Motor News

Mazda has released a teaser image showing the new 2024 CX-90 SUV.It will ride on a new platform and use Mazda’s new inline-six engine.The CX-90 will debut in January 2023 and go on sale in the U.S. later next year.Mazda showed the first glimpse of its new three-row SUV and announced that the 2024 CX-90 will debut in January 2023. This will be the first Mazda model sold in the U.S. to ride on the company’s new longitudinal-engine platform and inline-six engine. It will serve as Mazda’s largest and most premium model, and will eventually replace the CX-9.The image shows the CX-90’s front fender with an “Inline6” badge and a vent. It’s painted in a new color called Artisan Red, which Mazda says will be exclusively for these new “large platform” vehicles. We expect these models to be more premium than the current Mazda lineup, which may come with a price increase. This could push the CX-90 into territory occupied by luxury models such as the Acura MDX and Infiniti QX60.More on Mazda SUVsMazda’s SUV lineup will also expand to include a two-row CX-70 crossover based on the same underpinnings. We’ve already driven the Europe-market CX-60, which shares this same platform and offers either a naturally aspirated 3.0-liter inline-six, a turbodiesel 3.3-liter inline-six, or a 323-hp plug-in-hybrid powertrain with a 2.5-liter inline-four. We expect some version of the gasoline six and the hybrid to make their way to the U.S. in the CX-90 and CX-70.Look for more information to come early next year about the 2024 CX-90 as it makes its debut in January.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

TV show host and well-known car collector Jay Leno was admitted to a hospital on Sunday after suffering burns to his face from a gas fire, TMZ and Variety report. Road & Track was able to confirm that the incident occurred at some point on Saturday, November 12.According to TMZ’s sources, Leno was in his Los Angeles garage where he stores his vast collection when a car burst into flames without warning. The report claims the fire burned the left side of the comedian’s face, but did not penetrate his eye or ear. “I got some serious burns from a gasoline fire,” Leno told Variety. “I am okay. Just need a week or two to get back on my feet.”The 72-year-old former Tonight Show host was scheduled to appear at a financial conference in Las Vegas on Sunday night but did not appear due to a “very serious medical emergency,” People reports. Leno was admitted to the Grossman Burn Center in Los Angeles where he remains today, says TMZ.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

Audi has redesigned its highly recognizable four-ring logo, giving it a new two-dimensional appearance.The new-look emblem also trades the old chrome-colored rings for new black and white ones.Along with the updated logo, Audi standardizes its font style and now puts model identification on the B-pillar. Most people probably won’t immediately notice that Audi has redesigned its iconic four-ring logo. After all, the updated version still has the same recognizable four rings displayed in virtually identical geometry. However, Audi has never been shouty, and the German luxury brand’s new-look logo has the same restrained approach the company applies to car design.Check Out Other Recent Logo Changes”Good design is less design.” Those are the words of Marc Lichte, head of Audi design, who, in a short video on the company’s media site, spoke about the goals behind revising Audi’s corporate identity as well as the style of the emblem.Here’s a quick history lesson: The four interlaced rings originally symbolized the four different German automakers that merged in 1932 and became the Auto Union. In 1965, AU was rebranded as Audi, and the ringed logo has changed very little since.AudiCompared with the current chrome rings, the new ones are white with a black border, which increases contrast and should make them more visible from afar. Audi says customers can still opt for dark-colored emblems, with the white part being replaced by dark gray that looks like gloss black.Now in 2DThe other big change to Audi’s logo is that it now features a two-dimensional design. The company says this was chosen so that it looks the same everywhere, whether it’s a badge on a body panel or printed in a magazine.To go along with Audi’s updated identity, the company also standardizes the fonts used on and inside its vehicles. It’s a unique typeface called Audi Type. Each model can be further identified by details laser-etched into the B-pillar.AudiThe reimagined four-ring emblem can be seen on the 2024 Audi Q8 e-tron family, which recently underwent a facelift.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

• A highlight of 1960s American automotive design, the “suicide door” Lincoln Continental was the choice of transport for many a famous person.• This all-white convertible, up for auction at Bring A Trailer, was the personal vehicle of Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States.• It was used by LBJ to tour around his sprawling Texas ranch, making this Continental both a mid-century icon and a rolling piece of presidential history.Politics aside, there are plenty of reasons to admire what a character President Lyndon B. Johnson was. Especially when it came to cars: he owned an Amphicar and was known to terrify unsuspecting passengers by pretending to lose control and “crash” into a lake, where the car simply floated off. He was a big man with a Texas-sized personality, and when he needed something to drive around his 1500-acre ranch, LBJ went big there too.Bring a TrailerDelivered in October of 1963 to the LBJ Corporation of Austin, Texas, this 1964 Lincoln Continental is currently up for auction at the site Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. Bidding sits at $75,000, with the auction slated to end on Wednesday, November 16.What you get here for your money is both a part of history and a truly elegant machine. LBJ himself could be a bit crude—the recording of a phone call where he orders a pair of pants is legendarily crass—but his taste in automobiles can’t be faulted here. American ClassicThe fourth-generation Lincoln Continental was the Ford Motor Company’s broadside against Cadillac, and it hit home. Beautiful in the simplicity of its design, it was finished to a very high quality, and it immediately found favor with the nation’s elite. The convertible version was the first four-door convertible offered by an American manufacturer in the post–World War II period.Bring a TrailerPowered by a 7.0-liter V-8 producing 320 horsepower, with a three-speed automatic transmission, the Continental was extremely heavy but not exactly slow. Essentially a roadgoing pleasure yacht, it was meant for relaxed boulevard cruising, the type of glittering transportation you might see powering along the Las Vegas Strip. For 1964, it received a mid-cycle refresh, but the front end was again changed for 1965. Arguably, the ’64 is the prettiest of them.Bring a TrailerAnother Continental, this one a stretch limo in black, would ferry tragedy into LBJ’s life. But scarcely one month before the assassination of President Kennedy, this car arrived in Texas as the complete inverse of the weight of rule. Right through until 1969, this white Continental served as LBJ’s pressure release valve as he drove it around his sprawling Texas ranch.Reportedly, LBJ had his Continentals (he owned two) fitted with snow tires, the better to deal with rough terrain. Among the larger-than-life stories that come with this car is the tale of how he used to often have a tumbler of ice and Cutty Sark whiskey in his hand as he cruised around the ranch. When the cup ran dry, LBJ would stick his arm out the window and rattle the ice cubes; one of the agents from the Secret Service detail following him would hop out and refill the cup. This wasn’t on a public road, so President Johnson appears to have taken the attitude that this behavior was no different than a cocktail while sailing.Bring a TrailerThe car has seen some mild refurbishment in its life and has just 16,000 miles on the odometer. Any Continental from this era would be special, and here the presidential provenance adds value for the collector. All you need is your own personal sprawling Texas ranch and maybe a 10-gallon hat, but stick to iced tea.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

• With the 911 Dakar fresh in our minds, how could we not be tempted by this modified Porsche 911 from 1988, currently up for auction with Bring a Trailer?• It’s got a raised ride height, an overhauled 3.2-liter flat-six, and an enhanced suspension. If that wasn’t enough to set this 911 apart, look to the roof rack and winch.• You’ll notice a retro feel to some parts of the interior, like the included radar detector and old-school Blaupunkt sound system.This week at the Los Angeles auto show, Porsche will be showing the Dakar, a heavily modified, all-wheel-drive version of the 911. The Dakar has been put through more than 300,000 development miles in an effort to make it capable of cruising over dunes, ice, and snow. The name comes from the Porsche team that won the 1984 Paris–Dakar Rally with a Porsche 953.Bring a TrailerBack to 2022Porsche won’t let you take the 911 Dakar home from L.A., but perhaps the next best thing is a new listing over on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—for a wonderfully modified 911. This 1988 Porsche 911 Carrera has already been sold once on BaT, back in January 2019, but it’s unrecognizable now after being repainted (Goodbye, Guards Red. Hello, Baltic Blue Metallic) and given “safari-style modifications.”The modifications won’t make this vehicle quite as capable as the Dakar, but it will do better on rougher roads than a standard 911. Power comes from an overhauled 3.2-liter flat-six engine and is sent to the wheels through a rebuilt G50 five-speed manual transaxle. Restoration work was done throughout the powertrain. Unlike the 1984 Rally winner, though, this one does not have AWD.Bring a TrailerThe BaT 911 has a higher ride height thanks to Von Shocks suspension and adjustable-perch front coil-over springs. The 15-inch alloy wheels wear BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO2 tires. A Fabspeed Motorsport stainless-steel exhaust system, a Warn Axon 55-S Powersport winch and a roof rack with Cibie LED auxiliary lights and a matching spare tire remind passersby this is not your standard daily driver. That doesn’t mean people haven’t been enjoying the idea of regularly getting behind the wheel of this 911. The parody Twitter account Bring A TraiIor said this 911 “will be perfect to traverse the perilous frontiers of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan.”Bring a TrailerInside, the 911 includes some features unavailable in 1988, like power-adjustable Recaro Ergomed ES heated and cooled seats. Retro touches include a Valentine One radar detector and a Blaupunkt Bremen Bluetooth stereo with a JL Audio amplifier and speakers. There’s also a four-point roll bar made by Custom Cages. The seller said the car has just under 272,000 miles on the odometer and has a clean Carfax report and a clean New York title.With three days left before the auction ends November 18, the current bid is at $150,000.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 2024 Porsche Macan EV will ride on the company’s new remium Platform Electric (PPE), and the German automaker has released new details about PPE and the upcoming crossover.The Macan EV will max out at 603 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque, and Porsche is promising sharp driving dynamics.The 100.0-kWh battery will be able to charge from five to 80 percent in under 25 minutes thanks to an 800-volt electrical system.Porsche is investing in synthetic, carbon-neutral fuels in a bid to keep its much-loved internal-combustion engines alive in an ever-stricter regulatory environment. But even so, Porsche’s future, like that of every other car company, will be centered around electric vehicles. By 2030, Porsche hopes to have more than 80 percent of its sales consist of EVs. Critical to this goal will be the PPE platform, co-developed with Audi, which will underpin Porsche’s high-volume electric cars. The upcoming Macan EV will be the first Porsche to ride on PPE, and at a recent event at the Porsche Experience Center in Franciacorta, Italy, the German automaker revealed juicy new details about the platform and the electric crossover that will herald its arrival.PorschePorsche is promising that the fully electric Macan will bring improved range and charging and Porsche’s typical sharp handling. The PPE platform will, like on the Taycan, utilize a 800-volt electrical architecture. Along with slashing charging times, Porsche says this reduces the weight of the high-voltage cables and how much space they take up. Every electric Macan will use a lithium-ion battery mounted in the floor of the vehicle with a gross capacity of approximately 100.0 kWh, made up of twelve modules with prismatic cells. Charging rates will improve over the Taycan’s 270 kW, with Porsche targeting the ability to recharge the Macan EV from five to 80 percent in under 25 minutes. Porsche is also packaging the onboard AC charger, high-voltage heater, and DC/DC converter together in what it calls the Integrated Power Box to save space.Porsche has also developed a neat trick called “bank charging.” If the charging station uses a 400-volt system, the Macan EV’s 800-volt battery is effectively split into two 400-volt batteries that can be charged at the same time. However, most DC fast-chargers in the United States already employ 800-volt architecture, so this technology will be less relevant here than in other markets.PorscheThe PPE platform will allow for rear- and all-wheel-drive setups, with the maximum output initially set at around 603 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Vehicles riding on the platform will be powered by permanently excited synchronous electric motors, which will bring higher power and torque densities, improved efficiency, and more easily reproducible power outputs versus asynchronous motors. The Macan EV has revised the magnet arrangements within the motors and improved the cooling system compared to the Taycan, which Porsche says boosts the power density. Silicon carbide is also replacing silicon for the semiconductor material in the inverter on the rear axle to decrease switching losses. A one-speed gearbox will be used instead of the two-speed unit in the Taycan.Porsche claims that the Macan EV will be the “sportiest model in its segment,” thanks to what Porsche refers to as a “performance rear axle.” The rear electric motor will be mounted behind the rear axle, recalling the positioning of the flat-six engine in the 911 sports car and shifting the weight balance rearwards to a 48/52 percent split. Porsche argues that this will improve “agility when accelerating out of corners.”More Porsche EV NewsPorsche also revealed that the Macan EV will have a revised unequal-length control arm front suspension and a multi-link rear setup that is attached to the body by an elastically-mounted sub-frame. The rear motor, meanwhile, is directly connected to the body structure at four points. This approach is said to improve driving precision, rigidity, and NVH behavior. Certain trims will also come fitted with a fully-variable electronically-controlled rear differential and, for the first time on a Macan, rear-wheel steering that can adjust by up to five degrees. The all-wheel drive system will permit fully variable torque distribution between the front and rear axles.PorscheThe electric Macan will also feature the Porsche Active Suspension Management system (PASM), which will be available with both air suspension and steel suspension setups. The Macan EV will see the addition of two-valve shock absorbers that can adjust independently, creating a more adaptable suspension and better distinguishing the different drive modes. Air suspension will also allow the body to lower at higher speeds to stretch the range using slipperier aerodynamics. The Macan EV will ride on wheels up to 22 inches in diameter.Porsche says the platform can be easily adjusted to different wheelbases, track widths, and ground clearances to suit a number of different vehicles. We already know that the Macan EV will be joined by the Audi A6 e-tron sedan, but this platform likely won’t be used for Porsche’s electric-sports-car endeavors. The platform also won’t support more than two electric motors or the use of wheel-mounted hub motors. Deliveries of the Macan EV are supposed to get underway in 2024, with more details on the ground-breaking crossover and Porsche’s PPE platform expected next 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.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

From the November 2022 issue of Car and Driver.On August 15, about 30 new EVs and 42 plug-in hybrids were eligible for federal income-tax credits. On August 16, those numbers fell to eight and 10. Starting January 1, 2023, the number of qualifying EVs will rise to 11. These changes are a result of the Inflation Reduction Act that President Joe Biden signed into law August 16.Only one provision of the law took effect immediately, and it’s a big one. Since that date, only vehicles assembled in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico qualify for the $7500 credit, eliminating nearly three-quarters of eligible vehicles. Here’s what we’ll see at the start of 2023 and beyond:Shifting QualificationsThe limit of 200,000 units of qualifying EVs per automaker is lifted, making General Motors and Tesla vehicles eligible again. However, new price caps on qualifying vehicles—$55,000 for cars, $80,000 for trucks and SUVs—eliminate the GMC Hummer and several Teslas (Models S and X, higher-trim Model 3s).Start LookingAnother change is that the amount of the tax credit does not depend on battery size. If your EV or plug-in hybrid has a battery capacity of at least 7.0 kilowatt-hours, you can get the full $7500 stipend. For the first time, used vehicles are eligible when purchased from a dealer. They now get a credit of up to 30 percent, with a $4000 maximum. The pre-owned EV or plug-in hybrid must cost no more than $25,000 and be at least two model years old.One more perk starts in 2024: You can get the credit for new vehicles at purchase rather than wait until tax season. That means the $7500 can serve as a down payment.Locally SourcedMany of the changes have to do with EV production. In addition to the provision about final vehicle assembly, half of the $7500 credit is contingent on at least 40 percent of the critical materials in the battery being extracted or processed in the U.S. or in countries with which we have a free-trade agreement. Materials recycled in North America also count. The benchmark gradually increases to 80 percent in 2027.To promote local battery assembly, the other $3750 is based on a requirement that a minimum of 50 percent of the value of the battery components be manufactured or assembled in North America. This bogey escalates gradually to 100 percent in 2029.Starting in 2024, if any battery components are manufactured in “a foreign entity of concern,” meaning China, Iran, North Korea, or Russia, then the vehicle is disqualified. The same rule will apply for sourcing of critical materials in 2025.Mo’ Money, No CreditsThere is also an income ceiling for claiming the credit. For joint filers or surviving spouses, it’s $300,000; for a head of household, it’s $225,000; and for single and separate filers, the cap is $150,000. Adjusted-gross-income limits for used-vehicle credits are half as high as those for new cars. Overall, these new “clean vehicle” credit provisions are a mixed bag of industrial policy, social engineering, and EV promotion. Encouraging truck purchases by giving them a higher price cap hardly makes sense when trucks use more electricity, sourced mostly from CO2-generating power plants. But the domestic automakers are overwhelmingly truck-heavy, so this is another sop to them. These rules, along with the escalating battery provisions, will encourage more EV and parts assembly in our automotive market. And the battery regulations will help us develop local sources to supply the coming waves of EVs. Expediting mining permits and environmental- impact statements might do even more good, but they’re absent from the bill.In the short term, this law seems likely to reduce EV sales—at least until more manufacturers set up shop in North America. We’ll see how it goes a few years out.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

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.Veterans Day on November 11 is a holiday to pay respects to those who serve or have served in the U.S. military, and Black Rifle Coffee Company and Hoonigan have teamed up to make this video in their honor.In this case, it involves some over-the-top activities such as carjacking a vehicle and driving it like there’s no tomorrow. Apparently the point simply lies in having fun with life—and a Jeep—including squealing tires and reckless driving.Veterans have a small role in the film, and the message at the end thanking veterans for their service is sincere, but the main attraction is Travis Pastrana, giving chase in a Subaru BRAT.Black Rifle Coffee Company and the team at Hoonigan Media Machine have honored America’s military veterans this year with a short video that, if it were real, would land any veteran doing what the video recommends in a heap of trouble. But never mind that: this short film that’s perfectly timed to hit YouTube viewers’ preference for action and for 10-minute videos.Called “The Final Send,” the mini-movie enlists actual veterans at the end, but really, what we’re here to see is two customized Hoonigan vehicles tear up the streets of small-town Boerne, Texas. If that’s your thing, settle in and hit play. In “The Final Send” cinematic universe, military veterans happily steal cars and their owners hop in to join the lawless fun, even if they end up leading local police on a dangerous chase on public roads (something we cannot recommend, of course).Antics from the C/D ArchiveThe human star here is World War II military veteran Hank (played by off-road racer Dave Carapetyan), who gets a doctor’s recommendation to do something “epic” as a reward for his service to his country. Hank decides that means he should hoon it up in a stolen Jeep, which attracts the attention of Sheriff Pastrami (stunt driver Travis Pastrana, who chases the scofflaw in a delightfully customized Subaru BRAT). However you interpret the video’s final message, you can tell Pastrana and Carapetyan had a fun day at work. The funniest part of the whole thing, though, is YouTube’s auto-generated transcript, which repeatedly attempts to turn tire squeals into words. They sound like “foreign” and applause to the AI, apparently.Black Rifle Coffee Company, of course, is promoting its coffee and runs an annual Veterans Day sale, but Hoonigan’s vice president of brands, Ron Zaras, who also directed the film, said the collaboration between the two brands and the resulting video were simply meant to honor veterans.”The message we want to get across is that veterans have done so much for us, and they come back to this [civilian] world and should have that fun too,” Zaras said in a statement. “They should be able to enjoy what they’ve made possible for us.” 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. More