Don't call it a sell-out! The final all-ICE Lambo has been sold. The VW brand has officially transitioned to a hybrid lineup, with the Revuelto PHEV also sold out until the end of 2025. By 2024 $2B in investment will bring more Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle models to the market and help transition the brand to all-electric by 2030.
Suggested listening: "Mama Said Knock You Out" by LL COOL J
Little Orange Fiat. Fiat is going brand first with a short film featuring its CEO, Olivier Francois. The company spent a year producing an ad declaring the Italian company is not about dull gray cars but vibrant colors. The ad ends with the CEO sitting in a FIAT as it is dipped in bright orange paint. The shot is one worth seeing.
Part of FIAT's new groove is the old city-friendly Topolino EV. The slow (under 30MPH), short-range (under 50 miles), and low-price (under $11K) fully electric FIAT was made to travel the ancient misshapen, often Roman-built roads of Italy and Europe. We kinda dig it as a step between walking and biking.
Suggested listening: "Little Red Corvette" by Prince
Rock Solid. Toyota claims to have made a technological breakthrough, halving the weight, size, and cost of batteries and enabling solid-state batteries with a 745-mile range and 10-minute charging time. While missing details have some skeptical of the practical application of the breakthrough, it could be a revolutionary moment for EVs.
Breakthrough or not, the company is sitting on a 'solid' June with 195,448 vehicles sold in the US over the month. That is up 14.9% year over year. Filling but not exceeding the pent-up demand will make some companies rich with cash and others rich with cars. We know which one we would prefer to be.
Suggested listening: "Solid As A Rock" by Ella Fitzgerald