Autos
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Toyota bZ4X Concept First Look: Finally Kicking Off Toyota’s Electric Future
It’s been a long time coming, but we’re finally getting our first look at Toyota’s electric future. The Toyota bZ4X Concept is the first of seven dedicated battery-electric vehicles that will live under the new “bZ” moniker, and while some details such as its range, battery size, and charging capabilities have not been disclosed, it represents an important stepping stone for Toyota’s future. If you think the concept’s name sounds like a computer password, don’t be fooled. That’s because “bZ” stands for Beyond Zero. We’ll be seeing that badge across multiple models in the next few years, much like how “GR” (Gazoo Racing) is now included in the names of the Supra and 86 sports cars. If this concept looks...
Toyota Says It’ll Build an All-Electric Pickup Truck Soon
A few years ago, the idea of an electric pickup truck seemed … unimaginable. Trucks are meant to haul, tow, and play in remote places where electric car chargers are hardly found. Fast forward to today, and we’re seeing a wave of electric trucks that will hit the market soon from names familiar (Ford with its F-150 and the return of the Hummer) and new (Tesla with its Cybertruck and Rivian with the R1T). Toyota is the latest big-name automaker to confirm plans to bring an electric truck to market, whether it’s in the form of a Tundra, Tacoma or both. Using the stage at the Shanghai auto show, Toyota said it will bring hybrid and battery-electric powertrains to its truck lineup. It stopped short of indicating which specific nameplates will have an electric variant, and thi...
2022 Lexus ES First Look: Same Svelte Sedan, More Touchscreen
Until recently, the Lexus ES sedan has been classically Toyota: Pretty boring, incredibly competent and refined, and … essentially a plus-size Camry wearing a luxury badge. This changed with the arrival of the current-generation ES, which featured sleek, attractive styling and perhaps one of the best integrations of the luxury brand’s current design language (and in-your-face hourglass-shaped grille design). As a bonus, the ES grew more athletic and engaging, without sacrificing the quiet comfort it’s always been known for. Fortunately, Lexus has done nothing to the 2022 ES sedan to change any of that. For its mid-cycle refresh (the update automakers typically gift a vehicle halfway through its life cycle), the Lexus ES sees an expected smattering of minor styling ch...
Audi A6 E-Tron Concept First Look: A Luxury Sedan Goes EV
Audi A6 E-Tron Full Overview Very Close to Production While the A6 E-Tron currently enjoys status as a concept, Audi reports what you see is “95 percent” production intent. The sleek new sheetmetal shows off the latest evolution of Audi’s design language; that includes the new “inverted face” front end, so named because it inverts the traditional dark grille area and body-color front bumper treatment of internal-combustion vehicles. This signature will make its way to all of its future electric models, we’re told. The A6 E-Tron also features headlights with customizable rows of LEDs that Audi says customers can configure to display a personal daytime-running-light signature—local regulations permitting, of course. In profile, the most striking aspect of ...
2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime First Test: Toyota’s Best Hybrid Ever
Toyota RAV4 Full Overview Toyota’s hybrids have been called many things, but “interesting,” “fun,” or “fast,” likely hasn’t been on that list. The 2021 Toyota RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid SUV changes all that. Not only is it arguably the best hybrid Toyota has built to date, but it’s also the quickest non-Supra Toyota we’ve tested in the past five years, and the most-efficient Toyota on sale today not wearing a Prius badge. What’s a RAV4 Prime and What Makes It So Quick and Efficient? The new RAV4 Prime is the plug-in hybrid version of the RAV4. Like the RAV4 Hybrid, the RAV4 Prime sports a 177-hp and 165-lb-ft 2.5-liter I-4 engine mated to electric motors and an e-CVT up front, another electric motor at the rear axle, and a ba...
Another 2022 VW Taos Prototype Drive: This Time With Multiple Suspension Tunes
Volkswagen Taos Full Overview This isn’t our first time behind the wheel of a not-quite-ready-for-prime-time version of the 2022 Volkswagen Taos: Last fall, we sampled the new 1.5-liter turbo engine, and this time we were invited to drive more prototypes with suspension tuning that both was and wasn’t close to final. Frankly, at this point we just want to drive the damn production version, but VW seems determined to draw out the introduction like some sort of romantic interlude, minus the candles and prosecco. We’ll play along, though this time we’ll skip the long setup on the small SUV’s market position, tweener status, and baby-Atlas styling because we covered those in our First Look. This time ’round, we were invited to Volkswagen’s hot-weather ...
Audi to Sell New A6 EV Hotness Alongside Old, Different A6 Gas Model
The electrification of the auto industry presents a conundrum for automakers transitioning legacy models from gas- and diesel-powered internal combustion engines to electric motors: what if the industry is ready before the customer is? In the case of the Audi A6, the brand says it’s planning on selling two versions: one gas and one electric, the latter of which is set to arrive for 2024 and bear the name A6 E-Tron. Why Two Audi A6s? Audi thinks some customers may not be ready (or able) to make the leap from gas to electric powertrains by the time the A6 E-Tron hits dealers. Audi cites today’s charging infrastructure as the main reason for this. While growing rapidly, today’s EV charging infrastructure still leaves much to be desired in some parts of the United States (and...
Genesis Electrified G80 First Look: Genny Goes Electric
Genesis makes its electric vehicle plans official with the appearance of the Electrified G80 at the Shanghai Auto Show. We expect the EV model to show up on our shores within the next year or two, as well, given the brand claims the Electrified G80 is a global vehicle. The parent company of Genesis, Hyundai Motor Company, has big EV plans for each of its brands (Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis). Hyundai is grouping its offerings into the Ioniq sub-brand, starting with the Ioniq 5, while Kia recently unveiled the EV6. See all 14 photos Genesis, meanwhile, previously dabbled in the EV space by way of its concept cars, the latest of which is X Concept, an electric two-door grand touring car. The Electrified G80, however, marks the luxury brand’s first production EV model. The batter...
Lincoln Zephyr Reflection Concept First Look: One Beautiful Sedan
There’s no denying that Lincoln is in a better place than it’s been in years. The Navigator and Aviator have taken the American luxury brand in a bold, distinctive direction. There’s no reason the Lincoln Continental couldn’t have distilled this down into a similar experience, but as you’re probably aware, the Continental never managed to get the formula exactly right. But lest you think that Lincoln simply didn’t have it in itself to craft that sort of swaggering, desirable sedan that could stand out in a way the Continental couldn’t, the Lincoln Zephyr Reflection “preview car” is here to set the record straight in Shanghai. See all 50 photos If you think “preview car” sounds like PR doublespeak for a concept car that ̷...
2022 Volkswagen GTI First Test: They Still Make ’Em Like They Used To
Volkswagen GTI Full Overview Can a car have a panic attack? No? Okay, good. For a second there, we wanted to throw a weighted car cover over our white 2022 Volkswagen GTI and slip some sort of vehicular benzodiazepine in its gas tank. If it could gain sentience, this shapely little hatch might incessantly blare its horn and idle at 4,000 rpm out of pure existential angst. Could you blame the poor thing? First and foremost, it’s a new gas-powered compact hatch from an automaker that has made it very clear that its future is both electric and filled mostly with SUVs. It killed the regular Golf hatch in the States, leaving the new MkVIII GTI and forthcoming Golf R as the only America-bound fruit from that once bountiful branch. As part of this Golf goodbye, our GTIs will come from ...
What Is SHERP the Ark?! Check Out This Extreme ATV
According to the manufacturer, it’s not actually a sport utility vehicle—it’s an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Whatever you call it, SHERP the Ark 3400 is impressive. Earlier this year on Top Gear America, Jethro Bovingdon got to—throw?—one of these 10-wheeled beasts around when the guys were comparing $250,000 luxury SUVs in Colorado. Where SHERP (The SHERP? The SHERP the Ark? Our buddy, SHERPy? Mr. the Ark?) might be lacking in creature comforts, it does not lack in capability. This go-anywhere, do-anything, overland work vehicle can haul up to 3,400 kg of cargo or 22 people over nearly any terrain imaginable. You might think, “What could it do without the trailer, though?” Buddy, that’s not a trailer. That’s a six-wheel-drive, multi-configurable ca...
Alpha Wolf+ First Look: EVs Becoming Pickups, Pickups Becoming Trucks
Another wolf p’up has been added to the pack, and it too is an alpha. The Wolf+ (Wolf Plus) has joined the Wolf as the second EV truck in the Alpha Electric Truck Series offered by the SoCal EV startup company called Alpha Motor Corporation. As implied by the name, the Wolf+ is an extended-cab, four-seat version of the Wolf and shares its platform. The company emphasizes that it’s going to be built for utility and adventure, two buzz words that’ll be key for all electric trucks of the future. The extended-cab portion consists of two three-quarter size clamshell doors that open in suicide fashion (reminiscent of traditional extended-cab mini trucks). The rear features two permanent forward-facing seats rather than center-facing fold-down jump seats. A rear center console (...
