Motor News

What’s it like owning the slowest BMW M3 you can buy new? You might be surprised. As you might have already read in our long-term conclusion, our 2022 BMW M3 hit the sweet spot over our 40,000-mile test, delivering plenty of driving satisfaction and few, if any, issues. What few criticisms we had about the steering feel or the design of the fascia were overwhelmed by the feeling of routing 473 horsepower to two rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.play iconThe triangle icon that indicates to playIn the video, we dive deeper into the driving experience, explaining how the simple act of interacting with a manual transmission makes any time you’re behind the wheel more interesting. We also cover what it was like to live with during winter and how difficult (and expensive) it was to source winter tires. Other topics include the positive attention our M3 received and how quickly it wore through rear tires. Okay, maybe that last one was our fault for trying to achieve a five-star drift rating from the M3’s M Drift Analyzer feature (we only ever managed four and a half). While we expected the tire wear, the wear marks on the top of the front brake calipers were a surprise. In the video, we delve into a few potential causes.Overall, our M3 proved a reliable machine that enjoyed devouring miles and miles of interstate. There are certainly quicker and more powerful—and much pricier—variants, but our time with this Isle of Green M3 certainly delivered the most fun. Multiple MsDeputy Editor, VideoFrom selling them to testing them, Carlos Lago has spent his entire adult life consumed by cars. He currently drives the creative behind Car and Driver video. More

The next-generation Maserati Quattroporte will spawn an EV variant called Folgore, as first reported by AutoCar.It will replace the current Ghibli and Quattroporte and serve as Maserati’s sole sedan offering.We expect it to arrive for the 2025 model year in the U.S.Today Maserati has two sedans—the smaller Ghibli and the larger Quattroporte—but a single model will replace the pair to compete in the sedan landscape that includes the BMW 5-series, the Audi A6, and the Mercedes E-class. The Quattroporte nameplate (it literally means “four doors”) wins out over the Ghibli. Sorry, not sorry, Ghibli.We can hear you saying, “Is a Maserati sedan really worth waiting for?” Yes. Well, assuming it’s done right. But after our recent exposure to the GranTurismo, we’re confident the new Quattroporte will deliver. The current cars feel a bit too Fiat-Chrysler, like the investment was made only for the trident grille and not for exceptional engineering or dynamics. There is a lot of passion associated with Maserati, and the new QP may refire those passions.More New MaseratisLike the new GranTurismo, the Quattroporte will offer a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V-6 engine in at least two states of tune. Call it around 480 horsepower to start and 540 horsepower at the top. The highest-priced model, the Folgore, will offer an 800-plus-hp experience with three electric motors. Unfortunately, the V-8 may die out with the current Quattroporte.The interior will also mimic the GT: lots of leather (some quilted), sporty seats, and Uconnect-based infotainment. Maserati won’t crib the new QP’s switchgear from Dodge this time around—a must for a car that will start around $150,000. Maserati’s SUVs are selling well, but we’re glad it remains committed to making cars.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.Executive EditorK.C. Colwell is Car and Driver’s executive editor, who covers new cars and technology with a keen eye for automotive nonsense and with what he considers to be great car sense, which is a humblebrag. On his first day at C/D in 2004, he was given the keys to a Porsche 911 by someone who didn’t even know if he had a driver’s license. He also is one of the drivers who set fast laps at C/D’s annual Lightning Lap track test. More

Ford has announced that the 2024 Mustang will get an optional drift brake—basically a hydraulic hand brake for the rear wheels.To get one, Mustang buyers will need to choose the Performance Pack with its included Performance Electronic Parking Brake.We know that Formula Drift champion Vaughn Gittin, Jr., was involved in this feature’s development; we don’t know yet how much extra it will cost.As the seventh-generation Ford Mustang inches closer and closer to production, the trickle of information out of Ford has resumed. The Dearborn-based brand has just unveiled a braking feature that will help young would-be drifters hone their skills—in a closed course, of course. Ford calls it a drift brake, but it’s essentially a hydraulic hand brake for the rear wheels. (We know there is a joke about a Mustang losing control in a crowd-pleasing drift; stand by.) The drift brake comes on Mustangs equipped with the Performance Pack that also includes the Performance Electronic Parking Brake (PEPB, henceforth). The PEPB looks like a normal hand lever for the parking brake, but it is actually an electronic switch. There is no cable connected to the rear brakes like you’d see in most late-model cars. Instead, its normal action activates an electronic parking brake. But when you activate the drift brake, it takes on another role. Ford Motor CompanyWhen turned on, the drift brake overrides the stability-controlled controller—the device that controls all the brakes when ABS or stability control is activated—to lock the rear brakes with hydraulic line pressure. Pro drift cars have a similar system, but theirs is a mechanical lever. Ford Motor CompanyWhy not use the hand brake like you’ve been doing since the 1980s in a Fox-body? Well, you can, but old cable-actuated parking brakes use either shoes in the hat of a disc brake, a totally separate and tiny caliper, or they use a mechanical system on top of the hydraulic rear sliding calipers. None of those are intended to be pulled multiple times at speed.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.’24 Mustang: Developing The Electronic Drift Brake | Ford PerformanceWatch onYouTube IconYouTube IconFord released this video of pro drifters Vaughn Gittin, Jr., and Chelsea DeNofa discussing the ins and outs of tuning the drift brake. At one point you can hear “100 bar” mentioned. This is a direct reference to hydraulic line pressure, but we’re guessing that’s far from the maximum available to the drift brake because this isn’t the first time Ford has used the magic of computers to emulate a hydraulic hand brake. Ford Performance formerly sold the Drift Stick for the Focus RS (RIP). Its similar function used a separate lever that bolted into the cabin. The Drift Stick, which is no longer available from Ford, delivered about 180 bar to the rear brake calipers of the Focus.More Specs, DetailsKudos to Ford for developing a fun feature targeted at the enthusiast market. We guarantee some will get it super wrong at first, so if you get a 2024 Mustang, just make sure you practice when no one is around before you try to show off for a crowd. There it is. Executive EditorK.C. Colwell is Car and Driver’s executive editor, who covers new cars and technology with a keen eye for automotive nonsense and with what he considers to be great car sense, which is a humblebrag. On his first day at C/D in 2004, he was given the keys to a Porsche 911 by someone who didn’t even know if he had a driver’s license. He also is one of the drivers who set fast laps at C/D’s annual Lightning Lap track test. More

Honda issued a stop sale on the Civic Type R Friday over faulty welds in the driver’s side seat cushion frame, according to a dealer communication from the automaker. The issue means that the frame could fail to secure the seat during a collision, reducing the effectiveness of restraining safety measures, according to a dealer notice posted to the Civic XI forum and filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Friday.The weld issue is a result of “improper manufacturing,” the document says. While a failure during a crash is the most catastrophic risk, the weld issue can also lead to squeaking and rattling noises that have been noted by Civic Type R owners on the same forum since November. No specific VIN range or build window is included in the notice, but the document does clarify that an internal system would return which cars do and do not need the repair. At least one user on the Civic XI forum thread has already reached out to their dealer and found that their car is not impacted.The document claims that parts for the repair are not yet available and says that Honda will not begin notifying owners of cars with the relevant issue until mid-May. The stop-sale is dated as starting on March 31 and set to continue “until further notice,” presumably when a repair procedure is set and completed. Owners can check the NHTSA recalls site, where information on the recall should be posted soon. More

Even though phone mirroring is one of the most popular tech features in today’s cars, GM said it will eliminate Apple CarPlay from its electric vehicles.The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV will be the first to get this downgrade, but other EV models will follow. GM will not remove CarPlay from any of its gasoline-powered models, which it only plans to build until 2035.GM said the change is needed to keep future EVs as integrated and connected as possible. The automaker will rely on a system co-developed with Google to operate its EVs.The battle for the dashboard continues. GM will eliminate Apple CarPlay from its electric vehicles, starting with the 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV that’s arriving in the fall. CarPlay, which operates like Android Auto to mirror iPhone content on the vehicle’s dashboard, has been a consumer favorite for years, and even holdouts such as Toyota have recently added the technology to their models.CHEVROLETChevroletIt’s not as though EVs need CarPlay integration to succeed—just ask Tesla—but the reason for the reduction in vehicle capability is, in GM’s view, actually an expansion in vehicle capabilities. GM said it intends to remove CarPlay from new EVs because its vehicles need better integration between the navigation system and the rapidly growing network of chargers to help out EV drivers. GM has been developing its own built-in infotainment system in collaboration with Google since 2019.”We have a lot of new driver assistance features coming that are more tightly coupled with navigation,” GM’s executive director of digital cockpit experience, Mike Hichme, told Reuters. “We don’t want to design these features in a way that are dependent on a person having a cellphone.”Of course, Apple CarPlay never needed to know how much gas was in the tank, and it could still function as a map. Note that Hichme didn’t say anything about GM keeping CarPlay as an option for EV drivers while also offering its own advanced in-house integrated EV-focused navigation. The best of both worlds, in other words, and one where we wouldn’t need to rely on an automaker’s built-in devices all the time. Remember when the 3G network went away last year?Music and phone calls will still work over Bluetooth in GM’s CarPlay-free cars, GM said, and CarPlay tech will remain available in GM’s internal-combustion-engine vehicles. Of course, GM has announced it will stop building ICE vehicles after 2035. GM also said it won’t disable CarPlay in any vehicles that currently have it. Around 50 percent of Americans with a cellphone have an iPhone.Is GM Just Looking to Get More Info on You?Initial reaction online to GM’s move skewed decidedly negative. Consumer data proves it will be challenging for automakers to navigate the line between offering features and retaining consumer data. In March, AutoPacific released data from its latest Future Attribute Demand Study and found that potential EV and PHEV shoppers are the groups that are most open to paying for subscriptions for connected features. AutoPacific research also found that new vehicle shoppers rank wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connections as the second-most desired infotainment and connected tech feature. There’s another reason people are unhappy with GM canceling one of the most-liked features. When you mirror your smartphone (which is what CarPlay and Android Auto are doing), some of your data bypasses the car, leaving GM out of the loop when it comes to learning your coffee-shop habits or gym schedule. With a built-in system, GM would have an easier time generating revenue through various subscription services if it knew more about you. GM said it will include eight years of Google Maps and Google Assistant access with the purchase of a new vehicle. Spotify, Audible, and other subscription services will be part of future infotainment systems, GM said. GM CEO Mary Barra has said she expects $20 to $25 billion in annual subscription revenue by 2030, Reuters said.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.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

Shell has plans to increase its electric vehicle charging network, Shell Recharge, from 140,000 global charge points today to over 500,000 by 2025.Last week, the oil company finalized its purchase of the Volta charging network, which operates in 31 U.S. states. Shell now “owns and operates one of the largest public electric vehicle (EV) charging networks in the U.S.”Shell paid $169 million cash for Volta. Shell made $40 billion in profits in 2022.The EVs haven’t taken over just yet, but oil companies are interested in being there whether you’re pumping fuel or electrons into your car.This week, Shell USA finalized its acquisition of Volta. This electric-vehicle charging network company specializes in pairing charging plug locations with advertising screens, often at high-traffic areas like retailers and stadiums. These ads cover most of the cost of charging at Volta stations, but Volta did have plans to offer more paid DC fast-charge outlets. Volta said late last year that it had more than 5700 of these “out-of-home screens” in its network of over 3000 charging stalls in the U.S. Volta operates in 31 U.S. states and territories and regularly supplies around 112,000 charging sessions to EV drivers each month.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.Volta and Shell announced the $169 million acquisition in January. That comes out to just 86 cents a share. This purchase price was well under the stock’s $15 high from early 2021 and was also below the $2.50 share price Volta was hovering at in mid-2022 before it dropped in September and October.Learning the RopesEven though Volta’s value was already declining, the market saw January’s announcement as troubling news, causing multiple EV charging company stocks to lose value, at least temporarily. On top of the $169 million in cash that Shell paid to acquire Volta, the oil company also repaid Volta’s $11 million in third-party debts and also gave Volta $20 million in subordinated secured term loans “to support Volta’s balance sheet and bridge Volta through the closing of the transaction.”Shell Can Afford It . . . Buying Volta wasn’t a financial challenge for Shell, which made more money selling oil last year than at any point in its long history. The company recorded $40 billion in profits in 2022, due partly to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that led to dramatically higher oil and gas prices. The company paid its CEO almost $12 million last year. Shell is not entering the EV charging game with this chump-change purchase of Volta. The oil company will roll Volta’s charge points into its existing EV charging network, the Shell Recharge network. Currently, in the U.S. Shell Recharge is primarily geographically limited to California. Following the Volta deal, Shell said it “now owns and operates one of the largest public electric vehicle (EV) charging networks in the U.S.” Globally, Shell operates over 140,000 public and private charge points, and the oil company has announced plans to expand its global EV charging network to more than 500,000 charge points by 2025. It has an even more ambitious target of around 2.5 million charge points installed by 2030.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.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

The TVR Cerbera Speed 12 is the wildest TVR ever to be unleashed on the street.Built to compete in the GT1 racing series, this one-off road-legal version of the Cerbera has an 800-plus-hp 7.7-liter V-12 and weighs less than 2200 pounds.This car, the lone surviving example, is coming to Silverstone Auctions this May.The TVR Cerbera, introduced in 1996, was a powerful fiberglass-bodied sports car that could be seen as the U.K.’s Chevrolet Corvette—or maybe its Dodge Viper. In stock form, the Cerbera topped out at 450 horsepower. It also lacked such rudimentary driver assists as traction control or anti-lock brakes. We called the Cerbera “equal parts terrifying and awesome.” What, then, to make of this one-off that nearly doubles its output?Related StoriesWith the Speed 12, TVR built a 7.7-liter V-12 engine out of two of its inline-sixes and crammed that engine into a Kevlar and carbon-fiber body that weighed roughly the same as a first-generation Mazda Miata. Dangerous? It’s like playing cricket with hand grenades. But now, this lone survivor Speed 12 can be yours.Silverstone AuctionsSilverstone AuctionsBlackpool-based TVR does have a reputation for building brutishly insane vehicles, but the Speed 12 was not merely a fit of madness. Instead, it was built as a potential competitor to the likes of the McLaren F1, the Porsche 911 GT1, and the Mercedes-Benz CLK GTR. Today, those three are some of the most desirable road cars ever built, homologation specials exactingly engineered for racing dominance at Le Mans.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.2000 TVR Cerbera Speed 12Watch onYouTube IconYouTube IconTVR’s take on the GT1 class was less a racing scalpel and more a board with a nail sticking out of it. There were a few teething issues in getting this English-bred mad dog into production. First, the FIA took one look at the monster engine of the Speed 12 and slapped a couple of intake restrictors on it, knocking power down to 675 horsepower. Porsche and Mercedes-Benz had huge R&D budgets next to tiny TVR, and in this case, the German Goliaths stomped David into jelly. The Speed 12 did win a few races in Britain but never competed at Le Mans as intended.No problem, said TVR. If we can’t build the world’s fastest race car, let’s build the world’s most homicidal road car. Its engineers strapped an unrestricted version of the 7.7-liter V-12 onto the dyno—and the dyno promptly exploded. Eventually, power was confirmed to be in the mid-800-hp range.Silverstone AuctionsAt the time, TVR was headed by Peter Wheeler, a chemical engineer who made his fortune in the U.K.’s North Sea oil boom. Wheeler was something of a larger-than-life character—in one instance, his dog attacked the prototype body shell of the Chimera, and he liked the resulting holes so much the production car got them. He was imposing in person and capable behind the wheel. But the Speed 12 was too much even for him.Silverstone AuctionsReturning from a drive in the prototype, Wheeler declared the Cerbera Speed 12 to be too outrageously wild for the road, and the production-car program was scrapped. The road cars were scavenged for parts for the limited racing the Speed 12 did, and that was that. However, one prototype shell survived, and in 2003, TVR put this lone example up for sale. Wheeler personally vetted the buyer.Silverstone AuctionsNow, the Cerbera Speed 12 is up for sale at Silverstone Auctions, ready for a new owner. If you are the sort of person who just read that bit about a car’s design being based on a dog attacking the bodywork and thought, “That sounds fine and normal,” then this is the car for you. Massively powerful, dangerously fast, and a complete handful, the Speed 12 is essentially the most TVR of all the TVRs. It can be yours—if you dare.Car and driverCar and driver Lettermark logoContributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More

GMC and EarthCruiser are working together to create an overlanding version of the Hummer EV pickup. They plan to reveal it as a concept late this summer.A teaser image shows a Hummer EV with a taller roof blanketed in solar panels, which should help the overlanding vehicle stay off the grid for longer periods of time. GMC claims a 329-mile range for the Hummer EV pickup, but the overlanding setup will add weight and is likely to drop that figure significantly.GMC is teaming up with Oregon-based EarthCruiser Overland Vehicles—purveyor of burly all-terrain RVs—to create a special version of the Hummer EV pickup. The concept, set to be revealed late this summer, is meant to preview the future of overlanding, a hobby that combines off-roading and camping and has exploded in popularity in recent years. The concept is expected to lead to an overland upfit for the Hummer EV pickup that will eventually be available to customers.GMCThe announcement of the collaboration was accompanied by a shadowy teaser image showing the Hummer EV concept from the side. The vehicle appears to have a higher roofline than the stock Hummer EV SUV, which is supposed to reach dealerships this spring. We can also spy several solar panels covering the roof, which should boost the overlanding Hummer’s range, allowing for more time off the grid. A protrusion along the side of the vehicle should also allow for more space in the back of the off-road camper.More Cool Exploration VehiclesWeight Should Be Impressive While the Hummer EV certainly has the off-road chops to conquer challenging terrain, the biggest question surrounding this concept and its future production potential will be the driving range. The Hummer EV is already an incredibly heavy vehicle, with the pickup weighing in at 9640 pounds, and adding the overland setup will only increase the weight, in turn reducing the efficiency of the electric powertrain. GMC estimates 329 miles of range, while a 2022 Hummer EV pickup traveled 290 miles in our 75-mph highway test. Hopefully GMC and EarthCruiser will be able to provide some answers when the concept is shown later this year.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