News

Toyota has dropped the first full photo of the upcoming 2022 Tundra full-size pickup. This is an off-road-ready TRD Pro model with black 18-inch wheels wrapped in Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires. The new Tundra will be fully unveiled later this year and will go on sale shortly after. After photos of the 2022 Toyota Tundra leaked on the internet (and were published here at Car and Driver, among other places), Toyota has released a clear photo of the upcoming full-size pickup in TRD Pro form. The new Tundra will debut in the coming months and should arrive in the U.S. by the end of the year.
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.

We’re getting a clearer look at the truck’s imposing new front end, which features a black grille with three integrated LED light bars. “Toyota” script sits up top with a stamped “Tundra” badge in the lower front bumper, which has the same camo-like pattern as the fender flares. A new set of TRD Pro-specific wheels are mounted with 285/65 Falken Wildpeak all-terrain tires. This example also has a red interior.

The new Tundra is expected to use a new twin-turbocharged V-6 engine, and Toyota released an image of the new truck’s engine cover this week. The photo showed an “iForce MAX” badge with blue lettering, suggesting a new hybrid powertrain, which surely could be an option. Another major change should be seen in the rear suspension setup, which is expected to replace the old truck’s leaf springs with coil springs, air springs, or possibly an independent rear suspension. Look for the official details and specs on the 2022 Toyota Tundra in the coming months. This TRD Pro model should cost just over $50,000, and the base truck’s starting price is expected to be around $36,000.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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 created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Like every Window Shop episode, this one features used vehicles for sale online selected by the talking heads that make up this “show.” Unlike every other Window Shop episode, no shopper picked the car that he’s presenting. That task fell to his coworkers, who weren’t kind in their choices. Crowning the winner isn’t based on the best car, but rather how well the shopper-turned-salesman handles the surprise and hypes up the car he’s given. It’s easy to find obscure and esoteric things that we know nothing about, but the point here was to find something that the presenter would never choose, something that goes against everything he believes in. The harder the sell, the better. Oh, the budget was $30,000, if that’s important to you. Road & Track senior editor John Pearley Huffman is up first and faces deputy testing director K.C. Colwell’s find. Pearley rolls masterfully with the Rolls-inspired 1983 Cadillac Seville. This segues into senior editor Joey Capparella’s hilarious attempt to sell a Ford Econoline conversion van chosen for him by deputy editor Tony Quiroga. Known for his love of expensive, exotic, and beautiful machines, contributor Jonathon Ramsey is visibly shaken by the idea of extolling the virtues the Pontiac Torrent, a Capparella selection. At least the Torrent is the 263-hp GXP model.Ramsey tries to befuddle Colwell with a heavily modified car that started its life as a Nissan 370Z. Despite the car’s automatic transmission, cheap tires, and aftermarket everything, Colwell makes it through the presentation, pointing out all the best bits.Finally, Quiroga faces the wrath of Huffman, who picks a commercial Freightliner moving van that stops Quiroga in his tracks. Pearley does admit to not reading the challenge, but hilarity ensues. We couldn’t pick a winner, so we’re leaving this one up to you. In the comments section, please let us know who you think picked the best (worst) car and who did the best job with what he was given.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

In honor of Juneteenth, Car and Driver’s parent company Hearst Magazines is highlighting the stories of black elders as told to young black journalists. One of those stories comes from Joseph Anderson, a former executive at GM’s Pontiac division, a graduate of West Point, and now the CEO of TAG Holdings. Read his story, as told to De’Aundre Barnes, here. This Week in SheetmetalPorsche showed us the wingless Touring edition of its 911 GT3. The wing delete is the only change to the Touring model, which creates downforce using a power-operated automatic rear spoiler. Every GT3 will have 502 horsepower and a flat-six engine with a 9000-rpm redline, and you won’t be able to buy the manual version in California because it’ll be too loud. That’s our kind of car.

Polestar

Polestar gave us a teaser image for its 3 SUV, which should start production next year. The car is under a drape in the shot, but based on its silhouette we suspect it’ll take the form of an SUV coupe, and it looks like it may even sport a rear spoiler or wing. Honda will soon end production of its Clarity fuel cell and plug-in-hybrid models. The Clarity also initially had an EV variant, but that model was discontinued last year. The cars weren’t big sellers, so Honda says interested buyers will still be able to lease those versions of the Clarity through 2022. Ford has finally started production of the new Bronco, and the first customers should receive their off-roaders within the next few weeks. Ford first delayed the launch in December, saying then that the Bronco was scheduled to start production in early May. Broncos carrying the Sasquatch package still won’t be available until next year.

Lordstown

SNAFU at LordstownDon’t let Elon Musk trick you into thinking that running an EV startup is easy. Lordstown Motors, an Ohio-based EV startup, has spent the past two weeks issuing increasingly dire communications about its viability, which have sent the stock tumbling and raised serious questions about the future of the company and its electric Endurance pickup. Early this week, Lordstown announced that its chief executive officer and chief financial officer had both resigned following an internal report. That report found there was some truth to the claims in a report from investment research firm Hindenburg that Lordstown had exaggerated the number of orders it had for the truck. On Thursday, the company had admitted in an SEC filing that it had no binding or firm purchase orders for the Endurance (the outgoing CEO previously said the company had 100,000 pre-orders, while a different executive said earlier this week that there were enough binding orders to account for two model years of production). Lordstown’s future is still uncertain, but we wouldn’t be surprised if F-150 Lightning owners have come up with their own version of the Jeep wave by the time the first Endurance rolls off the line.EV a Gogo

Chaos at Lordstown aside, it was another big week for EV announcements from major automakers. Lincoln, Ford’s often troubled luxury arm, will go all electric by 2030, starting with an EV SUV in 2022. The head of brand development at Volkswagen said the brand is preparing to realign its business towards EVs “in a massive way,” while VW’s luxury brand Audi says it will stop introducing new internal-combustion-engine vehicles by 2026. And General Motors is accelerating plans for two U.S. battery plants.Consulting firm AlixPartners thinks this may all be a bit too much too fast, though. The firm estimates in its annual report on the auto industry that EVs will make up 24 percent of all vehicle sales by 2030, but if every manufacturer that has made a promise about shifting to EV production actually does, demand for those cars will need to increase to 35 percent to match supply. Further Reading Ferrari had its first runway show this week, which featured models walking through the brand’s Maranello factory. The New York Times took an EV road trip through Colorado so you don’t have to.And if you’re a last-minute kind of gift giver, here’s our list of great books about cars for dads.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Porsche’s sixth-generation infotainment system now supports Android Auto, along with increased integration of Apple CarPlay.The Track Precision app gets a makeover as well, with increased accuracy for lap times and data thanks to a re-optimized GPS.PCM 6.0 will debut in the 2022 Porsche 911, expected in late 2021 or early 2022, before reaching other models.Although Porsches are certainly still driver’s cars, the sports-car marque doesn’t skimp out on its infotainment technology. A new Porsche Communication Management (PCM) 6.0 aims to provide even more information to drivers while also integrating the infotainment system seamlessly into the driving experience.For starters, the overhauled PCM 6.0 interface features redesigned fonts, icons, and layouts and increased integration of Apple CarPlay. It also has Android Auto capability for the first time. Over-the-air updates will ensure that Porsche drivers always have the latest version of the software.

Porsche has also improved the voice assistant. Saying “Hey Porsche” activates the system (you can also use a button on the screen or on the steering wheel), which can understand an expanded list of words and phrases. The voice assistant can also now adjust functions such as massage seats, climate control, and ambient lighting, along with phone commands and navigation. The navigation system can now update routes more quickly and tell the driver how much traffic individual lanes are experiencing on certain roads to help reduce commute times.

Porsche

The increased integration of Apple Music allows drivers to access their music library even without their phone in the car, as long as they have signed in previously. A driver can also directly add a song they hear on the radio that they like to their Apple Music library without leaving the radio interface, or launch an Apple Music playlist based on a specific artist if someone on the radio catches their ear. Porsche has also enhanced the Track Precision app. The app can now run through Apple CarPlay and has a revised interface. The app can record lap times and track data for 300 tracks around the world, with the GPS upgraded for increased accuracy. The data can also be overlaid onto video if a driver connects a GoPro via Bluetooth. Although the app is free to download, the vehicle must be equipped with the Connect package (for wi-fi support) as well as the Sport Chrono package in order to work. Although it was originally only available on the 911 and 718 sports cars, the app will be expanded to the Cayenne, Taycan, and Panamera.PCM 6.0 will debut on the 2022 Porsche 911, before appearing on the Cayenne, Taycan, and Panamera. There are no plans to update the system on the 718 Cayman and Boxster, and we haven’t heard yet when it will make its way into the Macan. Expect Porsche models equipped with the new system to go on sale in late 2021 or early 2022.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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 created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

Despite all of its recent controversies, Lordstown confirmed this week that it will start building its first vehicle this September in Ohio.One of those controversies led to the resignation of founder and CEO Steve Burns, who the New York Times said left because he made inaccurate statements about pre-orders for the truck.Lordstown Motors’ president, Rich Schmidt, laid out the progress the company had made in preparing for production, including reconditioning stamping presses, paint spray testing and getting the battery and hub motor lines up and running.UPDATE 6/18/21, 10 a.m.: In an SEC disclosure filed Thursday, Lordstown “clarified” Lordstown president Rich Schmidt’s claim that the company has “firm orders” for its Endurance production in 2021 and 2022. The clarification basically says Schmidt did not tell the truth: “Although these vehicle purchase agreements provide us with a significant indicator of demand for the Endurance, these agreements do not represent binding purchase orders or other firm purchase commitments . . . To date, we have engaged in limited marketing activities and we have no binding purchase orders or commitments from customers.”It’s been a rough few weeks for Lordstown Motors, but the new leaders at the company are not backing down from their claim that the Endurance electric pickup truck will start production in September 2021. This week, Lordstown announced that founder and CEO Steve Burns had resigned. In a company statement, Lordstown thanked Burns for his “passion and commitment to the company,” but did not explain why he left the company. The New York Times reported that an internal investigation led by Lordstown’s board of directors found “issues regarding the accuracy of certain statements regarding the company’s pre-orders.” We were not able to reach Burns for comment about his departure, but whatever the actual reason, the company turned to an in-house executive as his replacement. Lordstown Motors’ lead independent director, Angela Strand, was appointed executive chairwoman and will manage Lordstown’s transition until a new, permanent CEO is found. Lordstown’s chief financial officer, Julio Rodriguez, also resigned this week and was replaced by interim CFO Becky Roof.

Speaking at a virtual Automotive Press Association (APA) event Tuesday, Strand said the company remains on track to begin building vehicles this fall with plans to deliver them to customers in the first quarter of 2022.”What’s not changing is our plan to start limited production in late September. It’s a new day at Lordstown and there are no disruptions, and there will be no disruptions, to our day-to-day operations,” she said. Lordstown Motors president Rich Schmidt echoed Strand’s commitment during the APA event, explaining how the startup automaker’s work converting an old General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio (hence the name), into a facility that can build a variety of electric vehicles started in November 2019 and continues today. Many of the production areas are ready today to produce vehicles, at a low volume, Schmidt said. He added that the body shop that had been used to make the company’s beta prototypes has been retooled to prepare for production and that the paint shop started spray programming last week. Lordstown is also currently commissioning its battery and hub motor lines, each of which measures around 400,000 square feet, Schmidt said. The hub motor line should be operational in July. Lordstown is also currently reconditioning the stamping presses and, overall, the retooling process is about 85 percent complete, he said.

Lordstown

Lordstown also responded this week to a report from investment research firm Hindenburg Research that claimed it was “unrealistic” to expect Lordstown to start production of the Endurance this fall. Lordstown issued a statement from a Special Committee of its Board of Directors that called the report, “in significant respects, false and misleading.” In particular, the company announcement said, “its challenges to the viability of Lordstown Motors’ technology and timeline to start of production are not accurate,” but Lordstown did admit that Hindenburg did “identify issues regarding the accuracy of certain statements regarding the Company’s pre-orders.”In the APA event, Schmidt wouldn’t say how many orders Lordstown currently has for the Endurance, other than to restate that, “we have enough orders for production for 2021 and 2022. Those are firm orders that we have for those two years.”Next week, Lordstown is hosting “Lordstown Week,” a media event that should reinforce the message that the company is making progress on getting the Endurance into customer hands.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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 created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More

These leaked dealer photos of the 2022 Toyota Tundra show the off-road-focused TRD Pro model. The new truck is expected to use a twin-turbo V-6 engine, and there could also be a hybrid option. It’ll make its debut in the coming months and should go on sale in the U.S. by the end of the year. Toyota will debut its new full-size Tundra pickup truck later this year, and we’ve already seen official photos of its front end and new V-6 engine cover. Now leaked dealer photos posted on the Toyota Tundra Forum show the off-road-ready TRD Pro model, and it’s a much improved look from the previous generation, which has been around for more than a decade.

tundras.com

tundras.com

The Japanese automaker gave us a glimpse of the new truck’s grille last month, and this TRD Pro model has a large “Toyota” badge above an LED light strip that’s integrated into the blacked-out grille. The truck is sitting on a set of black TRD Pro-specific wheels wrapped in all-terrain rubber, and there’s a black pattern surrounding the wheel arches. A large debossed “TRD Pro” logo is stamped into the tailgate, and three amber marker lights are on the rear, too, suggesting that this truck could be more than 80 inches wide.

We expect the new Tundra to be powered by a twin-turbocharged V-6 engine as seen from a photo Toyota released this week of the truck’s engine cover. The iForce MAX, however, could be a hybrid drivetrain because of blue “MAX” lettering on its logo. The current-generation Tundra uses the 5.7-liter iForce V-8 engine, which produces 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque. The new Tundra should also have a new rear suspension setup, ditching the old truck’s leaf springs in favor of coil springs, air springs, or possibly an independent rear suspension.

tundras.com

Look for the full details on the new Toyota Tundra in the coming months. The new truck could go on sale in the U.S. by the end of the year. Pricing is expected to start around $36,000 for a base model truck, and this TRD Pro model should start just over $50,000.
This content is imported from {embed-name}. 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 created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io More