Cars are much improved in 2022. The electric car he traveled unprecedented distances on a single charge. Sports car performance has reached new heights. The electric pickup truck has been explored and conquered.
Here are five cars that are shaking up the industry and changing the way Americans drive.
F-150 Lightning
Ford Motor Co. used America's best-selling pickup truck for 40 years, replacing the gasoline engine with an electric motor and battery. result? The pioneering F-150 Lightning. The truck, nearly identical to its F-150 sibling, was an instant success, with the Dearborn automaker saying he expects to sell 15,000 units in 2022.
"Ford understands its truck customers and has applied that expertise to the F-150 Lightning," AutoPacific president Ed Kim told ABC News. "This is a really good truck. I'm driving something the size of a small house and it's very fast."
The F-150 Lightning delivers what matters to truck owners: power, performance, towing capacity and road manners. Supply chain constraints and rising material costs forced Ford to significantly increase the price of its trucks.
"This is the most important EV to launch since Tesla's Model 3," Tyson Jominy, JD Power's vice president of data and analytics, told ABC News. “This changes the perception of EVs and is monumental for the industry.”
GMC's Hummer EV pickup proves it can withstand the rigors of truck traditionalists. 9,000 pounds. The Behemoth plows boulders adeptly, nimbly zips through narrow dirt trails with excellent rear steering, and from 0 to 60 mph he accelerates in 3.0 seconds. Did I mention horsepower?
Hummer EV chief engineer Al Oppenheiser told ABC News:
KC Colwell, executive editor of Car and Driver, said startup automaker Rivian's R1T electric pickup caught his attention this year. The young company, plagued by production recalls, also introduced the R1S pickup EV this year.
"I'm really impressed with the R1T," Colwell told ABC News. “Rivian has made a really good EV that happens to be in the shape of a pickup. The interior materials are also of high quality.”
Corvette Z06
The 69-year-old Corvette will soon succumb to electrification. However, before that happens, enthusiasts can get a taste of his recently launched Z06. The all-new naturally aspirated flat-plane crankshaft V8 engine is a work of engineering magic.
"This car is more powerful than its predecessor," Corvette executive chief engineer Tadge Juchter told ABC News. “When we started the project it was a bit of a gut check. [engine]We pushed as much as we could."
Car and Driver included the Z06 on their list of the 10 Best Cars of 2023, noting that the "truck-focused monster" is "bringing attention to the exotic car world." Colwell said Chevy had reached "Corvette peak" with this model.
"More than the base Stingray, it was General Motors' desire to make this very attractive," he said. “I am amazed that the Corvette team was able to convince GM executives to design a new engine for this Corvette.”
With an all-new naturally aspirated V8 engine, the Corvette Z06 is more powerful than its predecessor. Morgan Cohn/ABC News
Jack Holmes, co-star of the popular SavageGeese YouTube automotive channel, purchased the Z06 after learning that it was one of the last naturally aspirated high-revving V8s on the market.
"This is an engineer's swan song...the Z06 is considered the work of their life," he told ABC News.
Altura
In just 11 years, British brand McLaren has stunned the automotive industry with a surprisingly lightweight supercar. One of his most famous vehicles at the company, his P1 was a limited-edition hybrid that paired a 3.8-liter V8 twin-turbocharged engine with a 132 kW electric motor (on production he was priced at over $1 million). was awarded).
McLaren is now returning to electrification with the Artura, the company's first production plug-in hybrid. At 3,303 pounds, the Artura is the lightest in its class and the most fuel efficient of the McLarens thanks to its new powertrain and MCLA platform. A twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine paired with an electric motor and high-energy-density battery pack produces a combined 671 hp and 531 lb-ft of torque.
"The Artura is more accessible than the P1," Nicolas Brown, president of McLaren's Americas region, told ABC News. "It's a technological leap. It's our moonshot."
The McLaren Artura combines a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 engine with an electric motor. Morgan Cohn/ABC News
With McLaren's signature dihedral doors and striking air vents, the sports car delivers an estimated 11 to 19 miles of electric range and offers customers "the right blend of technologies," says McLaren. Director of Strategy Jamie Korstfinn said.
"Customers want engagement from combustion motors, but they also want the flexibility of having a hybrid powertrain," he told ABC News. It has excellent throttle response and the flexibility of e-mode, and we're already seeing customers asking for quieter driving."
Holmes says hybrid powertrains and the latest technology still provide drivers with a lively and engaging experience.
"You can feel the steering, you have real feedback from the brakes," he noted. "McLaren is trying to maintain the core principles of driver feedback.
EV6
South Korean automaker Kia Motors made a big splash this year with its EV6 electric crossover. Its futuristic look and minimalist interior appealed to fickle consumers, but its main selling point might be its fast charging time. The EV6's 800-volt multi-charging architecture allows the battery to be charged from 10% to 80% in less than 18 minutes (with a range of up to 217 miles) on a 350 kW charger (cold weather may affect charge rate). there is).
Kia also said it has partnered with Electrify America to provide EV6 buyers with 1,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of free EV charging at any Electrify America station in the US. Support the same architecture.
Kia's EV6 electric crossover is fast-charging and offers over 300 miles of range. Kia
“Long charging times are a burden for many EV owners,” Steve Kossowski, Kia's long-distance planning manager, told ABC News. “The EV6 is a pivotal moment for Kia Motors, both from an engineering standpoint and an aesthetic standpoint.”
Kia Motors, like the Hyundai and Genesis brands, is owned by Hyundai Motor Group. The EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Genesis GV60 all share the same platform, making them the best EVs for range-conscious consumers.
“These cars offer very fast charging, making EVs more suitable for consumers,” said Kim, who has driven all three and can attest to their fast charging times. . "It shows how platform sharing works."
Lucid Air
Auto industry insiders are waiting patiently for a “Tesla killer,” and Lucid Motors, an emerging EV automaker that assembles vehicles in Arizona, could be the company to take on the industry leaders. The company's first model, the elegant Lucid Air, boasts an EPA-estimated range of 520 miles and boasts 933 hp, depending on trim he'll sprint from 0-60 mph in less than two seconds. It won the 2022 MotorTrend 'Car of the Year' award for its innovation and sophistication.
“The Lucid squeezes out an amazing amount of miles per kilowatt hour in this S-Class competitive luxury sedan thanks to an aerodynamic trick derived from Formula 1 racing that results in a drag coefficient of just 0.200. There is also,” said the editors of MotorTrend. Lucid Air.
A luxury EV sedan, the Lucid Air sets a new standard for the longest range and fastest charging on the market.
Lucid Motors
Lucid's CEO, Peter Rawlinson, is the former Vice President of Vehicle Engineering at Tesla and the former Chief Engineer of the Model S, a groundbreaking EV that was launched in 2012. Rawlinson and his team are about to revolutionize the charging experience. The Lucid Air Dream Edition and Air Grand Touring Edition are built with a 900V+ electrical architecture for the fastest charging on the market.
“Range anxiety and recharge time are the biggest reasons people don’t want to go electrified,” said Autopacific's Kim.
The only downside to buying the Lucid Air is the price. Few Americans can afford an electric car between $87,400 and $249,000. Ah.