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New Cars for 2023 and 2024
By: Ron Corbett, APA Staff Writer
While the Covid pandemic caused the cancellation of auto show Media Days where many vehicles are introduced, new or redesgned vehicles keep on coming. Following is a selection of new vehicles that range from the ready-to-release, like the Acura Integra, to the Cadillac Lyriq and Chevrolet Silverado Battery Electric Vehicle, which are over a year away. There is some irony in having so many new vehicle launches, as the ability of the carmakers to build and deliver actual production vehicles to paying customers is frustratingly uncertain.
Acura reprises the Integra name that helped establish the brand in Canada
What's new
After a 21 year absence, the Integra nameplate returns to Acura for an entry-level car. It replaces the dated and uncompetitive ILX. Like all small Acuras sold in Canada since the inception of the brand, the new Integra is based on the popular Honda Civic.
Comments Built on the same wheelbase as the current Civic, the other dimensions of the new Integra are close to the Civic hatchback, and the overall silhouette is shared. The driver faces the same basic TFT gauges, with different graphics than on the Civic. The segmented, hockey-stick-style readouts for coolant temperature and fuel level used on the Civic are employed in the Integra as well. The climate controls from the Civic are repurposed in an Integra-specific dashboard. Like the Civic, cabin space is good for a vehicle of this size, and fit and finish are impressive. The iOS-Android cellphone interface and the Alexa audio concierge are standard.
Power stems from Honda’s familiar 1.5L turbo four, producing 200 horsepower. That's 12 more than the same engine in the Civic Touring, but it imposes the use of premium fuel, which is a poor deal for the owner. Power reaches the front wheels via a six-speed manual or a CVT automatic. A higher-performance model will likely follow.
Pricing
Acura announced pricing from $34,350 to $42,550.
Reliability
New car, not rated. Predicted reliability is above average, but the 1.5L turbo engine has generated some complaints in CR-V models that use it.
The Lyriq, Cadillac's sleek spin on GM's Ultium electric car platform
What's new The new Lyriq is Cadillac’s full-electric crossover based on GM’s universal Ultium platform that will spawn a variety of new models across GM’s brands. Like other recent EVs from the domestic carmakers (Ford, GM and Tesla), advance orders were very strong and the Lyriq will be sold out for many months ahead.
Comments
Compared to the conventional gasoline powered XT5, the Lyriq is 180 mm (7 inches) longer. The Lyriq is fronted by a massive grille flanked by slim, vertically-arrayed headlights, below which are the triangular fascia gashes that are seemingly an obligatory styling feature in our era. The shallow side windows lend a racy air but outward visibility will not be panoramic. The roofline transitions to the trunk via a very sporty fastback, with taillights beginning just behind the rear door opening and sweeping around the tail.
Like a number of new cars, and EVs particularly, the dashboard is dominated by a massive computer tablet. Both the tablet and the dashboard follow a gentle arc to make the readouts more readable and the right side of the touchscreen more accessible to the driver. The cabin is very modern, visually restrained and elegant, with controls and interior trim a notch higher than comparable gasoline Cadillacs. With a very long wheelbase, legroom should be impressive, front and rear.
Power for the Lyriq is provided by a 100 kWh Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese-Aluminum battery pack; according to GM, it uses 70 percent less cobalt than previous GM BEVs. Horsepower is rated at 340, with range predicted to be up to 480 kilometres under ideal conditions. Rear-wheel drive will be standard with all-wheel drive, optional.
Pricing
With L.E.D. headlights, a fixed glass roof panel, heated and ventilated front seats and a heated steering wheel, the Lyric is nicely equipped. Pricing is predicted to be around $70,000, but will likely rise by the time deliveries begin this fall. GM notes that Lyriq deliveries in Canada may start by late 2022.
Reliability
New vehicle, not rated. Expect the first-year bugs that have been typical of recent EV launches.
The Silverado BEV is built on GM's Ultium electric car platform
What's new Unrelated to Chevrolet's conventional pickup of the same name, the Silverado BEV is built on GM's Ultium platform
Comments Chevrolet’s future BEV pickup is built on GM’s universal “Ultium” electric architecture which also supports the Cadillac Lyriq and Hummer pickup. Although it carries the Silverado nameplate, it is unrelated to GM’s mainstream pickup of the same name. By way of comparison, Ford used its conventional F-150 as the base for its electric Lightning pickup.
The Silverado BEV is about the same size as a conventional Silverado with the crewcab, short box body. The design has elements from the first-generation Honda Ridgeline pickup and the long-departed Chevrolet Avalanche. Like the Avalanche, there is a configurable wall behind the rear seat (called a Mid-Gate) that can be removed/collapsed to increase cargo bed length up to around three metres (10 feet). While the Silverado BEV looks like it is powered by a conventional engine, there is nothing under the hood except storage, which is accessed via a conventional trunk-like opening at the front of the truck.
The cabin features a configurable TFT gauge package, to the right of which is a massive, free-standing screen that contains infotainment functions and climate readouts; the actual climate controls are in a small panel at the base of the dashboard. The drive position is chosen by a column shifter. The massive size should equate to a roomy cabin.
GM has not released a kWh rating for the Silverado BEV, but the related Cadillac Lyric is rated at 100 kWh. GM has mooted the possibility of a 200 kWh battery pack as well. The basic trim, the Work Truck (WT) is currently predicted to put out 510 horsepower, with other versions producing up to 660 horsepower. All-wheel-drive, delivered by twin electric motors, is likely. Four-wheel steering will be a feature. GM’s press release for the new pickup notes that range is predicted to be up to 640 kilometres under ideal conditions. Using a Level 3 400 Volt, D.C. charger, the battery pack has been designed to take on 160 kilometres of range in just 10 minutes. Initial towing capacity is stated to be 4534 kilograms (10,000 lbs.), with even greater tow capacity to follow at some point.
Pricing
With the truck not expected until the fall of 2023, pricing is still incomplete.
The Genesis GV60 BEV
What's new
The Genesis GV60 BEV is built on the same Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6
Comments The GV60 is the Genesis spin on the very well received Hyundai Ioniq 5. Compared to the Ioniq 5, the GV60 is built on a 100 mm (3.93 inch) shorter wheelbase, is 120 mm (4.7 inches) shorter overall, and marginally lower. With a long wheelbase and minimal overhangs, the GV60 displays rear-wheel drive proportions.
The front end is dominated by a gaping mouth flanked by the twin-bar lighting units that have become a Genesis hallmark. The hood is short and rounded and the hood shut lines that spill over onto the front fenders are visually confusing. Styling generally reflects the skill of knowing when to “lift the pen” and is quite elegant.
As with the related Hyundai Ioniq 5, the GV60 driver faces a wide computer tablet with vehicle functions in front of the driver and infotainment controls at the centre. The GV60 features what Genesis refers to as the Chrystal Sphere. When the car is turned on, a flush circle on the console rotates 180 degrees to reveal the sphere, which is a rotary gear selector. The seat heating and cooling controls, and the transmission selector, are located in a control pod cantilevered off the centre console. The cabin is elegant, with fancier models featuring quilted sew-patterns on the seats. Built on the same wheelbase as the related Kia EV6, cabin space should be more than adequate. Drivers can access the cabin using a Face Connect feature or a fingerprint scanner.
The sole power source for the GV60 is a 77.4 kWh battery pack. Rear-wheel drive was announced but never made it to the market. With all-wheel-drive, total system horsepower is 429. Genesis alludes to an 800 volt charging capability but few chargers exist in Canada. Genesis notes that charging at 350 kilowatts, the GV60 battery pack can go from 10 percent to 80 percent charged in 18 minutes. The GV60 has a Vehicle to Load (V2L) function that allows it to become a power source for activities such as camping or a street party.
Forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot, rear cross traffic and driver awareness monitors are standard, as are a lane keep assist system and active cruise control.
Pricing
Like other Genesis models, the GV60 is luxuriously appointed and fully featured for the price. Two models, the Advanced and Performance, are marketed. The $71,000 Advanced is equipped with Nappa leather, heated seats in both rows, ventilated front seats and a fixed glass roof with a power sunblind. The $79,000 Performance adds more speed, an electronic limited slip differential, electronically-controlled suspension a driver's seat massage system and a Bang & Olufsen sound system.
Odd front of the Civic-based Honda HR-V
What's new
After a long seven year cycle, Honda is releasing a new-generation HR-V.
Comments Unlike the previous, Honda-Fit-based HR-V, the new one is a spin-off of the Honda Civic. While built on a 125 mm (4.9 inch) longer wheelbase, and considerably longer and wider than the past HR-V, passenger space and cargo volume have not increased significantly, as the HR-V no longer uses the wizard-like, space-efficient platform of the Fit.
Other than a somewhat unfortunate grille and oddly-shaped front end, the new HR-V is a neat enough, anodyne, styling job. Inside, the driver faces the same gauges as Civic drivers and interacts with the same touchscreen and climate controls, but the components are located in a dashboard that is unique to the HR-V. The rest of the cabin looks quite attractive, and if the Civic is any indication, interior materials will be impressive.
Mechanical components are from the Civic parts bin. The base engine is a normally-aspirated 2L four that is estimated to put out 158 horsepower, with a 1.5L turbo rated at 180 horsepower, optional. Honda generally offers a front-wheel drive variant of the HR-V but the majority of buyers will likely select all-wheel drive. The sole transmission offered will be a CVT.
The Honda Sensing system, with forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and a lane keep assist system, will be standard. Blind spot and rear cross traffic monitors will likely be restricted to premium models.
Pricing
All-wheel drive, standard on the Sport and EX-L-Navi, is a $2300 option on the LX. The LX includes the Honda Sensing safety suite as well as blind spot and rear cross traffic monitors, alloy wheels, L.E.D. headlights, heated seats and auto temperature control. Moving up to the Sport adds variable windshield wipers, leather wraps for the steering wheel and shifter, heated steering wheel, a sunroof and dual-zone climate control, among other things, and is reasonable value. The EX-L Navi updrade comes with leather seating, navigation, wireless phone charging and iOS-Android phone hookup, a larger infotainment screen and an eight-speaker audio system, and is priced to reflect the value of the additional content.
The new Sportage reflects a radical change of styling at Kia
What’s new
Essentially a Kia version of the Hyundai Tucson that debuted a year ago, the new Sportage went on sale in the spring of 2022.
Comments
Compared with the previous generation Sportage, the new model is 175 mm (6.9 inches) longer, and marginally wider and taller. Design-wise, the new Sportage represents a transition from the smooth elegance of Kias of the last decade to something more edgy. The front end is dominated by a massive grille flanked by unusually-shaped headlamps and supplanted by small rectangular air inlets that look like nostrils. The main grille is underlined by yet another air intake, this one being wide and shallow and ringed by a bright trim element.
The new Sportage dispenses with conventional gauges, replacing them with a wide, shallow, TFT computer tablet display. There is a vehicle info display in front of the driver, with infotainment functions located over the centre console. Climate is adjusted by the use of knobs for the dual climate-control system and touch-control surfaces for the remaining functions. Premium trims feature a push-button gear selector, with lesser models employing a conventional gear lever. The right side of the screen and the dashboard are curved slightly toward the driver. The tablet is flanked with bizarrely shaped dash vents. The rest of the cabin looks interesting, with some two-tone cabin combos, and interesting shapes and patterns, like the chevron patterns stitched onto the centre seat panels of premium trims. Cabin space is ample, as is cargo capacity.
The sole powertrain available in the spring of 2022 is a 187 horsepower, normally-aspirated 2.5L four. Front-wheel drive is offered in the base LX trim, but most Sportages will send power to all wheels via a conventional eight-speed automatic transmission. The corresponding Tucson is offered with a popular hybrid powertrain, and a Sportage hybrid should eventually be released. Towing capacity is 1134 kilograms (2500 lbs.).
Pricing
All-wheel drive is standard on all trims save the base LX, where it is a $2000 option. Moving up to the X-Line trim adds a power driver's seat, heated steering wheel, remote starting, blind spot and rear cross traffic monitors, rear parking sensor, wireless cellphone charging and a number of minor features, but is a bit overpriced. The EX upgrade adds a panoramic sunroof, navigation, dual-zone climate control, active cruise control and junction turning intervention, and is a bargain. Moving up to the EX Premium model includes a memory system, power passenger seat, ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and alloy-accent pedals, and is good value. The X-Line Limited range-topper adds L.E.D. headlights, a Harmon-Kardon audio system, rearward auto braking and a 360 degree camera system, and is reasonably priced if you want the equipment.
The 2023 model is a sleek update of Nissan's perennial sports car
What’s new
After 12 years on the market in its previoius form and a hiatus during 2021 and 2022, the Nissan Z car is renewed for 2023.
Comments The 400Z is not all-new, but a thorough update of the previous-generation car that debuted for 2009. The windshield and sharp rearward angle of the roof where the two meet are the same as before, but all other panels are new and the car looks sleek and modern. Only the coupe is available to start but a convertible should follow.
Inside, the driver faces a crisply-marked TFT gauge package that is located in a chunky dash which features a large infotainment display. The infotainment system is manipulated by two knobs in the display unit as well as an array of small buttons at its base. Three conventional knobs control the climate functions and the top centre of the dash features three small, circular gauges that are a trademark of the model. The rest of the cabin looks quite chic, with an interesting curve-topped centre console, less inexpensive looking materials than before and some attractive two-tone colour combinations available. Given the car is just a rebody, cabin and cargo space are unchanged and snug.
The previous 3.7L, normally-aspirated V6 has been replaced by the 3L turbo V6 also seen in the Infiniti Q50 Red Sport. The 3L produces 400 horsepower, and sends power to the rear wheels via either a six-speed manual transmission or a new nine-speed automatic.
Pricing The base Sport trim includes a full safety suite with forward collision warning, including pedestrians, autonomous emergency braking, blind spot, rear cross traffic and lane departure warnings, active cruise control and L.E.D. headlamps. Stepping up to the Performance trim adds a Bose-branded audio system, a limited-slip differential, synchro-matching for manual transmission cars, 4-way power seats, heated seats, alloy pedal trim, front and rear spoilers and a leather wrapped steering wheel, but is significantly overpriced. The top model, the Proto Spec, adds little of value and is spectacular expensive. However, pricing borders on irrelavant as delivery days are epic and few cars will reach consumers.
Toyota's oddly-named bZ4X
What's new The bZ4X is the Toyota's spin on the platform that will also spawn the Lexus RZ450e and the Subaru Solterra.
Toyota bZ4X
Built on a unique electric car platform, the bZ4X is the basis for the new Subaru Solterra and Lexus RZ450e. The bZ4X will initially only be sold in Quebec and British Columbia, jurisdictions where substantial taxpayer subsidies are available for electric car buyers. (In Quebec, automakers that don't supply a certain percentage of electric vehicles pay significant penalties)
Built on the same wheelbase as the large Toyota Highlander crossover, the bZ4X is longer than a RAV4 but shorter than the Highlander. Viewed from the front, the plain mass that is the dominant style element is topped with a slim line grille and headlamps and underlined by a large air intake. Black plastic styling elements emanate from the outward ends of the front fascia and turn into front fender flares. Rear styling is distinctive, with a substantial black lower fascia styling element, large triangular rear lights and a tiny rear window. Inside, the driver faces a small digital readout displaying vehicle functions, with a massive, free-standing infotainment screen dominating the top-centre of the dash. The screen is underlined by vents that sit atop a “flying bridge” console that covers a massive open storage space. The rest of the cabin displays some interesting shapes and high-contrast two-toning.
The 71.4 kWh battery pack of the front-wheel drive BZ4X powers a 201 horsepower electric motor. The all-wheel drive variant sends power to a 107 horsepower motor at the front and a second 107 horsepower motor at the rear. Under ideal conditions, the front-wheel drive bZ4X can travel up to 389 kilometres on a single charge, with up to 357 kilometres possible with all-wheel drive.
Pricing
The L and LE trims are exclusively front-wheel drive, with the XLE offered only with all-wheel drive. At around $45,000, the base L trim is reasonably well equipped. Moving up to the LE trim adds a 12.3 inch infortainment screen, a heated and leather clad steering wheel, power tailgate, rain-sense wipers and blind spot and rear cross traffic monitors, but is expensive. Moving up to the XLE brings all-wheel drive, a fixed-glass roof panel, auto-dim rearview mirror, garage door opener, wireless cellphone charger, rear parking sonar, a tonneau cover and rear auto stopping, and is reasonable value. The XLE Technology package includes a JBL-branded audio system, active headlights, a foot-gesture tailgate opener, ventilated front seats, self parking and a 360 degree camera system, is overpriced. If you can get one, selling prices of basic models will be very competitive in Quebec, thanks to the large $12,000 rebate.
Lexus RZ450e and Subaru Solterra Lexus will sell a luxury version of the bZ4X under a different alphabet soup nameplate called the RZ450e. Subaru will sell its own version as the Solterra.
Subaru's version of the bZ4X is called the Solterra
The exterior of the high-performance GR Corolla shares little with the mainstream Corolla hatchback
What’s new
An all-new Gazoo Racing (GR) version of the Corolla that was instigated by Akio Toyoda, Toyota’s high-performance Guru.
Comments
Based on a the Corolla hatchback, the GR Corolla is a low-volume specialist car, handbuilt on a dedicated GR production line at Toyota’s Motomachi plant.
Installed on a reinforced platform, the GR Corolla’s 1.6L turbo triple, with multi-oil jet piston cooling, cranks out an astounding 300 horsepower. The GR-Four all-wheel drive system, with Torsen limited-slip differentials front and rear, has driver-selectable front-rear drive splits of 60-40, 50-50 and 30-70. The sole transmission offered in a six-speed manual with rev matching.
With massively enhanced fenders, fascias and hood, the GR Corolla variant shares only the front doors with the mainstream Corolla hatchback. The “Circuit” trim even swaps the steel roof panel for carbon fibre.
Toyota is now accepting orders for the GR Corolla. However, like some recent new Toyotas, ordering a GR Corolla may well turn out to be an academic excercise, rather than be a vehicle Toyota will actually build and deliver to you.
Pricing
No pricing details were available as spring 2022.
