January 2021

You can go blind from it

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DRIVER'S SIDE DIATRIBE
By Al Vinikor

How many times have you been driving at night when all of a sudden you’re cursing the guy headed your way who has his bright lights on? You figure you’ll show this illegitimate son of someone who the boss is so you prepare to “fire a shot across his hood” with your own bright lights.

Alpha Motor unveils electric ACE Coupe Performance Edition



(January 16, 2021) IRVINE, Calif. — Alpha Motor Corporation has lifted the curtain on the Performance Edition of its little ACE Coupe electric vehicle. The ACE is a four-wheel drive, dual motor electric vehicle that's been touted by the company as capable of going from 0-to-60 in an impressive 4.6 seconds. It could also accelerate up to 124 miles per hour with maximum estimated range of 220 miles.

Kia removes 'Motors' from its name as part of new brand strategy



(January 15, 2021) SEOUL, South Korea — Kia has announced details of its new brand purpose and ambitions for the future during a digital showcase event. Supported by a new brand slogan, "Movement that inspires," Kia has revealed new details of a strategy which will see the company go beyond vehicle manufacturing to create sustainable mobility solutions for customers.

Toyota, Stanford University study how to improve automotive safety



(January 15, 2021) LOS ALTOS, Calif. — What if every driver who ran into trouble had the instinctive reflexes of a professional race car driver and the calculated foresight of a supercomputer to avoid a crash? Researchers at Toyota Research Institute are working with Stanford’s Dynamic Design Lab to make this vision come true. The engineers are conducting research into how to bring together the instincts of professional drivers and automated driving technology.

Restyled 2021 Honda Ridgeline heading to dealers starting at $37,665



(January 15, 2021 ) TORRANCE, Calif. — The 2021 Honda Ridgeline begins arriving at Honda dealerships on Feb. 2, with new styling underscoring its rugged and versatile pickup truck capabilities. Ridgeline’s standard V6 power, fully independent suspension and standard torque-vectoring i-VTM4 all-wheel drive give it the capability to tackle challenging trails and treacherous roads with class-leading ride and handling. It starts at $37,665 including destination charge.

GM launches BrightDrop to electrify delivery of goods and services



(January 15, 2021) DETROIT — General Motors has announced a new business, BrightDrop, which will offer an ecosystem of electric first-to-last-mile products, software and services to empower delivery and logistics companies to move goods more efficiently. These BrightDrop solutions are designed to help businesses lower costs, maximize productivity, improve employee safety and freight security, and support overall sustainability efforts.

2021 Audi Q5 SUV gets the Sportback treatment



(January 14, 2021) HERNDON, Va. — Audi has announced two all-new variants for its best-selling, recently refreshed Audi Q5 model line, the 2021 Q5 Sportback and SQ5 Sportback. The arrival of these new variants brings customers expressive coupe design to an SUV with a high level of everyday usability. The Sportback variants maintain benchmark-setting connectivity services, including new MIB 3 infotainment hardware, Audi virtual cockpit fully digital instrument cluster, and head-up display.

Huber pays homage to the Lamborghini Aventador revealing the ERA



(January 14, 2021) Huber is a bespoke coach builder based in the United Arab Emirates with an international audience of super car owners who seek excellence and world class quality when it comes to reimagine their vehicles Entitled ‘Era’ to mark 10 years of the Lamborghini Aventador, and to pay homage to the end of its production, the team has focused on creating a new kind of aero package that pays homage to the original Aventador DNA. The Huber Era aspires to usher in a new way that automotive design thinks about the aftermarket.

EQS with unique MBUX Hyperscreen — The big picture



(January 14, 2021) Visually impressive, radically easy to operate and extremely eager to learn: the MBUX Hyperscreen is one of the major highlights for the future EQS electric sedan. The Hyperscreen represents the emotional intelligence of the all-electric flagship model. The large, curved screen panel extends almost the entire width of the interior, from the left to the right A-pillar. In addition to its sheer size, the high-quality, detailed design aesthetic guarantees a “wow” effect.

Hyundai teases first images of all-electric IONIQ 5 SUV



(January 14, 2021) SEOUL — Hyundai has unveiled the first teaser image of the highly anticipated IONIQ 5 midsize CUV, the first model in its IONIQ dedicated BEV lineup brand. IONIQ 5 will be the first vehicle mated with Hyundai Motor Group’s Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), an innovative system made exclusively for next-generation battery electric vehicles that will launch a new era of clean mobility for the company.