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Acura has announced that its first electric vehicle will be named ZDX.It’s a joint venture with General Motors and powered by Ultium batteries.The Acura ZDX features styling cues from the Precision EV concept.Acura is on a revival kick as of late, resurrecting the cherished Integra title for its compact sedan after a 20-year hiatus. Now Acura is at it again as it dusts off an unlikely nameplate for its first electric model: the ZDX. Built from 2010 to 2013, the original ZDX was a delightful, impractical oddball that struggled to find an audience. While it rode on an SUV chassis, its cargo space was extremely compromised by its swoopy fastback proportions.

Cognizant of this legacy, Acura stressed that this new ZDX would provide versatility and utility that’s more in line with the current Acura RDX and MDX SUVs. Though no photos yet exist of the ZDX, its styling and proportions will borrow heavily from the Precision EV concept, an MDX-sized vehicle that features a spacious, upright greenhouse. The ZDX rides on a platform developed in conjunction with General Motors and powered by GM’s Ultium battery packs. This scalable EV platform offers multiple motor and battery configurations, and provides a range of up to 450 miles. Acura hasn’t provided any additional technical details, but we predict the launch edition Type S variant will feature a dual-motor AWD setup and larger battery, with FWD base models to follow. It’s highly unlikely that Acura will offer a RWD version. Acura says that the ZDX will arrive in calendar-year 2024. More

Lincoln pulled the wraps off of the Model L100 concept at the 2022 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.The big concept car is an autonomous grand tourer with an emphasis on the passenger experience.The Model L100 celebrates the 100th anniversary of Ford Motor’s purchase of Lincoln.Depending on who you ask, Lincoln is celebrating either its 100th anniversary or its 105th. Ford Motor Company prefers the former, as the Blue Oval purchased the luxury brand from Henry Leland in June of 1922. The latter year, however, marks the date of Lincoln’s actual founding.

At its inception, Lincoln strictly produced aircraft engines for the United States government. However, by September 1920, the company kicked off production of its first car: the Model L. Maybe this is the date to mark Lincoln’s anniversary, then? In that case, this means 2022 marks the brand’s 102nd anniversary. No matter, Lincoln has declared 2022 its 100th anniversary, and the American luxury brand is gifting itself a concept car in honor of this occasion. The Model L100 concept shares its ethos with the aforementioned Model L.
Like Cadillac’s upcoming Celestiq, the Model L100 is a massive machine that prioritizes personal luxury above all else. Unlike the Celestiq, which previews a forthcoming production model, the Model L100 is purely a concept car. We doubt features such as the big grand tourer’s two rearward opening doors, as well as its glass canopy roof that raises to further ease egress and ingress, have any chance of seeing the light of day. Nor do we foresee its autonomous driving capability going into production anytime soon.The Model L100 concept instead presents itself as a vision of a future Lincoln hopes it—and to some degree, society—will be able to achieve. There’s no steering wheel or pedals. Instead, those within the Model L100 let the car do the driving. Should the need to override the Model L100’s autonomous driving arise, then passengers can use a miniature model of the car (what Lincoln calls a “chess piece”) that rests on a center-console screen (the “chessboard”) to accelerate, stop, and steer the vehicle.
With driving largely removed from the equation, Lincoln’s design team was able to create a cabin that caters primarily to the passenger experience. This includes a front seating space capable of switching between a typical forward-facing position or a more sociable, but also potentially more nauseating, rearward-facing position that allows front and rear passengers to face one another. A massive floorboard-mounted screen helps set the cabin ambiance, as well, with the display projecting the likes of clouds to create a more serene setting.Though the Model L100’s interior caters toward a fantastical future, the exterior design is far more realistic. While we wager the open-glass frunk area—replete with a 3D-printed greyhound ornament mounted below—and massive wheel covers may serve as concept-car fancy, we think the basic design and decor of the Model L100 are set to influence Lincoln models in the not-so-distant future.We hope this is the case, at least, as the aerodynamic shape, wide rear haunches, Kammback rear end, and complex but understated surface treatment make for a compelling combination. It certainly helps that Lincoln’s design team refrained from fitting the Model L100 with an overabundance of decorative exterior pieces. Instead, the Model L100’s body panels are largely free of fuss. A big Apple MacBook-inspired Lincoln badge residing on the car’s front end, not to mention another Lincoln star on each front fender, reminds passersby what type of vehicle they’re looking at.
Befitting its futuristic nature, Lincoln designed the Model L100 concept with the intention of fitting a hub-mounted electric motor at each wheel, with power to those motors coming courtesy of a solid-state battery built into the structure. Although solid-state batteries do not power any electric vehicle sold today, the technology is due to power future EVs within the next few years. Many of the features of the Lincoln Model L100 concept may not arrive for years or decades to come. Nevertheless, we expect the car’s basic styling and some of its more practical fanciful features to make their way to future Lincoln vehicles. Who knows? Maybe the Model L100 will even inspire Lincoln to build and sell an ultra-luxury electric vehicle, too. The brand’s done it before with the Model L, after all. Now may be the time for Lincoln to prepare to produce such a model once again.
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Hennessey presents the roadster version of its Venom F5, targeting it to be the fastest cabriolet in the world.Its lift-off carbon-fiber targa panel means minimal weight penalty.The price will be a not-so-light $3 million each, with production limited to just 30 examples.Monterey Car Week has long been famous for the chance to see some of the world’s most historic and exclusive cars. But the series of car-themed events in northern California serves another purpose: that of being an auto show for billionaires. A place where they can see new, unobtainium-grade models before anybody else, and also buy them.
One of this year’s debuts is the Hennessey Venom F5 roadster, freshly unveiled at The Quail Motorsport Gathering. As its name suggests, this is a decapitated version of the existing F5, which the Texan manufacturer says is going to be the world’s fastest and most powerful open-topped road car in the world. Only 30 will be built, with each one selling for a cool $3 million. By the ludicrous standards of Pebble Beach hypercar unveilings, the price isn’t actually that excessive. The roadster is based on the F5 Venom coupe and shares an identical mechanical package. This is a 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 claimed to produce an astonishing 1817 horsepower and driving the rear wheels through an automated single-clutch transmission. Hennessey says the roadster has a dry weight of just 3098 pounds—just 45 pounds more than the coupe—and that it is designed to deliver a top speed of more than 300 mph, although maximum velocity will be limited when the roof panel is removed.Top Gets Special TreatmentThe open-topped F5 is a targa rather than a full cabriolet, with a lift-out section between the windshield rail and the raised rollover structure behind the seats. The panel is made from carbon fiber and weighs just under 40 pounds, meaning it should be simple for one person to remove or install it. Once decapitated, the roof can be either transported in an ultrasoft merino wool travel bag or alternatively displayed on a pedestal that will be come with the car. The roadster also gets a new viewing window in its engine cover to show off the “Fury” V-8; it sits beneath a carbon-fiber panel in the coupe.
Other visual changes over the fixed-roof F5 include new forged seven-spoke aluminum wheels for the roadster, available in either silver finish or polished aluminum and secured by titanium bolts. But use of the same carbon monocoque as the coupe, which weighs just 190 pounds naked, means that structural strength should be almost exactly the same, even with the roof removed. And as with the coupe, the roadster does without any active aerodynamic elements, unusual in this part of the market; downforce levels are adjusted by tweaking ride height to alter the angle of airflow over the body. The unanswered question, for now, is just how fast the F5 Venom roadster will be capable of going. Hennessey is still working to prove what the coupe is capable of, the most recent publicly released figure is 271 mph on a 3.2-mile runway in Florida. (You can see the video of that run here.) Can It Beat the Bugatti?While that is still short of the targeted 300-mph-plus top speed, physics suggests that both the F5 Venom coupe and roadster may well be capable of breaking that milestone given they have more power and less weight than the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+, which currently holds the production car speed record, having been driven to nearly 305 mph by British sports-car racing legend Andy Wallace in 2019. We look forward to discovering what the Hennessey is truly capable of.While the F5 Venom roadster is set to be more expensive than the coupe, which cost $2.1 million when it was announced in 2020, the open-topped car is also going to be less exclusive—presuming Hennessey manages to sell out its full proposed run of 30 cars, against just 24 coupes. Production of the roadster is set to begin by the end of the year. But compared to the Texan company’s planned six-wheeled 2400-hp four-seat EV, it looks pretty sensible. More

The Acura Precision EV Concept provides a glimpse of the styling direction for future Acura models. It’s an evolution of the 2016 Precision Concept design language, with a focus on electrification. The dual-mode cockpit is designed for both performance and autonomous driving situations.When Acura’s original Precision Concept debuted in 2016, it provided a visual roadmap for every future model. Staying true to that promise has resulted in today’s cohesive-looking lineup. Now, that established aesthetic is getting a glow-up in the form of the Acura’s Precision EV concept. Much of the styling seen here will debut shortly on an all-electric Acura SUV, slated to use GM’s Ultium battery platform, that is set to go into production as a 2024 model.
The overall design goal of the Precision EV Concept is to demonstrate the flexibility of an EV future by reinterpreting current Acura styling cues rather than outright reinventing them. Nowhere is this more evident than the front fascia, where a dazzling light show plays across an illuminated version of the familiar pentagon-shaped grille. While the previous Precision concept was a sedan, the new one’s SUV shape is also a nod to changing consumer tastes, though Acura insists future styling cues will easily translate to other bodystyles as well.

In evolving this theme, Acura designers were said to be inspired by the chiseled contours of luxury powerboats. We particularly like the sweeping character line reminiscent of a V-shaped hull’s tumblehome. It looks best from a front-three-quarters angle as it arcs gracefully from the rear of the body up to the A-pillar, transitioning into a powerful crease along the hood. Less visually appealing is the unmoored chrome strip atop the glass, whose presence feels like an afterthought. Dipping below the prow reveals a set of light clusters at both ends of the vehicle. They project a chaotic menagerie of shapes whose pattern is also echoed in the spokes of the 23-inch wheels. Acura calls the theme “Particle Glitch,” which evokes images of circuitry gone awry. We find the name to be a whimsical yet odd choice for such a tech-focused concept. Seeing as how these lower detailing elements would be submerged under a powerboat’s waterline, perhaps it’s Acura’s subversively clever way of continuing the nautical theme.Inside the cockpit, Acura’s next-generation cabin tech is represented by a curved, transparent touchscreen atop the dash, accompanied by a smaller transparent display in front of the driver. A yoke-style steering wheel contains a cluster of knobs and dials along its hub.
Since the future of electrification suggests both increased performance and the promise of autonomous driving, Acura created two distinct cockpit experiences which respectively cater to each end of this spectrum. “Instinctive Drive” brings out your inner F1 champion by enveloping the space in a cacophony of red lighting and racy engine sounds. In “Spiritual Lounge,” the steering wheel and pedals retract, both displays go fully transparent, and the seats recline. As passengers are whisked to their destination, soothing scents and sounds waft through the cabin while oceanic imagery projects dreamily onto the surfaces. What’s the opposite of a sensory deprivation tank again?In developing this split personality, principal designer Gypsy Modina talked about creating an environment that was capable of immersing all five senses, though we’re curious how taste factors into the equation. It could be the use of 100 percent biomass leather on the seats, which admittedly did look pretty appetizing. In addition to a study in extremes, the interior is also an exploration of sustainable materials which still convey a premium feel. Recycled aluminum and plastic are used liberally throughout the cockpit.While it’s unlikely that many of the interior features will reach production anytime soon, the exterior design of the Precision EV Concept hints very strongly to a roadgoing model in the near future.
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• It could cost more than $100 to fill the GMC Hummer EV’s big battery pack at a fast-charging station.• We performed our charging test at an Electrify America station, which costs $0.43 per kilowatt-hour.• The Hummer maxed out at an impressive 287-kW charging rate, second only to the Lucid Air in this year’s field of EV of the Year contenders. Welcome to Car and Driver’s Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here).It costs a lot of money to fill up a big pickup truck’s gas tank—especially these days. But what if we told you that even an electric pickup truck could crest the $100 mark when it comes time to replenish the battery? That’s what we found when we plugged the 2022 GMC Hummer EV in for a fast-charge session.

For our charging test, we plugged the Hummer in at an Electrify America station to go from 10 percent charge to 90 percent charge. At current rates of $0.43 per kWh, adding 80 percent charge cost us $81, including sales tax. Extrapolating from that, to go from 0 percent to 100 percent charge at a DC fast-charging station would cost over $100. The Hummer did hit an impressive 287-kW peak charge rate, second only to the Lucid Air among the 20 competitors in this year’s field of EV of the Year contenders. But its average between 10 and 90 percent state of charge was a less wowing 98 kW and, partially because the pack is so large, it took an hour an 49 minutes to add that 80-percent charge.

Now, you might notice that multiplying the Hummer EV’s total battery capacity of 212.7 kWh by $0.43 doesn’t quite come to $100. But there are charging losses, as evidenced by our 80 percent fill that took 177.9 kWh, about five percent more than what made it into the pack (80 percent of the total capacity is 170.2 kWh). And our session in Michigan added a 6 percent sales tax, which of course varies by state.Charging costs can also vary by state, and by charging provider. But the point remains: although GM has attempted to recast the Hummer for the electrified era, that doesn’t mean it’s cheap to fuel. It is, after all, a 9640-pound, 1000-horsepower, four-wheel-drive pickup truck that costs six figures, no matter what it’s powered by. More

• In our charging test, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and Genesis GV60 all matched their claimed charging rates of 10 to 80 percent in 18 minutes, while the Genesis Electrified G80 also equaled its advertised time of 10 to 80 percent in 22 minutes.• With average charging rates between 117 kW and 135 kW over the entirety of our test from 10 to 90 percent, the Korean EVs are among the fastest-charging sub-$100K electrics.• The time required to add 100 miles of real-world highway range was 11 minutes for the Ioniq 5, EV6, and GV60, while the G80 needed an extra minute to meet the mark.Welcome to Car and Driver’s Testing Hub, where we zoom in on the test numbers. We’ve been pushing vehicles to their limits since 1956 to provide objective data to bolster our subjective impressions (you can see how we test here). Automakers often make lofty claims for their products, ranging from acceleration times to fuel efficiency, driving range, and a more recent metric, charging rate. For decades, we’ve tested these kinds of assertions for ourselves, and in 2021 began testing fast-charging capabilities of new EVs. For those of us more familiar with pumping liquid fuels than visiting a charging station–which is pretty much all of us–the metrics to judge these vehicles by can be complicated. For our test, we charge every EV on the highest speed equipment it can handle from a 10 percent to 90 percent state of charge. In our testing, the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and both the Genesis GV60 and Electrified G80 exactly matched their charging estimates, placing them among the fastest charging EVs at any price.There are a few different metrics that we look at when talking about how quickly an EV can replenish its battery. There’s the peak charging rate, although more relevant is the average rate over the entire 10 to 90 percent charge, as the rate falls off considerably at higher states of charge. Also, we consider how long it takes to add miles of real-world highway range, based on the range testing we do at 75 mph. Not surprisingly, the Ioniq 5, EV6, and GV60—which are all underpinned by the same E-GMP platform—share near identical peak rates of 230–231 kW. The G80 lags behind slightly with a 180-kW maximum, however it is ahead of the pack with an average rate of 135 kW over its 32 minute stint at an Electrify America charging station. The E-GMP siblings also had exceptional showings, returning 117–118kW averages in 33 minutes of total charging time.Charging Time as AdvertisedHyundai, Kia, and Genesis share claimed charging figures for their respective E-GMP variants: 10–80 percent in 18 minutes. In our testing, all three iterations exactly matched that claim. The G80 also met Genesis’ prospective charging speed, sliding the battery gauge from 10 to 80 percent in just 22 minutes. To put a slight damper on things, these are relatively small battery packs at 77.4 kWh and 87.2 kWh respectively (for comparison’s sake the larger of the two packs on the Ford F-150 Lightning is 131.0 kWh, which is 69-percent and 50-percent larger, respectively), meaning they’re not taking in massive amounts of juice, but what they are receiving comes quickly.

To make these statistics more user-friendly in the real world, we took to our TI-85 calculator and calculated the time required for each of these EVs to add 100 miles of range. Using our highway range results as an indicator, we found the Ioniq 5, EV6, and GV60 to need a minuscule 11 minutes to add enough juice for 100 miles of driving when plugged in at a 10-percent state of charge, while the second hand needed only one more trip around the dial for the G80 to finish the job. In this metric, only the Lucid Air and Porsche Taycan CrossTurismo from this year’s EV of the Year field were quicker.Only one EV has matched the Electrified G80’s average charging rate of 135 kW, the Lucid Air, and the Mercedes-Benz EQS580 sits alone atop the leaderboard, a single tick higher at 136 kW. Resting between the G80 and the E-GMP group are only two others, a 2020 Porsche Taycan 4S (127 kW), and 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid (125 kW). But that doesn’t tell the whole story, so let’s talk price. We don’t have official pricing for the G80 as of this writing, however we expect it to start right around $80,000. Our Ioniq 5 Limited and EV6 Wind were well optioned all-wheel-drive models, with price tags of $57,490 and $54,190 respectively, and our GV60 Performance rang in at $69,560. The Lucid Air Grand Touring now requires at least a $155,650 check for purchase, the cheapest EQS crests six-figures at $103,360, tack on another $28k for a base Model S Plaid, and a base Taycan starts at $84,050, making it the only competitor-in-charging to the newcomers under $100k.The smallest differential between the Koreans and the competition is $4050 between the Taycan and G80 (assuming our G80 price estimate is dead on), and the largest difference, a whopping–drumroll, please–$101,460, is between our EV6 test car and a base Lucid Air Grand Touring. All of this is to say that cost doesn’t directly correlate to performance. And when it comes to charging the newest generation of Kia, Hyundai, and Genesis EVs, that couldn’t be more true. More