Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) continue to infiltrate the automotive world. The latest car-centric spin on the collectible of our strange times comes from none other than Hot Wheels. The Mattel brand plans to release a series of NFTs based on its iconic toy cars, with automakers like Chevrolet and Honda getting in on the action as well.

This is actually the second batch of Hot Wheels NFTs to be released. The first came toward the end of 2021, but did not include the chance to score "real" cars alongside the NFTs. They were based on vehicles of Hot Wheels' own design, like the Twin Mill show car. This time around, the virtual set includes cars that exist in real life, such as the Corvette C8.R, Honda Civic Type R, Honda S2000, and a 1955 Chevy Bel Air gasser.

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

The 2022 Nissan Pathfinder has 16.6 cubic-feet of space behind its raised third row. That's basically the same as the Honda Pilot (16.5), a bit bigger than the Toyota Highlander (16.0) and a lot bigger than the Mazda CX-9, but a fair bit smaller than the Hyundai Palisade (18.0), Kia Telluride (21.0) and VW Atlas (20.6). All of those links go to their respective luggage tests.

Alright, so that's how the Pathfinder's cargo space compares to those on paper. You know the drill, here's what it is in terms of actual stuff.

Last week, CarBuzz dug up nine Honda patent applications with the European Union Intellectual Property Office that could signal a westward expansion of the automaker's aims. Honda's been showing conceptual electric vehicles in China over the last 18 months. At Auto Beijing in 2020 we saw the E:Concept two-door crossover. Come the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2021, the E had been shrunk to e for a redesigned, four-door electric crossover called the e:Prototype. Then at Auto Beijing in October 2021, Honda showed five EV concepts for the Chinese market to be sold under a regional sub-brand called e:N; of those five, the first production models were to be called e:NS1 and e:NP1, both looking like remade versions of the HR-V. That's the long way of setting the table for the EUIPO filings—it's expected the nine electric vehicle name applications from e:Ny2 to e:Ny9 would potentially become production EVs for Europe. The range of models on the way will sit on a trio of platforms devoted to front-, rear- and all-wheel-drive vehicles. 

Honda didn't include e:Ny1 in the patent applications, which started with e:Ny2. Perhaps the first number was saved for conceptual use, because a few days later, Honda showed Europe an e:Ny1 prototype. Car magazine says it is pronounced "Anyone." It looks like the HR-V that Honda sells in Europe and Japan now, which itself looks like the e:Prototype Honda revealed in Shanghai last April. Honda Europe execs said it presages a B-segment electric crossover that will "be at the center of Honda's future product line-up" there, targeting "families looking for their first EV." That puts it about the size of the Honda Jazz/Fit on which the Euro HR-V is based. The crossover model is expected in 2023, sitting on a stretched version of the Honda e architecture to carry a bigger battery enabling a longer range than the 137 miles possible in the Honda e, as well as "greater space, versatility and, range." If it cribs from the e:Ns1 and e:NP1 in China, the European EV will fit a 68.8-kWh battery. In China, that pack is good for a 311-mile range.   

Toyota has been leaving some semi-cryptic teasers the last couple months about its upcoming GR Corolla hot hatch. Now it's becoming more explicit. The company released two up-close shots of some of the car's details, and additionally, it finally provided a reveal date: March 31.

The first teaser, shown at the top, is of the car's front left fender. It has a large air extractor vent, and right next to it is the familiar black-and-red GR badge shared with the GR 86, GR Supra and GR Yaris. It's hard to tell from this angle, but we suspect that fender sticks out farther than on a standard Corolla, too.

A 1994 Mazda RX-7 comprehensively modified by Japanese tuner RE Amemiya is currently up for auction on eBay.

This is an independent design from Jordan Rubinstein-Towler that is neither endorsed by nor related to Acura or Honda.

SAN FRANCISCO — Japan's Toyota Motor and Aurora Innovation Inc, a U.S. developer of automated driving systems, have started testing autonomous ride-hailing fleet in Texas, with two safety operators and no passenger on board, Aurora said.

Toyota's Sienna minivans, retrofitted with Aurora's self-driving system, will be tested on highways and suburban streets in the Dallas-Fort-Worth area, with the operation including trips en route to an airport.

The Hyundai Elantra N and Subaru WRX make for a great duel when it comes to affordable performance-focused sedans. Edmunds put them into a test in order to how well their similar specs – setting aside the FWD / AWD layout – stack up in real life. The results were surprising, with the Hyundai showing its supremacy.

When the Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX was discontinued it was a sad day. That sleek model was a punchy turbocharged sports car that sent power to all four wheels and it never returned. Now, one guy has decided to build the car Mitsubishi was never brave enough to: a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive version of the last-generation Eclipse.

The Mazda RX-7 has quickly become unattainable for most people due to soaring prices and despite its value, there are plenty of examples out there that have been comprehensively modified. This particular RX-7 featured on an episode from That Racing Channel is one of them.

Mitsubishi Motors has not had a very good decade. Their lineup has dwindled down to four models and the the company has struggled to stay relevant as a brand as they hemorrhage market share. However, a new Triton Ralliart truck shows some signs of life in a company once rich with enthusiast-oriented offerings.

The Mitsubishi Triton Ralliart will participate in the 2022 Asia Cross Country Rally, which takes place primarily in Thailand. The Triton is built there and exported throughout southeast Asia, which happens to be one of the few markets in which Mitsubishi still enjoys decent sales.

Nissan is making good on its promise of electrification. The Yokohama-based company has announced that it will only introduce electrified vehicles for the European market starting in 2023.

That's a shorter timeline than expected, but it follows with Nissan's plan to halt development of almost all combustion engines that was publicized in early February. Today, Nissan made it official, saying that will "end investment in new pure internal combustion engines for passenger vehicles" in a release. It also explains, to the chagrin of European enthusiasts, why the 2023 Nissan Z won't be sold on that continent.

Prices of many Japanese sports cars from the late 1990s through to the mid-2000s have soared over the past couple of years and we have just come across a particularly desirable 2007 Nissan 350Z on the used car market. Given how little it has been driven, it could prove to be quite a good investment.