Autos

The Volvo Concept Recharge heralds a new era for the brand, and maybe for the industry—one in which platforms are engineered for evolution. Lots of cars offer over-the-air software updates to keep customers engaged in, and in love with, their vehicles. But in the fast-moving automotive future, keeping a car’s technology current will require more than just freshened code. So Volvo envisions planning and packaging its cars with an expectation of periodic hardware updates as well. Volvo’s chief executive officer Håkan Samuelsson said, “If a car is to live for, let’s say 10 years, I don’t see computing hardware living that long. If you could upgrade maybe after half that time, you could give the car even more functionality in the last five years.” The s...

It currently is a day of the week—which one? Doesn’t matter, but kicking back at the end of it with a cold snack is surely a great way to wind down. But who wants to get up from the couch, work-from-home desk, or patio to grab their first (or second, or third … ) brewski from the fridge or cooler? You could train your dog to grab one for you, which would take effort, time, and commitment. Or you could turn to Heineken’s new B.O.T., which is, yep, a beer-carrying robot that brings the beers to you. Stop wondering what this has to do with cars, because the B.O.T. is kind of like a tiny self-driving car. Well, with its little cooler backpack, it’s closer to a self-driving SUV or wagon. See? Autonomy! We’re covering the future here at MotorTrend. Sit down, this is...

If you’re a hardcore fan of Bayerische Motoren Werke, you’ll be abundantly familiar with what is perhaps the most iconic BMW M3 of all: the E46 M3 CSL. If you aren’t a hardcore BMW fanperson, the CSL name traces back to the 1970s, when it appeared on a powerful 3.0 coupe variant; many years later, it resurfaced in 2003 on a special M3. The CSL name is an anagram for “coupe, sport, lightweight,” and on the E46 M3, it was joined by an approximately 10-percent lighter curb weight, more power, and near-slick Michelins. It almost instantly cemented itself as one of the best M3s to roll out of Munich. But now, almost 20 years later, the two-door M3 has morphed into the M4, and the CSL name is poised for a comeback on the newest M4 coupe. A popular thread on enthusia...

Tesla drivers in California, good news: Supercharging is free for the Fourth of July holiday. On June 28, Tesla sent out the following message to some Tesla owners through the Tesla App: “Avoid the rush this 4th of July holiday and charge for free before 12pm and after 9pm at select California Superchargers between Friday, July 2 and Monday, July 5. For faster charging anytime, navigate to your destination using Trip Planner to optimize your route and automatically precondition your battery.” See all 12 photos Tesla does not provide a list of those “select California Superchargers” but you can easily check Supercharger site’s status and price on the in-car navigation map. (Tip: tap on the red pins with numbers on them.) Do mind that the free charging time slot...

See all 32 photos At first glance, the Cayenne Turbo GT looks much like its lesser Turbo stablemate. Those with sharp eyes, however, will note a number of small styling enhancements, such as a distinct front fascia with bigger side air intakes and a more prominent front lip, black fender arches, a set of gorgeous 22-inch gold wheels, and updates to the SUV’s rear wings, with the upper-hatch-mounted unit welcoming carbon-fiber side plates and the larger adaptive spoiler (that resides just below the rear window glass) adding a two-inch-tall Gurney flap. Additionally, the Turbo GT sits approximately 0.7 inch lower than the run-of-the-mill Cayenne Turbo Coupe. Powerful Porsche Porsche’s performance tweaks to the Cayenne Turbo GT extend beyond its ride-height reduction. Notably, the...

My most excellent source—Deep Burble—recently told me the sad tale of the stillborn sixth-generation Camaro Z/28 that almost was, but never will be. I just had to say something. Yes, friends, Chevrolet was all set to build a follow-up to the absolutely brilliant, Best Driver’s Car winning fifth-gen Camaro Z/28. Now it ain’t. Feeling blue? You haven’t even heard the details. MotorTrend lifers Scott Evans, Angus Mackenzie, and I have long talked about a so-called “Engine Hall of Fame.” My first ballot all-timer has always been the mighty LS7 7.0-liter V-8 of General Motors fame. First seen in the sixth-gen Corvette Z06, the 505-hp humdinger eventually trickled its way down to the Camaro Z/28. The results were staggering. Quoting me: “But it’s not jus...

Regulations, rules, and red tape govern cars both street legal and for competition. For the well-heeled, these aren’t fetters, but instead challenges. And the 2022 Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro revels in its lack of restraint. This is a hypercar with Le Mans prototype-level performance (and pedigree), but without being held back by racing rules or power restraints—or anything required of street-legal cars. Because it isn’t legal for either road or competition. It’s the ultimate hypercar-lover’s hypercar: only suited for a limited purpose, and magnificently specialized at its awe-inspiring role—to thrill on track. See all 17 photos The Valkyrie AMR Pro is what it is partly because its race version, which was intended to campaign at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Le M...