First US ID.4, Tesla Bot, Biden mpg fines, Nissan e-Power hot hatch: Today’s Car News

Automakers will soon face higher fines for gas guzzlers. Tesla reveals a robot. Nissan shows a spicier side of e-Power. VW shows it can build its mass-market EV in the U.S. This and more, here at Green Car Reports.

Volkswagen has produced the first U.S.-made VW ID.4 electric car, at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory. Although just a validation build for now, it’s an early indication that VW is pushing along with plans to start ramping up mass-production of electric cars there next summer, with first deliveries of them next fall. 

Nissan has revealed the Aura Note Nismo, a performance hatchback that adds some extra pep to the company’s e-Power series-hybrid system. With Infiniti’s recent cancellation of its own branded version of e-Power and Nissan’s deferral of the tech to later in the decade, the U.S. market isn’t due to see this version of the high-mpg tech, though. 

Automakers will soon pay a higher price for gas-guzzling fleets

that exceed CAFE fuel economy standards, under plans confirmed this week by the Biden administration. Higher penalty amounts were set years ago, with automakers fully aware of them in planning decisions, so now the question has become whether to apply them retroactively or not. 

And last night Tesla revealed a robot that it sees as potentially replacing humans in dangerous, boring, and repetitive tasks. It’s all related to the AI system being developed for its self-driving system.

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