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Hyundai is bringing on ex-Porsche and Apple exec Manfred Harrer to lead the development of its new luxury Genesis Magma brand. The appointment is expected to help accelerate Hyundai Motor’s (including Kia’s) transition to electric with “top-tier” EV leadership.

Hyundai hires ex-Porsche, Apple Car exec

Hyundai Motor announced Tuesday it had hired Harrer as executive vice president and head of its newly established Genesis & Performance Development Tech Unit.

Harrer’s expertise from top-tier companies like Porsche, Apple, BMW, and Audi will “Bolster the Group’s R&D competitiveness and drive the development of Genesis products.” Hyundai expects the hiring to also enhance the performance of Hyundai and Kia vehicles as they shift to electric.

The appointment “will greatly benefit Hyundai Motor Group products, enhancing the image and reputation” of the brand, according to Heui Won Yang, president of Hyundai/Kia’s R&D division.

With over 25 years of experience, Harrer has helped advance several projects, including chassis development, electronic systems, software development, full vehicle integration, and ADAS.

Hyundai expects Harrer’s leadership and expertise will “expedite its electrification transition, securing top-tier leadership in the electric vehicle (EV) era.”

Harrer was behind the development of the iconic Porsche Cayenne and the brand’s first EV, the Porsche Taycan.

Hyundai-ex-Porsche-exec
Porsche Taycan Turbo GT (Source: Porsche AG)

Poaching Apple Car talent

Most recently, Harrer served as senior director of product design engineering for three years at Apple. Apple hired Harrer from Porsche to work on its “secret” electric Apple Car project. Meanwhile, Apple canceled the EV project “Titan” after more than a decade this February.

Harrer is expected to help bolster EV development at Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia. According to the Korean Economic Daily, Hyundai is looking to recruit around ten former Apple Car engineers who have left the project.

Genesis-GV60-Magma
Genesis GV60 Magma next to other high-performance vehicles (Source: Genesis)

Genesis launched Magma, “the brand’s extension into the realm of high-performance vehicles,” in March. The brand’s first concept, the GV60 Magma, is a sporty upgrade on Genesis’ first EV.

Last month, Genesis unveiled the G80 EV Magma concept, a potential answer to Tesla’s Model S Plaid.

Genesis-G80-EV-Magma
Genesis G80 EV Magma Concept (Source: Genesis)

Harrer is expected to lead Genesis Magma EV development while contributing to Hyundai’s N performance unit. Hyundai N’s first electric car, the IONIQ 5 N, is the brand’s most powerful vehicle yet (watch it race a Lamborghini Urus Performante and Porsche Macan GTS).

Hyundai-IONIQ-5-N
Hyundai IONIQ 5 N (Source: Hyundai)

Electrek’s Take

Hyundai sees performance EVs as a critical piece of its electric future. The South Korean automaker wants to make electric cars that are not only efficient, but also sleek and fun to drive.

In an exclusive interview with Electrek, Hyundai America CEO Randy Parker told us the automaker is “humble and hungry” to separate itself from the EV pack.

Its early commitment is paying off, with EV sales surging 62% in the US in Q1. Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 and Kona Electric set new Q1 US sales records.

Parker confirmed that “demand for our vehicles, especially EVs, remains high.” Despite rivals pulling back on EV initiatives, Hyundai is “sticking to its strategy,” Parker told Electrek.

Hyundai already had six of the top ten most fuel-efficient EVs (by trim) in the US last year, but the company plans to continue improving.

Hyundai’s US boss told Electrek that the company is giving consumers confidence with its fast-charging, long-range, reliable electric cars. Perhaps most importantly, Hyundai also offers some of the most affordable EVs on the market.

According to Parker, the first three-row Hyundai electric SUV, the IONIQ 9, is “definitely coming.” It could rival larger electric SUVs like the Rivian R1S and Kia’s EV9.

With some of the most affordable, fuel-efficient EVs on the market, Hyundai’s electric cars are listed at some of the lowest prices so far. You can use our links below to find deals on Hyundai’s EVs at a dealer near you today.

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E-quipment highlight: Kenworth T880E vocational electric semi truck

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E-quipment highlight: Kenworth T880E vocational electric semi truck

With the launch of the first-ever Class 8 vocational EV in the North American market, PACCAR Kenworth is raising the battery-electric bar and underscoring just how far the market has come since the Tesla Semi made its debut nearly a decade ago.

When Tesla pulled the wraps off its all electric Semi truck all the way back in November of 2017, the rest of the industry was hardly thinking about BEVs. Nearly a decade later, the world is still waiting for the Semi to begin regular production, and PACCAR is launching its second generation of HDEVs with the debut of this, the all-new Kenworth T880E vocational truck.

“The Kenworth T880E marks a groundbreaking milestone in Kenworth’s history as we bring to market the first Class 8 battery-electric solution built for vocational applications,” explains Kevin Haygood, Kenworth assistant general manager for sales and marketing. “The T880E is engineered to meet the evolving needs of operators and vocational fleets while still providing the durability, reliability and customization our customers expect.”

The new electric K-whopper is motivated by PACCAR’s in-house ePowertrain platform, capable of putting up to 605 hp and 1,850 lb-ft of peak torque to work, while delivering the same levels of drivability and dependability fleets expect from a Kenworth – but power and torque are only part of the T880E’s work-ready résumé.

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Open to work

Kenworth T880E; via PACCAR.

In addition to a stout, Class 8 electric chassis fitted with heavy-duty Kenworth brakes and axles, the T880E’s central drive eMotor allows for significant wheelbase flexibility so fleet buyers can spec out exactly the machine they need to get the job done. The T880E was also designed to enable lift axle installations from trusted Kenworth upfitters for a vocational-friendly BEV integration.

Additionally, the T880E features a wide selection of factory-installed options that include both high- and low-voltage ePTO (electric Power Take Off) ports, mechanical ePTOs, and the same wide array of body configurations as the ICE version.

Speaking of the ICE version, the electric T880E also can also be had in the same set-back front axle and set-forward front axle configurations with the same multi-piece hood construction. Inside the cab, the latest in driver-focused technology includes the Kenworth SmartWheel and a new 15″ DriverConnect digital touchscreen. Dash and vocational features like RAM Mounts and factory-installed PTO switches are available. The T880E is also offered with Kenworth ADAS packages for customers interested in DigitalVision Mirrors, Bendix Fusion, and Lane Keeping Assist.

It’s so big, you guys

Kenworth T880E; photo by the author.

The T880E was on static display at last week’s ACT Expo in Anaheim, California. Check with your local Kenworth dealer for availability.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Kenworth.


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Xiaomi SU7 Ultra gets its groove back with all 1,548 hp available NOW

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Xiaomi SU7 Ultra gets its groove back with all 1,548 hp available NOW

The tire-blistering SU7 Ultra has been the Xiaomi brand’s flagship super sedan since its launch, but a controversial software setting has limited the car to “just” 900 hp in regular driving – resulting in an outcry from owners who ponied up for the big boy numbers. With its latest software update, that missing 648 hp is back on tap!

The SU7 Ultra made waves throughout the performance car world when a bright yellow striped example lined up alongside a white quarter mile king, the 1,000+ hp Tesla Model S Plaid, and promptly smoked it.

That wasn’t all. A preproduction SU7 Ultra prototype lapped the legendary Nürburgring circuit in just 6 minutes and 46.874 seconds, firmly stamping the 1,500+ hp Xiaomi’s alphanumeric into the track’s record books with a time nearly fifteen seconds quicker than a Rimac Nevera or, on the ICE front, either a Corvette ZR1, Viper ACR, or Porsche 918 (take your pick).

It’s hardly any wonder, then, that the customers who signed up – in droves, too – were disappointed to learn that the SU7 they were allowed to buy had been neutered by the safety nannies to the tune of nearly 650 hp. (!)

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We’re so back

The outrage from SU7 Ultra owners was immediate. And, facing mounting pressure online and on social media, Xiaomi ultimately decided to withdraw the performance-limiting features while acknowledging the need for more transparent communication about future software updates they messed up, saying in a statement, “we appreciate the passionate feedback from our community and will ensure better transparency moving forward.”

So, rich people can rocket themselves down the road in 9 second hypercars again and all is right with the world. A happy ending – but one that sort of illuminates a fresh set challenges for automakers peddling “software-defined vehicles” to a market that still thinks of their cars as very much hardware defined products.

That’s evidenced by the resistance to pay for features by subscription and complaints by more informed customers that “software locked” range and convenience features just subsidize the cost of more expensive trim levels and pad profits for manufacturers and suppliers.

The new reality is playing out in real time now, and the Jeff Bezos-backed $20,000 electric compact pickup from Slate Auto is going the other way entirely – time will tell whether more, or less tech is the answer.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Xiaomi, via CarNewsChina.


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Tesla (TSLA) discounts new Model Y in the US, pointing to demand issues

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Tesla (TSLA) discounts new Model Y in the US, pointing to demand issues

Tesla (TSLA) has started offering reduced interest rates on the new Model Y in the US — this equates to a direct discount on the brand new vehicle that was supposed to spark Tesla’s demand back.

The automaker has announced “1.99% APR or $0 Due at Signing available for well-qualified buyers” on the new Model Y in the US for the first time:

This amounts to a direct discount worth a few thousand dollars. It is the first widely available discount on the new Model Y coming just weeks after the cheaper non-Launch Edition launched in the US.

It follows a $2,000 direct discount that Tesla offered to early Model Y owners last week.

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These discounts and subsidized financing point to soft demand for the updated best-selling vehicle in the US. Tesla just delivered a disastrous first quarter, which it mostly blamed on the Model Y changeover, resulting in lower inventory.

However, industry watchers, including Electrek, noted many signs that the Model Y changeover was not the only issue. Tesla added significantly to its inventory in the first quarter, and the wait times for the new Model Y were extremely short.

Now, the discount weeks after launching the new Model Y confirm the soft demand in the US.

It’s not as bad as Europe and China, where Tesla has already been offering 0% financing on the new Model Y for weeks.

Electrek’s Take

I think it’s clear by now: the new Model Y is not coming to save Tesla.

Let’s be honest: It will still be a significant vehicle program by volume. It just won’t help Tesla return to growth this year.

The RWD Model Y is still coming and has a chance to help in the US. It is already available in China, and it’s not helping Tesla much there, but that’s in a hyper-competitive market, especially at lower prices where the RWD Model Y operates.

Tesla’s performance in Q2 in China will be interesting since it is basically back to its regular lineup for the whole quarter.

The US appears to have been Tesla’s least affected market, but Q3 will be the real test with the full lineup and no backlog of demand for new Model Y.

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