Car shows return to being in-person after industry struggles in 2022, following COVID-19 outbreak

2022 is a busy year for the auto industry, with numerous auto shows returning to in-person following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Automakers also experimented with new ways to launch cars. General Motors unveiled the Chevrolet Silverado at CES, the famous gadget show.

The electric-powered heavy-duty pickup truck is expected to hit the market in 2023.

By then, it will face competition from rival Ford’s electric F-150, startup Rivian’s R1T and possibly Tesla’s Cybertruck.

The traditional car show was also revived and held face-to-face. Notably, his October Paris Motor Show returned after his four-year hiatus.

French brands attended, but international big names chose to skip the event.

“Renault had a very good presence,” said Autocar editor Mark Tisho.

“All the Renault Group brands were there, but there were also the French brands Peugeot, Citroën and even the DS Sterantis. It is almost impossible to imagine the Paris Motor Show without Citroën. But Citroën wasn’t there so they left the stand on Peugeot and DS, and it was all very condensed into a very small space. If it weren’t for the Chinese manufacturer, I think it would have been a very, very quick motor show.

In fact, it was Asian manufacturers such as Ora, BYD, WEY and VinFast that dominated the exhibition floor trying to lure the European market.

The show also featured a sports car section from a small French brand.

They introduced limited series models, most of which were EVs.

In the US, the Detroit Auto Show had a similarly disappointing comeback a month ago, with few car announcements.

One of the highlights of the show was the presentation of the new Ford Mustang. It is slated to go on sale next summer and could be Muscle Car’s last petrol version.

Ford plans to electrify half of its global production by 2030.

The move to electricity has also made its way into the luxury car segment, with Rolls-Royce unveiling its first battery-powered model on October 17th.

The Specter’s specs have not yet been confirmed as it is in the final stages of testing, but preliminary data reveals an expected range of 320 miles and 0-60 mph acceleration in 4.4 seconds. became.

“Beside me is the Rolls-Royce Specter, the first all-electric Rolls-Royce. As you can imagine, we’ve been working on this project for quite some time. Royce CEO Torsten Müller Televis said:

The Specter’s all-aluminum frame is 30% stiffer than previous Rolls-Royces by integrating the battery into the car’s structure.

A day after the announcement, Foxtron, a joint venture between iPhone maker Foxcon and Taiwanese automaker Yulon Motor, unveiled two new cars in Taiwan.

A new Model B prototype, a five-seater hatchback designed by Italian design firm Pininfarina and comparable in size to Volkswagen’s ID 3, was unveiled on stage.

According to the manufacturer, you can drive up to 440 miles on a single charge. No retail price has been announced.

Another highlight of the conference was the unveiling of the new seven-seat Luxgen N7, an electric SUV based on the Model C prototype unveiled last year. The N7 will be on sale from next year.

Another newcomer to the EV market is AEHRA, an Italian startup that plans to release SUVs and sedans starting at $160,000 from mid-2025.

The long-established Swedish brand Volvo has also unveiled its latest all-electric SUV, the EX90.

According to the WLTP test cycle, it delivers up to 370 miles of tailpipe-free driving range on a single charge.

According to Volvo, the vehicle will charge from 10% to 80% within 30 minutes.

As many new EVs hit the market, attention was also focused on infrastructure issues.

For example, Americans who live in apartments without private garages have extension cords strung across sidewalks to power their cars, posing a tripping hazard for passers-by.

“If I lived in a place where I could plug it into the garage, I would plug this directly into the wall, but I don’t, so this is where I’m going to plug the extension cord,” he said.

DeWhitt has to wait up to two days to fully charge her new Hyundai Kona using her home outlet.

Another option is to drive to the nearest grocery store and wait for one of the two fast charging stations to become available.

In the UK, an EV Superhub opened in July to address this issue.

It features 42 charging points with the latest technology that can charge an EV within 30 minutes.

It is powered by a hybrid battery near Oxford, a combination of vanadium flow and lithium-ion batteries with lower power output but longer life, similar to those found in laptops and electric vehicles.

It can provide 10 times more power (50MWh) than a vanadium flow battery, but its lifespan is limited by the number of charge/discharge cycles, similar to smartphone batteries.

Electrification of mobility solutions will also reach flying cars in 2022.

In Dubai, Chinese company XPENG AEROH conducted the first public test of its electric flying taxi called XPeng X2.

This drone, which looks like a larger drone, is one of many flying car projects around the world.

Only a handful have been successfully tested with passengers, and it will be years before they are ready for use.

The demonstration took place in an empty cockpit, but the company said it will conduct manned flight tests in July 2021.

These flying devices are a welcome addition at traditional car shows.

This year’s Detroit Auto Show featured the Air Mobility Experience, a section of exhibits and demonstrations by six air mobility innovators representing five countries.

This included the ICON A5, a two-seat amphibious light sport aircraft with retractable wings that the owner could carry on a trailer behind a truck, SUV, or other vehicle. rice field.

Pilots for ICON Aircraft, based in Vacaville, California, made a demonstration flight along the Detroit River.

But are flying cars really the future of the industry?

“Honestly, I think this is the future of shows. It’s not just a car show anymore. , Air Mobility Experience Chief Creative Officer, said:

With that in mind, car enthusiasts didn’t shy away from classic cars either.

In the UK, the car show Salon Privé was held at Blenheim Palace, highlighting rare and exclusive models.

The Slovak company Engler has unveiled a rare vehicle, the Engler Desat, a strange-looking hybrid machine that looks somewhere between a quad bike and a hypercar.

“Well, this is the Engler Desat. It’s a vehicle that has no global competition. It’s so unique that it should create its own category. And we call it a super quad. So this is a super quad Engler Desat,” said Engler. Founder Victor Engler explains:

Desat is technically classified as a motor vehicle, so you don’t need to wear a motorcycle helmet to drive the Desat.

The production model comes with a 3-point seat belt system.

In London, another edition of the same show presented the Morgan Super 3 by Morgan Motor Company, the Prodrive Hunter by Prodrive, the Ferrari Daytona SP3 and the Rolls-Royce Black Badge Ghost.