Rivian Automotive, which is backed by Amazon, is targeting a valuation of more than $53 billion for its U.S. debut, which could make the electric vehicle manufacturer as valuable as rival Honda Motor.
The Wall Street Journal was reporting a valuation of just over $60 billion.
Toyota will be adding the much-revered AE86 to its Gazoo Racing Heritage Parts Program. The project re-manufactures discontinued parts for classic Toyota models and sells them as new. It focuses on models beloved by enthusiasts so that they can keep their cars on the road.
Toyota announced its induction into the Heritage Parts Program just three days after the second-generation Toyota 86 debuted in Japan. Currently, there are only a few parts available, left and right rear brake calipers and steering knuckle arms. Rear axle shafts will join the lineup in December.
Lexus has announced the 2022 LC 500 coupe, 500h hybrid coupe and LC 500 Convertible. The changes are as subtle here as they were on the LS 500. The coupe's suspension has been "optimized to enhance ground contact feel, linear steering response and steering effectiveness [at] high G," we're told, and that's as close as we get to knowing what Lexus engineers did. After that, there are a few changes that could be spotted at ten feet. One is the Sport Package gaining a 21-inch forged alloy wheel to replace the 20-inch wheel for the 2021 LC 500 hardtop.
There's another revision to the Sport Package thanks to Lexus introducing its Bespoke Build program, which will open up a new menu of performance and cosmetic options. The current LC 500 Coupe offers two Sport Packages, one with a glass roof, one with a carbon roof. From 2022, the weaved lid will only be available to Bespoke Build buyers, which starts with a coupe fitted with the carbon roof Sport Package and the All-Weather Package. The customization choices will get their own configurator page come November 17, laying out exclusive color options like the Manhattenhenge interior and exclusive components like the carbon fiber rear wing and 21-inch forged alloy wheels that were previously limited to the LC Inspiration Series. Each Bespoke Build will also come with an interior badge and a certificate of authenticity.
The Lexus LS 500 glides into 2022 with a modicum of changes. The most notable update for new owners will be the retuned suspension, spring and damper rates adjusted to provide a more comfortable ride and anti-roll bars enlarged to tamp down body roll. On sedans optioned with the adjustable-ride-height function, Lexus said that feature has been "enhanced" to make getting in and out even easier.
Output from the 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 doesn't change from 416 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, but a trio of tweaks are said to upgrade the experience. Reshaped tops on the pistons deliver "quiet operation when cold" — as if engine noise has ever been a Lexus problem — and lower emissions. New wastegate control logic means better turbo efficiency. And the 10-speed automatic transmission gets recalibrated shift mapping to keep the engine in the meatier part of the power band.
Front-wheel-drive sporty cars with wild body kits and eye-searing graphics became increasingly popular in North America during the 1990s, but it took the enormous mainstream success of the first Fast and Furious movie in 2001 to place bewinged sport compacts with giant tailpipes in every town from Nome to Naples. No doubt due to the narrative-enhancing role of the cop-purchased 2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse and its Robo Car Aero Armor body kit in The Fast and the Furious, the second-generation Eclipse (and its Eagle twin, the Talon) built by Diamond Star Motors in Illinois became the car to have by the middle 2000s… and the only way to improve on a full complement of flares, scoops, and wings was the conversion of the doors to use scissors-style aka Lambo hinge mechanisms. You'd think a car so equipped would be sufficiently desirable to stay on the happy side of the boneyard fence (Those are the doors of a billionaire, after all. -Ed), but such was not the case with this '98 in the Denver area.
The Suzuki Baleno hatchback has scored an abysmal zero star rating in the Latin NCAP test. It's not the first time Suzuki has been awarded no stars for one of their Latin American products, as just two months ago, the Suzuki Swift plumbed to similar depths. And the Baleno wasn't alone, with Toyota's Yaris sedan, which is produces in Brazil and Thailand, awarded just a single star out of a possible five.
Honda/Acura Integra Type Rs are not a common sight in the U.S. but this particular example currently up for auction is even rarer than most.
Pricing details for the 2022 Honda Pilot have just been announced, including the new entry-level Sport variant.
In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor James Riswick. They've been driving some exciting new EVs, like the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT and the Mercedes-Benz EQS. They also discuss driving the new Subaru Forester Wilderness, as well as the perfectly agreeable Toyota Camry XSE Hybrid. James compares four big-name off-roaders — the Ford Bronco, Jeep Wrangler, Toyota 4Runner and Land Rover Defender — based on their ability to accommodate a big load of luggage.
Next they reach into the mailbag for comments on the Genesis GV70, as well as a Spend My Money question about replacing a wrecked Subaru Ascent with another three-row SUV.
The buzz surrounding the new Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz proves there's plenty of interest in small pick-up trucks right now. Certainly, more than there was at Subaru dealers when the company launched the bizarre Baja back in 2002.
After its reveal a few months ago, the Toyota bZ4X electric crossover finally has a comprehensive set of specifications before it goes on sale next year. The futuristic looking EV angular exterior panels and a grille-less front end stretches 184.6 inches from bumper to bumper, 73.2 inches wide, and 64.9 inches tall. For context, that's about three inches longer, almost exactly as wide, and roughly half an inch narrower than the current RAV4, yet the wheelbase is around six inches longer.
The sheet metal hides an architecture called e-TNGA that was developed jointly by Toyota and Subaru. In its standard configuration, the 4,232-pound bZ4X is powered by a single electric motor that zaps the front wheels with 201 horsepower. Optionally, buyers can add an electric motor to the rear axle for through-the-road all-wheel-drive and a 214-horsepower output, with each motor making 107 horses. That doubling the motor count only adds 13 horses underlines this wasn't designed as a sports car; hitting 62 mph from a stop takes 8.4 seconds with one motor and 7.7 with two.
Nissan is set to make a big splash at the 2021 SEMA show with a bevy of modified cars. The rides tick boxes in both the off-road and motorsports columns, with a dash of rally history and a bit of star power mixed in.
Leading the charge is the modified Datsun 240Z belonging to actor Sung Kang of Fast & Furious fame. This is a new 240Z build, not to be confused with the low-down Fugu Z that Kang brought to SEMA several years ago. Instead, this Z rides high, a tribute to the Datsun 240Z that won the 1971 East African Safari Rally half a century ago.
Lexus was late to the premium subcompact luxury game, entering the ever-expanding segment three years ago with the UX SUV. It's offered in two versions. The UX 200 is equipped with a gasoline-fueled 2.0-liter engine powering the front wheels only; the UX 250h is a little more powerful and fuel efficient with an added hybrid component and optional all-wheel drive. Either way, it's the smallest and least-expensive vehicle Lexus offers.
As you would expect, voluminous interior space isn't a priority in this small luxury SUV segment. Still, the UX is one of the smallest entries. It also doesn't offer as much driving enjoyment as some competitors, with slow acceleration being a particular detraction regardless of powertrain. In those ways, its European competitors are handily superior. Still, the distinctive design and the hybrid system's excellent efficiency are two major selling points, and even if we wouldn't call the UX fun, its composed handling and comfortable ride yield a perfectly pleasant driving experience.
As expected, Honda has reworked its 2022 Pilot trim lines and pricing to put much-needed space between it and the Passport. When Pilot pricing emerged two months ago, Honda omitted figures for the entry-level LX trim and the EX above it, informing everyone that there'd be a "well-equipped new entry trim level aimed at younger buyers and active lifestyles, offsetting the no longer available LX and EX entry trim levels." Then a tipster wrote to tell us that a new entry-level Pilot Sport trim would replace the LX and EX and be "very similar" to the base Passport Sport. That tipster didn't lie. Honda went a touch further with standard equipment on the Pilot Sport, giving it a heated front seats and a power driver's seat, which the Passport Sport doesn't get.
The carmaker's going to charge for its largesse, though, with the 2022 Pilot Sport starting at $38,055 after the $1,225 destination charge. Adding all-wheel drive to the 2022 Pilot takes MSRP up to $40,055. The front-wheel-drive model comes in at $4,280 more than the former entry-level 2021 Pilot LX, partly reflected in the new Pilot's larger 20-inch wheels and larger eight-inch infotainment display. More important, it puts next year's Pilot $4,040 above the Passport. In 2021, the base Passport started at $34,015, which was $240 more than the 2021 Pilot LX. In conjunction with the Passport's new redesign that further separates it from the Pilot, buyers hopefully won't need to stand on the dealership floor wondering why they shouldn't just take the third row for less money.