AD #2776 – JLR Unveils Autonomous Pod; Kia Shares Sorento Powertrain Details; Hyundai’s Chairman Gives Up Board Seat
February 19th, 2020 at 11:52am
Listen to “AD #2776 – JLR Unveils Autonomous Pod; Kia Shares Sorento Powertrain Details; Hyundai’s Chairman Gives Up Board Seat” on Spreaker.
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Runtime: 8:47
0:07 Hyundai’s Chairman Gives Up Board Seat
0:38 Automakers Making Slow Progress Improving Headlights
1:41 Kia Shares New Sorento Powertrain Details
3:20 No Redesign for Bentley Flying Spur & Continental GT Until 2027
4:09 Polestar Shows Off Future Infotainment System
5:00 Lucid on Track to Begin Production This Year
5:42 Mercedes Actros Aero Improvements
6:53 AIWAYS Releases U6ion Teaser Shots
7:24 JLR Unveils Autonomous Pod
7:56 Cool Looking Bugatti Future Concept
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HYUNDAI’S CHAIRMAN GIVES UP BOARD SEAT
It looks like Hyundai is paving the way for a new leader. Chairman Mong-Koo Chung who will turn 82 in March, is giving up his board seat, which is seen as a sign he’s preparing to hand the company over to his son, Euisun Chung. The elder Chung has been rolling back his role for the last several years, while his son has become more visible at the company since he was promoted to Vice Chairman in 2018. And it looks like he will take over the company sooner rather than later.
AUTOMAKERS MAKING SLOW PROGRESS IMPROVING HEADLIGHTS
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is on a mission to improve the headlights in vehicles. In order to earn its Top Safety Pick Plus award, the headlights in vehicles must earn an acceptable rating across all the variants sold. And while automakers are making progress, a lot still fall short of its good rating. Only 6 of the 156 models it has rated so far in 2020 come with good-rated headlights across the board. However, more vehicles now offer them as an option. In 2016, only 2 models earned a good rating but this year that number has jumped to 55. And fewer vehicles are available with poor headlights. Last year, 36 models only offered poor rated headlights, this year that number has decreased to 30. This is an important issue for the IIHS because half of all fatal crashes in the U.S. happen at night and more than a quarter occur on unlit roads.
KIA SHARES NEW SORENTO POWERTRAIN DETAILS
Kia revealed more about what will sit under the hood of its all-new Sorento. For the first time it will be offered with a hybrid powertrain in Korea, Europe and North America. The setup combines a 1.6L turbocharged engine with a 44.2 kW electric motor and a nearly 1.5 kWh battery. It produces about 230 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. Korea and North America will also get a 2.5L gas engine that makes almost 280 horsepower and is mated to a new 8-speed DCT. A diesel option will be available in Korea and Europe as well. It’s a 2.2L unit that produces about 200 horsepower and nearly 325 lb-ft of torque. It’s also mated to the new 8-speed DCT. Kia says there will be more gasoline engines and a powerful plug-in hybrid variant announced in the future.
And you won’t want to miss this week’s Autoline After Hours. John and Gary will be talking about the all-new Cadillac Escalade with interior designer, Phil Kucera, who will also be bringing the SUV to the studio with him. If you have any questions send them our way to viewermail@autoline.tv. That’s this Thursday at 3PM eastern time.
NO REDESIGN FOR BENTLEY FLYING SPUR & CONTINENTAL GT UNTIL 2027
Do you like the new Bentley Flying Spur and Continental GT? Good, because they’re going to be around for a while. Built on the same platform as the Porsche Panamera, you can choose between V8 and V12 power. These are considered Bentley’s “entry level” models, but unless you have about $220,000 set aside for a new car don’t even bother asking about one. While they’re not rare cars, they’re not very common. Bentley only sold 11,000 cars globally last year. And with such low volume it takes years to pay off the tooling, even with their lofty prices. So cars like this tend to stay in production for years. AutoForecast Solutions reports that these cars will not get redesigned until 2027.
POLESTAR SHOWS OFF FUTURE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM
Polestar, the electric performance arm of Volvo and Geely, is showing off the future of its Android-based infotainment system. It envisions the vehicle will automatically adjust to the driver’s personal settings as they approach the car, which is enabled by a digital key. Video services will also be available, as will advanced speech technology that understands more languages. Eye tracking sensors will be used to alter displays. For example, the instrument cluster will dim and blur when the driver isn’t looking at it, so focusing on the road is easier. And proximity sensors will adapt the way controls are displayed on the center screen as a hand approaches it. Polestar believes its future system “will make life in our cars easier, safer and more fun.”
LUCID ON TRACK TO BEGIN PRODUCTION THIS YEAR
EV startup Lucid Motors is making good progress on its factory in Arizona. The company broke ground on the facility at the end of 2019 and the steel structure is now 70% complete. Lucid says it’s on pace to begin building its Air sedan at the facility by the end of this year. Currently, prototypes are being built at its headquarters in Silicon Valley, to help refine the build process that will be used at the plant in Arizona.
MERCEDES ACTROS AERO IMPROVEMENTS
Aerodynamics are a big deal for big trucks. One third of the available mechanical energy in a cab-over-engine truck is needed to overcome air resistance. So, when developing its new Actros, Daimler Trucks spent a lot of time in the wind tunnel. For example, the new truck is fitted with camera side-view mirrors and the development team tried placing them everywhere from the upper and lower sections of the A-pillar and even at the top of the B-pillar. They found the best results were on the A-pillar, right at the roof’s edge. The MirrorCams contribute up to 1.5% in fuel savings. Another factor in lowering fuel consumption is improvements to the truck’s cab, in particular new concave cab side deflectors. Overall the new Actros is up to 3% more fuel efficient on highways and 5% more in the city than its predecessor. It may sound like Daimler Trucks is spending a whole lot of time and effort on small improvements but truck and automakers face huge fines if they can’t meet new and future fuel economy regulations.
AIWAYS RELEASES U6ION TEASER SHOTS
Chinese EV startup, AIWAYS, released a couple of teaser shots of a crossover that will debut at the Geneva auto show. Called the U6ion, it’s based on the same platform as the U5 crossover from the company. This sleek looking vehicle was created by Ken Okuyama, a former designer at Pininfarina and also the creator of the Ferrari Enzo. The company didn’t share any other details but we’ll learn more when it’s unveiled in a few weeks.
JLR UNVEILS AUTONOMOUS POD
A month ago, GM’s self-driving unit Cruise revealed an autonomous pod it will build for mobility services called the Origin. And now Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled a similar looking vehicle. Called Project Vector, it’s an autonomous and electric pod, that’s around 13 feet in length. The seats can be reconfigured for private and shared use or it can be used as a delivery vehicle. The company plans to test Project Vector on public roads in Coventry, England starting next year.
COOL LOOKING BUGATTI FUTURE CONCEPT
And we’ll end with this wild design concept from student Max Lask who just graduated from an art school in Germany. The ion-powered car is his vision of a Bugatti Le Mans car for the year 2050. He wanted it to be as advanced as the Type 35 was when it debuted in 1924. This is our favorite picture and if you’d like to see more, click on the headline in the transcript or look in the description box below.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
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Comments (23)
February 19th, 2020 at 12:23 pm
“…new Bentley Flying Spur and Continental GT? Good, because they’re going to be around for a while. Built on the same platform as the Porsche Panamera, you can choose between V8 and V12 power. These are considered Bentley’s “entry level” models, but unless you have about $220,000 set aside for a new car don’t even bother asking about one.”
First of, there is NO entry level Bentley any more, since it has killed its top model the Mulsanne, the Flying Spur – Conti GT are its ONLY models.
Second of, I am sick and tired about this really worn out cliche “unless you have $x, don’t bother asking..”.
a. Most cars are available with monthly payments, so even the most destitute around here, who do not have $220k in spare change in their pockets, can afford one.
b. There are MILLIONS of people who can afford not just one, but several new ones, and pay cash. That does NOT mean they would do so. Because if they wasted their $ so thoughtlessly, they would not be multi-millionaires. AND do NOT think these people are rarities, they are tens of millions of professionals, lawyers, MDs, Dentists, even poor underpaid U professors!
c. WHile I like the new Flying Spur much better than its predecessor, it is hard to argue with the excellent pre-owned versions on sale. I have looked at these before in this forum, and $30,000, which gets you some lousy Hyundai if you only consider new, and which is much lower than the average new car transaction price of $37k or so, $30k will get you a perfectly maintained, wretched excess super-luxury Flying Spur (a car much larger than an S class and much more powerful unless you get the AMG S 65 and also spend $220k) from a few years ago. Econ literate buyers would go that route. And for an extra $100 they can go to a perfume store and sprinkle it with an ounce of “new car smell”.
February 19th, 2020 at 12:23 pm
Regarding IIHS’s pursuit of “improved” headlamps, has anyone else noticed substantially more blinding glare from oncoming vehicles with new LED headlamps? A classic car buddy has noticed the glare, too. And it seems like multiple OEMs deliver the same glare.
I recognize our aging population comes with increasing night blindness issues. As NHTSA re-writes the hornets’ nest of regulations (FMVSS 108) that leaves the US trailing other markets for lighting technology, let’s home they strike a good balance between driver visibility and on-coming driver glare.
February 19th, 2020 at 12:26 pm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L5f55k8y4Y
This brief 12 minute video is 100% fat-free and 100% facts and data, well organized and presented. I think it is the best of its kind I have ever seen.
February 19th, 2020 at 12:27 pm
“POLESTAR SHOWS OFF FUTURE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM”
The only thing I can see in Polestar’s future is a Bankruptcy, unless its Chinese owners abhor losing face and keep pumping billions in it.
February 19th, 2020 at 12:31 pm
2 I’m noticing the same. I’m more hesitant to “flash for high beams” now because some are and some aren’t. If they aren’t, you’re about to get something close to a welding flash!
Also needing to be addressed is the increase of people during on DRL’s thinking their lights are on, since their dash is lit up. That is also very much on the rise. I say if the dashboard is lit, the vehicle lighting needs to come on in the dark with the option of an intentional manual override.
February 19th, 2020 at 12:41 pm
My wife’s TourX has the HID headlights. Great headlights. The pattern reminds me of the H-4 Cibie Z-beams I had on my ’74 GTO in the late 70s. A flat white beam pattern with a hot spot in the middle and a flat step up to the right.
February 19th, 2020 at 12:49 pm
Re lights, when I drive to my office early in the morning, still dark out, and wait at the red light to turn left and enter the campus, the turn signals and/or the brake lights of the cars in front of me, regardless of the make and model, are so bright, that it is almost painful to look at them. This must be mostly due to the sky still being quite dark, and it may be the intention of the designers, but they just seem way too bright to me.
Headlights, if they don’t have the high beams on, are no problem.
February 19th, 2020 at 12:59 pm
2 Couldn’t agree more. I wish IIHS would mandate the smart headlight system be paired with the LED lights, so that the car would change the light spray when it detects oncoming traffic. I can spot a Cadillac a mile away at night because of their obnoxious headlight clusters.
February 19th, 2020 at 1:03 pm
5,6 The best lights I ever had were Hella 7 inch round H4s, I had in a Plymouth Duster. The low beams were bright, but with a very sharp upper cutoff. Properly aimed, they would light the road a long distance ahead, but not blind oncoming traffic, except sometimes very briefly when I went over bumps.
February 19th, 2020 at 1:06 pm
7 A lot of the LED brake and turn lights on newer cars seem to be very bright. On the other hand, some not-too-bright people are still using dark lenses on tail lights, and sometimes on headlights, making their cars hard to see for other drivers, and making it so they can’t see where they are going. Anyone deliberately making their lights useless should lose their license, and go to prison for a year or so.
February 19th, 2020 at 1:13 pm
That Bugatti concept by Max Lask is the best thing I’ve seen in a long, long time! I’d love some visionary to be able to find a way to produce this car!
February 19th, 2020 at 1:21 pm
11 The second I saw the special blue I knew it was a Bugatti. Looked good, although probably not a very practical design. Maybe they can use it as the next “Batmobile” or something.
February 19th, 2020 at 1:28 pm
A real Bugatti…
https://flic.kr/p/H2JwCv
February 19th, 2020 at 1:35 pm
@5 – Smart OEMs will pair DRLs with AutoLamp.
February 19th, 2020 at 3:25 pm
I see a lot of jeeps with after market LEDs that aren’t aimed properly and it’s even worse if the Jeep has lift kit so it’s sitting higher.
February 19th, 2020 at 6:16 pm
your new look is very primo…professional
February 20th, 2020 at 9:02 am
5: I keep my headlights on auto on and that works pretty well most of the time. Also, my cars (Escape and Flex) have a Green telltale light that shows me when they are on. Very useful. That said, I once drove halfway from Sarasota to Naples at night without headlights. The car had been in the dealership and they turned off the auto on feature. Wondered why everyone kept blowing their horns. Duhh!
February 20th, 2020 at 9:28 am
17 I keep headlights in “auto” on the car I park outside, but “off” on the car in the garage, to keep from cycling the bulbs extra times.
February 20th, 2020 at 9:38 am
https://europe.autonews.com/geneva-auto-show/dacia-will-debut-low-cost-electric-car?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20200220&utm_content=article4-headline
This should probably be as cheap as it gets. Dacia is a much cheaper version of the already shoddy Renault, made in Romania.
I use auto lights during the day only if it’s cloudy and dark out.
February 20th, 2020 at 9:39 am
19 from the Ministry of Redundant Redundancy, the cheapo EV will be called “Urban City Car”.
Hope Dacia did not pay some blithering idiot $1,000,000 to come up with this name. I am sure wealthier automakers DID pay this kind of money to get names like… “Olds Achieva”, or, According to Seinfeld, “Lemona”.
February 20th, 2020 at 9:42 am
20 And when we say cheap, we mean cheap. This BEV will be cheaper than the fake car tricycle dirty ELIO that waste millions of foolish investors money and fortunately will never be built.
“… it will be a version of the City K-ZE electric car that is produced and sold in China by Renault and its Chinese joint venture partners. The City K-ZE is sold in China for about 8,000 euros.”
February 20th, 2020 at 9:43 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADelwZzHuVk
This is the CITY-KZE. IT is a REAL car. Not like the unsafe at any speed ELIO tricycle. AND it is a pure BEV. For $9,000 in CHina, not bad at all!
February 20th, 2020 at 9:46 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjExlLCvYg8
The video in 22 was rather lame and offered no info, this is a little better