Motor News

Lincoln is introducing a new sedan model called the Zephyr for the Chinese market.It features a design based on a concept car from earlier this year and has a modern-looking interior.We don’t expect the Zephyr to come to the U.S. market anytime soon.While Lincoln has abandoned the sedan bodystyle in its home market, it’s forging ahead in that segment elsewhere as evidenced by the new Zephyr for China. Originally unveiled as a concept car earlier this year, the Zephyr has now made its production debut and will go on sale in China in early 2022. Its U.S. prospects are slim to none, but we think it’s still interesting to observe from afar.

Lincoln

With a wheelbase measuring 117.7 inches, the Zephyr is in between the previous MKZ and Continental in terms of size. Lincoln doesn’t say whether it has front- or all-wheel drive, but it appears to use a transverse architecture like those previous Fusion-based sedans did. It’s powered by a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four and uses an eight-speed automatic transmission but we don’t know specific power figures.The overall design is modern and attractive, if not particularly distinctive, with a full-width light bar and prominent Lincoln badge at the front, a strong character line along the side, and angular taillights at the rear. Inside there’s a digital gauge cluster and a huge infotainment display that stretches across the entire dashboard to give the appearance of wall-to-wall screens.

Lincoln

Despite not being relevant to Lincoln’s current U.S. lineup, the Zephyr provides an interesting look at an alternate universe in which Lincoln still sold luxury sedans on our shores.
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Michael Simari/Bring a Trailer

Our friends at the auction site Bring a Trailer are listing this 2012 BMW 328i xDrive wagon for online auction.Among other interesting features, it is currently owned by Car and Driver deputy testing director K.C. Colwell. The auction runs until the afternoon of Monday, November 22.When people find out you work at Car and Driver, and that you get to sample numerous different cars as part of your job, they often ask the probing question: So, what car do you drive? For C/D deputy testing director K.C. Colwell, who tests more than 100 cars each year, the answer is this 2012 BMW 328i xDrive wagon. But the next owner could be you, as this car is for sale right now on Bring a Trailer.

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

An automotive journalist choosing a BMW 3-series won’t be much of a surprise for many, and the fact that it’s a station wagon further plays to type. This BMW is powered by a 3.0-liter N52 inline-six making 230 horsepower backed up by a six-speed automatic transmission with shift paddles and driving all four wheels. The color is Vermillion Red Metallic, and the interior is finished in Oyster leather. Equipment includes a panoramic sunroof, roof rails, navigation, heated front seats, and adaptive cruise control. There are just under 51,000 miles on the clock.

Bring a Trailer

Bring a Trailer

Full disclosure: Colwell has owned this car only since April, though it is his second E90-generation 3er (the 328i sedan isn’t for sale). With the arrival of a new baby, he bought this wagon for his wife. But she elected to keep driving her Volvo, so this BMW is going on the block. And once it’s sold, what will Colwell’s answer to that most-asked question be? Most likely, “A Ducati.”

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GM announced it will roll out a software update to help address problems with the battery pack on its Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV for owners whose batteries have not yet been replaced under recall.The automaker issued a recall of every Bolt made from the 2017 through 2022 model years because the battery could catch fire. After the update, Bolt owners will again be able to park inside a garage, charge the vehicle overnight indoors, and drive their EVs when there is less than 70 miles of range left—all things they had been instructed not to do during the recall period. General Motors has announced that it will roll out a software update for owners of the 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV over the next 30 days. This update is intended for vehicles that haven’t yet had their batteries replaced under the ongoing Bolt battery recall, GM said. Owners of Bolt EV and EUV vehicles from 2017–2018 and 2020 or later model years will also get the software update sometime in the next 30 days as well.After the software update, those vehicles can again be parked and charged indoors, such as in a garage, and will be able to be driven until range is less than 70 miles—all things that owners had been cautioned not to do under the ongoing recall. This will become possible because the update will limit the battery’s state of charge to 80 percent. The update will also run diagnostics “designed to detect specific abnormalities that might indicate a rare battery issue,” GM said.

GM’s statement said that full battery replacements will continue. This software update is a measure taken “while we work on building replacement battery modules,” the company said. In late July, the company issued a statement saying battery shipments were “on hold” and reiterated in September in a customer letter filed with NHTSA that parts were not available.Owners of 2019 Bolt vehicles who have not yet had a full battery replacement should contact their dealers, GM said. They or others who want more information can visit www.chevy.com/boltevrecall or the NHTSA recall website.

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Orders for the 2022 Ford Bronco Sasquatch with the manual transmission are now open. The seven-speed manual is only available with the 300-hp turbocharged 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. The Sasquatch package adds features including 35-inch all-terrain tires and a 1.2-inch lift. Shortly after the new Ford Bronco’s debut last year, a group of manual-transmission enthusiasts petitioned Ford to add the seven-speed manual to the Bronco’s available Sasquatch off-road package. We helped out with the cause, calling out Ford in this story’s headline to add the stick to the options sheet, and thankfully we, with the rest of the enthusiast community, have some clout because Ford added the option for the 2022 model year—and you can order it now.
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If you’ve seen a hulking Bronco driving around jacked up on big rubber, those trucks are likely equipped with the Sasquatch package. It’s available on every Bronco model and adds things like 35-inch all-terrain tires, beadlock-capable wheels, electronic locking front and rear axles, a 1.2-inch lift, and Bilstein dampers. Ford says that the Sasquatch accounts for more than half of current orders, so naturally, it had to make it even more appealing to enthusiasts by adding the manual. However, Ford only offers the seven-speed manual transmission on the 300-hp turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder, which is also available with a 10-speed automatic. You can get a manual on the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, but not with the new Xtreme Recon 35-inch tire package. When we tested a two-door 2021 Bronco Black Diamond with the stick, we found that “shift throws are on the long side, but the manual goes into gear without a fuss.” The Bronco’s other engine option is a 330-hp 2.7-liter V-6 that’s only available with the 10-speed. A high-performance Bronco Raptor model is coming.

Ford

We hopped over to Ford’s online configurator to spec out a four-door Badlands model with the seven-speed manual (pictured above). If we ordered one, and we want to since we just named the Bronco a 2022 10Best winner, we’d select options such as the newly available Eruption Green paint, the Carbonized Grey molded-in-color hard top ($695), and the heavy duty front bumper ($575) for a total of $51,695, although a base model with the Sasquatch package and the manual might be the move. Customers might still have to wait a while to get their 2022 Broncos as Ford has been dealing with supplier issues, but we hope to start seeing plenty of manual-equipped Sasquatches on the road soon (#SavetheManuals).
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This Lego sculpture of the new Toyota Land Cruiser 300 was commissioned by a dealership in the United Arab Emirates.The model has the same dimensions as the real thing and weighs almost at much, coming in at over 4500 pounds.The Land Cruiser is built from 440,000 pieces and took 2688 worker-hours to create.At some point during our awkward adolescence, most of us abandon the toys we spent hours playing with as children, trading our youthful creativity and imagination for the jaded realism of adulthood. But some lucky people manage to turn childhood obsessions into a career instead. Among those are Lego certified builders, who use their passion for the plastic building blocks to craft colossal Lego sculptures. Al-Futaim Toyota, a dealership in the United Arab Emirates, found one such Lego certified builder based there, and now the dealer gets to show off this full-size Lego model of the new Toyota Land Cruiser 300.

Al-Futtaim Toyota

The model, which is on display next to the real thing in the Dubai Mall until December 15, is incredibly accurate. The Land Cruiser sculpture has the exact same dimensions as the actual SUV, stretching 194.9 inches long and 74 inches tall. The huge project is constructed from more than 440,000 Lego bricks and weighs in at over 4500 pounds, not far off the real Land Cruiser’s 5700-plus-pounds. The Lego vehicle was pieced together by 12 team members and took 2688 hours to develop and build.

The Lego version is based on the latest generation of Toyota’s venerable off-roader, which unfortunately will not be sold in the United States. Instead, the U.S. market will receive its more luxurious counterpart, the Lexus LX. Both the Land Cruiser and the LX are powered by a gasoline twin-turbo 3.4-liter V-6 with 409 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. The Land Cruiser is also offered with a turbo-diesel 3.3-liter V-6 with 304 hp and 516 pound-feet of torque. Of course, under the hood of the Lego Land Cruiser model you’ll find, well, more Legos.
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Vietnamese automaker VinFast plans to expand to North America with two new electric SUVs.The compact VF e35 and VF e36 look attractive with styling by Pininfarina.Claimed electric range for the smaller e35 is as high as 310 miles per charge while the larger e36 is supposedly good for up t0 422 miles.After announcing Los Angeles as its home base for a new North American operation, Vietnamese automaker VinFast is turning its sights on launching two new electric SUVs. The company’s ambitious plans include production models of the compact VF e35 and the mid-size VF e36. Both wear stylish bodies designed by Pininfarina and boast claimed driving ranges as high as 422 miles per charge.
Two different sized battery packs will be available on each model. The compact VF e35 will come standard with a battery that should deliver around 285 miles per charge but a larger battery with up to 310 miles of range will be optional. The mid-size VF e36 will come with either a 301- or 422-mile range.VinFast Global CEO Michael Lohscheller told Car and Driver that the company’s first two EV models will initially be produced in Vietnam and imported to the U.S. and Canada, but that there is a plan to localize production in North America starting in the second half of 2024.

Lohscheller also detailed the company’s European plans, which includes launching these battery-electric models in Germany, France, and the Netherlands. While he wouldn’t comment on sales goals for either continent, Lohscheller acknowledged the plans are ambitious.”More important is we launch a brand and I think that is a very important and also careful exercise,” he said. “Obviously everybody has ambitious volume including ourself, but for me most important is that we position the brand right. Get our first customers very excited, very happy about that. That matters more than any sales volume.”As shown at the 2021 Los Angeles auto show, the VF e35 and VF e36 look fairly complete, but similar to other upstart automakers showing production-intent concepts, they need a bit more polish before heading to production. The interior of the e35, also styled by Pininfarina, appears to be stylish and comfortable–although we were unable to sit inside it at the show. The e36 doesn’t appear to be as close to being production ready as the smaller model, as it was displayed without an interior at all.
“Our biggest push initially will be on simplification and safety, said David Lyon, Director of Design for VinFast. “We don’t have a traditional gauge cluster like most OEMs, our vehicles all have a full color, windshield projection head-up display. It’s a very open, spacious interior. You interface with the steering wheel controls to operate the vehicle, your hands are on the wheel, and your eyes are on the road.” VinFast won’t have a traditional dealership sales model; instead it’s looking to adopt a direct-sales model as pioneered by electric-vehicle rival Tesla. Reservations open in spring 2022 and deliveries are said to be on track for fall 2022. Early adopters can also expect a sort of concierge-style servicing model for their cars where a traveling technician can meet up to perform repairs or maintenance.
“We will hire lots of service people who will come to your house, said Lohscheller. “If you have a problem obviously we will fix it digitally if it can be done, if not we come to your house and either fix it there or we give you a replacement car and we fix it in our service shops.”Pricing has not been announced but Lohscheller explained that one of the purchasing options will involve a battery rental program which will allow buyers to swap to a more advanced battery in the future when one becomes available. “So you buy the car, but if you’re worried that maybe the next generation battery is much better, you can just rent your battery and go to the next generation battery after that,” he said.The company will focus first on the California market before expanding to other states and plans to eventually open as many as 60 showrooms so prospective customers can come see the SUVs for themselves and consider their options.
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Kia has revealed the EV9 concept, a three-row electric SUV.There will eventually be a production model that will share components with the Hyundai Ioniq 7.Kia promises a driving range of up to 300 miles but hasn’t provided details on the battery or electric motors.Kia already builds our favorite gasoline-powered three-row SUV, the Telluride, and the company is looking to build on the success of that model in the electric-vehicle space with a new model called the EV9. Previewed by this concept car revealed at the L.A. auto show, the EV9 is similar in size and shape to the Telluride but with an even sharper, more angular, and modern design ethos.
Although it’s built on the same e-GMP platform as the EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, the EV9 will feature a significantly stretched version of those underpinnings. It’s slightly shorter in length than the Telluride but features a longer wheelbase and a taller height. Hyundai will also build its own version of this SUV, likely to be called the Ioniq 7, that will share components with the EV9.

All Kia is saying so far about the powertrain is that the EV9 promises a driving range of 300 miles and will be able to charge at up to 350 kilowatts. We reckon it will need a big battery to achieve that number given the vehicle’s size and boxy shape that can’t be good for its aerodynamic silhouette. Dual electric motors are likely to provide all-wheel drive, although it’s possible Kia could offer a rear-wheel-drive single-motor version like the EV6 offers.The interior is somewhat fanciful but not as otherworldy as some concept cars. We could see the 27.0-inch widescreen display making it to production, but probably not most of the recycled materials including fishnets for the flooring. The concept is a six seater with three rows that are configurable in many different arrangements.
We expect to see a production version of the Kia EV9 within the next year or so, and we think it will arrive in the U.S. for the 2024 model year.
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The Kia Sportage debuted with a distinct new design earlier this year, and now it gains an efficient Hybrid model.The Sportage Hybrid has the same powertrain as the Tucson Hybrid, with a turbo 1.6-liter four teamed with a 44-kW electric motor.Kia says it’s aiming for a 39-mpg rating from the EPA, and the Sportage Hybrid will come with either front- or all-wheel-drive.This summer, the fourth generation of Kia’s Sportage compact crossover debuted with a polarizing new front end design and larger dimensions than the outgoing model. Closely related to the striking Hyundai Tucson, the Sportage arrived with the same naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four found in the Tucson. Now the Sportage is borrowing another powertrain from its crossover sibling, with Kia revealing the 2023 Sportage Hybrid at the Los Angeles auto show.
The Sportage Hybrid uses a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder paired with a 44 kW permanent magnet electric motor, which draws juice from a 1.49 kWh lithium-ion battery. The combined 226 horsepower is routed through a six-speed automatic, just like in the Tucson. Kia didn’t quote a torque figure, but we assume it will make the same 258 pound-feet as in its Hyundai counterpart. The Tucson Hybrid can get up to an EPA-estimated 38 mpg combined; Kia says it is targeting 39 mpg for the Sportage Hybrid. Kia also claims a class-leading 2000 pound towing capacity. Visually, the Hybrid is distinguished by new 17- and 18-inch wheels and badges reading “HEV,” for “Hybrid Electric Vehicle.”

The hybrid powertrain will be available in three trim levels: the LX, EX, and SX-Prestige. The LX can be had with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, while the EX and SX-Prestige get the Active AWD system as standard, which employs electro-hydraulic coupling with a center-locking differential to divide power between the front and rear wheels. The Sportage Hybrid will go up against the Tucson Hybrid, as well as the Honda CR-V Hybrid—rated at 38 mpg by the EPA—and the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, which earned an EPA-estimated 40 mpg. Kia didn’t say when the hybrid Sportage will go on sale or how much it will cost, but we expect it to arrive around the same time as the gasoline model early next year and mirror the Tucson’s pricing, starting at around $30,000.
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