Motor News

This content is imported from youTube. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Sometimes it’s tough to tell if, as journalists, we have our collective finger on the pulse of automotive enthusiasm or if, as employees of Car and Driver and Road & Track, we’re just hearing our own heartbeats. On this episode of Window Shop with Car and Driver, it’s both.Bring a Trailer (BaT), which is part of the Hearst Autos family, is the foremost online auction site for people who love interesting and unique cars and have the wherewithal to outbid strangers on the internet. Battle it out over a perfect 1996 Ford Contour or a 2005 Acura NSX; the site has it all. In this episode of Window Shopping, we’re challenged to find our favorite cars recently sold on BaT for less than $50,000. We were supposed to consider future value, condition, if the car was a good buy, and, of course, fun. Not all of us read the brief. All participants contributed to the proceedings with choices that perfectly align with their character, or lack of. So one of them chose an Opel, another took an Alfa, a BMW was also tapped, and then there was a Ford. There was a fifth one too, but don’t sweat that. It didn’t win. Join Commissar-in-Chief Tony Quiroga, Power-behind-the-Throne K.C. Colwell, Aspirational-Bringer-of-Light Elana Scherr, Beloved-Icon-Who-May-Be-CIA Jonathon Ramsey, and Some Guy recording from his son’s bedroom, as they fuss and fight on a Zoom call. There will be another episode after this one. Probably in the future. Feel free to go to the Bring a Trailer website and search through the completed listings; post in the comments below if you find something better. Post on YouTube too, because the algorithm likes it when you do. Much More Window ShoppingSenior EditorJohn Pearley Huffman has been writing about cars since 1990 and is getting okay at it. Besides Car and Driver, his work has appeared in the New York Times and more than 100 automotive publications and websites. A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, he still lives near that campus with his wife and two children. He owns a pair of Toyota Tundras and two Siberian huskies. He used to have a Nova and a Camaro. More

Kia has released a 30th Anniversary version of the Sportage for Korea.It has special wheels, green quilted leather upholstery, and 30th Anniversary badging.We don’t have U.S.-specific info on this model year, but we think it will come to our shores.The Sportage SUV wasn’t the first Kia model sold in the U.S.—that would be the long-forgotten Sephia sedan—but it is the Korean brand’s longest-running nameplate. Kia is now celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Sportage with a special-edition model for the Korean market. The package includes unique badging, interior trim, and a few other exterior tweaks, and we think it will eventually make its way to the U.S. market, possibly for the 2024 Sportage.KiaOur favorite addition is the green quilted leather upholstery found inside, which looks great contrasted with black suede trim. The headrests also have embroidered “30 Sportage” logos. On the outside, the main changes are different 19-inch wheels and extra black trim for the front fascia. The pictured model is finished in matte-gray paint that looks similar to the Shadow Matte Gray currently available on the 2023 Sportage Hybrid for $595 extra.KiaKia has also placed a pristine-looking example of the original first-generation Sportage in the lobby of its Kia 360 showroom in Korea to commemorate the occasion. This generation was sold in the U.S. starting for the 1995 model year, and we compared it against several other small SUVs in a 1998 comparison test.KiaKiaWe haven’t yet received confirmation whether or not the Sportage 30th Anniversary Edition model will come to the U.S. market, but we expect a similar package to be available here eventually. Stay tuned for more details to come on the 2024 Sportage.Sportage Then and NowSenior EditorDespite being raised on a steady diet of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or perhaps because of it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive industry throughout his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He found a way to write about cars for the school newspaper during his college years at Rice University, which eventually led him to move to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first professional auto-writing gig at Automobile Magazine. He has been part of the Car and Driver team since 2016 and now lives in New York City.   More

Toyota has filed trademarks with the European Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) for variations of the “TZ” name, as reported by InsideEVs.The trademarks include Lexus TZ450e and Lexus TZ550e, which we think are likely names for a fully electric alternative to the new three-row Lexus TX.The Lexus TZ will probably share a platform with Toyota’s upcoming three-row EV that’s expected to be called bZ5X and begin being built sometime in 2025.It’s all but confirmed that Lexus has a three-row electric SUV in the works. What it will be called is still up in the air, however, it looks likely that such a model will wear the “TZ” badge. That speculation is based on trademark applications that Toyota recently filed with the European Intellectual Property Office (EIPO), which was reported by InsideEVs.Among the applications that were filed earlier this week, Toyota applied for trademarks to “Lexus TZ450e” and “Lexus TZ550e.” The “T” in those names suggest it could be similar in size to the recently revealed Lexus TX, which features three rows of seats and three powertrains, including two hybrid setups. The “Z” is what Lexus uses to identify its fully electric models, such as the compact RZ SUV.toyotaPerhaps more telling than either of those extrapolations regarding the potential body type and powertrain the Lexus TZ will have is the fact that Toyota has already announced plans to build a three-row electric SUV starting sometime in 2025. Based on the Toyota bZ5X concept, we expect the production model to share that name and its platform with an inevitable Lexus-branded version. Judging by today’s news, the latter will use the “TZ” prefix.Latest Lexus SUVsThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Senior EditorEric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si. More

The design of Bugatti’s next hypercar has been finalized, according to an Autocar interview with Bugatti’s former chief of design, Achim Anscheidt, who just stepped down from his helm.Instead of a W-16 engine, the next Bugatti will use a hybrid V-8, as Bugatti takes advantage of its merger with the electric hypercar geniuses at Rimac.The Chiron successor will still include classic Bugatti styling elements like the horseshoe grille and C-shaped design on the side bodywork.The next Bugatti hypercar will represent a major transformation for the brand. In an interview with Autocar, Bugatti’s former chief of design, Achim Anscheidt, said that the Chiron successor will be shown for the first time next year, with production commencing in 2026. Most notably, the next Bugatti ditches the brand’s famed W-16 engine for a V-8 hybrid setup, presumably using the electrical expertise of Croatian automaker Rimac, which merged with Bugatti in 2021.BugattiThe car’s design is apparently ready to go, with Anscheidt telling Autocar, “We delivered the prototype tooling a couple of months ago and the production tooling will be delivered in a couple of months from now.” Anscheidt is stepping down from his role as the head of styling for Bugatti, with the Chiron follow-up acting as his final project. “Everything I have tried to learn and comprehend over the last nineteen years with Bugatti, I wanted to make sure this experience funnels into the car’s development,” he said.The next Bugatti will still feature iconic design cues like the horseshoe grille and C-shaped side bodywork seen on every Bugatti since the 1934 Type 57. Built around a new chassis, swapping the gigantic W-16 for the V-8 powertrain should result in a lighter vehicle. Bugatti’s design director Frank Heyl also told Autocar that integrating the batteries for the hybrid component required the company “to reconsider the architecture of the whole car.”More Wild BugattisThe brand’s interior designer, Aldo Maria Sica, however, revealed that while the powertrain will be a significant departure from Bugattis of old, the interior won’t stray too far from the Chiron, with elegant designs and ornate controls. The Chiron successor may receive a large central touchscreen to run the infotainment, something that has been absent on the Chiron and all of its limited-production spin-offs.The next Bugatti hypercar is expected to cost even more than the $5 million Mistral, the final Bugatti with the W-16 motor which was limited to 99 examples. After the Chiron successor arrives, Bugatti’s attention will then turn to its first electric car, which should draw heavily on the company’s partnership with Rimac. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.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

As the official state limousines of the Soviet state, ZiL limousines offered luxuries available to only a select few.This one was reportedly part of the fleet used by Mikhail Gorbachev, and was in service with the Russian Federation until 2001.With the auction set to end on Tuesday, July 25, bidding on the Bring a Trailer online auction is currently at $50,000.With all due respect to the likes of the Lada Niva or the GAZ Volga, some Russia-made cars are more equal than others. Today’s pick is a battleship-sized limousine from the height of the Cold War, a ZiL 41045 believed to have ferried none other than Mikhail Gorbachev himself. It’s listed for sale on the auction site Bring a Trailer, which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos.Bring a TrailerJust look at the size of this thing. The styling is pure Soviet Blocky, all square angles and imposing bulk. You can just imagine it idling at a curb in front of some brutalist concrete structure, waiting patiently to ferry its occupants to a high-level meeting about nuclear proliferation or vassal states or the strategic national vodka reserve.ZiL stands for Zavod Imeni Likhachyova, the name taken from the factory in which these cars were built. Before that, the company was ZIS, the S standing for Stalin. This is a car as deeply Russian as borscht, or accidentally coincidentally falling out of a window after issuing public criticisms of the current ruling party. Bring a TrailerThis example was built in 1985, which saw ZiL make some minor cosmetic upgrades to its long-running limousines. The mechanicals remained the same as the previous 4104 model: a 300-hp 7.7-liter V-8, a three-speed automatic transmission, and a curb weight of roughly 7000 pounds. Oh, and by the way, that V-8 has redundant ignition and fueling systems and is hardened against EMP strikes.Inside, this ZiL is as well appointed as a Soviet leader’s summer dacha, with mohair seats in back and birchwood veneers. You also get a Radiotehnika stereo and a Vilma cassette player—ideal for blasting out Boney M’s Rasputin. It’s 20 feet of Politburo special treatment. You’d probably also need to get yourself one of those fur hats.Bring a TrailerBuilt in vanishingly small numbers, a ZiL limousine makes for a unique collector car, albeit one with a prodigious thirst for high-octane fuel (95 octane is recommended). You need not approve of the policies of an era which produced a for-elites-only car like this to understand and appreciate its historical value.With five days to go, the high bid sits at $50,000. Comrades, don’t miss out on your chance to bid for this rare collectible. Contributing EditorBrendan McAleer is a freelance writer and photographer based in North Vancouver, B.C., Canada. He grew up splitting his knuckles on British automobiles, came of age in the golden era of Japanese sport-compact performance, and began writing about cars and people in 2008. His particular interest is the intersection between humanity and machinery, whether it is the racing career of Walter Cronkite or Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki’s half-century obsession with the Citroën 2CV. He has taught both of his young daughters how to shift a manual transmission and is grateful for the excuse they provide to be perpetually buying Hot Wheels. More

It is your last chance to purchase the Hemi-powered Dodge Challenger or Charger. With production of the two muscle-car icons slated to end by the end of the year, Dodge is gearing up to close the ordering books at the end of this month. That means you only have 13 days left to get in on the Mopar madness before electrification becomes the name of the game for the Detroit automaker. “For enthusiasts looking to order a Dodge Challenger or Charger, especially a high-horsepower model, such as the Scat Pack, SRT Hellcat, or a special-edition model, it’s truly the last call for the ‘Last Call,'” said Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis. “As we transition to an exciting, electrified muscle car future, we’re marking the end of an unforgettable era for Dodge, and time is running out for those who want to own a piece of it.”StellantisFrom the start of the year, Dodge has been clear that it cannot continue to produce these muscle cars after December 31. In preparation for the twin’s departure, Dodge introduced a run of seven Last Call special-edition models. These include the Dodge Challenger Shakedown, Dodge Charger Super Bee, Dodge Challenger and Charger Scat Pack Swinger, Dodge Charger King Daytona, and Dodge Challenger Black Ghost. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 was the final product in the lineup, representing the most extreme factory Mopar ever created. The Demon 170 comes straight from the factory with 1025 horsepower, allowing for a 0-60 mph sprint time of just 1.66 seconds. With only 3000 units for the U.S. market, every Demon 170 is already spoken for. All the Details and SpecsFrom Destroyer Gray to Plum Crazy That said, there are still plenty of other Challenger and Charger variants still on offer. The 2023 model years brings some unique adjustments to the ordering book, including a suite of fan-favorite colors. These include historic hues like B5 Blue, Plum Crazy purple and Sublime green. Modern Mopar fanatics will also have the choice to spec the previously discontinued Destroyer Grey on their cars once again in 2023. Other highlights include Last Call badging on all models, as well as a new “345” badging for the 5.7-liter R/T models. Customers need to act fast if they want to secure a Mopar for themselves, but Dodge has already eased that process. Interested parties can head over to DodgeGarage.com and use the Horsepower Locator tool. This will allow you to see what allocations and stock dealers around the country have at this time, making it easy to begin the ordering process on exactly the machine you want. Born and raised in Metro Detroit, associate editor Lucas Bell has spent his entire life surrounded by the automotive industry. He may daily drive an aging Mustang, but his Porsche 944 and NB Miata both take up most of his free time.  More

Both 2018-and-newer Jeep Wranglers and 2020-and-newer Jeep Gladiators are now offered with a 2-inch factory-backed lift kit. The $2095 bolt-on kit includes Bilstein shocks with remote reservoirs and other upgrades, from front lower control arms to front and rear bump stops. The kit installs in stock mounting locations and doesn’t require drilling any additional holes.Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator owners looking for an excuse to drop some extra cash in the pursuit of making their vehicle a little more off-road ready just earned another factory-backed option. Both 2018-and-newer Wranglers as well as 2020-and-newer Gladiators are now available with a factory-backed 2-inch lift kit from Jeep Performance Parts.JeepThe bolt-on kit comes with Bilstein 1.8-inch monotube shocks with remote reservoirs as and other chassis upgrades, such as new front lower control arms, front and rear stabilizer links, and front and rear bump stops. The remote reservoirs increase oil capacity to help with heat dissipation. In addition to the peace of mind that comes with factory-backed parts, the new bolt-on kit can be installed in the stock mounting positions, which means owners won’t need to drill any new holes for installation. JeepThe additional space created by the kit allows owners to increase ground clearance further by being able to accommodate larger off-road tires. Jeep claims a self-adjusting deflective-disc valve instantly reacts to surface changes to help drivers maintain control when driving over difficult terrain. The company also says system works with electronic stability control although unique alignment specifications are required.The kit retails for $2095 and ships specially packed in a custom wooden crate branded with the Jeep Performance Parts logo. More on JeepThis content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.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

Mini’s revamped lineup will sport a new interior design that’s a mix of retro and modern styling, starting with the 2025 Cooper Electric hatchback.A large circular screen remains in the middle of the dashboard, but the surrounding panels are covered with textiles with embedded lighting elements.To come up with the new look, designers looked to Mini’s past for inspiration but added modern touches while keeping things simple. Starting for the 2025 model year, Mini’s lineup of small cars and SUVs will be entirely fresh. That means updated exteriors, revised powertrain offerings, and an all-new interior design. Shown here for the first time in the new Cooper Electric hatchback, Mini’s new interior design language pulls inspiration from the brand’s 1959 original but incorporates modern conveniences and cheeky details.The centerpiece is a circular display screen with an impossibly slim bezel. You’ll also find a textile-covered dashboard with embedded LED lighting that illuminates to greet you when you switch the car on. The lighting can also change colors as you cycle through the car’s various driving modes or change the display screen’s theme.Previous generations of the Mini Cooper have featured a panel of toggle switches on the dashboard, and that same concept makes an appearance here as well, but it’s been redesigned with simplicity in mind. The revamped Countryman SUV is expected to offer a similar design.More Modernized MinisWe were able to see the Cooper’s new interior for ourselves at a recent Mini preview event, and the cabin looks and feels more refined and upscale than before. Material quality seems to be a step above the current model, and although it’s roughly the same size and shape inside as before, the interior feels more spacious.We expect to see the production version of the new Cooper and Cooper Electric soon. We’ll also find out more about its powertrains and features closer to its on-sale date, which is expected to be sometime in 2024. This content is imported from poll. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.Managing Editor, Buyer’s GuideDrew Dorian is a lifelong car enthusiast who has also held a wide variety of consumer-focused positions throughout his career, ranging from financial counselor to auto salesperson. He has dreamed of becoming a Car and Driver editor since he was 11 years old—a dream that was realized when he joined the staff in April 2016. He’s a born-and-raised Michigander and learned to drive on a 1988 Pontiac Grand Am. His automotive interests run the gamut from convertibles and camper vans to sports cars and luxury SUVs.       More