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The 2024 Lamborghini Urus Performante spawns a low-volume version called the Essenza SCV12 Special Edition.Limited to only 40 units, the Urus SCV12 will only be available to owners of the Essenza SCV12 track car released in 2021. Production is overseen by Lambo’s Ad Personam department, with plenty of exposed carbon fiber on the body or a livery to match the track version.Lamborghini’s newest ultra-rare performance SUV is another toy for the brand’s wealthiest customers. It is limited to just 40 units, but no matter how many zeros there are in your bank account, you probably can’t buy one. That’s because the new Urus Essenza SCV12 is reserved for buyers of the 2020 Essenza SCV12 track car—others need not apply. Before you get too excited, no, the new version doesn’t have a V-12. Despite the name, the special edition is really just a Urus Performante with a fancy livery to match the excitement of the SCV12 track car. Instead, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 from the regular Performante carries over to the Essenza variant, pumping out the same 657 horsepower. That’s a lot of power, but not when compared to the track car’s naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V-12 making 819 horsepower.LamborghiniAccording to Lamborghini, the project was overseen by Lamborghini’s Ad Personam department and allows Essenza SCV12 customers to customize their preferred spec for the Urus. The manufacturer did not hold back on the carbon-fiber elements, either. The special Urus comes equipped with a carbon-fiber hood, roof, mirrors, rocker covers, and also a carbon-fiber frame. Lamborghini worked with each customer on the livery for the Urus and designed them to echo their personal Essenza SCV12 cars down to the number painted on the doors. The new SCV12 comes equipped with standard 23-inch gloss-black wheels, but customers are allowed to choose from Lamborghini’s range of colors and wheels to pick whichever they want. LamborghiniTo set the interior apart from the production version, there are two plaques in the Urus SCV12, one that celebrates Lamborghini’s 60th birthday and one with the owner’s name. The plaques and the “Essenza SCV12” logo stamped on the dash will remind the driver and passengers alike that it is the superior version. While Lamborghini hasn’t said how much the Urus Essenza SCV12 costs, it doesn’t matter because it’s priceless to everyone who already owns the track car.More LamboThis 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

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