An Automotive Engineer's Point of View – News and Reviews
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For 2019, the Santa Fe Sport becomes simply the Santa Fe, while the larger seven-passenger 2018 Santa Fe will become the Santa Fe XL.
The previous generation Santa Fe Sport never became the sales success that Hyundai needed and together with sharply declining car sales, Hyundai needs this new model to succeed and help turn things around for the brand.
These three new new models indicate VW’s current brand direction which involves a simplistic notion of recapturing what it was was, a value oriented, strong European car brand for the people. In the US, the VW sedans went from hippie-practical, to modern-chic, and most recently, large and bland. This most recent era brought increased sales but it also demonstrated what the brand was willing to sacrifice: its brand loyalists. But at that time, it could rely on the diesel to provide the European flair and its efficiency – especially on the highway – even compared favorably to the hybrids available at the time. The emissions were a different story and as the smoke continues to clear from the diesel-gate, VW is forced to redefine itself and do it now. As VW commits to an electric future, its latest unveilings of new sedan models each have significant impact in their respective ambitions.
Continue reading “VW injects sport, value, and styling with 3 sedan debuts”
It’s not terribly difficult to misplace the Chicago Auto Show on the calendar.
Slotted in-between Detroit and the Geneva Show, where the European brands like to make their debuts, was there much newsworthy coming from this year’s Chicago show?
Well, yes in fact, Toyota announced details on its second-generation of TRD Pro models, and Hyundai revels its hybrid and plug-in versions of the Sonata.
Continue reading “Week #5 – A couple of Splashes from the Chicago Show”
What a month January was for new truck news. Ford kicked off the party with an updated F-150 that now offers a fourth engine choice – a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 – and has shown a production-ready version of the all-new mid-size Ranger. Chevrolet has introduced its all-new Silverado featuring a new era of styling and a host of improvements. But piquing my interest is in the most number of ways is the 2019 Ram 1500.
Taking a refinement pen to its current design, the exterior looks much more modern and sophisticated. All around are thoughtful details and segment-first equipment while each trim gets additional unique styling touches. There is no doubt that the Ram team asked a lot of “why not?” and “how about this?” during this redesign.
Continue reading “2019 Ram 1500 – A Segment Leader in Design, Efficiency, Tech”
As the brands pour all of their attention on the upcoming Super Bowl commercials, there are few significant news reports (aka distractions).
One bit of news that normally wouldn’t be covered here, especially since the model’s debut is still several months away, comes from Land Rover.
The Detroit Auto Show featured many major new vehicle debuts like the Acura RDX and Chevrolet Silverado, however, there was still plenty of other special bits of news.
Continue reading “News for the Week (#3) – What wasn’t a Detroit Debut”
This newest generation of GM’s best selling vehicle takes on a new styling direction while making efficient and smart improvements on existing technology and material application.
The RDX hits the reset button and the stars are beginning to align for Acura. 
Continue reading “2019 Acura RDX – Detroit Debut”
News For the Week (#2)
Tech News from the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas
Over the past several years, the CES in Las Vegas has become a venue to announce new connectivity platforms and big developments in autonomous tech. This year’s CES was no different and, as our world becomes more connected, the announcements are much less of a view of a far-off ideal as they are about what is actually happening and coming in the next decade or sooner.
News For the Week (#51) – News and Detroit Previews
Another relatively low key week for car news, however, there were a few notable bits.
Speaking of hybrids, Hyundai has added its third model to the Ioniq line-up.
