TOKYO — Panasonic said on Monday it will begin mass production of a new lithium-ion battery for Tesla before the end of March 2024 at a plant in Japan.

Unveiled by the Japanese company in October, the 4680 format (46 millimeters wide and 80 millimeters tall) battery is around five times bigger than those currently supplied to Tesla, meaning the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker will be able to lower production costs.

In August 2021, Acura brand officer John Ikeda told Motor Trend, "Integra is not a replacement for ILX but Integra is our entry gateway vehicle. We don't plan on having something below that." Seems what he meant is that the Integra shouldn't be viewed as a new-generation of the ILX, because the Integra is replacing the ILX in every other way. In a video podcast on YouTube, two podcast hosts at Serra Acura said, "The Integra is replacing the ILX. That has been the clear message from them without saying the ILX is going away." Motor1 asked the Japanese luxury brand about the statement, getting the reply, "The 2022 model year is the final model year for the ILX, in anticipation of the new Integra."

The Acura spokesperson then followed up with, "The new Integra was developed from day 1 to deliver on the original lineage that began with Integra back in 1986 ... and will be the new entry point to the brand." This is in the vein of Ikeda's comment, where we're not meant to connect the Integra to the ILX, but see the two models as distinct branches in the family tree, like cousins by marriage instead of siblings. Acura wants this Integra to be seen as a delayed new generation for the lineup that ended in 2001 if you're a purist, or 2006 if you're willing to let the RSX into the house.

Driving a rugged Subaru through snowy weather is a rite of passage for some New Englanders, whose region is a top market for the Japanese automaker.

So it was a surprise to Subaru fans when Massachusetts dealerships started selling its line of 2022 vehicles without a key ingredient: the in-car wireless technology that connects drivers to music, navigation, roadside assistance and crash-avoiding sensors.

We cover a lot of cool car stuff here and much of it has to do with customizing cars, trucks, or SUVs. Of those custom vehicles, lots are big collaborative projects completed by a team or a YouTube channel. And that’s what makes this Audi V8 swapped into a Toyota MR2 so special because it’s one guy’s passion, and it’s finally finished.

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd for a packed hour of Rolls-Royce, Infiniti, Lexus and early Dodge Viper content. The two start by talking about what they've been driving, kicking off with the 2022 Toyota Land Cruiser Lexus LX 600, followed by stores from Greg's road trip in an Infiniti QX55. From there, it's on to the $485,000 Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge that Byron was loaned for a weekend lake cottage getaway. After that, they celebrate Autoblog Podcast #718 with some Porsche Cayman and Boxster anecdotes, followed by Byron's used vehicle spotlight on the early Dodge Viper. 

Lexus introduced the facelifted IS in 2020, but there's been radio silence on the fate of the RC coupe that debuted nearly a decade ago at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show.

Kimbal Musk (AP)

In the realm of driver controls, there is perhaps no interface more sacred than the steering wheel. Attempts to remake it have elicited justified anger, as nothing seems to violate our sense of dominion over the vehicle than tweaks to this humble hoop. That's not stopping automakers, though, and the latest re-think of the steering wheel comes from Toyota in the form of a rim that changes its thickness on the fly.

The reason, Toyota says in a patent filing discovered by a user on NewNissanZ (full PDF here), is that existing methods of lane keeping alerts can be distracting to the driver. These include beeps, flashing lights, vibrations to the steering wheel, or even a subtle push in the opposite direction when the computer believes the driver is straying from a lane.

The Nissan Leaf has received a light facelift for the European market. Unless you're a dedicated Leaf fan you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference, but the updates actually make the frumpy-looking Leaf a bit more high-tech, which is necessary for an EV to stand out these days. It also means we're likely to see the improved version on U.S. shores soon.

The freshened version wears a new grille — well, a sheet of material where a grille would be — that eschews chrome for a solid expanse of black. Gone is the blue square pattern from the old grille, replaced with molded hieroglyphic patterns on the edges. In fact, all traces of eco-blue highlights have been removed. Formerly, they resided on the front lip spoiler and the rear bumper graphic.

It has become de rigueur for automakers to offer up some sort of free charging offer with their new electric vehicles. Toyota is the latest to get added to the list with today's announcement that buyers of the upcoming bZ4X all-electric CUV will get one year of complimentary charging through EVgo, which Toyota calls the nation's largest public fast charging network.

To claim the free charging, bZ4X buyers or lessees will need to use the Toyota app on a mobile device, which can also be used to find the charging station locations. Once the free year is up, bZ4X drivers can continue to use EVgo stations by paying local rates. These differ from state to state, but generally cost between 25 and 40 cents, depending on which membership tier you choose.

For the third consecutive year, Mazda's entire lineup has aced the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's crash tests. All cars — the Mazda 3 in both sedan and hatchback form, as well as CX-30, CX-5, and CX-9 SUVs — scored a Top Safety Pick+ award, the highest accolade issued by the IIHS.

The IIHS conducts six tests on each car — a moderate overlap front crash, two small overlap front crashes for both driver and passenger, a side impact crash, a roof strength crush evaluation, and a head restraint test using just the car seat. The results are ranked out of four levels, with a green "Good" marker indicating the top tier. Mazda says that the CX-5, which is already 5 years and remains essentially unchanged since its 2017 intro, was the first car to receive a "Good" in the IIHS's tougher side impact test, something that won't factor into the results until 2023.

It is no secret that A80-generation Toyota Supra models are fetching insane sums of money at the moment and while this example can probably be purchased for less than it would if it was stock, it's still quite pricey.

Good morning and welcome to our daily digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…

You might assume the 2022 Infiniti QX80's interior is filled with outdated technology from when it launched here about 10 years ago, but that's not entirely true. You see, despite the rest of the car carrying over from the previous model year, the 2022 model year QX80 enjoys a refreshed interior.

While this interior is updated, there's no need to get overly excited. Nissan put the Armada through a mid-cycle refresh last year, and the QX80 essentially cribs all of its new bits directly from the Nissan. We've already tested the Armada, so we had an idea about what to expect when the refreshed QX80 landed at our doorstep.