Daily Archives: February 5, 2019
3 Things That Separate The 2019 Lexus UX From Other Crossovers
Lexus finally introduced its first compact crossover in the form of the 2019 Lexus UX. This is the first Lexus model to feature the brand’s new GA-C platform and it looks like a slightly blown-up LC500.
Exterior
The front end of the new Lexus UX looks a lot like the LC500—from the aggressively curved hood to the spindle grille to the headlights with a slightly different LED strip. It has an overall sporty design with a unique rear end that gives a sort of optical illusion to the casual looker. The rear overhang on the rear hatch is highlighted by an F Sport-styled side wings while the rear fascia gets an F Sport insert.
Interior
The cabin is a blend of German, Japanese, and American culture. It has its own identity and refreshingly sits apart from the rest of the cars in the segment. Up front, the infotainment display has a large, cellphone-like look to it with an integrated digital display and an embedded appearance. Imagine Audi’s infotainment display a few years back and you’ll get what we mean.
The seats, both of the driver and the passengers, are perforated and supportive. There’s high-quality stitching throughout the seats with some contrast on the steering wheel. There’s a thick leather pallet on the middle tier of the dashboard which also has some white contrast stitching.
Performance
Lexus is fitting the UX with an all-new 2.0-liter gasoline engine. It offers high-speed combustion, multi-hole direct fuel injectors, variable cooling system and oil pump, and intelligent variable valve timing. It comes also with the brand’s first Direct Shift CVT. The engine will deliver 168 horsepower but no torque figures have been released yet. Does this one need a high torque figure? It’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to tow anything with the Lexus UX.
GMC Joins Bandwagon, Considering An Electric Pickup Truck
GMC is joining the number of brands that will produce an electric pickup truck. The announcement comes after Tesla and Rivian also said they have plans to make an electric pickup. Ford added that they will build an electric version of the F-150 at some point in the future.
Duncan Aldred, the vice president of GMC, was quoted by Detroit Bureau that the company is considering developing and building an electric pickup truck.
But for now, all eyes are on the Rivian R1T, which debuted at the Los Angeles auto show in November. The model is said to have a range of 400 miles with its largest battery pack. We should be seeing it on the roads very soon.
Tesla, on the other hand, has given no details of its plan to build a pickup truck but Elon Musk said it might arrive after the release of the Model Y small utility. Given the problems that Tesla has been having with its Model 3 production, we’re not expecting the electrified pickup truck to arrive anytime soon.
Ford, for its part, has not provided clues about its plan for an all-electric F-150 truck.
It is still unclear when GM will introduce its potential pickup truck, though there are talks about it. Like with Ford, we might see the electric trucks way down the line when all the vehicles on the road start going electric. Then again, there’s also a possibility it will come sooner than expected. It was reported sometime back that GM is preparing a new electric architecture that will arrive by 2021.
The new electric architecture will first be used on a new Cadillac and it will also be the same platform that could fit an electric pickup truck in the future. GM wants to introduce as many as 20 new electric vehicles by 2023.
2021 BMW i4 EV Electric Car Shows Influence From Vision Dynamics Concept
Spy photos of the 2021 BMW i4 electric car showed that it did follow last year’s i Vision Dynamics concept as can be seen from its four-door coupe silhouette, angular c-pillar, a decklid with a slight ducktail spoiler lip, and a front end with a sloping roof.
The i4 was confirmed by BMW chairman Harald Krüger at the Paris Auto Show in October last year. Dubbed as the i4, this will be the group’s fifth fully electric “core” model. This is also the fourth EV that BMW produced between now and 2021.
According to the i Vision Dynamics concept, the i4 will have an electric range of 373 miles, a top speed of 125 mph, and a 0-to-62 mph time of 4.0 seconds. But unlike the current i3 and i8, the i4 won’t be made with a carbon-fiber structure.
The spy shots , which showed the i4 in camouflage while riding on the back of a car carrier, hinted of small kidney grilles out front though it is also possible the production model will carry the concept’s burly and massive conjoined kidney grilles. It’s hard to see anything else with all that camouflage but the headlights and the taillights are not production units yet. Similar to the 4-Series Gran Coupe, the i4 might be a liftback with a large hatchback opening perfect for outdoor adventure.
The BMW Group is expected to release three other new EVs over the next three years. This year, it will be the Mini Electric, which was previewed as a concept last year. The production car will sit close to the concept and will share the powertrain of the refreshed i3, which has a range of 153 miles.
Up next is the iX3 in 2020, which was also previewed as a concept. This is the electronic version of the X3 crossover. It carries a 70.0-kWh battery pack with a range of 249 miles on the European cycle.
Finally, the iNext should arrive in 2021. Previewed through the Vision iNext concept, this will be BMW’s tech flagship and will have a range of 373 miles, reaching 60 mph in less than four seconds.
