SUVs are so popular nowadays that they have all but eliminated market share for almost all other types of passenger vehicles, not least of them minivans. So to update their 2021 Kia Carnival, Kia took inspiration from the very popular “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome” meme. The new Carnival minivan has been infused with SUV styling elements to keep its head high in this raging sea of SUVs.
The arrival of the Ford Bronco is expected to be quite a hit on Jeep Wrangler (and Gladiator) sales, the only occupant of that segment (not counting leftover Toyota FJ Cruisers). But Jeep is not ready to let go of the throne that quick. Just hours before Ford unwrapped the Bronco, Jeep attempted to troll Ford by also revealing the V8-powered Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, if only as a concept that they are strongly hinting will go into production. In other news, the new company formed after the Fiat-Chrysler (FCA) and Peugeot (PSA) merger will be called Stellantis.
Nissan has just introduced the production version of the all-new Nissan Ariya, an electric crossover SUV that we last saw as a concept on our trip to the Tokyo Motor Show late last year.
While the new 2021 Ford Bronco is squarely aimed at taking on the big gun, the Jeep Wrangler, Ford launched another member to the family with a different aim. The 2021 Bronco Sport is a smaller crossover wearing the Bronco badge, locking horns with the smaller Jeeps like the Compass Trailhawk and a large list of other competitors.
Since it was first teased back in 2004, enthusiasts across the world had been waiting for Ford to bring back the Bronco, long dead after starring in the infamous O.J. Simpson police chase a decade prior to that. And it’s finally happened. The resurrected Ford Bronco is back as a 2021 model year, planned out as a serious threat to the Jeep Wrangler, ending its solo act in the off-road segment ever since the Toyota FJ Cruiser was nixed globally. And it is going to be an entire line-up of offroad vehicles to take on Jeep as a whole.
The third-generation Kia Optima was a design revelation for the boring sedan segment when it was launched in 2011. The fourth-gen followed in 2016, bringing some edgy styling to the table and the once ugly duckling turned into a darn good-looking swan. For its fifth gen, Kia has dropped the Optima name altogether and has launched it as the 2021 Kia K5, which has been its Korean-market name for the past decade.
The VW Arteon started life as “a stylish Passat,” even badged as the Passat CC initially, then dropping the Passat to become the VW CC before finally getting its own name. For the new year, 2021 VW Arteon gets minor changes, a new body style as well as oodles of performance, in the form of 2021 VW Arteon R. The irony is that the Arteon has been dropped from the Middle East line-up already due to slow sales and overpricing, but let’s not dwell on that.
Upstart carmaker INEOS Automotive has just revealed the exterior design of the Grenadier, its forthcoming “no-nonsense 4×4 vehicle for the world,” that is still a year or two away from starting production.
Mach 1 is an emotional nameplate for Mustang enthusiasts, as it harks back to the legendary 1960s Mustang Mach 1. The last time the Mach 1 badge was pasted on to a Mustang was in 2003. And now, Ford has debuted the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 with Shelby parts and the engine from the Mustang Bullitt.
Ford F-150 is easily one of the biggest success stories in the automotive world. The full-size pickup truck sells like hotcakes in the United States. So when the time has come to refresh the F-150 for 2021, Ford has not completely overhauled the proven design. Instead, they have chosen to skip radical exterior changes for major upgrades under the skin, including the addition of features to make the workhorse an even better one.