Motor News

The 2024 Ferrari SF90 XX Stradale has set a new lap record for production cars at Ferrari’s private Fiorano Circuit.Ferrari test driver Raffaele de Simone piloted the new XX car to a 1:17.3, making it 1.4 seconds faster than the regular SF90 Stradale with the Assetto Fiorano package.While previous offerings from the Ferrari XX program have been track-only cars, the SF90 XX is the first street-legal XX car.There are plug-in hybrids and there are plug-in hybrids. One is what you might think of as a generic economy car, while the other is a 1016-hp powertrain comprised of a twin-turbo V-8 and three electric motors. The 2024 SF90 XX Stradale is the second. It’s also just set a new lap record for production cars around Ferrari’s private Fiorano test track.On October 16, 2023, Ferrari in-house test driver Raffaele de Simone urged the new XX car to a 1:17.3 time around the circuit. That makes the SF90 XX Stradale 1.4 seconds faster around the same circuit than the Assetto Fiorano package–equipped SF90 Stradale, which previously held the record. Officially, de Simone ran a 1:17.309, but Ferrari only reports lap times to the tenth, so the old record was 1:18.7 and the new record stands at 1:17.0. Both cars wore a set of Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires for their record-setting laps. FerrariPrevious generations of XX cars from Ferrari such as the Enzo-based FXX and the LaFerrari-based FXX-K were track-only cars for Ferrari’s most exclusive customer base. This year’s introduction of the SF90 XX Stradale and SF90 XX Spider fundamentally change the program, as they are the first street-legal XX cars. Unfortunately, even for fans of the brand with very deep pockets, the XX Programme is still reserved for the manufacturer’s selected elite. Only 799 SF90 Stradale coupes and 599 SF90 Spider convertibles will be produced, and all are already spoken for. Fortunately, we were able to get behind the wheel of one ourselves, and Ferrari let us loose on the Fiorano Circuit to do some thrashing of our own.Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

Toyota unveiled the 2025 Crown Signia ahead of the 2023 L.A. Auto Show.The Crown Signia replaces the Venza as Toyota’s five-seat mid-size SUV.Its 243-hp hybrid powertrain pairs exclusively with all-wheel drive.If the Toyota Crown’s first stateside appearance in all its high-riding-sedan glory doesn’t appeal to you, perhaps something a bit more mainstream will. And what could be more conventional than a mid-size SUV with high-mpg aspirations? If that’s more up your alley, the 2025 Toyota Crown Signia will come as a welcome surprise.Okay, maybe it’s not a surprise—Toyota let the cat out of the bag with an early teaser—but it’s welcome nevertheless. The 2025 Crown Signia arrives as a mid-size SUV to replace the Venza, which will bow out of the lineup after the 2024 model year. And it’s a pretty sensible replacement, building on the Venza’s positive qualities while enhancing a few things along the way.Under the hood resides a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder. That mates to three electric motors—two sandwiched into the front half, and one out back providing rear-wheel traction as needed—to make a combined 243 horsepower, 24 hp more than the Venza’s similar setup. All-wheel drive is standard, as is a continuously variable automatic transmission. While CVTs aren’t exactly known for their towing prowess, the Crown Signia can drag up to 2700 pounds, a useful improvement over the Venza, which wasn’t rated to tow at all.Crowns on CrownsStylistically, the Crown Signia is a carbon copy of the Crown Estate SUV that will be sold in other markets. The front end borrows the thin running lights and separate lower headlights from the Crown sedan, but its taller front bumper carries a greater similarity to the bZ4X. A character line runs along the otherwise low-drama side to a rear end that’s about as conventional as it can be drawn, with some thin taillights and little visual fuss.Crown owners may look at the Signia’s cabin and say, “Hey, that’s my cabin, you stole it!” That’s a good thing, because the Crown’s cabin is pretty delightful overall. The front passenger is wrapped in a cocoon of trim that rises up from the center console, while the driver stares down a pair of standard 12.3-inch displays, one serving as a gauge cluster and one handling infotainment duties. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, and there are three USB ports up front and a pair for folks in the back.Toyota will offer the Crown Signia in XLE and Limited trims. The XLE carries a good amount of standard equipment: in addition to the aforementioned tech, the base Crown Signia comes with 19-inch wheels, combination fabric and vinyl seats, a heated leather steering wheel, a power liftgate, and a six-speaker audio system. The Limited tacks on a panoramic glass roof, 21-inch wheels, leather upholstery, heated rear seats, parking sensors, and an 11-speaker JBL audio system.On the safety front, both trims come standard with Toyota’s TSS 3.0 suite of driver-assist features, which includes automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, automatic high beams, and Proactive Driving Assist, which can aid braking and steering in curves and in traffic. An optional package for the Limited beefs up that suite further with a surround-view camera, lane-change assist, and Traffic Jam Assist, which will permit hands-free operation in certain situations under 25 mph.The 2025 Toyota Crown Signia will make its way to dealerships in 2024. Pricing has not yet been revealed, but considering the Crown sedan is more expensive than the Venza, we’d be surprised if the Crown Signia didn’t come in above both, which would put it somewhere in the neighborhood of $45,000 to $55,000, depending on trim.Senior EditorCars are Andrew Krok’s jam, along with boysenberry. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now he has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-finished engineering degree. More

The 2025 Toyota Camry marks the mid-size sedan’s ninth generation.For the first time, the Camry will be offered only in hybrid guise.A revamped cabin borrows much of its new look from the Crown sedan.While SUVs dominate the automotive landscape like some sort of fender-cladded solar eclipse, mid-size sedans soldier on as family-friendly alternatives that are a little more down to earth (literally). The Hyundai Sonata has been given a recent refresh, and Honda released a new generation of Accord last year. Now, it’s time for the Toyota Camry to strut its stuff, and it’s leapfrogging both of its major competitors by going hybrid-only.All Hybrid All the TimeIf you’re familiar with any of Toyota’s other new hybrids like the Crown Signia, the 2025 Camry’s powertrain will seem quite familiar. This latest iteration of Toyota’s hybrid system combines a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four-cylinder gas engine with either two or three electric motors. The first two motors live up front and help provide front-driven power, while optional all-wheel drive—a first for hybrid Camrys, and available on all four trims—throws a third motor out back for extra traction. FWD hybrids will make 225 horsepower, while AWD bumps that up by a whopping seven horses, to 232 hp. A continuously variable automatic transmission is standard on both setups. New Look Inside and OutA few C/D editors have wondered aloud whether the Camry’s new look qualifies above a mid-cycle refresh, but there’s something to be said about sticking with what works. Of course, the ninth-gen Camry does look fairly different from the front, where new headlights pick up the same running-light style we’ve seen on the Prius and the Crown. Its beaky front bumper keeps that comparison going. From the side, it’s more traditional Camry, and the rear end’s new taillights look fresh but also familiar.Meanwhile, the cabin features a bit more new stuff. A whole bunch of Crown influence has made its way into the Camry, including the same steering wheel as well as the medium-high center console and the console trim piece that rises and wraps around the passenger. (Thankfully, the Camry does not borrow the Crown’s limited headroom.) It comes standard with a wireless phone charger and five USB ports across both rows. An 8.0-inch infotainment touchscreen and an 8.0-inch partially digital gauge cluster are standard on the LE and sportier SE trims, but both screens grow to 12.3 inches on XLE and XSE models.Trim Levels and PricingOf the four trims on offer, they are bundled into two distinct halves. The LE and XLE reside on the cushier side, with the latter picking up front-side acoustic glass, larger wheels, fancier headlights, leather seating, a heated steering wheel, keyless entry, and ambient lighting. The SE and XSE are the sportier pair, carrying their own unique (and, obviously, stiffer) suspension tuning, in addition to black trim and different wheel designs. The XSE also picks up a giant black trim piece that spans the gap between the taillights, in addition to a body-colored rear diffuser and dual exhaust tips.The 2025 Toyota Camry will make its way to the general public in 2024. Pricing is still a ways away, but for some context, the current Camry hybrid ranges from a hair under $30,000 to a bit over $35,000. Given the flashy kit crammed into the new one, we’d expect prices to rise a smidge but stay affordable overall.We Heard You Like HybridsSenior EditorCars are Andrew Krok’s jam, along with boysenberry. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now he has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-finished engineering degree. More

Toyota will discontinue the Venza after the 2024 model year.Its departure will make room for the mid-size 2025 Toyota Crown Signia.The two are quite similar on paper, though the Signia beefs up its offerings a bit.The Toyota Venza was first a dowdy half-wagon, half-crossover. Then, it was reborn as a hybrid-only SUV known in other markets as the Harrier, which is objectively a cooler name. Now, it will exist only in the hushed whispers of days gone by, as a new mid-size hybrid monarch rises to take the, um, Crown.Alongside the debut of the 2025 Toyota Crown Signia hybrid SUV, Toyota has confirmed that the Venza will be discontinued after the 2024 model year. The two vehicles occupy nearly the same slice of an already thin mid-size segment, and thus, there can only be one. It’s sort of like Highlander—the movie, not the larger-but-still-mid-size Toyota SUV.In MemoriamThe Venza’s motivation comes from a three-motor hybrid system that produces a net 219 horsepower. That was sufficient, if only mostly so, to get the smaller Venza around. But the Crown Signia beefs things up; its three-motor hybrid brings combined output up to 243 hp. The Venza was never given a towing rating, so people with stuff to move will probably appreciate the fact that the Crown Signia is rated to tow up to 2700 pounds, despite still relying on a continuously variable transmission.Despite being billed as a mid-sizer, the almost-compact Venza shared a 105.9-inch wheelbase with the RAV4 Hybrid, and we found its cabin relatively compact in practice. Thankfully, while we don’t have official measurements just yet, the Crown Signia’s interior feels more spacious than what it replaces. As cool as it was, the Venza’s trick electrochromic roof—which could change its opacity with the push of a button—will not be returning; the Crown Signia’s top Limited trim has a regular ol’ glass roof instead.Of course, with this growth in footprint and output will likely come an increase in price. The 2024 Venza starts around $36,315 and peters out around $46,000. The Crown sedan is more expensive than that, so it stands to reason that its new, larger SUV sibling will be even dearer.More on the ReplacementSenior EditorCars are Andrew Krok’s jam, along with boysenberry. After graduating with a degree in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009, Andrew cut his teeth writing freelance magazine features, and now he has a decade of full-time review experience under his belt. A Chicagoan by birth, he has been a Detroit resident since 2015. Maybe one day he’ll do something about that half-finished engineering degree. More

According to a new report from the IIHS (the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety), vehicles with taller and more upright front ends can create an increased risk to pedestrians. The data from the IIHS report matches that of a joint investigation by the Detroit Free Press/USA Today first published in 2018. For the new report, IIHS researchers analyzed 17,897 crashes involving a single passenger vehicle and a single pedestrian.Pedestrian safety data in the United States is pretty alarming, and that feeling is renewed when looking at new data from the IIHS released today. According to the insurance industry safety group, U.S. pedestrian crash deaths have risen roughly 80 percent since 2009, and in 2021 alone, nearly 7400 walkers died after being struck by a vehicle. Michael Simari|Car and DriverThe new IIHS report states that vehicles with “especially tall front ends,” namely those with a hood height larger than 40 inches, are most dangerous to pedestrians. The report also shows that vehicles with a hood height somewhere between 30 and 40 inches, where the leading edge of the car is a blunt profile (think boxy SUV), also increase risk to pedestrians. “Some of today’s vehicles are pretty intimidating when you’re passing in front of them in a crosswalk,” IIHS president David Harkey said. “These results tell us our instincts are correct: More aggressive-looking vehicles can indeed do more harm.” The report notes that the average passenger vehicle in the U.S. is four inches wider, 10 inches longer, eight inches taller, and 1000 pounds heavier than its counterparts of 30 years ago. It also points out that hoods of many large pickups are just about at eye level for many adults. Insurance Institute for Highway SafetyResearchers Looked at 17,897 CrashesTo examine the connection between fatality risk and vehicle size and shape, researchers for the IIHS looked at 17,897 crashes involving one passenger vehicle and one pedestrian. The researchers then used Vehicle Identification Numbers to identify the cars involved, and calculated the front-end measurements for 2958 unique vehicle models from photographs. To limit outside factors, the IIHS excluded vehicles with pedestrian automated emergency braking systems and controlled for other factors that could affect the likelihood of a fatality, such as the speed limit and age and sex of the struck pedestrian.According to the report, for medium-height vehicles with a front end between 30 and 40 inches off the ground, a sloped shape provided more safety for pedestrians than a blunt hood. Compared with low and sloped vehicles, medium-height vehicles with blunt fronts were 26 percent more likely to cause pedestrian fatalities in a crash. In contrast, medium-height vehicles with a sloped front posed a similar risk to pedestrians as low vehicles with either blunt or sloped fronts.More on the IIHSThe study’s lead author, IIHS senior research transportation engineer Wen Hu, commented that manufacturers could make design changes that would minimize pedestrian safety concerns. “Manufacturers can make vehicles less dangerous to pedestrians by lowering the front end of the hood and angling the grille and hood to create a sloped profile. There’s no functional benefit to these massive, blocky fronts.” And IIHS president Harkey said the organization would like automakers to “consider these findings and take a hard look at the height and shape of their SUVs and pickups.”Associate News EditorJack Fitzgerald’s love for cars stems from his as yet unshakable addiction to Formula 1. After a brief stint as a detailer for a local dealership group in college, he knew he needed a more permanent way to drive all the new cars he couldn’t afford and decided to pursue a career in auto writing. By hounding his college professors at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, he was able to travel Wisconsin seeking out stories in the auto world before landing his dream job at Car and Driver. His new goal is to delay the inevitable demise of his 2010 Volkswagen Golf. More

This car set a record for a Ferrari sale price at auction.It’s the only 1962 GTO campaigned by Scuderia Ferrari.The auction took place at RM Sotheby’s in New York on November 13, 2023.There’s a new most-expensive Ferrari and, yes, it’s a 250 GTO. This 1962 example was just sold by RM Sotheby’s for $51,705,000. This result eclipses former headline-making Ferrari sales, including a $48.4 million 250 GTO 2018 Monterey sale, an ex-Stirling Moss 1957 335S that brought $35.8 million in 2016, and a $38 million 250 GTO that sold in Monterey in 2014. Jeremy Cliff @2023 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’sThis latest car, which Sotheby’s lists as a 330 LM/250 GTO, is the only 1962 GTO raced by Scuderia Ferrari. The car had its debut outing at the May 1962 Nürburgring 1000 KM, where it finished first in its class and second overall. Jeremy Cliff @2023 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’sIn response to a change in Le Mans rules for 1962, the original 3.0-liter engine was replaced by a 4.0-liter V-12 for the 24 Hours—and this is the only 250 GTO ever factory fitted with the larger 4.0-liter engine. Unfortunately, the car went off the track early in the race and later overheated and DNF’d. Jeremy Cliff @2023 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’sThe car was then sold to an Italian privateer, for whom Maranello swapped out the 4.0-liter engine for a 3.0-liter V-12, paired with a five-speed gearbox, and the car retains that powertrain to this day.Related StoriesIn 1967, the Ferrari found its way to the United States. It has been featured at events throughout the past decades while in the care of several long-term owners, including the seller, who has had the car for 38 years. All these factors no doubt worked to bolster the selling price.Deputy Editor, Reviews and FeaturesJoe Lorio has been obsessed with cars since his Matchbox days, and he got his first subscription to Car and Driver at age 11. Joe started his career at Automobile Magazine under David E. Davis Jr., and his work has also appeared on websites including Amazon Autos, Autoblog, AutoTrader, Hagerty, Hemmings, KBB, and TrueCar. More

General Motors has announced official plans to produce its own Formula 1 power units (meaning both engines and hybrid components) starting in 2028, and to make them for Andretti Cadillac. This is a big announcement given that there’s a catch: F1 hasn’t approved Andretti’s entry into the sport. What we’re seeing is GM throwing some of its multibillion-dollar weight around.Alongside Cadillac’s previously announced plans to join the proposed Andretti Global F1 team, General Motors has announced plans to build Andretti’s F1 proposal into a factory-backed powerhouse that can work on chassis and engine design in concert.F1 Approval NeededAndretti Global, which was the only team approved by the FIA in its recent search for viable new F1 teams, still needs approval from F1 itself before it can enter the championship. That process is ongoing and has become contentious, with direct quotes from executives suggesting an open attempt by current members of the F1 grid to bring GM in without accepting Andretti’s team. Williams executive James Vowles has optimistically suggested an intent to poach GM as a partner after loudly objecting to Andretti’s F1 bid and reporting from the Associated Press suggests that F1 itself has requested the company abandon Andretti to partner with an existing team, but GM president Mark Reuss stated simply this week that “GM is committed to partnering with Andretti to race in F1.”Fun with F1This is to say, F1 wants GM’s involvement, but it wants its time and engineering and money to flow into one of its existing teams. GM wants in on F1, but it wants to do so with one of GM’s own tight partners. GM wants to do things its way. Honestly, calling Andretti “one of GM’s own partners” is understating Andretti here, though. Andretti is a massive name in American racing: the biggest Honda team in IMSA, winner of a third of the last 15 Indy 500s, reigning Formula E champion.The addition of a unique engine partner committed only to their program makes Andretti’s bid far and away the most complete proposal to join the series since Toyota entered as a 12th team in 2002, but it will not change the simple truth that an 11th F1 team means reduced revenue for ten other teams already on the grid. While that argument may be odious to anyone who does not currently own a Formula 1 team, it is still something Andretti and Cadillac will have to navigate to get their place on the F1 grid.If Andretti Cadillac Becomes 11th Team . . . If Andretti Cadillac is approved as an 11th team, the team would have to operate with an engine provided by another supplier from 2025 through 2027. With new engine regulations set to be introduced in 2026, that partnership will span two generations of powertrain with whatever manufacturer they choose. Alpine was initially expected to be that partner, but the French brand said that its deal to supply engines to the team expired last month.While the team itself is still in flux, GM joins Honda and Audi in announcing intentions to build a powertrain for F1’s new simplified engine regulations, which go into effect in 2026. Mercedes-AMG, Ferrari, Alpine, and Red Bull’s in-house engine shop will continue as engine suppliers when the new regulations kick in, although Red Bull’s engine program will add a crucial partnership with Ford that introduces another manufacturer’s name to the grid. In addition to its upcoming Formula 1 program, Cadillac currently races in the IMSA GTP and FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar classes with the new-for-2023 V-Series.R racer. Action Express Racing, one of two factory teams running under the Cadillac Racing banner, won this season’s IMSA championship by just 21 points. GM also runs factory-backed programs in GT racing in both sports car series, NHRA drag racing, NASCAR stock car racing, and IndyCar open wheel racing. Future Cadillac F1 partner Andretti, notably, currently races against GM programs as a factory partner of Honda in both IMSA GTP and IndyCar. More

Karma Automotive, birthed from the 2013 bankruptcy of Fisker Automotive, has revealed its future plans, which include the Kaveya coupe.This sensuous two-door will make up to 1000 horsepower and travel at least 250 miles on a charge when it arrives in 2025, Karma claims.The company is also planning a revised version of its Revero range-extender hybrid and a new electric sedan called Gyesera. Henrik Fisker—the former BMW, Ford, and Aston Martin designer—returned with his second eponymous company this year, delivering the first examples of the electric Fisker Ocean SUV. But his original dream, the Karma sedan, lived on after Fisker Automotive went bankrupt in 2013. Dubbed the Karma Revero, the slinky sedan has been sold in minuscule numbers by California-based and Chinese-owned Karma Automotive since 2017, refreshed and renamed the GS-6 in 2021. Now Karma has revealed the eye-catching Kaveya coupe, which will lead the company’s three-pronged plan for surviving through the 2020s.Karma AutomotiveUnveiled in Las Vegas over the weekend, the Kaveya is undoubtedly a stunning machine. Measuring 187.7 inches from bumper to bumper, it’s a tad lengthier than an Aston Martin DB12, although its 107.0-inch wheelbase is about three inches shorter. Karma estimates a curb weight of 5300 pounds, with an aluminum space frame draped in carbon-fiber body panels. The bodywork is smooth and glossy, with thin headlights and taillights and subtle slashes that serve as cooling vents and aerodynamic channels.Two versions of the Kaveya are planned: a rear-wheel-drive, 536-hp base model and an all-wheel-drive, 1000-hp variant. That version will have 1270 pound-feet of torque, with a target run to 60 mph in less than 3.0 seconds and a top speed over 180 mph. The 120.0-kWh battery will provide a claimed range of more than 250 miles and recharging from 10 to 80 percent will take 45 minutes. Karma didn’t specify which version was shown in these images. The 536-hp model is due out in the fourth quarter of 2025, while Karma is aiming for the fourth quarter of 2026 for the more powerful Kaveya.2021 Karma GS-6.Steve Siler|Car and DriverKarma also teased two other models on the horizon. The GS-6 will go back to being called the Revero, and the only image Karma provided shows a body that still retains the curvy profile of the original Fisker Karma. The specifications largely mirror the outgoing GS-6, with 536 horsepower from a range-extender hybrid setup that combines two electric motors with a gas engine that serves as a generator. Karma didn’t say if the gas engine will remain the same turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder as the GS-6. Karma now claims torque will sit at 708 pound-feet, versus 550 pound-feet in the last example we drove, with the zero-to-60-mph time dipping below four seconds. Total range for the rear-wheel-drive sedan is 360 miles with the generator running, with the 28.0-kWh battery—likely the same unit that gave 24.6-kWh of usable capacity back in 2021—providing 65 miles of range on its own. The Revero will make its return in the third quarter of next year. More Cool EV Sports CarsKarma had previously been developing a fully electric variant called the GSe-6, but that appears to have been canceled in favor of an all-new electric sedan called the Gyesera. Karma only showed a dark teaser image, but the rear-wheel-drive sedan is targeting a range of greater than 250 miles from its 120.0-kWh battery, likely shared with the Kaveya.While the Gyesera won’t be quite as extreme as the Kaveya, Karma says it will produce 590 horsepower and 693 pound-feet of torque, with 60 mph arriving in under 4.2 seconds and a top speed over 135 mph. The listed dimensions are exactly the same as those for the updated Revero, leading us to wonder how new the Gyesdra will actually be. The 5300-pound curb weight is 257 pounds heavier, and the only detail we current have about the cabin is that it will include an 11.6-inch infotainment screen. Karma said it hopes to launch the Gyesera in the fourth quarter of 2024, with full details coming next year. We’ll be curious to see if the niche automaker can deliver on its promises over the coming years, but we won’t be holding our breath.Associate News EditorCaleb Miller began blogging about cars at 13 years old, and he realized his dream of writing for a car magazine after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University and joining the Car and Driver team. He loves quirky and obscure autos, aiming to one day own something bizarre like a Nissan S-Cargo, and is an avid motorsports fan. More