The $200,000 Bowlus Trailer Still Looks Straight From the ’30s, But Look Closer

Genesis is no amateur at creating vehicles as tailored for being driven as being chauffeured in. The Genesis G90 is as comfortable as flagship sedans get, but the automaker is expanding its first-class rear-seat horizons—this time with its flagship SUV. Enter the 2022 Genesis GV80 Prestige Signature, a four-passenger, two-row-only version of the luxury crossover that will serve as the pinnacle of the GV80 lineup.The GV80 Prestige Signature builds on the 3.5T Prestige trim, adding a wireless charger and captain's chairs in the second row and five-spoke dark finish wheels. Customers will only be able to pick between two exterior matte colors (Melbourne Gray and Matterhorn White), and two interior choices (Black with Olive Ash and Ultra Marine Blue/Dune with Olive Ash). Genesis also added a matte chrome trim to distinguish the fancy models from other GV80s.While Genesis hasn't revealed any pictures of this specific model's rear seats, we presume that area will look very similar to the Prestige Signature model sold overseas and pictured above. (The global version has a third row.) A center console between the two seats will allow backseat passengers to control the infotainment, and they'll have their own climate-control system. Although the model sold elsewhere has a rear-seat entertainment package, it doesn't look like we'll get that here. Besides enjoying a more comfortable seating position, those traveling in the rear will have access to Relax Mode, which reclines the seat to your preferred position.Under the hood, the Prestige Signature will be powered by the 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 engine found across the lineup and which makes 375 horsepower and 391 lb-ft of torque. An eight-speed automatic transmission sends power to all four wheels via standard all-wheel drive.A total of just 600 GV80 Prestige Signature models will be sold in the U.S., each one carrying a $78,295 price tag. That's a $4,500 increase from the Prestige model. The 2022 Genesis GV80 Prestige Signature is starting to arrive to dealerships now, and we hope to drive it—or be chauffeured in it—in the coming weeks.

The mighty rose and fell in the auto industry in 2021. A critical shortage of microchips helped determine winners and losers in U.S. sales for the year more than any other factor. Aberration or not, the surprises are worth noting when companies deemed too-big-to-fail fall off their long-held perches and underdogs ascend to new heights.Business publications have splashed plenty of ink in the annual presentation of final U.S. auto sales as another year came to a close. We won't go all corporate and financial here at MotorTrend but there were some unexpected plot twists that deserve to be pointed out—regardless of any asterisks due to chip shortages.Toyota Topples GM For the First TimeThe biggie: after decades of U.S. sale supremacy, Toyota beat General Motors in 2021. GM sold 2.2 million vehicles, but Toyota had about 114,000 more for a total of 2.3 million.Toyota executives were quick to say the lead is not sustainable. GM will be back on top as chip supplies normalize. The semiconductor shortage hurt all automakers, but some were hit harder than others. GM and Ford were among the more heavily pummeled. Toyota was the poster child for how to—almost—survive the chip crisis.Toyota is no stranger to pinchpoints from key parts shortages. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, Toyota put an early warning system in place to monitor its supply chain. The result is that the inventor of the concept of lean manufacturing and just-in-time delivery became a hoarder. Once warned, the Japanese automaker stockpiled chips and was able to keep building and selling vehicles full steam while the competition was playing whack-a-mole in determining which vehicles took priority in receiving chip rations and which plants faced temporary downtime on any given week.As the shortage stretched out and was exacerbated by a fire at the Renesas Electronics chipmaking plant in Japan, and then COVID-19 outbreaks that forced closure of facilities in southeast Asia that test and package chips, Toyota was finally forced to idle some plants. But in the end, Toyota saw 10 percent sales growth in the U.S. in 2021 while GM saw a 13 percent drop because it lost hundreds of thousands of units of production.Hyundai-Kia Leapfrogs Over HondaHyundai-Kia outsold Honda for the first time, moving up to the fifth spot with almost 1.5 million vehicles sold. That was about 22,500 more than Honda. The two brands under the Hyundai Motor Company umbrella continue to be a juggernaut. This one will be interesting to watch in 2022 because the Korean brands show no signs of slowing down and have impressive vehicles hitting the market.The Hyundai group still has work to do to catch Stellantis at just shy of 1.8 million, or Ford at almost 1.9 million.Ford EVs Coming for TeslaFord, which was considered a bit of an EV laggard until fairly recently, ended 2021 in second place when it comes to U.S. sales of electric vehicles. Credit goes to the new Mustang Mach-E; Ford sold more than 27,000 of the electric crossovers.King of the EV castle continued to be Tesla which had a banner year. How banner we don't know exactly as it the automaker does not break out U.S. sales.General Motors was out of the running in 2021, not because of the chip shortage, but because the Chevrolet Bolt was all but sidelined for much of the year by a recall due to risks of fire from bad cells in its batteries and a recommendation to park outside.Ford Mustang vs. Dodge Challenger vs. Chevy CamaroThe muscle car sales wars are legendary, and we never tire of the jostling, even though their makers don't always give them the love they once received.We have a cool toppling this year. The Dodge Challenger actually stole the title in 2021. The coupe is no spring chicken, and this wasn't a chip shortage win. Credit energetic execs behind the Dodge brand who never say die. Efforts to keep the Challenger fresh led to a 3 percent increase in sales, bringing the total to 54,314 muscle cars sold and the highest full-year share ever at 21 percent of the albeit-small segment. (Dodge Charger also grew market share to a career-best 30 percent, more testament to pixie dust being sprinkled liberally over at Dodge).That pushed the Ford Mustang to second place. A 14 percent drop resulted in a final sales tally of 52,414. For the bronze: the Chevy Camaro saw sales plummet almost 27 percent, netting 21,893 sales. The once-mighty Camaro must be missing its long-time engineer: Al "Mr. Camaro" Oppenheiser, who was reassigned to the GMC Hummer EVs and is busy crabwalking and hurtling 9,000 pounds of SUV from 0-60 in 3.0 seconds. It probably doesn't help that today's Camaro doesn't look all that different from the last one, or the one before that...Big Truck WarsNo surprises here: Ford took the title for best-selling truck in the U.S. for the 45th straight year, selling more than 726,000 F-Series. Ram came second at just under 570,000. The Chevrolet Silverado could get a needed boost from the electric version coming—the Chevy came third in 2021 with almost 520,000 U.S. sales.Who said following auto sales isn't fun?

What's this that silently comes forth through the mud, draped in dirt and ready to work? It's not a GMC Hummer EV SUV or a Bollinger or some Land Rover or Bronco. It's not some tactical military SUV. It's called the Munro MK_1, it hails from Scotland, and it's yet another small fish in the growing stream of EV trucks and SUVs trying to make its way upstream faster than its automotive start-up competition.Originally called All Terrain All Electric when the company was founded in 2019, the Glasgow-based Munro Vehicles (munro being a term for a mountain, mainly in Scotland, exceeding 3,000 feet) has been testing its Munro ML_1 development mule since June 2021 with the hopes of a public launch in October 2022 followed by first deliveries in March 2023—if all goes according to plan, of course. And Munro has partnered with a company called Wyre for distribution in the United States. Ambitious is an understatement; time will tell if the young start-up can get America hooked.The Munro is a fully electric SUV. Its battery has 80.1 kWh of usable capacity good for 168 miles of driving or 16 hours of off-highway use, according to Munro. It has a 101-kW maximum charge rate, which falls short of the big fish in the world of EVs.The Munro electric SUV—a body-on-frame, five-door, 4x4 utility vehicle—features a fully galvanized, high-strength steel chassis. It uses its 376 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque to push the 5,500-pound vehicle to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, as reported by Munro. It has a max payload of about 2,200 pounds and can tow upwards of 7,700 pounds.On the road it has a top speed of 85 mph, which matters since Munro says it's working on the certification process to make it street legal. This hurdle will be one key aspect to its stateside success.Munro hopes its MK_1 EV SUV appeals to fleet customers who need or want 4x4 EVs. Munro says it offers a comprehensive warranty, remote software updates, spare part availability, mid-life hardware upgrades, straightforward maintenance, and modularity.As you can tell from the imagery, Munro says that "off-highway performance is our first design priority: rely on mechanical components that have stood the test of time." Its high stance (that's a lot of inner fender showing!), high ground-to-body clearance (18.9 inches), meaty tires, utilitarian aluminum body panels, chunky front and rear fenders, and crazy angles (approach, 84 degrees; departure, 51 degrees),  visually attest to that priority. Underneath, the Munro has permanent mechanical four-wheel drive and a two-speed central transfer case with a locking differential. You can also get front and rear anti-roll bars, underbody protection, a front bull bar, a winch bumper, and front and rear electronic differential locks.There are three trim options for the Munro: Core, Utility, and Tailored, each adding features for work and specific needs. Gloss, satin metallic, and textured Raptor finishes are available in yellow, black, white, green, and grey, with more options for the Tailored trim.Munro has a big mountain to climb, a long upstream battle in bringing its EV to market. Stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled.