AD #3548 – Ford to Import China-Made Vehicles; Buick Getting All-New Small Crossover; Toyota Reveals More New EVs

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

FORD TO IMPORT CHINA-MADE VEHICLES
Lots of news and new cars coming out of China today. And we start off with some history. Ford is doing something it’s never done before. It’s going to build vehicles in China and ship them to the U.S. We can say with certainty that includes the all-new Lincoln Nautilus and we can say with confidence it will probably also include the new Edge L. We’d like to thank Lincoln for giving us the chance to join it at a local event in Detroit the other day, which is where we learned the Nautilus is moving from Ford’s CD4 platform for mid-size vehicles to its more versatile C2 platform. The Kuga, Bronco Sport, Maverick and new Lincoln Corsair all use this platform. Lincoln also revealed that it will start making the Nautilus in China and ship it to the U.S. Currently the Nautilus and Ford Edge are made at the same plant and we think that’s going to continue, but this time in China. The all-new Nautilus is powered by two 2.0L turbo engines, one is a gas setup and the other is a hybrid. This chart for the new Edge L, which is also moving to the C2 platform, appears to show the same hybrid setup, so it looks like it’s also being built in China. And it would make a lot of sense to us from a volume standpoint to ship it to the U.S. as well. Now, before we get into the actual details of the all-new Nautilus, we have one more quick Ford China announcement. It says it’s also going to manufacture the all-new Ranger pickup in the country. It’s kind of surprising but Chinese consumers are warming up to trucks now that many city bans have been lifted. (Ford Edge L pictured)

ALL-NEW LINCOLN NAUTILUS DETAILS
Ok, let’s move back to the new Nautilus. The real attention grabber for us is the interior. Walking up to the vehicle, you first notice Lincoln’s beautiful-looking multi-way adjustable seats, but opening the door you’re pulled to the giant display screen on the upper part of the dash, which welcomes you with an animation that flows out into the doors. The previously mentioned platform switch also means a new electronic architecture that, among other things, facilitates more expansive OTA updates and hands-free driving. But it’s dropping the name ActiveGlide for its hands-free system and will now use Lincoln BlueCruise going forward. It says this creates less confusion across its brands. The exterior of the Nautilus uses lighting as its main forms of expression. The elements on the front and rear are the real focal points, but it also wears Lincoln’s new signature grille and, as a neat little touch, it features door handles similar to the Continental. They’re positioned just below the windows, which cleans up the side of the car. And we’ll wrap this up with those engines we talked about. The 2.0L turbo gas engine makes 250 horsepower, 275 lb-ft of torque and is mated to an 8-speed automatic. The hybrid features a CVT with an electric motor mounted between it and the engine. That setup provides 300 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque. Lincoln says orders are open now and deliveries start early next year.

BUICK BRINGING THE ENVISTA TO THE U.S.
Buick revealed its model for the U.S. to adopt its new design language inspired by the Wildcat Concept. It’s the Envista. You may remember we first showed this in August of last year for the Chinese market. But the U.S. version of the small crossover is powered by a 1.2L turbocharged inline 3-cylinder engine that’s paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. It produces 136 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. Fuel economy is estimated at 30 MPG combined. Pricing for the Envista starts at $23,500, production kicks off next month and it goes on sale in the U.S. this summer.

NISSAN ARIZON DESIGNED IN CHINA FOR CHINA
Nissan took the wraps off an electric SUV concept that was designed in China for Chinese customers. Called the Arizon, it’s built on the company’s CMF EV platform, the same as the Ariya. The concept’s highlights include a low center of gravity and a pillarless open-air cabin. Nissan didn’t share any of its powertrain specs but some other features include a virtual personal assistant called Eporo, an auto-dimming glass roof and an interactive lighting system that recognizes people and automatically adapts to their preferences.

POLESTAR 4 SLOTS BETWEEN 2 & 3
Polestar introduced the Polestar 4, which it describes as an SUV coupe. The model is positioned between the Polestar 2 and 3 in terms of both size and price. It’s available in single and dual motor setups and both are equipped with a 102-kWh battery. The rear drive version features a 200-kW or 272 horsepower motor and has an estimated 600 kilometers or 373 miles of range based on the WLTP cycle. The dual-motor model has 400-kW or 544 horsepower and a range of 560 kilometers or 348 miles. The Polestar 4 launches first in China at the end of the year and it will be available in the U.S. and Europe early next year with a starting price of $60,000.

PORSCHE UNVEILS ALL-NEW CAYENNE
Porsche unveiled the all-new Cayenne. It comes standard with a 3.0L turbocharged V6 engine. That engine is also used for the plug-in hybrid. A new twin-turbo V8 is now available which replaces the V6 in the Cayenne S. It produces 468 horsepower and 442 lb-ft of torque and moves from 0 to 60 MPH in 4.4 seconds. The Cayenne Turbo GT also features that engine but its power is boosted to 650 horsepower. It moves from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.1 seconds and has a top speed of 189 MPH. The new Cayenne starts just under $81,000 in the U.S. while the Turbo GT model is just a shade under $200,000. Customers can order the SUV now and deliveries in the U.S. will begin this summer.

HONDA’S CHINA EV LINEUP GROWING
Honda unveiled several new EV prototypes for the Chinese market. These are the second and third models to come in its e:N Series, which we’ve reported on previously and is the name it’s giving its EV model lineup in China. The e:NS2 and e:NP2 Prototype build on the two current e:N models on the market. While exact details are slime, they feature new styling, updated driving dynamics and improved vehicle intelligence. The other vehicle it showed is a concept, called the e:N SUV. Interestingly, it has a Chinese character after its name that means ‘prologue,’ which as you probably know is the same name as the EV it’s developing with GM. But the e:N SUV will be the first built on a new architecture developed exclusively for its EV lineup in China.

TOYOTA EXPANDING ITS EV LINEUP
Toyota’s electrification efforts are ramping up, which is highlighted by the two newest editions coming to its bZ family of EVs. The bZ Sport Crossover and bZ FlexSpace Concepts likely strongly hint at two new models joining the lineup, first in China next year. Their styling falls in line with the current bZ4X, although we wouldn’t be surprised to see some smaller wheels and protruding door handles. The interiors however seem to be going through a bit of a design evolution. They’re more minimalistic, the driver’s instrument cluster isn’t as anchored to the dash and the center display sits higher. Although, both screens have a curling at the bottom, like the bZ4X. The production versions are two out of the 10 new EVs Toyota plans to release by 2026.

But that brings us to the end of today’s show. Thanks for joining us.