Hey, Your Top Automobile News for 12 October, 2020

Your Daily Automobile updates From Around The World [img]  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [img]( [The Automobile News]( [Next-Gen Honda Pilot, Updated Passport to Get More Rugged Looks]( The 2021 Ridgeline ushers in a new era for Honda’s utility vehicles. The 2021 Honda Ridgeline receives a testosterone makeover, morphing from a friendly-looking pickup truck to one that exudes more ruggedness and capability. This is step one of Honda’s new light truck strategy of beefing up—and talking up—the capabilities of its utility vehicles in a world eschewing passenger cars at a rapid pace. Look for the brand’s SUVs to follow suit, too. Honda has not kept up with the trends. Today, light trucks account for 70 percent of new-vehicle sales in the United States. Light trucks, however, account for just 53 percent of Honda’s sales mix. The Japanese automaker still relies heavily on cars, especially those of its Civic and Accord model lines. The redesigned 2021 Ridgeline, which goes on sale early next year, kicks off the brand’s new strategy and ad campaign. Despite its car-like unibody construction, the midsize pickup is more capable than it looks and it is time to tell that message, Jay Joseph, vice president of automobile marketing for American Honda Motor Co, said. 2021 Honda Ridgeline Looks Like A Truck The design change—the 2021 Ridgeline is all-new from the A-pillar forward—should increase sales. Loyal Ridgeline buyers like the carlike ride and features, but Honda executives think getting the message out that the truck can easily handle some off-roading conditions will tap into a wider audience. Honda research revealed the gap: the Ridgeline has built-in ruggedness, durability, and robustness but its friendly exterior belies that, Joseph said. Since its inception, the Ridgeline has been dismissed by some as a trucklet because it does not feature body-on-frame construction, a V-8 engine, locking differential, transfer case, or solid axles. But Honda counters that the truck’s all-wheel-drive system can send power to all four wheels, and while it won’t cross the Rubicon, it will easily handle the gravel roads and campsites that most buyers will tackle. Instead of muscling its way out, it thinks its way out, Joseph said. “It will get you there and back.” The bigger problem is that the Honda name is not synonymous with off-road capability. As a result, vehicles such as the Ridgeline and Honda Pilot three-row SUV are not reaching their full sales potential, Joseph said. Honda sold 33,334 Ridgelines in the U.S. in 2019. Joseph thinks the redesigned truck could easily sell 50,000 a year, as soon as next year if the economy stabilizes. Tougher Looks Coming To Honda Pilot And Passport The branding strategy will carry over to Honda’s SUV lineup. Honda will follow the 2021 Ridgeline up with an updated Honda Passport, the two-row midsize SUV that is based on the Pilot. And the Pilot is up for renewal. The third-generation Honda Pilot dates back to 2015 and a new model is due soon. Styling for the SUVs will take cues from the new Ridgeline and the messaging will center on capability both on- and off-road. “We want to wear rugged on our sleeves better,” Joseph said. It won’t stop there. Look for the emphasis on capability to work its way down the lineup, including the juggernaut Honda CR-V, which was the 2018 MotorTrend SUV of the Year, and the smaller Honda HR-V. Honda Ridgeline Type R? Joseph would not talk about potential hybrid or plug-in hybrid versions of the Ridgeline; however, he was open to talking about future performance models. Asked about a Ridgeline Type R—after all, Acura is adding Type S models to all future models—Joseph said Honda needs to capitalize more on its Baja Ridgeline racing success. “Off-road Baja Ridgeline needs to be connected to the Ridgeline people can buy or else we’re leaving money on the table.” [Read more…]( The post [Next-Gen Honda Pilot, Updated Passport to Get More Rugged Looks]( first appeared on [TheAutomobileNews.com](. [Read Full Story]( [Upcoming bikes in October 2020: Royal Enfield Meteor, Honda H’Ness CB350, and more]( Upcoming bikes in October 2020: Honda H’Ness CB350, Royal Enfield Meteor, BS6 G 310 GS, and G 310 R are some of the new motorcycles that will be launched in India this month. KEY HIGHLIGHTS - Honda H’Ness CB350’s price in India will be announced this month - BS6 G 310 and G 310 R bikes wil be launched on 8 October - Royal Enfield Meteor will replace Thunderbird 350X The Indian automobile has started showing signs of revival from the damage caused by COVID-19. Surprisingly, the recovery has been soon than anticipated by the industry players. This is especially true of the motorcycle segment in the country where one can notice a substantial growth in demand. The coronavirus outbreak has pushed people towards personal mobility, which is why there’s a spike in the sales of entry-level commuter bikes in the country. But even other motorcycle segments are showing good signs of recovery. To take advantage of the increasing demand and the upcoming festive season, the companies are relying on new product launches to attract customers. Let’s take a look at some new motorcycles that will go on sale this year. 1. Royal Enfield Meteor Royal Enfield will replace Thunderbird 350X in its lineup with an all-new offering — Meteor 350. Expected to be available in three variants, namely, Fireball, Stellar, and Supernova. Royal Enfield Meteor 350 will be underpinned by an all-new platform and powered by a new 349 cc single-cylinder engine that delivers 20.2 bhp and 27 Nm of peak torque. But marking a big departure from other RE bikes, the Meteor will come equipped with modern features like a digital instrument console with Bluetooth for provisions like smartphone connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, etc. 2. BS6 BMW G 310 R and G 310 GS BMW will launch BS6 G 310 R and G 310 GS bikes in India on 8 October and has already started manufacturing the bikes. In their new avatar, the G 310 twins receive a new headlight cluster with LED DRL, new body graphics, and new colour options. Powering BS6 BMW G 310 GS and G 310 R will be a 312.2 cc, liquid-cooled engine that generates a maximum power out of 34 bhp and a peak torque of 27 Nm. This engine will be paired to a six-speed gearbox and perhaps with slipper-clutch as standard. Another major change with BMW motorcycles is that they will now be available with ride-by-wire technology. 3. Honda H’Ness CB350 Honda H’Ness CB350 retro-cruiser was revealed last month and will go on sale this month. The bike will take on the likes of Royal Classic 350, Jawa twins, and the upcoming Royal Enfield Meteor. Expected to start from ₹1.9 lakh, the H’Ness CB350 will come powered by a 348.36 cc, air-cooled, single-cylinder engine that puts out 21 bhp and 30 Nm of peak torque at 3,000 rpm. This engine comes coupled to a five-speed gearbox with assist and slipper clutch. The H’Ness will be one of the most feature-loaded retro motorcycles in its segment with provisions like Honda Smartphone Voice Control (HSVC) system for smartphone connectivity and turn-by-turn navigation, Honda Selectable Torque Control system engine start-stop switch, and hazard switch. [Read more…]( The post [Upcoming bikes in October 2020: Royal Enfield Meteor, Honda H'Ness CB350, and more]( first appeared on [TheAutomobileNews.com](. [Read Full Story]( [BMW: A Full Preview Of Their Electric Vehicles Lineup]( The electric future sure looks interesting and we compile a preview of some notable electric cars that BMW has planned to bring forth soon. Electric cars will be the inevitable future of automobiles and automakers have already started to vouch highly on this cleaner source of energy. Fisker, Rivian, and Lucid are some of the newer entries and are clinging on to this revolution. But well-established ones like BMW are also making the bold move of transiting from IC engines to fully electric vehicles. And in lieu of this initiative, BMW has targetted to bring forth 25 varying electrified vehicles by 2023. This bunch will also include hybrids but are keener on the fully electric offerings that are currently worked on, from scratch. The current offering on sale, that utilizes fully electric powerplants are the BMW i3 and BMW i3S which are stacked up against the likes of the Smart For Two and are mostly suitable for city runs. Apart from these two, BMW has a handful of EVs in the pipeline, including the likes of BMW i4 which will share its form factor with the upcoming BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe and the BMW iX3, which has already begun its production. The electric future sure looks interesting and we compile a preview of some notable electric cars that BMW has planned to bring forth in the next 3 years. BMW I3 And BMW I3s BMW i3 and i3s can be considered the alpha stages of the electric revolution as these peppy little runabout cars were introduced in 2014 when people were still skeptical of the possible electric future of automobiles. But over the years that notion has changed and the duo of Bimmers have evolved notably. For 2020, it continues to be powered by a 42 kWh battery pack that can charge from nil to 100% in under 6 hours. It sports an RWD configuration and can also be specced with a gasoline range extender to add more miles which is kind of contradicting the whole point of making this car! But anyway, it’s there and is priced considerably as well, ranging from $44,450- $51,500 and can go for 153 miles on a single charge. The speculated replacement of BMW i3 is also underway and will be called iX1, expected to launch by 2023. BMW I4 BMW i4 is slated to be the first fully-electric luxury sedan from the German automaker and will also be the start of inculcating electrification into its “Sheer Driving Pleasure” matra. The BMW Concept i4 depicted above gives you an overview of what the road-going model will take inspiration from. It will share a lot in terms of dimensions and design cues with the recently introduced BMW 4-Series Gran Coupe. BMW has also confirmed on the wholesome performance figures for the upcoming i4 with up to 530 hp and a 0-60 mph acceleration timing of around 4 seconds. Power will be sourced from an 80 kWh battery pack and it will have a maximum top speed of 124 mph. This is one car to look out for as it plays a crucial role in BMW’s electrification roadmap. Pricing of the BMW i4 is expected to start from near the $50,000 mark. BMW IX3 The new iX3 marks the start of fully electric offerings among the Bimmer SUVs. This particular iteration has been on the books since 2018 and in fact, is currently going in for production by the end of 2020. But the catch here is that it will not be available for the US until 2022. Primary markets are set to be the Chinese and European ones and the BMW iX3 is the first offering to be produced for export at the Shenyang manufacturing facility in China. It will use a more advanced iteration fo BMW’s 5th Gen eDrive technology with improvements made in terms of performance, operating range, weight distribution, and reliability. It will be powered by an 80 kWh battery pack that can churn out a driving range of up to 323 miles. The range might be dull but BMW has balanced it out with its 150 kW available charging tech that can juice it back up in as less as 30 minutes. We expect the BMW iX3 to be priced around the $70,000- $80,000 mark. BMW INEXT BMW iNEXT will be a canvas for the upcoming full-size SUV to sit above the iX3 and is proposed to be the flagship EV SUV. The dimensions will mostly remain the same but the design cues will not be as wild as the concept. We expect it to be relatably designed closer to the BMW X7. And just like the BMW i4, the iNEXT will also be a crucial product slated at the future of electric mobility from BMW. There will most probably be 3 battery pack options with the topmost 105 kWh equipped one priced around $110,000. The top-most trim is expected to squeeze out 536 hp to all four wheels and do 0-60 mph in under 3 seconds and will have a driving range of 375 miles. Details are scarce now but we expect the lower trims to start from $80,000. It will be launched along with the BMW i8 replacement. [Read more…]( The post [BMW: A Full Preview Of Their Electric Vehicles Lineup]( first appeared on [TheAutomobileNews.com](. [Read Full Story]( ------------------ You Might Like [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](        ------------------ Connect with TheAutomobileNews on Facebook and Twitter [fb](  [tw]( ------------------ You received this email because you operate or create content for a website/service and based on your website it seemed like this could be important information to you and your users. TheAutomobileNews daily newsletter is managed by [Postbox Consultancy Services Pvt. 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