Cadillac furthered its recent product blitz January 2019 with the reveal of the brand’s first EV. This will be the first model derived from GM’s future EV platform.Handout / Cadillac The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is an annual show once renowned for debuting new technology from the worlds of TVs and cell phones, but now its becoming a popular destination for automakers to reveal their self-driving and electric vehicle ventures.Unless youre GM, of course, and you decide to skip the event completely because your prototype vehicles arent finished.Yes, the vehicle the automaker had planned to unveil was simply not going to be ready for CES in time, GM confirmed to Motor Trend, likely due to the 40-day UAW strike that hit the company this past fall.However, Motor Trend notes it also received an invitation from Cruise, GMs self-driving brand, to a standalone event near the end of January, in San Francisco. The magazine theorizes that event could show off the self-driving Cruise AV robotaxi, a vehicle GM had first planned to build an entire fleet of by now. The vehicle that was supposed to debut at CES was, thus, more than likely a different vehicle, possibly a production version of the unnamed electric crossover Cadillac showed off at the Detroit auto show in January 2019.Cadillac will now likely save any new model reveals until after the release of the 2021 Escalade, scheduled to drop in February. The brand also plans to release a new or redesigned vehicle every six months through
Origin: GM cancels slot at CES, where it might’ve shown a Cadillac EV
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Hot Toyota Yaris GR-4 shown on video ahead of imminent reveal
The new preview shows that its styling is familiar from the existing Yaris, but with the addition of far wider rear wheel arches and an aggressive bodykit to fit the car’s likely high performance brief. In a further nod to the car’s intent, it sports the camouflage livery used by most recent hot Toyota models of recent years, including the recently revived Supra. At the launch of the revamped Yaris recently, Toyota’s executive vice-president, Matt Harrison, told Autocar that a performance version of the model would likely be launched to strengthen the link between Toyota’s road cars and its Gazoo Racing motorsport arm. Toyota has applied various levels of branding under the Gazoo Racing theme in order to develop a model structure for its high-performance models. These include the hardcore limited-run GRMN versions that are positioned above models that carry the GR badge, which represents an ‘authentic sports model’. The firm also offers a GR Sport trim level that offers a more aggressive look while retaining an unchanged mechanical package. Toyota secured the 2018 World Rally Championship manufacturers’ title with the Yaris WRC, with Ott Tanak claiming this year’s driver’s
Origin: Hot Toyota Yaris GR-4 shown on video ahead of imminent reveal
New Jaguar F-Type: 2020 restyling shown with less disguise
Jaguar is in the process of testing an updated F-Type due for reveal next year, and new shots give us the closest look yet at the external and internal changes for the new model. The photographs, taken near Jaguar Land Rover’s Gaydon technical HQ, show two prototypes are shedding camouflage as testing ramps up. We can now see the restyled front end more clearly, with a new clamshell bonnet, slim, angular LED headlights mounted lower down the nose and a more prominent grille. A look at the rear shows it retains the same vertical bootlid, but with new wraparound tail-lights and a reshaped bumper. A quick glimpse at the cabin doesn’t reveal much, but it looks like the infotainment has moved on a generation, while the rotary dial climate display remains. It’s expected that much of the more advanced technology and infotainment features from the I-Pace and the 2019 XE will make its way into the F-Type. That means new digital dials, a larger and more feature-laden touchscreen, and substantial upgrades to the materials. Jaguar Land Rover is now phasing out its long-running supercharged V6 in favour of a new turbocharged and hybridised straight six, and the F-Type will benefit from this more efficient powertrain. The turbocharged four-cylinder and supercharged V8 engines should be carried over to the new car with limited changes, however. Indeed, this prototype registers as a 5.0-litre V8, putting paid to rumours JLR would bring in a BMW-sourced 4.4-litre unit. What remains unclear is whether the new F-Type will retain a manual gearbox option. The current V6 is still offered with one in the UK, although it has reportedly been removed from sale in the US. Regardless, manuals account for a tiny fraction of overall F-Type sales. Jaguar’s priorities for 2019 are the roll-out of the new XE and the launch of a similarly updated XF and F-Pace. However, we could see the revised F-Type early on in 2020, with an on-sale date not soon after
Origin: New Jaguar F-Type: 2020 restyling shown with less disguise
Volkswagen ID 4: 2020 electric SUV shown in disguised form
Volkswagen’s upcoming ID 4 has been displayed again as the maker confirms it will also be produced in China alongside the ID 3. The electric crossover-style SUV will be a big part of the VW ID brand’s range offensive in the US, as well as in Europe. Previous spyshots gave us the best glimpse of the production model next to its hatchback sibling. The bodywork similarities of the two prototypes suggest the ID 4 will be closely linked to the ID 3 it is testing alongside, albeit slightly larger and sporting more evident SUV design cues. The ID 4 was on show at Frankfurt inside a glass box and wrapped in a similar pattern. The set-up was similar to that used by VW when it launched pre-sales for the ID 3 hatch earlier this year. Although VW was giving away little information about the car at Frankfurt, to keep the focus on the company rebranding and the launch of the production ID 3, the Kia e-Niro rival is set to go into production next year. Despite the camouflage, the new EV appears to retain many of the same exterior themes as the ID Crozz concept car, which was first shown more than two years ago and then reworked for the 2017 Frankfurt motor show. Volkswagen ID 3 2020 review Two production versions of the ID Crozz will be offered: a coupé-SUV in the vein of the original concept and this straight SUV model with a more conventional roofline and tailgate design. We can also see it has conventional rear doors, ditching the sliding items of the 2017 car. It’s not yet clear if the coupé variant will also adopt this approach, but it’s likely. The ID 4 will be built in Europe, the US and China, cementing its status as a truly global model and a crucial kingpin of the brand’s rapid EV rollout. “As early as 2020, we aim to sell 100,000 all-electric Volkswagens (per year),” said VW Group chairman Herbert Diess at the Crozz concept’s 2017 unveiling. “But this is just the beginning. By 2025, annual sales could increase tenfold to one million vehicles.” Diess said the new ID electric car line-up will be offered alongside traditional combustion-engined and hybrid-powered VW models. The ID 4 aims to combine the dynamic lines of a modern-day sports car with the all-terrain capability of a dedicated off-roader. It’s said to offer interior space on a par with the Tiguan Allspace, a new long-wheelbase version of VW’s best-selling SUV model. The ID Crozz concept is 4625mm long, 1891mm wide and 1609mm tall, putting it in between the five-seat Tiguan and seven-seat Tiguan Allspace in terms of dimensions. The wheelbase is 2773mm. The MEB-based ID Crozz features two electric motors – one mounted within the front axle, and one at the rear – powered by an 83kWh lithium ion battery housed within the floor structure. The front electric motor sends its 101bhp and 103lb ft to the front wheels. The rear unit delivers 201bhp and 228lb ft to the rear wheels, giving the car a combined output of 302bhp and 332lb ft of torque. This is just under 100bhp more than the powertrain used by the rear-wheel-drive ID hatchback, intended to offset a likely weight increase. The ID 4 is set to have a range of more than 311 miles, with no specific figure yet quoted. No performance figures have been revealed, though VW says it intends limiting the top speed to 112mph. With the car’s large battery mounted low down within the floor structure and the electric motors also housed within the axle assemblies front and rear, VW also claims it possesses a front-to-rear weight distribution of 48:52. VW officials have talked up the dynamic qualities, suggesting the new platform and chassis provide a “large spread between handling and
Origin: Volkswagen ID 4: 2020 electric SUV shown in disguised form
Bloodhound shown in ‘desert spec’ ahead of high-speed tests
Bloodhound, the land speed record car bidding to set a new supersonic land speed record of around 800mph in South Africa next year, has been shown in ‘desert spec’ ahead of a series of high speed tests. It’s the first time the Brit-built car, which was rescued from the administrators earlier this year, has been seen with its tyre-less machined solid aluminium wheels: the ones to be used for the outright record attempt. The long-promised testing shakedown will take place on a specially prepared 20km (12.4-mile) track at Hakskeen Pan in the Kalahari Desert, near the Namibian border. To test the installation of its Rolls-Royce EJ200 Eurofighter gas turbine engine, the car was late last month successfully given a “dry crank” at its Gloucestershire HQ which involved having the exhaust output of a smaller jet engine blown into its intake to rotate the moving parts of the main motor. “It involves turning the engine without activating the ignition,” says engineering director Mark Chapman. “It’s like a last look under the hood.” In South Africa, the Bloodhound team plans a series of 13 runs to test high-speed aerodynamics and stability, especially a 400mph-plus transition phase when steering authority delivered by the front wheels’ grip on the track surface changes and the front wheels become rudder-like aero devices. Engineering director Mark Chapman expects the car to exceed 500mph in these initial tests, although he says high speed is not the biggest issue this time. “The 200mph testing we did at Newquay Airport in October 2017 was all about accelerating the car, about checking that we could generate thrust from standstill,” he says. “The car was only at full power for about two seconds.” “In South Africa this time our EJ200 engine will develop its full 54,000 horsepower for nearly a minute, but the main emphasis will be on stopping. The biggest engineering challenge of all is stopping a car as fast as this without running out of desert. “We’ll be testing a two-parachute braking system, and of course we have friction brakes that work best below about 200mph. On top of that, we’ll do handling tests and investigate stability changes. And we have to see how well the team can perform under pressure in heat that might hit 40deg C.” Engineering millionaire Ian Warhurst, whose “seven-figure” investment rescued the project from receivership early this year at the last minute, says the project will seek financial and technical backers in earnest once the first South African testing is successful. “I’m very optimistic about the future,” he says. “We have a great deal of interest from potential backers, once the car has run. It was always clear, given the history of this project, that first of all we needed to show we can make things happen.” Bloodhound will be driven by former RAF jet pilot and current record holder Wing Commander Andy Green, who, back in 1997, became the only person ever to drive a car at supersonic speed on land when he took his Thrust SSC to a new mark of 763.035mph. The team members believe they can achieve 800mph as a first step. The record attempt is scheduled to take place late in 2020, but the team has set no timetable for their other, much tougher objective of achieving 1000mph on land. “We’ve divided our aims into two separate phases,” says Warhurst, owner and CEO of the project’s supporting company, Grafton LSR. “We’ll concentrate on the record first, and when we’ve achieved that, we’ll use the data and knowledge gained to make a judgement about whether to go for the second phase.” The test track at Hakskeen Pan been specially prepared on a dry lake bed by 317 members of the local Mier community. Working by hand, they have removed more than 16,500 tonnes of stone in preparation for Bloodhound’s runs. Thirteen parallel tracks have been laid out, because the car’s unique aluminium wheels – which don’t have tyres because the rotational speed would throw them off the rims – penetrate the track’s hard surface as they run, and “up to 13” runs are planned for this first trip to South Africa. The new Bloodhound ownership team is maintaining its role as an attraction to STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects for school-age students, by making its results and research findings publicly available. “This is the first land speed record attempt of the digital era,” says Warhurst. “Digital platforms can share data in real time from hundreds of sensors on the car, allowing budding engineers to see exactly how the car is behaving as it dices with physics.” Warhurst is funding the current preparations himself but is depending on the upcoming tests to attract new backers, especially title and livery sponsors. For now, the car is painted all white, but Warhurst believes when it “does something”, interested corporate and technical partners, currently waiting in the wings, will come forward. The project moved from its old base near Bristol and is now based in
Origin: Bloodhound shown in ‘desert spec’ ahead of high-speed tests
New Aston Martin DBX: interior shown with bespoke luggage set
The new 90-acre factory in Wales, built on a former Ministry of Defence site, has been under development since 2016 and will be the sole production facility for the DBX. The electric models of the revived Lagonda brand will also be built there. Ahead of the machine’s official launch later this year, Aston Martin previously issued images of the DBX sporting a camouflage livery reflecting its new Welsh home. The machine is currently undergoing final testing using pre-production versions. A video published earlier in the year shows the DBX undergoing extreme weather testing in Sweden at Pirelli’s Flurheden proving ground, part of the two brands’ ongoing partnership. Speaking about that test, Aston Martin chief engineer Matt Becker said: “Testing these prototypes in cold climate conditions helps us to assess the car’s early dynamics and, crucially, ensure confidence-inspiring sure-footedness on low-grip surfaces. “This car propels Aston Martin into a new segment and our engineering team are enjoying the challenges of developing a quality luxury SUV experience through this robust testing schedule. Progress is on track and I am confident that we will deliver over and above what our customers would expect from an Aston Martin SUV.” The DBX is the first Aston Martin to go through a new dedicated test programme, to ensure it can produce the kind of dynamic on-road performance on which Aston has always made its name, allied to some credibility off road. Testing is also due to take place in the deserts of the Middle East, on German autobahns and at the Nürburgring. Unlike the concept, the production DBX will feature a more conventional five-door layout rather than the sleeker three-door design that was originally expected. The DBX is one of the most important models in Aston Martin’s history and the next phase of the company’s turnaround plan under boss Andy Palmer. While every Aston produced under Palmer to date as part of his ‘Second Century’ plan has been a replacement for an existing model (DB11, Vantage and DBS Superleggera), the DBX breaks new ground by having no direct predecessor. During its life cycle, the DBX will introduce hybrid technology to Aston and it will also play a key role in trying to attract female buyers to the Aston Martin brand. The DBX is built on an Aston Martin architecture that will be closely related to that set to underpin the Lagonda saloon and Lagonda SUV, which Aston also has in the pipeline. The new Lagondas will be built alongside the DBX in Wales, starting from 2021. However, whereas the Lagonda models will be electrically driven, the DBX will start life with petrol power before getting Mercedes-sourced hybrid technology early in the next decade. Aston Martin’s own V12 and Mercedes-AMG’s V8 engines will both find their way into the DBX, with Mercedes also donating the car’s electrical architecture. The DBX will compete against the likes of the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and upcoming Ferrari SUV. Given the broad appeal and rise in popularity of SUVs, the DBX is expected to quickly become Aston’s best-selling model. Sharp body creases and a pronounced shoulder line help reduce the overall visual bulk of what is the most high-sided Aston yet produced, while a new integrated grille design performs a similar role at the front of the car. It will also be the first all-new Aston Martin model launched after the company’s stock market flotation, after the firm returned to profitability last year. Since then the share price has plummeted, however, so it will be a crucial car to restore faith in the brand for investors. Palmer has underpinned that growth with his so-called ‘Second Century’ plan, which is formed of seven models being launched over seven years at the rate of one per year, each then on sale for a seven-year model cycle with various derivatives and special-edition versions launched within that. Hybrid powertrains to arrive later in DBX’s lifecycle Daimler will provide Aston’s hybrid technology and is also one of two routes for sourcing full-electric drivetrains, according to Palmer, with other external partners also being explored. Aston has sourced an 800V system for its first electric car, the limited-run RapidE due later this year, and Palmer said 800V and access to the latest chemistry is key to any future EV powertrain from the firm. Although hybrid versions of the DBX are a long way off, the car will be launched with a Mercedes-sourced 4.0-litre V8 and Aston’s own 5.2-litre V12 as core engine options. Palmer said that although he lists the DBX’s rivals as the Bentayga, Urus, Cullinan and upcoming Ferrari, each model performs a very different role in the super-luxury SUV segment. “Those minded towards a beauty of execution will move to Aston,” he said. First-time Aston customers are expected to be found in China and North America in particular for the DBX, but Palmer said plenty of
Origin: New Aston Martin DBX: interior shown with bespoke luggage set
Cupra Tavascan: emotive EV concept shown at Frankfurt
The front end of the Tavascan is designed to balance the desire for “muscularity and dynamism”, the company claims, with an exterior shape honed for range-boosting aerodynamic efficiency. The front end is also intended to create a “totally different focal point” from those of conventional combustion-engined cars, with an illuminated Cupra logo mounted low, below the blanked-out ‘grille’. A separate badge spells out ‘Cupra’ in a vent linked to the headlights. The rear is also heavily dominated by the lower portion’s styling, with a striking bumper shape mated to a steeply raked rear window line and full-width light bar, intersected by the Cupra logo. It is claimed each vent and slat on the body serves a purpose, either in allowing air to flow over the body or directing it internally to cool batteries. The model also sits on aero-optimised 22in wheels. Cupra claims the interior “mixes material and technological concepts with openness and focus” by the use of “contrasting colours, structural carbon and dynamic approaches to technology and design”. Leather, carbon and Alcantara are the dominant materials. There is a floating dashboard but a digital instrument cluster and 13.0in infotainment screen are the focal points. The 13.0in screen can be moved towards the passenger if needed and speaker and smartphone connectivity features are integrated into the seats. Cupra stresses that the Tavascan concept is designed to deliver “the performance, dynamics and drivability its customers demand”. To that end, it features a dual-motor electric powertrain putting out 302bhp, enabling 0-62mph in “less than 6.5sec”. The Tavascan uses the highly flexible Volkswagen Group MEB platform, integrating the two motors across both axles for all-wheel drive. The floorpan houses a 77kWh lithium ion battery, taken from the largest-capacity version of VW’s ID 3. A range of 280 miles is claimed. The brand predicts the electric SUV coupé market will grow by 15% every year and hopes to capitalise on that with future models evolving from the Tavascan. The listing of specs suggests there is some production intent here. Cupra has already shown the Formentor – also an SUV coupé but one with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains rather than purely electric – that’s due next year. Two more PHEVs are also on the cards for
Origin: Cupra Tavascan: emotive EV concept shown at Frankfurt
Mercedes-Benz ESF concept shown at Frankfurt
Mercedes-Benz is presenting its new ESF 2019 concept at Frankfurt as the latest in a long line of experimental vehicles in an ongoing project into advanced safety technology. Based on a yet-to-be launched petrol-electric GLE, the ‘ESF 2019’ research project acts as a rolling showcase for new and improved safety functions that Mercedes expects to incorporate on its future models. Among the project’s innovations are those that the German car maker calls “near series” as well as developments that “look well into the future”. The ESF 2019’s developments include a new holistic driver environment that features a retractable steering wheel and pedal box as well as ideas for new airbag installations that Rodolfo Schöneburg, the head of Mercedes vehicle safety, said “take into account the greater interior flexibility offered by autonomous vehicles”. He said: “The great advantage of automating driving functions is that, in the future, fewer accidents will be caused by driver error. However, fully automated and driverless vehicles also come up against physical limits and there will undoubtedly be mixed traffic consisting of automated and non-automated vehicles for many years.” The heavily modified GLE also uses a new interior lighting function incorporated into the driver’s sun visor. It has been developed in response to recent studies that reveal a vitalising light source similar to that of mood lamps can significantly improve driver alertness on long journeys. As part of an update to its existing Pre-Safe belt tensioners, Mercedes has also equipped the ESF 2019 with Pre-Safe Curve, which warns the driver if the entry speed to corners is too high by lightly tightening the seatbelt. A new Pre-Safe Child function preventatively tensions the seatbelt and inflates impact protection elements around the child seat before an impact, reducing the loads acting on the child. This new function is also able to monitor the seat installation and the child’s vital signs. On its outside, the new safety research vehicle features digital surfaces incorporated into the grille, rear window and roof. Developed in a programme that aims to build people’s trust in automated vehicles, these digital surfaces communicate directions and other vital information as well as warn other road users and pedestrians of impending danger, even when parked. Another new development heavily tipped to appear on next year’s all-new S-Class is Mercedes’ Digital Light – a high-definition light source with a resolution of more than two million pixels that is claimed to be dazzle-free. A further future safety function being tested by Mercedes is a small robot that doubles as a warning triangle to secure accident sites or breakdowns. It deploys from the rear and positions itself at the side of the road. An additional warning triangle folds out of the roof. A potentially life-saving innovation is the new Pre-Safe Impulse Rear. It monitors when vehicles are approaching from the rear in a tailback and can autonomously move the ESF 2019 forwards if an impending impact is detected, provided there is the space to do so. The project draws on more than 50 years of accident research. Previous experimental vehicles have previewed functions in current Mercedes models, including the rear seatbelt airbag and active high beam assistant initially incorporated on the ESF
Origin: Mercedes-Benz ESF concept shown at Frankfurt
Jetta: New China-only Volkswagen models shown at Shanghai
Volkswagen has launched a new standalone brand for the Chinese market, named after its long-running Jetta model, at the Shanghai motor show. The Jetta brand will be run by the German firm in co-operation with long-time Chinese joint venture partner First Automobile Works (FAW). It will target younger buyers outside major metropolitan areas. The two companies first revealed they were planning a budget brand in 2017. Volkswagen sales boss Jürgen Stackmann said: “With Jetta, we’re closing the gap between the established Volkswagen lead brand in the top volume segment and entry-level mobility, which accounts for about one-third of the Chinese market and is served mainly by local brands. This way, we will significantly increase our market coverage.” By the end of 2019, Volkswagen plans to establish up to 200 Jetta dealerships, and it says this network will be supported by a range of sales formats, including digital showrooms, shopping malls and mobile sales trucks. The initial Jetta line-up comprises three models, the VA3, VS5 and VS7, with sales scheduled to start in the third quarter of this year. The 4487mm-long VA3 is a rebadged version of the current Chinese-market Jetta saloon, while the 4400mm-long VS5 and 4600mm-long VS7 are SUVs that draw heavily on the Seat Ateca and Seat Tarraco, with five and seven seats respectively. Seat doesn’t have an existing sales presence in China; the integration of the Spanish car maker’s models into the Jetta line-up is expected to profit from greater economies of scale. A VS3 compact SUV based on the Seat Arona has been muted as a possible future addition to the Jetta range. Stackmann added: “In China, the Jetta plays an extremely valuable role for us as a Volkswagen model. It has brought mobility for the masses, just like the Beetle once did in Europe. Developed by Volkswagen and built in China, the Jetta placed China on four wheels. “To this day, it’s one of Volkswagen’s most popular models in China – a real icon. This is why we’re transforming a model into a brand and establishing a separate model and brand family.” Each of the initial Jetta models is planned to receive a common corporate grille treatment, as previewed by an official sketch of the VA3 released by Volkswagen. They will be produced at a factory operated jointly by Volkswagen and FAW in Chengdu, China. Volkswagen delivered 3.11 million cars in China in 2018, making it the company’s single largest
Origin: Jetta: New China-only Volkswagen models shown at Shanghai
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