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The new 2024 Hyundai Kona is larger and more luxurious than its predecessor.Its spectacular “seamless horizon” front light bar will be standard. Gasoline and EV versions will reach the U.S. by the end of the year.Owners of the previous-generation Hyundai Kona only had two substantive complaints according to the company’s vice president of design Sangyup Lee. That was a lack of space in the subcompact SUV’s rear seats and also its limited cargo volume. You will be unsurprised that both these areas have been addressed with the new version.This is a gentle evolution of a successful formula rather than a radical transformation. The new 2024 Kona is up to 6.9 inches longer than the outgoing version and sits on a wheelbase that has been stretched by 2.4 inches. Inside it features a new design of slimmed-down front seats which are claimed to offer both the same level of comfort and support as the old car but, being 30 percent slimmer, also improve rear legroom. Having sat in an early version of the 2024 car we can confirm it does feel much roomier in back. On Hyundai’s numbers trunk capacity has risen from 13 cubic feet to 17 cubic feet with the rear seats in place.More on the New KonaIntergalactic New FaceThe most obvious design difference for the new generation is the arrival of a single full-width light bar at the front of the car—Hyundai calls this the “seamless horizon”—and a similar red taillight graphic at the rear. Sangyup Lee said that this new element was the single most complex feature on the car. It certainly gives the front a very futuristic look, one we feel we’ve seen on a character in at least one Star Wars movie. The actual headlights are much smaller units lower down and mounted on each side of the bumper. As before, both gas and electric Kona versions will be offered. Other parts of the world will also get a hybrid, but we’re told that there is no chance of that version making it to the United States. The most obvious visual distinction between the EV and the regular combustion version will be that the gas cars get gray body cladding while the Kona Electric’s is body colored. That rule isn’t hard and fast, though: the range-topping N Line, which is a trim level rather than a scintillating performance derivative, will also get body-color protection as well as a cute (but faintly preposterous) two-piece rear spoiler and a more sizable opening in its front bumper.Nicer InteriorInterior design also feels substantially upgraded over the outgoing car. The new Kona gets dual 12.3-inch display screens, the one ahead of the driver displaying instrumentation and the central touchscreen handling infotainment functions. Despite that, Hyundai hasn’t followed the herd into digital-only control architecture, with the Kona keeping both a row of function shortcut buttons and physical climate controls below these. We’re told the company isn’t planning to replace conventional buttons in any of its forthcoming models, either, which is a plus in our book. The Kona Electric also benefits from a flat floor in the cabin, although the combustion versions continue to have a compact tunnel.We don’t have finalized U.S. specifications yet, but anticipate lots of optional equipment in the pricier versions. The European-spec cars we saw had power front seats with both heating and cooling plus a 360-degree camera system. All versions will support over-the-air software updates, and Hyundai is also planning to allow it to be locked and unlocked through the NFC Near Field Communication function on smartphones and smart watches. All versions of the new Kona get a compact gearshift selector on the side of the steering column, with steering wheel paddles to allow gear selection in combustion versions, and varying regeneration levels in the EV.Kona was keener to talk about the new Kona Electric than its gasoline sisters. That’s because the combustion versions are going to be substantially similar to the outgoing version, with the choice of a basic 2.0-liter engine and a more powerful turbocharged 1.6-liter above this. Both front-drive and all-wheel drive will continue to be offered, but we will need to wait until close to the car’s formal unveiling at the New York auto show in April for finalized performance figures.Details on the Kona EVWe do have more numbers for the Kona Electric, though. In some markets Hyundai plans to offer two different versions of the EV, but we’re told to expect that only the more potent version will reach the U.S. with its 65.4-kWh battery pack and a single front motor that produces 214 horsepower. In Europe, Hyundai is targeting a WLTP range of more than 305 miles—that would likely translate to an EPA rating of somewhere closer to 260 miles (the current car has a slightly smaller battery and is rated at 258 miles on the EPA’s test). The Electric’s charging port is at the front and, although it won’t be able to replenish as quickly as the ultra-fast 800-volt architecture of the Ioniq 5, Hyundai says it will be possible to go from 10 percent to 80 percent charge in 41 minutes at the highest rate. That equates to a peak rate of around 77 kW from a DC charger. The Kona Electric will also support “vehicle-to-load” charging, basically allowing it to serve as a giant power pack.While there are no immediate plans to directly replace the Kona N, Hyundai admits that it may produce a more powerful EV version with all-wheel drive from a second motor at the rear. The company’s engineers admit that this car would seem ideally suited to carry N branding. Here’s hoping that happens, as the prospect of a 430-hp Kona is an intriguing one.The new Kona will be launched in the U.S. in the third quarter of the year, with pricing details to follow.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.Car and driverCar and driver Lettermark logoEuropean EditorMike Duff has been writing about the auto industry for two decades and calls the UK home, although he normally lives life on the road. He loves old cars and adventure in unlikely places, with career highlights including driving to Chernobyl in a Lada. More

Tesla has again issued significant markdowns, this time cutting prices of the 2023 Model S and ’23 Model X by about $5000 and $10,000, respectively. The Model X now starts at $101,380, and the Model S starts at $91,380; Plaid versions of each now start at $111,380. Earlier this year, Tesla slashed U.S. prices for the Model Y SUV—the Model S and X received markdowns too.If yesterday you bought either a Tesla Model S or Model X at full price, you might not be too happy to read this: Tesla has once again introduced significant price cuts. The latest move sees the starting prices of the 2023 Model S and ’23 Model X drop by roughly $5000 and $10,000, respectively. Model S and X MarkdownsThe Model S now starts at $91,380—down from $96,630. The Model X now starts at $101,380—down from $111,630. The high-performance Plaid versions of each now start at $111,380. Previously, they started at $116,630 (Model S) and $121,630 (Model X).That brings the price of the Model S down by around 4 percent; the Model X’s price is down by about 9 percent. Even with the most recent price cuts, the Model S and Model X are Tesla’s two most expensive vehicles by a considerable margin.TeslaThis marks the second time this year Tesla has implemented large markdowns for its most expensive models, with both the Model S and Model X having their prices dropped by roughly $10,000 in January.Frequent Price FluctuationsThe latest price changes also represent Tesla’s fifth adjustment since the start of the year, as reported by Reuters. The largest reduction came in January when the company reduced the price of the Model Y SUV by $13,000 in order to bring it below the $55,000 maximum price allowed under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), helping it qualify for the federal tax credit.The constant price changes and updates are enough to confuse even the most clued-in customers. Earlier this year, when surprise price cuts hit China, customers who recently purchased a new Tesla were angered by the devaluation of their vehicles. Hundreds of protesters gathered at Tesla stores and chanted, “Return the money, refund our cars,” in a video that was also reported by Reuters. There are currently no reports of Tesla offering refunds following the January price cuts. That suggests it’s unlikely Tesla will offer any for owners who recently purchased either vehicle affected by the latest markdowns.Tesla Price Changes In 2023This 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

Honda is adding an LX trim to the 2023 Pilot lineup, dropping the base price significantly.The LX starts at $37,295, while the one-level up Sport costs just over $40,000.We expect to see the 2023 Pilot LX start to reach Honda dealerships soon.The new 2023 Honda Pilot is joining the CR-V and Civic in reintroducing the base LX trim. The addition of this trim level, which is now listed on Honda’s media site but has not yet begun reaching dealerships, drops the starting price by $3200, bringing the three-row SUV in under $40,000.For $37,295, the 2023 Pilot LX features the same mechanical package as the rest of the lineup, with standard front-wheel drive, a 10-speed automatic transmission, and a 285-hp 3.5-liter V-6 engine that now features a DOHC setup. All-wheel drive is a $2100 option for the LX.The base Pilot does do without many features from the higher trims, as it comes standard with a smaller 7.0-inch touchscreen and does not have as many driver-assist features as the one-step-up $40,495 Pilot Sport. It also has dual-zone automatic climate control rather than tri-zone, cloth upholstery, manually adjustable front seats, and only comes in silver, black or white. Honda has yet to release any official photos of the Pilot LX, but we expect it to look similar to the EX-L, pictured at top.More on Honda and the PilotHonda previously told C/D that the addition of the LX trim level for Civic and CR-V was meant to boost production of these models, so we’ll see if the same applies for the new 2023 Pilot, which will presumably be in high demand for its first few months on sale. In 2022, before the new model went on sale, Pilot sales fell 30 percent compared with the year before.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

This one-off Rolls-Royce Phantom Syntopia was created by the automaker in collaboration with fashion designer Iris van Herpen, who said the concept of “weaving water” inspired the car. That should make it clear what we’re dealing with here.Starting with a Phantom Extended as the base, the Syntopia has a bespoke scent—yes, its own special smell—and a one-off paint color.The Syntopia is already spoken for and will make its way to someone’s vehicle collection in May.If you have to ask, you can’t afford it. Actually, no matter what you ask about the car in question, you still can’t buy it. And if your question is “Why?” we’re not sure we have the answer.Rolls-RoyceThe car in question here is a one-off Rolls-Royce Phantom called the Syntopia. Iris van Herpen, whose most recent fashion collection dropped models into water to show off the clothes, collaborated with Rolls-Royce to customize a Phantom Extended, inspired by the concept of “weaving water,” van Herpen said. Rolls-Royce calls the car a “bespoke masterpiece,” and it’s clearly intricate. We believe the company’s statement that the project, from conception to completion, took four years.Designer Iris Van Herpen with the Syntopia.Rolls-RoyceYou, of course, are free to see it less as a work of art and more as an exercise in exploring fanciful “luxury” ideas using someone else’s money. While this might apply to many Rolls-Royce vehicles, we don’t think we’re exaggerating, because this is the first Rolls with its bespoke scent (developed with input from the client who ordered the car), and the paint is a one-off color, Liquid Noir. The scent enters the cabin through a patented scent-releasing mechanism in the headrests.Rolls-RoyceRolls-RoyceInspired by haute couture, or the “art of fashion,” in van Herpen’s words, the Syntopia takes its name from van Herpen’s 2018 collection. For her part, van Herpen said she wanted the car to create the feeling in the driver or rider that they were “being overwhelmed by the forces of nature.”Rolls-RoyceThe Syntopia’s exterior is a purply, swirly take that elevates the elegant Phantom’s design. The company said the iridescent paint has blue, magenta, and gold undertones. The Liquid Noir color starts with a solid black paint covered by a color-shifting overlay and a clear-coat outer layer with integrated pigment. Developing this new paint took Rolls several months, requiring more than 3000 hours for testing and validation.Rolls-RoyceThe interior uses pieces and designs made by the Rolls-Royce Bespoke Collective in Goodwood and van Herpen’s team members in Amsterdam. The front seats are covered in Magic Grey leather, and there’s a silk-blend fabric on the rear seats. The Weaving Water Starlight Headliner uses one piece of leather shaped into a 3D design thanks to woven nylon fabric that looks like a silver “liquid metal” texture. There are also 162 “delicate petals made of glass organza” and almost 1000 sparkling fiber-optic “stars” inside. Rolls said that installing the headliner alone took nearly 700 collective hours of work, including the time its designers took to select this particular sheet of “flawless leather” from more than 1000 hides. Not sure if this is what van Herpen meant by “being overwhelmed by the forces of nature.”Rolls-RoyceThe Phantom Syntopia will find a home in a client’s private collection in May. Rolls-Royce has promised that it will never replicate this vehicle.Something a Little More Traditional? Or NotThis 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