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

Tesla Considering Building Lithium Refinery In Texas, Could Open In 2024

Tesla has applied for tax breaks in Texas as it considers building a lithium refinery there to aid U.S. EV battery production. While there’s no guarantee the company will go ahead with these plans, it comes at a crucial time, with many companies looking to reduce their reliance on China for battery production.

Large Scale Jeep EV Announcement Includes 2023 Avenger EV For Europe, 2024 Wagoneer S, And 2024 Recon

https://youtu.be/bQNxyMYXHmY

Jeep is forging ahead with its EV plans as it aims to ensure that 50 percent of all cars it sells in America are electrified by 2030, with that number rising to 100 percent on the European side of the pond. For Europe, but not the U.S., will be the Avenger, a baby SUV that will feature a 249-mile (400 km) electric driving range while retaining the impressive ground clearance and break-over angles expected from a Jeep product. For U.S. customers, the Wagoneer S will take the brand more upmarket, with a 600 hp EV that has Range Rover in its sights. Finally, the Recon is an EV cousin of the Wrangler, and will also make an appearance in 2024.

New KTM X-Bow GT-XR Is Your Latest Street Legal Track Toy

While the X-Bow might be known as an already-extreme track-oriented vehicle, the latest limited version from KTM promises to be the ultimate rendition. Called the X-Bow GT-XR, the coupe features an Audi-derived 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder that is good for 500 hp at 6,350 rpm and 581 Nm of torque at 5,550 rpm. Other headline elements include a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and a limited-slip differential. The car has a top speed of 174 mph (280 km/h) and a 0–100 km/h (0-62 mph) in just 3.4 seconds.

2025 Kia Stinger EV: We Envision An All-Electric Replacement For The Korean Driver’s Car

Could the Kia Stinger make a return as an EV? Well, if the breakout performance liftback ever did make a comeback, then this is how we think it would look. Our independent and hypothetical illustrations show how the original’s good looks can be translated into a future-forward design, with a frameless glasshouse, smooth surfacing, and muscular fenders.

2023 Toyota GR Corolla Pricing Revealed, Ranges From $35,900 To $49,900

While speculation has been rife, we finally know just how much the eagerly-awaited 2023 Toyota GR Corolla will cost. The 300 hp (223 kW) and 275 lb-ft (372 Nm) Core Edition will start at $35,900 before a Dealer Processing and Handling fee of $1,095. The Circuit Edition, which is only available for 2023, will begin at $42,900 and adds a carbon fiber roof and a host of packs that are optional for the Core Edition. The top-of-the-line Morizo Edition starts at $49,900, bumps torque to 295 pound-feet (399 Nm), and shaves off about 100 pounds of total weight.

Cars We Scooped This Week

Ferrari Roma Spider Prototype Caught Testing With Heavy Camouflage

Still-Camo’d BMW XM Prototype Pretends We Haven’t All Seen The Leaked Patent Drawings

2024 Volkswagen Tiguan Shows Off Redesigned Body For The First Time

2024 BMW M5 Hybrid Prototype Drops Arch Flares, Shows Glimpse Of M4 CSL-Style Grille

First Look: The 2023 Hornet Is The Most Important Dodge In Over A Decade

For many enthusiasts, crossovers just seem to fall short of the mark. By being a jack of all trades, they often lose out on the performance, good looks, or excellent handling that is usually found with other body shapes. That’s why the 2023 Hornet is the most important Dodge in over a decade. Dodge is bringing a rather striking-looking, performance-oriented crossover for under $30,000 in what has been a rather vanilla segment up until now. But will it be enough to differentiate itself from its Alfa Romeo clone, and will buyers be enamored by the European influence? Only time will tell, but we got up close to give you our first impressions.

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV Is The Affordable, No Compromise Electric Crossover We’ve Been Waiting For

Another good-looking and rather interesting crossover comes in the form of the $30,000 (base) Chevrolet Equinox EV. While most electric crossovers haven’t been able to combine decent range figures with good looks and affordability, the Equinox EV may just be the crossover that gets GM customers into electric cars.

Driven: The Manual 2023 Toyota GR Supra Is An Ode To Enthusiasts And The 2023 Lexus RX Raises The Crossover Bar Again While Dropping V6

This week we got behind the wheel of two very important products from Toyota and Lexus. Firstly, the car that enthusiasts (and fanboys) had been crying out for since it was announced all those years ago: a manual GR Supra. But does the addition of a stick really make an improvement? On the other side of things, and from Lexus, is the 2023 RX, which drops the V6 and replaces it with a trio of turbo four-cylinder options. How does it fare? Better than you might expect!

What Else Is Making The News

Californian Blackouts Averted Thanks To Emergency Text 

The California Independent System Operator (Cal-ISO) issued an emergency text alert requesting residents to limit energy use for three hours, or else power cuts would be imposed. According to Cal-ISO, the message worked, and they saw an “immediate and significant drop” in the use of power, reports the BBC.

Thousands Of Fans Descend On YouTuber MrBeast’s New Restaurant 

YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson saw thousands of fans enter the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the site of his new MrBeast Burger restaurant. The YouTuber later claimed that the grand opening broke the world record for most burgers sold in a day by a single restaurant.