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Tesla poaches Volvo interior engineering boss Anders Bell

Tesla is the belle of both the eco-friendly and luxury balls. The company's Model S and Model X are status symbols, and benchmarks for the ability to blend both green credentials with performance and a luxury driving experience. That said, their cabins aren't necessarily deserving of those credentials. That's why this little news nugget is such a big deal for the California brand. Electrek reports that Tesla has poached Anders Bell from Volvo. Bell confirmed the move via his LinkedIn page. The (now former) head of interior engineering and senior director of engineering was responsible for the Swedish brand's raft of high-quality, beautifully crafted cabins. Doubtless Tesla wants a piece of the critical acclaim Volvo's received for the interior design and quality on its 90-series models – XC90, S90, and V90. The move is, at least based on Electrek's stalking of Bell's LinkedIn profile, a big loss for Volvo. Bell joined the Swedish brand fresh out of Halmstad College's engineering program in 1998 and has spent his entire career working for Gothenburg and its various owners. That included a nearly four-year stint in China after Geely bought Volvo from Ford, assisting with the Chinese launch of the XC60. Bell's listed his final project with his previous employer as "development, design, and release of Volvo interiors to be launched 2017-2018 and concept definitions of interiors 2019 and beyond." That means that while Bell started at Palo Alto this month, his impact at Volvo won't fade for several more years. Related Video: News Source: Electrek via Jalopnik Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Tesla Volvo volvo s90

Ford Mustang Bullitt, Cadillac ATS-V and profitable car companies | Autoblog Podcast #559

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Joel Stocksdale and Contributing Editor James Riswick. They talk about being behind the wheel of the 2018 Cadillac ATS-V, 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt and 2018 Nissan Kicks. They also discuss the week's news such as Tesla and Ford both having profitable quarters, better than people were expecting. Not only that, but they talk about how the Camaro may be changing in the near future, plus the potential of Jaguar electric cars. The podcast then finishes with a Spend My Money segment in which we Autoblog editors help a reader choose a car to buy.Autoblog Podcast #559 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2019 Ford Mustang Bullitt 2018 Cadillac ATS-V 2018 Nissan Kicks Tesla makes a profit Ford makes a profit Chevy has changes in store for the Camaro Electric Jaguars Spend My Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Podcasts Cadillac Chevrolet Ford Jaguar Tesla Coupe Performance cadillac ats-v ford mustang bullitt

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla Launches In Australia, Model S makes for a popular limo

A Chicago limousine company that uses the Tesla Model S in its fleet is finding demand overwhelming. E-Motion Chauffeurs and Hires introduced six Model S EVs to its lineup in October, which resulted in the company's website server crashing due to high demand. "We are completely booked and I've been looking for other Tesla owners to try to cover some of our overflows," says E-Motion owner Abdullah Illahi. E-Motion has ordered another six of the all-wheel-drive P85D model, set to arrive in January. Illahi says that he chose the Model S in order to gain a competitive edge, as it is a car customers would find interesting. It also has the benefit of lower operating costs than traditionally fueled vehicles. Read more at Hybrid Cars. The province of Quebec is offering EV incentives, as well as penalties based on engine size. Quebec is offering an $8,000 (about $6,997 US) rebate for EV purchases, plus up to $1,000 ($874) toward the installation of a home charger. The government is also imposing additional registration fees for traditional vehicles based on the size of their engines beginning in 2016 (on top of the ones already in place). This will mean that cars with engines displacing 4.0 to 4.9 liters will be charged an extra $50, 5.0 to 5.9 liters an extra $100, and cars with engines larger than 6.0 liters will cost an added $200 to register. Read more at Montreal Gazette or at Green Car Reports. Battery company Seeo has closed a successful round of investment funding. Samsung Ventures, Khosla Ventures and GSR Ventures all invested in Seeo, making this funding round it largest yet. Seeo will use the money it secured to commercialize its DryLyte lithium polymer batteries. The solid polymer electrolyte in these batteries is especially energy-dense, and or not flammable or volatile. Seeo also claims they are lighter and longer lasting than other lithium batteries. Read more in the press release below. Tesla has officially launched in Australia. The company delivered the first nine units of its Model S EV to customers on Tuesday, December 9, with more to come on Wednesday and beyond. Tesla powered up its first Superchargers at the Star and Darling Hotel at Pyrmont and at the North Sydney Retail and Service Center. Wednesday, Telsa will open its first store and service center in St Leonards, Sydney. By the end of 2015, Tesla will have stores in Sydney and Melbourne, and a Supercharger network connecting Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney.