Autos

The Honda CR-V is so common today, its numbers so thick on the ground in most places, that you’ve probably never stopped to consider what the compact crossover’s name means—or that it means anything at all. As a standout member of a mostly drab segment, the Honda’s name could just be the same old alphanumeric mumbo-jumbo applied to any number of modern vehicles. But did you know that it actually means “Comfortable Runabout Vehicle”? The funky name reflects the newness of what the CR-V represented back in the mid-1990s: there literally wasn’t a term for what it was, so Honda made one up. Among the first of a new kind of in-between vehicles (not quite a car, but not quite an SUV), the Honda, and others like it, would sometimes be called “soft-roaders...

Rolls-Royce showed off the all-new 2021 Ghost, the brand’s “entry-level” luxury sedan (ha!), at the beginning of September. It’s a cleaner, statelier design that doesn’t reinvent the Ghost concept so much as hone it to a sharp edge. Built on the brand’s aluminum spaceframe chassis, the luxury sedan now has a platform befitting its station, too. Now Rolls-Royce is showing off the extended wheelbase version—fittingly enough, called the Ghost Extended. See all 10 photos And extended, it is. The wheelbase swells by six inches, and the overall length by seven. There’s a weight penalty to grow your Ghost, but it doesn’t appear to faze the sedan at all. The 102 pounds of additional weight involved in the stretch fails to affect the manufacturer-prov...

It may seem like a nascent startup to us Americans, but Lynk & Co is already well-established in China, reporting more than 300,000 overall sales since the first vehicle went on sale in 2018. That’s quite a bit. Its range in that market is heavy on small crossovers that share an architecture with its corporate sibling, Volvo. Lynk & Co’s next play is to move in on the lower rungs of the EV crossover space, a place that more established players such as Tesla and Volkswagen are making moves in. Meet the Link & Co Zero concept. The Zero concept is a car-like crossover and a full-on EV, unlike the hybrids and PHEVs that Lynk & Co currently sells. It recalls the very first concept from the company, the CCC. The connection is more theoretical than literal, but th...

Hyundai recently announced it will rejigger the Ioniq lineup—currently a trio of gasoline-electric hybrid, plug-in, and electric hatchbacks—into its own EV brand. That vision includes rethinking what an electric vehicle should offer, not only in terms of driving range but also interior design. As such, Hyundai is showing its new Ioniq Concept Cabin, which previews future EV interiors and resembles your living room. We can expect to see some of these innovations reach reality within the next year. Partnering with LG Electronics, Hyundai created an interior that incorporates TVs, cabin-cleaning robots, and plenty of room to relax. A 77.0-inch flexible organic LED screen is attached to the ceiling, and it is large enough so two people can watch something different at the same time. Speakers i...

At Tesla’s Battery Day, founder Elon Musk dropped a typically cryptic reference to a smaller version of the Cybertruck for markets outside of the U.S. This is a truck that Musk has talked about before—more on that in a minute—but what he called it during the Q&A session is what perked our ears up. “Tight Wolverine“…what’s that? What Was Musk Talking About? Here’s what Musk said, specifically: “We’ll probably make an international version that’ll be—kind of smaller, kind of like a tight wolverine package. It’ll still be cooler, but it’ll be smaller because you just can’t make a truck like [the Cybertruck] for most markets.” The statement comes at the 2:45:00 minute mark in the Battery Day video, when asked abou...

Remember when the ST badge was reserved for the Focus? Then it migrated to the Fiesta, the Explorer, and Edge. Well, now it’s the Puma’s turn. The cutesy little crossover that we don’t get in the states—which by itself is curious, given America’s hankering for SUVs—just received the ST treatment. It’s the first performance SUV that Ford has given Europe, and even though the upgrades are standard ST fare, it adds up to yet another sporty compact from Ford that we want but can’t have. The first thing that comes to mind when you think ST is probably power. To that end, the Puma gets a 1.5-liter, three-cylinder engine (likely the same unit from the current, also Euro-only Fiesta ST) that makes 197 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 236 lb-ft of torque between 2,500...

As any automaker having a birthday is wont to do, Jeep is celebrating its 80th birthday with special editions all across its lineup. (1940 was the year the U.S. military solicited companies to pitch a design for what would eventually become the World War II Jeeps produced by Willys and Ford; the word wouldn’t become a registered trademark, and thus an official brand, under Willys until 1950.) Indeed, every 2021 Jeep thus gains an 80th Anniversary Edition, which Jeep previously announced but took until now to finally release some photos of the things. These models arrive in dealerships during the fourth quarter of the year. Features vary somewhat on the 80th Anniversary Editions, but all are well equipped. They have several design details in common, inclu...

Lordstown Motors is continuing the slow tease of its Endurance electric pickup this week, now revealing interior photos ahead of the truck’s launch next year. Much like the interiors of the Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T, the cabin of the Endurance is dominated by screens rather than physical buttons. A long frame on the dashboard houses three separate screens, underneath of which sit physical climate-control knobs. Other notable features inside the five-seat truck include a rotary shifter and large cup holders. The cabin has a decidedly industrial feel with stark metallic accents, and the overall interior aesthetic matches the minimalist design of the exterior. The Endurance will have no shortage of rivals. The Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, GMC Hummer, and Bollinger B2 are all...

Ford says that 75 percent of Ranger customers opt for an appearance package on their trucks, whether it be the Black, Chrome, Sport, or SXT packages. Now, the Blue Oval is giving buyers another option to change up the Ranger’s look. Building off the original STX appearance package, the STX Special Edition package is available on the base 2021 Ford Ranger and gets unique exterior and interior finishes. It also adds a healthy level of standard equipment. The first thing you’ll likely notice is the unique 18-inch black wheels. Inside, the STX Special Edition gets silver accents on the dash and doors. It also adds some much-needed equipment to the XL model, including an 8-inch touchscreen, Sync 3 with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, dual-zone climate control, and privacy glass with...

McLaren built the 765LT to be quicker, lighter, and more engaging than the 720S. Now, that promise rings even truer as McLaren has revised some of its performance stats. It turns out the new supercar will be even quicker than expected. Previously, McLaren claimed the 765LT would hit 124 mph in 7.2 seconds. Now, the automaker has shaved that time down to seven seconds flat. The 765LT has also improved its standing quarter-mile time to 9.9 seconds, according to McLaren. See all 33 photos Some metrics haven’t changed. McLaren still estimates the supercar will accelerate to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and hit a top speed of 205 mph. Likewise, the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8 engine still delivers 755 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque. Power is routed through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic tra...