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Toyota is showing a new concept pickup truck called the EPU, and it’s electric.The EPU concept is smaller than a Tacoma, at 199.6 inches long.We’ll see it for the first time in the flesh at the Tokyo auto show, and it looks like it could reach production soon.The ongoing talk about an upcoming Toyota electric truck is increasing in volume thanks to this new concept called the EPU, a name which we assume stands for electric pickup. Set to be shown at the Tokyo auto show, the EPU is a four-door crew-cab pickup that’s significantly shorter than the Tacoma, measuring 199.6 inches in length. It features a unibody construction, suggesting it could go up against models such as the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.Toyota hasn’t released any technical details yet, but we assume this will ride on a new electric platform. Its wheelbase is long and measures 131.9 inches, which fits in between the outgoing Tacoma’s short- and long-bed configurations and is significantly longer than the Maverick’s. That explains the truck’s slightly unusual proportions, as the rear axle is mounted further back than we’re used to seeing on a compact pickup.The exterior design is remarkably devoid of any odd concept touches, making this EPU look like it could go into production soon. The interior is a bit more futuristic, featuring large display screens, a minimalist dashboard, and a yoke-style steering wheel.This concept looks significantly different than the previous mid-size electric truck concept Toyota showed a few years ago. That model looked more similar to the new 2024 Tacoma, suggesting that perhaps Toyota is planning multiple electric trucks. We’re not certain that both of them will come to the U.S. market, but we wouldn’t be surprised if they do. Look for more information to come soon, as Toyota will be showing the EPU concept at the Tokyo auto show next week.More Toyota EVsSenior 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

The Toyota Land Cruiser Se concept previews the first electric Land Cruiser.Toyota says the three-row EV SUV measures 202.8 inches long, 78.3 inches wide, and 67.1 inches tall.The LC Se’s 120.1-inch wheelbase is about eight inches longer than the regular 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser’s.The Toyota Land Cruiser has been revived in the U.S. after the brand’s iconic off-roader took a dirt nap for a few years. Before the 250-series LC has even hit dealerships, Toyota is giving all of us a glimpse of what the first electric model could look like with today’s reveal of the Land Cruiser Se concept.Electric Land CruiserWhen it comes to concepts, details are usually scarce. While that’s largely the case here, Toyota has released some interesting information along with several digital renderings. For example, we’re told the Land Cruiser Se measures 202.8 inches long, 78.3 inches wide, and 67.1 inches tall. It also has a wheelbase that stretches 120.1 inches. That’s almost eight extra inches between its axles than the new production model.Toyota says the unibody LC Se has three rows of seats with room for seven passengers. There’s no mention of powertrains, other than the concept offers a “high-torque driving experience.” There’s little doubt that its theoretical powertrain consists of dual electric motors providing all-wheel drive—it is a Land Cruiser after all. The concept suggests its not limited to traveling paved roadways, either, as the press release mentions “confidence in tackling tough terrain.”While there’s no other information about the Toyota Land Cruiser Se concept, its boxy body is undeniably alluring. Surprisingly, it shares little likeness with its current production counterparts. In fact, were it not for the “Toyota” script on its snout and above its razor-thin taillight band, we wouldn’t even associate it with the automaker. More Land Cruiser NewsThis 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

Mazda will launch a new two-row mid-size SUV, the CX-70, in the U.S. sometime next year.Based on the same platform as the CX-90, the CX-70 was originally supposed to arrive this year.It will offer a hybrid powertrain and is likely to also have Mazda’s new 3.3-liter inline-six.Now that Mazda has launched the three-row CX-90 SUV, we’ve been waiting for its smaller sibling to arrive. Called the CX-70, this two-row mid-size crossover was originally slated to go on sale by the end of this year, but Mazda’s North American CEO Tom Donnelly told Automotive News that this new model will now launch sometime in 2024.The addition of the CX-70 is part of Mazda’s goal to grow its U.S. sales by offering more models to America’s SUV-hungry buyers. The company’s lineup will soon include the CX-30 subcompact, the CX-50 and CX-5 in the compact segment, and the CX-70 and CX-90 in the mid-size segment.We already have an idea of what to expect from the CX-70, as Mazda already said that it will essentially be a widebody version of the CX-60 (pictured), an SUV that’s already on sale in Europe. The CX-70 will have a shorter wheelbase than the CX-90 but will use the same longitudinal-engine platform and is likely to share powertrains with its larger sibling. Donnelly also confirmed that the CX-70 will be offered with a hybrid powertrain, almost surely the same setup as the CX-90 PHEV that uses a 2.5-liter inline-four gasoline engine. The CX-90’s turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six, which produces either 280 hp or 340 hp depending on trim level, should also make its way into the CX-70.More information on the CX-70 is surely coming within the next few months, although Mazda has not provided a specific timeframe for when it will debut.More on Mazda SUVsSenior 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

It’s that time of year again! October means a chill in the air, chili in the Crockpot, and Window Shop arguments over winter beaters and how much to spend on one. Our last two winter challenges set the budgets at $5000 and $7500, and our “Most Reliable Used Cars for $5000” challenge was a de facto winter beater episode. This year, the panel got to spend a whopping $12,000 to survive three months of whatever’s going on with the climate (and inflation). Given a full roster of six contestants, we’re proud to admit almost none of them used the money wisely.Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman applied his laser focus to the word “beater,” then went to Colorado to find one. We’re not sure why so many cars in that state look like they’ve been dragged out of the Grand Canyon, but we’re pretty sure Pearley would have done better with one of the Grand Canyon mules. The mule would have been a nicer shade of brown than the car, and at least as reliable. Senior editor Joey Capparella, whose nose for older Japanese economy cars is unmatched, hooked up an unmolested Subaru WRX. The plain black wagon spoke so deeply to executive editor K.C. Colwell that Colwell did all the speaking for Capparella’s presentation.Senior editor and SoCal dweller Elana Scherr might not even believe in snow. She was so put off by the concept of winter that she didn’t read her listing carefully and ended up buying half an Argo. Don’t try to understand that sentence, just watch the video and let her explain.Contributor Jonathon Ramsey went for luxury, because Ramsey going for luxury is even more reliable than winter of late. His calculus: A bulletproof German engine surrounded by potentially dodgy German electronics that only have to last three months? Isaac Newton, the inventor of calculus, would approve. Colwell, rested from his Subaru presentation, returned to the speaker’s lectern to show an English rectangle with a German engine, making it doubly dodgy—unless it isn’t, which is always possible with English cars. And editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga emerged from left field with another automotive marsupial. He won huge style points. But the car might do as well in a real Michigan winter as a mammalian marsupial would. (Hint: Not well.)Your wonderland awaits, and it includes the line, “The windows only suck when you want to use them.”More Window Shopping More