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  • 2022 BMW 2 Series Coupes Coming Soon

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    BMW 2 Series coupes

    The 2022 BMW 2 Series coupes are on their way. Dynamic testing, drivetrain, and suspension tuning on the two-door compact are nearing conclusion. Production begins in the late summer of 2021.

    BMW 2 Series coupesThe new BMW 2 Series is being described as more nimble, agile, and powerful than previous models.

    Tuning and testing at Nurburgring’s Nordschleife and on public roads around Munich, the new 2’s drivability is key.

    BMW 2 Series coupes

    The 230i and M240i AWD will be the first out of the gate, with the 230i xDrive and M240i to follow.

    The M240i xDrive has a 3.0 liter, inline 6-cylinder TwinPower turbo under hood, producing 382 horsepower. Backed up by a standard 8-speed sport Steptronic automatic, alas there’s no mention of a manual transmission option.

    xDrive AWD systems have an M sport rear differential to add traction and stability while accelerating, according to BMW.

    BMW 2 Series coupes

    There’s a front lip spoiler, splitter, air curtains, deflectors, and underfloor covers for the fuel tank and rear differential. BMW attributes a 50-percent reduction in front-end lift to the aerodynamic package.

    Twelve percent more torsionally rigid than its predecessor, BMW has also increased front and rear tracks to add rigidity.

    BMW 2 Series coupes

    New shocks enhance ride comfort, while better responding to road conditions. The optional Adaptive M suspension adds electronically-controlled shocks with settings that are more dynamic or comfort-oriented.

    Improved road feel comes from new, stiffer front axle support bearings. Another option, variable sports steering, reduces steering effort while improving driving feel.

    Meanwhile, the 2 Series is out there killing cones in pursuit of fine-tuning the suspension. We’ve not yet reached the point of cone conservation.

    [Images: BMW]


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  • 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz Reveals Itself

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    Santa Cruz

    The 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz has finally seen the light of day. It was about time, given all the fuzzy photos and hype prior to dropping today. More like a dull thud than a big bang, but here it is.

    Santa Cruz

    Hyundai describes the Santa Cruz as groundbreaking, and that may be so. Tabbed a sport adventure vehicle, it’s meant for urban consumers who want to be outdoors. They just can’t bring themselves to live where Uber Eats and Doordash can’t deliver.

    Santa Cruz

    We’ve just cut through its entire reason for being. Maybe the trick grille with hidden lights that can only be seen when it’s lit is the Santa Cruz’s signature. It could also be the voluminous hood and wheel arches, the latter armor-like. We should be much more enamored than we are, but ‘designed in California’ isn’t that big a deal.

    Santa Cruz

    There’s a 2.5-liter, in-line four-banger with direct-injection, 190 horsepower, and 180 lb.-ft. of torque. It’s hooked to an eight-speed auto transmission, mostly for efficiency. Then there’s a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine, with 275+ HP, and 310+ lb-ft of torque. The turbo’s mated to an eight-speed automatic with paddle shifters, presumably to help with responsiveness. Both drivetrains are connected to HTRAC, Hyundai’s all-wheel-drive system. Until we have the opportunity to get a Santa Cruz out in nasty weather, it’s there to make you think you’ll be okay in snow or on ice. A Sport setting provides more torque to the rear wheels, though not enough to get the Cruzer in the next “Fast And The Furious” installment.

    Santa Cruz

    The Santa Cruz is, in a pickup truck sort of way, meant to do more than it should. Take towing for example. The normally-aspirated four-cylinder has a 3,500-pound rating, and the Turbo model? It gets a 5,000-pound rating.

    Santa Cruz

    How much praise can be heaped on the interior? Design teams focus on the number of cupholders, part of the selection process.

    Santa Cruz

    The center stack’s home to the infotainment screen, and an optional digital cluster. Makes you think you’re better informed.

    Santa Cruz

    Stubby’s what the Santa Cruz is. There’s early registration in late April for sales that start this summer. The line forms to the left.

    [Images: Hyundai]


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  • Toyota’s Akio Toyoda Chosen 2021 World Car Person of the Year

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    Toyoda

    Selected 2021 World Car Awards Person of the Year was Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) president and CEO.

    Toyoda

    “Akio Toyoda is the charismatic President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation. He has spent years successfully remaking his company. In 2020 despite COVID-19, under his leadership Toyota remained profitable, protecting jobs worldwide. He has maintained Toyota’s steady pace of development in the connected, autonomous, shared and electric (CASE) era. He has also initiated construction of the Woven City, an exciting, real-life prototype city of the future. All while actively participating in motorsports himself, as a driver,” said the World Car Awards in a statement.

    Toyoda said, “At Toyota, we are very fortunate that we were able to protect the employment of our team members during COVID-19 and continue our work to meet the future challenge of our industry. Creating new ways to support the well-being of our planet and people everywhere is our commitment. This has been a difficult period in the history of the world. But it has also reminded us that people are what matters most. And if we at Toyota can contribute some measure of happiness to their lives, it will be my never-ending goal to do just that.”

    Toyoda

    Toyota joined the company in 1984, after graduating with a law degree from Keio University. He also received a masters in business administration from Wellesley, Massachusetts’ Babson College. Toyoda served in different areas of the business in Japan and overseas, before becoming a member of the TMC board of directors in 2000. He held other senior and executive vice-presidential roles until becoming TMC president in 2009.

    Toyoda The World Car Person of the Year award was established in 2018 to acknowledge the contributions made by an individual in the auto industry during the previous year. The World Car Awards program hands out six awards annually, which they started doing in 2003. A group of more than 90 journalists, none of whom are a part of TheTruthAboutCars.com, made the selection.

    [Images: Toyota, Babson College]


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