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Category: Highlight

  • Vinfast establishes US headquarters ahead of start of local sales in 2022

    Vietnam’s Vinfast only started selling cars in its home market in 2019 but the company is already eying exports of electric vehicles to the key markets of North America and Europe.

    In the case of North America, Vinfast said in January that it plans to start sales in the United States and Canada as early as 2022. The first models to arrive will be the VFe35 small crossover and VFe36 mid-size crossover.

    For the U.S., VinFast has established the local division VinFast USA headed by Van Anh Nguyen, and plans to open the first dealerships in California “soon,” Vinfast parent company Vingroup said in a statement to Reuters published on Monday.

    Vinfast has hinted that it will sell cars online and offer its EVs with a battery subscription, helping to bring the up-front cost of the vehicle down considerably. The battery subscription model has already been implemented by Nio in China.

    Vinfast VFe36

    Vinfast VFe36

    Vinfast only sold about 30,000 vehicles last year, most of them with internal-combustion engines. The company is only targeting about 15,000 EV sales for 2022, though this is a capped figure due to the global chip shortage, Pham Nhat Vuong, chairman of Vingroup, said at the company’s annual meeting in June.

    Production of Vinfast vehicles is handled at a plant in Hai Phong, Vietnam.

    The VFe36 is likely to be the best bet for our market. It has a length of 201 inches and a dual-motor powertrain generating a combined 402 hp. The battery is a 106-kilowatt-hour unit that Vinfast estimates will deliver over 300 miles of range. Premium features include a 15.4-inch infotainment screen, panoramic glass roof, and matrix LED headlights.

    Vinfast will need to raise cash to fund its ambitious growth plans. The company has hinted that it may launch an initial public offering in the U.S. or go public via a SPAC deal.

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  • Preview: 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz compact pickup priced from $25,175

    If you can’t beat ’em, build pickup trucks to join ’em. That’s what Hyundai has done with its new 2022 Santa Cruz which was revealed in April and now on sale with a starting price of $25,175, including destination.

    Hyundai first previewed the compact pickup in 2015, when it rolled out a concept of the same name, and for a while it wasn’t certain the concept would make the transition to production. Given the strong interest in pickup trucks, both as a workhorse and lifestyle vehicle, Hyundai has likely made the right decision.

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    The Santa Cruz is 195.7 inches long, making it between 15 and 20 inches shorter than popular mid-size pickups. This results in a much smaller bed; it measures about 50 inches long, which means you aren’t going to fit much construction gear here. This shouldn’t come as a surprise as Hyundai said at the reveal of the Santa Cruz concept that the vehicle isn’t an alternative to traditional pickup trucks, as it doesn’t prioritize towing, payload, or ground clearance. Rather, Hyundai said it wants to appeal to crossover buyers who want the extra utility of a bed without having to opt for a bigger, body-on-frame truck.

    The advantage is that the Santa Cruz will be easy to maneuver around town. It should also drive more like a car due to its unibody construction. Honda does the same for the larger Ridgeline pickup which is related to the Pilot crossover, and Ford also has also just revealed its own compact, car-based pickup in the form of the 2022 Maverick. The Maverick is the Santa Cruz’s closest rival, and is priced to start from just $21,490, including destination.

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    The Santa Cruz is offered with two powertrain options. The base option is a 2.5-liter inline-4 that delivers over 190 hp and 180 lb-ft of torque, and is hooked to an 8-speed automatic. Above this is a 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-4 that delivers over 275 hp and 310 lb-ft, and is hooked to an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission.

    The turbocharged engine is an extra $11,690, but you get a lot of extras thrown in including all-wheel drive which is a $1,500 option on the base model. The all-wheel-drive system features a rear bias whenever the Sport mode is activated. Hyundai quotes 3,500 pounds of towing for the naturally aspirated engine and 5,000 for the turbo.

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    The exterior of the Santa Cruz looks rugged, which pickup buyers tend to appreciate. One interesting element is the design of the headlights. Each headlight cluster is made up of multiple smaller units integrated with the grille. For the interior, the designers have focused on practicality. There are plenty of storage cubbies, including under the rear seats, and buyers are able to opt for premium touches like a Bose sound system and 10-inch digital instrument cluster. A 10-inch infotainment screen in the center stack is standard.

    Production of the Santa Cruz is being handled at Hyundai’s plant in Montgomery, Alabama. The plant is where the Elantra, Sonata, Santa Fe and redesigned 2022 Tucson are bolted together, with the Tucson the closest to the Santa Cruz. Hyundai spent $410 million in preparing the plant for production of the compact pickup. Around 200 direct jobs will be created plus an estimated 1,000 at suppliers and related logistics companies.

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz

    Hyundai has seen its sales in the U.S. slide since a high of 768,057 units in 2016 due to a sedan-heavy lineup and the lack of a pickup. The tally in 2020 was 622,269 units. The automaker is turning the ship around with new additions like the Kona, Palisade and Venue crossovers, and now the Santa Cruz pickup.

    For more on the Santa Cruz, head to The Car Connection.

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  • Audi teases an electric A8 successor with Grand Sphere concept

    It was only a week ago that Audi Senior Vice President Henrik Wenders posted a video to his personal LinkedIn page teasing a trio of electric concept cars destined to debut within the next 12-18 months.

    Now we have the first details on one of them, the Audi Grand Sphere, which is scheduled for a world debut at the new mobility show taking place in early September in Munich, Germany.

    The Grand Sphere is a large fastback similar to the A7 but on a bigger scale. It also has an interior that is not only spacious but also extremely comfortable, particularly for the driver. This is important, according to Audi, as the concept is designed with Level 4 self-driving capability in mind, meaning, in certain situations, the driver can lean back and let the car do the driving.

    Teaser for Audi Grand Sphere concept

    Teaser for Audi Grand Sphere concept

    There’s also the Sky Sphere, which is a sports car, and the Urban Sphere, which is most likely a crossover or minivan or a combination of the two body styles. The Sky Sphere is due to be revealed in mid-August during Monterey Car Week, while the Urban Sphere will be revealed in 2022, possibly at an event in China.

    The concepts were developed by Audi’s Artemis skunkworks team which was established in 2020 to help accelerate vehicle development in an attempt to compete with more agile startups in the electric-vehicle race. The responsibilities for Artemis were scaled back considerably in June, but at least one of the vehicles it was developing is due in 2025. The vehicle will be based on the Grand Sphere concept and serve as a replacement for the A8.

    Similar models are being developed for Bentley and Porsche, all under the Landjet code name. For Bentley, the Landjet will serve as a new model line, its first electric vehicle, due in 2025. It isn’t clear where the Landjet vehicle would sit in the Porsche hierarchy. The most likely bet would be a replacement for the Panamera, as the current generation will be due for renewal as we approach 2025. Stay tuned.

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