2022 was not the best year for the automotive industry, with supply chain issues causing all sorts of problems developing and building vehicles.
However, the march of progress carried on with the introduction of several amazing new features, and not just the electric powertrains that get the headlines.
A host of new innovations and technology debuted on a variety of vehicles.
Here are a few of the standouts that hit the road this year:
A lot of electric vehicles have storage spaces under their hoods that have come to be known as "frunks," and Ford's is the king. The F-150 Lightning electric pickup has a 14.1 cubic-foot frunk that can carry up to 400 pounds and is equipped with four power outlets that can draw 2.4-kilowatt-hours of power from the truck's battery pack.
The 1,000 horsepower GMC Hummer EV off-road pickup can go a lot of places other vehicles can't, including sideways. The electric truck is equipped with four-wheel-steering system that can either turn the front and rear wheels opposite each other to reduce the vehicle's turning radius or in the same direction up to 10 degrees to allow it to drive diagonally at low speeds in what GMC calls CrabWalk mode.
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The Rivian R1S SUV joined the R1T in the company's lineup this year and has one significant advantage over the pickup. With the second and third rows of seats folded down, there's enough room in the back to sleep inside the vehicle. A Camp Mode feature offered on both models takes advantage of the fact that there's no engine running or emissions and lets you keep the heat or air conditioning on all night. It also uses the vehicle's air suspension system to level out the vehicle if it's parked on uneven terrain.
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The Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is a new higher performance version of the sports car that's powered by a unique 5.5 liter V8 that features a flat-plane-crank design like an exotic or racing car that allows it to rev to a screaming 8,600 rpm and produce 670 hp. That makes it the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever made.
Genesis pulled out all the stops for its first electric vehicle, including a new way to get going in it. The GV60 has a facial recognition scanner that you can use to unlock the door without a key and a fingerprint scanner that lest you start it.
