Motor News

Nissan released pricing for the facelifted 2024 GT-R, with the Premium model starting at $122,885.The T-spec model returns at $142,885, while the top-of-the-line NISMO will extract $222,885 from your bank account.The 2024 Nissan GT-R is still largely the same as the original 2009 model, which cost just $70,850, equivalent to $101,825 when adjusted for inflation.The Nissan GT-R—which disrupted the performance-car scene when it debuted for 2009 with its combination of ballistic performance and an attainable price tag—soldiers on for the 2024 model year with a light facelift. The revised front and rear styling brings a price increase of nearly $5000. The GT-R will start at $122,885 for the base Premium trim, with sales of the 2024 model line kicking off this spring. The T-spec trim is back for 2024, bridging the gap between the entry-level GT-R and the top-dog NISMO track version. The T-spec is offered in two classic GT-R colors (Millennium Jade and Midnight Purple III) and comes with the NISMO’s carbon-ceramic brakes and wider front fenders. The T-spec also wears gold wheels and starts at $142,885, about $2000 higher than the 2021 model. NissanThe pinnacle of the GT-R lineup is the NISMO, a ruthless track beast that ups power from 565 to an even 600 horsepower. For 2024, there’s a new front limited-slip differential, a swan-neck rear wing, and a redesigned front splitter and diffuser to increase downforce. A new appearance package adds RAYS forged 20-inch wheels with red accents, a carbon-fiber hood, and a unique engine cover. The NISMO starts at a whopping $222,885 ($5250 more than 2023) and will reach dealerships this summer. Both the T-spec and NISMO are being produced in limited quantities. Although Nissan has given the GT-R periodic updates over its 15-year run, the 2024 model is still largely the same as the original 2009 version. Yet the price has skyrocketed. In 2008, a new GT-R had a base MSRP of $70,850, with the fancier Premium trim opening at $72,900. Even accounting for inflation, the 2024 model is significantly more expensive, with the 2009 version costing $101,825 in today’s dollars, nearly $20K less than the starting price for the 2024 GT-R.While it looks unlikely the world will see an all-new generation of the performance car known as Godzilla—at least one that’s not fully electric—it’s better to have one that gets more expensive every year than one that’s not around at all.More on Nissan Sports CarsThis 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

Three new all-electric SUVs—that’s all we know about them, sorry—will join the Solterra in Subaru’s lineup by 2026.Those SUVS will help the company sell 200,000 EVs in 2026, according to Subaru executive vice president Atsushi Osaki.Toyota builds Subaru’s only EV, the Solterra, right now, but that will change. Subaru plans to build up to 400,000 EVs a year by 2028.There will soon be three more Subaru electric vehicles. And more “Subaru” Subaru EVs.Subaru’s only current EV is the Solterra (pictured above), a decent but not spectacular EV that was a bit hampered by a rocky introduction to the market. Like Toyota, which co-developed the Solterra (and the similar Toyota bZ4x) with Subaru and is starting to get more serious about plug-in models, Subaru isn’t letting this slow start dampen its EV plans too much. Late last week, Subaru announced that three new all-electric SUVs are coming by 2026, along with an updated plan to build up to 400,000 EVs a year.SubaruThe expanded EV plans were announced by Subaru director and executive vice president Atsushi Osaki during a call with reporters about the company’s fiscal year 2023 results. While we’d all like to know more about these future electric SUVs, Osaki declined to give any clues.”I would like to discuss these new models in more detail at another time,” he said, according to a transcript of the call.Plug-In Subarus200,000 Subaru EV Sales in 2026Subaru built 874,000 vehicles in fiscal year 2023 and expects to produce over a million in fiscal 2024. The company isn’t predicting specific production or sales numbers beyond that, although Osaki did say that Subaru plans to sell 200,000 EVs globally in 2026.That’s a decent number considering the company’s EV fate is tied, for now at least, with Toyota. The Subaru/Toyota partnership will not end with the Solterra/bZ4x. Osaki said the three future Subaru EVs will also use batteries from the Toyota alliance. Toyota builds the Solterra for Subaru alongside the bZ4x at Toyota’s Motomachi plant. Looking forward, though, Subaru is ready to forge its own destiny when it comes to EV production. Last year, Subaru announced a Strategic Reorganization of Domestic Production regarding green vehicles. First, Subaru said it will build more transmissions for Subaru models that use Toyota’s hybrid system. Second, Subaru is to start production of its own all-electric models at both its Yajima plant (starting around 2025) and Oizumi plant (2027 or later).Last week, Osaki confirmed that Subaru will indeed start building EVs at Yajima in 2025 but at twice that original rate. While Subaru originally intended to build the capacity to produce up to 100,000 EVs a year at Yajima, Osaki said that number is now 200,000. Along with the original 200,000 estimated capacity for Oizumi, that means Subaru will be able to make up to 400,000 EVs a year at these plants starting in 2028.While the Japan-based production of these future EVs is likely to mean they will not qualify for tax incentives here in the U.S., Osaki said the production reorganizations will give the automaker the flexibility to produce EVs, hybrids, and traditional internal-combustion vehicles in the amounts that market and regulators demand.”At the same time, it is also important to be able to quickly shift to ‘expansion’ when we have a clearer view of future prospects,” he said. 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.Contributing EditorSebastian Blanco has been writing about electric vehicles, hybrids, and hydrogen cars since 2006. His articles and car reviews have appeared in the New York Times, Automotive News, Reuters, SAE, Autoblog, InsideEVs, Trucks.com, Car Talk, and other outlets. His first green-car media event was the launch of the Tesla Roadster, and since then he has been tracking the shift away from gasoline-powered vehicles and discovering the new technology’s importance not just for the auto industry, but for the world as a whole. Throw in the recent shift to autonomous vehicles, and there are more interesting changes happening now than most people can wrap their heads around. You can find him on Twitter or, on good days, behind the wheel of a new EV.  More

Mercedes-Benz’s VAN.EA platform will underpin all newly developed commercial and privately owned vans starting in 2026. The electric architecture is modular and scalable, allowing front- or all-wheel drive as well as different battery capacities and wheelbases.An unnamed mid-size luxury van based on the VAN.EA platform is also destined for the U.S. market.Big changes are coming to Mercedes-Benz’s family of commercial and privately owned vans. Starting in 2026, the company has announced that all newly developed models will be built on a modular, scalable electric architecture called VAN.EA.New #VanLifeWhile Mercedes says there will still be a clear distinction between future vans that are designed for commercial use and those that are designed for personal use, all of them will use the singular VAN.EA platform that can be configured in myriad ways (as seen below). Previously, this wasn’t possible with the mid-size Metris and larger Sprinter vans.Mercedes-BenzAll future electric Mercedes vans using VAN.EA will feature a standardized front module with an electric motor powering the front wheels. A center module can be stretched to accommodate different battery sizes and wheelbase lengths. A rear module can be configured with or without an electric motor feeding the rear axle, depending on whether the van has front- or all-wheel drive.U.S. InfluenceMercedes says it has already seen significant growth in the U.S. market, claiming its market share has jumped from 8 percent in 2018 to 16 percent in 2022. The company expects to build on that with VAN.EA, not only with its upcoming commercial variants, but also with a new mid-size luxury van that’s coming to America. This new van doesn’t yet have an official name, but Mathias Geisen, head of Mercedes-Benz Vans, says it won’t use the Metris nameplate. Instead, it’ll look entirely different and will be one of the first to launch when the new vans start reaching our shores sometime in 2026. Mercedes also says it’ll introduce a new line of camper vans based on the VAN.EA platform. Mercedes-BenzIn conjunction with the VAN.EA platform, the company is developing a new operating system called MB.OS. Along with allowing faster over-the-air (OTA) software updates, the system is expected to allow greater access to digital services and a wider variety of third-party apps. Mercedes is also working to expand its automated-driving technology, starting with SAE Level 2. By the end of the decade, automation is expected to reach Level 3 for privately owned models and Level 4 for commercial vans.What About ICE Vans?Mercedes hasn’t released any specific details about VAN.EA powertrain output, available battery capacities, or range estimates. However, the 2024 Mercedes-Benz eSprinter—which isn’t based on the VAN.EA platform but is slated to go on sale in the U.S. later this year—is claimed to have traveled 275 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Long Beach, California, on a single charge. That distance was reached while using a 113.0-kWh battery pack. Although the new eSprinter will eventually be replaced by a VAN.EA version, Mercedes says that its existing vans with an internal-combustion engine will remain on sale throughout the decade. As long as there is demand or them, there’s no end date.Electric Mercedes-Benz VansThis 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 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

General Motors issued a recall for 994,763 vehicles over concern that the vehicle’s airbags may rupture.The recall affects certain Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles from the 2014 to 2017 model years. The recall is related to a much larger investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, concerning 67 million airbags produced by ARC Automotive. General Motors has announced a recall of nearly one million crossovers with a potentially life-threatening airbag defect. The recall specifically affects 994,763 GM vehicles, spread out between certain Buick Enclave, Chevy Traverse, and GMC Acadia vehicles produced between the 2014 and 2017 model years. According to documentation filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the driver’s air bag inflator may explode during deployment, which could send sharp metal fragments into the cabin of the vehicle, potentially causing serious injury or death. According to a filing from GM on Friday, the manufacturer learned of a report that a 2017 Chevrolet Traverse was involved in a crash in March, and that the front-driver airbag inflator ruptured during deployment. A later inspection confirmed that the front-driver airbag inflator ruptured in the vehicle.Recent RecallsGM dealers were set to be notified on May 10, 2023, with owner notification estimated to begin in later June. Under the recall, dealers will replace the driver’s air bag unit for free. Concerned owners can check the NHTSA recalls site to confirm if their vehicle is involved and get further details.The recall comes as part of a larger request from NHTSA that ARC Automotive Inc. recall 67 million airbag inflators because of the risk that they may explode. Documents released by NHTSA show that ARC denied the request. The ARC airbag inflators affect the GM products being recalled, as well as Stellantis, BMW, and Hyundai Motor Group vehicles. 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 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.BMW Films will present its first project in seven years, called The Calm, at the Cannes Film Festival this week. It stars Pom Klementieff and Uma Thurman.The Calm features the new BMW i7 M70, and is a follow-up to The Hire series that BMW produced in the early 2000s.The film will be available to watch on BMW’s YouTube page on Wednesday, May 17.Action movies are an excellent way to market desirable performance cars. BMW capitalized on this in the early 2000s with the film series The Hire, starring Clive Owens and featuring big names like Forest Whitaker, Madonna, and Don Cheadle in epic chase scenes involving sporty BMWs such as the E39 M5. Now the automaker returns to the silver screen with a new short called The Calm. The first creation from BMW Films in seven years, The Calm, debuts at the Cannes Film Festival in France this Wednesday.BMWThe movie’s vehicular star is the new BMW i7 M70 xDrive, a high-performance version of BMW’s latest electric luxury cruiser that produces 650 horsepower and can zip to 60 mph in a claimed 3.5 seconds. The brief trailer shows the not-so-subtle orange i7 being pursued by ominous-looking motorcyclists and executing a sweet drift on dirt. On the human side, The Calm stars Pom Klementieff, who played Mantis in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and features Uma Thurman, known for her roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill. The Calm was executive produced by Joseph Kosinski—director of Top Gun: Maverick—and directed by Sam Hargrave, who served as stunt coordinator on several Marvel movies. BMW also enlisted iconic composer Hans Zimmer—who developed the artificial acceleration sounds in BMW’s latest EVs—to write the score.BMWThe film lasts seven minutes and follows two secret agents en route to a meeting in Cannes when they are attacked by unknown enemies. After Klementieff’s character withstands a hijacking attempt in the back of the i7 M70, she teams up with Thurman’s character to finish their treacherous mission. The movie’s debut at the Cannes Film Festival will take place exclusively on the 31-inch, 8K “Theatre Screen” fitted in the back of BMW’s i7 sedan, with the automaker bringing 200 i7s to present The Calm to guests in the second row of the vehicle. The full movie will be published on BMW’s YouTube page on Wednesday, May 17. Related StoriesThis 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

Ferrari has sent a notice to its dealers to stop selling or allowing test drives of the 2022 and 2023 296GTB and the 2023 296GTS “immediately and until further notice.”The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a recall of 425 Ferrari 296 cars and will send notification letters to owners by July 7.The cars are being recalled because corrosion in a fuel tank connecting pipe could lead to fuel leakage, potentially causing a fire.Ferrari has issued a Stop Sale order marked “Urgent” to its dealers, telling them not to sell or allow test drives of its 2022–2023 296GTB or 2023 296GTS until a fix can be made for a potential fuel leak.The explanation for the order is that the cars’ aluminum fuel tank connecting pipe could make “unintended contact” with the battery protection cover, leading to corrosion and possible fuel leakage. Ferrari said it first noticed the problem on April 12 when preparing a car for delivery in China. The automaker said there have been no reports of fires and no warranty claims submitted for the problem.Under the NHTSA recall, dealers will replace the pipe with a reinforced pipe covered in a rubber protective sleeve. Starting on April 20, Ferrari 296 cars have started to be fitted with this sleeve during production. The recall affects 425 cars built before that date.Ferrari 296 owners are advised not to drive the vehicles until the fix can be made. NHTSA will notify owners on or before July 7. In the meantime, owners can check the NHTSA recalls site to confirm if their vehicle is involved and get further details.Other Recent RecallsDigital DirectorLaura Sky Brown has been involved in automotive media for a very long time, and she sees it as her calling to guard the legacy and help ensure the continued high quality of Car and Driver. She was one of the first staffers at Automobile Magazine in the ’80s and has worked for many other car magazines and websites as a writer, editor, and copy editor ever since. It has been her privilege to edit many of the greats of automotive journalism over the years, including the ones who currently write for C/D. More

• The engineer who crafted both the Ferrari 250GTO and Lamborghini’s original V-12 has died, aged 96.• As both an engineer and test driver, Bizzarrini also founded his own eponymous car company in the 1960s, and his car won its class at Le Mans.• Earlier this year, the Bizzarrini name re-emerged as a company with plans for a V-12 supercar called the Giotto. It’ll have its work cut out living up to the legend of the man himself.Any automotive engineer seeks to leave a lasting piece of themselves in the machines they helped create. When Giotto Bizzarrini died last week, just shy of his 97th birthday, he did so assured of the immortality of his name. What greater legacy could any Italian engineer leave behind than fingerprints on both the most desirable Ferrari and most beautiful Lamborghini ever made? Further, like Enzo and Ferruccio, Giotto created a physical tribute to his surname in steel, glass, and rubber—the gorgeous Bizzarrini 5300GT. We mark his passing as a linchpin of the golden age of Italian automobiles.Related StoriesBorn in 1926 in Quercianella in Tuscany, a small coastal hamlet, Bizzarrini attended university in Pisa (of leaning tower fame). His father, also Giotto, had worked with radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi. Shortly after graduation, Bizzarrini junior joined Alfa Romeo and began working on the chassis development of the Giulietta.Surprisingly, the position was something of a frustration for the young Giotto—he wanted to work on engines. However, his innate skill soon found him transferred to Alfa Romeo’s experimental division, where he became both engineer and test driver. In 1957, Ferrari head-hunted him to run its sports-car development division.His work here resulted in perhaps the greatest Ferrari ever made: the 250GTO. Working with a 250GT that was his own personal car, Bizzarrini created the test mule that became a thoroughbred, though he would not be at Ferrari to see the production car emerge. He was one of five chief engineers to walk out after a reorganization of staff in Ferrari’s “night of the long knives.” Enzo was an uncompromising leader, and the echoes of this dispute would have lasting effect. Among the first unintended consequences was the 250GT “Breadvan.” This Kammback special never quite beat Ferrari’s own GTO, but was significant for its aerodynamic advances. It was created when Bizzarrini was hired by Count Giovanni Volpe, who had developed his own beef with Ferrari. Giotto’s next riposte to Enzo would be even more significant.According to legend, Enzo insulted a certain tractor manufacturer when some complaints were made about the quality of Ferrari’s road cars. In reality, Ferruccio Lamborghini might have been hot-tempered, but he was also a shrewd businessman and knew there was a gap in the market for a grand tourer that was quicker than a Maserati but less temperamental than a Ferrari. Who to develop an engine for such a machine? One of Ferrari’s own ex-engineers. Bizzarrini’s original V-12 was a little too high-strung for road use, redlining at 9800 rpm. Lamborghini’s in-house engineers tamed the 3.5-liter DOHC motor for use in the 350GT, then turned it sideways and stuffed it in the middle of the Miura, the first of Italy’s supercars. The basic architecture of the Bizzarrini V-12 would persist until 2010 in the last of the Murciélagos.Klemantaski Collection|Getty ImagesAfter being involved with the Iso Rivolta and Iso Grifo grand tourers, Bizzarrini founded his own company. The Bizzarrini 5300GT married Italian bodywork by Giugiaro’s Italdesign with muscular Chevrolet small-block V-8 power. Only 133 were built, making them highly collectible today. A Bizzarrini 5300GT won its class at Le Mans in 1965. This was not Bizzarrini’s only dalliance with American V-8 power. The AMX/3 prototype was a mid-engined DeTomaso Pantera rival conceived by the American Motor Corporation (AMC) with Bizzarrini’s input. The project was abandoned in 1970, but a handful of cars were made.Just this February, the Bizzarrini name again came to the forefront, with a company planning a V-12 supercar for launch. Though he was not personally involved with the effort, the car would be called, simply, the Giotto. Should plans come to completion, it’ll be a fitting tribute for a man who seemed to have a hand in the very best of Italian automobiles. Car and driverCar and driver Lettermark logoContributing 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

Aston Martin has released three teaser photos of the successor to the DB11, which will be revealed on May 24.The shrouded images show the front of the next-gen DB, the side profile, and the new infotainment system.Aston filed a trademark in the U.S. for the nameplate “DB12,” suggesting that will be the next-gen car’s name.The world is getting a sneak peek at the successor to the Aston Martin DB11, with the British automaker today releasing three teaser photos of the next-generation sports car, which is set to be fully revealed on May 24.The partially shrouded photo above gives us a glimpse at the new DB’s headlights and hood. Aston Martin’s recently revised wing logo can be seen affixed to the car’s nose. Squint a little and parts of the grille are also visible with what appear to be six horizontal bars.Side Show Aston also released a photo teasing the next-gen DB’s side profile (seen below). The long hood flows into a steeply raked windshield. Its uninterrupted line suggests this model is the coupe, but a convertible version known as the Volante will also likely be offered. The car’s paint color appears to be an unspecified shade of green, and the gigantic wheels are coated in what looks like some type of bronze. It’s a handsome pairing to be sure.Aston MartinNext-Gen InfotainmentEarly last year, Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll was reported as saying the company’s next generation of cars would undergo big changes, including a new infotainment system. He wasn’t joking, as the setup shown in the photo below gives a good view of the updated interface, which is integrated into an angled center stack that also houses the HVAC controls and other switchgear. Aston MartinAlong with rollers to control the temperature for the dual climate zones and fan speed, there’s also one for the stereo volume. Surrounding the stubby gear selector and prominent engine start-stop switch are buttons that reveal some of the next-gen DB’s features. The list includes heated and ventilated seats, adjustable dampers and exhaust settings, and driver-assistance tech such as a surround-view camera system, lane-keeping assist, and parking sensors.What’s Its Real Name?While Aston has yet to reveal the name of the DB11’s successor, there’s a chance it could be called the DB12. That speculation is fueled by a trademark application the company filed for the nameplate with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. What will the car’s real name be? We’ll all likely just have to stay tuned until Aston reveals the next-gen DB on May 24. Other Aston StoriesThis 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 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