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Genesis will offer the new 2023 G90 with a 48-volt hybrid system for its V-6 engine.The setup includes an electric supercharger that boosts the twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 to 420 hp.The hybrid will likely cost extra compared with the base 375-hp version of the V-6.The new 2023 Genesis G90 sedan will offer a version of the company’s twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6 engine with a 48-volt hybrid system in the U.S. A Genesis spokesperson confirmed to C/D that this new powertrain will use an electric supercharger, and EPA documents reveal that it will produce 420 horsepower—a significant bump over the 375 hp that this engine makes in standard form.Curiously, the addition of this hybrid setup results in a drop in fuel economy, as EPA ratings show that the “MHEV” model has a combined rating of 20 mpg, one mpg lower than the standard twin-turbo 3.5-liter V-6. We’d guess that the extra mass associated with the hybrid system could account for this disparity. Both powertrains use an eight-speed automatic transmission and come standard with all-wheel drive. For reference, the Mercedes-Benz S500 with a 429-hp inline-six and a 48-volt hybrid system achieves an EPA combined rating of 24 mpg.Genesis originally said that this hybrid setup would only be used in the stretched long-wheelbase version of the G90, which is not slated to come to the U.S. But now the company says that the more powerful engine will be offered in the standard-wheelbase car that will be sold on our shores. We don’t know what kind of price premium the hybrid setup will command, but we figure it’ll be a few thousand dollars extra given its extra power.Look for more details to come on the 2023 G90, including pricing, as the flagship sedan is slated to arrive in the U.S. later this year.
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The 2023 Subaru Solterra starts at $46,220, which is $3005 more than the base 2023 Toyota bZ4X.The Subaru’s standard all-wheel drive accounts for much of the extra cost, as the Toyota comes standard with front-wheel drive.Still, a bZ4x with the optional all-wheel-drive system is $925 less to start than the entry-level Solterra.The 2023 Subaru Solterra and the 2023 Toyota bZ4X have been linked together since birth, a result of the new electric SUVs being co-developed by their respective parent companies. The bZ4X and Solterra share a platform and many other characteristics, but shoppers comparing the two will notice that the Subaru is also more expensive than its Toyota twin. The 2023 Solterra starts at $46,220 whereas the 2023 bZ4X has a starting price of $43,215.

Basic math tells us that the least expensive Solterra is $3005 more than the least expensive bZ4x. However, the price comparison is more complicated than that because much of the Subie’s extra cost is attributed to its standard dual-motor, all-wheel-drive system. The Toyota, on the other hand, comes standard with a single-motor, front-wheel-drive setup. So, what’s the price difference when the entry-level bZ4X is equipped with all-wheel drive? Well, it’s still $925 cheaper than the base Solterra.
The Solterra is available in three trim levels: Premium, Limited, and Touring. The Limited starts at $49,720 and the Touring starts at $53,220, making them the most expensive Subaru models in the showroom. The bZ4X is only offered in XLE and Limited grades. The front-drive Limited starts at $47,915, and upgrading to all-wheel drive costs an extra $2080 on both trims. The 2023 Solterra and 2023 bZ4x will go on sale this summer, with Subaru saying a limited number will hit dealer lots at first. The company also says it’s finalizing plans to offer Solterra reservation holders their pick of either a credit for EVgo charging or money to purchase and install a Level 2 charger at home.
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The buzz of electricity—figuratively and literally—has swept through the world’s sports-car makers, and the C8 Corvette is about to feel the jolt. The C8 will soon join the many brands turning to electrons to power their hot cars. GM president Mark Reuss has just gone public with what we’ve known for some time: that a hybrid C8 Corvette will be here next year. What no one knew until Reuss revealed it in the same conversation with CNBC reporter Phil LeBeau it is that GM will build an all-electric ‘Vette EV.

Why? For a combination of reasons: the Corvette is the giant killer of sports cars, a vehicle that has become known for delivering the performance and technology of name-brand hotties like Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche for a fraction of their cost. Virtually all of the leading sports-car makers have now committed to building either hybrid or electric models in the near future. Some of the top brands already have hybrids on the market. “The other guys are doing it” is a strong enough reason for electrifying the ‘Vette. It’s the price of keeping up with the competition, capitalizing on the buzz surrounding electric vehicles in general. The second reason for electrifying the C8 is even simpler: it has the potential to deliver tremendous power and performance along with environmental cred.

GM

The Corvette C8 was designed from the outset to include a hybrid model. The C8’s front compartment is designed to house a module made up of one or two electric motors and associated control hardware. A small battery pack will most likely be located in the car’s central tunnel, which runs through the center of the passenger compartment.

To the best of our knowledge, the hybrid system was originally planned as a “power adder” to the top twin-turbo version of the 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V-8. With the electric motor driving the front wheels, the C8 would have all-wheel drive, enabling it to use its power—said to approach a total output of near 1000 hp—to deliver staggering straight-line acceleration. Rumor has it that the C8 hybrid was not expected to be able to drive solely on electric power, though that might have changed by now and it might be able to move on electrons for short distances at lower speeds. Because the hybrid system is essentially a plug-and-play module, it could be added to the base C8 as well, which comes with the 490-hp 6.2-liter LT2 small block pushrod V-8. Now that hybridization is taking hold in the sports car world, this is a strong possibility. Reuss stated that the hybrid ‘Vette will be out “next year.” We expect that that means late in 2023 as a 2024 model. When asked when the full EV C8 would arrive, Reuss coyly sidestepped the question, essentially saying “somewhere down the road.” We believe that converting the C8 to full electric propulsion will require a massive redesign of the car aft of the seats. There is a vast difference in propulsion systems between the internal-combustion C8s and the EV model.

The revisions include the need to package the large battery required to provide both massive power and reasonable driving range; fitting one or two electric motors in the rear; and packaging the Ultium battery. This battery pack is currently used in larger vehicles including the Hummer EV and upcoming Cadillac Lyriq and it will have to be redesigned to fit within the confines of the two-seat Vette. All this takes time—years rather than months—and then the car will have to be debugged, validated for reliability, and fine-tuned to deliver the superb ride-and-handling balance of the ICE Vettes currently on offer. While the project is no doubt well underway, we expect a C8 EV to appear around 2024 as a 2025 model at the earliest. While the timeline and the details of the C8 EV are highly speculative at this point, given the current gas-powered Vette’s performance and value we have high hopes that it will retain its giant-killer rep in the EV-sports car world as well.
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• The second-generation Datsun Z is emblematic of the 1980s.• This time-warp example has covered just 8000 miles.• For sale right now on Bring a Trailer, the auction for this car ends on April 29.

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The seller of this 1983 Datsun 280ZX, Adamike, would appear to be quite a fan of the Japanese marque judging by the giant, dealership-sized DATSUN sign in front of which he parked this vintage Z. If that visual seems vaguely familiar, it may be because this seller has used it in previous BaT sales—for a 36,000-mile ’78 280Z that brought $61,000 back in October and a remarkable 355-mile 1976 280Z that went for $140,000 in November.

This 1983 280ZX is another exceedingly low-mileage example for sale right now on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos. The second-gen Z debuted for 1979, and at the time, we said that it “evolves into a personal luxury car.” That genre had a powerful hold on the U.S. auto market back then, with buyers snapping up Monte Carlos, Cordobas, Cutlass Supremes, and the like by the hundreds of thousands.

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The new ZX was in tune with the swanky, decadent zeitgeist, and a glance at the (included) original window sticker for this car shows power windows, air conditioning, velour upholstery, and a cassette stereo all included amongst the standard equipment. This car takes things up a notch with its T-tops, the period’s most glamorous feature.

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Although the styling drew a clear connection to the original, Datsun ironed some creases into the sheet metal to update the organic curves of its predecessor. The champagne metallic hue (French Beige) is accented with red tape stripes that are remarkably intact. Extra points for the “Datsun Saves” license plate, which was the brand’s long-serving ad slogan during the fuel-crisis era. Sharp eyes will note the nascent “by Nissan” plaque on the tail, a whisper of change to come.

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The red-red-red interior stopped us in our tracks. Groove to its color-keyed uniformity and its sheer chromatic intensity. And while the automatic transmission was by this point an increasingly popular option on the Z, this car has a five-speed stick shift poking up between the seats.

@chrisbealphotography

@chrisbealphotography

Under the front-hinged hood lives a fuel-injected 2.8-liter L28E inline-six. Here, we must pause to compliment the seller’s presentation, which borders on the obsessive and includes such elements as compression test results, mapped paint-meter readings, and nighttime images of the exterior lights and dashboard warning lights. Bravo, sir.That presentation combined with this car’s condition and the ultra-low mileage is sure to lead to a strong selling price when the hammer falls this coming Friday. The winning bidder may not have a huge Datsun sign on the wall of their garage but hopefully does have the feathered hair and acid-washed jeans to fully live the Eighties dream.

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GM confirmed that there will be an electric version of the Corvette coming soon.A hybrid powertrain will be added next year, and the battery-powered model will follow.The EV model will use GM’s Ultium battery platform, and it could be called E-Ray.What’s more radical, a mid-engine Corvette or an electric Corvette? We’re about to find out, as GM President Mark Reuss confirmed today on CNBC that a Corvette EV is nigh and that it is coming soon after Chevy launches a hybrid model in 2023.
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The electric Corvette will use GM’s Ultium battery platform, and we speculated in the past that Chevy’s trademark of the name “E-Ray” could be used for some sort of electrified Corvette model. We’re guessing that the prototype in this video is the hybrid model, as there’s a clear soundtrack of a V-8 gasoline engine playing in the background, but Chevy should release some teasers of the EV model in due time. The camouflaged prototype appears to have the exact same body as the gas-powered Corvette—the main visual difference we can spot is the yellow color of the brake calipers.

When the electric Corvette arrives, it will have to offer impressive performance specs to compete with its internal-combustion siblings. The Corvette Z06, for one, has a 670-hp 5.5-liter flat-plane-crank V-8, while the hybrid model is rumored to offer around 1000 horsepower from a twin-turbo version of that engine combined with an electric motor powering the front wheels. In the video, we can see that the front wheels start spinning before the rears, confirming this all-wheel-drive setup; we think that the electric version will offer AWD as well.We look forward to hearing more about both the hybrid and the electric model within the next few months as Chevy prepares to offer a broader Corvette lineup than ever before.
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The last-generation Audi RS6 Avant might not have come to the U.S., but we still love it. A twin-turbo V-8–powered wagon making over 500 horsepower is always a good time, after all. This one’s been tuned by Akrapovič, and it’s capable of over 200 mph. But it does have at least one electrical gremlin that needs sorting out. The AutoTopNL YouTube channel was given the opportunity to do some top-speed testing on this Akrapovič RS6. The test driver doesn’t hold any of the car’s 700 horsepower back on the autobahn, taking it all the way to an indicated 324 kph (201 mph). But a few moments after the car crosses the 324 kph barrier, something strange happens to the speedometer: It falls all the way back down to zero. The speed of the car doesn’t change, and there aren’t any warning lights that pop up on the dash. For a second or two, the computers nestled behind the dashboard thought the car had come to an extremely abrupt stop. As soon as the speedo drops to zero, though, it jumps all the way back up to 320 km/h, and all is normal. It’s unclear why the car briefly thought it wasn’t moving, though if I had to guess, it was likely a faulty wheel speed sensor on one of the corners (though the car likely would’ve thrown an ABS fault, so who knows?) German cars can get weird out of warranty.

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