Motor News

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A new NBC sitcom called American Auto looks at the struggles of 100-year-old Payne Motors as it tries to navigate the world of self-driving cars and other 2021 industry challenges.The producers and actors have ties to The Office, Superstore, and Saturday Night Live, so rest assured that they’re not as bumbling as the characters they play.Two episodes are out now on Hulu and iTunes, with NBC’s official start of the series coming on January 4.Workplace television comedies can be genius, as The Office and 30 Rock proved. They can also fall flat and disappear before anyone can pay attention enough to remember them (if you can name the early-1990s doctor’s-office sitcom that featured a young Ellen DeGeneres without Google’s help, you’re in the minority). With two episodes already out ahead of the January 4 debut, you can be the judge as to which category the new NBC sitcom called American Auto belongs in.

NBC

As the name might give away, American Auto is about a car company, in this case the fictional 100-year-old company Payne Motors. While the setting is a Detroit-based automaker (and there’s a joke about a former CEO being anti-Semitic that more than hints at Henry Ford), it’s still a relatively standard Hollywood workplace comedy. The cold open to the first episode is pretty damn funny, though, if you’ve ever wondered if the Chevy Nova naming debacle might repeat itself today.

Cyrus (Michael Benjamin Washington) presents plans for the Ponderosa, the company’s first completely autonomous vehicle.
NBC

The show has a strong production pedigree. Its creator, Justin Spitzer, previously worked as a writer on The Office and also created the sitcom Superstore, which followed a group of workers at a Walmart-like big box store. The cast is led by former Saturday Night Live star Ana Gasteyer, who plays the new CEO of Payne Motors, and Jon Barinholtz as the grandson of the retired Payne Motors CEO. Barinholtz was also in Superstore.Spitzer has been working on American Auto on and off since 2013, before Superstore. While that show was about the workers, American Auto is more about the executives. Early in the development work, he said, it didn’t even matter which industry the executives worked for.”The fact that it’s the auto industry came later,” Spitzer told Deadline. “I just wanted it to be about a big multibillion-dollar American industry.”

Barinholtz said this focus on the higher-ups gives American Auto a different vibe than Superstore, even if the creators and actors tried to put some of the same quirky heart into the new show.”Just because [the execs are the] decision makers doesn’t make them any more capable than the workers whose decisions they’re affecting,” he told the Detroit Free Press. “So we see how these decisions are made, and it’s not with as much thought as you would hope it is, if you’re a worker. It’s sometimes kind of just flying by the seat of their pants.”Be that as it may, based on the pilot episode, American Auto is up to date with issues in the modern auto industry. The episode features development and testing of a self-driving car called the Payne Ponderosa that has no brake pedal, with dangerous results. The second episode explores the idea of whether all publicity is good publicity after a serial killer makes another of the company’s vehicles, the Payne Magellan, famous after using it in a crime. You know, just feel-good family fun.The first two episodes of American Auto aired on NBC this past week, before the season kicks off for real on January 4. You can watch the already released episodes on Hulu or on iTunes or Apple TV with a season pass to the show or a subscription.
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French automaker Citroën has revealed this beach-buggy version of its electric Ami city car.The Ami is not just for Europe, though, despite its diminutive size. It will be coming to the U.S. in the car-sharing fleet of startup Free2Move, which is part of Citroën parent company PSA.Citroën said its My Ami Buggy concept is “one of the many faces that could be developed for Ami,” meaning it may not be ruled out for production someday.Citroën answers a question we never knew to ask with its recently revealed My Ami Buggy concept. As its name implies, the My Ami Buggy is, well, a theoretical beach-buggy variant of the brand’s Ami electric city car, a model that’s due to arrive in the United States as part of the fleet of vehicles used by the car-sharing service Free2Move.

Although Citroën is mum on the My Ami Buggy’s powertrain details, the French brand likely carries over the run-of-the-mill Ami’s lone 8-hp electric motor and 5.5-kWh battery pack to this tough but tiny safari-style Ami. Given its knobby tires and additional kit, such as its roof-mounted light bar and spare tire, we wager the My Ami Buggy is even slower than its stock sibling, which leisurely accelerates to a top speed of 28 mph. Same goes for the My Ami Buggy’s driving range, which we imagine falls a bit short of the Ami’s estimated 43-mile figure.Even so, the My Ami Buggy concept makes up for its likely acceleration- and range-related shortcomings by looking so damn cool. Credit the car’s safari-style treatment that makes this little electric vehicle look ready to take on the world’s toughest terrain (whether it’s capable of successfully doing so is a different story).
It also helps that the My Ami Buggy ditches the Ami’s doors to make way for chic tubular decor along the sills. Don’t worry, Citroën fits the My Ami Buggy with a set of deployable transparent canvas covers to keep occupants dry in the event of a rainstorm. Both driver and passenger, meanwhile, ought to find the My Ami Buggy a more comfortable place to while away miles relative to the standard Ami. Credit its seats’ 2.8-inch-thick seat padding, which is nearly 1.4 inches thicker than those of the Ami. Other noteworthy features of the My Ami Buggy concept include its removable exterior mirrors and various integrated clamps for a variety of personal devices, such as cellphones and speakers. Unfortunately, Citroën makes no mention of plans to offer a production variant of the My Ami Buggy concept other than to state that it “illustrates one of the many faces that could be developed for Ami, the atypical vehicle developed by Citroën, ready to explore new horizons.”Well, we think it ought to. After all, just imagine picking up a My Ami Buggy through Free2Move to stylishly cruise the streets of Miami (or is that My Ami?) Beach with neither a pair of doors nor a worry to ruin the vibe.
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Nissan U.K. has modified a 1986 Bluebird (we know it as the Sentra) and made it into an electric car.The electrifying parts are added from Nissan’s Leaf EV.Fortunately, changes to the exterior were very minor, and the 1980s-vintage graphics remain.The trend of automakers putting modern electric powertrains into their vintage vehicles continues, this time with Nissan. The Japanese automaker’s British arm has performed the swap on a 1986 Bluebird (our Nissan Sentra) to commemorate 35 years of U.K. auto production. Just as Nissan established a U.S. factory in Smyrna, Tennessee, in the 1980s, the company also set up a U.K. assembly plant at Sunderland, which began churning out Bluebirds in 1986. Today, Sunderland builds the Nissan Leaf, so a Bluebird/Leaf mashup neatly bookends the factory’s history.

david shepherd, Nissan

The repowered Bluebird hatchback uses a Leaf motor and 40.0-kWh battery pack, with the cells divided between the cargo area and under the hood. Additional modifications extended to the car’s HVAC, brakes, suspension, power steering, and lighting. The charging port is located behind the original fuel-filler flap, and the stock fuel gauge shows the battery’s state of charge. The exterior is largely unchanged other than LED taillights, LED backlighting for the Nissan badge, and a set of unmistakably ’80s graphics.

david shepherd, Nissan

The Nissan Newbird joins a parade of vintage cars that have been restored and converted to battery propulsion by their makers. They include Hyundai’s 1970s Pony and the follow-up ’80s Grandeur, the Opel Manta GSe, the Ford F-100 Eluminator pickup, and Chevy’s K5 Blazer, the latter two being SEMA builds that showcased an EV crate motor. While Nissan’s Newbird EV may not be an original idea, it’s fun to see another addition to a neat trend.
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Ford has confirmed the 2022 F-150 Lightning electric pickup’s usable battery capacities to Car and Driver. There are two options: a 98.0-kWh Standard Range battery pack targeting up to 230 miles of range, and a 131.0-kWh Extended Range pack that Ford claims will offer up to 300 miles. Orders will open next month, and the trucks will arrive in the spring.Ford often leaves out important specifications when it launches a new vehicle, such as an engine’s power output, detailed pricing, or with the new F-150 Lightning electric pickup, battery capacity. We estimated that based on initial charging duration claims, but a Ford spokesperson confirmed to Car and Driver the usable sizes of both available battery packs. The upcoming electric pickup will offer two lithium-ion batteries: a 98.0-kWh Standard Range pack and a 131.0-kWh Extended Range pack.

Here at C/D, we report on usable (or net) capacity since that’s the amount of energy an EV can actually draw from the battery to propel itself. Automakers routinely release gross numbers, the amount the pack can technically hold, and if they won’t spill the beans on the pack’s net size, we’ll estimate it based on a few factors. You can read more about net vs. gross sizes here.Ford claims that the F-150 Lightning will offer up to 300 miles of range with the Extended Range battery and 230 miles on the Standard Range pack. Additionally, a post on the F-150 Gen 14 forum found that a stakeholder’s livestream allegedly stated that certain Platinum model trucks would offer 280 miles of range. However, the Ford spokesperson declined to confirm that range estimate. That top-of-the-line model is expected to start around $70,000. Ford also offers standard and extended-range battery configurations in its Mustang Mach-E electric crossover, our inaugural EV of the Year, and its net sizes are 66.0 kWh and 88.0 kWh. When the F-150 Lightning arrives next year, it will compete against the GMC Hummer EV pickup, which uses a 200.0-kWh Ultium battery and boasts up to 350 miles of range, and the Rivian R1T that’s EPA estimated at 314 miles.Orders are scheduled to open next month, and Ford says that reservation holders will receive emails inviting them to place orders. More details on the F-150 Lightning will come next month as well, which should include full pricing details—it’s likely to start around $42,000.

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The 2022 Acura MDX Type S will arrive at dealerships starting next week with a starting price of $67,745. An Advanced Package is available for an additional $5,350 and adds several interior niceties. It’s powered by the same 355-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 as the TLX Type S sedan. Acura recently resurrected the Type S badge and has already added it to three models in its lineup: the NSX supercar, the TLX sedan, and the MDX three-row SUV. The TLX Type S is on sale now, 300 NSX Type S cars will arrive in the U.S. soon, and now the MDX Type S will arrive at dealerships next week starting at $67,745.
That hefty price gets you the same turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6 as the TLX, but with a nearly $15,000 premium—and a third row of seats. That engine makes 355 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque, increases of 65 horsepower and 87 pound-feet over the standard MDX’s 3.5-liter V-6. It’s paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission and Acura’s SH-AWD system, and Type S models also come with adaptive dampers, air springs, and Brembo brakes. An Advanced Package is available on the MDX Type S for an additional $5,350. It includes a head-up display, 25-speaker sound system, massaging, 16-way power front seats, wood trim, and other interior niceties.

Its $67,745 starting price makes it cheaper than fully loaded versions of the Genesis GV80, a previous Car and Driver 10Best winner that offers a bit more power from its optional twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6. While the TLX Type S sedan’s specs put it in contention with the Audi S4 and BMW M340i, the MDX lines up more closely to non-performance versions of its German three-row SUV rivals, including the $62,695, 335-hp BMW X5 xDrive40i and the $63,195, 335-hp Audi Q7 55. Notably, the Acura is even more expensive than a 375-hp Porsche Macan S.
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Lexus has fully revealed the 2023 RZ450e, sharing new photos and confirming its official name.We can clearly see a “Direct4” badge on the back, which is Lexus’ new AWD electric drivetrain.The RZ will likely go on sale in the U.S. in mid-2022.Lexus is continuing the steady trickle of information about its new electric model, the 2023 RZ. We now have confirmation that it will be called the RZ450e and that it will offer the company’s new Direct4 all-wheel-drive dual-motor powertrain setup. These additional photos also show the RZ’s exterior design in full, although we still haven’t seen the interior.

What we know so far about the Direct4 drivetrain, as designated by a badge on the rear of the RZ, is that it will use front and rear electric motors that provide 200 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque each. The company hasn’t shared a total output figure, but this combination in the RZ should provide plenty more power than the Toyota bZ4X’s dual-motor powertrain with two 107-hp electric motors that makes just 215 horsepower in total.
The RZ450e otherwise looks to have a similar shape as the bZ4X and its sibling, the Subaru Solterra. Lexus will surely spruce up the interior to match its luxury billing with nicer materials, but it will otherwise be similarly sized inside and offer five seats. Competitors will include the Audi Q4 e-tron, Ford Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Ariya, and Tesla Model Y.We’re estimating the RZ450e’s base price at around $50,000, and it will arrive in the U.S. sometime in 2022. Look for more information to come early next year as we learn more about the RZ’s official specs, interior trimmings, EPA driving range, and price.
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Land Rover has shared more information about the 2023 Range Rover SV, which will sit at the top of the new model’s lineup.All SV models come with a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 engine with 523 horsepower.It will be available in short- and long-wheelbase configurations and orders open in early 2022.In case you’re worried about your new Range Rover resembling your neighbor’s too closely, the range-topping SV trim level arriving for 2023 should alleviate your fears. It will offer numerous customization possibilities for the exterior and interior, so much so that Land Rover claims 1.6 million different configurations are possible. Available in short- and long-wheelbase forms, the 2023 Range Rover SV will be available to order starting in early 2022, and you’ll have plenty of choices for how to make it your own.

For starters, the SV has a different front grille and bumpers compared with the SE, HSE, and Autobiography models, plus a distinctive ceramic SV badge. It offers seven different wheel options and 14 colors in addition to the standard palette. You can even do a custom paint-to-sample of just about any hue imaginable for an extra charge.

Land Rover

Inside, you’ll have your choice of several different leather upholsteries along with a special fabric option. The shifter and many other knobs inside the cabin are ceramic, while a variety of wood veneers are also available. Two different interior “themes” include either Serenity or Intrepid. And the long-wheelbase model will offer an optional four-seat setup with a fold-down table and refrigerator. Now that’s decadence.The SV comes standard with the optional 523-hp twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 engine that’s sourced from BMW. Range Rover hasn’t yet announced a price for the SV, but we think it could have a starting price approaching $200,000—and that’s before you start customizing it to fit your own tastes. It will be available to order starting in early 2022.
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Mazda dropped the automatic transmission from two of the Miata’s trim levels for the 2022 model year. The six-speed automatic is now only available on the top Grand Touring model. The Miata is powered by a 181-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder, and pricing starts at $28,315.Mazda is showing that it’s on the enthusiast’s side by dropping the automatic transmission from two of the MX-5 Miata’s three trim levels for the 2022 model year. This is a big deal because it’s usually the other way around with new performance cars; the Chevy Corvette, for instance, recently dropped the manual gearbox altogether. Mazda continues to #SavetheManuals, and we appreciate it.

Mazda

Previously available on all trims, the six-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters is now only available on the top-of-the-line Grand Touring model, which gets dark silver 17-inch wheels and newly available Terracotta leather seats. The Sport and Club models can only be equipped with the six-speed manual, which is the way you should buy a Miata anyway. And the Club model can be equipped with a Brembo BBS Recaro package that adds Brembo brakes, 17-inch forged BBS wheels, and heated Recaro seats for $4,500.

Mazda gave the Miata a revised 2.0-liter inline-four engine for 2019 that gave it 181 horsepower and helped the manual-equipped car zip to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds in our testing. In that test of the new car in 2019, we said that the six-speed manual, which was also tweaked for that model year, moved “through the H-pattern with a bit more finesse than before.” Available at dealerships in the coming months, the 2022 MX-5 Miata starts at $28,315 for the Sport and $31,815 for the Club, and we suggest you buy one of those models.
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