Motor News

Jay K. McNally McNally Multi Media

Nissan announced today that its 2023 Leaf will get some minor changes, some of which are not easy to spot.The Leaf lineup has been cut from five models to two: a 147-hp base model and a 214-hp SV Plus.Reassuringly in today’s inflationary conditions, the 2023 Leaf’s price is unchanged from the current model.Suddenly, EVs are having their moment, yet the electric car that’s been around since 2010, the Nissan Leaf, seems lost in the shuffle. For 2023, even as Nissan prepares to launch its new, bigger, flashier, and pricier Ariya electric, the automaker is also giving the Leaf a little love. But just a little.

Jay K. McNally/Nissan

Up front, the grille, headlights, and bumper have been changed, but even looking at pictures side by side, the differences aren’t easy to spot. Nissan says various body elements also have been reshaped for improved aerodynamics. The standout new design element is the Leaf’s funky new multispoke wheels. Oh, and the Nissan badge is illuminated, because that’s now a thing.

The 2022 lineup of five models has been trimmed to just two, the base S and the mid-grade SV Plus. As before, the base car has a 147-horsepower electric motor fed by a 40.0-kWh battery pack—both numbers that are looking pretty small in the new competitive landscape. The SV Plus returns with its more respectable 214-hp motor and 62.0-kWh battery. Both models have front-wheel drive. EPA range estimates aren’t expected to stray far (if at all) from the current 149 miles for the S and 215 miles for the SV Plus. We got 180 miles out of the SV Plus in our 75-mph highway test. Note that the Leaf continues to use a CHAdeMO charging connection, while the new Ariya adopts the more popular CCS connection used by most other automakers.

Jay K. McNally/Nissan

One thing that’s also unchanged is the pricing, which in today’s environment is noteworthy. The 2023 Leaf S will start at $28,425 and the SV Plus at $36,425 when the models arrive this summer.
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Honda teased two electric sports cars, but did not say when they will arrive.One is a flagship model with mid-engined supercar proportions, and this NSX successor would likely wear an Acura badge in the United States.Honda calls the other car a “specialty” model, and it appears taller with more front-engined proportions. In 2017 Honda revealed a slinky Sports EV concept with retro styling and compact proportions. But since then, the Japanese automaker’s promises for the future have revolved around electric crossovers, such as the 2024 Prologue that will employ General Motors’ Ultium batteries. Now Honda has confirmed that its electric expansion will include two sports cars, which it teased in a recent announcement regarding EV plans. Honda said that it will launch two sports cars globally, describing one as a “specialty” model and one as a “flagship.” The flagship car, pictured above, looks like a low-slung supercar and will likely be an electric successor to the NSX. If it reaches U.S. shores, it will probably carry an Acura badge, just like the current generation. The specialty model, seen below, sits a bit higher with more front-engined proportions, but we’re not yet sure on the positioning of this model, although there have been rumors of a “baby NSX” for years. Honda says both cars will “embody Honda’s universal sports mind set.”

Honda

In the same announcement, Honda reaffirmed its plans for the Prologue and a related Acura EV SUV for 2024 that will use GM’s batteries. Honda also said that for North America, it is considering a joint-venture company for battery production, although this appears to be separate from the recently announced joint venture with Sony that will lead to a new EV by 2025. The partnership with GM will also result in “affordable” EVs by 2027, and Honda is aiming to release 30 electric vehicles globally by 2030, with production volume of more than 2 million cars per year.

Honda also says it will continue to research and develop solid-state batteries, and the company is building a demonstration production line that will start building solid-state batteries in spring 2024. Honda predicts that these batteries will make their way into production cars in the latter half of the decade. The company is also reducing the number of trim variants for its cars to help streamline production and reduce costs. Honda says that at the moment, it globally has half as many trim and option levels as in 2018, and it is targeting a reduction to one-third as many submodels by 2025.
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• No need to bring an actual trailer for this near-pristine and nearly new 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance, unless you want to keep the odometer with an ultra-low reading. It currently has just 114 miles on it.• The limited-edition electric vehicle originally sold for $170,500, and units available on the used market can be found for over $200,000. The current bid here is already at $180,000.• Lucid is no longer taking reservations for the Dream Edition, and there’s a long waiting list that should snap up all of the company’s product for 2022. At least those editions cost less, until perhaps they go up for auction, too. Vehicle auction site Build a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—bills itself as offering “the best vintage and classic cars for sale online.” That may be true, but there are also vehicles being sold there where you decidedly don’t have to bring a trailer. Exhibit A for this is a basically brand-new 2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition Performance electric vehicle, which just started being delivered in late 2021 and could be had new for $170,500. For now, bidding for the BaT car has already surpassed it at $180,000, but the auction doesn’t end until Thursday.

Also of note: reservations for new Air Dream Editions are closed—the company said it would only make 520—and another used Air similar to this one is currently available for $219,800.

A few commenters on the BaT website accuse the Florida-based dealer selling the Air of simply flipping a new luxury car on a site that usually specializes in older models, but it’s also a great way to judge real-world demand for a high-end EV from a new manufacturer. Lucid had said it expected to build 20,000 Air sedans in 2022, but recently reduced that to around 12,000 to 14,000 vehicles because of supply chain problems. With a reservation list that was already at 17,000 late last year, ordering an Air now will require patience. There are three other Air trim lines: the Pure, Touring, and Grand Touring. All of them cost less than the Dream.

Even without any worry about whether you could even order and take delivery of a new Air this year, there’s no question that this example includes enough features and technology to attract attention. For starters, “used” is true in only the most technical sense, as it has just 114 miles on the odometer. There are two electric motors that provide a total of 1111 horsepower and all-wheel drive. The 118.0-kWh battery delivers 451 miles on a full charge, according to the EPA, and can be fast-charged when necessary. The Infinite Black exterior paint is contrasted by Platinum Polish trim that reaches up to the glass canopy roof. The 21-inch alloy wheels come with 265/35 Pirelli P Zero Elect tires. The Infinite Black color continues inside, where it is matched with a Santa Monica leather-upholstered interior. Drivers and the front passenger can enjoy heated, ventilated, and massaging seats, and even the rear seats are heated. There’s a leather-wrapped steering wheel and DreamDrive Pro driver assistance features to complement the Air’s infotainment calling card: a 34-inch curved infotainment screen.
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The Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance is a new 1050-hp version of the electric luxury sedan.It’s slightly less powerful than the sold-out Dream Edition Performance but costs $10,000 more.Lucid says deliveries of the Grand Touring Performance will start in June, or August if you’re in California.Lucid has already closed reservations for its top-of-the-line Air Dream Edition, as that model was limited to 520 units in total. But now it is introducing yet another version of the electric luxury sedan called the Grand Touring Performance that has slightly less horsepower than the Dream Edition Performance while costing significantly more. Yes, we’re confused too.

The non-Performance version of the Grand Touring has started reaching customers already, Lucid claims, and it provides 819 horsepower for $140,500. The Grand Touring Performance has significantly more power than that from its two electric motors—1050 hp, to be precise—but not quite as much as the Dream Edition Performance model’s 1111 hp. And yet, the Grand Touring Performance costs $180,500, or exactly $10,000 more than the Dream Edition Performance.

Lucid Motors

This is despite the fact that the Grand Touring model lacks the Dream Edition’s nicer “Santa Monica” interior package with fancier materials. The Grand Touring Performance also has a slightly lower range estimate, with Lucid claiming it can go 446 miles on a charge compared to the Dream Edition Performance’s 451 mile EPA estimate. Of course, if range is your priority you should be choosing the non-Performance Grand Touring model anyway, which is rated at up to 516 miles of range with the base 19-inch wheels. (Oh, and there was also a Dream Edition Range model that claimed to go 520 miles on a charge).

Lucid Motors

We suppose this questionable price premium is what you have to pay to actually get one of these 1000-plus-hp Lucid Air models in your driveway now that the Dream Edition is sold out. Lucid now says that deliveries of this new Grand Touring Performance model will start in June for most of the U.S., but buyers in California will have to wait until August.
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The Tecnica version of the Lamborghini Huracán will have a 631-hp V-10, rear-wheel drive, and fixed-ratio steering.In the lineup, it’s positioned between the Evo RWD and the motorsport-inspired STO.It’s also going to be the second-to-last Huracan variant and will go on sale next year.UPDATE 11:00 a.m.: Lamborghini has announced that the Tecnica will be priced at $242,695.Lamborghini was never going to retire its pure internal-combustion engines without a grand sendoff. We have already seen one of them: the Aventador LP780-4 Ultimae, which marks the end of the V-12 supercar’s decade-long life span. Now here is another, the Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica, which can be fairly regarded as a greatest hits collection for the company’s smaller V-10–powered model, one that will understudy only the track-focused Huracán STO in the range hierarchy.

Lamborghini

While more discreet than the wing-wearing STO, the Tecnica still offers an abundance of the visual aggression that makes a Lamborghini a Lamborghini. It also gets the STO’s more powerful 631-hp version of the 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V-10, sending drive exclusively to its rear axle. With more downforce and less drag than the existing rear-drive Huracán Evo, it is also quicker and, the company claims, even more exciting.Sitting between the two existing models, the Tecnica inevitably blurs the lines. So while the STO is a motorsport-inspired special intended for regular circuit use (or at least it’s implied that that’s how owners will use it), the Tecnica has been designed to be a road car first, although one that can still cope with harder track use than the Evo. As such, it has fixed-ratio steering rather than the variable-ratio active setup of the lesser car, but it keeps rear-axle steering to improve high-speed stability. It also has improved brake cooling and Lamborghini’s LDVI (Lamborghini Dinamica Veicolo Integrata) dynamic control system to manage its plethora of active systems: torque-vectoring rear differential, adaptive dampers, and a recalibrated performance traction control.

Visual changes are significant. The new front bumper is inspired by Y-shaped forms of the Terzo Millennio EV concept from 2017—the one that featured body panels capable of storing electrical charge. That means larger apertures than those of the Evo, with the Tecnica also gaining integrated winglets and a larger front splitter.

Lamborghini

At the back, bigger changes have been made with a new vertical rear screen that looks over a carbon-fiber engine cover; lesser Huracáns have a fared glass panel which incorporates both functions. It also gets a raised rear wing which, although smaller than the STO’s, still helps to increase peak downforce. Lamborghini claims a 35 percent improvement over the RWD Evo. Based on the numbers released for that car, that suggests a total of up to 400 pounds of aerodynamic assistance. While that figure looks modest next to the huge 992 pounds of downforce the STO can generate, the Tecnica’s revised package has also reduced drag by 20 percent over the Huracán Evo.The Tecnica’s interior is also less austere than the carbon-heavy STO, with a microfiber dashboard and new-design sport seats; it keeps its racier sister’s motorsport-inspired fabric door-pull openers, though. Lamborghini says it also gets a redesigned HMI interface for the central touchscreen, and buyers will be able to specify a rear roll cage.As in other Huracáns, there will be three driving modes, but these have been tweaked. Strada remains intended for everyday use, turning the Tecnica as civilized as it can be. Sport is a more aggressive setting that uses the rear-wheel steering and a more permissive traction control threshold to allow some carefully policed power oversteer. And the track-focused Corsa mode actually reduces permitted slip to maximize traction and minimize lap times. Carbon-ceramic brakes are standard, and buyers will also be able to specify optional Bridgestone Potenza Race tires, which are street legal but track biased. According to Lamborghini’s numbers, the Tecnica weighs 3018 pounds dry, which is just 67 pounds more than the corresponding figure for the STO. Which certainly doesn’t feel like an excessive supplement. We don’t have any pricing information yet, but the Tecnica’s place in the range hierarchy means it will be cheaper than its racier sister.According to Lamborghini insiders, there is still one Huracán variant to come after this one. It’s rumored to be a production version of the Safari-inspired Sterrato concept with underbody protection and a raised ride. That really will be going out on a high.

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The 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will be offered as a 120th Anniversary Edition, but only 120 copies will be built.The special editions celebrate Cadillac’s 120th birthday with several unique interior trim pieces.The first CT5-V Blackwing 120th Anniversary Edition sold for $250k at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction.Cadillac was founded 120 years ago in 1902 by Henry Leland, and the brand is celebrating that milestone with the 2023 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing 120th Anniversary Edition. The company will build just 120 examples, the very first of which was sold this past weekend for $250,000 at the Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach auction.

The 120th Anniversary Editions of the 2023 CT5-V Blackwing are part of the company’s Collector’s Series. Each individual car features a vehicle identification number (VIN) that includes a year from 1902 through 2022, starting with car 1902—the white example seen here that was recently auctioned off. The anniversary treatment is purely cosmetic, with details including special plaques on the door sills and B-pillars that acknowledge the commemorative year.

Cadillac

There are additional call-outs between the bottom spokes of the steering wheel and on top of the shifter of cars equipped with the standard six-speed manual transmission. Every CT5-V Blackwing 120th Anniversary Edition also includes a certificate of authenticity and a trip to the Spring Mountain V-Performance Academy driving school. The latter is a great opportunity to test out the rear-wheel-drive sedan’s 668-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8, which rocketed to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and posted a 2.49.4 lap around VIR’s Grand Course at our most recent Lightning Lap.

Cadillac

Cadillac hasn’t yet announced pricing for the 2023 CT5-V Blackwing or said how much the 120th Anniversary Editions will cost. The 2022 model currently starts at $84,940, which is about $165,000 less than what the first example of the 2023 anniversary version fetched at Barrett-Jackson auction. Cadillac says that it donated all the money from the sale to the SAE Foundation which benefits STEM education.
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Nissan is adding a Rock Creek model to the 2023 Pathfinder lineup.It comes with a suspension lift, all-terrain tires, and many visual tweaks.The Rock Creek will go on sale in the U.S. this summer.Nissan is bringing back the Rock Creek trim for the Pathfinder, and the new generation of the mid-size SUV wears the rugged-looking modifications better than the old model did. Available for the 2023 Pathfinder, the package includes a suspension lift, different wheels and tires, a roof rack, and a few other styling differences inside and out.

The Rock Creek model’s front end has a different grille and front fascia, and Rock Creek badges adorn the front doors and tailgate. The 18-inch beadlock-style wheels are wrapped in Toyo Open Country All-Terrain tires. The suspension is lifted 0.6 inch and all-wheel drive is standard equipment. Nissan also says that revised fuel mapping means that the 3.5-liter V-6 makes an extra 11 horsepower and 11 pound-feet of torque when running on premium fuel, making for new totals of 295 hp and 270 pound-feet; we assume other 2023 Pathfinders will get this upgrade as well.Inside, the Pathfinder Rock Creek has leatherette and fabric upholstery with embroidered Rock Creek logos on the seats, along with orange contrasting stitching throughout. It comes with second-row captain’s chairs, which are otherwise available only on the SL with the Premium package or the top Platinum trim.
Four two-tone exterior color schemes will be available, along with six monotone exterior colors. Nissan has yet to release pricing for the 2023 Pathfinder Rock Creek, but we reckon it will fit in somewhere between the AWD SL and Platinum models when it goes on sale during the summer.
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Lincoln showed a brief teaser video for an upcoming electric concept car.The video shows very little, but we spotted a sloping roofline and possibly a Lidar sensor mounted on the roof. Lincoln’s first electric vehicle could debut before the end of the year and go on sale for the 2023 model year. Lincoln first detailed its plans for electric vehicles last year, and the company is now teasing an electric concept car that will debut on April 20. This “serves as inspiration” for Lincoln’s upcoming EVs and will likely be a preview of its first electric model, an electric SUV that’s set to debut sometime later this year in production form.

Lincoln

The teaser video doesn’t show much, starting with an illuminated Lincoln badge before drawing a wheel arch, hood line, and a sloping roofline in white. There also appears to be a small protrusion on the front of the roof that could be a Lidar sensor like on the new Lotus Eletre. Lincoln also recently released some sketches of the interiors of Lincoln’s EVs, although the sketches simply show a general design direction and do not directly correspond to the upcoming concept.

Lincoln first electric vehicle was originally planned as a collaboration with startup Rivian—which Ford owns a 12 percent stake in—that would have seen Lincoln utilize the chassis and powertrain of the R1S SUV, but that plan was scrapped in 2020. It now seems more likely that Lincoln’s first EV will share components with the Mustang Mach-E, although we don’t know just how similar the crossovers will be. The first production Lincoln EV could rear its head by the end of this year and go on sale for the 2023 model year, when it will do battle with the Cadillac Lyriq, which recently began production, and the Audi e-tron, Tesla Model X, BMW iX, and Jaguar I-Pace.
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