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  • Genesis Goes Electric with Electrified G80 Sedan’s Debut in Shanghai

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    Genesis G80 EV front

    Genesis is looking to make up some ground when it comes to electrification with the new Electrified G80.

    The Genesis brand is determined to go from catch-up mode to leaving its competition behind. After an initial delay, it’s rolled out an assortment of new SUVs and its now getting into the battery-car game with the launch of the Electrified G80 at the Shanghai Auto Show.

    The name of the Genesis Electrified G80 sedan might confuse some folks, making it sound like the automaker simply stuffed some batteries inside the conventional, gas-powered G8. However, the new model gets a major makeover to ensure it gets the range and other benefits offered by switching to battery power.

    “Today is very special because it represents a variety of firsts for the Genesis brand, not only because this is Genesis’ very first appearance at Auto Shanghai, but also as the first time we are unveiling a new product outside of Korea,” said Jay Chang, Global head of the Genesis brand. “The Electrified G80, the perfect balance of athleticism and elegance, marks the beginning of our journey into the EV market, representing Genesis in the era of electrification.”

    Filling in gaps in the product line-up

    Genesis G80 EV side charging

    Genesis has been on a product roll in the last year or so, but an EV was a hole in the line-up — until now.

    Genesis has been on a roll this past year, expanding its SUV line-up, updating initial sedans, including the gas-powered G80, and rolling out concepts like the all-electric Genesis X coupe revealed last month.

    The one thing missing has been a production battery-electric vehicle, something the automaker has long signaled was in the works — though it also was known to be considering different options, including a crossover, a city car or, as it now turns out, a relatively conventional sedan.

    There are some questions left to be answered, such as what platform the Electrified G80 rides on. Parent Hybrid Motor Group has developed the E-GMP architecture for use on products including the new Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6.

    It’s not clear whether it also underpins the Genesis Electrified G80. But the luxury member of the family has clearly found a way to squeeze in plenty of batteries, claiming the BEV sedan will deliver as much as 500 km, or 310 miles, range using the global NEDC standard. That likely would drop to something at or under 250 miles using the U.S. EPA test cycle.

    Quicker charging

    Genesis G80 EV interior

    The interior of the new electric G80 sedan features a slew of technology.

    The powertrain also aims to address concerns about charging times. The Electrified G80’s drive system can flip from 400 to 800 volts, allowing it to plug into the latest public quick chargers. Using the newest 350 kilowatt systems it can go from a 10% to 80% state-of-charge in just 22 minutes, Genesis claims.

    The Vehicle-to-Load, or V2L, system also lets a motorist tap energy stored in the battery to power electric tools or, if need be, appliances should a home suffer a power outage.

    Genesis isn’t ready to reveal specifics about the motor drive system, though it does note the all-wheel-drive system has a “Disconnector Actuator” that lets it switch from AWD to just rear-wheel drive. That suggests there is a single motor mounted, most likely, on the rear axle.

    In Sport Mode, the automaker claims, the Electrified G80 will launch from 0 to 60 in 4.9 seconds.

    Lots of unanswered questions

    While the battery model looks much like the conventional G80, it features a sealed version of the familiar Genesis Crest Grille. That reduces aero drag since there’s no need to send air to cool and feed a gas engine under the hood. The charging port is hidden within the grille’s upper right corner.

    Inside, the automaker switched to sustainable materials, including fabrics made of PET from recycled soft drink bottles.

    Calling electrification “one of the key strategies” for the brand, Genesis said the Electrified G80 will be followed by “additional EV models.” It also said it will share more information about the BEV and plans to bring it to North America “later this year.”

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  • Chicago Auto Show Postpones 2021 Gathering Due to Pandemic

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    Chicago Auto Show organizers have postponed the 2021 event indefinitely.

    In what has become an all-too-familiar scenario, the coronavirus pandemic claimed another automotive event: the 2021 Chicago Auto Show.

    The pandemic has forced nearly every major show since the 2020 Chicago Auto Show in February to either reschedule, cancel all together or shift to an online format. No new dates have been set and the website for the show simply shows the dates as “Spring 2021.” It was initially set to run Feb. 13-21.

    “We are working with our partners at McCormick Place as well as state and city officials to develop a plan that allows us to open the 2021 Chicago Auto Show in a safe and responsible manner,” Mark Bilek, senior director of communications and technology for the Chicago Auto Show, told TheDetroitBureau.com in an email.

    (Detroit Auto Show organizers moving NAIAS again.)

    The 2020 Chicago Auto Show was basically the last full-on, in-person auto show.

    “State officials are currently reviewing our plan. While our traditional February dates are unlikely, we are hopeful to be able to stage the show sometime in the spring.” Bilek told Automotive News show organizers were hoping some time in March, April or May.

    Chicago is one of the larger shows on the North American circuit of global auto shows, and very focused on consumers. Bilek noted the show organizers are working with healthcare officials with the city and state to determine when the show can be held.

    Not only does the show have to deal with the always changing impact of the pandemic, it’s also got to find a space between other auto shows that have already been forced to reschedule dates. The most immediate show between now and the now postponed Chicago event is the annual Consumer Electronics Show.

    Organizers now say they plan to go to an “all-digital” format for CES in January. Better known as the Consumer Electronics Show, the annual show has become a major event for automakers at a time when their vehicles are becoming increasingly high tech. Dozens of automakers and auto suppliers filled an entire wing of the sprawling Las Vegas Convention Center in January 2020.

    (CES goes digital — but will automakers (virtually) stick around in 2021?)

    “Amid the pandemic and growing global health concerns about the spread of COVID-19, it’s just not possible to safely convene tens of thousands of people in Las Vegas in early January 2021 to meet and do business in person,” said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA, the group that runs the annual show.

    Nissan showed off the Ariya Concept at CES last January. Will automakers go with the show in 2021 when it becomes an internet-only event.

    The New York International Auto Show, normally held in April, moved to Aug. 20-29 at the Javits Convention Center. Show organizers tried to push back its 2020 show to this fall before ultimately cancelling it. They got proactive and delayed the 2021 event.

    The North American International Auto Show in Detroit for 2021 moved its projected June date to now late September in what organizers are calling a “reimagined indoor and outdoor show.”

    Public days for the show will now be Sept. 28 – Oct. 9, 2021 with the media preview and other events actually kicking off Sept. 24. Organizers say the NAIAS will be a “fall show going forward.” When it finally opens, it will be 2.5 years between Detroit auto shows.

    (New York Auto Show postponed until August due to coronavirus.)

    Other shows are still formulating plans, and those plans don’t even account for large classic car shows like the Pebble Beach Concours and others.


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  • BMW Gives Its Vaunted M3 and M4 Models a Complete Makeover

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    The new 2021 BMW M3 – the Competition package shown here — picks up on the bigger double-kidney grille first seen on the 4-Series.

    While the top end BMW 7-Series sedan and X7 Sport Activity Vehicle might serve as the Bavarian Marque’s twin flagships, but the M3 sedan and M4 coupe are the two models that really shine the brand halo – and both are going through significant makeovers for the 2021 model-year.

    Some of the biggest changes can be found under the hood of the two M models which go through sweeping mechanical changes. For one thing, the familiar powertrains in the current models are being replaced by turbocharged inline-six alternatives making up to 503 horsepower in the Competition editions. And to handle all that power, the new muscle cars migrate from rear to all-wheel-drive for the first time with the Competition edition.

    Visually, the two models get more aggressive and the M3 adopts the enormous kidney grille first used on the outgoing M4. More broadly, the two M models will now be more easily differentiated from non-M versions, according to Adrian van Hooydonk, the head of BMW Group Design.

    “The design is resoundingly function-driven, pure and reduced without compromise,” he said in a statement. “At the same time, it provides an emotionally engaging window into the vehicle character.”

    (BMW Preps for new i4 EV launch, reveals plans for all-electric 5-Series.)

    The 2021 BMW M3 and M4 offer two options for performance buyers.

    Check out the new M3 and you’ll immediately notice the massive new double-kidney grille. But that’s only the beginning. The sedan gets a new front bumper, tweaks to the hood, and flared wheel arches that enhance the newly widened track.

    Both models grow larger in all key dimensions this time around, BMW noting that they’re each 4.6 inches longer, with wheelbases stretched 1.8 inches compared to the outgoing models. The M3 also grows 0.4 inches wider and 0.1 inches taller, while the 2021 M4 is 0.7 inches wider and 0.4 inches taller.

    The increases are particularly noticeable from the silhouette where you’ll also see more curve to the side panels, more pronounced side sills, and a distinct crease by the front door opening, where air exhausts from the forward air curtains.  Around back, look for a new lip spoiler and a quad exhaust.

    That new, dual-branch exhaust, shared on both the M3 and M4, have been retuned to enhance the performance sound of both models. It uses electronically controlled flaps that enhance the sort of rumble motorists want to hear while tuning out more “intrusive sound” that customers want to avoid, BMW explains. The intensity automatically amps up in Sport and Sport+ modes, and when a driver hits the M Sound button.

    (BMW may go for a plug-in hybrid with upcoming X8 M.)

    The interior of the 2021 BMW M3 Competition model.

    BMW put an emphasis on cutting mass with the new models, among other things migrating to new carbon-fiber reinforced plastic for the roofs on both the M3 and M4.

    Both models will be available with optional M Carbon exterior packages which, BMW says, includes inlays for the front air intakes, a rear diffuser, exterior mirror caps and a rear spoiler made from CFRP.

    Less mass clearly improves performance and, by lowering the center of gravity, the new M3 and M4 improve handling. But the key to performance is still found under the hood and the two M models now go with BMW’s new S58 powerplant which peaks at 473 horsepower and 406 foot-pounds of torque – up 43 hp from the outgoing models. The Competition models go even further, at 503 hp and 479 lb-ft up 59 hp and 73 lb-ft from the old Ms. That’s enough to hit 60 in just 3.8 seconds.

    The new engine uses wire-arc sprayed cylinder liners to cut friction and weight, along with a 3D-printed cylinder head core and a forged, lightweight crankshaft. There are twin mono-scroll turbocharger and a track-ready cooling system.

    Like the new M3, the 2021 BMW M4 grows longer, wider and ever so slightly taller.

    While the 8-speed M Steptronic gearbox is likely to dominate sales, a 6-speed manual will remain on the option list for those who choose to row their own.

    The Competition models, meanwhile, introduce M xDrive for the first time, the rear-biased AWD system featuring a high-performance torque vectoring system.

    To handle a combination of track conditions and everyday driving, all versions of the new M3 and M4 will come with BMW’s Adaptive M suspension which, the automaker explains, “utilize(s) electromagnetically controlled valves which react in milliseconds to generate an infinitely variable damping force for each individual wheel.”

    Their steering and braking systems have likewise been upgraded to meet M standards, and optional carbon-ceramic brakes are available.

    Though most buyers will opt for this 8-speed Steptronic, BMW will continue to offer a 6-speed manual for both new M models.

    (BMW keeps on truckin’ with its 2021 5 Series sedan.)

    Customization is a key to the M packages, starting with the ability to choose between five different driving modes using the M Setup button. A separate M mode button adjusts settings for the M3 and M4 driver assistance systems, as well as the displays on the reconfigurable gauge cluster and the head-up display.

    Those who want to spend serious track time may want to consider the new M Drive Professional package, an option which, says the automaker, “helps the driver to make consistent progress in pursuit of the ideal line and the perfect lap. Features include the M Drift Analyzer which records the duration, distance covered, line and angle of a drift with a rating shown on the Control Display.”

    The M packages are rounded out with new interiors featuring unique colors and accents compared to the more mainstream M3 and M4 models. That includes newly developed heated M sport seats, as well as optional M Carbon bucket seats that, the automaker claims, combines track-level support with the sort of comfort needed for long-distance travel.

    Look for the 2021 BMW M3 and M4 models to reach showrooms next March. Pricing will be released closer to that time.


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  • First Look: 2021 Nissan Ariya

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    The 2021 Nissan Ariya is about the size of a Rogue SUV – but features the interior space of the bigger Murano.

    Nissan is singing a new tune. With the arrival of the 2021 Ariya, Japan’s second-largest carmaker hopes to rebuild its once-lofty position as an innovator in the emerging market for battery-electric vehicles.

    The automaker was, in fact, the first to mass market a BEV, but a decade after the launch of the original Leaf model, Nissan has not only been eclipsed by Tesla, but is being challenged by more conventional competitors, such as Volkswagen, Ford and General Motors,  each rolling out waves of new long-range battery-cars.

    The 2021 Nissan Ariya is the long-overdue battery-SUV meant to keep Nissan in the game. It’s a ground-up offering, not just a redesigned Leaf, with a brand-new platform and electric drive system that is more powerful and able to deliver longer range. Ariya also debuts Nissan’s first hands-free driving system.

    (A week with the 2020 Nissan Leaf SL Plus.)

    The Nissan Ariya will be offered in either front- or all-wheel-drive configurations.

    The new model “is the spearhead, showing our vision of the future,” said Ivan Espinosa, the carmaker’s senior vice president of global product planning, during a media roundtable ahead of the battery car’s Wednesday debut. “Ariya is not just an EV,” he emphasized. “It is showing the technical prowess of Nissan…what Nissan stands for.”

    Pronounced like the song an opera diva sings, a concept version of the Ariya made its first appearance at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show last autumn, followed by a U.S. debut at January’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Though there were some design details unique to exotic concepts, like the oversized wheels, the show car will go into production with only minor changes.

    The 2021 Ariya rides on a flexible new architecture, Espinosa explained during the online meeting. It eventually will be used for a variety of battery-cars to be produced not only by Nissan but also by its two alliance partners, Japan’s Mitsubishi and France’s Renault.

    (Nissan lifts the covers on the next-gen Rogue.)

    Features like the grille-less nose help reduce aero drag.

    “The beauty of this platform is it’s modular (which) allows us to accommodate different possibilities,” he said, adding that the three partners have “a lot of questions about what new areas of the market we can explore.”

    As with key competitors like Tesla, Ford, GM and VW, the platform positions its batteries, motors and other key components below the load floor. That reduces the size of the traditional engine compartment, allowing significantly more freedom, said Nissan’s global styling chief Alfonso Albaisa. And the development team found other breakthrough strategies. Rather than mounting the climate control, or HVAC, system within the instrument panel, it was moved into the modest space left where an engine would normal go, freeing up more space for the passenger compartment.

    “You get inside and you’re really shocked,” suggested Albaisa, pointing out that the exterior footprint of the Nissan Ariya is about as big as the subcompact Rogue SUV, but the cabin has the roominess of the much larger Murano.

    (Nissan among automakers taking big sales hit in Q2.))

    The interior borrows heavily from the Ariya concept.

    From an exterior design perspective, the Ariya is far less geeky than the Leaf which was designed during an era when green machines were expected to look like something from a sci-fi flick. That said, there are some obvious cues that tell you it’s a BEV, starting with absence of a conventional grille – electric vehicles needing far less disruptive airflow under the hood. Slit headlamps each feature four distinct LED bulbs. From the side, the crossover adapts a curvaceous, coupe-like shape, with plenty of subtle details designed to cheat the range-stealing wind – including twin rear spoilers.

    Inside, Albaisa’s team adopted a minimalist approach, with a floating, horizontally oriented instrument panel featuring side-by-side video screens, each measuring 12.3 inches. One of the neat tricks is the ability to swipe across the infotainment display and move elements to the primary gauge display. The lack of a center tunnel creates a flat floor that makes it possible to sit five inside with reasonable comfort.

    The new modular architecture is, fundamentally, front-wheel-drive, though buyers also will have the option of ordering an all-wheel-drive, twin-motor package. Nissan started all but from scratch, developing a new electric drive system it has dubbed e-4ORCE. The system has been described as the “spiritual offspring” of the automaker’s GT-R sports car, and that underscores a fundamental shift in thinking. No longer does Nissan believe BEV buyers will sacrifice that fun-to-drive quality just to go green.

    Ariya will offer a standard battery or a 300-mile option.

    The front-drive system delivers 160 kilowatts, or about 214 horsepower, and 221 pound-feet of torque. The twin-motor AWD system bumps that up to 290 kW, or 389 hp, and 443 lb-ft. The e-4ORCE system can direct power to individual wheels, using torque to assist driver input, among other things, when tracking through a corner.

    That also pays off when using the next-generation ProPilot Assist 2.0, Nissan’s semi-autonomous driving system. The original version could help center the vehicle in its lane, among other things, but required drivers to keep hands on the wheel at all times. The new system, Nissan explained, allows “attentive drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel under certain conditions.”

    Specific details have yet to be released but it appears to follow the format of GM’s Super Cruise and Ford’s new version of CoPilot 360, operating on limited-access roads mapped in high-resolution. A monitoring system makes sure a driver remains alert and ready to take control in an emergency.

    In terms of batteries, Nissan has continued tinkering with the chemistry of its lithium-ion cells and has both cut their cost and increased their energy density, storing more power in less space. The base 2021 Ariya stores 63 kilowatt-hours. That’s within a kWh of the current, longest-range version of the gen-2 Nissan Leaf Plus. The Ariya offers an extended-range 87 kWh battery expected to get around 300 miles per charge, according to the EPA.

    Ariya’s 2nd row folds to create a flat load floor.

    As for charging, Nissan officials weren’t ready to offer details beyond noting Ariya can handle up to 137 kilowatts of power, a big jump up from the roughly 50 kW limit for Leaf. That would suggest an 80% recharge for the smaller pack in perhaps a bit over an hour at a CCS charger.

    And that signals another big shift by the automaker which had been the only key player in the U.S. market committed to the older, slower CHAdeMO system. Nissan’s policy “is to have happy customers,” said Espinosa,” and with more – and faster — CCS chargers now available, the switch was overdue, according to EV analysts.

    As for pricing, the base version of the 2021 Nissan Ariya will start at $40,000, said Espinosa. It is set to go on sale in Japan in the coming weeks, with U.S. dealers beginning deliveries “later in 2021.”

    For the first half of the past decade, Nissan dominated EV sales charts. It has lost its lead to Tesla and is facing plenty of other competition going forward. Whether it can come close to being a significant player with Ariya is far from certain. But Nissan officials are betting that the new BEV has enough going for it to make Ariya a serious contender.

    (Ford’s Bronco is back…and it’s now part of a new family of SUVs.)


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  • Nissan – Finally – Lifts the Cover on the 2021 Rogue

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    The 2021 Nissan Rogue gets an all-new platform and an upgraded design.

    We’ve come to recognize the importance of a new product by the number of times an automaker teases it before the official launch. And by that measure – and by checking out its annual sales – there’s no way to downplay the significance of the new, 2021 Nissan Rogue.

    The second-largest of the Japanese automakers finally lifted the veil Monday morning and offered the first complete look and details on what will serve as its entry into the hotly competitive compact crossover market.

    The Rogue “has been a mainstay in our portfolio,” said Jared Haslam, the vice president of product planning for Nissan’s North American operations. The 2021 makeover, he added, will target “a very demanding customer who will expect a lot from a product.”

    In this case, that means a new, more athletic design, a roomier and more upscale interior and, considering digitally savvy Millennials will be the 2021 Nissan Rogue’s primary customer, there’ll be a lot of new technology onboard, especially in terms of advanced safety gear, such as the latest version of the Nissan ProPilot Assist.

    (The Z is back. Nissan drops first tease of next-generation sports car.)

    The Rogue will feature a new version of ProPilot Assist able to use its onboard navi to automatically adjust speeds when exiting freeways or taking an interchange.

    An optional version of that system now can access the vehicle’s onboard navigation, “to predict the road ahead…and how we can respond to it,” said Andy Christensen, a senior engineer at the Nissan Technical Center.

    As was signaled by the teaser image Nissan released last week, the 2021 Rogue will lift from the concept X-Motion we saw a few years ago, here introducing a new and larger take on the brand’s double-V-Motion grille which is now framed by split lighting. Slit-like running lights sit directly beneath the hood, the Rogue’s headlamps midway down the grille.

    While there’s a subtle slope to the 2021 model’s roofline, the latest version of the Rogue sits more upright, with the nose all but vertical. There’s subtle sculpting to both the silhouette and the wider looking rear end. The goal, according to Haslam, was to give it “a more robust feel, (and) athletic stance.”

    (Nissan’s $6.2B loss substantially worse than expected.)

    For now, at least, the 2021 Rogue will be offered with a single, 2.5-liter I-4 engine and the choice of front- or all-wheel-drive.

    The 2021 Rogue sits on an all-new platform but measures only ever so slightly taller and wider than the outgoing model, its length the same. But the new platform has a number of advantages: it’s lighter, stiffer and meant to enhance elements like noise and vibration. It also allows the rear doors to swing open to nearly 90 degrees for easier access. Those rear doors now can be equipped with pull-up sunshades, as well.

    The “family hub” design of the cabin includes upgraded seating, with Nissan’s distinctive “Zero-gravity seats” now used front and back. As you’d expect of a family vehicle, there are plenty of storage nooks and a fair number of USB ports, front and back –including new USB-C connectors.

    Other useful options include a tri-zone climate control system and a motion-activated power tailgate. The cargo area includes a Divide-n-Hide system to protect valuables.

    The tech list includes a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and the choice of a 7.0 or 9.0-inch touchscreen display, as well as the optional 10.8-inch head-up display system. The infotainment system includes Android Auto, as well as Apple CarPlay, with an upgrade allowing the use of the new wireless CarPlay system that can be run with an iPhone using the inductive Qi charging system.

    The upgraded interior includes a digital gauge cluster, larger touchscreens and optional head-up display.

    That ProPilot technology relies on an upgrade camera and radar sensing system to assist the driver in steering and braking. And with the ProPilot Assist with Navigation system, the car’s active cruise control grows smart enough to handle highway exits and interchanges without having to touch the brakes or disengaging the system.

    As one would expect of a family oriented vehicle, the 2021 Rogue also incorporates a wide range of safety gear, starting with 10 standard airbags, as well as the Nissan Safety Shield 360 system which includes features such as Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning, High Beam Assist and Rear Automatic Braking.

    In recent months, there were rumors that Nissan might come up with multiple powertrain options for the new Rogue. For now, at least, there will just be one powertrain available, a 2.5-liter DOHC inline-four making 181 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, up 11 and 6, respectively.

    “At this time,” there are no plans for any other option, said Haslam, though Nissan officials appeared to leave a little wiggle-room for the future that could include a hybrid or a more powerful gas package. Considering what we’re seeing from competitors, such as Toyota, perhaps a more powerful hybrid could come later, some analysts continue to believe.

    The Nissan X-Motion Concept strongly influenced the design of the 2021 Rogue.

    The upgraded I-4 will push power through a CVT to either the front or all four wheels. A driver mode selector adds two additional options for all-wheel-drive models, including snow and off-road.

    Depending upon the package, the 2021 Nissan Rogue will deliver up to 27 mpg City, 35 Highway and 30 Combined.

    (First drive: Honda CR-V Hybrid is the crossover’s most popular package.)

    Set to go on sale in the U.S. next autumn, Nissan won’t release pricing until closer to that release date but Haslam hinted “We expect to be extremely competitive.”

    That will be critical, as the 2021 Nissan Rogue will be entering an extremely competitive marketplace, going up against some of the hottest vehicles on the market right now. And the automaker clearly needs to revitalize demand considering sales of the Rogue dipped from 412,000 in 2018 to 350,000 last year. Nissan has been struggling to reverse a broader decline in sales and earnings, so the launch of the all-new Rogue will be a critical step in turning things around.


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