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Buick was the highest-ranked brand, while GM was the highest-ranked automotive corporation. Meanwhile, the 2022 Chevrolet Corvette was the highest-ranked vehicle, and eight other GM-produced vehicles topped their segments. GM’s plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, received the Platinum Plant Quality Award. The industry average problems per 100 vehicles reached an all-time high of 180, with pandemic-related issues likely to blame.Electric vehicles had nearly 40 percent more problems per 100 vehicles than their gasoline-powered counterparts. Average initial vehicle quality in the US took a hit in 2022—an 18-point hit to be exact. According to J.D. Power’s most recent Initial Quality Study, released June 28, the average number of problems per 100 vehicles increased by 11 percent from 162 in 2021 to 180 in 2022, a record high. The firm’s coinciding press release pointed to pandemic-related developments like supply-chain issues, surging vehicle prices, and personnel dislocations as factors that contributed to the dip in quality.

The study, which has been conducted annually for 36 years, surveyed more than 80,000 new owners of 2022 model-year vehicles on problems they encountered in the first 90 days of ownership. The survey was revamped for 2020 and now includes 223 questions to evaluate a wide range of problems from serious mechanical failures to infotainment glitches. Reassuringly though, the category of problems with the most reports for 2022 was infotainment systems, with 45 problems per 100, 19 more than the next-highest category.

J.D. Power

While overall quality worsened, General Motors apparently rose above the disturbances, becoming the automotive corporation with the fewest problems per 100 vehicles. Meanwhile, Buick, which is under the GM umbrella, topped the list as the brand with the fewest problems per, tallying 139 versus 156 last year. Chevrolet ranked third with 147 after Dodge’s 143. In addition, the 2022 Corvette was named the highest initial quality model overall, while the Chevy Malibu, Buick Encore GX, Chevy Equinox, Cadillac XT6, Chevy Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Silverado, and Chevy Silverado HD all ranked as the top models of their segment. Even more GM-produced vehicles populated the top three of each segment, and the company’s plant in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, received the Platinum Award as the automotive plant with the fewest problems per 100 vehicles produced.

Chevrolet

On the less sunny side of things, the study delivered concerning statistics about electric vehicles. Excluding Teslas due to market saturation, fully electric vehicles averaged 240 problems per 100, while plug-in hybrids averaged 239 problems per. These are in comparison with ICE-equipped vehicles, which averaged 175 problems per. Tesla itself average 226 problems per 100 vehicles, and newcomer EV brand Polestar averaged a staggering 328 problems per, by far the most of any brand included in the study. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this study only tracks problems that occur within a very narrow timeframe, so it’s not the be-all-end-all of vehicle reliability metrics. While initial quality is certainly important, those looking to buy or lease a new vehicle are advised to research long-term reliability as well and look carefully at the new-vehicle warranties that could cover the problems outlined in this study.
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Hyundai has revealed the first photos of the 2024 Ioniq 6, an electric sedan.The Ioniq 6 will ride on the same E-GMP platform as the Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60.Production will start in 2023 for the U.S. market, and the Ioniq 6 will be a 2024 model-year vehicle here.A few years ago, Hyundai foretold its future: sleek and electric, with design cues pulled from classic and modern inspiration. That was the Prophecy concept, first shown in March 2020. As with all augury, there’s room for interpretation. But our first look at the Ioniq 6, the production car based on the concept, reveals a smooth sedan that clearly references both retro and futuristic influences.The Ioniq 6 follows the Toyota Prius–like Ioniq and the Ioniq 5, an SUV with 8-bit charm. The Ioniq 6 has a lot to live up to, as both the 5 and the Prophecy concept garnered rave reviews. All Ioniq models ride on the Hyundai E-GMP dedicated electric platform, shared with the Kia EV6 and the Genesis GV60. The Ioniq 6 rides a little higher than the Prophecy concept, a reality of transferring the vision to a production and street-legal platform.

Digital side-view mirrors offer a glimpse of the future, though U.S. regulations mean we
Hyundai

To give the Ioniq 6 a distinctive look, Hyundai designers say they echoed the streamlined cars of the ’30s. Modern influences seem to be Porsche and Tesla; there’s a faint wisp of Taycan and Model 3 in the front end, and the rear spoiler kicks up like a nod to a ducktail Porsche 911. As promised, it’s a mix of classic and contemporary. Hyundai design chief SangYup Lee shared his thoughts on the pressures, and rewards, of melding brand personality with brand-new technology.Lee has penned everything from Chevrolet Camaros and Corvettes to the Bentley Continental GT. He began his design career 27 years after leaving South Korea, following an education at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Fifteen brands and eight countries later, in 2016, he returned to South Korea to head Hyundai and Genesis design. Along with Luc Donckerwolke, chief creative officer of Genesis and Ioniq, Lee draws novel designs with upscale flair to help Hyundai and Genesis stand out in both the mainstream and luxury markets.

The head- and taillights use LEDs. There is also a subtle strip of six bulbs in the front bumper that indicate charge level.
Hyundai

We asked Lee, who’s often overseeing dozens of projects at any given time, how he approaches a Hyundai car as opposed to an upmarket Genesis. Hyundai, he says, views its vehicles like chess pieces. “King, queen, bishop, and knight, they all look different and move differently, but they function as a team,” he says. While a lot of OEMs create a design and then offer it in different sizes like Russian nesting dolls, Lee says Hyundai looks at its customers’ lives: “A big family has different needs than Gen Z.” Lee wants the styling to be distinct, too.

The Ioniq 6 interior is all about glow and flow. With touches like mood lighting and smooth door panels that seamlessly incorporate speakers, it’s a simplified, but not barren, space.
Hyundai

So far, the Ioniq line has achieved the retro-futurist objective it set. The Ioniq 6 feels thoroughly modern and fresh. The interior is uncluttered and elegant. No frilly edges, chrome, or faux chrome. No piano black. Just simple and straightforward. When envisioning the interior, Lee and the team were aware of both the interest in newer tech and the usability of it. “We’re pushing to touchscreens, but they can be dangerous when you’re moving,” he says. “So we want the right balance. In the future, voice activation will play a bigger role, but we’re transitioning right now. If it’s safer, there will be buttons.”Back-seat passengers benefit from the Ioniq 6’s generous length. The cavernous space has ample legroom for taller adults. This “creates a love-seat atmosphere,” Lee says.If Hyundai is the mainstream and Genesis the luxury, Ioniq, for now, represents the most daring of the company’s offerings.

The Hyundai team experimented with wheel designs from flat aerodiscs to bladed multispokes.
Hyundai

2020 Vision

Hyundai

Good concept cars are exercises in design. They should predict trends in mainstream cars years before they’re evident in consumers’ driveways. The Hyundai Prophecy debuted in 2020, and we can see its smoothed river-rock profile and stippled LED lighting in the Ioniq 6. Sadly, the concept’s plaid interior does not appear to have made it to production, but fortunately, neither did the joystick steering controls. We’re perfectly happy with the Ioniq’s old-fashioned wheel. Not everything foretold comes to pass.

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The Toyota GR GT3 first appeared as a concept at the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, and now the company has submitted patent images for the vehicle in Europe.The images show a remarkably similar design to the concept, albeit without the gigantic rear wing.Toyota had previously said that it would build a running prototype by the year’s end, and also hinted that the GR GT3 is closely related to the future of Lexus’ GT3 racing program.Toyota has been on a performance-car tear recently. The legendary Supra nameplate was revived in 2020 and for 2023 will add a six-speed manual, a second generation of the affordable GR86 coupe arrived for 2022, and the even the humdrum Corolla hatchback earned a 300-horsepower GR performance trim. But it appears Toyota still has more up its sleeve when it comes to sports cars, with a recent patent filing in Europe revealing what could be a production version of the wild GR GT3 concept shown earlier this year at the Tokyo Auto Salon.

EUIPO

EUIPO

The images, submitted to the European Union Intellectual Property Office, show a design largely similar to that of the concept from January. There is one glaring omission, however: the colossal rear wing. Instead, the car in the patent images makes do with the small spoiler behind the rear windshield, where the wing had been mounted on the concept. Still, the GR GT3 retains aggressive dive planes on the front bumper, a side-mounted exhaust pipe, an expansive rear diffuser, and the long-hood proportions.

EUIPO

EUIPO

When the GR GT3 concept was unveiled, Toyota neglected to provide details about the powertrain but did say that a running prototype would arrive before the end of 2022. Later, in an interview with Toyota Racing Development president David Wilson at the Daytona 500, we learned that the GR GT3 concept could provide the basis for a future Lexus GT3 race car, with Wilson hinting that “it’s fairly safe to connect the dots.”

It’s unclear if the GR GT3 will spawn a roadgoing variant, and whether it will be badged as a Toyota or as the next Lexus RC, but the patent images certainly prove that Toyota is intent on expanding its sports-car armada. Wilson told us that the race car would likely arrive in the next couple of years, so it shouldn’t be long before we find out what the company is planning for this dramatically styled coupe.
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• The 2004 Volkswagen R32 was the 240-hp all-wheel-drive alternative to the GTI before the Golf R.• We once described the R32 as an “instant autocrosser.”• This particular model sports 143,000 miles and is for sale at no reserve on Bring a Trailer, where the auction will end on July 5.The Volkswagen Golf has become a staple of the automotive world’s diet. Since 1974, the Golf has experienced eight generations and, in North America, multiple names (including Mk 1 through Mk 5 Rabbit generations). In 2004, Volkswagen decided to bring its muscled-up, all-wheel-drive version of the Golf to the U.S., and that was the R32.

Bring a Trailer

This particular R32 has 143,000 miles on the clock, but you wouldn’t know it just by looking from across the parking lot. The car is painted in Black Magic Pearl over a black leather interior, and like all R32s, it has a six-speed manual transmission paired with 4Motion all-wheel drive.

This one has aftermarket Bilstein shocks as well as an aftermarket air intake. The listing shows that the radiator fan, fuel pump, and a rear spring bushing have all been replaced since 2019. The car also comes with a clean Carfax report and clean Florida title, though it should be noted that the car is being offered on dealer consignment in California.

Bring a Trailer

The car does have a history of paintwork, with the hood being repainted in 2009 and extra paintwork being done to the driver’s side of the vehicle. Blemishes can be seen on the back of the car in photos and are mentioned in the listing. But the interior looks to be in very reasonable shape for a nearly 20-year-old car, although the black leather seats features quite a bit of cracking and even one tear in the driver’s-seat bolster. The headliner on the sunroof can also be seen as sagging.

Bring a Trailer

If you are in the market for a small hatchback with all-wheel drive and a very usable 240 horsepower, the price of this R32 really hasn’t started to climb yet. With seven days to go until the auction ends July 5, the top bid sits at $7500.

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