Kia is reinventing its brand strategy and corporate mission with a literal bang. Most recently, Kia presented its new logo to the world by commissioning a world-beating fireworks display, an innocuous message of the brand’s promise in solidifying its presence in the ever-changing automotive industry.
The mobile and computing markets have, in the past few years, been obsessed with imaging technology, particularly cameras and digital photography. The popularity of live streaming and the recent surge of video meetings, however, has made people realize how neglected the equally critical aspects of audio recording and sound quality have been. Sure, there have also been new innovations and products that try to cram all the desired audio recording features into one portable package but few offer the trifecta of beauty, power, and convenience that the Tula USB mic and mobile recorder does.
We all thought the EQC SUV would be America’s first taste of an all-electric Mercedes-Benz. As it turns out, the flagship EQS luxury electric sedan will be the first to land in the United States, and it’s bringing along a new feature that will make the new S-Class green with envy: the next-gen MBUX Hyperscreen, a truly vast digital dashboard with some serious tech credentials.
As quirky as it may seem, ElectraMeccanica’s Solo single-seat electric vehicle actually makes a ton of sense in the real world. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, almost 90-percent of Americans drive alone, whether it’s in a car, pickup truck, or SUV. That's a whole lot of metal for just one person.
It's unfair to say that Volvo took the easy route in developing the 2021 XC40 Recharge, the all-electric version of its popular subcompact SUV. Sure, it may be built atop the same Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform of its gasoline brethren - and, indeed, the same architecture resting underneath its Polestar 2 cousin - but the XC40 Recharge's biggest triumph is how it seamlessly blends with urban traffic without eliciting curious "is that electric?" stares from passersby and other drivers.
The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 is America’s first taste of a new-age VW electric vehicle. Riding atop the German carmaker’s EV-specific MEB platform, the ID.4 is all-new from the ground up, and it certainly feels like it both inside and out. After my brief stint driving the ID.4. I can see why it makes a lot of sense for the US market from a starting price perspective, especially with the longer range battery option.
Brand your new electric crossover a Mustang, and you set it up for some big expectations. Ford wasn't making life easy for the 2021 Mustang Mach-E, risking the reputation of its muscle car brand on a category it had yet to prove itself in. "Should it drive like it looks?" That's the question I couldn't help but ask, as I faced the Mach-E across an empty pop-up autocross track.
The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport is an exciting proposition, but it's easy to misjudge. Unlike its bigger Bronco 2-door and 4-door siblings, Bronco Sport sits on a modified platform shared with the Escape crossover. But where the Escape is tailor-made for urban cruising, the new Bronco Sport is skewed towards outdoorsy owners who enjoy an active - dare I say wilderness-embracing - lifestyle.
The 2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 is the first-ever SUV from Maybach and, you could say, a playful jab - and somewhat less costly alternative - to other super-luxe contenders like the Rolls-Royce Cullinan and Bentley's Bentayga. The Maybach name returned in 2015 as a sub-brand of the three-pointed star, and since then the automaker has sold more than 45,000 of its Mercedes-Maybach S-Class flagship sedans globally. In 2018, one in seven S-Class models sold was a Maybach.
If the 2021 S-Class is the big daddy in Mercedes-Benz’s portfolio, it seems the new Maybach S-Class is the ‘Godfather’ of the three-pointed star. And, similar to how the S-Class showcases the very latest technology, luxury, and safety features in a modern car, the 2021 Maybach S-Class holds a lavish magnifying glass to all those aspects of Mercedes' flagship.
I spent less than an hour driving the 2021 Hyundai Elantra N. And even though my test driver is essentially a pre-production prototype, it’s evident Hyundai has created a highly desirable rendition of its all-new, seventh-gen Elantra compact sedan. “The N concept was born out of the passion of Hyundai’s talented engineers at our research and development headquarters in Nanyang, South Korea,” said Olabisi Boyle, vice president of Product Planning Mobility strategy, Hyundai North America. “Our goal is to get the hearts of our customers racing and keep them there. We want them to feel thrilling performance measured in beats per minute, in cars that are truly fun to drive.”
South Korean automaker Hyundai is diving head-on towards electrification and hydrogen fuel cell technology. In a recent online press briefing, Hyundai was kind enough to give us a healthy glimpse into the carmaker’s expanded EV and eco-focused vehicle lineup. Consisting of up to ten new models (including the all-new Ioniq 5 CUV and Ioniq 6 luxury sedan), the lineup also includes the Nexo FCEV, a hydrogen fuel cell-powered crossover which is now sold at Hyundai dealerships.