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• The Autozam A-1 is the rarest of the sporting kei cars (a low road tax category with restrictions on displacement and size), and one is currently listed for sale on the auction site Bring a Trailer, with the auction to end on Wednesday, October 12. • Autozam was Mazda’s small-car brand, and this car also springs from Suzuki underpinnings.• It’s also a collectible fragment of the 1990s collapse of Japan’s economic bubble.As Derek Zoolander might say, “What is this, a Ferrari for ants?” Well, sort of. The pint-size Autozam AZ-1 combines elements of a Testarossa, an F40, and even a 512BB. The bodywork is wild, as are those gullwing doors, but tucked under the sheetmetal is a turbocharged three-cylinder engine that displaces barely more volume than a 20-ounce bottle of Coca-Cola.Bring a TrailerWhat gives? Well, the AZ-1 is a kei car, one of Japan’s shoebox-sized class of cars created under the country’s tightly regulated road taxation rules. Kei cars, or properly keijidōsha (“light automobiles”), are still the most popular form of automobile on the streets of Tokyo today, but they are now mostly uniform boxes, maximizing space on a tiny footprint. Cute, but few of them are properly exciting.Not so with this throwback to the high-water mark of the hubris of the Japanese bubble economy. The AZ-1 is about as exotic as kei cars ever go, a mid-engined, gullwinged, turbocharged hummingbird of a thing. This 1992 example is currently up for auction at Bring a Trailer, part of the Hearst Autos group along with Car and Driver. With six days remaining, bidding sits at $18,250 and is bound to climb.As Japan entered the 1980s, spirits were high and real estate prices were through the roof. The county’s automakers were caught up in the enthusiasm, embarking on moonshot product developments from the likes of the V-12–powered Toyota Century to the twin-turbocharged rotary-powered Mazda RX-7, to the world-beating R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R.But the interesting stuff wasn’t all at the high end. Nissan broke out of its design slump with its limited run Pike Factory cars, and that sense of fun began spreading. Soon, Honda had the Beat, a convertible, mid-engined flyweight that was like a tiny droptop Acura NSX. Small-car specialist Suzuki, largely responsible for the Beat, launched the Cappuccino, a roadster light and nimble enough to make a first-generation Miata feel like Boss Hogg’s Cadillac DeVille.Bring a TrailerSpeaking of Miatas, Mazda assigned none other than NA Miata lead engineer Toshihiko Hirai to head up development on its wild kei-car project. The idea was to inject a little excitement into Mazda’s Autozam sub-brand, perhaps moving a few more regular keis out of the showroom.Three cars were developed for the 1989 Tokyo Motor Show: Type A, a gullwing sportscar; Type B, a more stripped out version; and Type C, a tiny Group C car. The public was overwhelmingly in favor of the Type C, which really put the petite in Petit Le Mans. Mazda execs, however, took a more cautious view, and figured the company could actually sell a production version of the Type A.Most of the development work was done in the U.K. by a small team of engineers. The move was probably a financial error on Mazda’s part as, far from the home office, the development team went to town improving structural rigidity and tuning the 660cc engine right up to the edge of what the rules allowed. The engine would still produce the same claimed 63 hp as the Beat and Cappuccino—that being the maximum permissible—but was more responsive and had more mid-range torque.As for the handling, the AZ-1 has the same slight rearward bias as an F40. And, while the power is a a little over a tenth of Maranello’s turbocharged icon, the AZ-1 is also a tricky little devil to keep on the road. It may look cute, but with a tendency to snap oversteer it’s not puppy-dog friendly like Hirai’s Miata. This is a small but fairly serious little car.In kei car world, it’s also the one everybody wants. When it arrived to customers in 1992, Japan’s economic bubble had already burst, and a toy like the AZ-1 was an extravagance few chose to purchase. Mazda sold just 4392 of them over a year (along with 531 cars branded as Suzuki Caras), as compares to the roughly 28,000 Cappuccinos and 33,000 Beats sold.Failure makes for rarity, and rarity makes for collectability. Per pound, final bids on this AZ-1 will be up there with the likes of fresh-caught bluefin tuna at Tokyo’s Tsukiji market. However, it’s still cheaper than a Ferrari, and just as exotic. Think of it as an F.04, a mid-engine micro-supercar from the land where the kei car is still king. And you’ve got until Wednesday, October 12, to place your bid.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

Foxconn, a Taiwanese electronics firm that is one of the main manufacturers of Apple iPhones, is planning to enter the automotive space with the Foxtron Model B.A full reveal of the Model B is coming on October 18, but Foxconn has already given a good look at the hatchback’s Pininfarina-penned exterior design.Initial production of the Model B will take place in China next year, but the company says that the hatchback will be built at Foxconn’s Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant starting in 2024.You might not be familiar with the name Foxconn, but you certainly know its biggest product: the Taiwanese electronics company is one of the leading iPhone manufacturers. The firm is also looking to expand into the automotive space. In 2021, Foxconn purchased the Lordstown assembly plant in Ohio from struggling EV startup Lordstown Motors. Now Foxconn has given the first look at a new electric hatchback, the Foxtron Model B, that it plans to eventually build in the United States.This content is imported from twitter. 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.Foxconn has provided minimal information so far about the Model B, with the EV set to be fully unveiled on October 18. You may have noticed that the brand name associated with the Model B is not Foxconn, but Foxtron—this vehicle is part of a joint venture between the electronics maker and Yulon Motor, Taiwan’s largest automaker which has built Nissans under license for decades and also created its own brand, Luxgen.While Foxconn is tight-lipped about specifications, the video does show off the Model B’s design, which was penned by Italian design house Pininfarina. The compact car has its large, flashy wheels pushed out the corners, while the front and rear ends are dominated by full-width LED light bars. The smooth bodywork is accentuated by a stylized C-pillar, and a unique feature in the taillights appears to display images to communicate with pedestrians.FoxconnThe Model B will ride on Foxconn’s open-source MiH platform—which stands for Mobility in Harmony. The platform will also underpin two additional models previously revealed by Foxconn, the Model C, a larger crossover, and Model E, a luxury sedan. The platform supports single and dual-motor setups, and Foxconn claims a range of 435 miles from the Model C and 466 miles for the Model E. FoxconnFoxconn is aiming to initially start building the Model B in China in 2023, but will eventually start production of the vehicle in 2024 at the Lordstown plant, which formerly produced the Chevy Cruze. It’s unclear if the Model B will be offered in the U.S. The plant is apparently configured to churn out to 500,000 vehicles a year, and Foxconn plans to also build the Lordstown Endurance and Fisker’s upcoming Pear crossover at the plant under contract as well.Lordstown EnduranceLordstownWhile it would great to see the factory up and running again, we remain skeptical of Foxconn’s ability to follow through on its automotive ambitions. Foxconn previously pledged to invest $10 billion in a massive display panel manufacturing plant in the small town of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, originally touting the creation of 13,000 jobs and production starting in 2020. Five years later, only a few buildings have been completed, little has been produced, and the investment has been reduced to $672 million with only 1454 new jobs. More on Foxconn’s Automotive VenturesThe Lordstown plant is also relying on unproven automotive startups. The Fisker Pear, for instance, is only a shadowy rendering at this stage. While Lordstown Motors has now built the first two Endurance pickups at the Ohio factory—the first of an initial batch of 500 vehicles set to be delivered in 2022 and 2023— the company’s past financial struggles means its longevity remains in question. Foxconn previously aimed to help build an EV from Chinese startup Byton, but those plans fell through when Byton ran out of funds. Hopefully the same fate doesn’t befall Fisker and Lordstown Motors, but Foxconn’s automotive future is still up in the air.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.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

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.Theoretically, the tenth movie in Universal Studios’ The Fast and the Furious franchise will be the last. Yeah, don’t believe that. As long as Vin Diesel is healthy and these things are profitable, Universal is going to keep churning them out. If putting a Fiero into space isn’t too absurd for The Fast and the Furious, nothing will kill the franchise.That reality leads to this episode of Car and Driver’s oh-so-wacky Window Shop. The challenge this time was to find a car to include in the next F&F film. Or the 30th or the 100th.Join the Zoom-addicted gang as they propose intriguing or stupid (or both) cars to be featured in a series about street racers who stole VCRs in the first film, and are now superheroes who can’t be harmed by mere physics.Leading the show is editor-in-chief Tony Quiroga who also sets the rules, the challenge and the budget. And who, despite those advantages, rarely wins. He’s joined by executive editor K.C. Colwell who has a beard, senior editor Elana Scherr who has the best fingernails, most-favored contributor Jonathon Ramsay who is kind of cuddly, and Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman who just won’t go away.There’s a budget. There are cars. Have some time to blow? Blow it this way.More Window ShoppingThis content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

Pricing for the 2023 Kia Telluride starts at $37,025 and ranges up to $54,120.X-Line and X-Pro packages are new to the lineup, with the latter adding all-terrain tires and a higher tow rating.The updated models will start arriving at dealerships this months, Kia says.The Kia Telluride’s refresh for the 2023 model year brings new features, fresh styling, and additional trim levels, but the updated SUV’s increased pricing means it’s not quite the amazing bargain it once was. The starting price for the base LX model rises $2300 to $37,025, and some trim levels are up by as much as $2900 compared with last year. Several versions of the three-row crossover now top $50,000, including the off-road-oriented X-Pro that’s new for 2023.The X-Pro upgrade, which costs $2395, is available only for the all-wheel-drive SX and SX-Prestige trim levels. It adds 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires and increases the tow rating to 5500 pounds. The X-Pro also includes the increased ground clearance and styling tweaks of the more appearance-minded X-Line package that costs $2195 on the EX and $1395 on the SX and SX-Prestige.More on the TellurideFront-wheel drive is standard on all versions of the Telluride except for the $51,725 SX-Prestige, which comes with AWD. The S starts at $38,925, the EX at $42,625, and the SX at $46,825. All-wheel drive is a $2000 option on these trims. A 291-hp 3.8-liter V-6 and eight-speed automatic transmission remain standard across the board. New standard features for 2023 include a larger infotainment screen, a digital gauge cluster, and additional driver-assistance features.Kia says the 2023 Telluride will start arriving at dealerships this month.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.This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

If you are anything like my mother, you keep tabs on our masthead. Unfamiliar with the term “masthead”? It is print speak for the list of people who work at a publication and their accompanying responsibilities. Take a look, and you may notice some new names. Allow me to update you on what we’ve been up to since February.One of the best vehicle evaluators I’ve ever known and the staffer who annually volunteers to drive the hairiest and quickest cars at our annual track event, Lightning Lap, 18-year C/D vet K.C. Colwell shifts from being deputy testing director to executive editor. You’ve seen his influence in his new role in the past few issues, as he loves big comparisons and instrumented tests of the latest cars. Colwell excels at staying cool even when receiving a last-minute phone call about the Pagazzini Fasterossa that is stuck in customs, leaving a six-page hole in the magazine. This sort of nightmare is a monthly occurrence, which is something I didn’t share with K.C. until he accepted the position.David Beard.Michael Simari|Car and DriverColwell’s move left a vacancy in the role of senior testing editor. Enter David Beard, whose byline is known by devotees of our testing content. In addition to having tested 800-plus cars over nearly 10 years with C/D, Beard is a natural problem solver who is always prepared for anything. On a comparison test to Death Valley, the Alfa Romeo Giulia threw a check-engine light—big surprise—and went into a limp mode after we used the remote-start feature on the key fob. As we tried to find the nearest Alfa dealer on our phones, Beard pulled an OBD-II scanner from his satchel, plugged it in, diagnosed the code, and reset the Alfa. In addition to curing Italian-car hiccups, there’s no problem C/D has thrown at him that he couldn’t solve. He also holds our records for quickest to 60 mph and the most skidpad g’s. We are counting on Beard to carry on the testing team’s pursuit of technical perfection.Joining Beard is Mike Sutton in his new role of technical editor. One of the most experienced and conscientious C/D staffers, Sutton brings many years of editing and writing experience to the testing team. A lover of performance cars and off-road trucks and SUVs in near-equal measure, Sutton owns an ’05 Pontiac GTO but is always quick to sign out our long-term Ram TRX and any Ford Raptor that passes through our office. In his 15 years at C/D, he’s learned how to strap the test gear to cars and finesse them to get the best possible times. Now he’ll be doing it like his job depends on it, because it does.In the past three years, Austin Irwin has done stints in the art department, the features department, and most recently the online buyer’s guide department. Yup, he’s our utility infielder, or maybe he’s going for a Car and Driver EGOT. An Upper Peninsula native who is impervious to Southeast Michigan winters, Irwin is blessed with a wit and smart attitude that spill over into his writing. A fan of ’80s Nissan 300ZXs—the squared-off ones with pop-up headlights—Irwin is resurrecting his own 1986 300ZX Turbo. Godspeed.Earlier this year, Eric Stafford joined the news department as a senior associate editor to help them stay on top of everything from new-car introductions to Ford’s swollen-lug-nut problem. Perpetually game to jump headfirst into tough assignments, Stafford appears to enjoy tackling major projects, which explains the ’97 Chevrolet Camaro SS parked behind the office. Few assignments are tougher or more important than helping new C/D staffers get up to speed on our particular ways, and we rely on his experience for just that.Frankie Cruz and Jack Fitzgerald.Michael Simari|Car and DriverSpeaking of new people, Jack Fitzgerald is fresh from earning his sheepskin at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in political science and journalism. As an associate news editor, he keeps up with the daily churn of the automotive world. His love of racing and Formula 1 is infectious, and that passion for all things automotive has fast-tracked his education in the ins and outs of testing and reviewing cars. First car? A tired 1997 Jeep Cherokee that is probably the dynamic opposite of Fitzgerald’s current favorite car, the Porsche Cayman GTS.To help our existing copy team keep our prose sparkling and free of mistakes, we added copy editor Meredith Conrow. She’s new to dissecting automotive writing but an avowed manual-transmission driver and advocate since cutting her teeth on a 1986 Mazda 323. Meredith’s dream car garage includes a Ford Mustang GT convertible, a Mini Cooper, and a Mazda Miata. Her biggest copy-editing annoyances? Split infinitives, a series without Oxford commas, and when people add apostrophes for plurals. I’d have to agree that all those things constitute gross misconduct, and I can’t wait to see her red pen all over the place. Matthew Skwarczek and Meredith Conrow.Michael Simari|Car and DriverFew things delight our C/D readers more than uncovering an error. Our last line of defense is our research editor, known colloquially as a fact checker. Matthew Skwarczek is our search engine minus the sponsored ads, false leads from Russia, and WebMD diagnoses—my itchy arm is cancer? Skwarczek is diligent, patient, willing to fix other people’s mistakes, and remarkably cool for someone occupying one of the most stressful positions on staff. All of these qualities make him the perfect Fiat 500 Abarth owner.If the magazine and website look cleaner and easier to read, you might thank deputy design director Nicole Lazarus (pictured at top, far right). After seven years working in the art department at Automobile Magazine, Lazarus spent 14 years making National Geographic beautiful, but we managed to lure her back since Nat Geo doesn’t use nearly enough spider graphs. If you really want to get to Lazarus, be sure to email your complaints about fonts, photos, and layouts in italicized Comic Sans.Which brings us to Frankie Cruz, our newest buyer’s guide editor. When Cruz pulled up to his interview dinner in a new Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, I donned a poker face, but I couldn’t contain my jaw when I learned that the Cadillac had replaced a 2018 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. He’s a C/D reader since childhood, and the other 10 cars Cruz has owned—multiple Chevy Cobalt SSs, a Subaru WRX STI S209—shows he absorbed what he read. We made him an immediate offer. His love of great driver’s cars will undoubtedly lead to more and more enthusiast-oriented assignments.Please congratulate K.C., Dave, Mike, Eric, and Austin and give a warm welcome to Jack, Meredith, Matthew, Nicole, and Frankie. We’re looking to hire a few more experienced and talented people in the coming months. If you think you’ve got the right stuff, check out careers.hearst.com for the latest opportunities. This content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More

Following its redesign last year, the C-class sedan gets the AMG treatment for 2023. The new C43 four-door trades its predecessor’s 385-hp twin-turbo V-6 for a 402-hp turbo 2.0-liter four. Its 48-volt hybrid system powers a 13-hp starter-generator and an electric motor within the turbo, which combats lag. The upcoming C63, which is a 2024 model, trades its V-8 for a 671-hp plug-in-hybrid version of this powertrain. The previous-gen coupe and convertible live on as the Benz-badged C300 and AMG-fettled C43 and C63.New ModelsThe GLC-class is freshly redesigned for 2023. For now, it comes strictly as a 255-hp four-cylinder GLC300, though a more powerful AMG variant and a plug-in-hybrid powertrain are also due to join the lineup.The fastback GLC Coupe is as yet untouched by the redesign, though a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is now standard across the line.On the electric front, the new EQB now marks Benz’s entry point for EVs. It comes with a 66.5-kWh battery and 225 horsepower at the 300 4Matic level or 288 horses in the 350 4Matic. The EQB250+ is the least powerful (188 horses) but has the longest range. A trio of new models rounds out the growing lineup of EVs: the EQE sedan, EQE SUV, and EQS SUV.Mercedes-Benz EQBMercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz EQS SUVMercedes-BenzWhile Mercedes has revealed little about the EQE SUV, we know more about the new EQS SUV. Like the flagship EQS hatchback, the SUV has a 107.8-kWh battery and comes in rear-drive 355-hp EQS450+ and all-wheel-drive EQS450 4Matic guise, as well as in 536-hp EQS580 4Matic form. A third row of seats is optional. Sportier AMG and ultra-luxe Maybach models are sure to come.The Metris van sunsets after 2023, but the bigger Sprinter gets a number of mechanical revisions, including a new turbo-diesel four-cylinder in 168-hp and 208-hp states of tune. They replace last year’s less powerful four- and six-cylinder diesels. The 188-hp gas-fed turbo four sticks around. A nine-speed automatic transmission steps in for the old seven-speed unit. Rear-drive remains standard, but a new all-wheel-drive system capable of splitting torque evenly between the axles replaces last year’s rear-biased setup.This year also is the last for the E-class’s 603-hp E63 S sedan and wagon; the noir-inspired, matte-gray E63 S Final Edition marks the occasion.In G-class news: A 585-hp twin-turbo V-8 powers the G63 4×4². Like the G550 4×4² before it, this model sports flared fenders, a light bar, and a set of portal axles that add more than four inches of ground clearance. Changes to the rest of Mercedes’s extensive model line are minimal, with the CLA-class, GLA-class, and GLB-class carrying over unchanged. The CLS-class, GLE-class, GLS-class, S-class, SL-class, and GT 4-Door all receive minor adjustments to color palettes and trim and feature content. The 800-plus-hp GT 4-Door hybrid is still a year away, and the two-door GT is dead, but we expect it to return as a hardtop companion to the SL droptop. Lastly, the long-delayed, F1-inspired, 1000-plus-hp AMG One supercar will finally be delivered to overseas customers in late 2022.Future MercedesThis content is imported from OpenWeb. 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. More