AD #3060 – More Apple Rumors; Hyundai Santa Cruz Fully Revealed; Mercedes EQS Details Coming In

This is Autoline Daily, the show dedicated to enthusiasts of the global automotive industry.

MORE RUMORS SWIRLING AROUND APPLE
Rumors keep swirling around Apple that it wants to come out with its own electric car. According to a report in the Korea Times, a joint venture between LG Electronics and Magna that was established back in December and is called LG Magna e-Powertrain “is very near to signing contracts with Apple.” It’s said the JV would produce the vehicles, but that volume would remain low at first while Apple tests the water. There’s been so much speculation around an Apple EV that we’re taking this news with a grain of salt and waiting for something more concrete.

CRUISE RAISES EVEN MORE MONEY
Earlier this week, GM’s autonomous unit, Cruise, signed a deal with Dubai to provide it with autonomous robotaxis starting in 2023. And now the self-driving startup says it raised $2.75 billion in its latest funding round, which includes an additional investment from Walmart. Last year, the two companies partnered to test an autonomous delivery service in Arizona. Cruise is now valued at more than $30 billion.

HYUNDAI SANTA CRUZ FULLY REVEALED
Hyundai revealed the all-new Santa Cruz pickup. Let’s start from the ground up. It rides on a modified version of the Santa Fe platform and will come out of the same plant in Alabama. As a result, the powertrain setups are pretty much the same. It’s a front-wheel drive based platform with the option for all-wheel drive. Power comes from two 2.5L engines, one is naturally aspirated, the other is turbocharged. They put out roughly 190 and 275 horsepower, respectively. And are both mated to 8-speed automatics, but the turbo features a DCT. That’s where the similarities end. The Santa Cruz has a nearly 10-inch longer wheelbase and is about 7-inches longer overall. But compared to other mid-size pickups, the Santa Cruz should be noticeably smaller. When it comes to styling, Hyundai uses words like ‘sophisticated’ and ‘rugged’ to describe the look. We see some of that ruggedness in the big, blocky fog lamps, black fender flares and “T”-shaped rear taillight that look like they’re bolted on. While the LED lamps and interior add a bit of refinement. The interior seen here has the optional 10-inch infotainment screen and instrument cluster. Oh! And we can’t forget that bed. It doesn’t look like it opens to the interior like some people thought. It is rather small, but Hyundai feels it’s filling a hole in the segment. There’s also a number of ways to extend the use of the bed and it has a locking tonneau cover that slides over top. Hyundai is opening up orders for the Santa Cruz later this month and production starts in June.

MERCEDES EQS DETAILS COMING IN
Mercedes officially presented the EQS to the world yesterday, which it claims will be the most sophisticated EV on the market. It’s built on a dedicated BEV platform which will be used for other full-size vehicles. Three models were announced. The EQS 450+, a rear drive sedan with 245 kilowatts of power, or 328 horsepower. The all-wheel-drive EQS 580 with two motors that generate 385 kilowatts, or 516 horsepower. And there’s a performance version coming with 560 kilowatts or 750 horsepower. Two battery packs are available: 80 kilowatt hours and 108 kilowatt hours. The bigger battery should deliver a WLTP driving range of 770 kilometers, or 478 miles, with the rear drive EQS 450+. And since the EQS uses the same electronic architecture as on the S-Class, it allows for over-the-air updates to the battery as well as many other systems on the car. There are a lot of cool features, including the driver’s door opening automatically as you approach the car, and closing when you press on the brake pedal, just like a Tesla Model X. We’ll get into more details on this car next week.

HONG GUANG MINI EV GOES CONVERTIBLE
Sticking with EVs for a moment, China’s most popular model, the Hong Guang MINI EV, could see its lineup expanding. It’s going to be showing off a new convertible concept at the Shanghai auto show. Exterior styling has been massaged slightly and the interior features two large display screens merged into one unit. The rear seats were also removed to give the top a place to go when put down. We’ve seen conflicting reports about whether or not this vehicle will go into production, so I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

NIO OPENS 2ND-GEN BATTERY SWAPPING STATION
And in other Chinese EV news, NIO opened its first, second-generation battery swapping station. It partnered with Chinese oil and gas company, Sinopec, to open it at one of its locations in Beijing. The whole process is done automatically, thanks to the swapping station’s 239 sensors and four cloud computing systems. The driver just has to click a button and can wait in the car while the technology does the rest. By the way, the video you’re seeing is NIO’s first-gen swapping station because that’s what’s available. The station is capable of swapping 312 batteries per day, which means it takes a little more than four and a half minutes per swap. That’s pretty impressive and puts it on par with filling up your tank at a gas station.

GTX LINE ADDS PERFORMANCE TO VW’S ID VEHICLES
Volkswagen has its GTI and GTE performance brands and now it’s adding one for its ID family of electric vehicles called GTX. The models will feature a second electric motor on the front axle to improve traction and acceleration. And they’ll have their own sporty styling cues and lighting signature. That’s about all we know for now but Volkswagen will show off the first GTX model, an ID.4, at the end of the month.

VW ARTEON R-LINE NOT WORTH THE EXTRA MONEY
We really like the Volkswagen Arteon, both the way it looks and the way it drives. And an R-line version just made its way through the Autoline Garage, which is the performance version. But we came away feeling that the lower trim versions offer better value for the money. Like other Arteons, the R-line is powered by a two-liter turbo that produces 268 horsepower and 258 pound feet of torque. That power is fed through an 8-speed automatic and into the all-wheel-drivetrain. That makes the car perform admirably, though this is not exactly what you would call a performance sedan. Moreover, it’s a thirsty bugger, rated at only 24 miles to the gallon–which is the same as a Ford F150 pickup with a 3.5 liter V6 and all wheel drive. Worse, the Arteon’s Lane Keeping Assist feature will have you quickly paging through the owner’s manual trying to figure out how to turn it off. It is truly annoying and adds a lot of imprecision to the steering. The R-line is pricey. The one we drove cost just over $48,000, which is a $12,000 markup from the base Arteon. Unfortunately this passenger sedan is trying to compete in a market that is walking away from passenger sedans. So far this year Volkswagen sold barely 1,000 Arteons in the U.S. market. And those are the kinds of numbers you associate with endangered species.

RENAULT DEVELOPS HYBRID SETUP IN LEGO
Here’s an interesting story about how Renault developed its hybrid powertrain. It was around 2010 when engineers were tasked with coming up with something for the Megane and Clio that was simple and easy to make. One of those engineers, a guy by the name of Nicolas Fremau, saw his son playing with Lego Technic kits and a lightbulb went off. The pieces were close enough to something he had in mind and he could make a prototype. Some drilling and gluing was required beyond the usual snapping of pieces together, but once motorized he had a working replica of his innovative idea for a 3-speed transmission. It was that exact replica Fremau took to his bosses, who eventually concluded, “If we can make it in LEGO, it will work!”

But that’s a wrap for this week. Thanks for watching and we’ll be back here again on Monday.