Auto Industry News: IIHS 2020 Top Safety Picks Announced, Ghosn Goes Hollywood, Leno Goes Hall of Fame, 2021 Toyota Supra Debuts, Another New EV Pickup Hits the Internet

Lots happening in the auto industry, folks. The IIHS released its 2020 Top Safety Picks, and if you’re a stickler for headlight quality—spoiler alert—you’ll appreciate the institute’s stricter judging criteria. JD Power follows suit with its annual Dependability Study, with ambitious newcomer Genesis putting up a solid performance.

Carlos Ghosn hires a big-name Hollywood agent just as Nissan slaps him with a $91 million lawsuit. (Is it just me, or does this story only ever get better?) There are some movements on the AV and EV fronts, involving squabbling politicians and electric trucks, respectively. And we have the rundown on the 2021 Toyota Supra debut, as well as Jay Leno’s exciting announcement that he’s on his way to the Automotive Hall of Fame.

Here’s what you need to know:

IIHS Releases 2020 Top Safety Picks, JD Power Releases Dependability Study

It’s that time of year again. The much-anticipated release of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) report detailing the safest vehicles on the road today. Forget the Super Bowl. Forget the Daytona 500. Let’s get pumped to talk about safety, ya’ll!

Despite alarming news stories regarding the coronavirus epidemic, it turns out that 2020 is set to be a pretty safe year. At least when it comes to vehicles, that is. Sixty-four models were awarded this year, up from 57 in 2019. That’s an impressive accomplishment, as the criteria get stricter every year. For example, while the 2020 Top Safety Picks all sported good ratings in the IIHS’s six crashworthiness evaluations, only 23 nabbed the Top Safety Pick+. (That number is down from last year.) The “plus” requires good or acceptable headlights as standard equipment.

“In the past, a vehicle would get the award because it has the optional, available headlights,” Joe Young, media relations associate at IIHS, explains to Automotive News. “But this year, we want to see those headlights as standard equipment. This is a good way to encourage automakers to stop equipping vehicles with crummy headlights that don’t light the road.”

Additionally, the IIHS considered the advancement of front-crash prevention systems like automatic emergency braking (AEB), as well as factors like roof strength and head restraint tests. The institute also raised the bar on the passenger-side small overlap test, now demanding a “good” rating rather than “acceptable” to qualify for either award.

It’s worth mentioning that of those 64 models, no pickup trucks or minivans qualified. That could change, per “midyear production changes,” notes the IIHS, but it’s a bit concerning considering the sheer popularity of the former and the perceived family-friendliness of the latter.

On the dependability front…

According to 36,000 responses from vehicle owners of various 2017 model year vehicles from all over the country, JD Power named Hyundai’s luxury badge, Genesis, as top dog. To determine a ‘winner,’ JD Power uses a special measuring system, called the PP100, which operates like golf in that the lower the score, the better the ranking. Genesis scored an 89 against the average industry standard of 134. So, in golf terms, that’s like Tiger Woods in his prime.

On the overall scale—lumping luxury and mass-market badges together—Lexus and Buick rounded out the top three behind Genesis, with scores of 100 and 103 respectively. Jaguar, Chrysler, and Land Rover were the worst respectively, with the highest score (which in this case is bad, remember) being an awful 220.

It’s worth noting that brands like Mazda, Volkswagen, Lincoln and Ford all made significant improvements from last year, including Cadillac, whose score dropped from 166 to 131 in PP100 score. In fact, overall dependability continues to improve with JD Power noting that “2020 marks automakers’ best performance in the history of the study.”

Other highlights of the study include the Lexus ES nabbing recognition as the highest-ranked individual model not only of 2020 but also of the entire 31-year history of the study. Additionally, this was the first year an all-electric model received an award; the plucky Nissan LEAF earned top marks in the compact car segment.

Ghosn Goes Hollywood, Nissan Serves $91 Million Lawsuit

Remember a few weeks ago when we talked about the straight-up cartoonish escape from Japan for accused white-collar criminal and former Nissan exec Carlos Ghosn? Remember when we said it was so dumb it sounded like the idea was pulled from a spy movie?

Well, keep an eye on your Netflix account in the coming months, as it looks like Ghosn may just have a Hollywood buyer for his story.

According to CNBC, Ghosn has hired Michael Ovitz, founder of the Creative Arts Agency and former president of this little company you might have heard of called Disney, to shop his “Hollywood-style escape” to networks and production companies. Interestingly, some reports indicate that Ghosn was actually trying to pitch his story even before he crawled inside a musical instrument case and flew to Lebanon.

Regardless of whether Ghosn eventually has his story told on the big, small, or streaming-capable screen of your choice, he has some very real issues to deal with now. Possibly the largest of these is the massive $91 million lawsuit that Nissan just slapped him with. In an attempt to recoup some damages, the Japanese automaker claims that it suffered “as a result of years of misconduct and fraudulent activity” by Ghosn, their former chief executive.

At this point, time will tell how both the lawsuit and the show/movie in the making turn out. Who knows, maybe Ghosn will show up to the premiere in another tuba case. Or audiences will get a great, dramatic courtroom scene. At this point, I wouldn’t rule anything out.

Autonomous Vehicles Have Congressional Attention

I know there have been quite a few hearings on Capitol Hill that have gripped people’s attention over the last few weeks, so it’s only natural that the session on autonomous vehicles might have flown under the radar.

It was mostly standard government hearing material with talks of “building a regulatory framework” and “the role of autonomous vehicles in society” by the House Energy and Commerce subcommittees, along with debates on litigation, accessibility, registration and several other topics. But, with the rise of companies like Uber, Amazon, and Tesla pushing the limits of autonomous vehicle tech, it’s only a matter of time until there’s a significant number of self-driving cars out on the road—even if it’s only in testing phases. Hence, setting rules and safety standards, as well as passing common sense legislation now is the best way to prep for any impending autonomous booms.

While there’s not much to report just yet, it’s reassuring to know that even though the US DOT is making safety concessions to some companies regarding manual controls, most law makers are (for now, at least) committed to avoiding fast-tracking any AV legislation that could jeopardize public safety.

Nikola Badger Pickup Could Give Tesla Cybertruck a Run for its Money

We cover Tesla a lot—its vehicles, its wacky CEO, and its potential competitors. One such possible contender actually shares its namesake with the ultra-popular Tesla brand. Or, at least, the man who inspired its name: Nikola Tesla.

Nikola, a forward-thinking vehicle company that has been largely focused on hybrid semi-truck design, just offered a first look at its very own EV consumer pickup, the Badger. While it’s only a brief first look at a rendering and some specs, it has still managed to raise a few eyebrows.

For starters, the company says the Badger will be capable of an astounding range of 600 miles, thanks to a dual-energy on-board system, consisting of a hydrogen tank and rechargeable fuel cells feeding a fully electric battery. Nikola also claims the Badger will be able to pump out 15-kw of power for as long as 12 hours, and produce up to 455 horsepower and 980 pound-feet of torque. Simply put, the Badger is designed to “handle what a construction company could throw at it” and more.

The fully electric Badger truck has even gotten the approval of diesel diehards like Heavy D, which goes a long way to giving this upstart truck some early street cred. If a fully-electric truck can win over those guys, we think it might have enough juice to at least make Cybertruck fans think twice.

Nikola is even planning to build 700 more hydrogen fueling stations throughout the country ahead of the Badger’s launch, ensuring owners will have the freedom to explore without range anxiety. Tesla, watch your back…

2021 Toyota Supra Debut

We have good news for all those folks who held off purchasing a new Toyota Supra. The 2021 version is here, and not only does it ramp up the turbo six’s power output, (now 382 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque) but it also offers a more affordable four-cylinder option.

While a four-cylinder base model is already available in European and Asian markets, it looks like us ‘Muricans are getting a beefier version: 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque with a 0-60 time of 5.0 seconds flat, according to MotorTrend. The new base Supra sheds the active and adaptive suspension, power control seats, several audio speakers, and about 200 pounds, but it does gain a new Safety and Technology package.

Watch the 2021 Toyota Supra debut before the Daytona 500 this past weekend:

Set to hit dealerships in June, there’s no official pricing information yet for the new 2021 Toyota Supra. However, you should expect the now-more powerful 3.0L version to rise above its current $50,945 price tag.

Jay Leno Headed to Automotive Hall of Fame

Legendary late-night comedian and hardcore car enthusiast Jay Leno is on his way to the Automotive Hall of Fame and we can’t think of a more fitting choice.

A long-time fan of virtually anything that goes vroom, Leno is one of the most famous collectors in pop culture today. From his popular tv show and Emmy Award-winning web series, both named Jay Leno’s Garage, to his massive collection of approximately 286 cars, (and counting) the famous funny man is a welcomed addition to the hall.

“Leno has dedicated a lifetime to sharing the stories of all things automotive from classic cars to super cars and everything in-between,” the auto hall said in its announcement. “He has showcased technology, innovation, and colorful history of the automobile, inspiring viewers to enjoy automobiles, from the most prosaic to the most exotic.”

The Engine Block is your one-stop source for any and all auto industry news. Keep an eye on our weekly round-up of enthusiast coverage, product reviews, vehicle spotlights, auto show/expo features, and more. Be sure to check back for our motorsports coverage this week. We’re tackling Formula 1 news, the 2020 Daytona 500, and the winners of the 49th Annual DIRTcar Nationals.