Reading view

There are new articles available, click to refresh the page.

Subaru’s only EV adds 25 percent more range, faster charging, and improved AWD

Subaru’s first and only EV, the Solterra, is getting a facelift for 2026 with many upgrades that include a better AWD system, longer range, and improved performance.

Subaru gave the new model a standard symmetrical all-wheel drive system that allows front and rear motors to work independently and offer better control in various weather conditions. The motors are also more powerful, with up to 233 horsepower combined, while a higher-end XT model bumps the power to 338 horsepower with 0-60 mph acceleration in under five seconds.

It has a cleaner and flatter front bumper, new headlights, and an illuminated logo that make the vehicle look more refined than the first version. Meanwhile, the interior receives an upgraded 14-inch infotainment touchscreen, two 15W wireless smartphone chargers, and USB-C charging ports.

The Solterra now has a 74.7kWh battery pack that gives it an EPA-estimated range of 285 miles on a single charge, compared to the previous 227 miles. It can charge from 10 to 80 percent in “less than 35 minutes” on a 150kW charger. It features the now-standard NACS charging port, which will allow the Solterra to charge at “more than 15,000” Tesla Supercharger locations across North America sometime this year.

The changes come after Toyota upgraded its BZ4X last month, which uses the same e-TNGA platform as the Solterra.

The MAGA-tech situationship

A photo of Lina Khan and Steve Bannon.

I have been reporting in Washington for nearly six years, and on politics for over a decade, and I’ve attended more corporate-sponsored policy events (and tend to nod off during them) than I can remember. I’ve also reported on the gradual disintegration of reality caused by the rise of MAGA, so I thought my tolerance for confusing political phenomena was pretty high. But never in my life did I think I would see Steve Bannon sitting onstage in his beat-up barn jacket next to former Consumer Finance and Protection Bureau director Rohit Chopra, a notable progressive introduced as “a protege of Sen. Elizabeth Warren,” with the two of them earnestly discussing the topic: “are techno-optimism and populism incompatible?” 

Not that the topic was out of left field per se — the tech right and the populist right are in an all-out war, and it’s roiling the Trump administration. But this was a visual pairing that reduced me to sending a photo of the stage with the caption “what if horseshoe theory, but real” to several sources. 

Bannon’s appearance at Y Combinator’s Little Tech Summit earlier this month was a surprise — his timeslot had been buried in the schedule …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Trump’s tariffs trigger price hikes at large online retailers

Popular online shopping meccas Temu and Shein have finally broken their silence, warning of potential price hikes starting next week due to Donald Trump's tariffs.

Temu is a China-based e-commerce platform that has grown as popular as Amazon for global shoppers making cross-border purchases, according to 2024 Statista data. Its tagline, "Shop like a billionaire," is inextricably linked to the affordability of items on its platform. And although Shein—which vows to make global fashion "accessible to all" by selling inexpensive stylish clothing—moved its headquarters from China to Singapore in 2022, most of its products are still controversially manufactured in China, the BBC reported.

For weeks, the US-China trade war has seen both sides spiking tariffs. In the US, the White House last night crunched the numbers and confirmed that China now faces tariffs of up to 245 percent, The Wall Street Journal reported. That figure includes new tariffs Trump has imposed, taxing all Chinese goods by 145 percent, as well as prior 100 percent tariffs lobbed by the Biden administration that are still in effect on EVs and Chinese syringes.

Read full article

Comments

© Feature China / Contributor | Future Publishing

Cupra is all about affordable cars, funky styling, electrified performance

MIAMI—The arrival of a new car brand to the US was always going to pique my interest, even before the current government decided to upend the automotive sector with punitive tariffs. So when Cupra invited me to come check out some of its cars and hear about its plan to launch here in America, I wanted to know more. My burning question was probably the same one you have as you read this: "Isn’t this a terrible time to try to launch a new car brand in the US?"

What’s a Cupra?

One of the brands of the sprawling Volkswagen Group, you can think of Cupra as sort of a Spanish Polestar. Originally, it was a high-performance badge given to some Seats (Seat being VW's budget brand from Spain), which then got spun out into a standalone brand.

OK, it's not a perfect analogy: Cupra is not a luxury brand, nor is it just electric vehicles. But it was created to fill a gap between the mass market and premium brands, with a focus on design and performance to attract a younger customer than VW's existing brands. "We are not a brand for everyone," said Chief Brand Officer Igansi Prieto.

Read full article

Comments

© Cupra

From Bogotá to the Battlefield: LatAm startups are winning big in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield

For startups around the world, the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield program offers unmatched exposure, credibility, and connections to scale their businesses. TechCrunch has long been committed to spotlighting companies solving real-world problems in scalable and sustainable ways — making it a powerful launchpad for startups both in and outside the U.S. Several Latin American startups have […]

Uber in talks to acquire Turkish food delivery startup Trendyol Go

Uber is looking to make a comeback in Turkey—and this time, it’s betting on food. According to Bloomberg, the U.S. ride-hailing and delivery giant is in talks to acquire food delivery startup Trendyol Go, a key player in Turkey’s booming […]

The post Uber in talks to acquire Turkish food delivery startup Trendyol Go first appeared on Tech Startups.

9to5Mac Daily: April 18, 2025 – Vision Air rumors, more

Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts appStitcherTuneInGoogle Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Sponsored by CardPointers: The best way to maximize your credit card rewards. 9to5Mac Daily listeners can exclusively save 30% and get a $100 Savings Card.

more…
❌