New Cars this Week- 22/11/19

It’s been another busy week in terms of automotive announcements, so here’s another recap of what’s been going on. The headline is obviously the Mustang Mach-E, but there’s definitely some others worth mentioning.

We’ll start, predictably, at the Mach E. It’s hard to find a more divisive car in the whole world right now but I’m personally a fan of the car. I think while it doesn’t quite feel right to call a SUV a Mustang, it’s definitely the future, as proven by brands such as DS spawning a range of models from one car. It’s also very, very quick. There aren’t any official acceleration or top speed figures as of right now, but even the base model has 255hp, while the GT Performance has an amazing 459 horsepower, and given that it’s electric and 4WD, I’d guess that it’s even faster in a straight line than a regular Mustang GT. It has a range between 320 and 500 kilometres depending on spec as well.

In news just as big, Aston Martin have unveiled their first ever SUV, the DBX. I have a big problem with this car- the styling. Not that it looks bad, but that it looks like a Porsche Macan and a Jaguar F-Pace blended together, with a Vantage back end grafted on. Said rear spoiler and boot lid are the problem- they jut out like Mr Bean’s nose but at the other end of the car. It’s another SUV that’s faster in a straight line than a bone stock Mustang GT, accelerate to 60mph in 4.3 seconds and all the way to 291 kmh/181mph. The DBX also features a full leather interior with several luxury features including a 10-inch infotainment system, a camera system and a panoramic sunroof. Like the Lamborghini Urus, it’s not going to be popular with the traditionalists, but it is an important car and a good one, the horrid protrusion notwithstanding.

Next, onto an SUV that’s the polar opposite of the MachE and DBX. The Volkswagen Atlas CrossSport R is VW’s latest Baja entry and has been described by motor1.com’s Christopher Smith as looking like ‘a deranged serial killer and ‘pennywise-meets-Gillette grille’. It does look absolutely epic, particularly given the Atlas it’s based on is quite bland. The 2.0L 4cyl engine is tuned to develop a monumental 480 horses under the hood but could be tuned to make six hundred! Tanner Foust is a confirmed driver for this absolute beast of a car that will debut in full form at the Baja 1000 next year.

Audi’s RSQ8 should be just as fast at the Atlas but in a different area. It’s the fastest SUV around the Nurburgring and its acceleration (3.8 seconds) and top speed (305 kmh) make it a match for the mighty Lamborghini Urus. The press car at the LA Motor Show was a brilliant Kermit green, which I really do appreciate, and may hint at further bold colours. Indeed, the RSQ8 is good looking in any colour: white, red, black, blue and obviously green would all look good on the stylish curves of this super-SUV. It produces 592 horses and 800Nm from it’s 4 litre V8 with a mild hybrid system to increase performance.

In terms of sales, though, none of the above will match the Kia Seltos. Kia’s latest small SUV have been unveiled at the LA Motor Show. It’s extremely similar to the Asia-spec Seltos that has been on sale for several months but with some changes to the front bumper fascia, but it will be news to most who are not car enthusiasts. It’s powered by a 2.0L engine that produces 146hp or a 1.6L turbo petrol with 175hp. Pricing in the US will start at effectively $33000AUD, which should be roughly the Australian price if it comes over here. It wasn’t entirely unexpected though; yesterday, just before the big reveal, a giant billboard in Detroit advertising the Seltos was accidentally revealed early.

Meanwhile, Karma have revealed two new cars. One is the SC2 Concept, an electric-powered preview to a possible grand touring supercar. It apparently features 1100hp and an acceleration time of 1.9 seconds, with a range of 350 miles. Carbon ceramic brakes, pushrod suspension and a torque vectoring gearbox provide speed through the corners. The other is an evolution of the car that was once the Fisker Karma but is now the Karma Revero. The GTS model increases the range to 380 miles, the acceleration to 3.9 seconds and also adds said torque-vectoring system. Unlike the SC2, you can place an order right now for USD$150000, which is equivalent to $220000 AUD.

In terms of concept cars, there are also plenty here this week. Foremost is the VW I.D. Space Vizzion, an electric wagon. This potential vision of a future production car produced 275 horsepower to the rear wheels and could potentially be joined by a performance model if it makes production that would make 355hp to all four wheels. The all wheel drive variant could make 60mph in under 5 seconds. Another car more akin to VW’s Atlas CrossSport R than the Space Vizzion is the concepts developed by Kia for the launch of the aforementioned Seltos. The Seltos X-Line Trail Attack and Urban are new offroad styled concept specs of the Seltos and could potentially be put into production at some point.

Hyundai have also revealed two concepts. Firstly, the Vision T, a truly giant SUV. It’s a preview of Hyundai’s Sensuous Sportiness design language, which I must say does look pretty good. It’s a full electric car as well, which is worth noting. As usual with this week, which seems to be a week of extremes, the other is a 390 horsepower mid-engined Veloster-based prototype car. The RM19 Racing Midship Sports Prototype, in full, could be turned into a production car as a halo for the N Performance brand. It should accelerate to 60mph in under four seconds and onto a limit of 250 kmh.

In some much smaller news, Mitsubishi has refreshed the front of the Mirage and Attrage (Mirage sedan). This may increase sales slightly, but it’s still a very average car in a field of excellent competitors such as the Kia Picanto and Volkswagen Up!. AMG have revealed their latest gen GLE63 S and GLS63 S, which produce 602 hrspwrs and should be enough to scare the kids in the back seats. The Nissan Sentra has also been revamped, while Lexus and Audi have also released new variants of existing cars- the LC500 Convertible and E-Tron Sportback respectively.