Orange County’s cadre of automakers revealed the global launches of several models and concept designs last week at the largest auto show on the West Coast.
Among the headlines, Hyundai Motor America in Fountain Valley debuted the 2020 Hyundai Palisade midsize SUV at the Los Angeles Auto Show, pinning hopes the eight-seater will become its flagship model in the hotly contested segment.
Geared for the family, the 16-footer features several safety and technology features, including seven USB outlets, wireless charging stations in every row, different seat configurations with the touch of a button, and an intercom system and ventilated seats for the second row.
It’s expanding into SUVs because that’s what people want, a Hyundai spokesman said.
The model, which will compete against the likes of the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot and Ford Explorer, will be available in the summer. Pricing will be announced at a later time.
“We really want to go from a niche player in this category to a volume player,” Michael O’Brien, Hyundai vice president of product, corporate and digital planning, told the Business Journal in a private meeting above the showroom floor at the Los Angeles Convention Center. “For our future, this will be our flagship product.”
The Palisade also features safety and blind spot collision avoidance displays through a high-resolution 10-inch monitor, auto emergency breaking with pedestrian detection, a warning system to combat drowsiness, lane assist with steering to avoid drifting or accidents, rear cross-traffic alerts, and a passenger/pet motion detector that sends the driver several alerts before and after exiting the vehicle if someone or a pet is left behind.
“There’s just a lot of clever technology in this car,” O’Brien said.
That includes a first to market feature: safety exit assist that prevents children or other passengers from exiting the vehicle in on-coming traffic through automatic door locks.
Genesis
Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis, which unveiled the 2020 G90 sedan in South Korea two weeks ago, didn’t make any major announcements at the trade show. It instead exhibited a handful of its G70 models on the showroom floor in one of the sprawling halls of the convention center.
Genesis scored big last week when its G70 model was dubbed the 2019 Car of the Year by Motor Trend. However, U.S. sales have taken a nose dive as it works on refashioning its dealer network. It sold only 372 units in October, down 79% while year-to-date sales declined 45% to 9,281 vehicles.
Feeling Alive
Mazda Motor Corp. in Japan and its Irvine-based Mazda North American Operations held a Nov. 28 press conference to present the premier of the redesigned and first time, all-wheel drive Mazda3, which will be available in the states early next year.
The brand has sold more than six million units since its 2003 launch.
The redesigned vehicle “has been a very difficult secret to keep,” Dino Bernacchi, Mazda’s chief marketing officer, said. “With the reviews that have already been coming in, it’s really been well regarded.”
Bernacchi, who stepped into his newly created role less than two years ago, said the automaker will continue to generate buzz by teasing out additional information on the car prior to its launch in the first quarter.
EV With Soul
Kia Motors North America in Irvine helped its South Korean parent, Kia Motors Corp., globally unveil its 2020 Kia Soul, including an EV model with a range of 240 miles, and Niro EV.
The third-generation boxy Soul includes LED headlights, a larger front grill in two-tone design, wing-shaped C-pillars and new 3D-style, wraparound boomerang-shaped tail lights. The cabin includes an optional sound mood lighting system synchronized to music beats, a large 10.25-inch HD color touchscreen infotainment system with split-screen functionality, and a rear-view monitor with parking guidance.
The crossover utility Niro EV features a 201-horsepower electric motor and an updated charging system capable of a 100-mile recharge in 30 minutes.
The zero-emission Soul EV features a new, liquid-cooled lithium-ion polymer 64-kilowatt battery, four drive modes, restyled front and rear bumpers, and two-trim options.
“Customers finally have three great choices that gives the range, the size, the package and price they’re looking for,” Bill Peffer, Kia Motors America vice president of sales operations, said during the unveiling.
New Car in Town
Plymouth, Mich.-based Rivian Automotive LLC, which employs more than 100 at its Irvine office, showcased two all-electric vehicles: the five-seat pickup truck R1T and seven-seat R1S SUV, which will both start production in 2020 and have a base price of about $70,000 before tax credits. The vehicles can travel 410 miles on a single charge, roughly the distance from Irvine to San Francisco, with a few miles to spare.
The automaker, which was established in 2009 and has raised about $450 million, has been on a hiring push locally and elsewhere as it nears production at a former Mitsubishi plant in central Illinois.
“The last four years we’ve been really ramping up,” Michael Hong, director of electrical hardware, told the Business Journal on the showroom floor.
Mitsubishi’s AI Car
Cypress-based Mitsubishi Motors North America Inc., which closed the plant Rivian is using in Normal, Ill. in 2015, introduced an e-Evolution concept vehicle with three motors and an artificial intelligence system that augments driving through an array of sensors that instantly reads changes in road and traffic conditions, as well as driver intent.
Chief Executive Fred Diaz, who replaced Ryujiro Kobashi in April, said the company’s future is rooted in vehicle technology.
“This e-Evolution concept is a technical prototype built to illustrate the strategic design direction of a renewed and recharged Mitsubishi global brand,” he said during the unveiling. “It combines the advantages of a sport utility with the power train of an advanced electric vehicle and intelligent cloud computing.”
Last year, it sold 103,686 cars and trucks—the first time it passed 100,000 units since 2007.
