In Europe and in the U.S. alike, ride hailing needs to go fully electric as soon as possible. Otherwise it’s adding to local pollution issues and global warming. 

And yet the needs of ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are quite different versus typical personal use. They are essentially the new generation of taxi fleets. And it appears that the UK-based company Arrival last week recognized exactly that—with an early driving prototype focusing on what truly best serves that need.

Arrival says that the vehicle, which looks like a tall-roof hatchback, has “exceptional visibility and comfort,” with double the legroom versus other models its length, which is about the same as the VW Golf. Priorities for the car, the company says, were uptime, driver comfort, safety, and convenience. An elevated driving position and cab-forward layout help aid urban visibility, while back-seat space and a sense of separation were top priorities. Vast legroom allows space for bags near feet in the cabin, and the front passenger seat flips forward if needed.

Arrival Car prototype

No powertrain or charging specs were revealed yet for the EV, which it claims was developed alongside real Uber drivers. The Arrival Car will now enter design and testing phases as it moves toward a production version.

The project was announced earlier this year, with a confirmation that Arrival and Uber would “explore a strategic relationship in key markets,” including the U.S., the UK, and the European Union. 

Arrival does note that the vehicle addresses a global need, and it points to an estimated 30 million drivers across the ride-hailing sector, worldwide. The U.S. wasn’t mentioned as a potential market for this vehicle at that time, and Green Car Reports has reached out to Arrival to see if the scope of the model has changed since then. 

Arrival’s focus so far for the U.S. market has been on larger commercial vehicles, and it plans to deliver an electric van later in 2022, when it also plans to start local production of electric buses at a South Carolina “microfactory.” 

Arrival electric delivery van for UPS

The reveal of the Uber-focused EV keeps right on schedule with a May announcement, in which the company said that the vehicle would be revealed by the end of 2021, with aims to start production in the third quarter of 2023. 

What’s missing in these announcements is the financial model. Uber currently bases its business model around drivers supplying their own cars. While there’s been no commitment from Uber to buy cars from Arrival, it might be assumed that there will be some level of incentivization.

Arrival Car prototype

Focusing back to the U.S., California is planning to mandate electric cars for ride-hailing by 2030, and it plans to do so with a regulatory and credit system not unlike its ZEV mandate requiring electric vehicles—likely leading to subsidies from ride-hailing companies to reduce the price of EV leases.

In effect, the EV mandate for ride-hailing isn’t far ahead of the state’s own plans to shift all new light-vehicle sales electric by 2035. But it’s more urgent to quell urban emissions and help make up for “deadhead miles” with only the driver aboard.

Would the Arrival Car handle the needs of an Uber or Lyft trip better than the typical Corolla or Camry? Watch the video, and let us know in your comments below.

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Land Rover is currently out testing new generations of its Range Rover and related Range Rover Sport.

These latest spy shots and video show prototypes for the Range Rover Sport, specifically the high-performance SVR version.

The current Range Rover Sport SVR is one of our favorite performance crossovers, and Land Rover has managed to move over 20,000 of them since the 2014 launch. This popularity is thanks in part to the vehicle’s combination of luxury and track capability. In other words, it’s a crossover that’s not only fast but also comfy. The next one should only improve on these qualities.

We know this is the SVR because of the additional intakes in the front fascia, plus a diffuser integrated into the rear fascia that also houses a pair of exhaust tips on either side. You’ll also notice the enlarged brake rotors and calipers that almost fill the wheels.

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Set to underpin the redesigned Range Rover and Range Rover Sport is Land Rover’s new MLA (Modular Longitudinal Architecture) platform. The platform has been designed to fit both internal-combustion and electric powertrains, and it is also lighter than the D7 platform it replaces. This latter attribute should help improve the performance of the redesigned SVR.

Power will most likely come from Jaguar Land Rover’s familiar 5.0-liter supercharged V-8, though we could see a BMW V-8 used instead. The 5.0-liter supercharged V-8 is used in the current Range Rover Sport SVR, where it dishes out 575 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Beyond the potent powerplant, the redesigned SVR should also benefit from tweaks to the transmission, suspension and anti-roll system.

SVR development is handled by Jaguar Land Rover’s personalization department known as SVO. Vehicles with the SVR tag are aimed at offerings from Audi Sport, BMW M and Mercedes-Benz AMG. Rivals for the Range Rover Sport SVR from those other brands include the Audi RS Q8, BMW X6 M, and Mercedes-Benz AMG GLE63 Coupe. Interested buyers may also want to consider the Lamborghini Urus and Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe.

Look for the redesigned Range Rover Sport to start sales in 2023 as a 2024 model. The SVR version should arrive shortly after launch, also as a 2024 model.

A new American hero is preparing to emerge, and it sounds like it hails from Italy.

On Monday, General Motors released the first teaser for the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and said the car will debut this fall.

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The teaser video reveals the soundtrack of the new Z06’s powertrain, but doesn’t show the car. Based on sound we hear in the video, the Z06 will indeed be powered by a flat-plane crank V-8 (like a Ferrari), and it sounds nothing like any street-legal Corvette in history.

The engine will likely be the 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V-8 that powers Chevy’s Corvette C8.R race car. In the C8.R, the engine produces 500 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque, but it’s limited by regulations. It’s mated to a 6-speed sequential transmission. Uncorked in the Z06 street car, expect the engine to produce around 625 hp and 485 lb-ft of torque. An 8-speed automatic or a dual-clutch automatic transmission will send power to the rear wheels, and a manual transmission will not be on the options sheet.

The redline is expected to be 9,000 rpm, which will make that sound even more intoxicating.

Expect a wider overall stance with punched-out rear fenders covering massive 345 mm rear tires (the standard C8 Corvette’s rear tires max out at 305 mm). Prototypes have been spotted sporting 275 mm tires up front, and some had sticky Michelin Sport Cup 2 R tires.

The Z06’s interior was teased in 2019 with a sketch featuring two big red buttons on the steering wheel marked “Spec Mode” and carbon fiber instead of leather on some surfaces.  The digital gauge cluster in the sketch also showed a racetrack layout, which could be a performance feature for use at various tracks.

Stay tuned for more news regarding the 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 as we near the American supercar’s debut this fall.