#ProductPlanning

As expected, the traditionally front-drive Lexus ES will enliven its rear axle for the 2021 model year.

Like its sister sedan, the Toyota Avalon, the ES range will see the addition of an all-wheel drive model motivated by the automaker’s stalwart 2.5-liter four-cylinder. A powerhouse it is not, but come winter, the ES 250 AWD could be a respectable motorist’s best friend.

Perhaps feeling that this would be its last opportunity to woo American midsize sedan buyers, Hyundai pulled out all the styling stops when it crafted the current-generation Sonata. Heavy on lines and curves and sporting some impressive front-end lighting, the Sonata makes the Camry and Accord look stodgy by comparison.

But the automaker didn’t stop there. It went to work crafting a hotter Sonata — a variant that’s almost here. And thanks to someone’s mistake and another person’s quick reflexes, we can see what that sedan will look like.

Nissan unveiled the next-generation Rogue earlier this year, revealing a taller-looking, butched-up CUV with a newly direct-injected four-cylinder engine under hood. Arriving for 2021, the embattled automaker’s bread-and-butter crossover had best resonate with customers.

But that’s not the only crossover shoe dropping for 2021. Overlooked as it is, there’ll be a new take on the Rogue Sport, too.

Sales of General Motors vehicles sank 15 percent in 2019 — the automaker’s second straight year of annual sales pullback in that once promising market.

Maybe the product was the problem?

That seems to be GM’s thinking. On Wednesday, The General revealed its plan to capture market share in the world’s mos populous auto market with a raft of electric vehicles underpinned by its new modular electric vehicle platform, all powered by the company’s low-cobalt Ultium battery technology.

Genesis sure is getting a lot of headlines lately. That wasn’t always the case.

Yesterday, we told you of spy photos showing a compact hatchback/crossover vehicle that’s destined to become the fledgling premium brand’s new electric vehicle. What name it will bear, and what type of performance and range it can offer, is unknown, but Genesis will most definitely benefit from Hyundai’s new e-GMP dedicated EV architecture and its fast-charging 800-volt electrical system.

Then another electric Genesis appeared, this one looking quite familiar.

The all-new 2019 GMC Sierra 1500 arrived with many new items in tow, but one of the most notable was the brand’s MultiPro tailgate — a hinge-heavy piece of hardware capable of assisting box entry, acting as a workshop, serving up drinks, or blasting tunes.

For an automaker that criticized Ford so-called “Man Step,” MultiPro was akin to one of those staircase escalators for geriatric homeowners. Still, it possessed strong marketing potential, and it might soon appear on bowtie-badged trucks.

Fiat Chrysler pulled the wraps off its latest supercharged creation on Monday, revealing a full-size pickup the automaker dubs the “apex predator of the truck world.”

Fear FCA’s baby.

As Ram’s answer to the Ford F-150 Raptor, the TRX dons a wider track, extra suspension travel, and tosses the model’s naturally aspirated engines for a mill that’s more familiar to the Dodge crowd.

Ford’s pony car has typically made the most out of its platforms, eking out the maximum amount of longevity and profit before moving on to wholly new underpinnings. The Fox-body era saw that tradition taken to extremes.

Come 2022, the Mustang will don a new wardrobe, and Ford expects it to stick around for quite some time.

Clearly deciding that the protracted teaser campaign leading up to the debut of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was a template worthy of another go-round, Fiat Chrysler continues dropping sly suggestions of its upcoming full-size Jeep. In the absence of a defined reveal date, this could go on forever.

It already feels like it has.

Hyundai dropped details on the upcoming Elantra N Line sedan Thursday, revealing that the six-speed manual that disappeared from the previous Elantra Sport for 2020 will reappear in the new-generation model.

Not appearing in ’21 are extra horses, however.

The next time you don your best wool and tweed garb and grab the Holland & Holland for a day of upland game hunting on the moors, you might want to leave the largest of Rolls-Royces in your heated garage. That’s because the next-generation Ghost, the most affordable of Rolls’ cars, will send power to all four wheels.

Retailing for a mere $314,400 (2020 model), the now decade-old Ghost is a suicide-doored alternative to the gauche, look-at-me Phantom, Wraith, and Dawn, to say nothing of the Cullinan SUV. Due for a full revamp this fall, the Ghost stands to gain some of the features modern drivers can’t do without.

Ram has issued a succinct press release on the status of its answer to the Ford Raptor. The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX is now officially set to debut next Monday, ready to dazzle you with the volume of dirt it can kick up when asked.

Sadly, that’s about all we can tell you. Despite the concept (pictured) coming equipped with a healthy 6.2-liter V8 belching out nearly 600 horsepower way back in 2016, everyone and their mother now claims the production TRX will come with a Hellcat motor to ensure Ford is shamed into submission. While that’s hardly the only metric one could use to measure the total value of an off-road pickup, most seem to think it’s a good place to start.

Everyone’s favorite rear-drive South Korean liftback sedan, the Kia Stinger stands to gain a refresh for the coming year. Appearing in its home market Wednesday, the ’21 Stinger aims for added aggression, but Kia didn’t lose its mind applying this facelift.

Details on powertrain alterations, if there are any (there might be!) are off the table for now, but the rest we can see with our own eyes.

Frankly, who isn’t thinking about size? We could all use some more.

We’re talking about generous passenger and cargo volume, right? Surely. In that area, Jeep suggests it has your future size needs covered.

The Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon gain arguably overdue refreshes for 2021, ensuring continued consumer traction amid boosted competition from rivals. The midsize pickup segment has grown, and not just in volume.

Joining the GM duo and perennially popular Toyota Tacoma last year was the Ford Ranger; meanwhile, Nissan’s long-awaited Frontier revamp lands for ’21.

Word is that the Canyon, which sees a new AT4 trim for the new model year, will don extra goodies by year’s end. Good news for a truck that’s increasingly playing second fiddle to its bowtie-wearing sibling.