Motor News

The Land Rover brand isn’t dead, despite reports that misinterpreted the British automaker’s new branding strategy.In a statement to Car and Driver, Jaguar Land Rover (now JLR) confirmed the Land Rover name will carry on. JLR yesterday announced plans to divide the Defender, Discovery, Range Rover, and Jaguar brands into four subbrands.Reports circulating online about Land Rover’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. After news surfaced earlier today that the storied brand was dead, Car and Driver reached out directly to Jaguar Land Rover (now officially called JLR), who confirmed the beloved Land Rover name will live on.”We are not losing the Land Rover name; its spirit is—and will continue to be—a crucial part of our DNA,” the company said in a written statement.With JLR yesterday announcing a new branding strategy, it appears the fake news resulted from misinterpreted details. Those include the company’s plans to bring the Defender and Discovery nameplates to the forefront. Range Rover and Jaguar are also included in this four-pronged approach, which is part of what JLR is calling its “House of Brands” strategy. The goal of this initiative is said to help make each brand more distinctive. So don’t expect to see any more models using the clunky Land Rover Range Rover nomenclature.JLR’s New FutureThe British automaker’s rebranding is also part of a larger plan that includes making its Halewood plant in the U.K. an all-electric production factory as well as introducing its new medium-sized EV SUV platform, which will be based on the company’s Electrified Modular Platform (EMA). JLR says later this year it will start accepting pre-orders for the upcoming electric Range Rover, which is slated to launch in 2025. Alongside its new EVs, JLR will continue to offer gas-burning and hybrid models.Finally, Jaguar will add three new models, the first of which will be an electric four-door grand-tourer built on a bespoke platform dubbed JEA. This future GT is touted as being more powerful than any Jaguar before. It’s also claimed to offer up to 430 miles of driving range and cost roughly $124,000.More on JLRThis 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.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

Mercedes-Benz has now built 500,000 G-wagens in 44 years, and it celebrates the occasion with a retro-themed one-off.The one-of-a-kind G-class features a vintage look inspired by the 1986 280GE model.Along with Agave Green paint, the boxy SUV has amber turn signals, enlarged badges, a roof rack, and throwback interior details.Forty-four years after the first Mercedes-Benz G-class rolled off the assembly line in Graz, Austria, the 500,000th example does the same in memorable fashion. To commemorate hitting the half-million mark, Mercedes has transformed the milestone model into a one-of-a-kind G-wagen with a vintage look.The German automaker obviously has a long history of Geländewagens it could have used for the inspiration behind this retro-themed one-off. In the end, the company selected the 1986 280GE. While it’s unclear why exactly Mercedes chose that model, the 280GE featured the top gas-burning powertrain during the W460 generation (1980—1991). Its modern counterpart also wears Agave Green paint (one of the first colors available on early versions) and sees its clear turn signals on top of the fenders revert back to their classic amber color.Mercedes-BenzAlong with the throwback paint job, the half-millionth G-class has a black front fascia with guards protecting its round headlights. The black treatment extends to its fender flares and traces the lower body molding to the rear bumper. Out back, there’s a spare-tire carrier with an enlarged version of the brand’s three-point star logo. There’s also a rear-mounted ladder to provide easier access to the roof rack. A set of silver five-spoke wheels round out the one-off’s most notable details.Mercedes didn’t provide any interior images of the special G, but the company says the seat inserts feature fabric with a checkered pattern reminiscent of past models. There’s also said to be Agave Green lettering on the passenger-side grab handle that reads “No. 500,000.”A refreshed version of the Mercedes-Benz G-class sounds like it’s in the works for the 2024 model year. Of course, there’s also an all-electric variant coming. We’ve only seen the EQG concept, but Mercedes has said the production version won’t be dramatically different. Either way, if the company ever makes it to 1 million G-wagens, the majority of the next 500,000 models will likely be electric.G-Wagen: Past, Present, and FutureThis 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.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

The 2023 Honda Civic Type R has set the record for the fastest front-wheel-drive production car at the Nürburgring Nordschleife.Honda says the new Type R circled the 12.94-mile course in 7:44.881, beating the 2019 Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R’s time of 7:45.399.The record-setting CTR wore a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 track tires, which are offered as a $1780 dealer-installed option.The new Honda Civic Type R is a front-wheel-drive beast. We’ve known this for awhile now, and today the rest of the world is reminded of its greatness as Honda announces it’s the fastest front-drive production car to lap the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife.HondaThe 315-hp hatchback circled the 12.94-mile track in 7:44.881. That time beats the previous FWD record of 7:45.399, which was set by a 2019 Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R. While the Trophy-R wore Bridgestone S007 rubber, the CTR lapped the ‘Ring wearing Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s. Those race-focused tires can be purchased by regular customers as part of a $1780 dealer-installed option. Watch the R-rated Civic set the lap record from inside the cockpit in the video below.This content is imported from youTube. 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.2023 Honda Civic Type R Record Lap of Nürburgring NordschleifeWatch onYouTube IconYouTube IconPeople who remember a last-gen 2017 Civic Type R posting a quicker Nürburgring lap time of 7:43.80 might be scratching their heads right now. That’s because some things have changed at the Nürburgring since then, as our colleagues at Road & Track have detailed. In a nutshell, the people who operate the track have started regulating lap times, which includes new rules about where a lap starts and finishes.Previously, the Nordschleife’s was 12.8 miles from beginning to end, but now it’s 12.94 miles. The added 0.14 mile and official timekeeping obviously means lap times set before the 2019 rule changes can’t be directly compared to those that came after.HondaSo, no, the new CTR isn’t slower than its predecessor. We saw this firsthand during our most recent Lightning Lap, where the 2023 Civic Type R became the quickest FWD car we’ve ever lapped at Virginia International Raceway (VIR). Its time of 2:58.8 was also 1.9 seconds quicker than the old Type R Limited Edition. Keep Reading About the Civic Type RThis content is imported from youTube. 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.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

Kia brought a display of lights and mirrors, but no actual cars, to the Milan Design Fair, where the focus was on design philosophy. We sat down with the brand’s Global Head of Design, Karim Habib, to learn more about the direction he has in mind for Kia design. Habib’s “Opposites United” philosophy, showcased at the fair, is an abstract look at his inspiration for the brand as it revamps its global image.Kia is in an interesting spot in the United States right now. The Korean manufacturer entered the U.S. in the early 1990s as a somewhat dull but cheap alternative to the bargain-priced Japanese and American cars of the day. Thirty years of focus on that side of the market has burned the “cheap car” reputation into the hippocampus of just about every American. But in the past few years the company has started to look upmarket. What started as a slight shift is becoming a full turn of the tides. At least, that’s Kia’s hope.Opposites UnitedWith its fully modern EV6 and Telluride already here and the recently revealed EV9 on the way, Kia is trying to warm customers to the idea of spending $40,000 or $50,000 or more for its products. At the Milan Design Fair, Car and Driver talked to Kia’s design chief, Karim Habib, about this revised design philosophy and the effort to build a new brand image. Habib brought the automaker’s “Opposites United” showcase to Milan to show people the inspiration behind new products like the EV6 and EV9. Kia and Habib didn’t bring any actual vehicles or concepts to the design fair, opting instead to focus entirely on design ideas. Kia’s “Opposites United” at the Milan Design Fair.Jack Fitzgerald|Car and DriverMore Kia/Hyundai DesignHabib, who previously spent nearly 20 years with BMW including as its design chief, told us that he enjoys the challenges posed by designing vehicles for a brand in the midst of a rebirth. “Different brands have different possibilities,” he said. “If you are a very traditional brand with a strong heritage, that bandwidth can or must be a little narrower, but for us it had to be wide.”That wide “bandwidth” for design language leads Habib to view his Opposites United model as a challenge to himself and his team that they should make the cars “more futuristic” and “more challenging.” He feels that he has a mandate to push the proverbial design envelope as far as he can. “At Kia, we are pretty fortunate as designers because there is a real desire to push forward and to look ahead.” Habib is confident that he’s taking the brand in the right direction, saying, “There are few moments where people say we are going too far.” A Stronger Look The company is no stranger to boxy styling: take the Soul, which has been around since 2008 and has always maintained its reputation for being a funky and fun vehicle. But looking ahead, Kia is embracing a stronger styling approach for its EVs. Spurred by the success of the Telluride, with its bold departure from the company’s usual look and feel, Habib and his team set to work on the EV5 concept and the EV9 three-row SUV destined for U.S. shores next year. KiaTalking about what we can expect to see from future design, Habib described the sort of vehicle that many enthusiasts dread. “We’re moving, generally in car design, from a cockpit to a moving living space,” explained Habib, who said team members are working on potential future products. “Can these become temporary dwellings where these vehicles become your living space?” We’ve heard of that sort of thing before. But we generally just call them RVs. Back in current reality, Kia’s new vehicles feature taller, squared-off front ends, contrasting against jagged strips of lighting. Thin light bars in and around headlights have become more popular in recent years and are hardly unique to Kia, but the automaker will use this and other small changes to build a recognizable style for the brand. We’re looking forward to it.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.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

The 2024 Ford Mustang offers a feature that lets users remotely rev the engine using the car’s key fob.While Remote Rev is bound to entertain some people and annoy others, the new function is only the latest innovation in the Mustang’s key history.Ford lists the first double-sided key in 1967, the first optional key fob in 1994, and factory remote start in 2015 as other milestones.Whether you think it’s a cool feature or a dumb one—or both—the 2024 Ford Mustang is now available with a key fob that lets the user remotely rev the engine, thus the name: Remote Rev. We covered this feature when the seventh generation was revealed last year, but now Ford is bringing renewed attention to it now by releasing a video of it in action, along with a list of other key milestones the company thinks are significant. First, let’s see this thing in action. This content is imported from twitter. 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.As shown in the video above, Remote Rev works by first remotely starting the engine when the holder presses the lock button on the Mustang’s key fob once and then presses the remote start button twice. Activating the rev function requires pressing the unlock button and the lock button in that order. Repeating that step fully engages the feature so revs spike at 3000, 4000, and 5000 rpm. What the video doesn’t show is a Cars & Coffee crowd cheering or annoyed neighbors shaking their fists.Mustang Key MilestonesLong before anyone dreamed of revving their Mustang using a key fob (or even knew what the heck a key fob was), Ford wanted to give the original pony car a little extra flair, so in 1965 the company released a key for the coupe model with a pony on it. A couple years later, in 1967, Ford introduced double-sided keys that could be inserted into the tumbler either way. At the time, these key innovations were at the cutting edge, but it would be almost three decades before any other key changes.Ford Motor CompanyFast-forward to 1994 and for the first time people could option a Mustang with a key fob. Ford followed that up by introducing a passive anti-theft system called PATS that was linked to a transponder in the key. The next notable milestone waited until 2012, when the Mustang Boss 302 became available with a TracKey that loaded software into the car’s PCM to improve performance. The first model with factory remote start arrived in 2015, and the following year saw the introduction of FordPass, which is an app that lets people control vehicle functions from their smartphone. In 2018, a pulsating light was added to the Mustang’s push-button start in attempt to look like a beating heart. Besides the recent debut of Remote Rev, the Mustang’s last key-related milestone was the phone-as-a-key that was introduced on the electric Mach-E. Will everyone agree that every branch of Ford’s key family tree is notable? Probably not, since people don’t agree on anything nowadays, but a revving 5.0-liter V-8 is music to our ears whether its done by fob or foot.This content is imported from twitter. 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.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

Jaguar is preparing to launch three new models, the first of which will be an electric “four-door GT.”This model will ride on a new electric architecture called JEA and claims a range of 430 miles.Jaguar claims a price of around $124,000 and the new model will debut later this year with deliveries starting in 2025.It’s been a while since we last heard about a new Jaguar, but we finally have some news on what’s coming down the pipe from the British luxury brand. A new electric sedan, which Jaguar refers to as a “four-door GT,” will debut later this year before deliveries start in 2025. The company has released a teaser image and some preliminary specs, which include details about its new platform, its power output, and its range estimates.We can’t see much from the teaser, but the view appears to be of the car’s wide rear haunches, and the roofline looks swoopy. We’re thinking that this Jaguar might be intended as a competitor to the Porsche Taycan sedan, which would be a pivot from the British marque’s previously planned electric XJ full-size luxury sedan that was scrapped a few years ago.More on JaguarPerformance will have to be brisk if the Jag wants to keep up with the Taycan, and the company does claim that this model will be more powerful than any other Jaguar ever. With today’s most powerful Jags offering 575 hp from a supercharged V-8 gas engine, we expect the new EV model to have at least 600 horsepower. Its new platform is called JEA, and this will likely underpin two other forthcoming Jaguar models that will debut after the GT. The initial range claim of 430 miles, which is no doubt on the WLTP cycle, could translate to somewhere in the 300-mile EPA range territory if the Jaguar EV comes to the U.S.Jaguar claims “indicative pricing” of around £100,000, which translates to $124,000 at today’s exchange rates. That may change by the time the company starts taking orders for this new model in 2024, and deliveries won’t start until 2025. The GT will be built at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull factory in the U.K. and is scheduled to debut later this year.This new model comes as part of a £15 billion investment from Jaguar Land Rover in electrification over the next five years. The company is transforming many of its manufacturing facilities and also plans to launch a range of Land Rover and Range Rover mid-size luxury SUVs on a new electric-only platform called Electric Modular Architecture (EMA).More JLR ProductsThis 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.Senior EditorDespite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.   More

The 2024 Lexus LM debuts as the latest version of the brand’s luxury van, but it’s only sold overseas.The new LM wears snazzier sheetmetal, features a stiffer structure, and boasts an even ritzier interior.Inside, the LM offers seating for up to seven, but the four-seat option includes lounge-like chairs facing a 48-inch screen.Imagine it’s late and you’ve had one too many adult beverages. So you open the Uber app, summon a ride, and soon after a 2024 Lexus LM luxury van rolls up outside the Taco Bell where you just crushed an entire taco party pack. The LM’s sliding side door opens to reveal a palatial interior complete with a pair of lounge-like chairs facing a 48-inch screen on a partition that separates passengers in the back from those in the front. All you have to do is raise the privacy glass, sink into the comfy-looking seats with their body-temperature-sensing tech, raise the ottoman that’s been redesigned for more range, and likely fall asleep as the new van’s quieter cabin cocoons you from the outside world.Not Coming to AmericaUnfortunately, for those of us who live in America, luxuriating in the new second-generation Lexus LM that debuted at the Shanghai auto show can only be done in our imagination. While the U.S. has ultra-luxurious sedans like the Mercedes-Benz S-class and extravagant SUVs such as the Bentley Bentayga, in this country we don’t have their van equivalents like the LM.Lexus is even expanding availability of the new LM by launching it in over 60 countries, which for the first time includes Europe and Japan. Those lucky folks can enjoy the myriad improvements that accompany the van’s second generation, including a structure that’s said to be 50 percent stiffer and a new suspension designed to make the ride more comfortable and reduce vibrations. There’s also a new drive mode dedicated to rear-seat comfort by altering the dampening forces and limiting sensations caused by accelerating and braking.To help keep the LM’s cabin as serene as possible, Lexus says it prioritized quietness by reducing various noise sources—namely those caused by the road and the wind. Along with beefing up the sound deadening, the available engines and their mounts were tuned to limit noise and vibrations. Those engines are both hybrids, with one using a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and the other presumably offering more power thanks to its 2.4-liter turbo-four gas engine.Unlike Any Influencer’s VanThere’s no mistaking the LM for anything but a Lexus. The company made sure of that with what looks like one of the wildest interpretations yet of its spindle grille. Instead of outlining the shape with a defined border, Lexus lets the body color spill into the grille while also reducing the gaps between different elements. Overall, the LM measures 201.8 inches long, 74.4 inches wide, and about 77 inches high. While all of those dimensions are bigger than before, the wheelbase remains 118.1 inches.No one has to bust out the tape measure to see that the Lexus LM is a big van, and that size contributes to a similarly large interior, with considerably more space for activities than any Mercedes or Bentley. While business executives and other rich types who like to be chauffeured will want the four-seat option, the LM also offers seating for six to seven passengers.Whether basking in the glow of the van’s myriad ambient lighting themes or manipulating the climate and sunshades with one of the two available touchscreen controllers, the 2024 Lexus LM looks to provide an experience Americans won’t get to enjoy and something this country’s obnoxious influencers can’t replicate with an obligatory #vanlife. Instead, we’ll just have to settle for fantasizing about the luxurious van and its potential to be the ultimate Uber.Read About Other Forbidden VansThis 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.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

MG has revealed a new electric roadster called the Cyberster that will hit the streets of Europe in the summer of 2024.The Cyberster’s curvy design is fairly similar to that of the eponymous 2021 concept car, even keeping the wild scissor doors.Leaked Chinese government documents revealed that the Cyberster is a bit larger than a BMW Z4, and will have a top speed of 124 mph.The octagonal MG badge used to be synonymous with small, grin-inducing roadsters, from the T-Type of the ’30s and ’40s to the MGB of the ’60s and ’70s and even into the ’90s with the MG F. Now the brand—under the control of Chinese state-owned automaker SAIC since 2007—is looking to return to its roots with the new Cyberster, an electric roadster that goes on sale in Europe next summer.MGFirst previewed by a concept in 2021, the production Cyberster revealed this week at the Shanghai auto show hews closely to the concept’s design, albeit with toned-down proportions. The bodywork is sleek, with a sharply sloped front end and crisp creases that run into squared-off taillights with arrow-shaped LED elements pointing outwards. The power-folding soft-top covers a stylish interior swathed in red leather, and the production roadster retains the fantastical scissor doors from the concept.MG hasn’t officially shared detailed specifications on the Cyberster, but some information was uncovered in a filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology last week. The document listed the Cyberster as measuring 178.5 inches long, 75.3 inches wide, and 52.3 inches tall, which is about 8.0 inches longer than a BMW Z4, nearly 2.0 inches wider, and almost one inch taller. The electric powertrain, however, results in a hefty 4376-pound curb weight, versus the 3535 pounds for the gas-powered BMW. MGMore Sporty Two-Door CarsThe Cyberster will feature two electric motors, with a peak output of 201 hp from the front motor and 335 hp from the rear unit. The document also listed the top speed at 124 mph. No other performance metrics were available, but we expect a pretty quick sprint to 60 mph given the Cyberster’s power output. More details about the electric roadster will come before its launch in 2024, but unfortunately there is virtually zero chance that the Cyberster ever reaches American shores.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.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More