Sedans are dying – this is what automotive sales charts around the world indicate, thanks to the mass exodus of buyers to the crossover SUV segment. The latter genre is booming and virtually every manufacturer under the sun – Audi included – has been stuffing its line-up over the past decade or so with an assortment of high-roofed contraptions offering at least a pretence of off-road ability.
The world is yet to see people bonkers enough to buy a 380+ hp hatchback and then long for more power. But Mercedes-AMG’s latest creations, the 2020 Mercedes-AMG A45 S and CLA 45 S, exist now, apparently boasting the most powerful four-cylinder production engine ever.
In a break from tradition (if there are any left), BMW has taken their 8-series coupe and added two more doors to it. With this, they add their new contender to the “4-door Coupe” segment, after the old 6 Series Gran-Coupe.
The midsize segment has always been a bit of a snooze-fest, but the offerings have become more interesting in recent times. Many brands now have great products with good design, luxury features and entertaining handling. But while some are giving up the niche in favour of crossover SUVs, Hyundai has doubled up with a new Sonata that seems to be pulling design ideas from the premium segment into the affordable mainstream. We were invited to South Korea for a week in which we got to take a spin in the all-new 2020 Sonata.
Here are all the local and international automotive recalls for the month of June.
There was a time when sports cars were low-slung and had two seats, while SUVs were slow, lumbering behemoths that were good at hauling loads and conquering rugged terrain, but not much else. However, boundaries have been blurred over the past decade and a half, and a sub-genre has emerged that morphs these two divergent vehicle types into a single entity.
There has been a lot of speculation, and negativity, on what the upcoming 2020 Land Rover Defender will look like, especially as there is no way the Defender can continue its classic looks in a modern safety-conscious world. With numerous spy shots hinting at something that looks like a previous-generation Land Rover LR4, the reincarnation of the legendary off-roader is largely expected to become the new boxy option to the blobby new Discovery. And the wait to see what the new Defender looks like is almost over, as a leaked image of the Defender surfaces, presumably from the instrument cluster of a pre-production prototype.
The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB is the latest addition to their crossover lineup. The GLB will be looking to capture market share by offering up to seven seats, which no one is currently offering in the luxury compact crossover segment.
A hybrid Ferrari is not new to the market, as they had the limited-edition LaFerrari hypercar. But this time, the stable of the prancing horse has made permanent room for a hybrid. Introducing the SF90 Stradale, the most powerful road-going Ferrari ever which also has proven to be faster than even the mighty LaFerrari.
Audi has revealed the new 2020 Audi A4 range, which includes the A4 sedan, the S4 sedan which now gets a TDI diesel, the A4 Avant, and the A4 All-Road.