AD #2878 – Ford Creates an EV Monster; Ssangyong Teases 1st Production EV; Civic Hatch Pushes Coupe Out the 2-Door

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FORD CREATES AN EV MONSTER
Who says traditional automakers can’t make compelling electric vehicles? Ford is turning that notion on its head with the Mustang Mach-E 1400; a 7-motor, all-wheel drive EV with target horsepower of, you guessed it, 1400. This thing literally screams and drift master, Vaughn Gittin Jr. says, “This experience is like nothing you’ve ever imagined, except for maybe a magnetic roller coaster.” 4 of the 7 motors are mounted, pancake-style, in the rear with a single driveshaft that connects them to the differential. A hydraulic handbrake system that’s integrated with powertrain controls allows for drifting by cutting power to the rear motors. Other highlights include nickel manganese cobalt pouch cells with a special cooling system, an organic composite fiber hood and a target of 2,300 pounds of downforce at 160 miles-per-hour.

MERCEDES CLAIMS 700 KILOMETER RANGE FOR EQS
Over in Germany, Mercedes-Benz CEO, Ola Kallenius, revealed the range of its new all-electric sedan, the EQS. Its rated at 700 kilometers or about 435 miles based on the WLTP cycle. You’re probably wondering how that compares to the Tesla Model S but we can’t directly compare them since the EU hasn’t put the Model S through the WLTP test. And the EPA hasn’t rated the EQS. However, the EPA recently rated the Model S at 402 miles of range. And using a rough conversion, the EQS’s 435 mile range is about 388 EPA miles. So for the time being it looks like Tesla will keep the title of having the longest range EV in the world.

SSANGYONG MOTORS TEASES 1ST PRODUCTION EV
And in other EV news, South Korea’s Ssangyong Motors revealed a couple of teasers of its first ever production EV, the Korando E100. The electric crossover, is powered by a single motor that delivers 188 horsepower. Its 61.5 kWh battery pack provides 261 miles or 420 kilometers of range based on the NEDC test. The Korando E100 goes on sale in April of 2021.

BOSCH COMBINES SOFTWARE & ELECTRONICS BUSINESS
Cars are becoming more and more complex. Ten years ago, the average new car included nearly 10 million lines of software code, today it’s at 100 million lines but automated vehicles are expected to have anywhere from 300 to 500 million lines of code. And between now and 2030, the market for software-intensive electronics systems is expected to grow by 15% annually. That’s why the supplier Bosch announced it will combine its software and electronics business into one division. Called Cross-Domain Computing Solutions it will begin operations next year and will have 17,000 employees globally. In addition to developing new software and electronics, the new division will also be responsible for creating vehicle computers, control units and sensors. Bosch hopes this reorganization will help reduce the complexity of automotive engineering and allow them to bring new functions to the market faster through software updates.

MERCEDES-AMG GLA HIGHLIGHTS
We highlighted the new Mercedes GLA in late April, now it’s time for the AMG versions. First let’s start with what the GLA 35 and 45 have in common. Both get a specific grille, trim around the air vents, new front splitter and rear diffuser inserts, roof spoiler, dual exhaust tips, unique materials and AMG steering wheel and AMG-specific displays. Two braces at the front of the underbody and a panel under the engine also helps increase torsional stiffness. Both models are powered by a 2.0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, feature all-wheel drive and an 8-speed DCT, but here’s where the differences start to come in. The engine in the GLA 35 puts out 225 kW or 306 horsepower, which helps crossover hit 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds. The GLA 45 comes in two power outputs; 285 kW or 387 horsepower and 310 kW or 421 horsepower. Mercedes says the latter is currently the world’s most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder manufactured for series production and propels the GLA 45 from zero to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds.

LEXUS LC 500 CONVERTIBLE PRICE REVEALED
A month ago when we reviewed the Lexus LC 500 Convertible it was so new it didn’t have a price yet. Now we can fix that. The car starts at just over $102,000, including destination charges. That’s $8-grand more than the coupe, but thousands less than competitors like the Porsche 911 Cabriolet and BMW 8 Series Convertible. While the Coupe also comes as a hybrid, the LC 500 Convertible won’t since its top takes up too much space in the back.

HONDA FIT YANKED FROM AMERICAN LINEUP
Sales of small cars in the U.S. have been slumping for several years now. A number of automakers have dropped cars from that segment and now there’s another casualty. Honda is axing the Fit from its lineup at the end of the 2020 model year in the U.S. The HR-V and Civic will become its entry-level vehicles. Sales of the Fit, which debuted in the U.S. back in 2007, are down about 20% in the first half of the year. Honda revealed a new version of the Fit at last year’s Tokyo auto show but that obviously won’t be coming to America.

2-DOOR HONDA CIVIC LEAVING U.S. MARKET
But that’s not the only vehicle Honda is trimming from its lineup. The automaker is discontinuing the Civic two-door coupe for the 2021 model year due to slumping sales. It used to account for 16% of all Civic sales but now it’s at 6%. The hatchback version now accounts for a quarter of Civic sales and going forward, Honda says the hatchback “will assume the position of the sporty and personal choice in the Civic lineup.” The automaker also announced that its dropping the Civic Si for 2021 but it will return in 2022. It’s going on hiatus for one year so the company can transition to the next-gen version.

HONDA DROPS MANUAL FROM THE ACCORD
And in one last bit of Honda news, it’s not offering a manual transmission in the Accord starting in 2021. It’s not surprising to see it go away, the company says the take rate for the manual Accord was less than 2%.

And don’t forget to tune in live to Autoline After Hours this Thursday. Joining John and Gary is Mark Dickens, Chief Engineer for GM Defense. So, set your reminders for 3PM Eastern Time for some of the best discussions in the automotive industry.

But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.