AD #2722 – Aston Martin Unveils 1st SUV, Toyota Introduces Plug-In Hybrid RAV4, VW Unveils 7th ID Concept
November 20th, 2019 at 12:00pm
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Runtime: 9:24
0:08 VW Unveils 7th ID Concept
1:06 Toyota Introduces Plug-In Hybrid RAV4
1:47 Lexus Shows Off LC 500 Convertible
2:52 Lincoln Reveals Plug-In Corsair
3:35 Nissan Debuts 2020 Sentra
4:31 Karma Reveals Two New Vehicles
5:45 Aston Martin Unveils DBX SUV
6:40 Audi Shows Off Fastback E-Tron
7:26 LIQUI MOLY Introduces Low Viscosity Oil
8:22 Hella Develops High-Res Lighting Technology
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This is Autoline Daily reporting on all aspects of the global automotive industry.
The LA Auto Show is underway, which means there’s a bunch of new eye candy to look at. So let’s get to it.
VW UNVEILS 7TH ID CONCEPT
Manufacturing scale is one way Volkswagen hopes to be profitable with its EVs and it has introduced the 7th model to stem from its MEB platform, the ID. SPACE VIZZION concept, which will spawn a production model in 2021. It has a very station wagon look to it and is nearly identical in size to the Volvo V90. A 275-horsepower electric motor powers the rear wheels, although VW says a second motor could be added to the front for a total output of 355 horsepower and a 0 to 60 time of 5.0 seconds. The concept features an 82-kWh battery pack, which returns 590 kilometers on the WLTP cycle or up to 300 EPA miles.
TOYOTA INTRODUCES PLUG-IN HYBRID RAV4
Toyota is once again expanding the RAV4 lineup. Earlier this year, it introduced a TRD off-road version and now its adding a plug-in hybrid model for the first time. Called the RAV4 Prime, its powered by a 2.5L four-cylinder engine, which when paired with its electric motors cranks out 302 horsepower, making it the most powerful RAV4 ever. It’s also the fastest, moving from 0 to 60 MPH in 5.8 seconds. It has a pure electric range of 39 miles and features more premium touches both inside and out. The Toyota RAV4 Prime goes on sale next summer.
LEXUS SHOWS OFF LC 500 CONVERTIBLE
And Toyota’s luxury brand, Lexus, took the wraps off the LC 500 Convertible. It’s powered by a 5.0L naturally aspirated, direct injection V8 that’s mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. Its soft-top can be opened or closed at speeds up to 31 MPH, and it takes 15 seconds to open or 16 to close. The Lexus LC 500 Convertible goes on sale next summer.
And don’t forget that on Autoline After Hours this Thursday we’ll have the head of engineering and the head of design of the Mach-E on the program. So if you want to learn a lot more about this car, be sure to tune in at our website, Autoline.tv or on our YouTube channel.
LINCOLN REVEALS PLUG-IN CORSAIR
Lincoln introduced a plug-in version of the Corsair, called the Grand Touring. It uses a 2.5 liter Atkinson engine mated to an electronic continuously variable transmission. It’s a 2-motor system with one of the electric motors, which develops 110 foot pounds of torque, integrated into the rear-axle to create an all-wheel-drive system. It’s the first electric rear-axle developed by the Ford Motor Company. The combination of engine and motors produce 266 horsepower. A 14.4-kWh battery provides 25 miles of EV driving range. It goes on sale next summer.
NISSAN DEBUTS 2020 SENTRA
Nissan debuted the all-new 2020 Sentra. It rides on a new platform that drops the height by two inches and gains two inches of width. Nissan gave the Sentra the V-Motion grille that is seen along with the brand’s other models, along with some tech goodies. LED headlights, standard driver assistance technology and some two-tone paint options are new for the eighth generation. The Sentra also gets a revised interior with quilted leather seats, a flat bottom steering wheel, Nissan’s “Around View” camera tech, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. If you’re looking for added performance you’re in luck, because the Sentra gets increases in horsepower and torque with a new 2.0L engine, now up to 149 horsepower and 146lb-ft of torque. The Sentra goes on sale in January.
KARMA REVEALS TWO NEW VEHICLES
Karma Automotive revealed two new vehicles. First is the Revero GTS, a performance version of the Revero GT. It’s powered by dual electric motors and a three-cylinder range extender from BMW. It cranks out 536 horsepower, moves from 0 to 60 MPH in under four seconds and has a top speed of 125 MPH. It has a driving range of up to 360 miles with 80 miles of all-electric range. Production of the Revero GTS begins in the first quarter of 2020 but Karma is taking reservations now and it carries a starting price of $150,000. Karma also unveiled the SC2 Concept, which previews the company’s future design direction. The all-electric vehicle features front and rear mounted electric motors that produce 800kW of peak power and 10,500 lb.-ft. of wheel torque. It also delivers, 1,100 horsepower, screams from 0 to 60MPH in just 1.9 seconds and has a range of 350 miles.
ASTON MARTIN UNVEILS DBX SUV
Meet Aston Martin’s first SUV, the DBX. We think it has a very unique shape. The front-end looks a lot like the new Ford Escape to us, but the back is long, drawn out and bulbous with a bit of a funky looking spoiler that kicks up at the bottom of the rear back glass. Of course, the interior looks sensuous and sporty. Under the hood is a 4.0L twin turbo V8 that makes over 540 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. Zero to 100 km/h can be done in just 4.5 seconds. Deliveries will start in the second quarter of next year and pricing in the U.S. starts at just under $190,000.
AUDI SHOWS OFF FASTBACK E-TRON
Audi is showing off the fastback version of the electric e-tron, called the e-tron Sportback. Styling is very similar to the e-tron but you will notice larger front air intakes, a lower roof, better aerodynamics and less luggage space. Also new to this model are Audi’s Matrix LED headlamps. It features the same 95-kWh battery pack, but range comes in at 446 WLTP kilometers or about 247 EPA miles. The e-tron Sportback can be ordered at the end of this month, while European market introduction is scheduled for spring of next year.
Ok now on to some non-LA show news.
LIQUI MOLY INTRODUCES LOW VISCOSITY OIL
Lower viscosity oils are becoming more and more common. 10W-40 used to be the most widespread viscosity, today 5W-30 and increasingly 0W-20 oils are the norm. And now the German oil company LIQUI MOLY has introduced a 0W-16 oil to the market. For those of you wondering, that ‘W’ stands for Winter and the first number is the viscosity of the oil at cold temperatures and the second is the viscosity of the oil at normal engine operating temperature. Automakers are turning to low viscosity oils because the lower it is, the less power the engine has to use to pump the oil, which results in lower fuel consumption and emissions. The new 0W-16 oil from LIQUI MOLY can be used in select Toyota, Lexus, Honda and Suzuki models.
HELLA DEVELOPS HIGH-RES LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY
German supplier Hella introduced a new, high-resolution lighting system called Digital Light SSL HD, which features 30,000 pixels that can be controlled individually. The technology not only improves regular lighting functions, it also enables light-based safety features like an optical lane assistant. This indicates the best lane to take when driving past road construction or it can light up an area on the side of the road for bicyclists or pedestrians. Hella says a European luxury brand will use the system starting in 2022.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (39)
November 20th, 2019 at 12:12 pm
My 2018 Camry hybrid uses 0w16 oil, so it has been arounfzd at least 2 years.
November 20th, 2019 at 12:20 pm
Good looking VW wagon. Wish they’d do a two-door wagon. I’m a sucker for those.
November 20th, 2019 at 12:25 pm
Sean; Even though the thinner oils do help reduce engine drag and increase efficiency the other reason is the tolerances used in todays engines require a thinner oil. In fact if you put a 10W-40 weight oil in some of the modern engines that call for 0W-20 you would not just see a reduction in efficiency but may very well destroy the engine as the thicker oil cannot lubricate items like main bearings. Machining has gotten better over the years and allowed for tighter tolerances which has allowed them to reduce the oil viscosity.
November 20th, 2019 at 12:42 pm
3 Also, it’s impressive how today’s engines don’t use oil, even with the really thin stuff. My Camry, with the 0W16, was still at the full mark at the first oil change, at almost 10K miles.
November 20th, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Gosh darn. My 2014 BMW i3-REx only gets 72 mi EV range with a gas engine that gives 40 MPG at 70 mph. The LA show is a little thin (non-existent) in the show.
Perhaps the existing manufacturers never benchmarked that car?
November 20th, 2019 at 1:12 pm
I love the SC2 concept, love it more if it had a motor.
November 20th, 2019 at 1:29 pm
I wonder how these EV’s do in front end collisions. Especially ones that have no engine or electric motor in the front. People tent to think that motor provides some protection. However, they might fair better since they have more space to absorb an impact without a massive engine getting pushed into the passenger compartment.
November 20th, 2019 at 1:41 pm
5 The i3 REx does pretty well on gas, for using strictly series operation on gas, and using an engine that was designed for something completely different. I assume they tuned it differently for the i3 than for the scooter, but it sill does pretty well. The problems with the car, though, are that it needs a bigger battery, and a bigger gas tank. The other series hybrid now sold is the Karma, that gets truly dismal mpg on gas. The Volt is series at lower speed, and gears the engine to the wheels at highway speed, helping the mpg.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=37222&id=41978&id=40924
It looks like the closest replacement for the i3 from BMW will be the i4, which sounds like, basically, an electric 4 series hatch, which be be electric only, not a plug-in hybrid.
November 20th, 2019 at 1:43 pm
7 Maybe it would be good to have a big block of some kind of foam in the frunk, just it case, when there is no cargo. The same might apply with the C8 Corvette, Boxster/Cayman, etc.
November 20th, 2019 at 2:18 pm
They put a scad of air bags interiors, so why not put one on the front bumpers of EV’s? Although hitting a pedestrian might throw him into the next block! Maybe that’s not a bad idea either. A jay-walker won’t do it twice.
November 20th, 2019 at 2:48 pm
#7. Modern cars are designed so the engine will go under the car in a severe crash.
November 20th, 2019 at 2:55 pm
No engineers in this forum? The front vehicle structure is designed to absorb the impact from various front, angle and side impacts. The insurance industry has come up with their own requirements that just throw the whole thing out of whack. The engine is meant to go UNDER the vehicle and NOT to absorb ANY impact. Mounts to shear off in a crash.
November 20th, 2019 at 2:56 pm
Sean LIQUI MOLY is late to the game I was buying Mobil 1 5W-30 for my car the other day and noticed that there was a Mobil 1 0W-16 on the shelf. I looked and thought that it was really weird I always learned that you wanted 0W or 5W in the cold then a higher viscosity when the engine was warm. I guess the new engines require less weight when warmed up. The Mobil 1 packaging stated that the oil was for many Hondas and Toyotas. My wife’s Prius has always used 0W-20 which is not far off.
So I guess that Liqui Moly is really late to the game.
November 20th, 2019 at 3:17 pm
I’m assuming the C8 has a fully reinforced front forward trunk, and reviewing that first Vette crash (the one with the Ford truck or was it an suv) reports stated that the crash was fairly well absorbed by the Vette even though it was probably totaled. Passenger safety was probably well protected at least in that scenario. I tried to look for any C8 crash test data but maybe that will be delayed until production cars are available.
November 20th, 2019 at 3:24 pm
13 Yep, like I said in post #1, my 2018 Camry hybrid uses 0W-16. I think regular current Camrys also use 0W-16, at least the 4 cylinder ones. My 2010 Prius used 0W-20.
All oil is thinner at high temperature, but the slope of the thinning is shallower with “multigrade” oil, and the wider the difference between the first and second number, the shallower the slope. This sort of explains it, with a simple graph showing the behavior of SAE 10W-40 vs SAE 40 about halfway down.
https://club.mobilindustrial.com/lube_talk/b/product_and_application_expertise/posts/engine-oil-fundamentals-part-3-what-are-the-standards-for-engine-oil
November 20th, 2019 at 3:32 pm
I don’t remember who, but only one person mentioned that there are MILEAGE standards (that Trump wants to ease because there is plenty of oil in this country so OPEC can’t control us like the did in the early 70s) and there are completely different set of standards for EMISSIONS like carbon monoxide, carbon particulates and nitrous oxides. The latter is the one that primarily causes smog and was the first on California’s list to reduce. I retired quite a long time ago, but I remember that there were different exhaust and thermal protection components between Federal and California emissions. Engine performance components and parameters were also different, spark timing, fuel regulation, etc.. I was in the thermal testing game most of my career (included engine cooling as well as being sure the vehicle components and occupants were protected from extremes in heat). I would assume that the same applies now, but 13 more states are complicating the situation. One standard would be good for both emissions and fuel economy with adjustments for the various platforms, car or truck. Interesting that the minivans are trucks as was the (meant to be a Plymouth) Chrysler PT Cruiser. As we all know, diesels are another ball game as VW and FCA found out!
November 20th, 2019 at 3:33 pm
The NHTSA doesn’t seem to crash test any sports cars. They never tested a C7, nor have they tested a Miata, 911, Cayman, or Boxster. They “sporty” cars, though, like current Mustang and Camaro.
November 20th, 2019 at 3:36 pm
17, reply to #14.
November 20th, 2019 at 3:58 pm
Is it just me, or does the new Sentra just look like a mildly restyled Honda Civic?
November 20th, 2019 at 4:15 pm
While I was typing my 12, ArtG said the same thing about the engine going under. Thanks ArtG.
November 20th, 2019 at 4:42 pm
Doesn’t the Aston Martin look like a Tesla Model Y? Has Elon visited England recently?
November 20th, 2019 at 4:42 pm
And, no, the Mach E doesn’t.
November 20th, 2019 at 4:43 pm
Note that the Ford has rear fender bulges.
November 20th, 2019 at 4:48 pm
Will there be comments about the new Nissan or Lincoln from that very far away land? Will check back later. I know they are coming.
November 20th, 2019 at 4:55 pm
22,23 Maybe the bulges are part of what makes it a Mustang.
November 20th, 2019 at 5:24 pm
I spoke with an older guy having a new car requiring 0W-20 oil. After the brake in period, he added a Teflon additive. And as many “old schooler’s” do in the summer is to use a heavier oil. He said he had serious valve problems as a result. I didn’t think the Teflon would make a difference, but since he used another oil, I can only wonder.
November 20th, 2019 at 5:29 pm
I, too, think the bulges, along with the front end and tail lights, make it resemble a Mustang more. I’m not certain I like having a small chalk board cheaply attached to the dash though.
November 20th, 2019 at 5:54 pm
5 perhaps they looked at the dismal sales and even worse losses the i3 caused BMW and thought again.
19 look at the Sentra specs (I can only read the transcript and can’t see it here but I saw it elsewhere and it did not look like the Civic) and you will not wonder consumers hate sedans. Especially junky Nissan sedans with anemic engines. In the era where a RAV4 breadvan makes 300+ HP, the less than 150 HP Nissan sedan is UTTERLY Lame and inadequate. How can a driver enjoy this vehicle dragging itself, panting, up the smallest hill? Even with a manual, it would have to put in a very annoyingly noisy low gear to do the job.
November 20th, 2019 at 5:58 pm
Aston is even more rare than Ferrari in sales, higher snob appeal.
In the past, I have seen some sleek Aston wagons called “Shooting brakes” by the Brits.
Now, in their infinite wisdom (see greed) they decide to make an “SUV”. And according to the transcript, they make it look like the…. FORD ESCAPE of all econoboxes? Not even its Lincoln Clone the Corsair?
Are you kidding me Aston? No wonder you are so “exclusive”. Nobody will bother.
November 20th, 2019 at 6:08 pm
As far as BMWs in Shanghai, I had seen several 7 long bulky 7 series of recent vintage, very few 3 and no 5 series, and yesterday I saw a z4 little tiny sports car.
The convenient way to see what % of the cars are plugins or BEVs here is not so accurate. Not only are all cars with green license plates green as above, but also many cars with blue (allegedly ICE) plates are also green, but they were purchased 3 years ago or earlier, before the green plate idea was implemented.
So when my friend the dean here took us to lunch yesterday, he returned and said, to my surprise, he would need to recharge the battery of his blue-plated BYD, a mystery I found out about as above, a bit later.
November 20th, 2019 at 6:52 pm
28 The i3 was mainly an exercise with materials, as in carbon fibre, and they probably never expected it to sell all that well.
November 21st, 2019 at 1:03 am
Several noteworthy cars today:
A BMW 3 series “L” sedan. Makes eminent sense. Whoever wants a 2+2 type 3 series can buy the Coupe, or 4 series. The Sedan should have a rear seat that is not a joke. Especially if you pay BMW money to buy it.
A Lexus ES 200 in black and chrome. Did not see the grille but otherwise the styling was excellent. Wonder what engine it has, is it really a 2.0?
A gorgeous Caddy CT6 in Black. Seems it has ample room in the back too.
A Long, big, elegant VW that seemed smaller and more sleek than the Phaeton, with a suspiciously similar name, don’t remember it exactly, Phideon or something.
And finally I made yet another move, from my apartment in the 10th floor to a much bigger one, probably the best in the building, on the 11th floor, with two bedrooms, a separate room for office, balconies all around with panoramic views. Too bad it became available only a week (8 days) before I have to leave. Still, I took it and in 30 mins I moved and stored everything.
November 21st, 2019 at 2:08 am
https://www.autonews.com/sales/chinas-byton-gets-licenses-sell-m-byte-ev-calif-na?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20191120&utm_content=article7-image
Chinese BEV to be sold in CA. And unlike the failed (whether you want to admit it or not) Bolt, it is not a fat short hatch but a very roomy crossover. Right on both counts (selling in the state that buys 50% of all US BEVs, and offering a body style consumers want or need.
November 21st, 2019 at 2:14 am
https://www.autonews.com/future-product/mercedes-benz-prices-eqc-68895?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20191120&utm_content=article16-headline
Mercedes BEV actually much cheaper than the Audi E tron (and of course the much larger and more competent Tesla X.)
I wonder if Audi will respond, and what will the price of the eventual BMW BEV in this group be.
November 21st, 2019 at 8:21 am
33 That will be interesting. With 270hp and RWD, not 4WD, there is no pretense of it being either a rock crawler, or a drag racing machine. I couldn’t find anything about its weight (might be in the autonews article I can’t access) but being 191 inches long and 77 inches wide, unless it is lighter than I’d expect, it should do 0-60 in a perfectly adequate 7-8 seconds. If the price is right, it should do well in CA.
32 That ES 200 probably has a 2.0 liter, non-turbo 4 of about 165 hp. The car wouldn’t be very quick, but perfectly adequate for urban driving.
November 21st, 2019 at 8:43 am
34 The Benz is ~$7K cheaper than the e-tron, but the e-tron gets generally good reviews for comfort, ride, etc., but is not particularly quick, for an EV. So far, e-tron has sold in very small numbers, but it may not be widely available.
http://carsalesbase.com/us-car-sales-data/audi/audi-etron/
November 21st, 2019 at 10:39 am
Did I hear that right 10,500 Lb. torque of the Karma??
November 21st, 2019 at 11:24 am
37 That’s at the wheels. To get the equivalent of that with an ICE car, you need to multiply the torque peak of the engine times the first gear ratio times the final drive ratio. You’d get some very big numbers doing that, even with a normal car. For example, a 4 cylinder Camaro automatic would have 4437 lb ft at the wheels in first gear. I didn’t look up the numbers to calculate it, but big engine ICE cars would have some very big torque numbers, at the wheels.
The peak would be at higher speed in the ICE car than the EV, though. Electric motors have peak torque at zero rpm, while my 2.0 turbo example has peak torque from 3000-4500 rpm.
November 22nd, 2019 at 7:30 am
Kit, thanks, I didn’t know that. Big numbers indeed.