january2021

JANUARY 2021 -

SEXY GLAM

MAGAZINE -

range. The front motor will disengage

under normal driving, the 95-kW-hr

battery’s thermal management system

has been made more efficient, and the

battery’s usable capacity has been in-

creased to 86.5 kW-hr. As with the reg-

ular E-Tron, the well-equipped Sport-

back will be available in Premium Plus

and Prestige trim levels.

What’s Not: The powertrain is the same

as the regular E-Tron, with a 187-hp,

231-lb-ft motor at the rear axle and a

168-hp, 182-lb-ft motor up front. Total

system output is 355 hp and 413 lb-ft,

and an overboost mode gives 402 hp

and 490 lb-ft for 8 seconds.

When: 2021

How Much: $80,000 (est)

Volkswagen ID 4

What’s New: Volkswagen has learned

Americans aren’t much interested in

hatchbacks, which is why the first of

its all-electric MEB-platform vehicles

to arrive stateside will be an SUV. The

ID 4 is about the size of Tiguan, but

the interior is much roomier. The MEB

architecture follows the now-familiar

skateboard platform, with a large bat-

tery pack between the wheels and mo-

tors at the axles. The base ID 4 is likely

to be a single-motor rear-drive model,

with a GTX version offering two mo-

tors, all-wheel drive, and more perfor-

mance. Top-end ID 4s are expected to

have a range of close to 300 miles.

What’s Not: The interior hardware is

shared with the ID 3 hatch recently

launched in Europe, with a compact

digital instrument panel in front of the

driver and a large centrally mount-

ed touchscreen for infotainment and

HVAC functions.

When: 2021

How Much: $35,000 (est)

Volvo XC40 Recharge

What’s New: The XC40 Recharge

marks the debut of Volvo’s first-ever

all-electric powertrain. The Recharge

shares Volvo’s Compact Modular Ar-

chitecture with the regular XC40, but

there’s a liquid-cooled 78-kW-hr bat-

tery pack under the floor and a motor

on each axle. Volvo claims 408 hp and

487 lb-ft of torque and a 0-60 time of

4.9 seconds. As with all new Volvos,

top speed will be limited to 112 mph.

Volvo does its own battery research

and development in-house and says the

available capacity of the battery pack

will be 75 kW-hr, which should easily

give the XC40 Recharge a range of 240

miles or more.

What’s Not: Apart from the blanked-

off grille, the XC40 Recharge looks

just like a regular XC40. That’s no bad

thing, as Volvo’s entry-level SUV is

one of the most stylish in the segment.

When: 2021

How Much: $55,000 (est)

Fisker Ocean

What’s New: Longtime BMW and As-

ton Martin designer—and creator of the

ill-fated Fisker Karma—Henrik Fisker

has bounced back with a green-friend-

ly, five-passenger EV crossover called

the Ocean. The Ocean checks all the

contemporary EV boxes—up to 300

miles of range, battery capacity north

of 80 kW-hr, base 2WD and available

AWD, a cool 16-inch center-mounted

touchscreen with a haptic touchpad,

and a charging partnership with Elec-

trify America. Fun features? A novel

multilink rear suspension, a roll-down

rear-hatch window for carrying long

objects, and karaoke words displayed

on the head-up display. The Ocean will

be significantly composed of recycled

materials such as retrieved ocean plas-

tics and old fishing net.

What’s Not: Although the Fisker name

is familiar, everything about the Ocean

is new, including the company behind

the name.

When: Summer 2022

How Much: $37,499

Future SUVS: What’s NEXT

The SUV and crossover craze shows

no sign of slowing down, and automak-

ers are doing their level best to feed

the fire with all sorts of new models in

the pipeline. They’ll be greener, high-

er-tech, and more luxurious than ever.

Some will even question what it means

to be a driver, as opposed to a mere oc-

cupant. Whether you plug them in or

fill them up, whether you drive them or

they drive you, there will be more op-

tions than ever for an off-road-looking

vehicle in the years to come.

Cadillac Lyriq

What’s New: The Cadillac Lyriq is an

electric midsize crossover with a long

wheelbase, wide stance, fastback roof,

big air inlets, body-flush door han-

dles, and 23-inch wheels—at least on

the concept. The traditional grille is

replaced with backlit lines in a preci-

sion pattern with Cadillac’s iconic crest

between vertical headlights. There are

vertical taillights beneath an upper set

of lights, called a “sail tail,” that start

behind each D-pillar and flow into the

directional lights on the tailgate. It