Motor News

Aftermarket supplier GFC has designed a platform camper specifically for the Ford Maverick that costs $7700.The platform camper features a 7.5-foot-tall, pop-up living area and a 50-inch-by-90-inch sleeping surface with a foam mattress.GFC says the entire unit weighs 255 pounds and fits within the outline of the Maverick’s truck bed.The Ford Maverick is an excellent little pickup truck, with a useful 4.5-foot cargo box and an affordable price tag that starts just north of $22,000. Now, aftermarket supplier GFC gives Maverick owners the opportunity to pursue their overlanding fantasies with a new $7700 platform camper.Specifically designed for Ford’s tiniest truck, the GFC platform camper has a sleep surface that measures 50 inches wide and 90 inches long. Along with a two-layer foam mattress, it also features a 7.5-foot-tall, pop-up living space. All of this fits within the outline of the truck’s bed, and—measured above the roof-mounted antenna—it adds 6.5 inches to the Maverick’s overall height when closed.

GFC

What’s also neat about the GFC camper is that it has a modular floor with a removable section that creates a pass-through so you can stand in the truck bed and use the other section as a desk. Plus, the roof itself is made of a translucent composite material that’s said to reflect the sun and turn direct light into diffuse light. Likewise, GFC says it provides insulation, too. If people want to hang items such as an awning or lights, the platform has racks that extend from the aluminum frame. There are also three separate side panels that can be individually raised and locked.

GFC

How heavy is the add-on camper unit? GFC says it weighs 255 pounds. Subtract that from the Maverick’s 1500-pound payload rating, and owners can use the remaining 1245-pound capacity for camping gear or whatever else they want. GFC also says the roof of the platform can support up to 500 pounds, and the camper portion can be opened as long as it’s supporting 75 pounds or less.For those looking to buy a GFC platform camper for their Maverick, the company says it can be available as soon as eight weeks. GFC also offers to install the camper at its facility in Bozeman, Montana, but it’s unclear if that costs extra. A GFC spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to our request for clarification. For those who want it shipped and installed on-site within the next six months, they’ll have to pay $750 if they live in the west region, $850 in the midwest, and $1000 in the east, and fuel costs can affect that price, per the company’s website.
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Citing “significant material cost increases” and “rapidly evolving market conditions,” Ford announced increased pricing on the 2023 model year Mustang Mach-E as order banks reopen for the popular EV.There are some added features to come with the price increase, notably two new color choices, newly standard driver-assist technology, and a small increase in range.Orders for the 2023 Mach-E will reopen on Tuesday, August 30. Customers with unscheduled orders for 2022 models will be offered conversion to a 2023 model order.Ford announced updated pricing for the Mustang Mach-E, which will see increases across the lineup. The entry-level Select RWD trim level equipped with standard range will increase by $3000, while the top-end GT AWD trim equipped with the extended-range battery will increase by $7900. Destination charges have been raised by $200. According to a release from Ford, starting this fall, Premium models equipped with all-wheel drive will see EPA-estimated range figures increase by 13 miles to an estimated 290 miles. During our 75 mph highway range test, which we conducted prior to this update, the Mach-E with the long-range battery made it 250 miles on a single charge.

Ford

Ford is bringing two new colors to the lineup, Carbonized Gray Metallic and Vapor Blue Metallic, which replace outgoing Dark Matter Gray Metallic and Iced Blue Silver Metallic. The Nite Pony package will also be available to order for Premium models with the extended battery and for GT Performance edition Mach-Es. As partial recompense for the increased price, Ford is adding the Co-Pilot360 driver assist package as a standard suite of features throughout the Mach-E lineup. Co-Pilot360 includes safety features including precollision assist, blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping, and auto high-beams. The Select trim model will gain access to a 90-day trial period of BlueCruise hands-free driving, but the owner will need to pay to enable it beyond that 90-day period.
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Perhaps the greatest advancement of the modern Ferrari is that you don’t need to drive it a billion miles per hour in order to enjoy it. While superlative speeds are easily accessible with an 829-hp V-12 and relatively low weight of the 2023 Ferrari Daytona SP3, reaching for them brings considerable danger to your license, if not the safety of everyone on the road around you.

This video comes from our recent review of the SP3 in the Netherlands, where we drove for a few hours on public roads before heading to Circuit Zandvoort, home of the Dutch Grand Prix, for a handful of low-speed laps. The generally flat topography of the country and the immense popularity of biking there mean that opportunities for speed are few and ill advised. That’s not to say the drive was uneventful. Straight as the roads may be, they are also narrow. And often used by tractors. The SP3’s 80.7-inch width makes it wider than a Ford F-150, and this combination led to several exceptionally close encounters, one of which is shown at the beginning of this video. Fortunately, the encounters never went past close. And though the speeds remained low, we found much to enjoy from the SP3’s steering, engine response, and ride quality. Watch the video for more details and read our review for more information. More

Kia announced the reveal of the EV9 electric SUV will happen in the first quarter of 2023.Kia has yet to confirm that the EV9 will come to the U.S., but we believe it will.New images show the production EV9 testing in camouflage, and it looks very similar to the concept shown in 2021.UPDATE 8/25/22, 4:25 p.m.: Kia confirmed to Car and Driver that the EV9 will go on sale in the United States in the second half of 2023.This spring, Kia confirmed that the EV9 concept first seen at the Los Angeles auto show in November 2021 would go into production sometime in 2023. Now the Korean automaker has revealed that the electric full-size crossover will have its global debut in the first quarter of next year. Kia also published a series of photos of the production EV9 undergoing testing.

Kia

Kia has yet to confirm that the EV9 will be available in the United States. Since it’s a large SUV and because the concept was unveiled at an American auto show, we believe the EV9 will make it stateside, although it will likely go on sale in Europe first. We have reached out to Kia for comment and will update this story if we receive a confirmation.

The new images show the EV9 testing at Kia’s Namyang R&D facility in South Korea. Kia says the EV9 has gone up against a four-wheel-drive climbing hill, rough terrain track, deep-water wading test, and a cobblestone road to evaluate ride comfort. The EV9 has also been assessed on a high-speed circuit and tracks that test the handling in low-friction scenarios. While we can only see the front end of the EV9, it looks very similar to the concept, with vertical headlights and two horizontal trim pieces. The body itself is less chunky than the concept’s, but the upwards kink on the window line has carried over. Kia says that the EV9 will become the brand’s flagship model when it arrives in 2023.
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Don’t worry, you’ll still be able to drive your gas-powered vehicle in California at the end of next decade; you just won’t be able to buy a new vehicle there unless it’s a zero-emission model.This new rule is a bold move, but it’s all in keeping with the efforts the state’s Air Resources Board has been making to clean up the air since the late 1960s.Automakers have responded to these restrictive of regulations around the world, and they’ve had time to prepare for similar rules rolling out in the U.S.Today, the California Air Resources Board voted to only allow the sale of new passenger cars, trucks, and SUVs in California if they have zero tailpipe emissions, starting in 2035. Passage of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) proposal means no new gas-engine vehicles and no new diesels will be sold in the state a dozen years from now.This is a demonstrably important move, and it’s really just the latest step in a long process. The state has slowly and steadily moved toward more zero-emission-vehicle (ZEV) use since the Air Resources Board (CARB) was established in 1967. California has been leading the country in the shift to cleaner vehicles, pushing automakers to build more-efficient gas vehicles and then hybrids and then plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and then, over the last decade, more and more zero-emission vehicles, including all-electric and hydrogen models. Last year, ZEVs and PHEVs made up 16 percent of all new vehicles sold in the state, more than in any other state in the country. Washington State is ahead of California in drawing up similar legislation, but it’s one of the states that intend to follow California’s lead and adopt CARB’s ZEV rules.

It’s fair to say today’s rule is CARB’s most drastic change in its 55-year history. The exact details of the rule have not been finalized, but a total ban on new gas- and diesel-powered vehicle sales is something completely different for the U.S. Questions remain about how PHEVs will be treated after 2035 and how states that have agreed to follow CARB’s ZEV rules will react. CARB will also need to submit its new regulations to the Environmental Protection Agency for approval.Despite the big step that ACCII represents, the rules are based in reality. First, there will still be plenty of vehicles that burn gasoline and diesel on California’s roads in 2035 and beyond. Unless there’s a similar federal rule coming (don’t hold your breath), anyone will still be able to buy a gas car in another state and register it with the California DMV. Gas and diesel vehicles will still be allowed to be resold in California as used vehicles. Obviously, they’ll also still be allowed to drive in the state. CARB’s FAQ about the new rules realistically states it will take “many years” to actually eliminate all gas cars from the road.There Is a Silver LiningCARB and the Advanced Clean Cars II are not perfect, but the Board has a history of success. Without past CARB regulations, we wouldn’t have gotten the hybrids, hydrogen cars, and electric vehicles we have today. We probably wouldn’t have Tesla or the Ford F-150 Lightning, the Nissan Leaf, or startups like Rivian and Lucid. We most likely wouldn’t have crowned the Hyundai Ioniq 5 our 2022 EV of the Year. We might not even have had an EV Of The Year award to give out.U.S. car buyers can choose any of these EVs, in part, because CARB has spent decades bending the industry to its will. Emissions regulations in Europe and China have also encouraged EV development, and the industry responded to all of these government pressure points by investing billions of dollars into designing new EV models, developing better batteries and establishing a growing number of production facilities to build all these cars. With all of these gears now in motion, CARB is once again pushing the limit of what’s possible. Smartly, CARB didn’t create this rule in 2010, when the first mass-market EV hit the market, and it didn’t declare today that ZEVs would be the only option on dealer lots starting in 2025. Instead, after giving automakers plenty of time to get things sorted, CARB is now telling them they have another decade-plus to complete their shift to electric vehicles (in California, at least). CARB’s move is strong, but it’s not unreasonable.Ford and Toyota Weigh InSome automakers have already signaled their approval. Ford is “proud of our partnership with California for stronger vehicle emissions standards,” the automaker’s chief sustainability officer, Bob Holycross, said in a statement that also called the new rules a “landmark standard that will define clean transportation and set an example for the United States.”Then there’s Toyota, which has never been a strong promoter of battery-electric vehicles. The automaker introduced its first real all-electric model, the bZ4x, this year and is already on the second generation of the hydrogen-powered Mirai. This week, in possibly related news, Toyota announced it will recognize CARB’s power to set its own auto emission standards. The automaker had been fighting with CARB for years but has now given up on that legal challenge. Toyota tweeted this week that it shares “the vision of greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction and carbon neutrality goals with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the State of California.” The zero-emission writing is on the wall. Onward.
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Kindred Motorworks is turning revered classics like the Volkswagen Microbus, Ford Bronco, and Chevrolet Camaro into fully electric restorations.With a background in traditional restomod design, the company continues to offer its classic internal-combustion-vehicle upgrades while shifting its focus toward model-unique EV drivetrain development.Pricing ranges from low-end Camaros for $149,000 to top-of-the-line VW Microbuses for $199,000 and includes a guaranteed 200-mile range. Production won’t start until 2024.Electric vehicles are largely regarded as modern items, even if the technology has been implemented over decades of automotive manufacturing. Twentieth-century gas crises and environmental science sparked demand for the large-scale EV production that aspires to dominate the automotive market in the years to come. Battery production technology and vehicle engineering have progressed so significantly that a current byproduct of this EV boom is a culture of retrofitting. From classic motorcycles to Porsche 911s, the possibilities seem endless for anyone willing to re-engineer a decades-old chassis.

Exemplifying this trend and demonstrating that seemingly anything can be done is Kindred Motorworks, a California company dedicated to reviving classic but tired chassis. Most recently, the company had dedicated itself to a line of EVs, ranging from an electric classic Volkswagen Transporter to Ford Broncos and ’69 Camaros. It’s important to note that Kindred is not solely an EV company, given that the Bronco and Camaro restomodels are available with internal-combustion engines as well.

Louie Gonzalez

Speaking on the choice to offer EV powertrains, “It’s a natural evolution informed by consumer choice and availability in the marketplace,” said Kindred CEO Rob Howard. “At Kindred Motorworks, we’ve taken the customer’s formerly irrational desire for a vintage car and make it completely justifiable.”Officially launched at Monterey Car Week, the restored models are available for pre-order with a claimed production start of 2024 and no clear delivery estimate. The Kindred VW Bus marks the top of the price range, starting at $199,000, while the Bronco holds up the midrange at $169,000. Camaro models start at $149,000 and can range up to $199,000.

Louie Gonzalez

What Do You Get for Your Money? It depends on what model you choose, but a number of electric powertrains are offered. The original air-cooled drivetrain of the VW Bus is replaced with a 294-hp direct drive electric motor and a 74.0-kWh battery. Independent rear suspension and unequal-length-control-arm front suspension on coil-overs, and a necessary set of four-wheel disc brakes, round out the mechanical changes to the bus. Kindred’s electric system is still in development, but the company claims all EV models will have 200 miles of range with a 6.6-kWh onboard charger and a 120V adapter. The company has shared very few details about the Camaro and Bronco EV drivetrains, but we know what’s under the hood of the conventional ICE models.

Louie Gonzalez

Between the LS and LT Camaro offerings, a 490-hp LS376 or a 700-hp 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 are available, with a six-speed T56 manual transmission standard on the more expensive LT version. An 8-speed automatic is available as an upgrade to the LT model, while the 6-speed manual found in the LT can replace the LS trim’s 6-speed automatic. Heavy duty six-piston disc brakes all around and a set of Michelin Pilot Sport 2 or Falken Azenis FK510 tires should make this 53-year-old brute stop and turn at rates previously inconceivable.The Ford Bronco retrofit includes a 460-hp 5.0-liter Coyote V-8, hydroboost four-wheel disc brakes, and 33-inch BFGoodrich off-road tires. Three packages are offered for the Bronco, allowing it to be tailored for different needs. For instance, the family package includes a roll cage, rear seats, and three-point retractable seatbelts, while the off-road package adds a winch, air-locking differentials, and damage-accepting impact bumpers front and rear.

Louie Gonzalez

The interiors include modern features like backup cameras, cupholders, and surround-sound audio systems. That’s to say these restorations are complete, if pricey. Kindred’s press materials suggest this cost comes with peace of mind, knowing that every last bolt has been redone and that the vehicle’s body is the only original thing remaining. And an important part of accelerating this philosophy was going electric, according to the company’s website. While an electric ’69 Camaro may be antithetical to the car’s upbringing, the choice to go electric is actually in line with the overarching goal of some restomod projects: infinite reliability and refinement. Of course, Kindred needs to iron out its EV systems, and the engineering and production of these models pose large hurdles. But once these models become available to consumers, the market will reveal if there’s true demand for retrofits. More

The 2023 Dodge Challenger Shakedown is the first of seven “Last Call” special editions.It features black and red stripes and interior upholstery inspired by the 2016 Dodge Shakedown Challenger concept car.Only 1000 Shakedown editions will be split between the 485-hp R/T Scat Pack and its Widebody twin, likely priced between $55k–$65k when orders open this fall. By now, you’ve probably heard that Dodge will say goodbye to the current-generation Challenger and Charger after the 2023 model year. The automaker also announced that it will say sayonara to its beloved muscle cars with a series of seven “Last Call” special editions, the first of which will be the 2023 Dodge Challenger Shakedown. The new Challenger Shakedown is inspired by the concept car of the same name that appeared at the 2016 SEMA show. While the concept was a 1971 Challenger retrofitted with parts from a then-new 2017 model, the 2023 Shakedown mainly cribs its exterior and interior styling bits. The latter includes a set of stripes that run the entire length of the car, with three black lines of different widths and a single red line. All examples also have red “392” fender badges, red Brembo brake calipers, and a unique spoiler graphic.

Dodge

Inside, the Shakedown edition features black Nappa leather seats with microsuede accents and red contrast stitching. The red stitching also extends to the steering wheel and dashboard, where there’s also a “Shakedown” badge. The interior comes dressed with Demonic Red seatbelts, too. Likewise, all Shakedown models include options such as carbon-fiber and microsuede interior trim, the Technology package (adaptive cruise control, automatic high-beams, rain-sensing windshield wipers), the Plus package (heated steering wheel and power-adjustable steering column), and more.

Not only does the 2023 Challenger Shakedown have a distinct appearance, but Dodge says it only plans to build 1000 examples total. That will include 500 copies based on the Challenger R/T Scat Pack and 500 of the R/T Scat Pack Widebody . Both variants are only sold with the 485-hp 6.4-liter V-8 and either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission.Dodge hasn’t released pricing for the 2023 Challenger Shakedown, but the company said that information along with specific dealership allotments will be announced when orders open later this fall. With all the options that are included with the Shakedown edition, the 2022 Challenger R/T Scat Pack starts around $52,000 and a similarly equipped Widebody variant adds roughly another $10k. We’d wager the 2023 Shakedowns start a few thousand dollars higher than both, so in the $55k–$65k range.
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Lots of automakers hide easter eggs throughout their cars, but Porsche generally isn’t the type to do that sort of thing. That made it all the more surprising when Andreas Preuninger, head of GT cars at Porsche, showed us a tiny easter egg on the new 911 GT3 RS.

There’s a tiny vent just above the rear reflector, but the shape of the bodywork—which creates an air channel with a flap that sits behind the rear wheel—in combination with the reflector necessitated a piece that’s blocked off. A lot of automakers use fake vents purely for styling purposes, and Preuninger didn’t want to be accused of doing the same. “There’s this crazy people online [who say], ‘It’s not a real vent! It’s a fake vent!'” For those people, Preuninger made sure the little plastic piece was stamped with the words “no vent.”
You’ll have to get down on the ground to actually see the “no vent” embossing, and if your eyesight’s bad, you’ll need glasses to see it. The piece is so small, one wonders if anyone would ever notice there’s something even resembling a fake vent down there. But, Porsche takes a lot of pride in the fact that its cars don’t have any exterior elements there only for style. The folks there take this stuff seriously.Not so seriously that they don’t have a little fun, though. Preuninger is a Porsche-world celebrity as much for his big personality as the quality of the cars his department creates. He’s also very proud, hence a desire to not be lumped in with the many automakers who use fake vents. Every piece on the GT3 RS has a function. Even the one that looks like it doesn’t. More