Tuning

LÀ SLR based on the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

In early November at the SEMA Show, the private Coach Design Studio located in Southern California, S-Klub, presented the LÀ SLR based on the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. This company specializes in the design and creation of high quality automobiles.

The LÀ SLR is equipped with a wild 30-part body kit, including 10-inch wider front and rear wheel arches, a huge rear wing, and a large diffuser.

Inside, Red Alcantara covers the seats, door panels, steering wheel and dashboard. The original silver air vents and air conditioning controls from the SLR McLaren have been retained, with the addition of carbon details and a Formula 1-like halo system that extends above the cockpit. In front of the driver and passenger is a pair of windshields.

The S-Klub did not say if there were any changes under the hood.

Source: S-Klub

Gallery:

LÀ SLR based on the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
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Hertz Car Rental is selling over 30,000 EVs

Hertz Car Rental announced that it is selling almost 30,000 electric vehicles due to increased losses. A few years ago, the rental company acquired a large number of electric vehicles, but in the end this experiment was not successful.

The company aims to sell a certain number of cars by the end of the year, including the Tesla and Polestar models. A number of vehicles will remain in the fleet to meet the needs of customers booking trips in electric cars. The reason for this decision is low earnings, and electric vehicles that are not in use quickly lose value.

Three years ago, the company ordered 100,000 units of the Tesla Model 3, which at the time seemed like a good business move. Customers liked the car, and the company only had to pay for simple interventions such as tire repair, windshield wiper fluid, etc. Luckily, all the vehicles were not even delivered, so the losses are smaller.

The biggest problems appeared when Tesla started cutting the prices of the vehicles. This forced Hertz to start thinking about selling, as the price of the vehicle they owned was higher than the price of a new car, causing them to quickly lose money.

To make matters worse, the analysis showed that Tesla cars are not as economical as the company thought. There were also transport problems caused by accidents, leading to high repair costs and long deliveries.

Hertz will continue selling EVs in 2025.

Source: Hertz Car Rental; Photo: EPA-EFE

News

Ford is reducing production at the Cologne plant

The European electric vehicle market has been unstable for a long time, so due to the drop in demand, some manufacturers are deciding to reduce production. One of them is Ford, which announced that it is reducing production at the Cologne plant in Germany.

Ford has invested $2 billion in the facility to prepare it for electric vehicle production, but a rapid decline in demand for electric vehicles is holding back production of the Explorer and Capri models. Both models use Volkswagen technology, as clones of the ID model, and do not give the expected results. Employees will have no choice but to work one week and take another week off until the Christmas holidays.

Back in September, the American manufacturer realized that the too fast shutdown of cars with internal combustion engines, on which the manufacturer built its image for many years, was a failure. That’s why he started strongly advocating the return of ICE cars.

Gunnar Herrmann, Member of the Supervisory Board, believes that Ford’s survival depends on ICE cars and in a statement to the German press, he was more than clear that the current production at the factory where he is responsible is too small to justify two-shift operations. He also stated that he advised Ford managers in the United States that the focus in Europe should remain on ICE cars, but Ford’s headquarters in the United States do not intend to reconsider this decision and save what can be saved.

Source: Reuters

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