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Hyundai has created another EV restomod using a model from its past.This version is based on the first-generation Hyundai Grandeur sedan from the 1980s.It has a reworked exterior, an entirely new interior, and an electric drivetrain to replace the gasoline engine.One of the coolest cars we have seen this year was the Hyundai Pony Heritage Series, a thoroughly reworked and upgraded first-generation Pony from the 1970s fitted with an EV powertrain, ultra-modern LED lighting units, and a nixie-tube dashboard. The Pony was created for an internal design lounge in 2020, and now it has happened again: A similarly restomodded Hyundai Grandeur sedan has appeared in the same showroom, right next to the iconic Pony.
The Grandeur is an interesting choice to receive this treatment. U.S. customers received later iterations of this large sedan, first as the XG300 and later as the Azera, but the first-generation Grandeur is more obscure. Developed together with Mitsubishi, it was also called the Mitsubishi Debonair in Japan. In Korea, it was intended to take on Daewoo’s top models and to provide aspiring Hyundai with a flagship model.While the Grandeur failed to distinguish itself from its competitors back in its day, its rebirth in Hyundai’s showroom in 2021 shows us how timeless the clean lines of the 1980s feel today. The car appeals not just to those that remember the first-generation Grandeur, but also to those spellbound by retro-futuristic style.

Outside, the Grandeur’s conventional lights make way for multi-pixel LED lights, which illuminate in different patterns up front and in the rear. The grille has been redesigned and loses the hood ornament that graced some versions of the original Grandeur. The wheels, mirrors, and moldings were also reimagined in a futuristic style.While the exterior has been upgraded and modernized, the interior is entirely redesigned but still uses styling cues and materials reminiscent of the 1980s. There is a single-spoke steering wheel with additional knobs on the left and right; the upper dashboard is an entirely new, horizontal screen; and the infotainment system features a vertical display on the center console.
The four lounge chairs are clad in velvet, a material that has long gone out of fashion but one that could soon make a comeback in luxury cars. The seatbacks are covered in leather. Storage spaces are designed with the look of expensive hand bags, and the audio system, co-developed with Korea’s leading instrument maker Samick, sports 18 speakers and two subwoofers. Also, the audio display resembles a piano.Hyundai has taken great care to create a unique lighting experience inside: Two light rays, emitting from both sides of the dashboard, highlight the B-pillars and illuminate the entire interior. Infinity mirrors add a further elegant and unique accent. And the bronze illumination is supposed to evoke the look of vintage hi-fi systems.For good measure, the original gasoline drivetrain has been entirely replaced by an EV powertrain. No wonder the team, led by Sang-ah Ko, Lee Dong-won and Woo-soon Choi, invested a full eight months to complete the impressive project.The Pony and Grandeur projects highlight a shift in Hyundai’s strategy, initiated by chief designer Luc Donckerwolke. While Korean carmakers have traditionally focused on future models, they are now, for the first time, looking back at and celebrating their own history. While we are curious which further cars will get the Heritage treatment, we are even more interested in a practical question: When can we order this Grandeur EV from Hyundai?
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The next-generation Nissan GT-R has been rumored since at least 2013, but a new report reveals potential details about the future sports car’s powertrain.Speaking with Autocar, Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida said the company is assessing ways to electrify the GT-R.Hybridization could help the GT-R improve its acceleration times while also enhancing fuel efficiency.It feels like an eternity since the current generation Nissan GT-R first went on sale—back in 2008, Barack Obama was elected, the first “Twilight” movie premiered, and T-Pain and Flo Rida’s “Low” dominated the airwaves. And for nearly ten years, rumors have swirled regarding the successor to the R35 GT-R. Nissan provided a glimpse at what a future GT-R could look like with the 2020 Vision Gran Turismo concept in 2014, and back in 2013, Nissan said to expect some form of hybridization on the next generation. Now, a decade later it appears that plan is still on track, according to a recent report from Autocar stating that the next GT-R will feature a hybrid powertrain using a V-6 gasoline engine. Autocar spoke with Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida, who said, “We are looking at how we can do it electrified.” Currently, the GT-R is powered by a twin-turbocharged V-6 with up to 600 horsepower, good for a sub-three second sprint to 60 mph. And while the GT-R is on the more fuel-efficient end of the sports-car spectrum, returning an EPA estimate of 18 mpg combined, emissions regulations mean that adding electrification could become necessary to keep the GT-R compliant. Along with boosting the fuel efficiency, the addition of electric motors could help with acceleration, as their instantaneous torque could sharpen the GT-R’s tire-squealing launches.

What’s not yet clear is if the next GT-R will be built on a new platform. Back in 2018, Nissan design chief Alfonso Albaisa told Autocar “we’re definitely making a new platform,” but GT-R sales have tailed off sharply since then and the global pandemic and resulting semiconductor chip shortage may have shifted priorities. Nissan launched a new generation of the Z car earlier this year, which, while heavily restyled, sits on the same FM platform as its 370Z predecessor. The GT-R could take a similar path, with all-new styling and an updated powertrain but riding on the same bones as the R35.Albaisa had also previously described how he likes the GT-R’s status as “The world’s fastest brick,” so we don’t think the next-gen model’s styling will be as dramatic as the Gran Turismo concept. It’s likely to retain an upright and muscular stance rather than going for the low-slung, sinewy supercar look. We may also see some inspiration drawn from Italidesign’s take on the current GT-R, pictured here.There’s no word yet on when to expect the next generation GT-R, but hopefully we won’t still be reporting on rumors about it in 2031.
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Ford Performance Parts will soon offer a supercharger kit for the F-150’s 5.0-liter V-8. The twin-screw supercharger ups the V-8’s output to 700 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. It will be available starting early next year, and it’s legal in all 50 states. In case you haven’t heard, Ford will soon debut a 700-plus-hp F-150 Raptor R that’ll take on the 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX. But if you’re impatient (or if you want to create your own custom build), Ford Performance Parts will soon offer a supercharger kit for F-150s equipped with the 5.0-liter V-8 that provides 700 horsepower.

The 2021 F-150’s naturally aspirated 5.0-liter V-8 produces 400 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 410 pound-feet of torque at 4250 rpm from the factory. The Whipple twin-screw supercharger makes the 5.0 pump out 700 ponies at 6500 rpm and 590 pound-feet at 5000 rpm, and Ford says it’ll allow the full-size truck to reach 60 mph in less than 5.0 seconds. That’s quicker than the Raptor, which needed 5.2 seconds to hit that mark in our testing. We expect the F-150 Raptor R will make over 700 horsepower from its supercharged 5.2-liter Predator V-8 from the Mustang Shelby GT500. The kit includes the supercharger and necessary hardware as well as a dual-pass intercooler system. Ford says it was tested with its 100,000-mile standards, similar to production engines. And it’s protected by a three-year/30,000-mile warranty if installed by a Ford dealer, Ford Authority reports. Ford Performance Parts’ supercharger kit for the F-150’s 5.0-liter V-8 will be available starting early next year, and it’s legal in all 50 states. We don’t know yet how much the supercharger kit costs, but pricing for the 2021 F-150 with the 5.0-liter starts at $33,330 on the XL model.
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The new 2023 Mazda CX-50 SUV will debut November 15.A blurry teaser photo gives a glimpse at the new mid-size crossover model.Production of the CX-50 will start in January 2022.Mazda is nearly ready to unveil the first of several new SUV models, as the 2023 CX-50 will make its debut November 15. The company released a teaser video showing a vague glimpse at the SUV driving through a forest while also confirming some details about this new model that will slot in above the CX-5 in the lineup.
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Mazda says the CX-50 will use the same platform as the current Mazda3 and CX-30. Presumably it will be a larger version of this transverse architecture, as the company also says it will be a mid-size crossover. As are many new SUV models these days, the CX-50 is being pitched as an active-lifestyle vehicle with “enhanced all-wheel-drive capabilities.”

Production of the 2023 Mazda CX-50 will start in January 2022 at Mazda’s new plant in Alabama that’s shared with Toyota. The Toyota Corolla Cross is also built in this facility, and it’s possible that the CX-50 will share some smaller components with that model even though the Mazda features its own platform and will likely use the same Skyactiv 2.5-liter and turbo 2.5-liter inline-four engines as other Mazda models. Mazda’s new longitudinal platform and inline-six engine won’t arrive until later in the forthcoming CX-70 and CX-90 SUV models, both of which are slated to go on sale by 2023.More details on the CX-50 are coming November 15, so check back then to see this new model in full.
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