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2020 Detroit Auto Show canceled as venue becomes a field hospital
Yet another major 2020 auto show has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, although now it's less about timing and more about supporting the current fight. Organizers have canceled the Detroit Auto Show (officially the North American International Auto Show) as its venue, the TCF Center, is being turned into a field hospital for coronavirus patients. The next show now won't take place until June 2021, or over two and a half years after the last event.
BMW will discontinue its iconic i8 hybrid sports car in April
The BMW i8 was the company's first plug-in hybrid. When it hit the event circuit as a concept vehicle, it was a stunner, and the consumer version was surprisingly similar to the prototype. The clean lines of the chassis hid an advanced combination of a lithium-ion battery and a three-cylinder engine that could accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers in just 4.4 seconds. But after six years of success, the BMW factory in Leipzig, Germany will halt production of the company's best-selling sports car in April.
Lotus has already sold out of its electric hypercar for 2020
Did you stare at the Lotus Evija and wonder how anyone could justify an electric hypercar costing over $2.6 million, especially from a brand best known for far lighter and cheaper gas vehicles? Apparently, you had no reason to doubt. Lotus told Autocar that it has already sold out of the Evija production run for 2020, which is due to start in the summer. It didn't provide specific numbers, but the automaker is expected to make 130 Evijas in total.
Mercedes unveils plug-in hybrid versions of the CLA and GLA
Mercedes is once more expanding the number of models with plug-in hybrid versions, and it might be particularly good news if you're looking for a less expensive ride. It just introduced PHEV variants of the CLA Coupe (aka sedan, pictured at center), CLA Shooting Brake (right) and GLA crossover SUV (left). All of them mate a 75kW electric motor with a 218HP, four-cylinder gas engine, theoretically giving you zero-emissions driving in the city with the reassurance of combustion if you need it. Not that you'll be leaning on fossil fuels much of the time -- Mercedes estimates 35 miles to 43 miles of electric driving (based on the WLTP test cycle) depending on your car, which should be enough for many commutes.
Audi's tri-motor E-Tron S electric cars will be ready to drift
Electric cars tend to handle well thanks to a low center of gravity and instant torque, but they aren't usually light on their feet and can be harder to drift unless they're appropriately tuned. Audi, however, believes it can bring back that liveliness without compromising on what makes EVs special. It has detailed the S variants of the E-Tron and E-Tron Sportback, noting that they'll be the first mass-produced EVs with three motors -- one large motor producing a typical 124kW (150kW boost) at the front and two smaller rear motors that produce a combined 196kW (264kW boost). The results are livelier vehicles whose torque vectoring not only helps them take corners faster, but can produce "controlled drifts" on demand. If you're comfortable throwing an expensive SUV sideways, it's an option.
Ford hopes you'll trade some privacy for discounted car insurance
Ford thinks it has a way to make car insurance more appealing: taking advantage of the data available from connected cars. It's teaming up with Nationwide to introduce its own take on usage-based insurance. If you have one of several 2020 Ford or Lincoln models (like the Mustang you see above), you can sign up for a policy that uses the vehicle's built-in modem to track your driving habits and adjust your rates accordingly with each renewal. The technology tracks distance, your aggressiveness with pedals, idle time and night driving. You'll get a better deal if you're a gentle commuter than a foot-to-the-floor enthusiast, in other words.
Tesla ordered to halt early work on its German Gigafactory
Tesla's Berlin area Gigafactory is running into trouble before the EV maker has even laid the foundations. The higher administrative court for Berlin-Brandenburg has ordered Tesla to halt forest clearing for the factory while waiting on a decision for a complaint from the environmental activist group Green League of Brandenburg. Simply put, there wasn't much choice. Tesla was going to complete the clearing in just three more days -- there wouldn't have been a point to hearing the complaint if the trees were already gone.
Ariel will fully unveil its hybrid supercar this summer
British automaker Ariel revealed concepts of its Hipercar -- short for "high-performance carbon reduction" -- in the summer of 2017. The company mentioned some impressive specs, such as the ability to reach 60 miles per hour in just 2.4 seconds and a top speed of 160mph (at least for the all-wheel-drive version). The car -- which is presumably meant more for a racetrack than for a trip to the grocery store -- uses four small motors at each wheel to produce 1,180 horsepower and 1,330 pound-feet of torque. Ariel promised that more specs and hardware details would be announced in 2019, but that didn't happen. We should be getting a clearer picture of the innovative supercar later this year, though: Autoblog reports that the automaker will reveal the progress it has made on the Hipercar before September's Low Carbon Vehicle Show.
GM will bring Super Cruise to 22 vehicles by 2023 (updated)
The new Cadillac Escalade was just the start of GM's expansion plans for semi-autonomous tech. Company President Mark Reuss told investors that GM would bring Super Cruise to 22 models by 2023, with 10 of them receiving the driver assistance feature by 2021. The exec didn't mention vehicles by name, but the mix would (to no one's surprise) include pickups and SUVs.
Maserati may unveil its first hybrid car on April 21st
Maserati may be close to dragging its cars into the electrified era. An Automotive News Europe source says the Fiat Chrysler-owned brand will unveil its first hybrid, a version of the Ghibli sedan (above), at the Beijing Motor Show on April 21st. While there aren't many tidbits at this stage, it's poised to be a plug-in hybrid and thus have the option to run entirely on electric power for short stretches.
Porsche's first Super Bowl ad in 23 years is for the electric Taycan
There have been Super Bowl ads for electric cars before, but they've tended to treat EVs as novelties. BMW's 2015 ad for the i3 was practically a crash course in EVs, while Audi's 2019 spot was more to advertise electrification than the still-unavailable E-Tron GT. Porsche, however, is embracing the radical concept of advertising an EV you can actually buy. The automaker is airing its first Super Bowl ad in 23 years on February 2nd to promote the Taycan, and this video focuses more on -- gasp -- the actual car.
EPA estimates Porsche Taycan Turbo S range at just 192 miles
You'd think that splashing out for the Porsche Taycan Turbo S would deliver some extra range in addition to the improved acceleration (as you get with rivals like Tesla), but that's apparently not the case. The EPA has rated the top-spec model's range at just 192 miles -- that's less than the already modest 201 miles of the regular Turbo. Given that the Turbo S currently starts at $188,960 after delivery and handling fees, you're not getting much longevity for the money.
Samsung’s SmartThings app will soon connect to your car too
Samsung wants to add cars to its smart home ecosystem. At CES, Samsung announced that it's teaming up with Smartcar to make its SmartThings app compatible with "most new cars" in the US. Through the app, users will be able to do things like locate and unlock their vehicle or check its mileage, fuel level and EV battery status.
A dispatch from inside Sony's prototype electric car
It's a miracle Sony was able to keep its electric car concept under wraps ahead of CES. In an age of leaks (and given that over ten different companies collaborated with Sony), it's an impressive feat. And the Vision-S prototype, up close, is more put-together than you might expect. I got to sit inside Sony's sales pitch for the automotive industry. The message seemed to be: "We can do cool stuff. Work with us."
Watch Hyundai's CES 2020 press conference in seven minutes
Hyundai made good on its promise to show off its flying car concept at CES, but its press conference demonstrated exactly how it envisages integrating such a vehicle into everyday life. In what it calls "liberation from gridlock" and the "democratization of flight," Hyundai once again pointed at Uber as a vital ally in getting its flying cars into the skies. The rideshare platform wants to launch its Uber Air initiative in 2023, and Hyundai looks like it's got the goods to help it do exactly that.
Alexa voice control is coming to Lamborghini and Rivian cars
Alexa is about to come to some particularly posh cars, and it'll handle more than you might think. Both Lamborghini and Rivian have announced that Amazon's voice assistant will be integrated in their vehicles by the end of 2020. It'll perform common Alexa tasks like calls, navigation and even paying for gas (for Lambos, that is), but you can also use it for climate control, windows and other basic car functions. You might not have to touch a button if you're just trying to warm up on a cold day.
Mophie’s latest wireless charging station can jumpstart your car
Mophie has been a leader in wireless charging for years. It even beat Apple to the punch. Now, the company is upping the ante. Not only does its new Powerstation Go offer USB-A and wireless charging, it can also jumpstart your car.
Fiat Chrysler's Airflow Vision concept car touts an all-digital cabin
Have you wondered what would happen if Fiat Chrysler embraced fully digital car cabins? You're looking at it. The automaker has unveiled an Airflow Vision concept car for CES 2020 where the interior is effectively all-digital, with six screens handling the experience for the driver and passengers. Virtually the only physical buttons are the starter button and the on-wheel navigation keys. That might not be thrilling if you still prefer tactile input, but FCA is promising that the screens won't be overwhelming.
EV maker Nio struggles to grow as Tesla delivers first China-made cars
Nio has been a darling of China's fledgling EV market for a few years, but it appears to be facing an uncertain future. The company has reported third quarter results that saw it sell 4,799 cars, 4,196 of them being the more affordable ES6 SUV -- a significant improvement over earlier quarters, but not what you'd call earth-shattering. And while it's trimming costs through staff cuts and smaller stores, it still lost the equivalent of $352.8 million the three-month span. The company warned that it didn't have enough cash for "continuous operation in the next 12 months" without either taking on more debt or landing new investments.
Mazda claims long-range EVs are worse for the planet than diesels
Wonder why Mazda's MX-30 only has a modest 35.5kWh battery when its competition frequently has more? According to the brand's European research director Christian Schultze, it's to help the planet. He told Automotive News that the small pack is "responsibly" sized to have an overall CO2 emission footprint (including manufacturing and energy consumption) comparable to a diesel Mazda 3 hatchback, even after you replace the battery 100,000 miles into ownership. Long-range batteries would be worse for the environment, Schultze claimed, pointing to Mazda's calculations for long-term CO2 output.
