Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the Roadster upgrade will bring a significant improvement in range.
“Roadster upgrade will enable non-stop travel from LA to SF — almost 400 mile range,” the executive said in a Twitter post.

The current roadster is powered by a 56 kWh battery, good for approximately 245 miles on a full charge, however the model has been out of production for nearly three years as the company focused on the Model S.

The executive suggests Tesla’s electric sedan will also get a battery upgrade, but not in the immediate future.

“Should mention that a battery pack upgrade is not coming soon for the Model S, but it obviously *will* happen long-term,” Musk noted.

Additional details surrounding the Roadster upgrade are due to be announced later today.

Messing with success typically isn’t a good idea, but Ford’s decision to replace its best-selling E-Series van with the new Transit is proving to be a wise move.
Ford delivered more than 4,800 Transits during the month of November, besting all other competitors in the full-size cargo van segment, including Ford’s lame-duck E-Series and the Chevrolet Express. November was the Transit’s first month at the top of the sales charts.

Since its June launch, Ford has delivered more than 10,000 units of its Transit to buyers.

“We’re really excited to see Transit take over in such a big way — and so quickly,” Yaro Hetman, Transit brand manager, told The Detroit News. “We had no plans at all to let down on our leadership in the van segment.”

The E-Series that the Transit will eventually replace has been the best-selling large van in the United States for the last 34-years in a row.

Ford credits a wide range of powertrain and body style options as a key reason for the Transit’s success. An improving economy has also boosted overall van sales — the segment is up 14 percent this year.

Ford doesn’t forecast Transit sales, but the Dearborn-based automaker expects demand to only climb higher.

“We’re just looking at steadily increasing — 4,800 is just the beginning for sales,” Hetman said.

Tesla Motors has launched a trade-in program aimed at bolstering sales in China.
The California-based company is helping potential customers get rid of their existing rides, selling the used cars via established networks and deducting the sale value from the Model S’ sticker price, according to a Bloomberg report.

Tesla encountered a few headaches as it entered the world’s largest automotive market, with early buyers frustrated by delivery delays. The company plans to build the Model S in China within approximately four years to help accommodate anticipated demand.

Chinese buyers face a 648,000-yuan (~$104,000 USD) price tag for the electric sedan, which can be charged at hundreds of stations located throughout the country.

Porsche may have canceled plans for a sub-Boxster sports car model dubbed the 718, but the German automaker is reportedly still moving forward with the reintroduction of that iconic nameplate.
Although no longer earmarked for a cheaper sports car, Automobile reports that Porsche will use the 718 designation — which was used on a Porsche race car in the late 1950s and early 60s — for its next-generation Boxster and Cayman models. The name swap will better align the Boxster and Cayman with Porsche’s most recognizable vehicle, the 911. And like the 911 — which can be had from base Carrera to range-topping Turbo S — Porsche is planning to offer several different performance variants of the 718 range.

Among those new 718 models will be a base model powered by a 2.0L flat-four with about 285 horsepower. Although not a true entry-level model, the 2.0L 718 will essentially stand as the “baby Boxster” Porsche decided to can.

Porsche will also offer the 718 with a 360 horsepower 2.5L flat-four and a turbocharged version with about 400 horsepower. At this point it’s unknown if any 718 model will use a six-cylinder powerplant.

Like the 911, the 718 will be offered as both a coupe and convertible.

Porsche’s new 718 line is expected to debut sometime in 2016 for the 2017 model year.

Subaru has reportedly killed plans to build the XV Crosstrek at its US production facility.
The company had been expected to manufacture approximately 65,000 Crosstrek units each year in Lafayette, Indiana, however the model is now slated to be assembled at a plant near Tokyo, unnamed sources have told Reuters.

The decision is said to have been partially inspired by a weak yen, which has encouraged Japanese automakers to focus on domestic production.

Subaru early in 2013 announced a $400 million expansion plan for its Lafayette plant, despite putting an end to a production agreement with Toyota to build the Camry at the facility. It is unclear if the currency valuation will also affect plans to relocate Impreza production to Indiana.

The company is on track for record sales in the US market, with deliveries up by more than 20 percent for the first 11 months of the year.