Good morning and welcome to our daily digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…

New York State To Ban Sales Of New ICE-Powered Cars And Light-Duty Trucks By 2035

In another death-knell to the internal combustion engine, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill last Wednesday effectively banning the sale of anything other than zero-emissions passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks by 2035. The state will then seek the same for all new medium- and heavy-duty trucks by 2045, if feasible. In a similar statement, New York City has announced it will need at least a quarter of its 2 million vehicle owners to switch to EVs by 2030 to meet climate targets.

2022 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Arrives With Upscale Interior, Super Cruise And Plenty Of Tech

The 2022 Silverado has debuted and will aim to catch up to rivals such as the Ram 1500 and Ford F-150 with extensive updates and improvements. The majority of the changes center around the 2022 Silverado’s interior with all-new infotainment screens and a digital instrument cluster, as well as built-in Google, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa compatibility. In addition, Super Cruise, GM’s hands-free tech, finally makes an appearance, exclusively available on the Silverado 1500 High Country. Under the hood, there’s an improved four-cylinder, as well as an increased towing load for the 3.0-liter Duramax turbodiesel.

2022 Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Debuts As The Brand’s Flagship Off-Road Pickup

More Chevy pick-up news, as the 2022 Silverado ZR2 was revealed as well. This new flagship truck is apparently designed to offer “race-proven off-road performance customers can buy right from the showroom floor.” However, with a 6.2-liter V8 that produces 420 hp (313 kW / 426 PS) and 460 lb-ft (624 Nm) of torque, the Silverado ZR2 isn’t trying to challenge the Ford F-150 Raptor or Ram 1500 TRX. Instead, it’s pitched at a lower price point with plenty of goodies to keep you engaged. What you get is a new suspension set-up with special springs and dampers for added off-road ability. There are ZR2-specific chassis calibrations, front and rear e-lockers, and a new steel bumper that improves the approach angle, to name a few key features.

Ford Stops Making Cars In India Following $2 Billion In Losses Over Last Decade

Ford is shutting down most of its manufacturing plants in India and will leave as many as 4,000 employees redundant. The move means that locally produced vehicles like the Figo, Aspire, Freestyle, EcoSport, and Endeavour will stop being available once dealer inventories are sold. However, engine production at the Sanand manufacturing plant will continue, with engines built and exported for the Ranger. Over the past 10 years, Ford has accumulated more than $2 billion in losses due to its Indian manufacturing unit, so clearly something had to be done.

VW’s 2023 ID Electric Sedan Tries To Hide Under Passat Camouflage

An as-yet-unnamed sedan has been caught testing, disguised as a Volkswagen Passat. The new electric sedan will be based on VW Group’s MEB architecture. The already confirmed Shooting Brake variant, which was previewed by the ID Space Vizzion, might be revealed before the sedan offering added practicality and increased cargo space, but is likely to share similar dimensions and styling.

Tesla Model S Plaid Smashes Production EV Nurburgring Record Beating Porsche Taycan Turbo By 12 Seconds

 

A Tesla Model S Plaid has reportedly set the record for the fastest production electric car around the Nurburgring. The claims were tweeted by Elon Musk, who shared a picture of two ’ring times on Twitter. A time of 7:30.909 snatches away the EV sedan record from the Porsche Taycan Turbo that ran a 7:42.3 on the 20.6 km course in 2019. However, there are still a few ICE sedans that have been faster including the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S.

Man Jailed For Driving Mitsubishi Shogun Half Mile On UK Train Tracks

A man has been jailed after driving his Mitsubishi Pajero/Shogun half a mile down a set of train tracks near Birmingham, UK. While no one was hurt, his actions caused £23,000 ($32,000) in damage. His sentence is 15 months with a victim surcharge of £156 ($217).

What Else Is Making The News

Playstation Showcase 2021 Shows Some Great New Games

While many have been frustrated by how hard it is to come by a Playstation 5, Sony held a 45-minute showcase revealing gamers what they can expect from the future. Petrolheads will no doubt be looking forward to Gran Turismo 7, with other trailers such as Wolverine, God of War: Ragnarok, and Project Eve whetting our appetite.

Twitter To Introduce New Label For “Good” Bot Accounts

Twitter has announced that they’ll be allowing bots to identify themselves, as the company continues to remove accounts that are deemed to be inauthentic. According to the BBC, the move is being made as some bot accounts are seen as having a positive impact on the platform — for example a bot that live-tweets every time there is an earthquake in San Francisco.