’Twas the night before Christmas, and while visions of sugarplums may be dancing in other, lesser heads, mine is hoping for some polished chrome, hand-stitched leather, and effortless, electric torque — because Mariah can have you, all I want for Christmas is this classic Rolls-Royce Corniche restomod (in seasonally-appropriate Sugarplum metallic).

Sure, the new money might tell you that the BMW-era Rolls-Royce are better cars than the storied marque could put out on its own, but they’re wrong. The high water mark for postwar Rollers was the Corniche Drophead Coupe (that’s a convertible for you poors), and Halcyon has just taken one and packed it full of all-electric, battery-powered goodness.

Santa, pay attention.

Halcyon remastered Corniche

Halcyon executives are quick to point out that this isn’t a restoration, quick conversion, or restomod. This is something else. “Akin to your favourite piece of music, our remastering process adds quality, clarity, and depth while retaining the irreplaceable essence that ignited the love for these icons in the first place. Highland Heather (the car shown here –Ed.) embodies our vision for the future of Halcyon,” explains Matthew Pearson, CEO of Halcyon. “We’re beyond excited to begin realizing our clients’ incredible visions for these truly special cars.”

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Limited to just 60 hand-made in Surrey, England commissions, each electric Rolls-Royce Corniche will take more than 2,000 man-hours to build to a unique and exacting set of specifications to be provided by clients through Halcyon’s atelier, “with no bespoke request left unexplored,” according to the company’s website.

But, while the look is vintage, Halcyon’s well-heeled clients will be driving home in an EV that is thoroughly modern. The ultra-luxe convertibles (I’m poor, too) will ride on an 800V electric vehilce platform developed by Halcyon’s sister company Evice Technologies, elevating the Rolls-Royce experience with all the smooth, silent, and effortless torque you remember from the timeless Corniche but with no emissions, dramatically reduced maintenance, and (allegedly) zero mass added to the original.

No comment on range, power, or pricing – but rest assured, the answer to questions about either or all of those topics will be the same, and classically Rolls-Royce: enough.

Halcyon Heather

SOURCE | IMAGES: Halcyon.

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has officially opened a defect petition to evaluate the emergency door release mechanisms in the Tesla Model 3. The probe covers approximately 180,000 vehicles and focuses on allegations that the manual releases are too difficult to locate during emergencies.

The investigation comes following several media reports regarding fatal crashes where occupants or first responders reportedly struggled to open the vehicle doors to extract occupants following a crash.

According to the official investigation documents released by the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), the evaluation was prompted by a petition citing that “the mechanical door release is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency”.

The specific subject of the investigation is listed as “Emergency egress controls are not readily accessible and clearly identifiable”.

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The probe, designated as Defect Petition DP25002, specifically covers the Model Year 2022 Tesla Model 3. The ODI estimates the population of affected vehicles to be 179,071.

While Tesla’s electronic door handles are a signature design feature, they rely on power to function. In the event of a total power loss, which can happen during severe crashes, occupants or rescuers must use the mechanical overrides.

The petition alleges that these mechanical overrides are not obvious enough. The ODI resume states:

“The petition cites that the mechanical door release is hidden, unlabeled, and not intuitive to locate during an emergency.”

The document notes that the investigation is currently in the “Defect Petition” phase, where the agency will “evaluate the issue and determine whether to grant or deny the petition”. So far, the summary report associates one injury incident with this specific petition.

However, recent investigations by Bloomberg and the Post have found several fatal crashes in which door handle and door opening designs might have played a role.

Electrek’s Take

This is a tough one because anyone who owns a Model 3 knows exactly where the front manual release is, it’s that latch right in front of the window switches. In fact, many new passengers pull it by mistake instead of the button, which can damage the window trim.

Then at the rear, it is arguably even more complicated, especially if you haven’t read the owner’s manual, which you probably haven’t if you are sitting in the back seat.

While the fact that some do it even by mistake could suggest it’s obvious, the simple fact that the door-opening process isn’t intuitive enough to be done right on the first try could suggest a problem.

If first responders are struggling to get people out, that’s a massive problem. Tesla loves minimalism, and removing physical handles improves aerodynamics and aesthetics, but safety redundancy needs to be idiot-proof.

This is still early in the process, but if the NHTSA finds that the design delays egress, we could see a recall that involves stickering the release locations or, in a more complex scenario, retrofitting a more obvious physical lever.

Volkswagen has released a new ID.UNYX 08 electric crossover for the Chinese market with a sharp look, an ultra-fast charging 800V system architecture, and a starting price that’s bound to steal even more sales from the struggling Tesla brand.

Co-developed by Volkswagen and XPeng over the last year, CarNewsChina is reporting that the new VW is being positioned as an upscale flagship for the ID.UNYX lineup that made its debut in 2024, and brings a series of new features to the German brand’s all-electric Chinese lineup.

The new ID.UNYX 08 is reportedly set to be offered with two battery options – in ~82 kWh and ~95 kWh capacities offering between 630 km and 730 km (~425 miles) of range, depending on drive and trim levels.

Those batteries will be sending power to a 230 kW (~310 hp) electric motor, and can be charged at lickedy-quick speeds, thanks to an 800V system architecture that supports 300+ kW charging for 10-80% top-off times in the ~20 minute range, depending on battery choice.

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Big in China – and more?

Dimensionally, the new ID. UNYX 08 is precisely 5,000 mm long, making it about as a Jeep Wagoneer S at just over 16 feet and riding on a ~119″ wheelbase. At nearly 6.4 feet wide and just under 5.5 feet tall, it’s firmly in the midsize-to-large SUV class by US standards – but that 5m length is crucial for the car if it ever intends to play on the global stage. That’s because a number of cities in the UK and EU have floated bans on non-commercial vehicles over 5 meters long, and the fact that this European-branded car being built and sold half a world away has “maxed out” those dimensional boxes sure feels significant to me.

That said, if I’m so smart why am I writing about Chinese Volkswagens at 5:30 in the morning on Christmas Eve, right?

Right – but you guys are smart. You know stuff. Take a look at some of the VW ID.UNYX 08 press photos, below, then let us know if you think this latest electric Volkswagen has global ambitions in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

VW ID.UNYX 08

SOURCE | IMAGES: VW, via CarNewsChina.

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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.