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

Michigan Deems Carvana An “Imminent Threat” To The Public, Suspends Their License To Sell Cars

Michigan has become the latest state to take issue with how used-car dealership Carvana operates and has suspended its license to sell cars. The reasons are numerous, including cases of alleged fraudulent acts by Carvana employees, such as destroying title applications, as well as improper odometer disclosure records. Given the multiple violations, Michigan says Carvana is an “imminent threat” to the “health, safety or welfare of the public, requiring emergency action.”

The 2023 BMW M2 Shakes Off Conservative Design, Retains Driver-Oriented Focus

The all-new 2023 BMW M2 is here, with a design that has proved to be as Marmite as just about any other modern BMW. But, if you look past the wide horizontal-slatted grilles and blocky air intakes (those wanting even more shock and awe may be interested in the M Performance parts), you’ll find a car that, on paper, is still designed to appeal to enthusiasts. There’s a 3.0-liter straight-six engine with a healthy 453 hp (343 kW / 459 PS) and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque. There’s a manual six-speed automatic with auto-blip. And BMW has resisted the temptation to offer all-wheel drive, with power being sent to the rear wheels exclusively. One big issue, however, is weight. At 3,814 lbs (1,730 kg) in manual guise or 3,867 lbs (1,754 kg) with an automatic, it’s quite the porker. Fancy a convertible version? While unlikely, we’ve made up a render of what one would look like.

2024 Chevrolet Trax Debuts With Better Looks, More Room And A Lower Price

The new 2024 Trax will be Chevrolet’s entry-level car going forward, and at just $21,495, it makes it $205 less than the outgoing model’s starting price. However, rather than appearing to be a bargain basement special, the new Trax seems to be an upgrade in many areas. The design takes cues from the larger Blazer, while the interior has a more cohesive aesthetic. Power comes from a turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine that produces an estimated 137 hp (102 kW / 139 PS) and 162 lb-ft (219 Nm) of torque.

2024 Polestar 3 Is An Electric Luxury SUV Priced From $84k With Up To 510 HP And A 379-Mile Range

Polestar is looking to target the likes of the Porsche Cayenne with their latest and largest offering: the 3 SUV. Pricing will start at $83,900 in America, and it comes with a rear-biased dual-motor setup putting out 483 hp (489 PS) and 620 lb-ft (840 Nm). There’s also an optional Power Pack that raises those numbers to 510 hp (517 PS) and 671 lb-ft (910 Nm) and cuts the sprint to 4.7 seconds. Polestar says the new SUV will do 379 miles (610 km) on the WLTP cycle, and can be recharged at up to 250 kW.

We Talk To Ex-Koenigsegg Head Designer Sasha Selipanov About EVs, Annoying Design Trends And More

 

When it comes to automotive designers, Sasha Selipanov has already made a name for himself, working on some iconic vehicles. At Lamborghini, he played a role in the design of the Huracan. At Bugatti, he led the exterior design team that created the Chiron and the Vision Gran Turismo. And, at Genesis, he penned the gorgeous Essentia concept. Most recently, he served as the head of design at Koenigsegg, where he inked the Gemera four-seater hypercar before working on the new CC850, and Carscoops managed to sit down and have a chat with him.

Ford Won’t Give “Unauthorized Tuners” Access To The 2024 Mustang S650

It’s bad news for tuners who have made a living off of extracting more power from a car’s stock engine. Ford has locked down the “full stack” or the complete package of electronic hardware and software in the S650 Mustang, meaning that it will be harder for third-party tuners to get in there. The reasoning is to protect the car against vulnerabilities from hackers while keeping users’ personal info private. However, while Ford has worked with aftermarket tuners in many different instances over the years and we expect that to continue in the future, when asked by Musclecarsandtrucks if just any third party would be able to tune the S650’s engines, the chief engineer of the all-new Mustang, Ed Krenz, responded with a resounding “NO.”

2025 Fiat 500X: Next Gen Keeps Italian Flair And Grows In Size To Compete With Compact SUVs

The next-generation 500X is expected to graduate into a larger class of vehicle, with the 600 taking the crossover’s spot. The 500X will therefore become a C-Segment SUV, with the equivalent Jeep Avenger and the larger next-gen Renegade expected to follow suit. Our speculative renderings created by Jean Francois Hubert/SB-Medien for CarScoops predict what such a car will look like when it arrives, rumored sometime around 2024.

Jaguar F-Type Riding Into The Sunset, Getting 75 Edition As A Final Sendoff

Jaguar is about to go through a period of extreme change, as the company repositions itself as a more upmarket automaker that solely deals in EVs. That means cars like the F-Type will soon be no more. To celebrate the F-Type’s final model year, the company has created the F-Type 75 and F-Type R 75 special editions, featuring a Giola Green metallic paint job, front fender badges that depict the F-Type’s unmistakable silhouette, LED headlights, and 20-inch wheels.

This Week’s Scoops

Hotter 2024 BMW X2 M35i Spotted Testing At Nurburgring

Next-Gen 2023 Volkswagen Passat Spotted In Plug-in Hybrid Form For Across The Pond

Tesla Semi Prototype Breaks Down Just Six Weeks Before Deliveries Start

2024 Acura ZDX Electric SUV Is The Honda Prologue’s Posher Sibling

What Else Is Making The News

Protestors Throw Soup On van Gogh’s Sunflowers Painting 

Climate activists from Just Stop Oil threw tomato soup on Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers at the London National Gallery. Afterward, the protestors glued themselves to the wall before being arrested for criminal damage and aggravated trespass. The BBC reports that the painting was unharmed and was back on display six hours after the attack.

Robbie Coltraine Dies At The Age Of 72

Scottish Actor Robbie Coltraine has died at the age of 72. The actor was best known for playing Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, and was also known for his roles in the James Bond franchise in Goldeneye and The World Is Not Enough.