Motor Trend - USA (2020-06)

TRENDI 0 6. 20

MIKE CONNOR

MT^ CONFIDENTIAL

Rivian’s handsome and impressively

capable all-electric R 1 T pickup and

R 1 S SUV models are on final approach

for launch later this year. But what’s

Rivian going to do for an encore? What

it’s not going to do, sources say, is an

electric hypercar. With Lotus, Rimac, and

Pininfarina among those touting 1,900-

plus-hp EV hypercars with 0–60 times of

less than 2.0 seconds and seven-figure

price tags, Rivian insiders are said to have

concluded—wisely—there’s not much

sense tr ying to muscle in on such a rarified

market segment. That doesn’t mean

Rivian won’t build a high-performance

halo vehicle, though. Indeed, whispers

out of Plymouth, Michigan, suggest

Rivian is working on something that’s a

cross between a Baja pre-runner and

WRC rally racer. Said to be a high-riding

four-door coupe, it will reportedly pack

a 1,000-hp AWD powertrain along with

the company’s innovative long-travel

off-road suspension. Former Ferrari

boss Luca di Montezemolo routinely

proclaimed the company would

never build an SUV. But when Sergio

Marchionne took over, insiders learned

never to say never—the Purosangue is

expected to arrive stateside sometime in

2022. Original thinking was it would share
      underpinnings with the GTC4Lusso, but
      in fact it will be built on the new modular
      GT architecture that was introduced
      with the Roma. This architecture has
      been developed from the get-go to
      accommodate a PHEV powertrain,
      and rumors out of Maranello hint the
      Purosangue will launch with a version of
      Ferrari’s 3.9-liter twin-turbo V-8 under its
      long hood, supported by a 161-hp motor
      for a total system output of about 700 hp.
      After almost 20 years, Daimler is still
      struggling to figure out what to do with
      Maybach. The defunct luxury brand was
      resurrected in the late 1990s in response
      to BMW’s acquisition of Rolls-Royce and
      VW Group’s takeover of Bentley, and the
      name was slapped on a pair of limousines
      built on W140 S-Class hardware. The
      result looked remarkably like overblown
      S-Class sedans, and just over 3,000 were
      sold. Based on the forthcoming W
      S-Class and due to appear within the
      next year, the new Z223 Maybach is said
      to get a different six-light greenhouse
      with a thicker, more formal C-pillar, a
      unique hood, and a more upright grille
      with pronounced vertical bars.

2021 Volkswagen ID 4

Intake

NEWSI OPINIONI GOSSIP

T

he Golf GTI wasn’t

broken, so VW didn’t

fix it. Instead, it’s just

updated a bit.

The quintessential hot

hatch keeps it where it

counts with a 241-hp turbo-

four driving the front

wheels through either a

standard six-speed manual

or optional seven-speed

dual-clutch automatic.

Handling should benefit

from Volkswagen’s Vehicle

Dynamics Manager

software controlling the

electronically adjustable

dampers.

Damper controls are just

the tip of the new interior.

It leads with a standard

digital instrument cluster

and infotainment touch-

screen, but spec it up, and

you can get a 10.3-inch

cluster and 10.0-inch

infotainment system.

Even the controls on the

new steering wheel are

touch-sensitive. Also on

the steering wheel: Travel

Assist, an optional system

that works with the adap-

tive cruise control to keep

you centered in your lane

at up to 130 mph.

Of course, VW knows

better than to mess with

the GTI’s most important

features. The plaid seat

inserts and golf ball shifter

are still there if you want

them. On the outside, the

eighth-generation Golf

has had a full makeover,

complete with the ines-

capable sloping hood and

low headlights required

by European pedestrian

impact regulations.

Optional 17- to 19-inch

wheels still hide red brake

calipers so everyone knows

it’s a GTI, not just a G.

A

merica is missing

out on the ID

all-electric hatch-

back that’s kicking off

Volkswagen’s ID subbrand

worldwide. Instead, we’re

skipping straight ahead to

the ID4 electric crossover.

Previewed by the

unfortunately named ID

Crozz Concept, the ID

looks like a cross between

the Tiguan crossover and

Golf hatchback, tall like

an SUV but with carlike

styling cues. The first batch

for the U.S. will come from

Europe, but the ID4 will

eventually be made in VW’s

Tennessee plant, too.

Built on VW’s new MEB

electric vehicle platform,

it’ll be the brand’s first

dedicated EV in the U.S.

following the excellent but

slow-selling Golf EV. As

always, the battery is under

the floor, and although VW

won’t say how big it is, the

company does say it’ll clear

310 miles on the generous

WLTP test cycle, so figure

under 300 by the EPA test.

Regardless of where it’s

built or how big its battery

is, early ID4s will be driven

by a single rear motor.

Later on, VW will offer

an all-wheel-drive model

with a front motor, as well.

Expect to see the first ID4s

here by the end of the year.

2021 Volkswagen Golf GTI