| If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.  Tesla raises prices on all models, an electric Range Rover is in the works, and Lucid Air sedans are headed to owners. But first:  Earlier this week Tesla and Hertz made headlines around the world with the rental giant's order of 100,000 cars from the automaker, one intended to be completed by 2022. The massive order—the largest of its kind to date—will see Tesla Model 3s start joining Hertz fleets in Europe and the US next month, just a short while after Hertz itself emerged from bankruptcy sparked by the drop in travel during the early months of the pandemic. It's a dramatic turnaround for the rental giant as well as for Tesla, which not long ago was struggling to post profitable quarterly results. The automaker has been able to right the ship with record deliveries in the third quarter of this year, with the Hertz news propelling Tesla's market cap past the $1 trillion mark early in the week.  Hertz also plans to let Uber drivers rent Teslas for a special weekly rate, with insurance included. "Electric vehicles are now mainstream, and we've only just begun to see rising global demand and interest," said Hertz interim CEO Mark Fields. "The new Hertz is going to lead the way as a mobility company, starting with the largest EV rental fleet in North America and a commitment to grow our EV fleet and provide the best rental and recharging experience for leisure and business customers around the world." The first Model 3s will appear at Hertz locations starting next month.  Production of the BMW i4 started in Munich, one of the most important launches for BMW in years. Speaking of the Tesla Model 3, BMW's challenger to this very car entered production this week, with the Munich plant opening the chapter on the i4. The four-door coupe will be offered in two flavors at launch: i4 eDrive40 will be the base rear-wheel-drive model, while the i4 M50 will be the sportier all-wheel-drive variant with a peak output of 536 hp and 586 lb-ft of torque. "For the plant and team, the launch of the BMW i4 is a milestone on the road to electric mobility," said Milan Nedeljković, BMW AG board member for production. "By 2023 more than half of all vehicles from our Munich facility will have an electrified drive. The majority will be fully electric. So Munich goes fully electric."    About a month after production of the Lucid Air sedan started in Casa Grande, Arizona, Lucid plans to deliver its first customer cars on Saturday, October 30, marking an important milestone for company. The first examples scheduled to be handed over to owners are the Dream Edition Range and Dream Edition Performance models, with the former capturing headlines earlier this year for its 520-mile rating from the EPA, while the latter's claim to fame in the EV world is its 1111-hp output. These specs, all wrapped in a large luxury sedan, should position Lucid favorably in the face of growing competition from Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, and of course Tesla.  The reveal of the next-gen Range Rover will push the model into a new decade, even if the exterior design of the 2022 model is more evolutionary than revolutionary. But something revolutionary is indeed on the way in 2024. That's when Land Rover will offer a battery-electric version of the new SUV, following the arrival of the PHEV model a little earlier.   Spread the word: If you know someone interested in staying on top of the rapidly growing EV segment, feel free to pass this newsletter along.
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Friday, October 29, 2021
Tesla will make 100,000 cars for rental giant Hertz
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