Lucid’s layoffs, Holley R&D Fox-body for sale, Honda recalls 330K vehicles

Lucid announces 18-percent staff cuts amid contracting market

Intake: According to a new report from Automotive News, electric car start-up Lucid has announced that it will lay off 18 percent of its workforce. The company responsible for ultra-high-performance electric sedans such as the Air Sapphire had about 7200 employees at the end of last year. Lucid cited shortcomings in 2023’s production forecasts and a major dip in orders as reasons for the belt-tightening. The company will reportedly communicate the details of the layoffs to workers before the week is out.

Exhaust: Decades-high inflation has forced buyers to second-guess major purchases like a six-figure electric sedan. Coupled with the fact that more established automakers are starting to hit their stride with EVs—which they can offer at lower prices, it’s looking like an uphill battle for fledgling EV makers like Lucid and Rivian. The latter announced a six-percent staff cut last month in a similar effort to curb costs. — Nathan Petroelje

Godzilla is going electric—sort of

【R32EV】vol.1
日産はR32型スカイラインGT-RのEV試作車製作に挑戦します。https://t.co/4eNjF3KdiI
この取り組みは、GT-Rに憧れて入社した技術者が「最高に好きなクルマに、今自分が関わる最新の電動化技術を載せて、もっとワクワクするクルマを造りたい」という思いから始まりました。#GTR #R32EV pic.twitter.com/pGBHqgeSBo

— 日産自動車株式会社 (@NissanJP) March 28, 2023

Intake: In a move that many fans may see as sacrilege, Nissan has developed an electro-modded R32 Skyline GT-R. A Twitter post from the Japanese firm confirmed, “Nissan will challenge the production of an EV prototype of the R32 Skyline GT-R.” Although the video has a clearly audible six-cylinder soundtrack, the tweet is accompanied by the hashtag #R32EV and a quote from one engineer saying “I want to build a more exciting car by adding the latest electrification technology that I am involved with to my favorite car.” There’s no further information for now, but we’ll keep you posted.

Exhaust: OEM electric resto-mods are becoming a thing. Ford and GM both offer crate e-motors, while Nissan’s partner Renault recently announced conversions for the classic 4, 5, and Twingo. While a factory-converted effort such as this GT-R might stir Skyline faithful to anger, don’t expect this to be the last time you see one of your heroes bolt on some batteries. — Nik Berg

1990s Holley R&D Fox-body Mustang up for auction

Intake: Holley is selling a little bit of modern hot rodding history on eBay, in the form of a 1990 Mustang LX 5.0 hatchback. The Fox-body Mustang is being offered up by Holley’s official eBay seller account, and it comes with a pretty fair assessment of its condition from both the photography and description provided. Holley states this automatic-equipped Mustang has 70,000 miles and has been returned to stock, aside from “aftermarket fuel lines and exhaust.” As of this writing, the leading bid sits at $8600.

Exhaust: Oh, the stories this little 5.0 from Kentucky could tell. I reckon each version of Holley’s vintage Systemax intakes, aluminum heads, and camshafts was installed to test their performance at the local Beech Bend Raceway. And they likely used this Mustang to test their competition, which was easily found on the pages of magazines like Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords, because these model-specific magazines were precisely how countless 5.0 Mustang fans learned about the latest parts available for the Fox-body. The sheer volume of aftermarket speed parts made the Mustang more interchangeable than a Lego Technic kit. Hard to put a price on that, but we’ll know that number by tomorrow. — Sajeev Mehta

Honda recalls 330,300 vehicles for detaching side mirrors

Intake: A new report from Automotive News revealed that Honda is issuing a recall for 330,300 U.S. vehicles that may suffer from side mirrors that detach. The recall affects 2020–22 Honda Odysseys, 2020–22 Honda Passports, 2020–21 Honda Pilots, and 2020–21 Honda Ridgelines. According to the Honda recall document, the culprit is heating pads behind the side-view mirrors that can lose adhesion, causing the glass to be at risk of detaching. Honda has received 71 warranty claims related to the issue thus far, with no injuries reported. Owners will be notified by mail beginning May 8, instructing them to bring their affected vehicle to a dealer, who will replace the left and right side-view mirrors.

Exhaust: Honda’s side-view mirror supplier changed the heater pad and mirror back-plate adhesive tape in July 2021, according to Automotive News, but the issues appear to have persisted. If you own one of the vehicles mentioned above, mark your calendars for a quick trip to the dealer. — NP

Kia EV9 to launch with up to 379 hp and more to follow

Intake: Kia’s new flagship EV, the three-row EV9, will go on sale with a pair of powertrains. The Telluride-sized car comes with a 76.1- or 99.8-kWh battery pack which, in the lowest-powered Long Range version, sends 201 hp to the rear wheels. The all-wheel-drive EV9 GT-Line delivers 379 hp. There’s also a Standard Range rear-drive version with 214 hp. Based on Europe’s rather optimistic WLTP cycle, Kia claims that the maximum range is 336 miles, although the EPA estimate is more likely to be around 280 miles. Kia has also confirmed some other numbers for the EV9. It’s 197.2 inches long, 78 inches wide, and 69.1 inches tall, on a wheelbase of 122 inches. Wheel diameters of 19, 20, and 21 inches will be available. The EV9 will be offered in six- and seven-seat configurations and will be on sale in the U.S.A in the second half of 2023, with further details arriving closer to the on-sale date. If you can hang on until 2025, however, you’ll be able to get hold of a GT model, packing the same 576 hp as the EV6 GT.

Exhaust: There’s a dramatic difference in performance between powertrains that you’ll want to seriously consider if you’re going to utilize the EV9’s extra carrying capacity. In Long Range guise it will take 9.4 seconds to reach 62mph, in Standard spec it’s 8.2 seconds, while the GT-Line slashes the time to 5.3 seconds—if you pay for an over-the-air performance update. Expect the 2025 GT to take another couple of seconds off as well. If you’re hauling people and gear, it may pay to sacrifice a little range for daily drivability. — NB

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