2022 Hyundai Custo Minivan: teasers and the real thing...

Hyundai just released teasers of their all-new Custo minivan.

But there has been photos of the real thing for a while Including the one above.

They've also released pix of the interior. And it does look really nice. If a little bit reminiscent of the Toyota Avalon (mostly because of the screen I guess)

So far, the Custo will be for the Chinese market. So we won't be seeing it over here. If you really crave a Korean Minivan, the new Kia Carnival has been on sale for a while...

 

2022 VW Taigo: Brazilian VW comes to Europe...

The new 2022 VW Taigo is basically a European version of the Brazilan Nivus.

It will be priced between the Polo hatchback and the small T-Cross.

This Taigo is basically a raised-up "SUV-like" version of the Polo. For more money.

Sad to say, but it will probably end up replacing the Polo in VW's European line-up.

And of course, this is not for the US...

 

2023 Honda Odyssey: early spy shots?

The next-generation Odyssey minivan will no doubt be based on Honda's new Global Light Truck platform. Which is currently used for the new Acura MDX. And also the next-generation Honda Pilot.

It does look a bit sleeker than the current generation. And will probably be a lot cleaner than the new Toyota Sienna. 

The pressure will be on Honda to offer a Hybrid option for the new minivan. Since it has been available for years on the Chrysler Pacifica and is actually standard on the new Sienna.

(Although still not available in the US on the new Kia Carnival. )

 

2022 Honda Civic: test drive coming up...

I will be driving this 2022 Honda Civic Sport for the week.

So feel free to ask me any questions you might have. So far, a very nice compact sedan that is anything but "sporty"...

 

2022/23 Kia Soul: new spy shot...

It looks like changes could be pretty minimal for the revised Kia Soul. 

I think the current front end is just way too blunt for the rest of the design. Let's hope the revised model looks a bit less aggressive.

You can already guess the new shape of the headlights under the camouflage. And they do look quite droopy and soft... 

We'll see...

 

2022/23 VW ID5: new spy shot of the ID4 "coupe"...

 Of course, the all-new VW ID4 will be getting a "coupe" version. Called the ID5. 

The usual recipe. A lower roofline, less room, smaller cargo area for more money. 

Although I think this looks pretty decent, I hear it is not scheduled to be sold in the US. At least so far. I bet it also depends on how popular the ID4 is over here. 

2022 BMW 7 series: new spy shots...

The new BMW 7 series could very well end up being their weirdest looking sedan to date.

And the worst looking as well. 

There is still very heavy camouflage on this prototype. But from that bulge. It looks like the grille could be even bigger than it is now (Which is already horrible)

I am predicting this will make the 4 series front end look very subtle. 

This could be sad news...

 

2022 Jeep Commander: new illustrations...

 

These illustrations of the 2022 Jeep Commander are obviously influenced by the new Grand Cherokee. 

Which is fine.

As we already know, the new Commander will be based on a longer version of the Compass and will seat 7.

So far, it will be mostly for the South American market. But who knows, it might be a matter of time until we get it over here. 

As for the interior, you can tell from the Commander teaser on top, it will be the same as the revised Compass Interior for 2022. With 2 more seats...

Battle of the Chinese grilles: which one is worse?

Just when you thought the Lexus grille was a bit much. We have two brand new contenders for the Worst Grille award, both from China.

On top, we have the Roewe iMAX8 Minivan. The rest of the van seems to be a "boring OK" shape. But that front end is truly atrocious.

On top of that, this is sad to see what the old Rover brand has become now...

The bottom pic shows us the all-new Trumpchi GS8 SUV, from GAC Motors. An equally distasteful display of vulgarity.

Which one is your "favorite"?

And, do you think it could get any worse?

 

2022/23 BMW 3 series: new spy shots and illustrations...

The BMW 3 Series is getting a mid-cycle facelift soon. And it looks like BMW will not shoehorn the 4 series grille onto the sedan. Which is good news.

The new front end (illustration matching recent spy shots of the new headlights and bumper parts) looks pretty good.

If not really better than the current one...

It's another story inside. As I mentioned earlier, BMW is quickly installing i4 screens (or similar) in all of their models. This will be the main change to the 3 series interior.

This is what is hiding under the cover. That double screen they are pushing on everything they build. 

Which, I guess is a way for them to save a bunch of money. But it doesn't necessarily fit current interior designs. 

Although, as we have seen with the iX, it doesn't fit in their new designs either.

Mercedes has been doing much better. For years...

Again, if you like the 3 and 4 series, buy one now.

 

2022 BMW X7: spy shots and illustrations of a monster...

Looks like the super chromy BMW X7 will be getting even uglier for 2022.

All the illustrations above seem to have in common an even weirder-looking face for the revised X7.

With even more chrome, scoops, and vents all around that huge grille.

And inside, of course, that double screen from the new iX SUV. This setup is pretty much scheduled to replace all current BMW interior designs. All 3 and 4 series models will be getting this soon.

For those interested in one of these models, I would seriously consider getting one pronto. Before they ruin interiors that are currently quite nice and tasteful.

These are shots of the current X7. The interior is already way overdone. More wood, more chrome. More, more and more of everything never makes anything better looking.

And that new screen won't really make this more expensive or upscale looking.

I guess this is one way to distance yourself even more from the "ultimate driving machine"...

 

Saturn: what could have been...

It's always fun to see these unbuilt designs from various manufacturers. And today, we get to see very early proposals for the Saturn brand, dating back to 1985. Which is a full 5 years before their first models came out.

I always liked the design of the coupe. And I think it still looks quite modern today. The design proposal in the first photo looks a bit too much like a Chevrolet to me...

The sedan proposal looks a bit too weird. While the production version ended up look very similar to the Oldsmobile Cutlass from that same year, 1990.

The Minivan proposal is quite a surprise. Since Saturn never had their own minivan design (The Relay in 2004 was just a rebadged version of the Chevy/Pontiac Minivans.)

What I would really like to see are photos of unborn Oldsmobile and Pontiac designs. I am sure they were still working on new stuff by the time the ax dropped...

 

2022 Hyundai Casper: another spy shot...

The little Hyundai Casper looks almost ready to go.

Again, this is not for the US. But mostly for the Korean and Indian market. Not an EV either as it will be powered by a 1.2 Liter engine.
 

2022/23 VW Jetta: why even bother...

It looks like the Jetta will be getting a facelift for the new year. (Not exactly sure if that's for 2022 or 23...)

As you can see, there won't be much news. It seems the chrome lines within the grille might look a bit different.

maybe the bumper?

Nothing new is expected inside. Except in China, where it will be getting a new dash similar to the Chinese Tiguan. With a large screen on top of the dash.

They still sold over 90 000 of these last year, so they might keep it for a bit longer. Unlike the Passat.

But there are chances it might well be the last generation Jetta we'll see for a while.

 

2023 Lexus RX: new illustration...

The top illustration is new. (The bottom one is something I've posted a few months ago)

Interesting to see different takes on what the next RX could look like. I think the top one is just way too close to the current generation. But the new NX is also pretty close to the previous one. At least until you actually compare both.

It would be nice to see a bit of a new design direction for Lexus. Or at least, a new grille. Or a different take on it...

 

2022 Hyundai Casper: not the ghost...

Just like the famous ghost of the same name, the upcoming Hyundai Casper already looks pretty friendly.

So far, the Casper is scheduled for Korea and India. And will be powered by a small 1.2 Liter engine.

I know this is not scheduled for the US or even Europe. But this already looks much better than the poor Venue we have over here. (Although the Casper could actually be quite a bit smaller)

Which is not the most popular thing either with only about 19 000 of them sold last year. Or about 3 times less than the Nissan Kicks.