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The 2022 Toyota Tundra is finally here, and it has a new hybrid option, a coil-spring rear suspension, and a significantly improved interior with a massive 14.0-inch touchscreen to make it more competitive against American pickups.The standard powertrain is a 389-hp twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6, but there’s also an available hybrid powertrain that makes 437 horsepower and 583 pound-feet of torque. It will go on sale by the end of this year in SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum, 1794, and TRD Pro models. The hybrid won’t be available until a few months after, Toyota says. Since the last new Toyota Tundra debuted 15 years ago, Ford redesigned the F-150 three times, Ram separated itself from Dodge as its own brand and released two new generations of its half-ton pickup, and Chevy redid the Silverado three times. All three of those American pickups have long outsold the Tundra by a wide margin, but now Toyota is finally launching a new generation of its full-size pickup that looks to be more competitive in this hugely important segment.
The new Tundra is built on Toyota’s TNGA-F body-on-frame platform, which will also underpin the next Tacoma mid-size pickup and Sequoia and 4Runner SUVs. Like the Ram 1500, the Tundra now employs coil springs, which should improve ride and drivability compared to the old truck’s leaf springs—a setup that the Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado still use. Electronically controlled adaptive dampers are now available, as is a set of air springs on the rear axle that can raise the truck for low speed off-road driving or lower it to make loading the bed or hooking up a trailer easier. The off-road-focused TRD Pro model is fitted with 2.5-inch Fox dampers with internal-bypass chambers and remote reservoirs and 33-inch Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires.

A new twin-turbocharged 3.4-liter V-6 engine replaces the previous model’s 5.7-liter V-8 engine and produces 389 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, increases of 8 horsepower and 78 pound-feet over the V-8. It’s paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. To compete with Ford’s new F-150 PowerBoost hybrid, Toyota is offering a hybrid version of the V-6 called iForce MAX, and this powertrain comes standard on the TRD Pro. It has a low-speed EV mode and uses an electric motor sandwiched between the twin-turbo 3.4-liter and 10-speed that’s powered by a roughly 1.5-kWh nickel-metal hydride battery pack. Its output is higher than the Ford’s, making 437 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 583 pound-feet of torque at 2400 rpm, but unlike the F-150 there’s no built-in generator. Toyota says it will announce fuel economy estimates in the coming months, and the aim is to beat the PowerBoost’s 25 mpg EPA rating.
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Tundras can tow up to 12,000 pounds, 1800 more than the previous-generation truck, but that’s still less than what some versions of the Chevy, Ford, and Ram half-tons are capable of. Max payload is rated at 1940 pounds, also less than the domestic trucks max ratings. An available 360-degree camera can help while towing, and an integrated trailer brake controller can detect the blind spot of whatever is hooked up. Every Tundra’s tailgate can be released by a button on the key fob, and crew-cab models come with either a 5.5- or 6.5-foot bed, while the extended cab configurations can be equipped with a 6.5- or 8.1-foot bed. Both rear- and four-wheel-drive Tundras are available. That colossal grille looks like it might be able to swallow a Prius, and different styles are available depending on trims and options. TRD Pro models have “Toyota” script across the top with an integrated LED light bar below that’s toggled by a button below the dash when the high beams are on. Toyota went for a more modern and jagged design with the Tundra’s third generation, and it’s drastically different than the previous truck. We’ll let the truck’s sales numbers determine if the new look is more attractive than the other half-ton pickups.
Interior improvements are significant compared with the old truck’s cabin, which featured many hard plastics and a small and dated infotainment system. To one-up Ford and Ram’s 12.0-inch screens and Chevy’s new 13.4-inch unit, the Tundra has an available 14.0-inch touchscreen (an 8.0-inch screen is standard). It’s the first Toyota to use its new Audio Multimedia interface, and its crisp graphics and simplified design are easy to use. Say “Hey, Toyota”, and it can give directions or pull up the standard wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto along with other commands. An analog gauge cluster comes standard on the base models, but a 12.3-inch digital screen is available on the higher trims and displays five different national parks upon start. A mobile app can save driver settings and remote start the truck.
A TRD off-road package is available (pictured above) and adds either 18- or 20-inch black TRD wheels, a TRD grille, Bilstein dampers, skid plates, mud guards, and a TRD leather shifter. Four-wheel-drive models with the TRD off-road package get an electronically controlled rear locking differential, MTS, and off-road cruise control. The TRD Sport package is exclusive to the SR5 model and adds 20-inch black TRD wheels, a TRD grille, lowered suspension, and the TRD shifter.The 2022 Toyota Tundra will be on sale by the end of the year in SR, SR5, Limited, Platinum, 1794, and TRD Pro models, and Toyota says trucks with the iForce MAX will arrive a few months after. Pricing, along with fuel economy estimates, will be announced closer to its arrival. It will be built at Toyota’s factory in San Antonio, Texas.
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Cars without people inside driving them have been cruising the streets of Berlin as a test for autonomous-vehicle company Vay.They’re not fully autonomous, instead using “teledrivers,” which is similar to human-in-the-loop autonomous technology, except drivers in a central location operate a connected vehicle to the location where a Vay user wants to be picked up. Then, the customer drives to their location before a remote operator drives the car away.Vay said it will start its ride-hailing service in Europe, and maybe the U.S., next year.Based on the original definitions of different levels of driving automation published by SAE International, Vay’s autonomous technology doesn’t exist. That’s because the strategy Vay is taking to develop autonomous vehicles involves not trying to make them totally autonomous, at least not right away. Fortunately, SAE recently updated the definitions to include remote drivers and remote assistants, and this is where Vay’s plan to involve what it calls “teledrivers” will fit in.

Vay, which is based in Germany, has been testing a slightly different technology on the streets of Berlin that relies on teledrivers doing most of the work, operating the cars from computer stations that have a basic driver’s-seat setup—including a steering wheel, pedals, and several monitors to see what’s around the car—alongside a network that, vitally, doesn’t suffer from too much latency.

Vay.io via YouTube

Others in the autonomous space have used the term HIL (human in the loop) to describe this kind of part-time human solution to autonomous driving. The basic idea behind HIL is that the car can handle the driving most of the time, but whenever it can’t navigate a particular section, the remote operator steps in to get the car past whatever hazard might be too hard for the automated-driving components to handle.

Vay.io via YouTube

Vay’s service will operate like a sort of humanless Uber and also a sort of car-rental service. Users will request a Vay ride, Uber style, and the remote-controlled car will arrive at their location. Then, the user will drive the car wherever they want to go and, finally, the Vay vehicle is teledriven to the next user. Bloomberg notes that Vay’s future plans include a fully remotely operated ride-hailing service so riders never have to be drivers. At some point down the road, the company’s mission is to help get Europe “back to the forefront of the race to develop driverless vehicles which will solve many of today’s transportation challenges, including air pollution, traffic jams, and traffic-related deaths, high costs of transportation and long commutes.” The company said it intends to launch a driverless certified “commercial-mobility service” on public roads in Europe (and maybe the U.S.) in 2022.Vay has already hired a fair number of Silicon Valley and automotive industry talent, Bloomberg said, including Google, Audi, and Elon Musk’s Boring company. Vay CEO Thomas von der Ohe previously worked at Amazon on its Alexa service and at self-driving startup Zoox, while Vay’s co-founders used to work at Skype. Bloomberg reported that Vay has so far raised around $30 million from investors. Vay is busy hiring and looks to bridge two worlds: “software and product experience from Silicon Valley and automotive hardware & safety engineering from Europe.” One of the positions is a principal video engineer who would be responsible for optimizing the cars’ video streams for maximum quality and low latency.
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To develop and build the first 10 armored Chevrolet Suburban SUVs for diplomat and high-profile government official use, GM’s Defense division was recently awarded a $36.4 million development contract.Exactly how these SUVs will be different from the standard model isn’t being made public, but they will use a unique body-on-frame chassis and suspension setup, while also using a lot of off-the-shelf parts, GM said.If the State Department is happy with the first batch, it will likely place an order for 200 a year for nine years, for a total of 1800 units.You can certainly option up a Chevrolet Suburban to a high sticker price, but whatever options and features you throw in, you won’t be able to match what the U.S. Department of State is spending for 10 purpose-built heavy-duty Suburbans over the next two years. These aren’t your standard SUVs, of course, but ones that use a unique body-on-frame chassis and suspension, among other security detail upgrades. Total value of the government development contract: $36.4 million, or, technically, $3.64 million per Suburban.

Full details of the heavy-duty Suburbans are not being talked about just yet, but GM (specifically, GM Defense LLC) will use some of the money to develop the new chassis and suspension system, which is required to “support increased government vehicle performance requirements with a higher payload capacity and greater ground vehicle weight.” In other words, armor and security components for high-profile government representatives like diplomats. “Our development contract win speaks to our longstanding legacy of exceeding transportation capabilities, and our new HD Suburban will deliver government-specific advanced mobility solutions to meet the needs of [the Diplomatic Security Service],” said GM Defense president Steve duMont in a statement. Not everything in the feds’ Suburbans will be created new. GM said it will use “significant” off-the-shelf parts in the HD Suburban, among them the body, exterior, propulsion, interior and brakes. That will leave more of the development money to be spent on fine-tuning the “advanced manufacturing tools and techniques, including fixtureless assembly and flexible fabrication” that GM said it will use to build these SUVs. GM said these techniques will help make building these kinds of low-volume products more efficient and reduce costs. Keeping manufacturing costs down might not seem like a big deal when you’re making just 10 vehicles with a budget of $36 million, but this is likely just the first of many modified Suburbans that the State Department will buy from GM. GM Defense said it will deliver this first batch of vehicles next spring. Then, when the development contract is completed around May 2023, the government is expected to put in an order for a fleet of 200 HD Suburbans each year for nine years. At a price significantly lower than $3 million each, we taxpayers hope.
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Thinking about getting into the ride-share business? Well, this week’s Window Shop is the one for you. A reader asked us to look for the perfect car for Uber or Lyft and set a $15,000 budget. In the interest of not getting fired from our day jobs searching Autotempest.com for hoopties, we raised the budget to $20,000 and actually took the challenge seriously. Every car you’ll see this week actually makes sense. Five stars, here we come.As usual, Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman is convinced that his choice is the clear winner. Pearley’s fuel-sipping sedan is very boring, but he also found a low-mileage example that has years and years of money-making years ahead of it. But, Pearley’s pick doesn’t have the luxurious cachet of senior editor Joey Capparella’s long-wheelbase Infiniti, a car that Capparella insists will qualify for Uber Black. Whether or not Capparella’s Infiniti will earn him extra money, we move on to contributor Jonathon Ramsey’s car, which has a lot of flexibility and the ability to carry seven passengers. Ramsey’s car pushes the budget, but he’s still able to by plenty of Smarties for his riders. Watch and you’ll learn that 4.5 pounds of Smarties costs about $20 and that Pearley has never enjoyed Smarties. Deputy testing director K.C. Colwell picks a minivan that prioritizes the comfort of his passengers over all else. Although his van has 120,000 miles on the odometer and butts up against the $20,000 budget, it has the most interior space, room for skis, and an LCD screen so passengers can watch Window Shop. Finally, car director Tony Quiroga (that’s his new title) presents a choice that combines the best attributes of the other choices. Watch until the end and you’ll learn all about the pitfalls of fabric upholstery, how to make sure that your car qualifies for Uber Black, and why Uber drivers always have a case of water in the trunk. The choices might be a little dull this week, but that didn’t stop us from fighting and bickering.

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The combination of a white-hot new car market, a slew of delays, and an incredibly sought-after product has worked out in Ford dealers’ favor. Across the country dealers are adding thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars of markups to Broncos on the lot. Those who want one today will have to pay up or get in line. But when you finally get to the front of the line, don’t assume you’re safe: Some shady dealers are trying to add huge markups to pre-ordered Broncos just days before delivery.

That’s what happened to the couple that runs the Pipsburgh Views YouTube Channel. After about a year of waiting for their Bronco 4-Door Outer Banks—which they ordered from a dealership that the husband used to work at—the couple was notified six days before delivery that the dealer was adding $10,000 markup over the MSRP they had agreed to. Their $52,810 truck became a $62,000 hostage overnight. They countered with $5000 over sticker, already a wild concession, but the dealer isn’t sure whether to accept. After all, the business knows if the couple denies delivery they can sell it off the lot for a wild price.
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Unfortunately, this doesn’t appear to be an isolated incident. Another user in a thread on the Bronco6G forum says his dealer tried to pull the same thing, forcing him to move his order. Another in a Facebook Group spotted by automotive writer Zerin Dube says that his dealer is trying to squeeze another $5000 out of him at the last minute. Others say that their dealer will not commit to a price until the truck comes in, reserving the right to add markups and effectively negating the purpose of ordering directly. And in these situations, many expect a call from Ford will clear things up. According to Ford spokesperson Mike Levine, that strategy might not get you far.”MSRP is MSRP,” Levine said in an email to Road & Track. “Dealers are independent franchises and ultimately the final price a customer will pay for any vehicle is agreed between themselves and a dealer that’s at, below, or above MSRP. If a customer isn’t happy with their dealer experience, our team can help them find a different dealer that’s a better match.”These markups are nothing new. American auto dealers have a history of adding money to hot, anticipated cars. But it’s particularly weird and predatory to add markups to special-order cars, especially when the original order was for a vehicle at MSRP. We must reiterate that you should never pay above sticker price for a vehicle that is not highly limited in production and even then you may not ever make that money back. The Bronco is good, but few cars ever have been worth tens of thousands over their sticker price.
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Mazda will make all-wheel drive standard on all CX SUV models starting for the 2022 model year.The updated 2022 CX-5 has already been revealed, but we haven’t yet seen what’s in store for the 2022 CX-9 and CX-30.Front-wheel drive was previously standard on each of these models, so their base prices are likely to rise.The CX-5 isn’t the only Mazda SUV that will now come standard with all-wheel drive. Mazda says that all 2022 CX models, comprising the CX-30, CX-5, and CX-9 crossovers, will no longer be offered with front-wheel drive as standard. We don’t yet have official word on how this will affect pricing, but it’s a sure bet that each of these models will have a higher base price for 2022, as AWD was previously a $1400 option on the CX-30 and CX-5 and a $1900 option on the CX-9.Mazda has already shared updates for the 2022 CX-5, which include a few interior upgrades and a freshened appearance. We haven’t heard details yet on the 2022 CX-30 or 2022 CX-9, so we’re not sure if they will receive any updates other than the newly standard all-wheel-drive system.

We’re also curious to see how this shift affects future Mazda SUV models that could ride on the company’s new longitudinal platform and use its new inline-six engines. If all-wheel drive is standard on these upcoming vehicles, it means we’re unlikely to get a rear-wheel-drive version of the rumored CX-50 or a possible larger three-row model to replace the CX-9. Some luxury automakers do offer rear-wheel-drive versions of their SUVs, such as BMW’s sDrive versions of the X3 and X5.
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A New York state law signed by governor Kathy Hochul sets a goal of 100 percent new passenger car and truck sales in the state being zero-emission vehicles by 2035, similar to executive order issued earlier by California governor.Newly adopted legislation sets similar goal for medium- and heavy-duty trucks in New York state, but with a target year of 2045.EV sales in New York state accounted for less than 2% in 2020, pointing to a need for significant gains over the next 13 years.Following a trend set by a number of states in the U.S., New York state has passed a law that sets a target for 100 percent of new passenger cars and trucks sold or leased in the state to be zero-emissions vehicles by the year 2035. The legislation was signed by Governor Kathy Hochul just a few days ago. The legislation contains a similar goal for off-road vehicles and equipment by 2035. The law also establishes a goal for all medium- and heavy-duty trucks sold or leased in the state to be zero-emission vehicles by 2045, “for all operations where feasible.”

The signed legislation is more akin to a policy statement or executive order, in that it directs a state agency—namely the Department of Environmental Conservation—to propose regulations that will require increased volumes of zero-emission vehicles to be offered for sale with the goal of achieving a 100 percent mark by 2035. The law effectively compels state agencies to phase out sales of gas- and diesel-engined vehicles and trucks by a certain date through agency rules, which itself have yet to be adopted.The law as drafted lacks enforcement mechanisms and concrete steps that agencies will need to take in order to phase in sales of zero-emission vehicles. In effect, there are no corresponding state agency rules that have been enacted to promote sales of zero-emission vehicles to such a significant extent, or (perhaps more importantly) actively inhibit sales of internal-combustion vehicles at a dealer level. Further legislation and agency rules, complete with enforcement mechanisms, will be needed.The law also requires that a zero-emission vehicle strategy be developed by 2023, which will then be used by New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to create programs and policies to actually promote EV sales.

“Using California’s Advanced Clean Trucks Rule as a template, the proposed regulation would require truck manufacturers to transition to clean, electric zero-emission vehicles,” the governor’s office said in a statement. “Truck manufacturers would be required to meet a certain annual sales percentage of zero-emission trucks, which will vary among vehicle weight classes, beginning with model year 2025. By the 2035 model year, at least 55 percent of all new Class 2b-3 pickup trucks and vans, 75 percent of all new Class 4-8 trucks, and 40 percent of all new Class 7-8 tractors sold in New York State will be zero-emission. The proposed regulation provides medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturers with several compliance options and would require a one-time reporting from applicable truck fleets.”The statement above, you may have noted, mentions proposed (but not yet adopted) regulations aimed at out-of-state truck manufacturers, rather than sales by truck dealers within the state, while also seeking compliance from reports by specific fleets.New York state faces some headwinds in achieving 100 percent zero-emission sales of passenger cars and trucks by 2035, with the market share of electric vehicles in the state currently hovering around 1 percent. Plug-in hybrids will also qualify as zero-emissions vehicles. Sales of these ZEVs will have to make significant gains while sales of gas- and diesel-engined vehicles will have to surrender significant market share each year. This is likely to be dictated by market forces more than anything, absent some compelling incentive programs.

Many automakers have rolled out ambitious goals for transitioning to EV-only lineups, but even these goals come with plenty of asterisks. For one thing, assuming comparable levels of annual vehicle sales in the US until 2035, the recovery and processing of raw materials for the production lithium-ion batteries alone would have to experience significant growth, absent the sudden arrival of solid-state battery technology that would rely on more easily obtained raw materials. So even the plans of automakers to go EV-only by a certain year are based on other industries being able to keep up with that transition.

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Lucid Motors announced official EPA range and efficiency ratings for several versions of its Air sedan.The Dream Edition Range model wearing 19-inch wheels can go the furthest with a 520-mile range, while the Grand Touring model, which has 133 less horsepower, goes 516 miles on 19-inch wheels.Upgrading to the 21-inch wheels knocks off a significant amount of range, with the Dream Edition Range dropping to 481 miles with the bigger wheels and the Grand Touring decreasing to 469 miles.Many of today’s electric-vehicle startups tout jaw-dropping performance figures and driving range figures. But Lucid Motors, which aims to deliver its first customer cars before the end of the year, has now taken a major step forward with official EPA estimates for the range and efficiency of its upcoming Air sedan. And the numbers are big.

Lucid

The launch model of the Lucid Air, called the Dream Edition, comes into two configurations, with the Range prioritizing driving distance and the Performance focusing on extra power and acceleration. The 933-hp Range, unsurprisingly, goes the furthest on a charge, with the EPA estimating the range at 520 miles on the standard 19-inch wheels and 481 miles on the optional 21-inch wheels. The 520-mile figure gives the Lucid Air the longest range of any EV rated by the EPA.

While the 1111-hp Performance version sacrifices distance for power, the EPA still estimates it can go 471 miles on a charge with the 19-inch wheels, a figure which dropps by 20 miles when fitted with the 21-inchers. Along with the Dream Edition available at launch, the Air will be offered in Grand Touring specification, which produces 800 hp. The Grand Touring can travel an estimated 516 miles with the 19-inch wheels and 469 miles with the 21-inch wheels. For reference, the Tesla Model S that goes the furthest on a single charge—the creatively-named Long Range—has an EPA rating of 405 miles, while the ultimate performance version of the Model S, the 1020-hp Plaid, has a EPA range estimate of 348 miles. Lucid also says it now has the highest MPGe ratings for the EPA’s Large vehicle class, with the most efficient version of the Air, the Grand Touring with 19-inch wheels, rated at 130 MPGe in the city, 132 MPGe on the highway, and 131 MPGe combined. The least efficient Air is the Dream Edition Performance on the 21-inch wheels, which earned a rating of 110 MPGe in the city and 111 MPGe on the highway for a combined 111 MPGe.Lucid had originally planned to start production of the Air in the spring of this year, but this was delayed to late 2021. With the EPA ratings now in place, Lucid is one step closer to delivering vehicles to customers.
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