Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Wild week: The stock market was little changed Friday, which masked the drama we saw in this holiday-shortened week of trading. Nvidia soared to all-time highs on Tuesday and became the most valuable U.S. company — if only briefly. Back-to-back losses Thursday and Friday put Nvidia in the No. 3 position of $3 trillion-plus stocks. Club names Microsoft regained the throne followed by Apple . The Dow was poised to be the big weekly winner, a change from its recent also-ran status. The S & P 500 and Nasdaq , while off their record highs, were holding on weekly gains in Friday afternoon trading. The CME FedWatch tool indicated a high likelihood of two Federal Reserve interest rate cuts before the end of the year — one in September and the other in December. Energized : West Texas Intermediate crude , the U.S. oil benchmark, was on track for its second consecutive positive week. In Friday’s session, WTI lost nearly 1% to trade around $80.50 a barrel. Strong gasoline demand in the U.S. is one factor cited for crude’s advance. Alongside the move, energy is the top-performing sector in the S & P 500 this week, up more than 2%. However, Club name Coterra Energy has largely sat out the rally, with the stock only slightly higher week to date. Natural gas prices have cooled off recently, which could be pressuring Coterra given the producer’s significant exposure to nat gas and oil. Coterra did shift more resources to oil production earlier this year, which has so far been a good move due to the volatility in nat gas. Alexa overhaul : Amazon is planning a huge overhaul of Alexa that could include two tiers of new generative artificial intelligence features, Reuters reported on Friday. This follows a CNBC report in May that Club name Amazon could charge a monthly subscription fee for its AI-powered voice assistant services. A paid version can complete more complex tasks like “composing a brief email, sending it and ordering dinner for delivery from Uber Eats, all from a single prompt,” Reuters reported. Amazon aims to complete the project, known internally as “Banyan,” by August. An Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in a statement that the company has “already integrated generative AI into different components of Alexa, and are working hard on implementation at scale … to enable even more proactive, personal, and trusted assistance for our customers.” “Amazon’s pricing strategy for Alexa could help keep losses down, but it’s too early to know if consumers will be willing to pay for it,” said Jeff Marks, the Investing Club’s director of portfolio analysis. Amazon shares are up about 0.4% Friday, to nearly $187 each. Over the past month, the stock is up around 1.9%. Caffeinated deals : Starbucks is looking to win back price-conscious customers through discounts. According to The Wall Street Journal , the company launched a $5 value menu and ran promotions for about half of May. The coffee deals follow weak traffic that led to a sales slump last quarter, driven by higher prices and slow service. “It’s good to see Starbucks recognize it needs to provide more value to its customers to get them back in the store, but this is one small step in what will be a long turnaround,” Marks said. The sentiment around Starbucks stock has been negative, with shares down roughly 17% so far this year. Shares are still nearly $10 below where they were trading before their May 1 earnings rout. Jim Cramer has said he’s tentative about the next steps and has the stock in the penalty box. He’d prefer waiting a few more quarters to see if management can deliver on plans to improve financials. Next week : There are a handful of economic reports on the agenda, including housing data on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Also on Thursday, we get durable goods orders for May, weekly jobless claims, and the final look at first-quarter gross domestic product. The Fed’s favorite inflation gauge — the PCE price index — is released next Friday. — CNBC’s Matthew J. Belvedere and Kevin Stankiewicz contributed to this article. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street.
Hyundai’s electric fastback is getting a fresh new look. Just a week after unveiling the redesigned IONIQ 6, we are already getting our first look at it out in the real world. Hyundai’s new IONIQ 6 was spotted driving in Korea, and from the looks of it, this could be a major upgrade.
Hyundai’s new IONIQ 6 looks sleek on the road
Launched in 2022, Hyundai’s “Electrified Streamliner” was expected to challenge the Tesla Model 3 as one of the few electric sedans on the market.
Prices start at under $38,000, and with up to 342 miles of driving range (EPA-est), the IONIQ 6 arrived as one of the most efficient EV options. A Boston Consulting Group report last year even found it to be the only EV that met buyers’ price, range, and charging expectations.
Despite the impressive specs and unique new design, Hyundai’s electric car has failed to live up to expectations. Will a redesign spark some life into the EV?
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Hyundai unveiled the new IONIQ 6 at the Seoul Mobility Show last week, with a few noticeable design changes. With a new ducktail spoiler, the profile is smoother and more natural-looking, which was one of the biggest complaints.
The front and rear are redesigned with slim LED DRLs and main headlamps. Hyundai claims it “enhanced every line and detail to make the IONIQ 6 simpler and more progressive.”
After the new model was spotted driving for the first time in Korea, we are already getting a sneak peek at Hyundai’s refreshed IONIQ 6 on the road.
Hyundai’s new IONIQ 6 spotted driving in Korea for the first time (Source: HealerTV)
The new video from HealerTV gives us a good look at the changes from all angles. The rear spoiler has been upgraded to have a sportier overall look. The new, slim DRLs are a good touch, adding to its aggressive face.
Hyundai also updated the interior with a redesigned steering wheel and better materials on the door trim for “a more premium feel.” Other improvements include a more functional center console and a larger climate control display.
A new IONIQ 6 N will finally join the lineup. Hyundai teased the sporty new N model with an even more aggressive design based on the RN22e Rolling Lab concept.
Although more details will be revealed closer to its launch, we expect other improvements pulled from the 2025 IONIQ 5, like an added NACS port and potentially even more driving range.
What do you think of the new IONIQ 6? Do you like the redesign, or is it still not enough? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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The 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV came in hot – and expensive – when it launched at the end of 2024 with no official rebate. But that’s just changed.
The 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV starts at $66,990 including the destination fee. But the actual cost of this luxury muscle car is $78,680 including all the required packages.
And as of April 1, it now comes with a $6,500 National Retail Consumer Cash rebate.
Stellantis Financing continues to offer a special financing rate of 1.9% APR for 72 months, but unfortunately, that can’t be combined with the $6,500 rebate, so you have to choose one or the other.
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If you’re interested in leasing a Charger Daytona EV, then you can get $7,500 in lease cash from Stellantis Financial. Stellantis also offers Chrysler employee pricing to the public, but it can’t be stacked with rebates. How employee pricing works is, dealer pricing is 5% below the dealer invoice and a $200 program fee, plus you can’t haggle over pricing.
CarsDirect notes that the 2024 model still has the best deals on a Dodge Charger Daytona EV, with four options on the table:
0% APR financing for 72 months plus $3,000 in bonus cash
$7,500 National Retail Consumer Cash in addition to $3,000 in bonus cash
$2,000 Conquest Bonus Cash deal in select regions like the West Coast
$7,500 in lease cash plus $6,000 in bonus cash for those who want to lease
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Although the EV2 is Kia’s smallest EV, it won’t feel so small when sitting in it. Kia designed the open interior to give you an escape from the city. After sharing new details at Milan Design Week on Thursday, Kia gave us a closer look at the EV2 inside and out. The new interior design could see its way into future Kia EV models.
Kia EV2 interior is small but flexible
At Milan Design Week 2025, Kia held an exclusive exhibition for its upcoming EV models. The Concept EV2 was showcased alongside Kia’s first electric van, the PV5, and a rugged PV5 WKNDR concept.
Kia revealed new details about the EV2’s interior and what we can expect to see when it arrives. Inspired by a “picnic in the city,” the cabin is designed to feel as open and flexible as possible.
Like a balcony or porch, which offers a relaxing retreat from busy city life, Kia wants the EV2 to have a similar feel. Thanks to its flat-floor layout, the interior can open up with flexible seating. The second-row seats can fold up while the front seats slide up to provide an open space—you know, where you might want to have a picnic.
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Kia Concept EV2 interior (Source: Kia)
Kia added a few extras like integrated speakers in the headrest, portable door speakers, detachable seat cushions, extendable seats, and pop-up luggage dividers for your next adventure.
Even with the fun features, Kia focused on sustainability. The interior introduces environmentally conscious materials like Simplifyber Fybron™, AmpliTex, and biodegradable mycelium components.
Kia said the new design elements showcase its vision for future EV interiors. More details will be shared closer to the launch, but the EV2 is expected to include Kia’s new ccNC infotainment system.
As shown in the concept, the system features a curved display with dual 12.3″ driver and infotainment screens. Despite being an entry-level model, the EV2 will have advanced features like vehicle-to-load (VTL) to power up electronics or home appliances. It will also get smarter and more advanced over time with OTA updates.
Last month, we got our first look at Kia’s entry-level electric SUV on the road in Korea with a Soul-like design. Kia will launch the EV2 in Europe and other global markets next year.
Like other Kia electric models based on Hyundai’s E-GMP platform, the EV2 is expected to arrive with a WLTP range of at least 300 miles (605 km). Although prices will be revealed closer to launch, the EV2 is expected to start at around 30,000 euros ($33,000), but that could change in another year or so.
How do you feel about the Kia EV2? Would you buy one for around 30,000 euros ($33,000)? Let us know in the comments. We should learn more soon. We’ll keep you updated with the latest.
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