AD #2776 – JLR Unveils Autonomous Pod; Kia Shares Sorento Powertrain Details; Hyundai’s Chairman Gives Up Board Seat

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

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.