Connect with us

Published

on

As part of its official debut in the Middle East, Automobili Pininfarina offered a demonstration of its all-electric Battista hyper GT and its 1,900 horsepower in action, celebrating a laundry list of new world records for a production vehicle. Learn more and see the Battista hyper GT’s insane acceleration from Dubai in the video below.

Automobili Pininfarina GmbH is a Munich-based subsidiary of Mahindra & Mahindra, who purchased the Italian car design firm Pininfarina SpA back in 2015. The exotic automaker’s Italian roots date back to the original Pininfarina marque founded in 1930 by Battista “Pinin” Farina.

In fact, the Battista hyper GT is named after its predecessor’s original founder that initially debuted as a concept EV at Monterey Car Week 2018. Although Automobili Pininfarina originally promised the Battista be available to challenge world records in 2020, delays said otherwise. The hypercar developer ended up unveiling a production-ready version at Monterey Car Week in 2021.

The handcrafted hypercars finally began rolling off the assembly lines at the automaker’s Atelier engineering and development hub in Cambiano, Italy, earlier this year with deliveries currently underway. However, the Battista hyper GT had yet to debut in the Middle East, so to truly demonstrate its power, Automobili Pininfarina took it to the track in Dubai alongside news of several confirmed world records.

Battista world record

Battista earns world records in acceleration and braking

According to its press release, Automobili Pininfarina achieved a series of world records during the final round of homologation for its all-electric Battista hyper GT. The automaker shared these acheivements while simultanesouly confirming the performance specs those very exclusive Battista customers will be able to experience.

To give you a feel for just how “hyper” this GT is, you’ve gotta read some of its confirmed specs. We’re talking 1,900 horsepower and 2,340 Nm of torque and a top speed of 350 km/h (217.5 mph). It’s no wonder the Battista hyper GT snagged some world records for a production car. Here’s its current trophy case:

  • 0-60 mph in 1.79s (world record for a production car)
  • 0-100 km/h in 1.86s (world record for a production car)
  • 0-120 mph in 4.49s (world record for a production car)
  • 0-200 km/h in 4.75s (world record for a production car)
  • 100-0 km/h in 31 meters (world record for an electric production car)
  • Range of 300 miles (combined EPA) (world record for an electric hypercar)

Automobili Pininfarina Chief Product and Engineering Officer Paolo Dellacha spoke to the Battista GT’s world record achievements and the design that went into it:

I am proud that our new electric hyper GT delivers on the promises we made when we set out or development plan. In Battista, we have achieved performance beyond our original, extreme targets. Perfectly optimized weight distribution and low centre of gravity are at the heart of this result.  The combination of bespoke chassis and suspension tuning, tires proven over many thousands of test miles and four-motor torque vectoring delivering unprecedented power enables Battista to be the fastest accelerating road-legal car in the world. Battista’s incredible technical package includes a carbon ceramic brake system, helping the Italian hyper GT become the fastest braking electric car in the world. Our discerning clients here in the UAE have been overwhelmed by the Battista driving experience, which is as breathtaking as its award-winning design.

Each Battista takes over 1,250 hours to assemble in Italy and is fully bespoke for each customer. Only 150 in total will be made, hence their starting price of 2.2 million euros. Check out the world record holding Battista GT performing a 200 km/h acceleration test during its Dubai debut below.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla Model 3 and Model Y prices rose higher in March as sales fell

Published

on

By

Tesla Model 3 and Model Y prices rose higher in March as sales fell

Tesla average transaction prices (ATPs) in March are estimated at $54,582, higher year-over-year by 3.5% and higher than in February, according to the latest monthly new-vehicle ATP report from Cox Automotive’s Kelley Blue Book. 

Average transaction prices for the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y were higher month-over-month and year-over-year in March. Tesla’s sales in Q1 continued their long-term decline after peaking in Q1 2023. Estimates from Kelley Blue Book suggest Tesla’s sales in Q1 2025 were lower year-over-year by more than 8%. Its deliveries were also worse than expected.

New EV prices in March overall are initially estimated by Kelley Blue Book to be $59,205, higher year-over-year by 7.0%. New EV prices increased from the revised higher February ATP of $57,015.

The ATP for an EV last month was nearly 25% higher than the industry average of $47,462, widening the price gap between new EVs and gas-powered cars even more. 

Advertisement – scroll for more content

But EVs are still seeing heftier incentives than the industry average. In March, the average EV incentive came in at 13.3% of the transaction price – down 1% from February’s revised 14.3% but still well above what gas cars are getting.

So, where are we heading? Higher prices, thanks to Trump’s tariffs. But what that will look like remains to be seen. Erin Keating, executive analyst at Cox Automotive, said, “All signs point to higher prices this summer, as existing ‘pre-tariff’ inventory is sold down to be eventually replaced with ‘tariffed’ inventory. How high prices rise for consumers is still very much to be determined, as each automaker will handle the price puzzle differently.”

Read more: EV incentives surged to 14.8% of ATP in Feb – highest in 5+ years


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

BYD launches its first EVs with ultra-fast charging starting at just $30,000

Published

on

By

BYD launches its first EVs with ultra-fast charging starting at just ,000

BYD just launched the first EVs based on its new Super e-platform with ultra-fast charging. The new Han L sedan and Tang L SUV can gain nearly 250 miles range in 5 minutes, and prices start at just $30,000.

Meet BYD’s new EVs with ultra-fast charging

During a launch event on April 9, BYD introduced the new EV models, claiming its engineers have “achieved the master realm of Chinese technology.”

The Han L and Tang L are the first EVs based on BYD’s 1000V Super e-platform. After unveiling the ultra-fast EV charging platform last month, BYD’s CEO, Wang Chuanfu, said to ease charging anxiety, “The ultimate solution is to make charging as quick as refueling a gasoline car.”

That solution is now here. BYD’s new Han L is available in three trims, starting at just 219,800 yuan ($30,000), lower than the pre-sale price of 270,000 yuan ($36,800).

Advertisement – scroll for more content

BYD’s new electric sedan is 5,050 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,505 mm tall, or about the size of a Tesla Model S (5,021 mm long, 1,987 mm wide, and 1,431 mm tall).

All variants are powered by an 83.2 kWh BYD Blade battery, providing up to 435 miles (701 km) of CLTC driving range. Based on BYD’s 1,000V architecture, the Han L comes with two charge guns with an up to 10C charge rate.

Nearly 250 miles in just 5 minutes?

With ultra-fast charging, the electric sedan can gain 400 km (248 miles) in just five minutes. In six minutes, it can recharge from 10% to 70%, and in just 20 minutes, it can fully recharge (0% to 100%) the battery.

Like all its new EV models, the Han L is equipped with BYD’s God’s Eye smart driving assist system. It features the mid-tier “B” version and DiPilot 300.

BYD-EVs-ultra-fast-charging
BYD Tang L electric SUV with ultra-fast charging (Source: BYD)

BYD’s new electric SUV, the Tang L, is also offered in three trims. It starts at 239,800 yuan ($32,700), also below the pre-sale price of 280,000 yuan ($38,200).

The Tang L is also based on BYD’s 1,000V architecture and ultra-fast charging platform. Powered by a 100.5 kWh battery, it has a CLTC range of up to 435 miles (701 km) and can gain 230 miles (370 km) in 5 minutes. It will take about 30 minutes to go from 0% to 100%.

BYD’s electric SUV is 5,040 mm long, 1996 mm wide, and 1,760 mm tall, or slightly bigger than the new Tesla Model Y Juniper in China (4,797 mm long, 1,920 mm wide, and 1,624 mm tall).

Like the Han L EV, the electric SUV has BYD’s God’s Eye B ADAS system with DiPilot 300. Both the Han L and Tang are available as PHEVs, starting at 209,800 yuan ($28,500) and 229,800 yuan ($31,300).

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Environment

Affirm surges 20% as fintech rallies on tariff pause, but risk remains

Published

on

By

Affirm surges 20% as fintech rallies on tariff pause, but risk remains

Thomas Fuller | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images

The fintech sector is rallying Wednesday following the Trump administration’s announcement of a 90-day pause on planned tariffs. 

Affirm was up 20%, Toast and Block rose 13% and PayPal increased 10%. 

The 90-day pause doesn’t eliminate the threat of tariffs — it just delays it. Investors are still pricing in risk, including inflation, discretionary pullbacks, hardware import costs and credit exposure.

Legacy payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard, both up 6%, continue to benefit from inflation and their structural ties to nominal GDP. These companies take a percentage of every transaction. That makes rising prices a tailwind.

“If prices are moving up for certain goods and you’re paying with a credit card, it’s actually good for the credit card companies,” said Dan Dolev, a fintech analyst at Mizuho.

Their pricing structure has historically made them resilient during inflationary periods, including recessions. The situation is less rosy for the new wave of consumer lending fintechs.

Affirm, which specializes in allowing consumers to buy now and pay later, could suffer if consumers pull back spending when the pause is lifted as a result of tariffs causing prices to rise. The San Francisco-based company could see its revenue less transaction costs margins — essentially what the company pockets after paying processing fees and customer incentives — drop more than 22% in that scenario, according to a Goldman Sachs estimate on Tuesday. 

The adoption of buy now, pay later may rise as consumers hit credit limits, said SIG analyst James Friedman, but he added that the model remains untested in a downturn. 

Toast, Block and Fiserv, which was up 6%, develop software used by restaurants and small businesses. Those companies could face rising hardware costs and softening demand from customers if the tariffs go through.

Meanwhile, cross-border payments — one of the most profitable segments for Visa, Mastercard and PayPal — remain under pressure as global travel slows and e-commerce flows adjust to the uncertainties of Trump’s tariffs. 

Even remittance players such as Remitly and Western Union, both up 8%, could face longer-term pain if immigration pipelines slow or remittance corridors tighten under regulatory scrutiny. Similar to cross-border commerce, remittances depend on a steady flow of people and transactions, both of which remain fragile.

Read more about tech and crypto from CNBC Pro

PayPal CEO Alex Chriss: Huge opportunity to deliver to consumers and help small business

Continue Reading

Trending