The Monday Rundown: Future Cars, Trucks, SUVs, and More
Tesla Cybertruck = Sad, Rivian R1T lease deal, wireless EV charging in roads
Hi there, and welcome to Driving American, the automotive publication focused on the cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans made in America by Americans.
Each issue of the Monday Rundown summarizes the latest new vehicle news and reporting related to U.S. automotive manufacturing so that you know what’s going on and can learn more if you’d like to.
Changes are coming to several U.S.-made models
Automakers are updating, refreshing, or redesigning several models currently made in U.S. factories, and they’re arriving for the 2024, 2025, and 2026 model years. Here are the highlights:
2025 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe: Made in Texas
Updated styling
Improved interior
Revised ride and handling
Wheels up to 24 inches in size
The turbodiesel engine is more powerful (305 hp and 495 lb-ft)
Off-roading Z71 trim now available with diesel
Sporty RST available with air suspension for the first time
New 17.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system
Upgraded trailer towing and camera-based technologies
New Interior Motion Detection feature helps prevent hot-car deaths for children and pets
Super Cruise hands-free driving system will be available
Available hands-free power liftgate
2024 Acura TLX: Made in Ohio
Styling and wheel design updates
Quieter interior
Acura’s torque-vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive (SH-AWD) is now standard
Standard Technology package:
Leather seats
12.3-inch digital instrumentation panel
12.3-inch static infotainment display
Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
Wireless smartphone charging
Ambient lighting
Premium sound system
Upgraded AcuraWatch safety features
Improved blind-spot monitoring system
Type S offers:
New Copper-finish wheel option
Quicker acceleration response
New 10.5-inch head-up display
High-resolution surround-view camera
2026 Dodge Durango: Made in Michigan
A United Auto Workers (UAW) document confirms that a new Dodge Durango is on the way, equipped with internal combustion engine (ICE) and electrified powertrain options. If I had to guess, a new Durango will use the Jeep Grand Cherokee L as a starting point, featuring a tried-and-true V6 and a plug-in hybrid based on a turbocharged four-cylinder.
Don’t expect a return of the SRT, though.
2025 Jeep Gladiator 4xe: Made in Ohio
That same UAW document says a Jeep Gladiator 4xe plug-in hybrid is coming for the 2025 model year. Jeep updated the 2024 Gladiator with numerous improvements, and I’ve outlined the changes in this J.D. Power article. During that media reveal, Jeep said to “stay tuned” regarding a 4xe model.
Expect the Gladiator 4xe to have the same powertrain as the Wrangler 4xe. That means it will offer relatively modest electric-only driving range and slightly improved overall efficiency while supplying plenty of power.
Tesla Cybertruck: Less range, more money, dripping in disappointment
Elon Musk’s approach of overpromising and underdelivering is blatantly evident in the production version of the childish-looking Cybertruck, which debuted to muted fanfare at the end of November.
Late to the electric pickup truck party with a DeLorean-meets-paper-airplane design theme, the Cybertruck’s base price is about $20,000 higher than Musk anticipated and, for that money, provides just 250 miles of range. Pay even more than the $60,990 base price, and you can get more range, but you’re still stuck with a truck that looks like a third-grader penned it.
And the videos circulating online are impressing exactly no one when it comes to the Cybertruck’s off-roading capability.
If the Texas-built Cybertruck is what Tesla fans think is going to put legacy auto out of business, well, I’ve got some beachfront property in the Florida Keys to sell them*.
Maybe Musk can fill all that empty ad space on X-Twitter with promotions for it.
Rivian R1T lease deals might make the electric truck more appealing
Rivian, the California-based electric vehicle startup that beat everyone to market with an electric pickup truck, is available with a new lease deal.
Made in Illinois, the Rivian R1T splits the difference size-wise between traditional midsize and large pickups. It looks like the future of technologically advanced trucks, starts at $73,000, offers up to 835 horsepower, supplies up to 410 miles of range, tows up to 11,000 pounds, and carries 1,764 pounds of payload.
Better yet, you can custom order one and have it in four months, or you can lease one out of stock for a base rate of $899 plus tax.
The leasing program is new. Here are the details:
The capitalized cost is $95,800, based on a pre-configured model Rivian is building and stocking for the program.
The capitalized cost reduction (down payment) is $5,000 after applying the $7,500 federal tax credit.
The acquisition fee is $895, followed by a disposition fee at the end of the lease of $495.
The mileage restriction is 30,000 over 36 months.
The program is not available in all states.
So, Rivian wants you to pay $32,364 in monthly payments (plus tax), after shelling out $5,895 to drive the truck home, followed by $495 to return the truck at the end.
Given the $7,500 subsidy, this math suggests the leased $96,000 R1T would be worth less than $50,000 at the end, a depreciation rate of nearly 48%. And that’s if you avoid the 30 cents per mile charge if you exceed 30,000 miles of driving.
See, this is how we wound up with the epidemic of $1,000 car payments in America. You’d be better off waiting for these off-lease R1T trucks to hit the used car market in three years. At a minimum, make sure you can buy the truck at the end of the lease for something close to $50,000 so that you’re getting some value out of the contract**.
UAW plans to unionize more American autoworkers
Fresh off its successful negotiations with Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, the United Auto Workers (UAW) union is setting its sights on non-union autoworkers across America. Tesla and Rivian are on the list, as well as workers at other assembly plants, such as BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina, facility, which is the largest net exporter of vehicles by value in the U.S.
In the wake of successful UAW negotiations, several automakers voluntarily offered workers more money and added benefits, most recently Nissan. But they might not be enough as employees in non-union shops can now plainly see how UAW membership could benefit them.
Michigan builds a road that wirelessly recharges EVs as they drive
This piece has more to do with innovation than American manufacturing since it uses technology developed in Israel. But there is now a section of road in Michigan that inductively charges specially prepared electric vehicles as they drive on the road.
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDoT) partnered with Electreon to build the quarter-mile stretch of road in the Corktown neighborhood in Detroit. Buried beneath the freshly paved blacktop are rubber-coated copper charging coils receiving energy from boxed roadside management units. When an electric vehicle is prepared to receive the wireless charge, the battery recharges while driving or when stationary on the road.
MDoT is planning to build a longer wireless charging road in 2025, and Electreon is concurrently working on projects in Asia, Europe, and Israel. Electreon currently uses similar technology to power buses in Israel, which pay a fee to use the service.
*Disclaimer: Not really. But if I did, it would ultimately be as worthless a place to settle down as the Cybertruck is for nailing legacy auto’s coffin shut.
**Disclaimer: This is not official financial advice. You should always rely on someone much smarter than me for advice about what constitutes a good or a bad deal when buying or leasing a new or used vehicle.
What’s new on Driving American?
I’ve been driving a 2024 Kia Telluride this week, decked out with SX Prestige X-Line trim, extra-cost Wolf Grey paint, and carpeted floor mats for a sticker price of just under $55,000. Kia builds the Telluride in West Point, Georgia.
The Telluride has transformed Kia. Instantly popular when it debuted in 2020, the Telluride earned the nickname “Selluride” within the halls of Kia Motor America. Despite the SUV’s popularity, Kia gave the midsize three-row SUV a makeover for the 2023 model year. Now, for 2024, it gets subtle styling updates (amber running lights, black exterior trim) and more standard safety equipment.
I always forget just how good the Telluride is. Though the as-tested price exceeds that of some luxury SUVs, it is worth every penny. From the quality leather and artificial suede headliner to the high-tech digital instrumentation and infotainment system to the numerous thoughtful design details and features, the Telluride is a perfect pick for a family-sized crossover. Plus, it boasts excellent crash-test ratings.
The most significant flaws are the fuel economy (I averaged 18.1 mpg during a week of driving) and the obviously inexpensive plastic on the lower door panels and dashboard. Otherwise, in my opinion, the ruggedly handsome 2024 Kia Telluride remains one of the best SUVs you can buy. The killer warranty is simply the icing on a delicious cake.
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