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Hyundai is updating the Sonata for 2024 with a striking new exterior design.The interior is also thoroughly updated and features new display screens.We expect the Sonata to go on sale in the U.S. later this year.Hyundai is restyling the Sonata mid-size sedan with a new look that falls in line with other recent redesigns such as the Kona crossover, the Staria van, and the Grandeur sedan. It looks surprisingly different from the outgoing Sonata that first launched for the 2020 model year, and the new face is particularly futuristic.More Cool Hyundai DesignsThe full-width LED light strip stretching across the front is immediately noticeable, and the grille and headlights are reshaped. Out back, the taillights incorporate a similar light strip and the lower fascia looks more aggressive than before. Hyundai showed both the standard car and the sportier N Line model, and both have new wheel designs as well.HyundaiThe changes inside center around two large 12.3-inch screens that are now housed in a single curved display binnacle. Certain dashboard components such as the climate controls are also rearranged, and the materials appear to be an upgrade compared with before. The steering wheel is also new, and the gearshift is relocated to the steering column to free up space in the center console.We don’t expect too many changes to the Sonata’s powertrain lineup, which currently comprises a 2.5-liter inline-four, a turbocharged 1.6-liter inline-four, a turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-four for the N Line, and a hybrid setup. Hyundai will reveal more details about the car soon, and U.S. specs should come within the next few months.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.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

Plenty of ideas exist to eliminate the trouble of plugging an EV into a heavy charging cable. From wireless pads to robot arms, people have been working on this technology for a while now.Hyundai Motor Group is the latest to investigate human-free EV charging tech and will display its new Automatic Charging Robot at the Seoul Mobility Show that starts next week.Using a built-in laser, cameras, AI wheels, and a movable arm, the ACR can—with the right EV—make charging your Ioniq 6 as easy as pushing a button on the key fob.As simple as it can be to charge an electric vehicle at a known location like home or work, it could always be easier. WiTricity is working on wireless EV charging and has been for a decade. In 2015, Tesla showed a video of a metal “snake” that could plug a charging cable into an EV automatically. Ram is working on an inductive charging robot for its upcoming electric truck. This month in Seoul, Hyundai and Kia will display the latest of these automated charging technologies, this one called ACR. HyundaiThe Automatic Charging Robot is somewhat similar to Tesla’s metal snake, but it is more advanced. The snake had a proprietary Tesla connector built in, while the Hyundai Motor Group’s ACR instead has a hand that can hold different plugs. Granted, most of the time, it will use a J1772 or CCS connector, but it’s good to see this kind of forward-thinking compatibility. In fact, HMG designed the ACR to operate in any environment, “regardless of charger location, weather and potential obstacles,” the company said. It’s a waterproof and dustproof (IP65 rated) robot that uses a stationary safety pole with a built-in laser sensor installed in the ground nearby to warn the robot when it might run into a stationary or moving obstacle.HyundaiHyundaiThis is the “isn’t it fabulous” version of how the ACR is supposed to work. You park your car where it will charge up—or simply nearby, if the EV can then park itself—and tell the system to initialize charging from the key fob. The car that the ACR is attempting to charge up has to have a charging port door that can open without human interaction, and the ACR communicates with the car to open it up. The wheeled ACR then moves closer to the car and uses a 3D-camera-based artificial intelligence algorithm to determine where the charging plug is and extends the cable to the port. When the EV is charged up, the robot arm moves away.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.Newly Developed Automatic Charging Robot (ACR) For Electric Vehicles l Hyundai Motor GroupWatch onYouTube IconYouTube IconHyundai released a video of the ACR in action, and this time it’s the real thing. In July 2022, the automaker released a computer-generated video showing the robot’s potential. The head of HMG’s Robotics Lab, Dong Jin Hyun, said the ACR can be a particular help for “people with mobility barriers, as charging cables become thicker and heavier to enable high-speed charging.”For now, the ACR is just a cool toy on display at the 2023 Seoul Mobility Show. But HMG said that it predicts robots will offer support for EV charging in the “near future.” Whenever the ACR or any of the other charging simplification technologies arrive, it’ll be the next concrete step that makes driving an EV more accessible and convenient.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.New TricksContributing 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

A 2021 Koenigsegg Regera with Candy Liquid Blue paint is up for auction on Bring a Trailer until Tuesday, April 4. The Regera on BaT is one of 80 copies Koenigsegg built from 2016 to 2021, and this example cost $3,277,636 when new—including more than $1 million in options.Its plug-in-hybrid powertrain consists of three electric motors and a twin-turbo 5.0-liter V-8 that combine for 1500 horsepower (or about 1757 hp with E85 gas).Car and DriverLet’s get this straight: I can’t afford to bid on a multimillion-dollar hypercar like the 2021 Koenigsegg Regera that’s currently being auctioned off on Bring a Trailer, which—like Car and Driver—is owned by Hearst Autos. Heck, I can hardly afford to bid on most machines on BaT. With that said, I still log countless hours fantasizing about what I’d buy if I could.Bring a TrailerFor obvious reasons, this brightly colored Swedish exotic caught my eye. Its delightfully ’90s-esque custom paint is called Candy Liquid Blue. It features gold-painted accents that match myriad components hidden beneath the Regera’s skin. Open its scissor-style doors and climb into a next-level cockpit where most surfaces are either made of exposed carbon fiber or covered in rich, quilted leather. The only things that diminish the meticulously crafted cabin are the fully digital gauge cluster and portrait-oriented touchscreen.Bring a TrailerThe Koenigsegg Regera is one of the wildest plug-in hybrids on the planet. At its heart is a 1100-hp twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V-8, and that gas-fed engine pairs with three electric motors that altogether make 700 horsepower. However, since the separate systems reach their peak power at different points, the Regera’s total output is 1500 horsepower. That power is funneled through a single-speed transmission, which was designed to save weight and significantly limit the power lost to the driveline. Back in 2019, Koenigsegg set a record for the quickest zero-to-249-mph-to-zero run. It did that in a claimed 31.49 seconds, and we showed you the obligatory YouTube video.Bring a TrailerThis 2021 Regera on Bring a Trailer includes the original Monroney price sticker, which (for most of us below a certain tax bracket) might be the first and only time we’ll be privy to such specific price breakdowns. Right out of the box, Koenigsegg charged just over $2 million for the Regera. After a boatload of “must-have” options, such as the $250K Environmental Power Upgrade (total output rises from 1500 to about 1757 hp when burning E85 gas) and the $285K Ghost package (various aero addenda that provide 20 percent more downforce), the final MSRP came to $3,277,636. The Regera listing still has 10 days left until the bidding ends, and the latest offer is $2.6 million, so there’s still plenty of time for it to meet or exceed its original asking price. Meanwhile, it’s another reminder that just because I can’t afford such a wild machine doesn’t mean it’s not fun to dream.More Regera ReadingThis 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

Toyota sold around 600,000 Camry sedans last year, but only 6000 of those—1 percent—were delivered in Japan. So it’s not such surprising news that the car is being discontinued there after 43 years.You’ll still be able to buy a Camry in the U.S. Toyota sold almost half of all the Camrys it sold in 2022—295,200—here.Toyota sells the car in over 100 countries and has sold more than 21 million over the decades.Toyota will stop selling the Camry sedan in Japan by the end of the year, marking the end of a 43-year run. It’s simple math: Toyota only sold around 6000 Camrys in its home country in 2022.The Camry will remain available in the U.S. and the other global markets, where Toyota sold a combined 600,000 units last year. More than 295,000 of those were in the U.S., despite the market shifting here just as is happening in Japan. Nikkei Aisa notes that smaller vehicles are becoming less popular in the Japan market as shoppers turn towards SUVs and minivans. In the U.S., the shift is toward SUVs and trucks. Toyota still sells the Century, Corolla, and Mirai sedans in Japan and other smaller vehicles.Get All the Specs and DetailsIn a letter, Toyota told its dealers in Japan that it will close out Camry production for the Japan market by the end of this year. Sales are ending in phases, with most dealers already done taking Camry orders. However, they would like to offer you that new Crown sedan on the lot just over there.Japan-market Camry.ToyotaThe dignified end of Camry sales in Japan is a good fit for what the Nikkei called, along with the Corolla, “Toyota’s global strategic car.” In the decades since Toyota introduced the Camry to Japan in 1980, the automaker sold around 1.3 million of the sedans there. The vehicle has gone through 10 generations and has sold more than 21 million units in over 100 countries.Around 13 million Camrys have been sold in the U.S. The 2023 model starts at $27,315 and delivers the same comfortable and economical mid-size sedan that customers have come to expect. The current model offers plenty of safety technologies as standard features and can be had either as a fuel-efficient hybrid or with a V-6 in the TRD version.From the Testing ArchiveThe U.S. isn’t immune to the disappearance of a Toyota sedan, though, as the Avalon left us in 2022. Toyota introduced a new Crown here this year, as well.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

What’s the Powerball lotto up to this week? Any amount we might consider noteworthy, like $100 million? Because there’s something we want to buy, and it’ll probably require a fair old stack of greenbacks. But it’ll be worth it. And when we win, we’ll invite all of you over to check out the fruits of our good fortune: a Michael Schumacher Formula 1 car. Specifically, Ferrari F1-2000 Chassis 198, which he drove to two pole positions and one victory on his way to the 2000 F1 Driver’s Championship. Sotheby’s is auctioning it via sealed bid next month in Hong Kong, and when the bidding ends on April 12, somebody (us!) will have possibly the coolest thing on Earth to park in their garage. Not the coolest car, or the coolest Ferrari—the coolest object ever made by human hands. We will brook no argument on this point.ANDREW TRAHAN PHOTOGRAPHY LLC @2023 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s|Car and DriverBack in 2000—or, as we called it before that, “the year 2000″—Formula 1 cars didn’t have V-6s, or forced induction, or energy recovery systems. They were powered by 3.0-liter naturally aspirated 90-degree V-10s that made maybe 800 horsepower and revved beyond 17,000 rpm. Racing toward an upshift, such an engine made a sound like an alien power drill boring to the center of the earth. Downshifts sounded like the concussive atmospheric aftermath of a nearby lighting strike. You really wondered how it all held together, and often enough, it didn’t. But this car did, plenty of times, after it got called in from the bench at the Brazilian Grand Prix, replacing the primary car that was damaged when Schumacher ran wide on a corner during qualifying. Yes, Chassis 198 was a backup. And one that went on to win that race, very likely inspiring Tom Brady to do the football version of that the very next year. But F1-2000 198 did it first. Why is our Ferrari F1 car not lined up with the door of our garage? Find out who is responsible at once and demote them to stacking our many wooden crates.ANDREW TRAHAN PHOTOGRAPHY LLC @2023 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s|Car and DriverLater in the season, Schumacher drove car 198 to pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix and again at Monaco. In a video from that Monaco qualifying, the tachometer overlay on the screen appears to occasionally show 18,000-rpm upshifts. Imagine: you could be doing that, in that very car on some track that you enjoy, if you outbid us! (Which is unlikely.)You’d probably drive this thing pretty fast too, though.ANDREW TRAHAN PHOTOGRAPHY LLC @2023 Courtesy of RM Sotheby’s|Car and DriverThat’s because this car has been restored and is part of Ferrari’s F1 Clienti program, wherein former race cars are brought to the track with full factory support. So you won’t be crawling under Chassis 198 and tightening bolts and whatnot, and not just because it’s far too low to the ground—no, you’ve got people for that! You should go get a massage or some driving tips from F1 drivers on site, two possibilities that are actually part of a normal F1 Clienti track day. Rubbin’ (those knots out of your trapezius muscles) is racin’!But anyway, if you want this car, you’d better set aside something in the eight-digit range, we think. Or, as we like to say, “a pittance.” Because really, is there any car cooler than this? There is not.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.Senior EditorEzra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He’s now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive. More