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Category: Highlight

  • Genesis X Concept: Maybe this time?

    Concepts are supposed to hint at what is coming from an automaker, but Genesis doesn’t seem to follow that rule. The last three Genesis Concepts, including the Genesis X that the brand revealed on Tuesday, have been battery-electric coupes. The last two Genesis vehicles to be chosen for production? Two SUVs: the mid-size GV80 and the compact GV70, and coming after them will be the GV60, which is rumored to be an even smaller battery-electric SUV as well.

    However, a few elements of the  Genesis X that the South Korean brand showed journalists in California recently have us feeling a bit more bullish that this concept will finally portend an electric-powered touring or sports coupe. Its predecessors, the Essentia and Mint, which debuted at consecutive New York Auto Shows (remember those?) in 2018 and 2019, were more out there in terms of styling. The Genesis X feels firmly planted in what Genesis is currently producing, with the brand’s signature parallel lines found in the headlights, taillights, and a pair of metal strips on the rear side windows. In fact, the new metallic badge seen on the concept will also make its way onto every redesigned Genesis going forward after the GV70.

    Genesis X concept - March 2021

    Genesis X concept – March 2021

    Details on the car are extremely thin at the moment. We know the powertrain will be fully electric and feature inductive charging, the same technology used to wirelessly charge smartphones just on a larger scale. We know it’s meant to be a 2+2 grand touring coupe in the vein of the Lexus LC and BMW 8-Series, even though this particular concept does not have an interior. Apart from that we’re left guessing, though Genesis representatives did say in hushed tones that a more fleshed out version of the concept was currently somewhere in Asia in an ambiguous state of completion but with an interior. Stay tuned. 

    So, we’re left with a lot of questions about the Genesis X, the biggest of which is what platform it would potentially use. Sharing its underpinnings with the forthcoming GV60 would make sense; it’s Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform that will also provide the basis of the Ioniq 5 SUV and Kia EV6. Other questions include: Will it be rear- or all-wheel drive? Will Genesis join Audi in the long-term battle to get camera side mirrors approved by American regulatory agencies? Will a production model also look this good?

    Once again we’re stuck in the waiting game. Even when Genesis insisted that the Essentia would spawn a production coupe in 2021 or 2022, it didn’t make sense to build a halo car without the rest of the Genesis lineup fleshed out. But there have been no such promises this time, and with the lineup soon to hit three sedans and three SUVs, the time is ripe for a sportier coupe. Hopefully, the third electric coupe concept from Genesis is the charm.

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  • Volkswagen to change its name to Voltswagen in America

    Volkswagen will change the name of its North American unit from “Volkswagen of America” to “Voltswagen in America,” CNBC reported Monday.

    It may look like a typo, but VW accidentally posted an incomplete press release announcing the name change to its website early Monday morning, according to CNBC. The release was dated April 29 and has since been taken down, the report said. A VW source familiar with the situation confirmed to Motor Authority that the information was leaked too early.

    While the timing of the press release also suggests a premature April Fool’s Day joke, CNBC reported that the name change is meant to emphasize VW’s shift toward electric vehicles.

    2021 Volkswagen ID.4

    2021 Volkswagen ID.4

    The release, which was incomplete, citing the need for an additional quote and photography, also discussed new badging for VW vehicles, according to CNBC. Electric cars will get a “Voltswagen” exterior badge, while gasoline models will have the existing VW badge (which was recently redesigned itself) only. The badge will continue to have a dark blue badge for gasoline models, and a lighter blue for EVs, the report said.

    VW’s United States EV push recently kicked off with the ID.4 crossover, one of several planned global models based on the automaker’s MEB platform. Instead of targeting other electric cars, VW claims to the ID.4 will compete with mainstream gasoline crossovers like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The first U.S.-market vehicles will be imported from Germany, but VW plans to start local production at its Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory in 2022.

    That’s part of a larger plan to build 28 million EVs by 2028, encompassing 70 distinct models across VW’s many global brands. In addition to affordable MEB-based models, the lineup already includes luxury models like the Audi E-Tron GT and Porsche Taycan, with a Bentley EV on the way. By the end of the decade, VW plans to have a standardized platform for most electric models, and solid-state batteries that the company believes will allow greater range and quicker charging.

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  • “Fast Five” 1963 Corvette Grand Sport replica for sale

    The “Fast and the Furious” franchise may have started out with tuner cars, but by the time “Fast Five” premiered in 2011, the series had expanded to include cars like this 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport replica, which will be auctioned off online by Volo Auto Sales starting April 14.

    First spotted by Motor1, the Grand Sport replica only appeared briefly in “Fast Five.” It was one of several cars stolen off a moving train by the heroes, only to plummet off a cliff to its doom shortly after. Still, the Grand Sport is a bona fide movie car—and a cool one at that.

    The original Grand Sport was a heavily-modified version of the C2 Corvette designed for racing—hence the numerous cooling ducts, bulging fender flares, and fixed headlights. Only five original cars were built—two convertibles and three coupes—establishing enough of a reputation that Chevy brought back the Grand Sport name for variants of recent Corvettes.

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    The replica was built by Mongoose Motorsports, which is licensed by General Motors to build these cars. It has a custom tubular chassis with C4 Corvette suspension and a GM Performance 5.7-liter V-8 crate engine that makes 380 hp, according to the listing. It’s also an automatic, which isn’t uncommon for movie cars as it makes them easier to move around on set.

    This is one of three surviving Grand Sport replicas from the film, and was used as a “hero car” for close-up shots, according to the listing. That means it likely got the most screen time, and is closest in appearance to what you see on screen. Movie productions generally use multiple cars, which are only made to look or function as good as they need to for a particular scene. For example, a car used for stunts might not have a full interior, because that wouldn’t be shown in a given shot.

    The auction house expects this movie car to sell for between $95,000 and $100,000, while Mongoose advertises new cars (without the movie pedigree) at “under $100,000.” Either way, the “Fast Five” car should be a lot less than one of the five original Grand Sports, which have seven-figure valuations.

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