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Honda has been testing its Autonomous Work Vehicle, an electric self-driving prototype closely related to its side-by-sides but geared toward carrying supplies.The AWV has a payload limit of 880 pounds and can tow over 1600 pounds, traveling up to 28 miles when fully loaded.Honda tested the AWV at a solar energy construction site in New Mexico, where it had to deal with high temperatures and uneven terrain.We’ve heard for several years of the impending arrival of autonomous vehicles, with proponents of the technology painting rosy pictures of robotaxis shuttling us around while we spend even more time engrossed in our screens. But while there has been a lot of buzz around self-driving passenger vehicles, autonomous technology could find its place first in commercial applications. Honda announced today that it has successfully completed a test of its Autonomous Work Vehicle (AWV), a cute prototype with an uninspired name used for hauling supplies around work sites.

Honda

The fully electric AWV rides on the platform that underpins Honda’s side-by-side ATVs, and it uses a combination of radar and lidar sensors, GPS location positioning, and stereoscopic cameras to maneuver on its own, although it can be operated via remote control. The AWV is nine and a half feet long and almost five feet wide, weighing in a 1590 pounds without any cargo. It has a range of 27.9 miles when fully loaded, and will fully recharge in up to six hours with a 120-volt connection. Honda tested the AWV with construction engineering company Black & Veatch, utilizing a solar energy construction site in New Mexico where several AWVs towed and carried supplies to pre-set destinations. For the test, Honda created a high-definition map of the area so that Black & Veatch operators could set destination points for the AWVs on a cloud-based app, and Honda says that AWVs were able to stop within centimeters of the waypoints.

The AWV may look cheery, but it’s one tough cookie. At Black & Veatch’s 1000-acre site, the AWV carried payloads up to 880 pounds and also pulled trailers holding over 1600 pounds, operating for up to eight hours in the sweltering New Mexico sun. Honda envisions the AWV serving a variety of industries that require an off-road-capable supply vehicle, especially where safety concerns make eliminating the driver a priority; one possibility could be mining. Honda has not officially announced any plans to produce the AWV but says it will continue testing the prototypes and has asked interested companies to contact them about trials. We hope the AWV eventually becomes a mainstay at work sites and that, if and when it does, Honda gives it a more fittingly adorable name.
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Going by horsepower per liter, the Toyota GR Yaris has one of the most powerful production engines currently on the market. Its 1.6-liter turbocharged inline-three is rated at an incredible 268 horsepower straight from the factory. While that sounds incredibly high-strung, it seems the engine has a whole lot more left on the table, even with mostly stock internals.

Motive Garage and and Powertune Australia wanted to see just how far they could push the GR Yaris’s tiny three-cylinder before cracking it open to swap out things like cams, pistons, and rods, upgrading everything from the turbo to the MAF sensor to the fueling system. The only real mechanical update within the engine is new valve springs. With everything maxed out, the team was able to squeeze an incredible 473 hp to the wheels on a hub dyno. That number makes it the most powerful GR Yaris on the planet (that we know of, anyway). The tuners have yet to test the car at the drag strip, but expect it to munch the quarter-mile in the 10-second range and eclipse a 130-mph trap speed.

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The 2023 Mazda CX-50 is a new crossover model that joins the lineup and looks to be similar in size to the CX-5.It will offer the same 2.5-liter and turbo 2.5-liter inline-four engine options as most other Mazda models, with a hybrid coming later.The CX-50 will be built in the U.S. and is set to go on sale in the spring of 2022.Mazda’s newest crossover, the 2023 CX-50, looks to capture the same successful formula as its existing SUVs: attractive looks, a luxurious interior, and—we hope—an engaging driving experience. While Mazda isn’t providing dimensions, it appears to be similar in size to the CX-5, giving Mazda yet another entrant in the popular compact-crossover segment. Although the two models will be sold alongside each other for the time being, we expect the CX-50 to eventually replace the CX-5, much like what happened with the smaller CX-30 and the CX-3.

Mazda is pitching the CX-50 as more of an off-road-oriented SUV with higher ground clearance than the CX-5 and available rugged-style accessories, but it is still a unibody crossover and based on the same transverse architecture as the Mazda 3 and CX-30. Mazda says it’s slightly longer than the CX-5 and claims that it has more room for rear-seat passengers. Mazda’s upcoming longitudinal architecture and inline-six engine won’t arrive until the larger CX-70 and CX-90 crossovers make their debut.
The CX-50’s styling plays up this rugged angle with lots of black plastic cladding around the wheel wells, front and rear bumper trim meant to look like skid plates, and black and silver wheels. It’s also available in a trendy tan exterior color called Zircon Sand, and the models pictured here feature accessories including a roof rack, hood graphics, and optional all-terrain tires. Apart from these add-ons, we like the handsome, squared-off shape and the modern-looking headlights and taillights and think the CX-50 looks even better than the already stylish CX-5.The familiar 2.5-liter inline-four will be under the hood, both in naturally aspirated and turbocharged forms that will likely produce around the same 187 hp and 250 hp as they do in the CX-5. All-wheel drive will be standard equipment, and a six-speed automatic transmission pairs with both engines. A hybrid model will join the lineup later, but Mazda isn’t yet sharing details on that powertrain other than saying it will feature a Toyota hybrid setup. Otherwise, Mazda claims that there are no parts shared between the CX-50 and the smaller Toyota Corolla Cross that’s built in the same factory.The CX-50 is a five-seater, and from what we can see of the interior it looks to feature a similar dashboard design as other Mazda models. A touchscreen mounted on the upper part of the dash is controlled by a knob on the center console. The more expensive trim levels feature plush materials such as leather upholstery, available in a nice shade of brown, and a panoramic sunroof will be optional. Like other Mazdas, we expect the CX-50’s cabin to trend closer to the luxury end of the spectrum than many of its mainstream competitors, including the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.
The CX-50 will offer a new drive-mode selector that includes off-road and towing modes in addition to the Sport mode that is offered on most current Mazdas. These settings adjust features such as throttle response, steering feedback, and the tuning of Mazda’s G-vectoring control system.Mazda hasn’t yet released pricing for the CX-50, but we expect it to cost a bit more than the CX-5, which starts at $27,945 with all-wheel drive. It will be built at Mazda’s new factory in Alabama that is shared with Toyota and will start production in 2022, going on sale in the spring.
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