as a long-range Tesla Model S. Much of this efficiency comes from the C+pod’s minuscule curb weight, as low as 1,477 pounds, though some also comes from having a shrimpy motor, one which generates just 12 horsepower and 41 pound-feet of torque. Read full news on [msn.com]( The post [Toyota Finally Has a New RWD Two-Seat Coupe]( first appeared on [TheAutomobileNews.com](. [Read Full Story]( [Tesla to start selling cars in India in early 2021, confirms Nitin Gadkari]( Union minister Nitin Gadkari has confirmed that Tesla will start selling operations in India next year. The company may also set up a manufacturing plant in India if it gets a good response. Billionaire Elon Musk’s clean energy and electric vehicle company Tesla will start operations in India early next year, confirmed Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. Tesla is initially expected to sell its vehicles in India, and it would also look at setting up a manufacturing facility at a later stage depending on demand, Gadkari told The Times of India. Gadkari has already held a few rounds of talks with top Tesla executives. Some states have also held meetings with the electric car company for sales of its vehicles in India. At a recent media event, Gadkari said there is focus on developing electric cars and added that a lot of Indian firms are also looking at developing electric cars. On Sunday, Musk said Tesla plans to enter the India market in 2021, but not in January. This, however, is not the first time Musk said that Tesla is entering the Indian market. In October, too, the billionaire CEO of Tesla suggested that the company will start India operations “next year for sure”. The TOI report indicated that Tesla would open pre-bookings for its Model 3 vehicle and the deliveries would be made by June. It is unlikely that the company will stitch partnerships with dealerships to sell its car. Read full news on[indiatoday.in]( The post [Tesla to start selling cars in India in early 2021, confirms Nitin Gadkari]( first appeared on [TheAutomobileNews.com](. [Read Full Story]( ------------------ You Might Like [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](        ------------------ Connect with TheAutomobileNews on Facebook and Twitter [fb](  [tw]( ------------------ You received this email because you operate or create content for a website/service and based on your website it seemed like this could be important information to you and your users. TheAutomobileNews daily newsletter is managed by [Postbox Consultancy Services Pvt. 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