Welcome back to The Morning Dump, where we carefully select a few smaller news stories for your coffee break consumption. In today’s edition, Chevrolet is crushing it in EV sales with the Bolt, Kia unveils an even more ambitious EV plan than it had previously, Gordon Murray might build another all-combustion supercar, and Maserati paints a GranTurismo all the colors. Let’s get cracking.
Oops, All Bolts!
With the dust having settled on the first-quarter sales race, the Associated Press reports that Chevrolet has stolen the number two spot for EV sales from Ford by a vast margin. It paints a picture of an exciting race to the top, although part of this is due to production limitations on Ford’s end.
Ford sold only 10,866 EVs during the quarter, but the company said that’s largely because it had to stop making the top-selling Mustang Mach-E electric SUV while it retooled a factory in Mexico to increase production. Spokesman Said Deep said the company didn’t build Mach-Es for seven weeks during the quarter, cutting into sales.
Also, Ford was forced to stop making the F-150 Lightning electric pickup in February after a battery caught fire during a pre-delivery quality check. The problem was fixed and production resumed March 13.
However, while Ford was bogged down in re-tooling time and production issues, GM had its own troubles to tackle. Due to reports of water getting into GMC Hummer EV battery packs, production slowed to a crawl. GM only sold two of these massive electric trucks in the last quarter. Cadilliac Lyriq sales aren’t particularly strong either at 968 units for the quarter, but GM’s still ramping up production on that product. You can probably guess where this story is going.
During the first quarter, GM delivered 19,700 of its top-selling EV, the Chevrolet Bolt hatchback and utility vehicle. Last year the company sold only 358 Bolts because available batteries had to be diverted to a recall of 142,000 older Bolts due to battery fires.
That’s right, GM sold a ton of EVs because it makes Bolt EVs and Bolt EUVs that normal people can actually afford. Even without factoring in incentives, a base-model Bolt EV starts at $27,495, or $1,050 less than a base Toyota Prius. Add in the $5,000 federal tax credit available in the first quarter, and some people were driving these Bolt EVs off the lot for $22,495 plus tax and title. That’s cheaper than a gas-powered Corolla hatchback. Fancy features and premium appointments are great and all, but price rules the roost at the end of the day.
Kia’s EV Blitz
From the updated Niro EV to the hi-po EV6 GT, Kia builds some compelling electric cars these days. Expect to see a whole lot more of them soon as Automotive News reports that Kia is planning an EV tear, with huge volume expectations for 2030. The marque wants to sell 1.6 million electric vehicles worldwide in 2030, which should make up 37.2 percent of its total worldwide sales volume. Expect to see a portfolio of 15 electric models by 2027, along with a whole raft of investments in assembly plants.
Production volumes are great, but products need to be profitable to secure a future. However, it seems like Kia’s CEO Ho Sung Song has a plan for that.
Last year, EVs contributed just 5 percent to overall profit. Song wants that to grow to 32 percent in 2026 and then to 53 percent by 2030. Better profitability will come partly by cutting the cost of batteries 55 percent by 2030, compared with 2018 prices, the company said.
Will cheaper batteries translate to cheaper EVs? Possibly not, as the electric vehicle push is part of Kia’s effort to move upmarket. One thing’s for certain though, we’ve come a long way from the Sephia.
Gordon Murray’s Next Sports Car Might Also Be All-Combustion
The GMA T.33 is absolutely gorgeous, a truly fitting last hurrah for analog supercars. Or is it? British magazine Autocar reports that thanks in part to low-volume exemptions from the EU’s 2035 fossil fuel engine ban, there’s a chance that Gordon Murray’s next car might also be powered entirely by a V12.
“When we launched T33 [the Spider, pictured below], we said that was absolutely and categorically going to be the last non-hybrid car that we would make,” said Murray. “But of course, with these rule changes, we might even squeeze out another with Project Three.”
However, Murray’s not in the clear yet. As the U.K. jumped out of the union a couple years ago, it’s going its own way on a combustion ban. Autocar reports that not only do all new cars sold in the U.K. need to be hybrids by 2030, it’s basically electric or bust for 2035. Still, all hope is not lost. Murray expects the new car to be ready by 2027, three short years before key legislation takes effect.
The Amazing Technicolor Maserati
Italian design is usually something special, and Maserati’s contributions to Milan Design Week are no exceptions. We’re talking about a couple of special GranTurismos, of course. There’s a silver one with electric power and sustainable materials, and that seems alright. However, the Italian marque may have overshadowed its green one-off because the second one-off GranTurismo is a V6 car painted 14 different colors. Called the GranTurismo One Off Prisma,
One of the colors is a rich burgundy from the 1947 Maserati A6 1.500 called Amaranto, Italian for Amaranth. Sounds a lot sexier once translated than Quattroporte, yeah? Another hue is Oro Longchamps from the 1973 Khamsin, a bold dark gold that’s oh so ’70s. According to Maserati, two of the 14 colors “look ahead to the future,” which sounds like a pair of upcoming color options if you read between the lines. Mind you, there’s more paint than just 14 different colors on this car. I’ll let Maserati explain:
The outfit of this extraordinary One Off is embellished with details of more than 8,500 letters hand-applied, making up the names of Maserati cars, creating a second level of shade and harmonising the entire colour coating, all painted by hand.
That has the potential to be massively tacky, but maximalism seems like the entire point of this car. There’s no point in building a one-off car in a boring spec, creations like this should thrill and satisfy a singular vision. If anyone else likes it, that’s just a bonus.
The Big Question
Although Maserati can’t seem to decide on a favorite color, I’d love to know what you consider your favorite car color of all-time to be. Whether Mazda’s classy Soul Red Crystal or Lotus’ irradiated Kermit Isotope Green, there should be a color for everyone.
(Photo credits: Chevrolet, Kia, Gordon Murray Automotive, Maserati)
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BRG is fantastic, but for mostly sentimental reasons the Saturn Medium Blue-Green Metallic (AKA SAT-222A, AKA Teal) always warms my cockles when I see it.
I’ll see that Teal and raise you Honda’s Tahitian Green Pearl (BG28P). My Honda Today is that color, which sometimes looks blue and sometimes green but always stunning.
Re. Kia’s EV Blitz and the McLaren ICE engine:
It is really interesting to exist in a time when all manufacturers are choosing which powertrains to use in the future. The amount of experimentation and options reminds me of the late 60s, when everyone was getting into rotaries and were generally ready to rethink everything.
In terms of best factory color, it’s really hard to do better than Mazda’s soul red. Some colors look great on specific cars but wouldn’t necessarily work on most cars. Mazda’s red would work on most cars.
Grabber Blue, especially on a Mustang.
Infiniti’s Autumn Copper that was available on the 1st gen FX35. Of course, I’m a bit biased as it is a very burnt orangish color.
My favorite color is Plum Crazy.
I was real tempted to try and buy a Bolt when paired with the $7500 off. As the article says, it is an EV you can actually afford and it has respectable range. But our other car probably should be replaced first, and no EV can be that car’s replacement.
Nogaro Blue. Simply the best car color ever.
Chrysler Turbine Bronze is a favorite of mine. So is Black Cherry, which appeared on a lot of late-80s and early 90s Mopars. Oh, and Ford’s Grabber Blue. Or a good French blue. Forest Service Green, of course. And that dark emerald green that Mazda used in the ’90s.
I’ve never really liked bright red or British racing green; both seem too obvious and overdone. On the right car, yeah, but using either of them as a repaint color feels unimaginative to me.
Best interior color is a deep oxblood red, with saddle tan a close second.
How did i get through life not knowing about black cherry??! Amazing
AMC Wild Plum is the best car color ever. Especially when it’s on a Gremlin.
I wouldn’t say I have an absolute favorite car color, despite having very strong opinions on car colors.
Sports cars, I tend to like blues and greens, largely because red feels too common.
A new Corvette or most supercars should be bright, preferably with a contrast color. It’s a waste of the showiness to dull it down.
Sedans tend to be good in blues or reds.
SUVs really vary, but a blue is generally safe.
Pickups are very dependent on make and era. Reds and blues are usually safe, but a Dodge pickup looks best in purple.
Purple is great on a lot of things and should be offered on more.
Yellow is situational, but can be great.
Pink is fun on some things, though most pink vehicles I have seen are cheap aftermarket paint that doesn’t look great.
My favorite color I had on a car was probably my green ’99 Explorer. That was a good color for that vehicle.
My favorite color of all time would have to be lapis blue metallic, since that was the shade I picked most often when building my ultimate 986 Porsche Boxster S and 996 911 in the early days of their online configurator.
Dark reds for me. Had a MK3 Supra in Toyota 3H4 medium red pearl and it was perfectly fitting for an 80s car. Also had a Forester XT in Cayenne Red that looked great.
Green with Envy, available on a limited run of Dodge Challengers in 2011. Also was reborn as Mojito Green on recent Jeep Wranglers
My current Mazda6 is Soul Red, pre-dating Soul Red Crystal. I am a fan of dark reds. I also love the Mazda Stormy Blue Mica. If I had purchased my NC2 new, that is the color I would have chosen. Since I purchased used, I settled for silver. The PRHT, Manual, and mileage trumped color. The sad thing is a like silver, but it has become so common I wouldn’t want to buy a silver car when given a choice.
I am very fond of VW’s Tornado Red, I’m currently on my second VW painted in that color. Freshly washed and waxed it seems to almost glow. It is very similar to Porsches Guards Red, which is the color my father got his 911 in. We are a red car family.
Giallo Modena(Ferrari yellow)
Came here to post this. I believe it’s also known as giallo fly (fly yellow). On a 550 Maranello it looks spectacular.
Nailed it in the question. Mazda’s Soul Red is the best color. Although, I had an 82 Audi 4000 in Surinam Red Metallic that was pretty spectacular.
In my industry and neck of the woods, Amaranth (Amaranthaceae) is a family of plants containing a lot of troublesome, prohibited weeds. I have a hard time getting past that name.
Probably Honda Red (actually Honda Maroon)
I couldn’t possibly pick just one. British Racing Green works on literally everything, has always looked good, and will always look good. I also love the electric blues that the pony cars come in…Grabber Blue on the Mustang and Rapid Blue on the Camaro. Hellraisin also rules (more purple cars, damn it), Porsche’s Frozen Berry Metallic is my favorite newer color, and to wrap up I want to shout out the criminally under appreciated BMW Carbon Black Metallic. It’s a black that shifts to a dark blue metallic in certain lights and at certain angles and if subtlety is the name of your game it doesn’t get much better.
As the owner of an E46 M3 in Carbon Schwarz, I agree.
My favorite car color depends upon the car.
For small British sports cars, I really like Dark British Racing Green. This is what will be going over the hotrod black primer on my electric Triumph GT6 conversion.
For most other types of cars, but especially musclecars, I like Black.
Of course, I’m more fond of totally custom paint schemes altogether. I’m going to paint my custom build microcar/velomobile thing rust, with a big fat red anarchy sign sloppily done on the right side, a silver Baphomet hood ornament that can also function as a third light with the torch on top of its head lighting up, fallout shelter sign for a rear derailleur cover, black pentagrams on the wheel disc covers, with orange LEDs in the wheels that will make them look like they’re on fire going down the road, and the nose painted up to look like an HP Lovecraft-created abomination.
Blaze orange or BRG
Uh only one answer, Rosso Corsa. BRG second as classic. Usually love all the BMW ///M Colors named after race tracks; Imola Red, Interlagos Blue, Sakhir Orange, Silverstone, etc
Best car colors of all time? Techno Violet, Grabber Blue, and British Racing Green