Tag Archives: Marketing

2022 BMW 2 Series Coupes Coming Soon

BMW 2 Series coupes

The 2022 BMW 2 Series coupes are on their way. Dynamic testing, drivetrain, and suspension tuning on the two-door compact are nearing conclusion. Production begins in the late summer of 2021.

BMW 2 Series coupesThe new BMW 2 Series is being described as more nimble, agile, and powerful than previous models.

Tuning and testing at Nurburgring’s Nordschleife and on public roads around Munich, the new 2’s drivability is key.

BMW 2 Series coupes

The 230i and M240i AWD will be the first out of the gate, with the 230i xDrive and M240i to follow.

The M240i xDrive has a 3.0 liter, inline 6-cylinder TwinPower turbo under hood, producing 382 horsepower. Backed up by a standard 8-speed sport Steptronic automatic, alas there’s no mention of a manual transmission option.

xDrive AWD systems have an M sport rear differential to add traction and stability while accelerating, according to BMW.

BMW 2 Series coupes

There’s a front lip spoiler, splitter, air curtains, deflectors, and underfloor covers for the fuel tank and rear differential. BMW attributes a 50-percent reduction in front-end lift to the aerodynamic package.

Twelve percent more torsionally rigid than its predecessor, BMW has also increased front and rear tracks to add rigidity.

BMW 2 Series coupes

New shocks enhance ride comfort, while better responding to road conditions. The optional Adaptive M suspension adds electronically-controlled shocks with settings that are more dynamic or comfort-oriented.

Improved road feel comes from new, stiffer front axle support bearings. Another option, variable sports steering, reduces steering effort while improving driving feel.

Meanwhile, the 2 Series is out there killing cones in pursuit of fine-tuning the suspension. We’ve not yet reached the point of cone conservation.

[Images: BMW]

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Connected Vehicle Sales Grow by 20 Percent in 2021

connected vehicle

Connected vehicle sales will grow 20 percent in 2021, with a 10.4 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2020-2026 according to ABI Research, a tech market advisory group.

2020 new car sales dropped 15 percent,  although it was less than anticipated. Consumers rallied at the end of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, catching automakers with their days supply down. End users have become more demanding about their infotainment systems. According to ABI, there’s strong interest in connected vehicles, an opportunity OEMs are missing.

Hyundai’s partnering with Nvidia to standardize AI-based infotainment systems is one example. In ABI’s study, connected vehicles are reshaping the industry with more powerful infotainment systems. Nvidia, Qualcomm, Xilinx, NXP, and TSMC have platforms with greater AI-based functionality, and headroom for updates and apps.

Vehicles with connected infotainment will grow by 23 percent in 2021, returning to pre-pandemic levels, ABI claims. They say this is due to increased penetration in emerging market regions. The Ford and Google alliance shift to Android’s OS will double its penetration in 2023 and 2024. Google’s advantage occurred due to poor embedded system reviews, and existing smartphone dominance.

At present, connected vehicle subscriptions are not profitable. Sensor data marketplaces, OTA updates, and in-vehicle commerce could monetize connectivity during the vehicle’s lifecycle. To realize this potential, OEMs need to offer more compelling user experiences to increase touch points with their embedded systems, ABI advised.

Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo/Polestar, Harman, Visteon, and Aptiv are OEMs and tier ones heavily investing in connected vehicle technology. ABI Research’s connected cars report was the source. ABI provides research and guidance to technology firms, innovators, and decision makers, focusing on technologies that are changing industries, economies, and work forces. Their aim is to empower clients to stay ahead of the market and their competition, a lofty goal in the midst of chip shortages and divergent platforms.

[Image: Cadillac]

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Toyota’s Akio Toyota Chosen 2021 World Car Person of the Year

Toyoda

Selected 2021 World Car Awards Person of the Year was Akio Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) president and CEO.

Toyoda

“Akio Toyoda is the charismatic President and CEO of Toyota Motor Corporation. He has spent years successfully remaking his company. In 2020 despite COVID-19, under his leadership Toyota remained profitable, protecting jobs worldwide. He has maintained Toyota’s steady pace of development in the connected, autonomous, shared and electric (CASE) era. He has also initiated construction of the Woven City, an exciting, real-life prototype city of the future. All while actively participating in motorsports himself, as a driver,” said the World Car Awards in a statement.

Toyoda said, “At Toyota, we are very fortunate that we were able to protect the employment of our team members during COVID-19 and continue our work to meet the future challenge of our industry. Creating new ways to support the well-being of our planet and people everywhere is our commitment. This has been a difficult period in the history of the world. But it has also reminded us that people are what matters most. And if we at Toyota can contribute some measure of happiness to their lives, it will be my never-ending goal to do just that.”

Toyoda

Toyota joined the company in 1984, after graduating with a law degree from Keio University. He also received a masters in business administration from Wellesley, Massachusetts’ Babson College. Toyoda served in different areas of the business in Japan and overseas, before becoming a member of the TMC board of directors in 2000. He held other senior and executive vice-presidential roles until becoming TMC president in 2009.

Toyoda The World Car Person of the Year award was established in 2018 to acknowledge the contributions made by an individual in the auto industry during the previous year. The World Car Awards program hands out six awards annually, which they started doing in 2003. A group of more than 90 journalists, none of whom are a part of TheTruthAboutCars.com, made the selection.

[Images: Toyota, Babson College]

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Toyota’s 2021 GR Supra Sport Top Unveiled

GR Supra

Toyota’s 2021 GR Supra Sport Top unveiling, a part of their SEMA custom vehicle builds, ensures that Toyota’s performance concepts continue to catch the attention of fans of the brand, along with the automotive aftermarket.

Toyota‘s two-wave release plan began with four builds revealed in its SEMA360 Showcase in November. SEMA360 was the Specialty Equipment Market Association’s (SEMA) online virtual trade show, a means of connecting the automotive aftermarket industry during the pandemic, which made the traditional SEMA trade show held each year in Las Vegas impossible.

“Wave one whetted Toyota fans’ appetite with four creations – a bold, hand-painted GR Supra, two GR Supra drift cars, and an overland-ready Tacoma pickup,” said Ed Laukes, group vice president – Toyota Division Marketing. “But we saved the best for last, and we’re proud to show off our latest creation, the 2021 GR Supra Sport Top, with some additional content.”

GR Supra

The new 2021 GR Supra Sport Top concept is a follow up to the 2020 GR Supra Heritage Edition that debuted at Toyota’s 2019 SEMA Show display, exciting Supra fans with its visual and performance upgrades that harkened back to the Mark IV Supra of the late ‘90s.

GR SupraInspired by the response to last year’s GR Supra Heritage Edition, Toyota decided to build a companion. Removing part of the GR Supra’s structure and the roof to create a tribute to removable-top Supras of the past, the team had to reinforce the frame’s structural rigidity. The now-removable roof is comprised of two composite panels that can be stored in the trunk. However, unlike a T-top car, there’s no center bar. As a sibling to the GR Supra Heritage Edition, the Sport Top delivers styling cues like the Mark IV-inspired wing and round taillights.  At the same time, it has a profile all its own.

GR Supra

Making an encore appearance as an inspiration for this year’s GR Supra Sport Top, the 2020 GR Supra Heritage Edition returns in time for the second wave of content. The 500-plus horsepower sports car is painted in Re-Entry Red, with retro-inspired custom headlights, taillights, and a Mark IV-style rear wing. Upgrades such as bigger brakes, tuned engine, turbocharger, and ECU, and its custom front and rear suspension ensure its performance equals that of its appearance.

It’s good to see that at Toyota going places fast still counts.

[Images: Toyota]