Auto News for Jan. 31 – 40 Year Tradition Upheld & New Models

And not a word about the state of the union.

It really is a milestone when you think about it. Someone named Earnhardt has competed in the Daytona 500 for 40 consecutive years. And this year, Jeffrey Earnhardt has a ride with StarCom Racing to extend the streak.
Let’s see. When I found the latest news from Lotus, I had the choice of clicking on them working on a new carbon fiber sports car, or their boss revealing new details of future models, or “Lotus Chicken Salad.” Let’s go with the new models.
Lotus CEO in an interview with “Car” magazine said the sports car maker will bring an SUV to market in either 2021 or 2022. On top of that, it will announce two new sports cars in 2020.

One is expected to be a track focused model while the other will be for those who stick to public roads. All this is aided by the fact that Chinese auto firm Geely now owns a major stake in Lotus.

The word this morning is that Honda will bring back the Passport in the form of a two row crossover to slide right into the lineup between the CR-V and the Pilot. Automotive News was first with the news. It may be displayed at a dealer’s meeting in November and go on sale early next year. Stay tuned.

In case you were wondering, the Passport disappeared in 2002.

 

Hyundai has released a more definitive sketch of what the upcoming redesigned Santa Fe will look like. The design is said to be “robust, stylish and a voluminous composition.”

It will introduce “a large cascading grille complimented by a separate headlight system featuring divided daytime running lights and main lamps. Combined they create a unique, futuristic look”, said the auto maker.

The updated model will make its world premiere in February and its first auto show appearance in Geneva in early March.

Acura said its MDX Sport Hybrid arrives in showrooms today with a suggested retail price of $52,100 plus $995 for delivery.

It features a 3.0-liter V6 with 321 horsepower and 289 lb-ft of torque with three electric motors. Acura said it is the most powerful production SUV it has ever produced.