Thursday was supposed to be the day that Super Nintendo World officially opened at Universal Studios in Japan. Even though that has been delayed indefinitely in the wake of rising COVID-19 infection rates, some lucky folks have had a sneak preview. A bunch of videos have emerged that show off the Osaka park in detail. Among them is a deep dive into Super Nintendo World's star attraction, the Mario Kart: Koopa's Challenge ride.

A 20-minute video on the Universal Parks News Today YouTube channel takes you through the entire ride, including a queue tour. The ride, which plays out like a Mario Kart game, looks like a blast. Each person controls their own kart in augmented reality and you can use items against other racers. You get a decent look at the AR effects in action (or about as close as you'll get without actually going on the ride). In another video, you can how everything looks without AR goggles.

Suzuki has introduced the highly anticipated third-generation Hayabusa. Developed for flat-out speed, the bike receives evolutionary styling updates, a redesigned engine, and a broader suite of electronic riding aids.

The original Hayabusa unexpectedly snatched the motorcycle world's top-speed crown shortly after its introduction in 1999. The second-generation model released in 2008 built on its predecessor's achievements, but emissions regulations killed it in 2018. Consigning the nameplate to the history book wasn't an option, however.

The Toyota GR Yaris is the latest vehicle that was subjected to the moose test by Km77, and it might just be the one to have aced it, after a long string of disappointments.

The Japanese interwebs are swirling with the prospect of not only a standard GR Corolla hatchback waiting in the wings, but a fast long-roof variant as well. And with a soft spot for rapid estate cars, we wonder whether such a performance car would fare well outside of Japan.

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by News Editor Joel Stocksdale and Associate Editor Byron Hurd. It's a packed show this week, and the three dive straight into the week's truck loads of news, starting with the unveiling of the Cadillac CT4-V and CT5-V Blackwing variants, followed by the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor and the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder and Frontier. Next, they move on to what they've been driving. For Byron, that means more trucks. Lots and lots of trucks. Joel recently spent some time behind the wheel of a Bronco Sport, and the three discuss its merits as both an off- and on-road crossover. From this, they segue into a "Spend My Money" featuring Senior Producer Chris McGraw's neighbor, who acquired an older Forest Service Bronco and wants tips on what to do with it. 

If you have the spare money, owning a dedicated track car can be an excellent way to fine-tune your driving skills while having fun in a safe and controlled environment without the risk of getting sprung and fined by the police. The setup pictured is just about perfect for Honda enthusiasts.

With the introduction of the new 2022 Nissan Pathfinder, we wanted to take a look at the long-running SUV's history. And while this Pathfinder is more of an evolution of the previous model, it turns out that the SUV's history is a topsy-turvy one filled with wholesale reinventions.

In quick summary, the Pathfinder went from a body-on-frame, truck-like SUV, to a unibody crossover, back to a body-on-frame SUV, and then back to unibody construction. The flip-flopping finally stops with the fifth generation 2022 Pathfinder that made its debut yesterday, which retains the same unibody construction as the previous Pathfinder.

While General Motors is touting its EV strategy and starting a feud with Norway, Toyota is taking a very different tack for its Super Bowl ad. It actually doesn't talk about cars at all, instead telling a short story about a Paralympic athlete.

The commercial focuses on Jessica Long and her life. She was born in Russia with a condition that led to her legs being amputated. Not only that, but she was an orphan. She found a home with her adopted parents in the U.S., and as a kid started swimming. All of this is portrayed in background vignettes while present-day Long swims past them. The one part that doesn't get shown is the fact that Long has been to the Paralympics four times and earned 23 medals, the second most medals of any American Paralympian.

The facelifted 2021 Nissan Kicks is now officially on sale, offering revised looks as well as more standard equipment.

For the first time in 64 years, there will not be a Toyota Land Cruiser sold in the U.S. The venerable off-roader is not in Toyota's 2021 American lineup, but the rest of the world will still get the next-generation Cruiser, called the 300 series internally, later this year. However, we may still receive a version of it badged as the Lexus LX. Here's what a new report suggests we might see.

According to the Japan's Best Car magazine, will be more differentiated from its Land Cruiser cousin. The exterior is reportedly more unique, and the interior designed to be more suitable for a flagship luxury SUV. It'll still wear a version of the Lexus spindle grille, with different hood, fenders and quarter panels than the Cruiser. Naturally, the head- and taillights will differ as well.

The V8 engine may not be long for this world, but before it disappears forever Lexus may give it a proper sendoff with a trio of eight-cylinder F cars. If reports out of Japan are true, Lexus is working on high-performance F variants of the IS and LS sedans, as well as the LC flagship coupe.

The story comes form Japan's Best Car magazine, which claims the Lexus IS F will soon be making a return. Based on the updated 2021 Lexus IS, it will run an up-tuned engine that puts out 474 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque. That's a 58-horse and 24-lb-ft increase from the last IS F.

Nissan has dropped some major product in recent weeks. There's been a new Rogue, updated Armada, Ariya EV, the long-awaited Z, and just yesterday, a new Frontier and Pathfinder. But Nissan's not done yet. They've also just dropped a teaser for the new European-market Qashqai, known as the Rogue Sport in the U.S.

The 15-second video shows quite a few features. Exterior-wise, there's a dramatically angled boomerang headlight, a contrasting-color roof with what looks like a panoramic sunroof, and some nice surfacing, particularly around the hood and rear trunk. From what we can see, the styling looks a bit stronger and defined than the somewhat anonymous current generation.

Toyota has officially earned the most patents of any automaker in the U.S. In 2020, its scientists and engineers were awarded 2,819 patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, a 4 percent increase over 2019.

Can you tell the correct tire size and loading capacity of your 2020 Infiniti QX50 by reading the placard? Probably not, if your vehicle is involved in the latest safety campaign conducted by Nissan and the NHTSA in the United States.