That’s A Wrap! The Latest Automotive News From Around The Web – April 2, 2021

Highlights from this week include: April Fools Day has been moved to March; Porsche commits to go more electric – on and off the track; Ford kills another successful car; Bombardier goes fully electric with jet skis, go-karts & motorcycles while another Canadian company launches a sub-$20k EV; and we take a quick look back to the future…Lexus

Lexus announced their brand transformation on March 31st during an online launch – did you watch it? The Highlight was the Premiere of “LF-Z Electrified,” a BEV Concept Car Symbolizing the Next Generation of Lexus (pictured).

By 2025 Lexus will introduce 20 new vehicle models including BEVs, PHEVs, HEVs, and other electric vehicles, and develop a diverse product lineup. More details HERE

Porsche Porsche has not yet decided whether the next generation of the 718 series (Cayman and Boxster) will have a fully-electric drive, however, there will be a new generation of smaller electric sports cars. Porsche CEO Oliver Blume told AutoExpress “There is an opportunity that we will do the 718 electric but we are still in a concept period….and when we do the 718 electric it should be driven like a 911 and all the other sports cars.” Full story HERE

Staying with Porsche, they announced this week they’re commitment to the Gen3 era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from Season 9 (2022/23). The German manufacturer joined the Formula E grid for Season 6 (2019/20), making its return to top-tier single-seater racing for the first time in 30 years. More info HERE

Ford

Ford ended production of the Fusion last year, and now its European sibling gets in the neck as well. Ford will end production of the Mondeo in March 2022 due to “growing change in customer preference.” Launched in 1993 the Mondeo has racked up approximately five million sales in Europe. More details HERE

Ford has confirmed it has received more than 125,000 orders for the 2021 Bronco. Ford will begin ramping up production of the Bronco in the coming weeks with the first examples expected to arrive on dealership lots in June and roughly 70 per cent of orders are for higher-price trim levels. Read more HERE

BRP BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) commits to electrification of its entire line-up! This includes jet skis, go-karts, e-motorcycles, more. The Quebec-based company plans to invest $300 million in its electrification efforts over the next five years to achieve this milestone – its first electric vehicle would be ready in the next two years. This is great news – we’ve been wondering when someone in the ATV industry would start seriously moving into electric fun machines. Read more HERE

Kia Kia revealed the full details on the K8 large sedan that replaces the Cadenza – a car we drove several times and loved. Unfotunately due to poor sales, it’s not coming to the U.S., so we can assume it’s not going to be available in Canada either. That’s too bad cause the new version is very Genesis-like. We’ve added some pictures of the K8 are at the end of this article. More details HERE

More Kia…

www.Road-Test.org, Iain Shankland, That’s A Wrap!

On Tuesday Kia unveiled the EV6 electric crossover. Based on the same platform (Hyundai E-GMP) as Hyundai’s Ionic 5 that was released last month, the EV6 comes with several choices of motor and battery pack configurations. With eye-catching numbers like a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 3.5 seconds and an 800V charging capability – this is going to be a big hit with consumers. Set to “go on-sale in select global markets starting from the second half of 2021,” the price hasn’t been confirmed yet, but some are expecting around $40,000 U.S. Plenty more details HERE – or – HERE

File this one under: “We’ll be sick of it when it actually arrives” department…

Volkswagen has long promised us we’d be getting it – someday, by constantly teasing us on the all-electric ID.Buzz. Well, they’ve finally confirmed the van will be sold in the 2023 calendar year as 2024MY vehicle. The ID.Buzz will go on sale in Europe first, before it hits U.S. and Canadian showrooms. The electric van is expected to start rolling off the line in 2022 and will also be sold as a delivery van – in Europe. In North America however, it’s expected to only be sold as a passenger vehicle. More information HERE

More news from Volkswagen – I mean Voltswagen. When news broke on Monday, the first thing I thought was: uh oh, somebody let the April fool joke out too early. The same day however, Volkswagen confirmed it will indeed change the name of its operations in the U.S. from Volkswagen of America to Voltswagen of America. Then on Tuesday a company spokesman, confirmed that the statement had been a pre-April Fool’s Day joke, after having insisted Monday that the release was legitimate and the name change accurate. So we’re doing pre-April Fools now? Is this like Black Friday on a Monday? I know, why, don’t we start doing a Pre-Christmas on December the 15!!! Then we can move summer to winter.

Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz Vans (Stuttgart, Mar 30, 2021) – The next generation of the Mercedes-Benz eSprinter is being targeted to help develop new markets with a focus on the USA and Canada. The next generation of the eSprinter is to be built at three plants starting in the second half of 2023: North Charleston, SC, Düsseldorf and Ludwigsfelde, Germany. Mercedes-Benz is planning to invest around €50 million in each plant as part of electrification shift. The current generation of the eSprinter is already being built in Düsseldorf together on one line with conventionally-driven Sprinter models. The principle of manufacturing both drive train variants will also be implemented at the plants in Charleston and Ludwigsfelde. In this way, it will be possible to respond very precisely to the respective market needs in the future. In addition to the previously available variant as a panel van, the next generation of the eSprinter will also be produced as a chassis model and will thus serve as a basic vehicle for, among other things, ambulances, motorhomes or refrigerated transporters.

GenesisOn Tuesday, the Genesis GV80 was chosen as the 2021 Canadian Utility Vehicle of the Year by some Canadian journalists’, and the Mazda3 was bestowed the 2021 Canadian Car of the Year by the same people. We’re hoping to get our hands on the GV80 this year. If it’s anywhere as good as the Hyundai Palisade it should be phenomenal and well deserved.

Dayma

Canadian electric vehicle manufacturer Daymak has just unveiled its first three-wheeled electric car, the Daymak Spiritus. With a top speed of 209 km/h (130 mph), the company claims the Spiritus is the world’s fastest three-wheeled electric car, it comes in two performance levels. The Deluxe model is the less powerful of the two with a 36 kWh battery, 300 km (180 miles) of range and has a promotional price of $19,995. The Ultimate has a price tag of $149,995. More info HERE

Tesla

Tesla Semi production line at new Nevada building is coming up with a goal of 5 electric trucks per week. Reliable sources that Tesla is currently building a low-volume Tesla Semi production line. If Tesla can reach their goal, we’re looking at about 60 Tesla Semi electric trucks this year! Exciting stuff… More info HERE

In separate Tesla news… Pepsi says it expects to take delivery of 15 Tesla Semi electric trucks by the end of this year. They placed an order for 100 Tesla Semis shortly after the e-truck’s launch in 2017.

Hyundai

Hyundai Santa Cruz – On Wednesday we got a teaser from Hyundai ahead of a full reveal scheduled for April 15 (next Thursday). FINALLY after years of will-they-or-won’t-they – it’s yes, we’re going to actually get this vehicle. When? Drumroll… this year!! After dragging their feet since the original concept back in 2015, this is Hyundai’s first crack at a pickup truck for us here in North America. Sharing a platform with the Santa Fe SUV, it’s going to use unibody construction and the box won’t be separate from the cab – just like the Honda Ridgeline and the upcoming Ford Maverick. To our eyes this is one of the best looking trucks regardless of size. Stay tuned for more information.

Finally…

People are shocked when we tell them electric vehicles have been around as long as the automobile – longer in fact, since 1828! Here’s proof from a century ago… electric cars were neck and neck with ICE (internal combustion engine) cars in the beginning, but Henry Ford’s assembly line and the Model T killed off the EV’s. What would life would be like today, if that hadn’t happened! For more insight, check out this link WIKI