Each week TheDetroitBureau.com reports on the biggest news and events happening in the auto industry and relays those stories in its weekly the Headlight News podcast. The roundup includes news, features, reviews and more.
Auto shows are back! Well, at least the New York International Auto Show was last week. The show featured updated version of the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride as well as stretched version of the new Jeep Wagoneer, dubbed the Wagoneer L and Grand Wagoneer L. However, much the show focused on electric vehicles.
Some of the other stories you need to know about include:
- The electrified debuts at NYIAS included the Kia Niro, which comes as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full electric model, plus Genesis showed of its new X Speedium Coupe electric concept vehicle and Vietnamese startup VinFast showed its VF 8 and VF 9 crossovers;
- VinFast also revealed its first dealership will be in North Carolina, not a surprise given the company’s first plant will be built there, beginning production in 2024;
- Mercedes-Benz revealed its EQXX concept traveled more than 600 miles on a single charge on a trip from Stuttgart to the French Mediterranean coast and the car still had more than 100 miles of range left. There are no plans to put the car into production, but the lessons learned are being applied to other EQ models;
- Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 captured three awards — including World Car of the Year — at the World Car Awards in NYC. In fact, EVs dominated the awards, capturing five of six honors; and,
- Honda announced plans to develop 30 new EVs by 2030 while Lincoln revealed it plans to debut its first all-electric vehicle — a crossover — April 20.
If you were still unconvinced of the growing importance of electric vehicles to the auto industry, the press preview of the New York International Auto Show should eliminate any doubts as EVs dominated the spotlight and the headlines, says Executive Editor Joe Szczesny. The show features a slew of new EV models from legacy and startup automakers, plus the World Car Awards were dominated by battery-electric models.
If anything can be said of the 2022 BMW iX xDrive 50, it’s that it represents BMW’s state of the are vehicle manufacturing. It arrives in a package that does its best to eliminate compromises, with more than 300 miles of range, cutting edge style, state of the art connectivity and enough performance to endear it to fans of the ultimate driving machine, says Executive Editor Larry Printz.
Managing Editor Michael Strong notes we’re moving from showing cars to seeing how profitable they are as automakers shift into earnings season, starting with Tesla this week. GM and Ford follow next week.
Taking a look at this week in automotive history Executive Editor Printz, we see this week in 1916, former GM chief Charles Nash establishes the Nash Motor Co. in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Four decades later Nash merges with the Hudson Motor Car Co. in 1954 and becomes American Motors. In 1987, American Motors is bought by Chrysler.
In 1927, the first Volvo rolls off the line. In 1944, Henry Ford II is named executive vice president of Ford Motor Co. following the death of his father, Edsel. He was serving in the military at the time, but the U.S. government encourages his return to the automaker to ensure its long-term stability. In 1964, Ford introduces the Mustang to the media, and three days later to the world at the New York World’s Fair.
Find out more the industry’s history and more by listening to TheDetroitBureau’s latest edition of the Headlight News podcast by clicking here. And look for a new episode every Monday!
