Welcome to the Hooniverse News! As always, this is a weekly recap of the biggest stories in the automotive industry without the fluff or bull. This week, Road & Track teased us with Performance Van of the Year, Chevrolet revealed 2021 Suburban and Tahoe, Toyota revealed the Yaris GR-4 race car, and Cadillac is ending their alpha-numeric naming scheme.
Road & Track’s 2020 Performance Van of the Year
While testing Performance Car of the Year, the Road & Track team utilized three different minivans to gather their results. A Toyota Sienna, Chrysler Pacifica, and a rental Dodge Caravan were the subjects of this test.
The author of Speed Secrets, Ross Bentley, was the driver for this test. He had the distinct pleasure of bombing all three vans around Thunderhill West. Each van was allowed a single hot lap with Ross at the helm.
The Caravan secured the fastest time around the course, with the Sienna in second and the Pacifica Hybrid coming in 3rd. Ross stated the Sienna would have finished first, but after he turned off the stability/traction systems, both kept activating throughout the lap.
Read more about the “war pigs” on Road & Track.
Chevrolet reveals the 2021 Suburban & Tahoe
The 2021 Suburban and Tahoe were announced last Tuesday. The new models are taking styling cues from the current Silverado frontend. The side and three-quarter rear shots have some hints of Ford Expedition styling as well.
There will be three engines available: the 5.3L V8, an optional 6.0L V8, and a 3.0L inline six-cylinder diesel. All of the engines will be mater to a 10-speed automatic transmission.
The new Z71 will come with Air Ride Adaptive Suspension allowing the truck to raise and lower itself. At highway speeds, the truck will lower to help the aerodynamic profile. In off-road situations, the truck can be raised to 2 inches for more ground clearance.
If you would like more information, Ross and I wrote up our thoughts about the Suburban and Tahoe earlier this week.
Toyota teases a Yaris homologation
https://youtu.be/JmaAsE6bq48
Toyota Gazoo Racing teased its new Yaris prototype. The car is slated to debut at the Tokyo Auto Salon on January 10th, 2020. The sound is excellent, and it appears to be an all-wheel-drive car.
What we know is what we can glean from the video. It has three doors (rear hatch included) and wider fenders.
The US will not see this version of the Yaris based on Toyota’s New Global Architecture. We will continue to get the Mazda2-based version here. That is sad since the car above looks brilliant and fun. I’d take it over a Civic Type-R.
Cadillac to ditch alpha-numeric names
According to the Automotive News, Cadillac will stop using alpha-numeric names for their models as they proceed into the EV market. That means no more CT6, XT4, STS, CTS-V, or XTS7. Some of those are fake. Who would know?
Cadillac President Steve Carlisle informed media at an event in Detroit on Thursday, that the upcoming electric vehicles from their brand are the time to start moving back toward naming. I’m ready for a Brougham EV.
Carlisle also stated that the end of the upcoming decade (2020-29) would be the end of the internal combustion engine in a Cadillac. Times are a-changing.
Source: Automotive News
What’s your automotive news?
That’s all I’ve got for you this week, so now it’s your turn. If you saw anything, fixed something, broke everything, or otherwise did anything even remotely car related that you want to share with your fellow hoon, sound off in the comments.
Sorry, I’m not Greg. Have a good weekend.
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