Geely Panda Micro EV, Hardcore Ferrari SF90 Stradale Spied, And McLaren Partners Lockheed Martin: Your Morning Brief

Good morning and welcome to our daily digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…

Elon Musk’s Mystery $5.7 Billion Donation Revealed To Be To His Own Charity

It was previously a mystery where Elon Musk’s $5.7 billion Tesla shares ended up after they were donated to an unnamed charity last year. Musk made the donation during a spat with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren over a proposed wealth tax. It has now been revealed by Bloomberg News that the shares went toward Musk’s own charity. Meanwhile, the Tesla and Twitter CEO has also lost his title as the world’s richest person to Bernard Arnault.

Geely’s Panda Mini EV Is Cuteness Overload

The advent of the urban EV is gaining popularity in China, with homegrown manufacturer Geely coming out with a new design to rival the hugely popular Wuling Mini EV. The Geely Panda Mini features large LED headlights that dominate the front end, ear-like mirrors, and a three-paw design of the wheel hubs. Power comes from a single front-mounted electric motor producing 40 hp (30 kW / 41 PS), and the range is around 150 km (93 miles).

This Looks To Be The Hardcore Version Of Ferrari’s SF90 Stradale

Ferrari appears to be readying a hardcore track-oriented version of its already impressive SF90 Stradale. The company has been spied on testing numerous prototypes and has now been spotted testing a lightly camouflaged car at its Fiorano test circuit. The camouflage across the front fascia appears to be hiding a more pronounced splitter to aid in the car’s aerodynamics, while previous spy shots have captured a unique set of side skirts and various aerodynamic changes to the rear of the vehicle.

McLaren Partners With Lockheed Martin Skunk Works For The Design Of Future Models

McLaren is partnering with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works, with the goal of using the company’s futuristic design methodology in the development of new models. While it would be nice to see a P1 successor with the looks of a hypersonic aircraft, the chances are the collaboration won’t be visible on the next generation of supercars.

Watch The Ferrari Purosangue Out In Public For The First Time

With order books for the next two years full already, the Ferrari Purosangue appears to be an instant hit for the Italian sports car company. For enthusiasts in London, Christmas came early as HR Owen Ferrari Mayfair took delivery of a lovely gloss black example and parked it in its showroom. This is our first time seeing the Purosangue on the move in a public setting.

Honda Will Continue Offering Type R Models In The Zero-Emission Era

While an EV future for Honda is almost a certainty, we can be thankful that the phasing-out of combustion engines won’t mean the end of the Type R brand. Hideki Kakinuma, lead engineer for the Type R project, made it clear that the performance-focused branch is very important for the Japanese brand by saying: “Without Type R, there is no Honda “.

What Else Is Making The News

Microsoft Buys 4 Percent Stake In London Stock Exchange Group

Microsoft has bought a near 4 percent stake in the London Stock Exchange Group, as part of a 10-year cloud deal that includes next-generation data and analytics and analytics and modeling solutions with Microsoft Azure, AI, and Microsoft Teams.

Son Sues Meta Over Father’s Death In Ethiopia

A son is suing Meta over his father’s death and alleges that Facebook’s algorithm helped fuel the viral spread of hate and violence during Ethiopia’s civil war. BBC News reports that the claimant wants a $2 billion fund for victims of hate and changes in the platform’s algorithm.