I drove the 2022 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Bronze Edition back in January, which was awkward timing, really. Bronze seems like an odd choice for an Olympic year. Sure, it's thematically consistent, but it also seems a bit self-deprecating. While it wouldn't make much sense to call something with bronze wheels a "Gold" or "Silver" edition, we've already seen the liberties Toyota is willing to take with its special edition model names. Surely something that didn't suggest a third-place finish was available?

The Highlander was delivered in frigid conditions that persisted throughout the week. This immediately reminded me just how long it takes to heat the cabin of a three-row crossover in sub-freezing temperatures. The hybrid powertrain didn't seem to make matters better. The Highlander frequently started up without the internal combustion engine, which seems problematic when you want to circulate coolant to run a heater, but I'm certain Toyota's engineers thought of that. And the seat and steering wheel heaters — which couldn't possibly rely on hot water from the engine — were just as sluggish.

TOKYO - Mazda said on Thursday it would suspend production at its two domestic factories for two days in April due to auto parts supply disruptions.

Mazda operates two vehicle assembly plants in Japan. Its Hofu (Yamaguchi prefecture) facility traditional built compact and subcompact lines but was overhauled in 2021 to accommodate production of the CX-5 and Mazda6. 

Remember the story about the unknown guy who rented a Tesla that was totaled in a ridiculously stupid jump stunt on a public road in Los Angeles? As you already know, there's pretty much no such thing as a victimless crime, and one of the victims of this one is Jordan Hook, whose Subaru Forester brought the out-of-control Tesla to its final resting place and was similarly totaled in the process.

Well, here's a bit of good news: Hook's GoFundMe goal has been reached. As is often the case with such things, there were lots of twists and turns — a video was uploaded, then deleted with a new followup video in its place — and all we know now is that there has been enough money donated that Hook can repair or replace his broken Subaru.

With the last generation of Honda Civic, Honda dropped the hybrid variant in the U.S. in favor of reviving the Insight. And that Insight was mostly a restyled Civic sedan with only a hybrid engine. For the new, eleventh generation Civic, Honda has once again added a hybrid to the nameplate, at least in Europe. And it raises a lot of questions about Honda's entry-level hybrid plans for the U.S.

Its official name is the Honda Civic e:HEV, and it's basically the same as a regular Civic hatchback inside and out. The difference is under the hood where it features a familiar 2.0-liter hybrid four-cylinder engine with Honda's dual-motor electric CVT system. Just like its implementation in the CR-V Hybrid and Accord Hybrid, the Civic e:HEV makes 181 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque, or, as Honda likes to put it, 212 combined system horsepower. Honda says it's targeting 47 mpg in the European WLTP test. That seems quite feasible, since the bigger Accord Hybrid can achieve that same number on EPA testing.

Team Autoblog loves pets. In fact, as soon as we saw this press release, we turned our internal Slack conversation into a virtual dog park, sharing the latest photos we've taken with our own furry friends. So when Subaru announces that it helped find homes for more than 36,000 shelter pets during its most recent Subaru Loves Pets month in October 2021, we're honor bound to report it. Good on you, Subaru of America.

This is the second year of the automaker's now-annual Subaru Loves Pets month, and in total, it has helped rehome nearly 60,000 animals. But Subaru actually has a long and successful history with shelter animals; over the years, the automaker says it "has supported the rescue and adoption of nearly 350,000 animals nationwide."

The next-gen 2023 Honda HR-V will be revealed on April 4. That's less than two weeks away, and to get ready for the reveal, we have a small teaser photo as a preview.

The single photo shows the HR-V taillight design, and it also tells us that the little crossover will feature LED taillights. It's finished in a dark gray paint and has the HR-V logo in the bottom left corner of the hatch. Beyond this, the information to be gleaned from the photo is slim.

This is the Toyota GR Supra GT4 ‘50 Edition', a limited-run version of the GR Supra GT4 race car that will be restricted to just six units worldwide.

Honda's motorcycle division is keeping busy. While its car-making counterpart was inaugurating a wind tunnel in Ohio, Honda used the Osaka Motorcycle Show in Japan to unveil a number of new models including the sporty Hawk 11 and a new version of the Dax.

One of the Hawk 11's most striking styling cues is the front cowl, which is shaped like the unit fitted to race motorcycles in the 1960s. It incorporates a round LED headlight and a small windscreen, and round mirrors on thin mounts poke out from either side. The rest of the Hawk 11 is pretty bare, so the engine is exposed for everyone to see. It's a look that's inspired by older bikes without being full-on retro.

Engineers in Honda's research and development department have a powerful new tool at their disposal. The Japanese company invested $124 million to develop and build a surprisingly advanced wind tunnel that can be used to test a Civic, a race car and anything in between.

The main and most widely-known function of a wind tunnel is fine-tuning a vehicle's aerodynamic profile, but Honda notes that it will also use the facility to test wind noise in a controlled environment. And, it plans to develop some of its future race cars in it. Building a wind tunnel that lets engineers carry out these three tasks required the use of seriously impressive hardware that explains the project's nine-digit price tag.

TOKYO — Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor Corp and 'flying car' firm SkyDrive Inc said on Tuesday they have signed a deal to team up in research, development and marketing of electric, vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.

In a joint statement, the two companies said they will also work to open up new markets with an initial focus on India, where Suzuki has a roughly half share of the auto market. Suzuki announced on Sunday it plans to invest 104.4 billion rupees ($1.37 billion) in its India factory to produce electric vehicles and batteries.

W Motors is known for the Lykan HyperSport and Fenyr SuperSport but the company is not limited to exotic hypercars. Its latest model, called Giath Smart Patrol, is a bespoke Nissan Patrol-based SUV designed for the Dubai Police, making its debut through a short video published on W Motor's official website. Note that this model is different from the Giath that was unveiled back in 2018 and is based on the Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban.

A year ago, Toyota announced it would bring its Teammate SAE Level 2 advanced driver assistance suite to the U.S. on the Lexus LS500 and the second-generation Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. The Lexus is out, and the 2022 Mirai is officially on its way. Two capabilities make up Teammate: Advanced Park and Advanced Drive. The former does just what it sounds like, taking over steering, acceleration, braking, and gear changes to complete parallel or perpendicular parking maneuvers. 

Advanced Drive does the same when driving, allowing "hands-free driving on limited access highways under certain conditions with eyes-on-the-road operation." It steers, accelerates, brakes, and is also said to be able to change lanes, to pass other vehicles. and to "navigate certain interchanges." 

What appears to be a heavily modified first-gen Dacia Duster is likely a testing mule for the Alpine GT X-Over, the brand’s first all-electric SUV scheduled to debut in 2025. Development of the fully electric SUV, first teased last year, is well underway, with the mule being spotted during winter testing alongside the Nissan Ariya sibling and an Alpine A110.

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