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EV-maker Rivian plans Tesla-like, mega-charging network
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 31, 2021
Electric-vehicle maker Rivian Automotive is borrowing a page from Tesla Inc. and building an exclusive, fast-charger network for its coming R1T pickup and R1S SUV.
Dubbed the Rivian Adventure Network, it promises an ambitious, 600 super-charging stations offering 3,500 chargers by 2023 on routes across the United States and Canada. The chargers will be exclusive to Rivian owners, though a secondary, so-called Waypoint network of 10,000, 240-volt chargers will be open to the public at hotels and other businesses.
With big capital reserves, Rivian and Tesla are separating themselves from the electric-vehicle pack by building exclusive charging networks. Other legacy automakers (as well as less capitalized EV startups like Lucid and Fisker Inc.) intend to rely on third-party, fast-charging networks like Electrify America, Chargepoint and EVGO.
Each Rivian charging station will operate six chargers on average at speeds starting at 200 kW (with planned 300 kW). Tesla’s 150-250 kW fast-charging stations — “Super Chargers” in Tesla speak — average nine stalls per station with the largest housing 56 stalls south of San Francisco.
Tesla’s Supercharger network launched in 2012 with its Model S sedan and has grown to 1,101 stations across North America. It has added enormous overhead cost to the young electric automaker — but has also been a key factor in establishing its EV dominance as Teslas can reliably slake their thirst for electrons on long-distance trips.
Competitors like the Chevy Bolt, GMC Hummer EV, Ford Mustang Mach-E, and Volkswagen ID.4, by contrast, cannot use Tesla or Rivian fast chargers. They must rely on the patchwork of third-party chargers.
Legacy automakers hope Electric America’s fast-growing network of 500 stations (built by VW as penance for the Dieselgate scandal) — as well as anticipated spending from electric utilities and the Biden Administration’s forthcoming, $3 trillion infrastructure bill — will help them compete.
“(Our) nationwide network of DC fast chargers are capable of adding up to 140 miles of range in 20 minutes to the R1T and R1S,” said Rivian in announcing its network on its website.
“The Rivian Adventure Network is designed for quick recharges so you can keep moving. Los Angeles to Tahoe. Manhattan to the Adirondacks. I-70 to The Rockies. Michigan’s UP via I-75. The entire Blue Ridge Parkway from Shenandoah National Park down to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The network also extends further into more remote destinations.”
The remote destination promise dovetails with Rivan’s marketing as an adventure brand bringing battery power to off-road vehicles. The brand is aimed at well-heeled overlanders who want to get away to national parks and other locations.
Rivian promises its Waypoint 240-volt, “Level Two” chargers in every state park. It jump-started that goal this week by committing to install at least two charging stations in all 42 Colorado state parks by July.
The EV-maker is also committed to producing 10,000, battery-powered delivery trucks for Amazon by 2022 (100,000 by 2023) — but the Rivian Adventure Network will operate separately from infrastructure charging those trucks.
Rivian says its charging network will be conveniently located on highways and roads near cafes and shops. Tesla Superchargers are commonly found at Meijer mega-stores with dining and shopping nearby to kill time while its vehicles charge up to an hour depending on the amount of range required. Electrify America stations are frequently found at Walmarts. A Toledo area EA station is located at a Ohio turnpike service plaza.
Rivian says that details on pricing will be released for customers soon. Third-party charging companies typically have subscription plans with some automakers covering their costs for first-time EV buyers. Tesla rolled out its service free to Model S owners in 2012 but has since begun charging as more vehicles like the hot-selling Model 3 sedan have come to market.
Unlike Tesla, Rivian’s plug is based on the common CCS American standard so R1Ts, for example, can plug directly into EA fast chargers. Teslas require an adapter.
Utilities are getting in on the fast charging act, too. Six Midwest utilities — including Consumers and DTE Energy — have committed to building a fast-charging network from Michigan to Kansas by 20022. Currently, Consumers claims fast-charging stations in Cadillac, Gaylord, Marshall, Big Rapids and Saugatuck, with plans for 30 more.
“We’re excited to see automakers like Rivian building their own networks,” said Kellen Shefter, Electric Transportation director for the Edison Electric Institute, which represents the power industry. “Tesla has used their network to serve and build loyalty with their customers, so we’re not surprised to see Rivian following suite.”
EEI expects 20 million EVs on the road by 2030 (up from an estimated 1.4 million today). Shefter says the numerous parallel fast charging networks bring high voltage power into new areas like shopping centers but that the ramp up will be evolutionary and should not strain the power grid.
Rivian claims its chargers will be “powered by 100% renewable energy.” That’s likely a reference to company plans to buy carbon offsets like Renewable Energy Certificates — as the Adventure Network will draw juice from a power grid made up of natural gas, coal, and nuclear power.
The secondary, 10,000 Level Two Waypoint chargers will be found at restaurants, hotels, and campsites, to deliver up to 25 miles of range an hour.
Like Tesla, Rivian plans charging management via in-vehicle navigation or through a phone app. Details will be forthcoming as R1Ts and R1Ss roll off Rivian’s Normal, Illinois, manufacturing line this summer.
“On the road, our in-vehicle navigation automatically routes you through any needed charging stops, prioritizing Rivian chargers as well as DC fast chargers from CCS partner networks,” says the company of its vehicles, which boast up to 300 miles of range. “Simply enter your destination, our maps will plan charging for you.”
The EV maker with operations in Plymouth and California offers a wall charger for home installation at vehicle purchase. EV makers recommend 240-volt charger installations for about 16 miles of charge per hour. A standard, 120-volt outlet returns a meek few miles of charge per hour.
Payne: Stylin’ ID.4 is VW future, unless Tiggy has its way
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 25, 2021
The Volkswagen ID.4 comes with big expectations.
“For us, psychologically, we’re thinking about the ID.4 as our next Beetle,” says vice president of e-mobility at Volkswagen of America, Matthew Renna. VW’s first electric SUV aims to duplicate the defining trait of the German automaker’s most iconic car: practicality.
Unlike when the Bug hit U.S. shores over a half century ago, however, VW already has a practical ute in showrooms: the gas-powered VW Tiguan.
A weekend with the ID.4 shows Tiggy has met its match in some ways: handling, torque, novelty. But not practicality.
Like the Beetle, my ID.4 tester makes a pleasant first impression. Targeted at the market’s biggest volume segment, it is stylish, uncluttered. Detouring from its right-angled Tiguan peer, the grille-less ID is sculpted like a sand dune. Wrapped headlights flow into rising shoulder lines punctuated by a horizontal LED taillamp. Crouched under a narrow greenhouse on big, 20-inch wheels, my 1st Edition-trimmed model may not inspire a cute “Bug” nickname — but it has presence.
Slip inside with key in pocket and ID greets you with a Tesla-like, sci-fi vibe. Detecting my tush in seat, the VW’s twin driver/console screens flickered to life like a spaceship control room. Step on the brake pedal and ID is ready for duty.
That Tiguan across the showroom? Haw, you still have to press an ignition button. Dude, that’s so 15 minutes ago.
But that Tiguan also starts at just $26,440. The ID.4 at $39,995. Oh.
Tesla’s Model Y (and sister Model 3) debuted with shortcomings — lack of service network, poor build quality — but price was not one of them. Despite its pricey battery drivetrain, Y is priced right on top of a comparably equipped, all-wheel-drive BMW X3, for example: $52,190 vs. $52,895 for the Bimmer.
Add Tesla’s unique operating system and ferocious acceleration, and customers flocked to the new kid on the block.
Load a Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S trim with comparable features and its $48,195 sticker is more in line with these luxury chariots. A comparable Tiguan SEL — panoramic roof, adaptive cruise, blind-spot assist, auto wipers, leatherette seats — will set you back just $35,040. Practical.
Sure, ID.4 will initially benefit from a federal $7,500 tax subsidy (Beetle never needed that) — a capped credit that Tesla has exhausted by selling over 200,000 EVs. But add the credit and my tester was $37,690 — still 4 grand north of the comparable Tiggy.
For that premium ID.4 delivers good ol’ sporty V-dub handling.
I’ve lamented that VW cars’ sporty nature hasn’t translated to its SUVs. Compared to its thrill-ride Golf GTI cousin, Tiggy is uninterested in dancing through the twisties.
ID.4 has inherited Golf’s DNA. Volkswagen takes the inherent, low-center of gravity of ID.4’s electric, MBE “skateboard” chassis and marries it to a rear-drive motor (Tiguan is front-drive) to create a nimble ute.
On a trip to Hell’s devilish roads, ID had a blast despite its 4,665-pound girth (Tiguan weighs 3,757). In Sport mode, the heavy steering felt rooted in tight bends, the RWD chassis rotating confidently. When traffic interrupted my fun, 229 pound-feet of instant electric torque was on hand — ZOT! — to squirt past when a broken center line presented itself.
Curious, then, that V-dub holds back other unique EV features that have made rear-wheel-drive Model Ys and Mach Es so appealing. Notably absent, for example, is a frunk (“front truck”) that never fails to wow EV neophytes. Instead, the front bonnet is crammed with electric hardware despite the aft-located motor.
This lack of extra storage is especially jarring since ID lags Tiggy in cargo space: 64.2 cubic feet vs. 65.7.
Inside, ID is nicely minimalist. Sans driveshaft, the console is a well of storage that includes a wireless charger. Though shy of Tesla/Mach E’s radical tablet approach, the console and steering-column-mounted touchscreens are rich with graphics. A wee shift stalk selects gears. My kids’ smartphone generation will be disappointed by the cheap voice recognition. Fortunately, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto save the day.
But the biggest shortcoming of EVs like ID versus peers like Tiguan is battery range.
As I contemplated my trip to Hell — 50 miles west of my Oakland County home — range anxiety was instant. In 30-degree March temps, ID had eaten 100 miles of battery range from a full charge in two days of local driving despite only traveling 60 miles. That 60% of predicted range means VW’s advertised 250-mile range is more like 150 in Midwest winters.
With 147 miles of range left and a 100-mile round-trip to Hell ahead (including an Ann Arbor side trip to grab my favorite Zingerman’s Reuben) — I knew I couldn’t make it. Tiguan never worries me with such thoughts thanks to plentiful petrol infrastructure.
I asked ID’s nav system for charging stations en route and it turned up a long list — but the only one that made sense was a rare Electrify America super-charging station at the Novi Walmart. Other 240-volt chargers that would take hours to deliver the necessary mileage.
When I arrived at the EA charger, all four stalls were available. But when I plugged in, the charge card reader didn’t work. Worse, the plug wouldn’t disengage to start a new session using ID’s remote app. I called EA’s help line and the problem was fixed after 20 minutes. The good news? VW offers free EA charging for three years.
After another 15 minutes of charging (a 45-minute detour in all) to add 45 miles and I was on my way.
That extra mileage would be crucial in returning me to Oakland County for a 4 p.m. tennis match. As I babied ID.4 up Telegraph Road with just 30 miles of charge remaining (the 130-mile trip sucked 175 miles of range), I asked the nav system for charge stations near the courts where I could add some juice.
The system directed me to a Telegraph Road BMW dealer. But the dealership had moved from that location four years ago.
Bottom line, EVs like ID.4 are niche vehicles. Install a 240-volt charger at home for daily commutes. In the EV ecosystem, the compact V-dub compares favorably to $35,000, subcompact EVs like the Chevy Bolt or Hyundai Kona. It’s more affordable than luxe offerings from Tesla and Polestar.
But it’s a long way before it can claim Beetle’s practicality crown. For now, the crown’s still worn by gas-swilling Tiggy.
2022 Volkswagen ID.4
Vehicle type: All-electric, rear- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact hatchback/SUV
Price: $41,190, including $1,195 destination fee (about $45,190 for 1st Edition as tested)
Powerplant: 77 kW lithium-ion battery pack mated to rear electric motor
Power: 201 horsepower, 229 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: One-speed direct drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.6 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 100 mph
Weight: 4,665 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: 250-mile range
Report card
Highs: Modern, minimalist interior; settled handling despite girth
Lows: Pricey compared to comparable Tiguan gas model; sparse charging network
Overall: 3 stars
Payne: Toyota Tundra TRD Pro likes to get dirty
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 25, 2021
Mt. Morris — Rural Michigan is pickup country. Ford F-250 duallies towing equipment. Laden Silverados hustling to service jobs. Gorgeous Ram trucks prowling construction sites. And macho pickups of all stripes with big tires, menacing hood scoops and lifted suspensions eager to go beyond where the asphalt ends.
Despite its rare Toyota badge, my hulking, 2021 Tundra TRD Pro tester fits rights in. Sitting atop 32-inch Michelin all-terrain tires, Fox off-road shocks and 11 inches of ground clearance, the Lunar Rock-painted behemoth bristles with hood scoops and tow hooks.
This is not your father’s Camry, but a serious, bark-chewing beast.
Think of Toyota as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Japanese automaker has built a reputation as a dependable daily driver (backed up by years of JD Power reliability MVP awards) and a weekend track warrior. Its Toyota Racing Development (TRD) shop has climbed podiums at the highest echelons of motorsports from NASCAR to Formula One. That resume includes winning the Baja 1000, North America’s premier off-road competition.
Beginning in 1998, the TRD badge started to show up on the Tacoma (Taco, as it’s known to its legion of fans) as a rough-and-ready off-roader. While the Detroit Three dominated full-size trucks, Taco owned the mid-size segment with its Mr. Hyde variants leading the way.
Tundra followed with its own TRD features but has lived in Taco’s shadow — its sales just half that of little brother (much less anywhere close to the Detroit Three). But Tundra got serious in 2015. It grew a comprehensive TRD Pro package (like Taco) with serious suspension and skid plate mods. It even brought back a Baja 1000 trophy in the Pro Stock class to make little brother proud.
Tundra? My TRD Pro tester is Tund-raw.
Somewhere between Southview Farm and the Irish Road Canoe kayak launch, I turned off Mt. Morris Road into The Mounds Off-Road Vehicle Park. The Mounds is 200 acres of dirt, sand and bog. It’s a place where dirt bikers, ATV owners, and Jeepsters can let out their inner child.
And where Tundra lets out Mr. Hyde.
I shifted to Neutral and turned the transfer-case dial from “2WD” to “4WD.” Then I held the traction control button to turn off the nannies. When I say “held” I mean “held for a loooong time.” This is a Toyota, after all, and the nannies don’t retreat easily.
Once unleashed, TRD Pro had a blast. ROOOAARR! I nailed the throttle and the 381-horse 5.7-liter V-8 bellowed, the rear end slewing sideways through muddy bends. With the Fox shocks allowing extended suspension travel, Tundra bounded over a sandbox of moguls like an oversized puppy.
WHUMP! It’s easy to get too excited, and the enormous front skid plate is there for when the suspension travel runs out and the truck’s belly slaps a mogul.
The Mounds’ tight confines are, frankly, more suited for mid-sizers like the Tacoma, but it would be impressed by big bother.
My friend Scott, who bleeds Ford blue, was impressed, too. Walking around the TRD Pro back in Oakland County, he liked the menacing, black front grille and hood scoops (OK, so the scoops are fake). The big back seat room. The lifted suspension.
“No running boards for better off-road clearance. Nice.”
The TRD Pro trim is key to giving the Tundra personality. It’s also key to keeping the Tundra relevant in the full-size truck market.
The Texas-built Tundra sits on old bones. In today’s high-tech truck world of big Ram screens and digital Ford F-150s, the interior of the Tundra is a generation behind. The instrument display is simple. The chassis competent. The 8-inch console touchscreen devoid of fancy graphics or wireless Apple CarPlay.
On the road back down I-75 to Metro Detroit from The Mounds, the rear end fluttered over road seams. Inside, the cabin lacks the noise insulation of today’s more refined Detroit trucks. But in its simplicity, truck lovers will find comfort.
Competitors offer cool stuff like digital screens and console work surfaces, but TRD Pro’s basics keep its price in the mid-$55,000 range where comparably equipped, off-road-trimmed rivals like the wicked-looking Ram 1500 Rebel (be still, my beating heart) and Ford F-150 FX4 will crest 60 grand.
With the money you save you can go out and buy even bigger tires to pull little brother Taco out of the Mounds bog.
2021 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro
Vehicle type: Front engine, four-wheel-drive, 5-passenger pickup
Price: $54,645 including 1,595 destination fee ($55,224 as tested)
Powerplant: 5.7-liter V-8
Power: 381 horsepower, 401 pound-feet torque
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.4 seconds (Car and Driver); towing capacity, 9,800 pounds
Weight: 5,998 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 13 city/17 highway/14 combined
Report card
Highs: Aggressive looks; big interior room
Lows: Dated interior; rough ride
Overall: 3 stars
Payne: 2022 GMC Terrain gains AT4 trim, loses engines
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 25, 2021
GMC is leading General Motor Co.’s charge into electrification with the battery-powered Hummer pickup/SUV twins. But for now the brand’s meat and potatoes are gas-fired trucks and SUVs, and its compact Terrain SUV is one big potato.
The compact ute was GMC’s best-selling ute in 2020, and the brand wants to keep it that way with 2022 updates that include a new, off-road AT4 package as well as fancy electronics like wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Competing against other premium brands like Mazda, Buick, Jeep, and Volkswagen that straddle the line between mainstream and luxury, GMC distinguishes itself with bold styling and dirt-kicking capability born from its iconic pickup line. In that vein the Terrain SUV adds the rugged AT4 variant — complete with skid plate, black trim and all-wheel-drive. It will be the last vehicle in GMC’s seven-vehicle lineup to gain the trim.
The Terrain saw record, 114,311 unit sales in 2018 with the launch of its current generation platform. Sales were interrupted by COVID in 2020 and dipped to 86,020. Pricing for the 2022 model will be announced closer to its summer delivery date, but expect its sticker to start in the $26,000 range.
Terrain’s upscale Denali trim — which can crest $40,000 into Cadillac XT4 territory — also gains upgrades to go with Terrain’s refreshed fascia and rear end. With its sculpted flanks and C-clamp, LED headlights, the Terrain has consistently won raves as one of the most visually striking vehicles in segment.
Curious, then, that GMC scales back on some premium amenities for 2022. While rival Mazda CX-5, for example, has added a powerful, 250-horse, 2.5-liter, turbo-4 cylinder engine to its lineup and Buick boasts a 228-horse, 2.0-liter turbo-4 of its own, the Terrain has eliminated its 252-horse, 2.0-liter turbo-4 and stump-pulling diesel options.
Only a 170-horse, 203-torque, 1.5-liter turbo-4 will be on offer, an engine that lags in horsepower to the competition and only tows 1,500 pounds compared to the 2.0-liter mill’s 3,500-pound rating.
“The larger (2.0-liter) turbocharged version — is a lively partner. The standard engine is generally apathetic,” wrote enthusiastic auto magazine Car and Driver of the 2021 model.
The 1.5-liter engine is shared with GMC’s cousin, the Chevy Equinox, as is its excellent, firm chassis. From Camaro to Sierra pickup to Terrain, GM has made a commitment to lightweight, well-engineered chassis in recent years. The engine is mated to GM’s ubiquitous, smooth, 9-speed automatic transmission used in front-wheel-drive-based autos.
Terrain’s interior takes bold styling cues from big bother Sierra while also boasting innovations like a “trigger shifter” — a compact, dash-mounted unit featuring buttons that frees up console storage space. Space abounds in the Terrain, one of the roomier vehicles in class.
The Terrain is not as generous as other premium brands in standard features. The GMC Pro Safety suite includes emergency braking and lane keep assist but does not add blind-spot assist or adaptive cruise control found standard on many competitors. For the first time, the Terrain Denali adds a head-up display, but it’s a generation behind compared to competitors like the Mazda. The Terrain display is projected off a plastic pop-up plane rather than the windshield.
Terrain will also gain four new colors and 18 and 19-inch wheels. The updated 2022 Terrain is manufactured at GM’s San Luis Potosí, Mexico, facility and will be available in three trims — SLE, SLT and AT4 — this summer.
The top-trim Denali will arrive on dealer lots in the fall along with the top-trim, Edition 1 Hummer EV.
Payne: Mid-engine Corvette invades Europe
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 18, 2021
Corvette will launch an all-out assault on Europe’s biggest race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this year as the mid-engine supercar goes for its first win at the legendary French circuit. The race entry will be part of a two-front attack as America’s iconic sports car also goes on sale at European dealerships this fall.
In preparation for Le Mans, a yellow Corvette C8.R will fly solo at Belgium’s 1,000 Kilometers of Spa this May. Then a pair of ‘Vettes will take on the grueling French marathon August 21-22, seeking the team’s ninth win at the world’s most prestigious endurance track.
The mid-engine C8.R won the stateside, IMSA Weathertech series in 2020 in its maiden season. Due to the coronavirus, the team — managed by Pratt & Miller in New Hudson — was unable to compete abroad for the first time in 20 years. Corvette is already one-third of the way to winning the Big Three of international endurance races having won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in January. The 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans complete the trifecta.
“Not going to Le Mans last year was something we really missed. Going back there this year is something we all want,” said Antonio Garcia, who co-drove the winning Daytona car in January and is Corvette’s winningest all-time driver. “Obviously it’s one of the biggest races of the year. We’ve already won a 24-hour race, which gives us a lot of confidence.”
Garcia, a three-time Le Mans victor, will share driving duties with Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg in the #63 C8.R. The trio of Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy, and Alexander Sims will drive the sister, #64 car. Combined, the six drivers have logged 43 appearances and seven victories at Le Mans. Garcia and team veteran Oliver Gavin will co-drive in the team’s May 1 Spa effort.
“Competing at Spa will provide the Corvette Racing team a bit of a refresher on specific rules and strategy methods that are unique to (European) races,” said Chevrolet in a press release. “Pit stop operations and safety car procedures are among the biggest differences” from US rules.
The production C8 has been wildly successful in the United States, selling out its 2020 production run and receiving rave media reviews including 2020 North American Car of the Year. The 2021 model has been the hottest-selling car in the US to start this year with models spending only 10 days on dealer lots before getting snapped up.
The C8.R’s bid for Le Mans glory will coincide with the two-door, ‘Vette Stingray going on sale in Europe this fall.
Starting price of the C8 in Europe will be significantly higher than the $60,995, 2021 US model. Chevrolet says that the supercar will start at $117,873 in Europe — or €99,000. The 495-horsepower, V8-powered beast will reportedly be offered in a range-topping 3LT trim level and come standard with the Z51 track package.
The Le Mans date has been pushed back from its traditional June date to August in hopes that France will allow spectators through the gates as the European continent recovers from COVID. That is important to Chevrolet’s Corvette franchise as well since racing is integral to selling cars.
“We do use racing in Europe as a way to meet with customers and Corvette enthusiasts to demonstrate the new C8,” said a Chevrolet spokesperson.
The previous generation C7 — the last front-engine Corvette built — sold in modest numbers (about 650 units a year) in Europe since 2014 with a hefty price tag and without the support of a dealer network as Chevrolet pulled the plug on Europe in 2015. The mid-engine supercar, however, will rival similar, more costly mid-engine Euro models — and will be the first ‘Vette offered in both left and right-hand drive.
The only car listed for sale on Chevrolet’s European website — chevroleteurope.com — is the Corvette.
“Product relevance has always been paramount in my mind,” Doug Fehan, founder of Corvette’ racing program, told The News early this year. “That’s how you connect with the customer. The final distillation is: we need to sell cars.”
The racing C8.R will compete in Europe’s GTE Pro class against rival Ferrari and Porsche. On the home front, Corvette will have its plate full competing for its second-straight GTLM class crown in the 12-race IMSA Weathertech series.
Next stop: the 12 Hours of Sebring in Florida this Saturday, March 20.
Payne: VW Golf R-aises the bar — a lot
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 18, 2021
Brimley — Smithers Winter Test Center is a long way from the winding canyon roads of the Angeles Crest Highway, where California auto enthusiasts push their steeds. Or Nürburgring’s “Green Hell,” Germany’s epic track where manufacturers benchmark their latest weapons. Or Pontiac’s M1 Concourse, where weekend warriors can push the envelope of their daily sports car.
Heck, Smithers is a long way from anywhere.
Sprawling across 800 acres of frigid tundra 28 miles west of Sault St. Marie in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, it is a cold climate testing ground for automakers. Earlier this month, I mercilessly flogged Volkswagen’s state-of-the-art performance car, the 315-horsepower Golf R, around Smither’s vast ice pads.
WAUUGGH! WAUUGGH! WAUUGHH! went the turbocharged 4-cylinder engine as I flung the hatchback around a sloppy, slush-rutted autocross course. The all-wheel-drive system strained to gain traction. The Pirelli winter tires flung slush onto my windshield. Yet, incredibly, this muscular compact is as confident on ice as it is on dry asphalt.
It’s a testimony to the lengths VW has gone to build perhaps the best hot hatch ever conceived.
The Golf R line (R for Racing) needs no introduction to auto enthusiasts. It took Golf’s iconic GTI performance model and injected it with steroids. Since its introduction as the R32 in 2004 with a ferocious inline-6 cylinder under its hood, V-dub’s premier all-wheel-drive compact has been the industry baseline for uber-hatchbacks.
But it wasn’t until the seventh-gen 2015 model that Golf R really went mainstream, hitting record sales numbers. Just as consumers were giving a cold shoulder to hatchback cars and embracing hatchback SUVs, R was hitting its stride.
With the 2022 Mark 8, Golf R has gone to an even higher level with torque-vectoring AWD and interior tech to die for.
The torque-vectoring comes courtesy of a rear twin-clutch pack that allows R’s electronic brain to throw 100 percent of rear torque to either wheel. RROOWWRGGH! barked the Golf as I slung it sideways around an icy skid pad in Drift mode, the front end towing the apex while the rear kicked its legs out like Rogers in an Astaire spin.
Transition to Smithers’ wet concrete skid pad and the Golf R will do the same, albeit with a greater commitment to throttle to rotate the 3,400-pound beast on the grippier surface. All playing aside, the system’s true calling is found in the dry slalom in Race mode, where the rear end follows the front like a shadow — the outside wheel speeding up with each flick of the steering wheel to maintain better traction and a tighter turning radius.
At Nürburgring, this added grip — along with a healthy gain of 25 horsepower from the 2.0-liter turbo-4 — allowed for an impressive 19-second reduction over a 13-mile lap of Green Hell. Its 7 minute, 51 second lap time is on par with the ’Ring’s reigning hot hatch king, the scorpion-tailed Honda Civic Type R.
Math 101: better grip + more power = faster corner exits.
“There’s tech you always want in a car,” VW racing ace and brand ambassador Tanner Faust says. “The leap from the generation seven to the generation eight Golf R in technology and dynamics is a huge jump.”
Golf R isn’t the first hot hatch to make use of a torque-vectoring twin-clutch rear differential. Ford stuffed it in the 2016 Focus RS that I destroyed Waterford Hills Race Track with a few years back.
Alas, the Focus RS has disappeared from the U.S. market. I envy European hot shoes who will be able to test the Golf R and Focus RS mano a mano.
The Golf AWD system’s full capability is accessed via new cabin-wrapping screens that match the R’s mechanical upgrades with digital wizardry.
Six drive modes are accessed via a convenient “R” button on the square-bottom steering wheel. The feature was pioneered by Porsche and has been replicated by other performance brands including Cadillac’s “V-mode” button. The democratization of autos continues as this whiz-bang feature now finds its way to a 40-grand hot hatch.
Press “R” and thumb through Comfort, Sport, Race, Drift, Special and Individual modes (the latter configurable to your driving style). I liked Race mode, which turned the instrument display into a horizontal digital tachometer like my Lola race car.
Each mode comes with its own dynamic screen graphic. The digital renderings are richly drawn and anchor multiple pages so you can configure the brakes, steering and more. Golfs have been a bit stodgy in their interior tech, and the graphics are a welcome change.
The triptych cockpit display looks like a gamer’s desktop setup. All the latest digital goodies are here, including wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto for finding your way to remote places like Smithers.
Elsewhere, the tech is delightfully simple — like a new chicklet-sized shifter (shades of Porsche 911). This being a hot hatch, you have a six-speed manual option, too.
All this is wrapped in a hatchback shell that is dimensionally similar to the Mark 7 chassis and oozes utility: comfy front thrones, useful rear seats for your pals, practical boot for luggage (not to mention tires, ahem, for track days). But don’t let the familiar dimensions throw you.
Like the cabin, VW has sexed up the exterior styling.
The low, raked hood is punctuated by menacing headlights and signature R thin-blue grille graphic. The air intake below is a shark’s maw that will get left-lane lollygaggers’ attention when you fill their rear mirrors. Out back, the huge quad pipes are matched by an imposing roof spoiler.
This new commitment to style is echoed by VW’s attractive first EV ute, the ID.4. As is the R’s athleticism, as I confirmed with some laps around the ice in the ID.4.
Shopping hot hatches with my son recently, the Mark 7 Golf R’s athleticism was unmatched. But it also came at a price — $42 grand — at least $5K north of competitors Type R and Mazda3 Turbo. Expect the new R to push $44K when it hits lots this fall.
Available in one, loaded trim, R costs about the same as a rear-wheel-drive ID.4, but with lots more gas-fueled range, performance and fun. Typical of government nannies, the EV has been awarded with a $7,500 tax break. Hmph.
If it were me in charge, I’d give the tax credit to the car that’ll puts the biggest smile on your face. Call it the Grin R.
2022 Volkswagen Golf R
Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger compact, hatchback
Price: est. $44,000 (final pricing in fall closer to delivery, European version as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder
Power: 315 horsepower, 310 pound-feet torque
Transmission: 6-speed manual, 7-speed dual-clutch automatic
Performance: 0-62 mph, 4.7 seconds (mnfr.); top speed, 155 mph
Weight: 3,450 pounds est.
Fuel economy: EPA 23 city/30 highway/26 combined (auto as tested)
Report card
Highs: Carves ice as well as track apexes; big interior tech upgrade
Lows: Price bump from last gen
Overall: 4 stars
Still a steal: Mid-engine Corvette price rises over $60,000
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 18, 2021
Well, that didn’t take long.
Chevy has raised the mid-engine Corvette C8’s price to over $60,000 for its second, 2021 model year. In keeping with Corvette’s tradition as the world’s most affordable supercar, the badge’s first mid-engine effort debuted in 2020 at $59,995.
“When the 2020 Corvette Stingray goes on sale in the US, it will start at less than $60,000,” said General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss at the July 2019 unveiling of the first ‘Vette with the engine behind the driver. The announcement was met by gasps from an audience of media, customers and Chevy dealers.
Even with the $1,000 bump, the C8 is a heckuva’ deal. Its closest peers in pricing are the 532-horsepower Audi R8 which starts at $145,895 — more than double the Corvette. The 573-horse Acura NSX boasts a hybrid V-6 powertrain and a starting price tag of $159,300. The cheapest mid-engine Ferrari, the 710-horsepower F8, starts at $275 grand.
Even the cheapest mid-engine European offering — the smaller, $61,250 Porsche Cayman — is priced north of the C8. It’s powered by a 300-horse, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine with half the cylinders (and thrills) of the ‘Vette’s ground-shaking V8. Comparably equipped with dual-clutch automatic transmission (the Corvette does not offer a manual), the Cayman starts at $66,130.
The new base, 1LT price includes shipping fees. It offers owners the most powerful base engine (495 horsepower) ever, leather interior, digital instrument and console displays, and a 0-60 mph time of just 2.9 seconds — on par with a $600,000 Lamborghini Aventador. Pound for dollar, the C8 is the best exotic car value on the planet.
“Clearly, GM wanted bragging rights with a super car that delivered on performance and pricing. They got what they wanted,” said ISeeCars executive auto analyst Karl Brauer, who owns a $500,000 Ford GT, the Blue Oval’s mid-engine supercar. “Now that the C8’s established as a car that delivers bang for the buck they can get on with making a tidy profit, which is the goal of every automaker.”
The 2020 model sold out in December, 2019 — before production began in February, 2020. Delayed by a United Auto Workers strike on GM, the C8 still delivered 21,626 units in the US — an increase over 2019 sales of 17,988 unites for the last-gen, front-engine Corvette. The price was a $3,000 hike over the C7.
The C8’s exotic, mid-engine design was meant, in part, to appeal to a new generation of buyers with exotic, European supercars on their walls. Early indications are that plan is working: C8 has more than doubled Corvette’s growth with Gen X buyers (born after 1977), and two-thirds of buyers are new to Chevrolet.
Given the C8’s exotic technology, styling and performance — on par with European supercars costing many times more — the price was expected to climb over the $60k number.
The $1,000 price hike also applies to the hard-top convertible version of the Corvette which now starts at $68,495. The drop-top accounts for about 40% of C8 sales.
Most C8s sold over the past year included the Z51 performance package which adds $5,995 to the bottom line.
The $60,995 base model, The Detroit News has reported, is just the beginning of a slew of expected C8 performance trims. Like past ‘Vettes, expect Grand Sport, Z06, and ZR1 models — the latter priced north of $100,000. Also in the wings is an insane, range-topping, 1,000-horspower, hybrid model named Zora after the legendary 1960s Corvette product manager, Zora Arkus-Duntov.
Despite the Vette’s relative affordability, its price today (adjusted for inflation) is nearly double that of the $4,252 1968 model, the first Corvette introduced with the Stingray badge.
“Cars in general are more expensive today due to the increased costs of safety regulations, chassis materials, and electronic technologies,” said Brauer. “In truth the new C8 is more than twice as advanced as the 1963 Stingray.”
The production supercar benefited from Corvette’s racing team that developed the C8.R race car in parallel with the C8. The C8.R won the IMSA Weathertech championship in its maiden, 2020 campaign.
The C8 will be sold on the other side of the pond for the first time this fall. And it won’t be nearly as affordable as in the States. The starting price of the European Stingray will be $117,873 (€99,000 Euro) with cars reportedly available only in a range-topping 3LT trim with Z51 track package.
Bollinger Motors debuts 2022 electric work trucks
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 18, 2021
Electric auto startup Bollinger Motors’s B1 SUV and B2 pickup are among the highly-anticipated crop of electric pickups scheduled to come to market in the next year. The pricey, $125,000 vehicles promise unique hauling capabilities as well as competitive towing and horsepower numbers compared to traditional petrol-powered trucks.
But Bollinger also needs to put food on the table to sustain its Oak Park-based operation.
To that end, Bollinger on Friday debuted a configurable, $70,000 B2CC commercial pickup chassis cab and $55,000 CHASS-E truck platform for the high-volume, work truck market. The products will be offered in rear-wheel drive, dually (four rear wheel) variants, and all-wheel-drive variants.
Bollinger’s announcement follows similar plans by Midwest startup rivals Rivian Automotive and Lordstown Motors Corp., who have also announced plans for high-volume sales in the work truck industry. The highest-profile e-pickup, Tesla Inc.’s sci-fi, Cybertruck starting at $39,900, has thus far focused on retail sales.
Electric truck manufacturers tout the benefits of high-torque, low-maintenance electric drivetrains to work truck fleets. Legacy truckmakers like Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co., and Stellantis NV’s Ram sell millions of gas-powered work trucks to fleets every year. They are also working on electrified variants.
“There’s nothing on the market, or in development, like our all-electric Class 3 work trucks,” said Bollinger CEO Robert Bollinger at the National Truck Equipment Association’s Work Truck Week. The NTEA is the trade group for the work truck industry. “We’re proud that the B2CC is the only Class-3 electric chassis cab in development. With our new RWD and Dual RWD variants, we’ll be able to offer a whole range of options to commercial fleets looking to electrify.”
Beefy Class 3 trucks are prized in the field for their hauling capabilities with Gross Vehicle Weight Ratings (GVWR) of between 10,001–14,000 pounds. That is, the total weight of a truck, plus passengers, fuel, and payload. By contrast, the best-selling retail truck, the Ford F-150, is a Class 2A beast with GVWR up to 8,500 pounds. The F-150’s big-boned brother, the F-350, is a Class 3 truck.
The CHASS-E electric, skateboard platform — which is the skeleton for all Bollinger models — starts at $55,000 for the RWD model, $57,500 for the dually, and $80,000 for AWD.
“Our trucks kick ass and now they kick ass three ways,” Bollinger said. “Now we’re making three versions to cover a wide range of needs for the commercial and government markets.”
Rivian has drawn the biggest commercial-truck headlines after Amazon.com Inc. announced plans to put 100,000 electric delivery trucks on the road by 2024. The bulk of those e-orders are expected to come from Rivian, where Amazon has invested $700 million. Amazon’s delivery vehicles have a Class 2b GVWR rating of up to 10,000 pounds.
Electric vehicles face enormous challenges in the retail market — they are less than 2% of sales today — but advocates believe commercial fleet networks are key to building out the electric charging infrastructure necessary to reduce range anxiety. EVs typically have much less range than comparable gas-powered cars and thin re-fueling infrastructure.
Amazon currently has about 30,000 of their ubiquitous, gray, gas-powered delivery trucks on the road.
Bollinger has said that COVID has been a challenge to product plans but that production is slated to begin later this year. Work truck deliveries are slated for 2022, and will dovetail with deliveries of the retail trucks which have been on order at BollingerMotors.com.
Bollinger announced an updated design for its B2 pickup in December with its signature pass-through cargo area. With the batteries in the floor, and twin tailgates at the front and rear of the vehicles, owners can pass, for example, long pieces of lumber through the B2 cabin.
The dual-motor B2 boasts 614 horsepower and 668 pound-feet of torque, about 200 miles of range, 15 inches of ground clearance for rugged farm duty, 10-inch wheel travel, 5201 pound payload capacity, and 7500-pound towing capacity.
“With our additional drive options, we’ll be able to provide work-truck solutions to every industry,” said Bollinger. “The significantly lower total cost of ownership for the RWD (model) makes it the best option for any fleet.”
Payne: Hummer-inspired Extreme E racer unveiled, evoking dune buggy
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 18, 2021
Behold the GMC Hummer EV race car.
Chip Ganassi Racing and chief sponsor Segi TV unveiled their muscular Extreme E racing livery this week as the team prepares to take electric racing to the farthest reaches of the earth. The Extreme E racer will make its debut at the Desert X Prix in AlUla, Saudi Arabia on April 3rd — the same day the production Hummer SUV is unveiled during the NCAA tournament.
General Motors Co. says its future is all electric and the estimated $70,000 Hummer EV — produced as both a SUV and pickup — is a key part of that strategy. The Ganassi race team has made its mark in IndyCar and IMSA racing, and is one of 10 entered in the inaugural Extreme E season.
Like sister brand Chevrolet and its Camaro-inspired NASCARs, GMC’s Extreme E Hummer bears little resemblance to the actual production ute. The racer takes its design cues from GMC’s first electric offering with an apparently non-functional, six-slot Hummer signature light graphic — H-U-M-M-E-R spelled on each slot — anchoring the front fascia.
Similarly, the Camaro ZL1’s distinctive bowtie and headlight graphic highlight Chevy’s NASCAR — though the elements are non-functional stickers applied to a body designed to series’ rules. In addition to the front graphic, the “Hummer EV” logo is emblazoned on the windshield sun blind as well as on the rooftop. The red, white, and blue racer (the only American team entry) also carries the Segi TV logo.
Overall, the Extreme E looks like a super-sized dune buggy — sharing no chassis or body components with the Ultium battery platform that undergirds the production Hummer. The Ganassi/Segi TV entry is built on a battery-powered, 550-horsepower spec chassis called the Odyssey 21.
The battery pack has been developed by Williams Advanced Engineering, an offshoot of the Williams Formula 1 team.
In keeping with the series’ woke ambitions, Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc.’s Segi TV is a new streaming service dedicated to programming about racial diversity and global warming. The series’ mission is to travel to global venues that highlight what Extreme E says is a climate emergency. Gannassi has announced a female/male driving team in keeping with the series’ strict gender rules meant to promote “a level playing field.”
“What Extreme E is doing right now is pretty incredible,” said Ganassi female driver Sara Price, an experienced off-road racer. “It is going to be able to provide girls who have incredible talent that’s never been seen before, a chance to showcase it — that itself is huge for women as well as for motorsport.”
Price will be joined by co-driver Kyle LeDuc, the only all-American duo in the field. The series has attracted drivers from across racing disciplines including ex-Formula 1 ace Jensen Button, Australian Rally Champion Molly Taylor, and IMSA sportscar star Katherine Legge.
“I am extremely excited to be partnered with the Chip Ganassi Race team and associated with the Hummer EV to bring global exposure to issues like climate change,” said Sycamore CEO Edward Sylvan, himself a longtime go-kart racer. “The positivity of this race series along with the core values of this championship series are sure to resonate with our audience worldwide.”
The Hummer SUV will be produced alongside the EV pickup that the brand unveiled late last year. Both are slated for production at the Factory Zero Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center starting later this year.
The Extreme E series will globe-trot to five remote regions of the world — desert, ocean front, Arctic, rainforest, and glacier. It will be broadcast stateside by FOX Sports.
Season 1, 2021 Extreme E calendar:
Desert X Prix: AlUla, Saudi Arabia: April 3-4
Ocean X Prix: Lac Rose, Senegal: May 29-30
Arctic X Prix: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland: Aug. 28-29
Amazon X Prix: Para, Brazil: Oct. 23-24
Glacier X Prix: Patagonia, Argentina: Dec. 11-12
Payne: Forget luxury SUVs, get a Mazda CX-30 Turbo
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 11, 2021
Auto consumers have been fixated on their transition to SUVs, but I encourage them to pay attention to a parallel trend: the democratization of the automobile. Thanks to the electronics revolution, the gap between luxury and mainstream autos has been shrinking rapidly.
With the 2021 Mazda CX-30 Turbo, the difference has been obliterated.
In design and performance, my mainstream CX-30 Turbo Premium Plus is the equal of compact luxury SUVs like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1/X2. Factor in the loaded, $35,225 CX-30’s price tag versus the $42,000 Teutons and the sexy Mazda is the best buy in segment. Mainstream or luxury. Call it a milestone.
Sure, brand matters when you’re a young professional about to drop $40,000 on your first car. But your college smarts are whispering that — with the $7,000 you save on sticker — you can buy a nice couch set, chairs, and 68-inch OLED TV for your new condo.
It’s not like you’re compromising looks, horsepower, or tech. I mean, just look at the Mazda.
It’s gorgeous. Lean face accented by chrome cheeks under headlight peepers that sweep backward into athletic flanks. It’s quite a sculpture, prettier than any luxe bod. Drawn with strong lines and a shallow greenhouse, the proportions are only interrupted by huge, black fender moldings.
Mazda designers say the black cladding was added — not to nip costs — but to instill a sense of off-roadiness in order to differentiate CX-30 from, say, its sister hot hatch, the Mazda 3 Turbo. My bet is Mazda will correct that design hiccup in a mid-cycle refresh, because few customers will take this little ute into the brush.
Heck, you’re more likely to seek out a race track to test this nimble beast. The CX-30 is a joy to drive hard.
The standard 182-horse CX-30 was the only crossover in class that could hold a candle to the BMW X-1. Now add the 250-horse turbocharged 2.5 liter to the recipe. and the Mazda is every bit the 228-horsepower Bimmer’s equal. Forget other mainstream brands like the Ford Ecosport or Hyundai Kona, this eager ute is a luxury performance SUV in, well, luxury performance clothing.
I’ve written before in this space how the Mazda3 Turbo and VW Golf GTI are superior value plays to their Audi A3 and BMW 2-series peers. But absent a similar VW effort in the subcompact ute space, the CX-30 is really a class of one.
Not only does the turbo-4 deliver gobs of torque — it is delivered via a six-speed transmission that’s as buttery smooth as Sade’s voice. Dancing through the twisties of Oakland County lake country, I rotated the CX-30 through an apex with minimal body roll — then stomped the accelerator on exit without the familiar hiccup of rival boxes.
The feeling is similar to a Mazda3 Turbo — my runner-up for 2020 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year — because the CX-30 is essentially a 3 Turbo jacked up a few inches. Same drivetrain. Same chassis. Same baked-in goodness.
The CX-30 interior is as attractive as the exterior. The layout is typical Mazda with the screen set high on the dash so drivers can keep their eyes on the road while corner-carving. This means the infotainment controller is of the rotary variety — similar to Bimmers. It took me a while to learn some CX-30 functions since Mazda insists on burying features in menus. But once you’ve stored your favorite radio stations, you’ll want to use the Apple CarPlay or Android Auto app for your navigation, phone and text needs.
Phone apps are a big player in the democratization of autos. I use Android Auto and it’s as good in the car as it is in your hand — meaning you won’t miss those high-priced, luxury SUV nav systems. Android Auto voice navigation beats them all.
Phone apps are just the tip of the iceberg. Starting at $31,000, the CX-30 is loaded with standard features that luxe brands dole out to you for thousands more: Adaptive Cruise Control, blind-spot assist, auto emergency braking, rear traffic alert, phone apps, push-button start, dual-zone front passenger climate control and a jacuzzi (kidding about that last one).
The ACC system is particularly worthy of note given its similarities to Tesla — yes, another point of electronically induced democratization. Though Mazda has no Autopilot-like self-driving ambitions (unlike Subaru, which self-drives quite competently under 40 mph), its graphics are very similar to a Model 3 when adaptive cruise is engaged. An avatar of the Mazda hovers on the instrument display while sensors indicate where cars are in your blind spots.
This feature is indispensable on the Mazda3 Turbo given blind spots the size of New Hampshire. The CX-30, too, makes a design statement with its narrow greenhouse — but its more conventional C-pillar means you can better eyeball your surroundings.
I recommend the Premium Plus trim’s luxe fixins’: head-up display, 18-inch black wheels, blacked-capped mirrors. Just like the Audi and Bimmer.
CX-30’s dashboard is simple, uncluttered. As is the center console — a relief compared to the over-engineered Audi.
Remarkably, the CX-30 Turbo’s sticker price is little different than its Mazda3 stablemate. Another value play in this SUV-made market for customers who normally must pay a $2,500 premium for anything ute (SUVs generally require more sheet metal and chassis rigidity).
I’m a hot hatch fanatic, but for those who want a higher-riding ute, the CX-30 offers better interior headroom and rear legroom than the lower-riding 3 Turbo. Engineers were especially clever in scalloping out the back of the front seats for added rear legroom. Your giraffe-legged 6’5” reviewer could sit behind himself thanks to the seat design.
My apex-carving was rudely interrupted by Michigan winter. But the CX-30 Turbo shrugs off the white stuff. More than off-roading, this is where the AWD system really shows its stuff.
I dialed the Mazda drive modes back to Eco from Sport in order to reduce engine torque and corresponding wheel spin. The Mazda grunted easily through the powder, its 3,500-pound weight manageable under slippery conditions.
Once upon a time, luxury brands separated themselves with style, tech, power. No more, at least when compared to Mazda.
The CX-30 does come with one rich taste, though. To get that 250 horses, you’ll need to fill the tank with premium, 93-octane fuel. Otherwise, cheaper regular fuel will get you 227 horses — equal to the X-1’s 227.
More savings you can put into furniture for your condo.
2021 Mazda CX-30 Turbo
Vehicle type: Front engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger subcompact SUV
Price: $31,225 including $1,175 destination charge ($35,995 AWD Premium Plus as tested)
Powerplant: 2.5-liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder
Power: 250 horsepower (on premium, 93 octane fuel), 310 pound-feet torque
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.9 seconds (Car and Driver est.); top speed, 125 mph
Weight: 3,505 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 22 city/30 highway/25 combined
Report card
Highs: Premium looks; smooth, powerful drivetrain
Lows: infotainment features take a while to learn; oh, that black fender cladding
Overall: 4 stars
Jeep Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer reborn as super-sized, luxe SUVs
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 11, 2021
Jeep is jumping into the super-sized SUV space with a pair of old friends: the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer.
The three-row utes resuscitate the luxurious Wagoneer badge that adorned opulent, wood-trimmed ocean liners for the last four decades of the 20th century. The Jeeps complete the brand’s expansion as a full-line SUV maker by offering models in the industry’s biggest, most luxurious segment.
Built on a Ram truck-like ladder frame chassis, the Wagoneer will take on segment heavyweights like the Chevy Tahoe/Suburban and Ford Expedition, while the more opulent Grand Wagoneer will train its guns on land yachts like the Cadillac Escalade, Lincoln Navigator, and BMW X7.
Sitting atop a Jeep SUV lineup that now includes the Wrangler, Renegade, Compass, Cherokee and Grand Cherokee, the standard Wagoneer is 10 inches longer and six inches taller than the mid-size Grand Cherokee. Prices will start at $57,995 with a fully loaded Grand Wagoneer topping out over $100,000. It’s the second Jeep to eclipse the six-figure mark after the performance-focused Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.
“Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are born from the Jeep brand, but they have a flair of their own, building on a rich heritage of craftsmanship and refinement, while offering new levels of sophistication, comfort and legendary 4×4 capability, as well as a new level of customer service,” said Jeep brand chief Christian Meunier.
The Wagoneers boast Jeep’s signature square wheel arches and seven-slot grille, though the latter is notably thin at a time when even BMW has given in to a full-fascia kidney grille. You’ll know the Grand Wagoneer by its two-tone black roof, retractable side steps, fender flares, and a sculpted grille that Jeep describes as “laser-etched grille rings, similar to a knurled finish seen on fine watches.”
Don’t look for wood paneling like the Grands of old — for this generation, all the Satin American Walnut will be on the inside. And it anchors palatial interior digs.
The Made-in-Detroit Wagoneers can seat eight people if outfitted with a bench second-row seat. Front passengers sit in standard leather-wrapped thrones, with the Grand Wagoneer taking it up a notch with 24-way front seat including massage and 4-way headrests. Marrying style and utility, Wagoneer claims best-in-class passenger volume, cargo space, second-and-third-row legroom and third-row headroom.
Sealed off from the outside world by acoustic-laminated windshield and front door glass, passengers can luxuriate in a 23-speaker, 1,375-watt, 3D surround McIntosh audio system.
This rolling living room is then outfitted with state-of-the-art tech. In a smartphone age where hi-def digital screens are a plus, Wagoneers will wow with available, dual, stacked 12-and-10 inch dash screens. The set-up will be familiar to Audi users with the tablet-like main screen dominating the landscape.
The Grand Wagoneer features a four-zone climate system controlled by the front 10.25-inch screen and a similar 10.25-inch screen in back. Eleven USB ports and a Wi-Fi hot spot that can handle eight devices to keep passengers connected.
So big is the dash that Grand Wagoneer customers can option a third, passenger-focused 10-inch touchscreen over the glovebox. An HDMI plug allows the screen to mirror a tablet or smartphone. Capable of showing content independent from one another, the screens aim to create a “cinematic experience.” Including available second-row touchscreens, the Grand totals 75 inches of interior screen space.
The touchscreens will be operated by Jeep’s latest Uconnect 5 user interface — five times quicker than the outgoing system. They will also be available with industry-first Amazon Fire TV access using Alexa so passengers can stream a variety of movies, TV shows and apps.
Other available toys include a 360-degree camera, night vision camera with pedestrian and animal detection, and a digital rear camera mirror first seen in Escalade.
“These huge SUVs went away in the Great Recession, but now they are back more opulent than ever,” said ISeeCars executive auto analyst Karl Brauer. “The level of luxury technology and materials is impressive. The Wagoneer doesn’t just compete against Cadillac and Lincoln; it goes after Mercedes and BMW.”
Wagoneers come in three trims — Series I, II, III — with the Grand offering a further Obsidian trim that wraps the SUV in a black tuxedo including 22-inch black wheels, grille, badging, exterior mirrors and doors.
Both beasts are powered by V-8 engines. Wagoneer comes standard with a 392-horsepower, 5.7-liter mill. It’s paired with a 48-volt battery (also found in the Ram 1500 pickup) that enables improved fuel economy. Grand Wagoneer sports a 471-horse, 6.2-liter stump-puller that Jeep says will hustle from 0-60 mph in just six seconds. Drivers operate an eight-speed transmission with a rotary console shifter.
Self-driving features like Caddy’s Super Cruise and Ford’s Active Drive Assist are all the rage, and Jeep’s land yacht will be offer its own hands-free drive assist on divided highways. Parking won’t require a tugboat as the Wagoneers offer self-park assist.
The big utes won’t (yet) be trail-rated like some of their smaller kin, but they will still benefit from up to 10-inches of ground clearance, air suspension and all-wheel drive with drive modes for Rock, Snow and Sand/Mud. The Wagoneer comes standard with four underbody skid plates. Additional capabilities include fording up to 24 inches of water and towing 10,000 pounds up north.
Jeep is a rare brand cross-shopped by mainstream and luxury buyers alike. Wagoneer dealers will be trained to roll out the red carpet for customers including 24/7 concierge support, roadside assistance, and vehicle service pickup/delivery.
Not seen since 1993, the Wagoneer badge returns to showrooms in the latter half of 2021. Open the front doors and the outer edge of the dash features an inscription — EST. 1963 — that pays homage to the first model year of the original Wagoneer.
Payne: From V8s to EVs, how Cadillac plans to electrify performance
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 11, 2021
Cadillac plans to make a historic transition from gas to electric power by the end of this decade. It’s a tall order as General Motors Co.’s luxury brand faces daunting battery challenges including mass lithium-ion manufacturing, range and charging infrastructure.
But there is a big marketing challenge as well: how do you transition a brand synonymous with roaring V8s to whispery EVs?
For 18 years, Cadillac has gone toe-to-toe with its V-series performance badge against some of the world’s most iconic brands, including BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz. The 2022 Cadillac CT4 and CT5 V-Series Blackwing models hitting showrooms this year will be the last, gas-fired V-series sedans. But the V-series badge will live on as Cadillac electrifies a new generation of performance.
“Emotion is the key,” said Cadillac Executive Chief Engineer Brandon Vivian in an interview. “We start with trying to have an emotional connection with the customer. We’ve got to think of different ways of interacting with the customer, of course, because of how the vehicle gets its energy … (but) we’re passionate about delivering performance and sophistication.”
Vivian is shepherding Caddy’s extreme electric makeover, bringing a wealth of experience having worked on GM’s original electric vehicle, the EV1, as well as V-series steeds. Cadillac traces its performance roots back over a century, a legacy the veteran engineer says is perfectly suited to lead a 21st-century EV revolution.
“Cadillac has a rich history of innovation and really creating the brand around that,” he said. “Then you look at General Motors and our zero-zero-zero based approach for emissions-crash-congestion. Cadillac is going to be at tip of spear and lead the charge.”
Cadillac’s first all-electric vehicle, the Lyriq crossover, won’t debut until early 2022, but other legacy performance brands like Porsche and Ford Motor Co.’s Mustang have introduced new EVs that try and mimic the sound of the petrol engines that made them famous. Both the Porsche Taycan and Mustang Mach E option subtle, synthetic growling sounds.
“EVs aren’t void of noise — there’s an inverter hum you have as it converts electricity, and the electric motors (have) a little bit of a characteristic to them also,” said Vivian. “EVs are playing that up or down depending on what their particular characteristics are for their brand. You’ll see us doing that both internally and externally to create a unique Cadillac sound and experience.”
Cadillac’s unique, window-rattling V8s have defined the brand on and off the track.
The V-series has won Cadillac an international racing reputation with multiple GT championships in the V8-powered CTS-V. In IMSA’s top-dog prototype class, the 600-horsepower Cadillac DPi-V.R has been the car to beat. Last month it finished second at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, just missing out on a fifth consecutive win.
Racing has been intertwined with Cadillac’s production development this century, helping to advance everything from engines to styling to aerodynamics. But electric racing is in its infancy and has struggled to gain an audience due to batteries’ inherent limitations in range and top speed.
There is no equivalent electric racing challenge like the world-famous Rolex 24 or 24 Hours of Le Mans. Formula E, an open-wheel electric series, has attracted European manufacturers — but no automaker from this side of the pond.
“I’m not sure what Cadillac will do racing wise,” said Stephen Cole Smith, veteran racing writer with Autoweek and The Drive. “They have a great reputation now in the (IMSA) series. People are bailing out of Formula E and not that many getting in. Porsche and Audi are out of it saying they’ve learned everything they can.”
Vivian says that racing will continue to be integral to Cadillac development in the electron age.
“We relish that challenge. Going forward you see more and more (racing) series introducing different tech with different propulsion systems,” he said, though he couldn’t discuss details yet. “As we’re leading the charge into the electric space for the customer we’ve been actively talking to sanctioning bodies to lead the charge into electric racing.”
The current king of EVs, Tesla, has achieved its reputation without ever competing on track. Indeed, its flagship Model S has struggled to complete Car and Driver’s Virginia International Raceway Lightning Lap, a benchmark competition for performance production vehicles.
Instead, Tesla has made its reputation with neck-snapping, “Ludicrous” mode acceleration. Leveraging instant electric motor torque, YouTube is choked with videos of Teslas beating the world’s fastest gas-engine stallions down quarter-mile dragstrips.
“Tesla has established itself as the initial large EV brand. That’s just a matter of fact,” said Vivian. “We don’t see them as a direct competitor as to where we’re going with luxury performance, but certainly they have the first mover advantage.”
Ironically, Cadillac went head-to-head with the Tesla Model S from 2013-2016 with its ELR plug-in hybrid, which had a range-extending gas engine (to 340 miles) for when the 37-mile range battery ran out of juice. Priced competitively with the $70,000, 265-mile range, all-electric Model S, the ELR sold just 3,000 units before it was discontinued.
The wildly-successful Model S has since gained over 400 miles of range and spawned a family of EVs including the Model 3 sedan and Model X and Y SUVs.
“(The ELR) was fantastically styled, very luxurious vehicle,” reflected Vivian. “What we learned from that was, if were really going to make an EV — and everything the customer is demanding an EV be — then we really needed a dedicated platform.”
The engineer says that Cadillac EVs benefit from decades of learning going back to GM’s Advanced Technology Vehicle Group that launched the EV1 in 1997. Key to that experience was learning to to integrate consumer needs with political demands as governments have become increasingly forceful in dictating automotive drivetrains.
“What we learned is how to interact with more than just the customer. We had to develop infrastructure, so we had to work with utilities. We had to work with government agencies and customer at same time,” he said. “So as we move and transition (to EVs) you have to think of elements outside the vehicle.”
Cadillac’s last, gas-fired V-series won’t go quietly.
Vivian is passionate about the 2022 CT4 and CT5 Blackwings which are the most powerful Caddies ever. Covered in aerodynamic tricks learned from racing, they feature state-of-the-art V-8 and V-6 mills.
“These vehicles need to be everything we can make them as they will be the last internal-combustion engine V-series sedans,” smiled Vivian. “They are the most powerful, the most capable, the most luxurious, the most integrated, the most tech-packed vehicles we could deliver.
“The same people who design our race cars work on our (V-series). So we’ve taken all those learnings — and made sure these they’re going to be the best of the last sedans.”
Payne: Would you believe an electric Porsche station wagon?
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 5, 2021
The automotive world is changing freaky fast. SUVs have eclipsed sedans. Electric pickup trucks are a thing. Dashboards look like iPads. And Corvette has put the engine behind the driver. What’s next?
Would you believe an electric Porsche station wagon?
The iconic sports car brand unveiled its 2021 Taycan Cross Turismo Thursday, a wagon version of its already radical new Taycan electric sports sedan introduced for the 2020 model year. The EV station wagon is the latest attempt by the Stuttgart-based automaker to leverage its sportscar cred in order to move in to higher volume segments like SUVs and sedans.
Porsche was the first performance sportscar-maker to introduce an SUV — the Cayenne in 2003 — a profitable business model that has been copied by virtually every other performance brand from Aston Martin to Ferrari. Porsche SUV and sedan sales now outstrip sports car sales by nearly 4:1.
Ironically, Porsche’s flagship, $100,550 911 sportscar will likely remain gas-powered even as the company promises to electrify half its lineup by 2025. The 911’s flat-6 engines are the beating heart of the brand.
“Let me be clear, our icon, the 911, will have a combustion engine for a long time to come,” Porsche CEO Oliver Blume said last November. “The 911 is a concept of the car that is prepared for the combustion engine. It’s not useful to combine it with pure electric mobility. We believe in purpose-designed cars for electric mobility.”
The purpose-designed, swiftly-silent Taycan was an immediate hit in 2020, selling about as many copies as the gas-fired Porsche Cayman/Boxster sports car despite costing twice as much. The Taycan Cross Turismo adds to this mix with increased ground clearance and cargo capacity thanks to its square hatchback.
The wagon version — Porsche insists on calling it a “crossover” — will launch with four variants: the base Taycan 4 Cross Turismo, Taycan 4S Cross Turismo, Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo, and Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo.
Don’t be confused by the “turbo” nomenclature (an homage to the 911): the battery-powered Taycan has no turbochargers. It does, however, feature synthetic sound in order to mimic its gas-powered peers’ growls and downshifts.
In addition to standard, dual-motor-driven all-wheel drive, all Cross Turismo variants will feature a two-speed transmission, 800-volt battery architecture for more robust charging, and panoramic glass roof.
Combined with the EV sports sedan, the Taycan badge will boast eight different models that can be ordered in over 21,000 combinations.
The squared off hatchback of the Cross Turismo will allow rear seat occupants nearly four inches more headroom. Cargo space of 15.7 cubic feet gains about 1.5 cubes over the Taycan sedan. A “frunk” — front trunk — offers an additional 2.9 cubic feet of storage.
Telegraphing its more off-roady look — think of a Subaru Crosstrek SUV versus its sister Impreza sedan — the Taycan Cross Turismo gains about an inch in ride height, black fender cladding, and unique rocker panels.
Standard air suspension allows drivers to further raise the ride for greater ground clearance. A “Gravel mode” is added for better grip off asphalt, though Porsche emphasizes Cross Turismo is “not designed as a rock crawling off-roader.”
Like the sportscars that have come before it, Taycan Cross Turismo’s performance envelope is maximized for on-road giggles. With AWD traction, the top-trim Turbo S Cross Turismo can accelerate out of a Woodward stoplight to 60 miles per hour in a breathtaking 2.7 seconds. The base, $92,250 Taycan 4 Cross Turismo will do the deed in 4.8 ticks.
Papa 911 would be proud.
Speaking of gas-gulpers, Porsche is working on synthetic fuels in anticipation of European governments continuing to penalize carbon emissions. Porsche’s synthetic gas would have the same carbon footprint as EVs in order to keep its sportscars running for years.
The Taycan Cross Turismo should arrive at U.S. dealerships this summer. It will coincide with the introduction of two new, carbon-fiber electric bicycles.
Yes, Porsche bicycles. Just to keep things freaky.
Payne: Second-gen Chevy Bolt EV is a treat. Pity it isn’t a Caddy.
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 5, 2021
The second generation, battery-powered Chevy Bolt EV is better than ever. I just wish it were a Caddy.
The 2022 Bolt EV (as in Electric Vehicle) has acquired a stretched version — called the Bolt EUV (Electric Utility Vehicle) — and all kinds of luxury touches. Super Cruise self-driving like a Cadillac Escalade. Three inches of rear legroom like a stretched Audi A8 L model. Panoramic sunroof like an Acura RDX. Rear-view camera mirror like a Caddy. Clean, grille-less fascia like a Tesla.
The old Bolt’s plastic grille never quite fit. Like the Tesla Model S’s original plastic “nose cone” it appeared fake, cheap. The new Bolt mug is post-petrol modern. Inside, the cabin is stylish with console “trigger shifter” and all-digital displays.
At the wheel of a Bolt EUV, I nailed the throttle out of a Downriver, Interstate 75 cloverleaf. The wee ute responded with instant torque — and minimal body roll thanks to the sub-floor battery pack. Approaching a stoplight, I lifted my right foot and Bolt eased to a stop with regenerative braking. Just like Tesla.
A size smaller than the compact Tesla Model 3/Y lineup that starts at $38,190, the subcompact Bolt EV/EUV model line begins at $31,995 and is perfectly priced to take on the Silicon Valley electric vehicle maker.
If it were a Caddy.
Cadillac has announced it is going all-electric this decade, a bold move aimed directly at the Tesla juggernaut — the only American luxury brand to make a dent in the Teutonic trio of Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Caddy has already announced the $60,000 Lyriq — an upmarket Tesla Model S fighter due in 2023. The Bolt EUV would make a perfect, entry-level companion.
If it were a Caddy.
Alas, as a Chevy the subcompact Bolt EV’s $31,000-plus price tag will seem exorbitant when it arrives on showrooms this summer next to the brand’s attractive lineup of gas-powered utes. The similarly sized subcompact Chevy Trailblazer, for example, starts at $19,995. The Bolt EUV? $33,995. Oh.
“There is no better demonstration to GM’s commitment to electrification than the offering of a Chevy product,” said Chevy marketing chief Tony Johnson. GM says all its brands will be electric-only by 2035.
But a serious commitment to convert the masses to battery power would mean offering a $20,000 Bolt EUV to match Trailblazer. Pack a $32,705 Trailblazer to the gunwales — panoramic sunroof, leatherette seats, all-the-safety-stuff — and it is still cheaper than a base Bolt EUV. My loaded Bolt EUV tester rang the cash register at about $43,000.
Sure, the Bolt EUV offers that whiz-bang $2,200 Super Cruise feature, but I wager most Michiganians would trade that for the Trailblazer’s $2,000 all-wheel-drive option. The Bolt EUV doesn’t offer AWD — a deal breaker for many snowbound SUV customers like Mrs. Payne.
Winter is also unkind to EV range. In 30-degree Detroit temps, my tester got just 65% of predicted battery range in mostly 75-mph highway driving. The Chevy Trailblazer boasts 400 miles of range with gas-charging infrastructure everywhere.
Range anxiety is a serious problem for EVs — especially for the average Chevy customer who uses their steed as primary transportation. Advantage gas-powered Trailblazer. Or Trax or Equinox.
You see the holes in this idea that everyone will buy electric in 15 years. I’m not buying it.
More likely the folks buying the Bolt EV/EUV will be niche customers who seek out EVs: Customers who would expect to pay a 10-grand premium on a subcompact SUV, or who would have a second (or third) car for long-distance trips and only use the EV for daily commutes.
So is the 2022 Bolt EV/EUV better positioned to appeal to that niche customer than it was when it debuted as a 2017 model? Absolutely.
Start with the price. Bolt EV is a cool $6,000 cheaper than the first-gen model. Oh yes, I’m old enough to remember when the 2017 Bolt opened to a Motown fever predicting Tesla had met its match. Then priced at $37,495, the Bolt EV went mano a mano against the 2017 $35,000 Model 3 — the General’s well-oiled manufacturing machine beating the typically tardy Silicon Valley automaker to market by eight months.
The automotive press was atwitter. “General Motors is about to take the lead in the electric car race,” thrilled Wired magazine. Analysts predicted sales of 80,000 units a year. “Tesla just hit the competitive iceberg. RIP,” announced Seeking Alpha.
Well, not quite.
Bolt sales haven’t topped 24,000 annually. When the Model 3 finally started deliveries (including to your humble scribe), it sold over 140,000 units in 2018, becoming luxury’s best-selling vehicle. Sales eclipsed 200,000 last year. Brand matters, and Chevrolet is no Tesla.
For Act Two, Chevy realistically targets its brand peers: Hyundai Kona EV, VW ID-4, Nissan Leaf.
Here, Bolt is better placed with its $31,000 base price. That’s on par with the Leaf and well below the Hyundai and V-dub that start in the high-$30,000 range. In top trim offerings, pricing is more competitive. Think $45,000 for the ID.4 and $47,000 for a comparable Kona EV.
This is where Chevy’s recipe gets creative.
Grabbing from Cadillac’s cookbook, Chevy spiced my $43,000 Bolt EUV with Tesla-like, Super Cruise driver assistance. No other mainstream brand can touch it. Entering I-75, I pressed the Super Cruise icon on the steering wheel and a green bar lit up the top of my steering wheel.
We’re self-driving, baby!
With an infrared camera mounted on the steering to make sure I didn’t nod off, Super Cruise took over the Bolt so I could eat breakfast (raspberry tart and milk. Delicious), check email, and so on. No interruptions like my Model 3’s Autopilot nannying me to keep my hands on the steering wheel. When it was time to exit the interstate (Super Cruise works only on divided highways), the Bolt EUV kindly asked that I take over again.
Never mind that, ahem, few will use Bolt EUV as a trip vehicle (charging infrastructure is still thin). Most will just use it around town (Chevy will install a 240-volt charger in your garage for free). But Super Cruise is the type of tech that EV geeks expect in the Age of Tesla.
It’s also a needed differentiator in a segment where everything looks alike. The Bolt, Kona EV and ID.4 appear separated at birth: blank fascias, rounded edges, utilitarian hatchbacks.
If only the Bolt had edgy lines and a vertical light signature. Like a Caddy.
2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV/EUV
Vehicle type: All-electric, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger subcompact hatchback/SUV
Price: $31,995, including destination fee (about $43,000 for Premiere EUV as tested)
Powerplant: 65 kW lithium-ion battery pack mated to front electric motor
Power: 200 horsepower, 266 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: One-speed direct drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5 seconds (mnfr.); top speed, 93 mph
Weight: 3,679 pounds (Bolt EUV as tested)
Fuel economy: 259-mile range (Bolt EV); 250-mile range (Bolt EUV)
Report card
Highs: More price competitive with other EVs; attractive face and Super Cruise
Lows: Pricey compared to Chevy gas models; charging infrastructure
Overall: 3 stars
Payne: How auto safety systems saved Tiger Woods
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 3, 2021
As the world awaits an official Los Angeles County accident report on what caused Tiger Woods’ early morning crash Feb. 23, there is much that is unknown about the single-vehicle incident. Uncertainty abounds as to how fast the vehicle was traveling, whether Woods might have been asleep or distracted, if something malfunctioned in the vehicle, even why the golf icon wasn’t being chauffeured.
But auto safety experts say one thing is certain: Modern safety systems in Woods’ 2021 Genesis GV80 SUV saved the superstar golfer from much more serious injury.
Woods’ horrific rollover apparently resulted in isolated right leg and ankle injuries as safety features — and the crucial fact that Tiger was wearing a seatbelt — worked together to form a cocoon around the 45-year-old athlete. Developed over decades to increasing crash standards, the systems on board the Genesis help isolate passengers like Woods to prevent head and torso injuries.
“It really is a sign of how well these vehicles are built nowadays and the combination of all these safety features,” said David Harkey, president of The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, which tests vehicles. “None of us want to be in that kind of violent collision. But your odds of surviving something like that now are much greater than they were a decade ago.”
Experts say vehicles are designed to create a sort of double-layer cocoon around occupants. The first layer is enabled by crush zones in the chassis itself in order to prevent the engine, wheels, and other external objects from intruding into the cabin on impact.
The second cocoon layer is created immediately around the driver using so-called passive safety systems like seatbelts and airbags that prevent occupants from flailing about the cabin.
“We call it the egg philosophy. The vehicle cage is structured like an egg shell with front and back crumple zones to keep the cabin intact,” said Bryan Johnson, a spokesman for Auburn Hills-based Joyson Safety Systems that outfits about one-third of manufacturers (though not Korea-assembled Genesis) with passive safety components.
“Can you keep the compartment intact during a crash and maintain a survivable state? That’s the whole key in a collision, and (the GV80) did that with respect to the upper body,” said Harkey, pointing to the roof, its integrity intact despite the apparent rollover.
IIHS and Joyson engineers have followed the Woods’ incident closely. “The underlying structure in Tiger’s crash did what is was supposed to do,” said Johnson. “The systems worked and kept Tiger seated and in an upright and protected position.”
Los Angeles County firefighters extracted Woods from the GV80 by peeling back the front windshield glass. The tempered glass itself is a safety marvel as it is designed not to shatter in violent accidents like Woods endured. Harkey noted the intact cabin side windows and panoramic glass sunroof.
Woods injuries are reportedly limited to his right leg, ankle, and foot (shattered tibia and fibula with foot bones requiring screws and pins) likely caused by planting his right leg on the brake pedal as the vehicle went out of control.
“Your first instincts are to brake,” said Harkey. “That’s where we see injuries (in accidents like this) — to the ankles in the lower leg. That’s exactly what Tiger experienced.”
Harkey said Woods’ extended leg was vulnerable since it was up against the engine firewall where multiple parts — engine, wheels, suspension — are being smashed into the cabin structure.
By coincidence, IIHS is currently putting the $49,925 Genesis GV80 — new this model year — through its rigorous safety tests. Vehicles must meet federal safety standards to sell in the United States, but manufacturers frequently benchmark to IIHS’ higher standards which earns them the Virginia-based organization’s Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus ratings.
Hyundai Motor Group, which includes the Genesis luxury brand, was awarded more Top Safety Picks than any other manufacturer last year.
Woods had just played the Genesis Invitational and was driving a GV80 courtesy vehicle at the time of his crash. The automaker has kept a low profile, lamenting Woods misfortune and “wishing him a full and speedy recovery.”
In a statement, Hyundai’s luxury maker highlighted several advance safety features in its GV80. Woods was cushioned by a center-side airbag that deployed between the front seats helping keep Woods in place (and from knocking heads with a right-seat passenger had their been one).
Woods was surrounded by airbags including a steering wheel airbag to the chest, side curtain airbags to keep his head from striking the door window, and a lower door airbag to bolster his hips.
“The biggest recent evolution in vehicle safety is the integration of sensors in vehicles,” said Joyson’s Johnson.
Today’s safety systems are designed to work with instant speed and precision. Take the simple seatbelt which experts agree was the foundation of keeping Woods alive in a median-hopping accident at perhaps 50 mph.
“You now have pretensioners in a seatbelt that — right before a collision — will respond and retract. So it literally pulls your body back into an upright position,” said IIHS’s Harkey, describing a sequence that happens in milliseconds. “Then you have load limiters which allow the belt — once the crash occurs — to loosen slightly. That prevents injuries that sometimes occur because (a tight belt) may actually do a bit of upper body damage.”
Woods was alone, but more air bags would have deployed should other occupants have been present.
American consumers have gone whole hog for SUVs — over 70% of non-pickup truck new vehicle sales — which are heavier and carry a higher center of gravity than sedans, potentially making vehicles like the 5,000-pound GV80 less controllable compared to, say, its 4,100-pound G80 sedan sibling.
Regarding passenger protection, however, Johnson did not see that as an issue. A wild card, however, is the SUV’s hatchback which, unlike a sedan’s isolated boot, opens the vehicle cargo area to the passenger compartment — and potential flying objects like golf clubs or luggage.
In Woods’ case, his clubs and luggage stayed intact. Harkey said the IIHS test includes passenger dummies, but not cargo.
Overall, vehicle structural engineering have made big strides in recent years. “The GV80 is on an all-new platform — with strong focus on safety — including passenger compartment protection/reinforcement areas,” said Genesis. “This includes the use of advanced high strength steel for rigidity and safety.”
In 1995, IIHS began so-called moderate overlap tests in which 40% of the front end took the brunt of a head-on collision — the deadliest of crashes. In the last decade, IIHS has added small overlap tests aimed at strengthening front corner crush zones in which 25% of the driver/passenger sides bear the impact.
In addition to these overlap tests, IIHS tests for side, roof strength, and head-and seat restraints.
“It was clear that at, some point in the collision, (the GV80) landed on its front and there was severe intrusion into (the engine compartment),” said Harkey. “But the structure absorbed a lot of that energy.”
Joyson’s Johnson said that active safety features like anti-lock brakes and forward collision avoidance systems — both of which were on the GV80 — have also made vehicles safer, though they likely did not factor in the LA crash. Woods was saved by good ol’ passive safety tech.
Johnson expects, however, that future active safety advances — accelerated by the promise of driverless vehicles — could prevent crashes.
‘We are currently seeing an evolution of occupant monitoring in systems like GM’s Super Cruise (driver-assist),” he said. “So if a driver is distracted, then a predictive system might be able to give them a warning in time.”
Biden-GM Urge Electric Vehicle Transformation, But Experts Say Climate Case Is Weak
Posted by Talbot Payne on February 28, 2021
Detroit – As the Texas power grid shudders in part under renewable power, the auto industry is also facing an uncertain transition to green energy. General Motors dropped a bombshell last month that it will build only electric vehicles by 2035. The commitment comes as the Biden administration stocks up on climate activists to?transform the economy to fight global warming.
The administration is in line with governments from Europe to China that have declared EVs the future and – for the first time – are mandating which powertrains automakers must use.
But as GM and other automakers spend billions to bring electrics to market, prominent auto and climate experts say they are a solution in search of a problem.
Physicist Frank Jamerson, one of the architects of GM’s EV program, wrote in a 2020 Society of Automotive Engineers paper there is no evidence that gas-fired transportation is changing the climate. An advocate of nuclear power and hydrogen fuel cell development, GM’s ex-chief of electrochemistry said in an interview that “fossil fuels can be used until they run out, in hundreds of years.”
Center for Automotive Research Chairman David Cole, a leading Michigan research firm, concurs: “The climate data has been pushed aside by the politicians. This (climate crisis) idea is being pushed to save the world, and it’s a mistake.” Cole, Jamerson, and Weather Channel founder and meteorologist Joe D’Aleo plan an SAE warming conference in April.
Cole says the enormous investment in EVs, which make up less than 2 percent of U.S. sales today, is creating a two-tiered industry of haves and have nots. Big players like GM, Toyota, and Volkswagen have the resources to invest in a battery-mandated future whereas other companies do not.
“The haves can play that game, and the have-nots cannot. The big boys are investing so that if government is pushing autos towards electrification, they will be the winners.”
Veteran climatologists like John Christy, who oversees satellites that monitor global temperature data, says the EV push is disconnected from scientific evidence.
“There is no climate crisis. If you apply the proposed government regulations to the auto industry, they will have no climate impact,” said Christy, professor of Atmospheric Science at the University of Alabama-Huntsville, in an interview. “Indeed, if you eliminate the U.S. economy from the face of the earth, it will have no impact on global temperature.”
Decades of scientific data indicate that global warming alarms have been inaccurate – including the predicted retreat of the Great Lakes in the Detroit automakers’ back yard.
Still, Big Auto has done an about-face on climate regulations after backing the Trump administration’s challenge to California’s controversial CO2 emissions rules.
GM’s view now aligns with the Biden campaign which asserts “humans’ contribution to the greenhouse effect is indisputable” and poses an “existential threat to . . . human life.” America’s largest auto manufacturer, GM’s reading of the political tea leaves echoes past strategic moves to align itself with Washington trends.
With the U.S. mired in Iraq in 2008, for example, the General supported the Bush administration’s transition to ethanol-fueled cars by 2022 to reduce foreign oil dependence.
A nuclear physicist by training, Jamerson worked at GM for over 30 years, becoming assistant program manager of the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium in 1990. The alliance of GM, Ford, Chrysler, and the Department of Energy aimed to pool resources for a new generation of battery-powered cars.
The consortium was driven in part by concerns over climate change– fears data no longer support, the ex-GM exec says. Jamerson said batteries have progressed since his team developed GM’s first EV prototype, the Impact – but electrics still suffer from range challenges.
“There is no reason to deny the use of fossil fuels,” he said. “Let the marketplace decide.”
Climatologist Christy said mandating EVs would have no impact on climate: “1) The US is only 14 percent of global emissions so what we do won’t affect much. And 2) climate is not as sensitive to CO2 as the models say it is.”
Warming orthodoxy has been challenged by real world evidence. With Great Lakes levels at cyclical lows in 1988, climate alarmists like then-NASA scientist James Hansen projected man-made warming would cause shrinking coastlines. But lake levels today are back to historic, 30 year-cycle highs. Climate models have also erroneously predicted disappearing polar ice caps and record hurricanes.
James Taylor, president of the Chicago-based Heartland Institute, said in an interview that Biden administration plans to power an electrified vehicle fleet with wind turbines in the next decade would require nearly half the land mass of the United States – “the most environmentally ruinous plan we can think of.”
The contrarian data has not slowed political pressure on automakers. The governors of California and Massachusetts have set a ban on gas-powered cars by 2035. Biden promises rules “ensuring 100 percent of new (vehicle) sales . . . will be electrified.”
Auto analyst Cole said that, despite years of climate alarmism and government subsidies, consumers have not embraced EVs. Even in England, one of the most popular countries for electrics, EVs made up only 7.4 percent of sales in 2019.
Payne: Buick Envision, the second-gen’s the charm
Posted by Talbot Payne on February 26, 2021
In Florida you can have any car you want as long as it’s white. The reflective color is ubiquitous in the Sunshine State as passengers try to keep cool from the relentless ball of fire in the sky.
But the thing about white is it highlights a car’s style. Poor designs have nowhere to hide their awkward lines and sloppy details. They stand out against the white background like acne on Kate Upton’s face.
My white, 2021 Buick Envision ST tester looked lovely.
Thin grille and lights. High cheekbones. Lean rocker panels. Black 20-inch wheels under muscular shoulders. What a difference a generation makes.
The first-gen Envision landed in 2015 with a whimper. Sandwiched between the brand’s cute subcompact Encore and handsome three-row Enclave ocean liner, Envision should have been the brand’s crowning glory. Buick’s bestseller in the industry’s most popular segment. An exclamation point that Buick had completed its historic transformation from stale sedan brand to hip SUV brand.
But the Envision didn’t shout premium. Behind the signature grille was a jowly facia punctuated by old school Buick portholes — er, Ventiports. What were ’50s portholes doing on the brand’s breakthrough compact SUV? The interior was OK, the ride OK, the experience OK. Not what was expected from a brand that had wowed autodom with Encore and Enclave. Envision became better known for the UAW protesting its made-in-China origins.
Sales were, well, OK.
Gen two is an extreme makeover. Driving the Naples, Florida coastline with Mrs. Payne, my Envision may have been white like everything else, but it was vanilla no more. It looked sharp in lots choked with Mercedes GLCs, Audi Q5s and Lexus RX 350s.
The west coast of Florida is teaming with Midwest retirees and snowbirds who have escaped down Interstate 75 from the cold. Yet the auto mix is not much different than the state’s east coast populated by northeasterners who’ve migrated down I-95. German and Japanese luxe brands are everywhere. Like the European (Rolex, Gucci) and Japanese (Uniqlo, Canon) brands that litter ritzy shopping centers.
“We sell fashion,” a GM exec always reminds me, and its Cadillac and Buick brands have struggled in that pursuit.
It’s not just Euro-fashion Buick must contend with. Japanese-made Lexus has been dominant in Naples for years, its mix of affordability and customer service irresistible to monied Floridians. Especially the mid-size RX 350, often referred to as the official vehicle of Florida.
So it’s significant that the Envision turned our Delray-resident pal Alice’s head. She loves her similarly sized Lexus ES 350 sedan, but the Envision checked all her boxes.
Start with that athletic SUV exterior — some two inches lower and wider — which carried none of the baggage that might have reminded her of old Buick sleds. No portholes. No jowls. It looked like no Buick she had ever seen before.
That’s where Buick’s wholesale change to SUVs has been brilliant (even if it meant ditching my favorite Regal sedan sportback. Sigh). It’s a fresh start. Alice might have been a character right out of those Buick TV ads:
“That’s not a Buick!”
Pleased by the toned exterior, 60-something Alice slipped easily into the ute’s raised seat (the older you get, the harder it is to get into sedans, am I right?). The interior sealed the deal.
Reworked like the exterior, the quiet cabin is a pleasing place to be. Comfy front thrones. Roomy rear bench. Sculpted dash. Familiar GM steering wheel volume and cruise controls. Taking a page from Corvette — Corvette! — the center console is driver-centric, its big 10.2-inch infotainment screen rotated toward the driver.
Not that you’ll confuse the Envision’s handling with a ’Vette. The Buick is a Goldilocks ute: not too stiff, not too soft. Just right. Its suspension, 9-speed tranny and 228-horse turbo-4 are plenty peppy without tempting you into stoplight drag races.
But the driver-focused layout puts the touchscreen within easy reach — whether the pilot is your long-armed 6’5” reviewer or wee Alice, who, like a lot of Lexus customers, isn’t enamored with her vehicle’s remote touchpad controller.
“It’s annoying,” she said rolling her eyes. The same affliction dogs the Acura RDX, one of my favorite SUVs in segment — save for its Tru Touchpad screen controller. Oh, I’ve gotten an earful from owners.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, Buick has stuck with a touchscreen just like your smartphone. Alice loved it. And the lack of a remote controller also opens the console for storage space for her multiple thermoses, keys, etc.
Not that Buick isn’t immune from innovation. Where Lexus and Acura try (unsuccessfully) to impress with touchpad tech, Envision opts for a button “trigger” transmission. A console space saver, it’s easy to learn. It joins other GM innovations that have stood the test of time: head-up display, safety alert seat.
Both these inventions (first found on cousin Cadillac) come with Envision’s $2,500 Tech Package. It’s worth it. The safety seat buzzes your butt when you get too close to an object. Mated to “HD surround vison” — as sharp a front-rear camera as you’ll find — the two systems combine for worry-free mobility in tight spots. Like the Lemon Tree Inn parking lot where my wife and I stayed in Naples.
The tech package also includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which further unclutters the console while enabling the best nav apps on the planet.
Given this obsession with detail, noticeably absent from my $40,000 ST tester was Adaptive Cruise Control. It would have come in handy on Florida’s highways — choked with sunbirds fleeing cold temps and nanny-state governors.
GM has been curiously tight-fisted in offering ACC on its vehicles. It’s a notable omission and reminded me of mainstream brands like Nissan, Subaru and Mazda that offer it (and other standard items on the Buick like blind-spot assist and emergency braking) for under $30,000. Technology has shrunk the difference between mainstream and luxe brands, and a loaded AWD Subie Outback or Mazda CX-5 can be had for $5,000 less than a comparable Envision or Acura RDX.
Brand matters, of course. And, within its competitive set, Envison is every bit the value of its Japanese peers. That’s a big step up.
Oh, yes — and be sure and step up with the Envision’s $1,350 Sport Touring package. Those big black wheels and trim details will really show off your Buick’s toned, white beach bod.
2021 Buick Envision
Vehicle type: Front engine, front- or all-wheel-drive, five-passenger compact SUV
Price: $32,995, including $1,195 destination fee ($40,820 FWD Essence ST as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline-4 cylinder
Power: 228 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, NA; towing, 1,500 pounds
Weight: 3,732 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg, 24 city/31 highway/26 combined (FWD); 22 city/29 highway/25 combined (AWD)
Report card
Highs: Athletic styling; driver-friendly console
Lows: Numb handling; standard adaptive cruise, please?
Overall: 3 stars
While Mercedes debuts another knockout C-class, Cadillac looks to the future
Posted by Talbot Payne on February 23, 2021
Mercedes unveiled its all-new C-class Tuesday, and it’s stunning. With its curved, space-age screen rising from the console, state-of-the-art “MBUX” voice recognition, and smooth, 255-horse turbo engine with 48-volt battery assist, Merc’s best-selling sedan reasserts the automaker’s place — along with the BMW 3-series and Tesla Model 3 — as the most coveted luxury car in autodom.
It’s a big reason why GM’s luxury brand, Cadillac, is swinging for the fences by going all-electric in 2030.
Despite producing swift chariots on par with its rivals in athleticism, Caddy has struggled to keep up. Going electric is a chance to reset by leap-frogging the competition in technology.
“That’s how extreme you have to go to stay relevant in today’s luxury market,” said ISeeCars executive auto analyst Karl Brauer while swooning over the C-class’ new interior. “It’s not good enough for Cadillac to be as good as the Europeans. They have to be over the top on tech, design, and drivetrain.”
To that end, Cadillac has unveiled its first EV, the mid-sized Cadillac Lyriq SUV, that matches Mercedes in interior wow factor. Then it takes it up a notch by promising a dual-motor, skateboard electric chassis like Tesla.
The Lyriq boasts a 33-inch, curved LED screen that stretches from behind the steering wheel across the dash — a sculpture as dramatic as the Mercedes’ 12-inch masterpiece. Mercedes’ self-driving features allow automatic lane changes — just like Cadillac’s Super Cruise and Tesla’s Autopilot. Building on Cadillac’s Super Cruise driver-assist technology, the Lyriq will introduce “augmented reality” feature — projecting two planes of driver information over the road in front of the car.
But it’s Cadillac’s commitment to an all-EV lineup in just nine short years that it hopes will help it stand out to new, Generation Tesla car buyers against the European juggernaut.
Significantly, Mercedes — which has defined luxury for decades — has not felt the need to target an all-electric future until 2039. “By 2030 we aim to have electric models make up more than half of our car sales — that includes all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids,” the company announced in 2019.
But for Cadillac, the future is now or never.
“Cadillac is a small financial risk for General Motors, so they can swing for the fences,” said Brauer. “A lot of statements made today about the electric future are meant to benefit brands like Cadillac in the present. Mercedes doesn’t need to do that because they define the market today.”
In addition to its interior tech, the 2022 C-class (due on dealer lots early next year at a likely starting price of about $43,000) doubles down on the design traits that luxury buyers covet: giant, chrome star anchoring the front grille, aviator vents anchoring the horizontal dash, coupe-like roof flowing across an expanded wheelbase.
Cadillac has tried to match Mercedes in sedan segments (as well as SUVs) with its CTS and ATS — recently rebadged as the CT4 and CT5. Tested on Germany’s famed Nürburgring race track, the Caddys received raves from the motoring press for their agility and power — and for V-series performance variants that went stride-for-stride with high-end Merc AMG models.
But ATS sales never crested 40,000 in the states, while the C-class often doubled that.
“Along with Mazda, Cadillac is one of the most underappreciated brands in the market,” said Brauer. “If you drive (a Cadillac sedan) it was right there with the Germans.”
In announcing his new C-class Tuesday, Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius expressed his confidence the sedan would set a new standard: “The C-Class is already our best-selling sedan. Our most successful model range will once again raise the bar as the most sophisticated offering in its segment.”
With its new lineup of EVs coming by decade’s end, Cadillac hopes it will capture some of the magic that has made Tesla as desirable as Mercedes. In 2020, the Model 3 sold a segment-best 206,500 units.
Lordstown Endurance EV pickup is going desert racing
Posted by Talbot Payne on February 23, 2021
Lordstown Motors is going racing.
The Ohio-based electric pickup truck maker will enter its Endurance pickup in the SCORE San Felipe 250 on April 17, a grueling test of off-road endurance on Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula. Automakers have a long history of proving production vehicles in extreme racing environments, and the nascent electric vehicle industry is proving no different.
Lordstown’s Baja entry follows other manufacturers into competitive racing. The Jaguar iPace has competed in the FIA’s international eTrophy series. Plymouth’s Rivian put its R1T truck to the test in the Rebelle Rally last fall. And GMC Hummer is sponsoring a prototype EV racing team in the Xtreme E off-road series.
The Baja desert series, sanctioned by the Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts International (SCORE), has been a benchmark for off-road racing. The Baja 1000 – a 1,000-mile race in its 54th year– is the premier event in a series that includes the San Felipe 250, Baja 500 and Desert Challenge.
“We feel that it is quite a significant milestone for the electric vehicle community that an electric pickup truck can compete in an environment as demanding as Baja California,” said Lordstown Motors CEO Steve Burns. “Our goal is to be the first EV to ever complete the San Felipe 250, and with the superior traction, weight balance and advanced software control of our hub motor-based Endurance, we are confident that we will do just that.”
The event features a wide range of off-road classes including motorcycles, buggies, trucks, custom-race rods, and production vehicles. The Lordstown Endurance will be of the latter variety, racing in the eClass.
The full-size pickup will feature a beta version of Lordstown’s production skateboard chassis with big, 37-inch off-road tires to take on Baja’s treacherous terrain. The truck will be built in General Motors’ former, 6.2 million-square-foot Lordstown Assembly Plant that once bolted together Cruze compact sedans.
The daunting, 250-mile race starts in San Felipe, Baja California and traverses terrain including sand, rock, high-elevation mountains and low-speed ravines. Temperatures vary widely from desert heat to mountain cold, a challenge to batteries that are sensitive to extreme conditions.
“The Baja races give EV makers the opportunity to say that their vehicles are invulnerable. Range is the issue for electrics. It’s going to be rough in the cold climbs,” said Sue Mead, a six-time Baja 1000 racer and the only American to have won the international, 6,000-mile Dakar Rally. She achieved the Dakar feat in a Ford F-150 Raptor.
Mead said that the instant torque of electric motors is ideal for off-road racing, but battery life will be tested versus gas-powered entrants that have dominated the sport.
Battery robustness has been a challenge for EVs even as manufacturers like Tesla have advertised over 400 miles of range. Under the duress of Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap at 4-mile-long Virginia International Raceway, for example, a Tesla Model S could not finish a lap without going into limp mode. A Porsche Taycan was the first EV to complete the high-speed test last year.
Racing California’s all-female Rebelle Rally last fall, off-roader Emme Hall of Roadshow got just over half the advertised 300-mile range in a beta electric Rivian R1T pickup. A semi carrying a 130-kWh mobile charger provided re-charging support, which enabled full battery recharges in about an hour.
Lordstown hopes the Baja experience will toughen the Endurance’s image as it targets the commercial truck fleet market. The production, 600-horsepower Endurance boasts a range of 250 miles and tow capacity of 7,500 pounds. Currently in its beta production phase, Endurance is slated for September production.
It joins a growing segment of electric pickup trucks due in the next two years including the Hummer EV, Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, Bollinger B2 and Ford F-150 Electric.
This year marked the first time an EV competed in the famed King of the Hammers off-road event in California. Independent racer Kyle Seggelin and his team stuffed a Toyota 4Runner with the electric powertrain of a Nissan Leaf EV. The truck was further modified for full battery swaps.
The team swapped out the 62-kWh battery pack twice over the course of the tough, 91-mile course.
Most dependable: Lexus, Kia top 2021 JD Power auto study
Posted by Talbot Payne on February 23, 2021
Automobiles are more complex than ever, and more dependable than ever.
That’s the encouraging news from data analytics firm JD Power which released its 2021 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study Thursday. The widely-watched study found vehicle durability at an all-time high, improving 10% over 2020 — and 25% over 2016 when the industry was backsliding in durability due to the swarm of new electronics debuting on vehicles.
This year’s survey also marked a victory for Kia as the Korean brand beat perennial #1 Toyota as the most dependable mainstream brand. Toyota’s luxury brand, Lexus, continued its dominance as the most reliable automaker overall for the ninth time in 10 years. The Porsche 911 sports car was the most dependable model surveyed.
Just five years ago dependability was declining — by 3% year-over-year — provoking flashing lights from JD Power, especially in so-called ACEN features (infotainment, navigation, in-vehicle communication systems) as automakers rushed to integrate connectivity and autonomy in their vehicles.
But the latest study indicates that that these systems are maturing, with reported defects dropping from 152 problems per 100 vehicles five years ago to just 121 PP/100 today.
“Today’s three-year-old vehicles are of higher quality and more dependable than in previous years,” said JD Power vice president of global automotive Dave Sargent. “Most owners aren’t experiencing their vehicles breaking down or falling apart. In the future, dependability will partially be determined by the ability to solve problems through vehicle updates and the avoidance of technology obsolescence.”
The ability to update vehicles over the air is accelerating with, for example, the Ford F-series pickup — the top-selling vehicle in autodom — introducing OTA updates with its 2021 models. Ironically, Tesla — the pioneer of OTA updates — had one of the poorest scores on JD Power’s test (172 PP/100) as the Silicon Valley brand struggled with manufacturing quality issues.
The closely-watched Vehicle Dependability Study, now in its 32nd year, tracks 33,251 original owners of three-year-old cars (2018 models for this year’s study) over 12 months. JD Power covers 177 specific problems grouped into eight major vehicle categories: audio/communication/entertainment/navigation (ACEN); engine/transmission; exterior; interior; features/controls/displays (FCD); driving experience; heating, ventilation and air conditioning; and seats.
All categories improved this year, led by exterior and driving experience. The ACEN grouping, where consumers have seen the biggest advances in recent years (from voice recognition software to navigation programs to satellite radio features) showed marginal improvement and remains the category with the most problems reported.
“From early in the ownership experience, many owners complain about these systems being problematic,” Sargent said. “It’s a recurring theme. With smartphone apps increasingly giving owners an alternative, some will give up on the vehicle’s built-in systems that caused that initial frustration.”
Among vehicle segments, cars were the most dependable, averaging 111 problems per 100 vehicles. Trucks averaged 130 PP/100 and SUVs 122 PP/100. Given that trucks and SUVs now account for a whopping 80% of monthly retail sales, JD Power noted the industry’s attention should be on those segments.
Asian brands continued to lead the way in reliability, a calling card that has gained them significant market share since the 1980s. Owners of Korean and Japanese vehicles reporting the least problems — 115 PP/100 — compared with U.S. brands (126 PP/100) and European autos (131 PP/100). Credit this gap in part to Korea’s Hyundai Group triumvirate — Hyundai/Kia//Genesis — which were big movers in the survey.
Not only did Kia leapfrog Toyota for most dependable mainstream brand, but the three Korean brands averaged 99 PP/100 — 19 points better than Japanese brands collectively (118 PP/100).
Luxe-brand Lexus put up an overall best low score of 81 PP/100, an improvement of 17% from five years ago when it was also top dog. Rounding out the 2021 Top Five were 2) Porsche (86 PP/100); 3) Kia (97 PP/100); 4) Toyota (98 PP/100); and 5) Buick (100 PP/100) tied with Cadillac (also 100 PP/100).
Kia showed the greatest improvement year-over-year — 37% — followed by Cadillac, Acura, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi.
Per individual models, Toyota led the way with five segment awards: Lexus ES, Lexus GX, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Sienna, and Toyota Tundra.
GM garnered four segment awards: Buick Envision, Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Silverado HD, Chevrolet Tahoe. Hyundai also racked up four segment awards with the Genesis G80, Kia Optima, Kia Sorento, and Kia Sportage.