The Lexus ES is the Japanese brand’s only answer to the Mercedes Benz E-Class and BMW 5-Series sedans, now that the sportier GS sedan has been killed off. For the 2022 model year, Lexus has refreshed the ES to compete better with its more technology-laden rivals.
Back in 2004, Mercedes-Benz CLS debuted as a four-door coupe, since then becoming a long-standing oxymoron of the motoring world that inspired many imitators. Now, for this year, the 2022 Mercedes-Benz CLS gets a refresh, giving a polish to its fading appeal in an over-extended Mercedes line-up.
Crossovers are the most popular vehicle segment now, and Hyundai is been keen to exploit it. The South Korean brand has one of the largest crossover SUV portfolios in the world and to this, they add a new one. Here is the 2021 Hyundai Bayon, yet another entrant to the big stage, hoping to make an impression.
The Volkswagen Teramont didn’t make sense on the surface when it debuted a few years ago, considering the Touareg was still around. But it made perfect sense when you delved deeper into the specs sheet — compared to the 2-row Touareg, the Teramont had a third row of seating, and was actually larger and cheaper. While the latest Touareg moved even further upscale, the Teramont is holding the fort in the meat of the mid-size SUV market, going up against Ford Explorers and Nissan Pathfinders. And it has just received a nip-and-tuck for the 2021 model year.
With the new Stinger, K5 and K8 coming out in the past few months, Kia is bent on sprucing up their sedan lineup, even as others are trimming their sedan count down to zero. Now it is the time of its compact sedan, the 2022 Kia Cerato. The refreshed Cerato showed its face off in new pictures of the equivalent Kia K3 revealed in its South Korean home market. The Kia Cerato GT Hatchback also gets a preview along with the sedan.
Carasti, a UAE-based car subscription platform, is now offering a “mini lease” option, where a user can order a brand new car for 12-to-24-month lease, with no paper contracts and home-delivered, using just the Carasti app. The company has raised a US$ 3 million Pre-Series A funding round to fuel their expansion with further such offerings.
Hyundai finally makes its way into the pickup segment with the new 2022 Hyundai Santa Cruz. Instead of taking the big, brawny major players of the segment head-on, the Santa Cruz plays it safe by jumping into a compact category that has almost no players to lock horns with.
Mercedes-Benz is a late entrant to the electric vehicle segment and their current lineup includes the EQA, EQC crossovers and the EQV Van, all of which have received a lukewarm reception so far. But as the Tesla Model S and Porsche Taycan show that electric sedans can be desirable, the Mercedes-Benz EQS makes its debut.
Ford Escort was quite an important nameplate for the brand till it was discontinued when the Focus came around in 2002. The Escort name can now be found on a China-made sedan on our roads that came in 2019. Now, the 2021 Ford Escort gets a thorough facelift in China.
It is no secret that minivans are fast losing their popularity. To keep their heads up, brands give their minivans innovative designs, hoping to lure more attention to these practical boxes. Kia went the crossover route, adding some “rugged” appeal to their new Carnival while Hyundai has taken a different turn with their all-new minivan. The 2021 Hyundai Staria makes its debut with a futuristic, borderline sci-fi design that makes it stand out from almost everything else on the road.