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The second-generation Honda N-Box has received a facelift. The tiny N-Box is wildly popular in Japan, earning the title of most popular car in the country over five of the past six years since the introduction of the second generation.In our half-ton-pickup crazed country, the N-Box likely wouldn’t be very popular. That doesn’t stop us wanting one. Spurred along by social media and by their own inherent charm, kei trucks and kei cars have drawn fans everywhere, even in the U.S.A. Sure, if you want a small truck you could buy a Ford Maverick or a Hyundai Santa Cruz, but that does nothing to diminish the appeal of the cheap, practical little kei trucks of Japan, like the Toyota Hiace, Honda Acty, or Daihatsu Hijet. That goes double for the Honda N-Box, a truly adorable little mini van.HondaRecent Honda NewsThe N-Box is popular in Japan. Like really popular. The second generation debuted to massive success in 2017, rising to claim the most sales of any car in Japan that year. According to Top Gear, the N-Box maintained that title through 2018 and 2019 as well. Sales data from Nippon.com shows that the N-Box held on to the throne in 2020 before losing out to the Toyota Yaris in 2021, and reclaiming the sales leader title in 2022. That means for five of the six years since the launch of the second generation, the N-Box has been Japan’s most popular vehicle.HondaHondaThe redesigned version gets a fresh front end with different faces depending on the chosen trim. The standard N-Box features a smaller grille, with circular headlights set into rectangular housings, while the N-Box Custom features a more distinct grille and rectangular running lights. We love the boxy look on all the trims, but the color-matched alloy wheels on the Fashion trim really sell the van for us. HondaIn completely unsurprising (and seven-month-old) news, the three most popular vehicles sold in the United States last year were half-ton pickups. Quite a far cry away from 63-hp kei vans sold in Japan. The American populace just doesn’t seem all that interested in buying small economy vans. But we are, and we’d love to buy this facelifted N-Box. Preferably in Fjord Mist Pearl paint, with matching wheels. 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.Patience Is RewardedAssociate 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

Hennessey has revealed the Venom F5 Revolution roadster, an open-top version of the company’s track-focused supercar that features a carbon-fiber roof panel.While the 6.6-liter V-8 engine still produces 1817 horsepower, revised aerodynamics promise to make the Revolution Roadster even quicker around a race circuit. The Revolution Roadster will be built in a limited edition of 12, each of which will cost at least $3 million. First came the Hennessey Venom F5 in 2020, an 1817-hp ballistic missile with a claimed 311-mph top speed. The Texas-based supercar maker then chopped off the roof in 2022 to create the Venom F5 Roadster, followed by the lighter, track-honed Revolution model earlier this year. Now Hennessey has taken the next logical step, with this Venom F5 Revolution Roadster that debuts next week at The Quail during Monterey Car Week. HennesseyThe Revolution Roadster removes the roof from the hardcore Venom F5, normally a major compromise on structural rigidity that would not be ideal at the track. But Hennessey claims that this hasn’t lessened the Revolution Roadster’s abilities, with the Venom F5’s carbon-fiber monocoque and carbon-fiber body keeping the supercar stiff and structurally sound.About That RoofThe roof is a removable panel composed of carbon-fiber composites—there’s no powered operation here, with four quick-release bolts and two latches holding it in place. This saves weight over a powered setup, although the panel is still lined with Alcantara for a hint of luxury inside. Hennessey says the roof weighs just 18 pounds. HennesseyThe Revolution Roadster is powered by the same twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V-8 engine as the other Venom F5s. The motor unleashes the same 1817 horsepower, with Hennessey focusing on aerodynamic improvements instead of extra oomph for its track edition. A glass window—which Hennessey says is four times stronger than normal glass—is integrated into the engine cover to provide a view of the powertrain.HennesseyLike the Revolution Coupe, the Roadster wears a sharp front splitter and dive planes on the front bumper that look like they could slice off your leg. There’s also a towering rear wing and a roof scoop that feeds air to the 6.6-liter engine. Under the skin, Hennessey says, it retuned the suspension for the Revolution models. HennesseyThe Revolution Roadster will start at $3 million. Only 12 will be built, and every unit is already sold. The example seen here, featuring beautiful exposed carbon fiber, is one of just five “Bare Carbon” versions that presumably cost even more. 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

Pricing for the 2023 Lucid Air has been slashed by thousands of dollars per trim. The Air Pure model now starts at $83,900, more than $5000 cheaper than before, while both the Touring and Grand Touring models have seen $12,550 cut from their starting prices. Destination charges also drop, from $1650 to $1500.Luxury electric-vehicle manufacturer Lucid is officially cutting the prices on its Air electric sedan. The starting price for 2023 Air models has been slashed by thousands of dollars per trim, with the largest cuts arriving for the Touring and Grand Touring models. The dual-motor AWD Air Pure model now starts at $83,900, a $5150 decrease from before. The Touring and Grand Touring models receive twice the cost decrease, with both models now starting $12,550 lower than before. That works out to a $96,500 price for the Touring and a $127,100 cost out the door for the Grand Touring. Michael Simari|Car and DriverAfter the EV startup increased prices last June, these recent reductions bring the Air directly in line with the company’s initial pricing figures announced in March 2022. At that time, the Air Pure’s starting price was $78,900, and the Touring’s was $96,500. More Lucid NewsPrices We Didn’t Get (Yet)We reached out to Lucid for confirmation on pricing for the rear-drive Pure model scheduled to begin availability in September. We asked whether the original 2022 starting price of $78,900 would be the new price. The spokesperson wouldn’t confirm a price for the model but did state that “We did work back from that original price in determining pricing for [the] currently available Pure AWD.”The company also didn’t state a new price for the 2024 Grand Touring Performance, which is noticeably absent from the Lucid online configurator. A spokesperson declined comment when asked, leading us to believe that the top-spec model may not survive to see the 2024 model year. We got a brief taste of the Grand Touring Performance near Lucid’s headquarters last spring, while also putting the regular Grand Touring model through our testing regimen. 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

Lexus is adding a plug-in-hybrid model to the RX lineup for 2024.It’s called the RX450h+ and it has the same powertrain as the smaller NX450h+, with a slightly shorter claimed electric range and slightly lower efficiency.The RX450h+ starts at $70,080 and will go on sale by the end of the year.For 2024, Lexus is adding a third hybrid option for the RX SUV. The new RX450h+ model joins the lineup as a plug-in hybrid, complementing the existing RX350h and RX500h F Sport Performance hybrids. The plug-in version offers a claimed 35 mile electric range and has the same setup as the smaller NX450h+.The RX450h+ has a naturally aspirated 2.5-liter inline-four plus three electric motors; this is the same all-wheel-drive setup found in the NX450h+ and Toyota RAV4 Prime. It has a 6.6-kilowatt onboard charger that can charge the 18.1-kWh battery pack in two and a half hours using a 240-volt outlet. It has slightly more power, with a total output of 304 hp compared with the other models’ 302 hp. The larger RX won’t be as quick as those smaller PHEVs, though, with Lexus claiming a 60 mph time of 6.2 seconds.LexusThe RX450h+ is expensive, starting at $70,080, making it the costliest model in the RX lineup. It comes standard with all the features included on the lesser powertrains’ Luxury trim level including a head-up display, leather upholstery, heated and cooled front and rear seats, and a panoramic sunroof.EPA fuel-economy ratings are 35 mpg combined while running on hybrid power, just 1 mpg less than the RX350h, and 83 MPGe including electric driving. Lexus says the RX450h+ will be available at dealerships by the end of the year.LexusMore on Lexus HybridsThis 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 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

There’s a smaller Land Rover Defender on the way, and it’ll be electric, a Jaguar Land Rover executive said at a recent investor conference, according to Autocar. The “baby” Defender, as Autocar calls it, will be built on JLR’s Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) platform and is expected to arrive in 2027. It’ll be one of four models built on the EMA platform, joining the next-generation Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover Velar, and Land Rover Discovery Sport, Autocar reports. Based on the EMA platform’s dimensions, the new, smaller Defender (which could possibly carry the Defender Sport nameplate) will be about 15 feet long and 6.5 feet wide, making it a bit smaller than a BMW X3. Defenders Old and NewThis new smaller Defender wouldn’t replace the current full-size SUV in Land Rover’s lineup. In fact, the next-generation Defender is expected to arrive in 2026, according to Autocar, based on the company’s Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform, which supports both purely electric and hybrid ICE powertrains. It’s then we expect the first full-size Defender EV to make its first appearance. Road & Track staff writer with a taste for high-mileage, rusted-out projects and amateur endurance racing. More