Which automaker introduced an electric sport wagon concept?
Which electric SUV earned top five-star safety ratings?
From Mach-E and Space Vizzion to the Cybertruck, this is our sci-fi-inspired look back at the Week In Reverse—right here at Green Car Reports—for the week ending November 22, 2019.
Tesla Cybertruck
The Tesla Cybertruck dominated the clicking and commenting here on Thursday night and Friday, as Tesla fans, electric vehicle enthusiasts, and gawkers alike tried to make sense of the radically different Tesla truck. Even though we missed the in-person report and ride-along to help gauge it against other electric trucks, we look forward to reporting on all the news along the way to production.
The dazzle of the Cybertruck wasn’t even enough to erase the dazzle earlier in the week: from the introduction of the fully electric Ford Mustang Mach-E electric crossover. We brought you full details—including plenty of the backstory—regarding Ford’s first mass-market electric vehicle, plus ride-along impressions of the Mach-E that happened to be very close to Tesla’s Design Center. And we looked at five things we didn’t expect in the Mach-E.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, 2019 LA Auto Show
Other green-car highlights of the LA show included the E-Tron Sportback, essentially a curvier version of the fully electric E-Tron SUV. We found the back seat to be nearly as spacious—a surprise as the swoopy new roofline plays a visual trick of lowering the vehicle.
The Audi E-Tron this week also earned another set of great crash tests, adding up to in this case a federal 5-star NCAP rating.
Also getting a debut just before the LA show was the Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion concept, an upscale all-electric sport wagon that VW has suggested is production-bound.
Volkswagen ID Space Vizzion concept
In the very near term, the 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime might well have been the most significant new model introduced at the LA show. With its anticipated 39 miles of range, and the shocking claim that it’s the second-quickest-accelerating vehicle in the Toyota lineup, this could be the one to get if plug-in hybrids make the best sense for you.
The 2021 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring plug-in hybrid was also introduced at the show and follows a similar approach, although with an EPA-estimated 25 miles of electric driving.
2021 Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring
Nearly all of the Hyundai and Kia vehicles built on the automaker’s dedicated eco-platform were refreshed for the LA show. That included the 2020 Kia Niro, as well as the 2020 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid, as well as the 2020 Kia Ioniq Hybrid, with its boosted 170-mile range.
Hyundai also introduced a Vision T plug-in hybrid concept that pointed to the design theme of its future utility vehicles.
Hyundai Vision T Concept, 2019 LA Auto Show
At the show, we also finally got a U.S. price for the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQC electric crossover.
In other future-product news, BMW released a new layer of detail regarding its i4 electric sedan, confirming that it’s going to weigh in as a rival to the Tesla Model 3.
BMW i4 prototype
Bridgestone has found a way to incorporate more recovered carbon black from used tires to green the manufacture of its new ones. And Hyundai says that it’s working on technology that could enable the fuel-saving platooning of semi trucks with other kinds of traffic present.
We took a look at Presidential candidate Joe Biden’s proposal to green transportation and manufacturing. And in Colorado, Lyft is renting out electric vehicles to its ride-hailing drivers.
And full circle back to Tesla, the Model 3 and Model S both earned “Recommended” status from Consumer Reports, because of improvements in the reliability of both.
_______________________________________
