Aurelia Butler

The 2023 Nissan Ariya EV has been transformed into a woody-style concept called the Surfwagon that’ll debut at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas.To our eyes, the Surfwagon’s wood-panel vinyl wrap and huge brightly colored spokeless rims with whitewall tires don’t mesh well. Nissan wants the Surfwagon to encourage electric-vehicle customization, which is great, but we think this concept is a weird one.Some things just don’t go together well. Oil and water, dumb people and scientific facts, and chunky electric SUVs with fake wood side panels. The latter example is the only one that’s relevant here, and it describes the 2023 Nissan Ariya Surfwagon concept that’s set to debut at this year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association show (now known as just SEMA).NissanWe’re gonna be blunt here. The woody-inspired Surfwagon concept that Nissan commissioned South Carolina-based Tommy Pike Customs to build looks weird. After all, the electric Ariya’s tall and bulbous shape isn’t exactly an attractive canvas to work with. Perhaps that’s why its wood-panel vinyl wrap looks so out of place to our eyes. It’s mostly the unnatural way the simulated wood trim pieces bend and break around the SUV’s body.NissanUsually, a set of whitewall tires mounted on brightly painted spokeless rims is a pairing that catches our attention. The Surfwagon’s wheel-and-tire combo definitely makes our jaw drop, just not in a good way. The 20-inch wheels have too much dish and the tires have too little whitewall, creating a strange aesthetic. We think it’d look better with smaller-diameter rims and fatter rubber with thicker whitewalls.Ariyas That Are Easier to Look AtObviously, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Nissan intends for the Ariya Surfwagon to encourage people to customize electric vehicles. Hey, we’re all for creativity and individuality, but that doesn’t mean we have to think this concept is pretty. We do think the roof rake for surfboards and the lowered suspension are nice touches, so there’s that.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

For the 2022 SEMA show, Nissan is presenting a 1987 Sunny pickup with an EV conversion done by Tommy Pike Customs.The Sunny now utilizes the 40-kWh battery and 147-hp electric motor from a Nissan Leaf.Completing the Leaf-powered Sunny’s look are 17-inch Rotiform wheels, a widebody kit, and a livery inspired by 1970s Datsun race cars.At last year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, Ford revealed the F-100 Eluminator concept, a 1978 pickup retrofitted with two electric motors from the Mustang Mach-E GT that married old-school looks with 480 horsepower and 634 pound-feet of torque. For the 2022 edition of SEMA, Nissan follows a similar path, electrifying a classic truck design, albeit with much less power, by shoving a Nissan Leaf powertrain into a 1987 Sunny. NissanThe truck, modified by South Carolina–based Tommy Pike Customs, uses a 40-kWh lithium-ion battery from a base Leaf S, paired with the single motor that’s good for 147 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. That may not sound like a lot, but the Sunny is a small vehicle, and it has approximately twice as much power and three times as much torque as the car’s original gas engine produced. Nissan doesn’t say where the electric motor is mounted on the Sunny, but we hope it powers the rear wheels. The electrified pickup apparently retains the original manual transmission too, although Nissan doesn’t explain exactly how that works. It also receives the front suspension from a first-generation Nissan 240SX, along with heavy-duty rear leaf springs.More Electrified ClassicsThe Sunny looks fantastic thanks to a wide-body kit that accentuates its squared-off design, as well as a red, white, and blue livery that pays homage to Datsuns raced by Brock Racing Enterprises in the 1970s. LED headlights give the ’80s classic a modern look, while the 17-inch Rotiform wheels take inspiration from vintage motorsports. For now, the Leaf-powered Sunny remains a one-off, but maybe Nissan will start offering electric crate motors similar to what Ford does with its Eluminator powertrain.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Volkswagen says its performance R sub-brand will be an EV-only lineup by decade’s end, according to a report in the U.K.’s Autocar.The transition is planned to occur gradually, and on a new EV platform, with several unnamed electric R models in planning already, VW reportedly said.Volkswagen as a whole is targeting 2035 to be a fully electric brand.Volkswagen, like so many other manufacturers, bound by regulations, and driven by an arms race of sorts, promised future electrification across the brand. For Volkswagen, that date is 2035, the year that sales of new gasoline- and diesel-powered vehices will become outlawed throughout the EU. Unfortunately, that also includes Volkswagen’s R performance sub-brand. The company confirmed in a recent interview with Autocar that the R performance brand will make that switch a full five years before the rest of the brand—in 2030.R Themed CarsThe only R brand model currently on sale in the United States is the Golf R, although vehicles including the Tiguan R and Arteon R are sold in Europe. Volkswagen confirmed to U.K. publication Autocar that the company is currently in the planning stages for multiple electric R models. “One thing is certain: the future of R is electric,” a company spokesperson is quoted as saying. VW also said future electric R models will receive trickle-down technology much like their internal-combustion counterparts. We hope that means seeing performance figures anywhere in the same universe as the prototype I.D. R, which set a Nürburgring EV record in 2019.Volkswagen”In order to become a fully electric brand by the end of the decade, we’re already taking the necessary steps today for the forthcoming transformation,” VW’s Reinhold Ivenz told Autocar. According to this story, future R models will be built on a version of the Volkswagen Group’s Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which is the company’s EV platform set to succeed the current MEB platform in 2026. What does that mean for the current Golf R? It indicates that it’s unlikely the Golf R as we know and love it will make a direct transition to an electric vehicle, and the same goes for R versions of any vehicles that are going to be sold as ICE in the shorter term. However, VW does say it has “several” of the new R models in the works, so we can likely expect to start seeing those before too long.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

The 2023 Honda Civic Type R has a starting price of $43,990—about $5k more than its predecessor.The redesigned CTR is still about $1000 less than the limited-production Limited Edition from the previous generation.Honda says the 2023 Civic Type R will start hitting dealerships in the U.S. tomorrow.Those who want to live fast and furiously with the 2023 Civic Type R will have to shell out at least $43,990. That’s the starting price—before any dealer markups—that Honda is asking for its hottest hatchback, which the company says will start hitting U.S. dealer lots tomorrow.The redesigned CTR’s raised base price means it costs about $5000 more than its predecessor, which opened at $38,910 for the 2021 model year. Still, the ’23 Type R isn’t the most expensive Type R ever sold in America. That title goes to the previous-gen Limited Edition that cost around $45k during its limited production run.HondaWith today’s news, the new Civic Type R is now in the same monetary territory as the all-wheel-drive 315-hp 2023 Volkswagen Golf R and its $45,385 base price. Obviously, the big difference between the two hatches is the mightiest Civic only comes with front-wheel drive. In that regard, the 2023 CTR costs just over $10,000 more than the front-drive-only 286-hp Hyundai Elantra N.R-equired Type R ReadingLike the outgoing model, we don’t expect the 2023 Honda Civic Type R to offer many options. However, we’re told its standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S summer rubber can be swapped for an even stickier set of Cup 2 tires. We just don’t yet know how expensive of an upgrade that will be because Honda hasn’t said.For anyone who cares, the ’23 Type R’s EPA fuel-economy figures have also been released. It’s rated at 22 mpg city, 28 highway, and 24 combined. Those ratings are almost identical to the previous generation which had a higher combined estimate of 25 mpg.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More

Ford announced towing capacities for its Super Duty heavy-duty truck lineup, with the top-spec F-450 able to haul 40,000 pounds with a gooseneck trailer.Ford also says the Super Duty has a payload rated up to 8000 pounds, besting its competition from Chevrolet and Ram.Horsepower and torque figures were also revealed for the new 6.8-liter V-8 and the High Output version of the Power Stroke diesel, which makes 500 hp and 1200 pound-feet.Ford recently took the wraps off the 2023 Super Duty pickup trucks, revealing a fresh design with a squared-off face and bold grilles, as well as upgraded interiors with an available 12.0-inch touchscreen. The Super Duty also arrived packing a new 6.8-liter gas-powered V-8 that joins the gas-fed 7.3-liter V-8 and diesel-sipping 6.7-liter V-8. Now Ford has announced the official towing ratings for the 2023 Super Duty lineup, blasting its competitors out of the water with a maximum available 40,000 pounds of towing capacity. FordThat 40,000-pound figure is for the largest Ford F-450 pulling a gooseneck trailer. This puts the Blue Oval well ahead of its heavy duty competition, with the Chevrolet Silverado HD topping out at 36,000 pounds and the Ram HD maxing out at 37,090 pounds. Even stepping down to the Ford F-350 allows you to haul 38,000 pounds via a gooseneck trailer. Ford also claims to be best in class with a conventional towing setup, topping out at 30,000 pounds, and says the Super Duty maxes out at an 8000-pound payload, several hundred pounds higher than its competitors from Chevy and Ram. FordFord has also unveiled the horsepower and torque ratings for the 2023 Super Duty. The new 6.8-liter starts things off with 405 hp and 445 pound-feet, while the beefier 7.3-liter carries over with 430 horses and 485 pound-feet. But the real towing king is the 6.7-liter Power Stroke V-8 diesel, offered in two outputs. The standard version still makes 475 hp and 1050 pound-feet, but a new High Output specification ups that to a massive 500 hp and 1200 pound-feet of torque. A 10-speed automatic is the only transmission choice, and four-wheel-drive is standard starting on the XLT trim.More Ford NewsThe Super Duty trucks will come packed with tech to make towing easier, such as Pro Trailer Hitch Assist to help you affix the hitch ball to the receiver, and an optional 360-degree camera and on-board scales to help even out the weight distribution. There is even a specific trailer navigation setting that chooses the easiest route for towing. Deliveries of the 2023 Super Duty will start early next year, and Ford has now announced that the truck lineup will start at $45,765.This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.This content is imported from OpenWeb. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site. More