Motor News

VW has revealed the first in its new electric performance lineup: the ID.4 GTX.The new version of its ID.4 crossover is claimed to be the automaker’s fastest roadgoing EV, but although VW wants you to think “GTI,” it has sadly failed to fit the GTX with plaid seats.We’re still not sure whether the GTX will come to the U.S., but an AWD ID.4 is on its way.Volkswagen announced it would be applying GTX branding to its most potent EVs earlier this month, and now it has revealed images of the first of this new performance line in the chunky form of the ID.4 GTX. The reality is very close to our prediction, with the finished car showing off a mild visual makeover to distinguish it from the regular ID.4. While the bodywork is unchanged, the GTX distinguishes itself with painted lower body cladding and gloss black roof rails in place of the regular car’s shiny metal finish. It also carries GTX badging on the tailgate and front fenders and gets differently shaped LED elements within its taillights. A set of 20-inch wheels will be standard, with 21-inchers available an option.

Volkswagen

Changes to the cabin take a similar approach. All the key architecture is shared with the existing car, but there’s more red trim, a redesigned instrument cluster, and some subtle GTX branding. Given the links Volkswagen is keen to draw with the existing GTI, we were disappointed not to see plaid seats.

The ID.4 GTX will feature all-wheel drive thanks to an additional front-mounted electric motor. The rear axle gets the same 201-hp permanent-magnet motor as the existing ID.4 but is joined by a less powerful asynchronous motor up front, each driving their respective axles through a single-speed reduction drive. Volkswagen claims a peak system output of 295 horsepower but hasn’t disclosed a torque figure. Curiously, that’s around the same power output that VW has claimed for the non-GTX all-wheel-drive version of the ID.4 that’s coming to the U.S. later this year, as well as the related Q4 e-tron Quattro, so it seems the GTX treatment doesn’t include any extra grunt.A significant omission from the official release is the GTX’s weight, although we can safely assume it will than the already substantial rear-driven version, which weighed in at 4698 pounds on our scales.

Volkswagen

Claimed performance is, frankly, underwhelming by segment standards. Volkswagen’s promise of a 6.2-second zero-to-62-mph time translates to GTI-level acceleration but looks leisurely by segment standards, delivering on our prediction that Volkswagen’s fastest EV will be slower than the cheapest and least powerful Tesla. Top speed will be limited to 112 mph, a number that looks very low by European standards, and especially in a country as fond of the limit-free Autobahn as Germany is.The GTX uses the same 77.0-kWh battery pack as the regular ID.4, with Volkswagen claiming a range of up to 298 miles under the generally optimistic WLTP testing protocol. That’s just 12 miles less than the figure the company states for the regular ID.4. For reference, we managed 190 miles equivalent to 82 MPGe in the rear-driven version, while testing in very cold conditions. It will support high-speed recharging at speeds of up to 125 kilowatts.Volkswagen hasn’t officially confirmed the GTX for the U.S., although it has promised that we will be the getting all-wheel drive versions of the ID.4. That suggests that either this car, or its powertrain under different branding, will eventually cross the Atlantic.
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The 2021 Ford F-150 will offer onboard scales and a smart trailer hitch on every model starting this summer for $650. Adaptive dampers are newly optional, costing $695 on the Lariat model and above. Orders for F-150s with these new features will open in June.This summer the 2021 Ford F-150 will add available onboard scales for measuring cargo weight, a new smart trailer hitch, and newly optional adaptive dampers. The 2021 F-150, which now offers a hybrid PowerBoost model, starts at $30,635 for the base XL model.
The available onboard scales display the approximate weight of the payload in the truck on the infotainment screen (pictured above). The new F-150 has either an 8.0- or 12.0-inch horizontally oriented touchscreen. The weight can also be viewed in the FordPass app, and the taillights show the amount of the payload used in four bars (seen below), like a battery percentage—or the new GMC Hummer EV’s charging lights. The top bar blinks when the max payload has been reached, and the there’s a scale mode that can zero out the current load for weighing added items.
A new smart towing hitch will be available, too. It measures the tongue weight of the trailer and shows the best weight distribution or hitch overloading on the touchscreen, the app, or the taillights. The onboard scales and smart hitch come together as a $650 option and require the max trailer tow package. Adaptive dampers are now available on upper trim levels starting with the Lariat model, which starts at $46,390. They’re standard on the $72,520 F-150 Limited. They require the onboard scales option and cost $695. They’re adjustedable via the truck’s drive modes, including the tow/haul mode.

Six powertrains are available on the 2021 Ford F-150, including a new hybrid drivetrain with a V-6 gas engine. The other V-6 and V-8 engines have carried over from the previous generation. The new F-150 has a max payload rating ranging from 1985 pounds to 3325 pounds and can tow anywhere from 8200 pounds to 14,000 pounds. Orders for the 2021 Ford F-150 with these new features open in June, and they’ll arrive by the end of the summer.
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Mercedes-AMG will now offer the most powerful GLC63 S model in both SUV and coupe body styles.It has a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 engine with 503 horsepower and standard 4Matic all-wheel drive.No pricing is available yet but AMG says U.S. deliveries will start in the fourth quarter of 2021.If you don’t want to compromise cargo space in your 503-horsepower AMG SUV, you’re in luck. Mercedes has decided to offer the AMG GLC63’s most powerful S derivative in both SUV and “coupe” body styles in the U.S. for 2022; the S was previously offered only in the swoopier coupe model that has less space in back.

Non-S GLC63 models continue on with a less powerful, 469-hp version of the same twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 found in the S cars. Along with the additional power, the S model also benefits from a more sophisticated 4Matic all-wheel-drive system and a higher top speed governor of 174 mph, compared with 155 mph. A 2018 GLC63 S coupe model was one of the quickest SUVs we’ve ever tested, with a 60 mph acceleration time of 3.2 seconds.Given the existing price differential between the GLC63 and GLC63 S coupe, we anticipate the GLC63 S SUV to start around $82,000.
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The Wraith and Dawn will be dropped from Rolls-Royce’s North American lineup following the end of 2021 model year production. A company spokesperson, who confirmed the news to our friends at Road & Track following a report from Motor1, said there are no direct replacements currently planned for either car.

The Wraith, introduced in 2013, and the Dawn, introduced in 2015, both sit on BMW’s aging F01 platform, also shared with the 2008-era BMW 7-series. So it’s not too big a surprise to hear Rolls is beginning to phase out production. It’s important to note, however, that this news only applies to the North American market. The company will continue to offer both cars overseas, though it’s not clear for how much longer. The spokesperson confirmed to Road & Track that all current orders will be fulfilled up until production of 2021 model year cars ends. The removal of the Wraith and the Dawn from the U.S. market means you’ll soon only have a selection of four-doors to choose from if you want a Rolls: the entry-level Ghost, the Cullinan SUV, or the top-dog Phantom. But we don’t expect it to stay that way for long. While Rolls has yet to release any details, the company says it’s planning to expand its lineup and unveil a swath of new products based on its all-aluminum “Architecture of Luxury,” which underpins the Phantom, Cullinan, and Ghost, that we suspect will fill the Wraith’s and Dawn’s shoes, and then some. For now though, if you’re in the market for a new Rolls-Royce, you’ll have to “settle” for one of its four-door options. A tough time for multimillionaires, surely.

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Ford announced today that it’s starting a pilot R&D project called “Ford Ion Park” where it hopes eventually to build enough battery cells to supply its growing lineup of electric vehicles, including the Mustang Mach-E (pictured) and forthcoming electric F-150 pickup.The automaker will spend $185 million on a lab, opening next year, to develop new manufacturing techniques for lithium-ion and solid-state battery packs for EVs. The project will also involve work on improving the full production cycle, including research into the mining of needed resources and battery recycling. Ford announced today that it’s going to spend millions on a “global battery center of excellence” in southeastern Michigan that it has named “Ford Ion Park.” The R&D center will look for ways to make electric-vehicle batteries cheaper and develop them more quickly, as well as find ways to improve the entire battery development process, researching what’s involved from the mining stage to recycling of used batteries.

The plan for Ford to ensure an independent supply of batteries particularly makes sense in light of the current global semiconductor shortage, which has negatively affected production plans at many automakers including Ford. Ford has already been building its own hybrid battery packs and electric motors in Michigan for nearly a decade, but by the end of 2021 the automaker plans to be building EVs and components in 15 locations around the world, including China.

Ford

In addition to the Ford Ion Park project, the Battery Benchmarking and Test Laboratory that Ford opened in late 2020 at a cost of $100 million has already analyzed more than 150 types of battery cells in search of what Ion Park director Anand Sankaran called “next-generation lithium-ion solutions, including solid-state batteries.” We’ll bring more details about the project as they become available.

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Toyota is introducing the Sienna Woodland Edition for 2022.It features standard all-wheel drive and an 0.6 inch lift, along with a few accessories.Toyota has not yet released pricing but the 2021 Sienna AWD starts at $37,635.In its latest bid to make minivans appeal to SUV shoppers, Toyota is adding an outdoors-themed special edition to the Sienna lineup. Called the Woodland Edition, it features standard all-wheel drive, a slightly raised suspension setup, and a bundle of accessories including a roof rack, a tow hitch, and a power outlet.

The 2022 Sienna Woodland Edition’s all-wheel-drive setup is the same as what’s optional for all Sienna trim levels. It features an additional electric motor for the rear axle to complement the hybrid drivetrain that uses a 2.5-liter inline-four gasoline engine. The Woodland Edition’s only mechanical change is an 0.6-inch suspension lift that makes for a total of 6.9 inches of ground clearance (that’s 1.1 inch less than the Highlander SUV, for reference).
The Woodland Edition is also available in an exclusive color called Cement; Midnight Black is the only other option for this trim package. It also features different interior stitching and black badges. Various accessories that are otherwise optional come included with the Woodland model, including roof-rack cross bars (ordinarily $200), a 1500-watt power outlet (ordinarily $300), and a tow hitch (ordinarily $840).Toyota has not yet released a price for the Woodland Edition, though, so we can’t say whether it’s a good value or not compared with adding these options yourself. We should hear more info soon, along with other details about any updates to the 2022 Sienna lineup.
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Lotus is replacing a full lineup of sports cars—Evora, Elise, Exige—with just one, and it’s going to be the last gasoline-engined model: the Emira. The forthcoming car will come with a choice of a 300-hp four-cylinder or a V-6 powerplant expected to make more than 400 horsepower. There’ll be no hybrid or plug-in-hybrid version.We’re only seeing teaser photos for now, but the Emira will be fully on view in July, and it will be on sale by the end of the year, priced starting in the mid-$60,000s.We have known that Lotus plans to replace its entire existing lineup with a single new car since January. Now the British sports-car maker has confirmed the name for that next-generation sports car—Emira—and released these teaser images.

Previously known by its engineering code name, Type 131, the Emira has been designed to deliver on Lotus’s promise of creating a more usable and better-equipped car than the Evora, Elise, and Exige that it collectively replaces. “I think Lotus in the past has maybe been a bit guilty of engineering something it thought people wanted and then putting it to the market,” explained Matt Windle, Lotus’s new managing director. “Now we’re trying to engineer something that people actually want.” The automaker posted this cryptic video on social media ahead of the teaser photos’ release. We mean “cryptic” quite literally: apparently the word “Emira” is spelled out in Morse code in the road lines.
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The Emira is set to launch later this year and will be sold in the U.S. with full federal homologation. It will only be available in coupe form, and Windle confirmed that there are no plans for a roadster version. This will be the last new Lotus to be launched with an internal-combustion engine; all the company’s products beyond this will be EVs.

Lotus Cars

The Emira will come with the choice of two powerplants. At the entry level, a new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder will be offered exclusively with a twin-clutch transmission. Lotus hasn’t said where this engine will be coming from, but insiders say it won’t be a Volvo or Geely power unit. Above this will be a developed version of the supercharged Toyota V-6 from the Evora, which will come with the choice of either a six-speed manual gearbox or a torque-converter automatic. Contrary to some earlier reports, Windle confirmed that there won’t be a hybrid or plug-in variant. Lotus plans to make a straight transition to full electrification.We’re told that the four-cylinder version will make more than 300 horsepower, and we can safely expect the V-6 to produce at least as much as the 416-hp output of the Evora GT, meaning a performance overlap with both the Porsche Cayman and the lower reaches of the 911 range. “We’ve tried to cover as many bases as possible,” Windle told Car and Driver. “Two powerplants will enable us to cover most of that market. It’s a Lotus that you can live with, we’ve given it broader appeal, but it’s still a fantastic sports car with a range of different models that will go from base spec up to an R.”

Rear view of the Emira.
Lotus Cars

The Emira will continue to sit on a bonded aluminum architecture, although the teaser images make clear that its external design has been inspired by the carbon-fiber Evija EV hypercar. We’re told to expect a much plusher cabin than previous Lotus models, with insiders saying the car will feature both digital instruments and a capacitive touchscreen for many control functions. It will also be the first Lotus to have active safety systems, although none that require steering intervention.

That’s because, like the Evija, the Emira will be sticking with hydraulically assisted steering on the basis of better feel and feedback, which matters more to Lotus than the ability to add lane-keeping with pure electric power steering. This won’t be possible for much longer: Windle said the forthcoming European GSR2 regulations, coming in 2027, mandate active driver assistance that will need EPS. But it’s good to see that these details still matter.We’ll see the finished Emira in July, and it will be on sale by the end of the year. Anticipate pricing to run from the mid-$60,000s to the low $100,000s.
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The Hyundai Kona N joins the Korean automaker’s high-performance lineup as the first N SUV. Its turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine makes 286 horsepower with an N Grin Shift overboost function. It has front-wheel drive, an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and an electronic limited-slip differential. Hyundai’s performance brand, N (for Namyang R&D center and the Nürburgring), has added the Kona N compact crossover to its portfolio. The Korean automaker hopes this body style—its first SUV—will push the subbrand more into the mainstream, and given the model’s similarities with the Veloster N, we have no reason to doubt its success. We adored our long-term Veloster N, which uses the same turbocharged engine as the Kona N, though the SUV won’t offer a manual gearbox (#SavetheManuals).
In this application, the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine makes 276 horsepower under normal operation. It sends torque exclusively to the front wheels through an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which was recently added to the Veloster N, and an electronically controlled limited-slip differential. Hyundai, looking to keep the Kona N affordable and lightweight, has no plans to offer an all-wheel-drive variant, but an electric model (possibly with fuel-cell tech) may be forthcoming.When drivers want more power, they may select the red button on the steering wheel, which activates the N Grin Shift mode and gives the Kona N an additional 10 ponies for 20 seconds. (The dual-clutch Veloster N gets this too). Hyundai claims the Kona N will reach 62 mph in 5.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 150 mph. In our testing, the automatic-equipped Veloster N reached 60 mph in 4.8 seconds.

Compared with the base Kona, the N model features vents above the grille and has more pronounced aerodynamic tidbits, but it’s no wider or lower. Red accents and dual exhaust tips signal to passersby that this is the sporty model. Every Kona N gets launch control, 19-inch wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero summer tires, a variable exhaust system that should provide plenty of snaps and pops, and the aforementioned overboost function. The pictured example is finished in the new Kona N–exclusive Sonic Blue. It’s meant to be a lighter, subtler take on the Veloster N’s vibrant Performance Blue, which is featured inside.
Like the updated 2022 Kona, N models receive a new digital gauge cluster and 10.3-inch touchscreen in addition to a head-up display. A new N mode will pull up track maps, lap times, and performance gauges. The N buttons on either side of the steering wheel can be toggled to desired drive modes, and they can also start the lap timer. The 2022 Hyundai Kona N will arrive in the U.S. this fall, and we expect pricing to start around $35,000.
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