Motor News

Lexus has revealed a modified LX600, in collaboration with aftermarket parts supplier JAOS, for the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon.The show car adds front and rear skid plates, more aggressive wheel arches, 20-inch wheels, and all-terrain tires.The customized LX is based on the Japan-only Offroad model, which has locking front, center, and rear differentials.Toyota’s revered off-road Land Cruiser SUV may not be returning to the United States, but Americans will still be able to purchase its luxurious sibling, the Lexus LX600. Now, ahead of the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, Lexus has revealed a customized LX Offroad model in collaboration with aftermarket equipment supplier JAOS.
The JAOS-modified show car is based on the LX600 Offroad, a special version of the LX created for the Japanese market. It gains lightweight front and rear skid plates fashioned from CFRP, or carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers, as well as chunkier CFRP wheel arches. The show car rides on 20-inch Enkei wheels wrapped in Toyo Open Country A/T III 285/55R20 tires. There are also mud flaps at all four corners.

The LX600’s twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6 is untouched, still churning out 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The engine routes its power through a 10-speed automatic transmission, and four-wheel-drive comes standard. The Offroad model adds locking differentials in the front, center and rear for increased off-road agility. While the modifications seen on the Tokyo Auto Salon show car likely won’t be available from the factory, they show what owners of the new LX600 can do to make their luxury Land Cruiser even better at tackling unpaved terrain.
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The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is likely to be the most extreme sports car ever to be assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Thanks to the folks at Barrett-Jackson, one lucky collector will have a chance to take home the first retail production example at the firm’s 2022 Scottsdale auction. Unveiled in October 2021, the new Z06 packs a 5.5-liter LT6 V-8 with dual overhead cams and a flat-plane crankshaft. It’s the most potent atmospheric V-8 to enter production. The motor provides an unmatched 670 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque while revving to 8600 rpm. Combined with revised bodywork and other C8.R-derived tweaks, the car promises to shake up the current supercar landscape.The first Z06 will be sold no reserve as Lot 3009 at the Scottsdale auction and should cross the block at approximately 10:30 p.m. ET on January 29. The full selling price of the car will go to the Operation Homefront charity, which helps U.S. military families in need.Chevrolet is no stranger to selling off some of its more special Corvette models at Barrett-Jackson, specifically in the name of charity. In fact, some of the most important Corvettes in recent history followed the same path as this upcoming 2023 Z06. In 2019, the final front-engine Corvette ever built was sold at the Barrett-Jackson Northeast auction. The car in question was a Z06 model finished in black and was purchased by Dan Snyder of Snyder Motorsports for $2.9 million. At Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale 2020 event, the first production C8 Corvette was sold to Rick Hendrick for $3 million. That sale set a record for the largest amount of money ever spent on a Barrett-Jackson charity car. The proceeds from each sale benefited the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the Detroit Children’s Fund, respectively. While both of those machines were historically significant, neither had the same sort of performance on offer as this latest Corvette creation. As with the first C8 auction back in 2020, we don’t know exactly how this car will be optioned at this time. The buyer of this Z06 will instead have the ability to spec the car as they see fit. With the new generation being the most customizable variant yet, that involves the choice between 12 different exterior colors, as well as seven different interior and wheel packages. Barrett-Jackson hasn’t listed an official VIN from General Motors at this time, but the words “first retail production example” might suggest it won’t carry the #001 tag.

Andi Hedrick

This particularly special Z06 isn’t going to come cheap. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this thing become the most expensive of the aforementioned bunch.

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GM announced today that it will start a used-vehicle selling website that it’s calling CarBravo, which will leverage its dealer network and the approximately half-million used vehicles they have in stock.Customers will be able to shop online or at a GM dealership, and either way they can shop for vehicles in stock at dealers across the United States.GM will use Black Book to arrive at dollar figures and will give “guaranteed online offers” to buy customers’ vehicles even if they don’t buy another one using the website.It was probably inevitable: General Motors is responding to the huge uptick in used-vehicle prices and the growing popularity of websites that buy and sell used cars, and it’s starting its own site. GM’s CarBravo website is set to begin doing business this spring, and dealers are being enrolled now, the automaker announced today.

The strength of a GM sales website is in the company’s enormous network of some 4200 dealers. As Automotive News pointed out today, those dealers have 400,000 used vehicles in inventory each year, and GM Financial has another half a million. Carvana, which saw 74 percent growth year over year as of late 2021, said in a report that it sold 111,949 used vehicles to customers in the third quarter.

GM

GM said it will offer CarBravo buyers “standard warranty coverage” and trial subscriptions to OnStar and SiriusXM for some vehicles, without giving details. Of course, the company points out that the buyers are welcome to use GM’s Financial unit and its network of service and maintenance facilities through its dealerships. It’s interesting to consider that in July 2021, citing the global chip shortage and the desire to support its dealers, GM made it the rule that lease holders could no longer sell their vehicles outside the GM dealership network at the end of the term, which should help to bolster the available inventory on CarBravo. We have reached out to GM to determine whether that policy will continue in the future.Some dealers will offer at-home test drives and home delivery. Customers will be able to buy completely online, completely through a dealership, or a combination of the two. GM also says it will buy customers’ vehicles, relying on Black Book numbers, with “guaranteed” offers, even if they don’t purchase another vehicle from CarBravo. In that, it sounds similar to Carvana and other websites that buy and sell used cars.
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The Mitsubishi Vision Ralliart concept, based on the Outlander, is headed to the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon.The concept follows the announcement last year that Mitsubishi is reviving is performance subbrand. The Vision Ralliart gains wider wheel arches, bigger brakes, and a menacing blacked-out look.Last year Mitsubishi announced the return of the Ralliart performance subbrand. The sporty moniker, which adorned the Galant and Lancer in the 2000s, has laid dormant in the U.S. since 2014. The first glimpse of the Ralliart revival came late last year when Mitsubishi unveiled Ralliart versions of the Triton pickup and Pajero Sport SUV for the Thai market. While these were simply appearance packages that added garish red and black stickers, ahead of the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon Mitsubishi has revealed the Vision Ralliart concept, which hints at a more serious Ralliart resurrection.

The Vision Ralliart concept is based on the Outlander SUV which, unlike the Triton and Pajero Sport, is sold in the U.S. The concept features aggressive styling, with beefy wheel arches, a large rear diffuser, and 22-inch wheels. Mitsubishi didn’t reveal what is under the hood, but the fact that the upper grille appears to be blocked off hints that it could be the plug-in-hybrid powertrain coming for 2023. Mitsubishi does mention “the powerful torque of the motors,” implying a hybrid setup. Mitsubishi did specify that the concept has larger brake discs and upgraded calipers.

Mitsubishi is also bringing six other vehicles to the 2022 Tokyo Auto Salon, although none is destined for the American market. There is a puny electric kei-car concept called the K-EV concept X Style as well as the Minicab-MiEV B-Leisure Style, a tiny electric van outfitted for camping. Mitsubishi also debuted Ralliart Style appearance packages for the Outlander and Eclipse Cross. There are also off-road versions of the Outlander and Delica, called the Wild Adventure Style and D:5 Tough x Tough. While these six creations will remain forbidden fruit, the Vision Ralliart concept could preview a U.S.-bound sporty SUV. Hopefully the production version will feature true performance upgrades instead of just flashy visuals.

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The 2022 Toyota Tundra pickup will be offered in a fully loaded Capstone model. It’s powered by the new 437-hp twin-turbo V-6 hybrid engine and comes standard with air springs, a 14.0-inch touchscreen, and luxury trim appointments.The Capstone will arrive in the spring along with the other iForce MAX hybrid Tundras, and pricing is expected to start just above $60,000.Toyota’s Tundra full-size pickup has tons of fresh features and technology, and now there’s a flagship model that’s a one-stop shop for it all. This just-announced Tundra Capstone model also has a few unique features of its own. It will arrive in the spring, positioned above the Platinum and 1794 models in the truck’s lineup.
Like the off-road-oriented TRD Pro, the Capstone is only available with the twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6 iForce MAX hybrid engine, which produces 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. Toyota says that Capstone models can tow up to 10,340 pounds and have a max payload rating of 1485 pounds; there are other Tundra grades that can haul more. It also comes standard with adaptive dampers and the Tundra’s new rear air springs that can raise or lower the bed.

Tundra Capstones are only available in a crew-cab configuration with a 5.5-foot bed and chrome 22-inch wheels are standard. The outside of the grille is color-matched (pictured is an example finished in Wind Chill Pearl) and has chrome inserts, and the “Tundra” script on the tailgate is embellished in chrome, too. The optional automatic running boards and bedside step are standard equipment as well. The Capstone has a black and white leather interior with walnut trim and an illuminated Capstone logo integrated into the dashboard. The cabin also comes fully loaded with all the Tundra’s tech features. That includes the new 14.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3 digital gauge cluster, a 10.0-inch color head-up display, and a JBL sound system. Acoustic glass on the front doors is exclusive to the Capstone and a panoramic sunroof is standard.
Toyota hasn’t shared the Tundra Capstone’s price, but expect it to cost around $60,000 given it includes nearly every feature the truck has to offer. This flagship model will arrive in dealerships in the spring with the rest of the iForce MAX hybrid trucks.
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Toyota announced that its first vehicle to use solid-state batteries will go on sale by 2025 in an interview with Autoline. The first Toyotas to use the new batteries will be hybrids, rather than fully electric vehicles, making it possible the first to get the new battery could be the Prius.Solid-state batteries promise to bring quicker charging times and longer ranges.The next major step in electric-vehicle development is solid-state batteries. Compared to the lithium-ion batteries used in the current crop of EVs, solid-state units promise better range, quicker charging times, and a longer battery life. More development is needed, however. Back in 2020, Toyota said that it was working on prototypes powered by solid-state batteries, and now in a video interview with Autoline during the 2022 CES technology how, Toyota confirmed that it will begin selling vehicles with solid-state batteries by 2025.

Toyota Sports EV concept.
Toyota

In the interview, Gill Pratt, Toyota’s chief scientist and head of the Toyota Research Institute, said that Toyota is aiming to “commercialize” its solid-state batteries in the first half of this decade. Surprisingly, Pratt said that the first Toyotas to receive the new batteries will actually be hybrids instead of fully electric vehicles.

Pratt outlined a couple of reasons why Toyota intends to debut solid-state batteries in hybrids. Solid-state batteries are, at the moment, more expensive to produce, he said, and since hybrids have smaller battery packs than EVs, implementing them in hybrids first will reduce the cost. The other challenge facing solid-state batteries currently is battery life, with repeated charging taking a toll on early prototype batteries. In a hybrid, the smaller battery is charged and recharged far more often, and Pratt suggested that the increased amount of cycling for the batteries will make hybrids a good test bed for the new technology.
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“We want to start by putting them in vehicles where we believe that they’re both the most well suited in terms of lifetime but also that will exercise them sufficiently so that as costs continue to come down, we can roll them out in the future in [battery-electric vehicles] also,” explained Pratt. Expect more details to trickle out as 2025 approaches and Toyota prepares its first solid-state-battery hybrid vehicle.
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Volvo is gearing up for its next generation of electric vehicles with a few interesting debuts: a new electric SUV coming soon, a new highway-only self-driving technology called Ride Pilot that the new vehicle will get, and a new subscription service so drivers can actually use Ride Pilot.Volvo is testing its autonomous tech on roads in Sweden and plans to start testing Ride Pilot in California later this year. California is also where the automaker plans to launch Ride Pilot for its customers.Volvo will be asking owners to pay to use Ride Pilot (costs were not announced).Volvo will debut more than a new model when it reveals an electric SUV later this year. The new flagship will introduce three key items, starting with the vehicle itself. The other two are a new, unsupervised autonomous driving feature called Ride Pilot and a subscription service that enables the use of the self-driving technology. Also of note is that when it launches, Ride Pilot will first be available in California before being “gradually” rolled out to other markets and regions. (Pictured is the automaker’s Concept Recharge, revealed in June 2021.)

There are a number of steps Volvo needs to take to make Ride Pilot available to drivers, though. First, obviously, the company needs to reveal the new electric SUV, which is planned for later this year. Second, Volvo needs to verify that the autonomous driving technology that makes up Ride Pilot works as promised on highways in the U.S. Volvo is already testing Ride Pilot in Sweden, together with its partner Zenseact, and gathering data in other parts of Europe and the U.S.

Volvo

Volvo

Volvo plans to start testing Ride Pilot in California by the middle of this year because that’s where, it says, “the climate, traffic conditions and regulatory framework provide a favorable environment for the introduction of autonomous driving.”

Third, and perhaps most controversially, Volvo has to convince people who buy the new SUV to pony up a subscription fee for Ride Pilot to work. Volvo did not provide any insight into how much it will charge for a subscription to Ride Pilot. There’s a hint of how Volvo plans to make its sales pitch in the company announcement this week: “Ride Pilot aims to free up more time for customers and make driving a Volvo even more convenient and enjoyable.” In other words, expect to see arguments that ask you to consider spending money to take advantage of the time you’d otherwise waste driving your car. Mentioning all of the time drivers lose behind the wheel is not a message automakers have been eager to promote in the past, but if the industry is changing to an electric, autonomous future, some of the ad messages are likely to change as well. Here’s another line from Volvo’s announcement: “By using Ride Pilot, drivers will be able to free up time while driving, and spend it on secondary activities like reading, writing, working or socializing. The feature can also help drivers arrive at their destination rested and recharged, by reducing the mental strain that may come with driving, especially in traffic jams or heavy traffic.” The sensor suite Volvo will use in the upcoming electric SUV and other next-generation vehicles is made up of over two dozen sensors, including lidar from another partner in the project, Luminar, as well as five radars, eight cameras, and 16 ultrasonic sensors. Over-the-air updates will also be used to keep Ride Pilot’s software current.

Volvo

Volvo

From the preliminary information Volvo is releasing, Ride Pilot sounds like an enhanced version of self-driving technologies such as GM’s Super Cruise. The car is able to drive itself in limited situations without input from the driver and will be limited to use on highways, at least at the beginning. Volvo said the software and sensors used to enable Ride Pilot will be standard and that the car will be able to benefit from safety features that use the sensor suite, but Ride Pilot’s actual self-driving capability “will only be made available to customers once it has gone through Volvo Cars’ rigorous verification and testing protocol. This includes validation of the technology as safe for use on highways in a number of varying conditions.” And, of course, once you pay your subscription fee. The new electric SUV will also come with a new type of name for a Volvo model. Volvo Cars’ CEO Håkan Samuelsson told Automotive News Europe in July 2021 that the new EV will use a name that one would give to a child, not an alphanumeric designation like XC60 or XC90, and he later added that the name will start with a vowel.
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U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

With self-driving cars at least on the distant horizon, automakers are thinking of ways to change the steering wheel. BMW’s latest idea is to turn it into a steering handle that you can manipulate with one hand.A wide crossbar with two L-shaped handles on either end is the basic shape of BMW’s idea here, and the outside handles can rotate independently of how the center bar has been turned.The whole idea here is to create a smaller steering wheel, one that would allow riders in an autonomous car the ability to read a newspaper or check emails. Yay?We’ll let you make your own “reinvent the wheel” jokes. The subject is a newly discovered patent filing from BMW describing a “steering handle”—basically, a strange little yoke that feels like the next worst thing to a standard wheel. BMW envisages this new wheel/handle/yoke as something that would be used in an “at least partially autonomously driving double-track motor vehicle.” That’s patentspeak for something like a Level 3 or higher autonomous car, where a standard steering wheel would take up too much space when the car is in autonomous mode.

BMW knows we will all want to put our books and tablets in that space where the steering wheel is now, and this is one partial solution. Specifically, BMW said in the filing that a handle like this means “as much free space as possible is to be provided for the driver . . . with the result that he/she can read a newspaper, for example, or can manage emails, for example, by means of a tablet or the like with the aid of the display unit.”As the pictures show, the overall design of the steering handle is a thick central section with a free-rotating grip on either side. BMW said in its filing that when the car is being driven autonomously, the central section of the steering handle would stay in a standard, horizontal position, “even when driving around bends.”

It’s the way that the handle would be used by the human driver, though, that’s most interesting. We’ve seen other unusual yoke designs in cars recently—by Tesla, most famously—but BMW’s is different because of the exterior grips that can be moved clockwise in the steering wheel’s arc while your hand doesn’t change its vertical axis. So, as you move your left hand from the 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock position, it can stay with the thumb pointed upward, for example.

BMW acknowledges that a person could steer a car that’s equipped with a handle like this single-handedly, and that even if some parts of the handle were folded in, it could still be used to maneuver the vehicle. Overall, despite how strange the grips make this yoke, the main idea here is to shrink down the steering control mechanism, which BMW has unquestionably done. The patent was first reported by CarBuzz, which also notes that the patent has been filed in China and Germany, showing that BMW is serious about claiming this kind of design, even if simply filing a patent doesn’t in any way guarantee that the subject of the patent will ever be produced.
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