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Future cars of 2024: EVs, ICEs and IQ, oh my

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 28, 2023

The shelves will be overflowing with new vehicles next year.

Automakers are introducing a flood of electric vehicles to gauge customer demand and meet onerous government regulations forcing electrification. But they aren’t taking their foot off the gas pedal in producing parallel, profitable, petrol-powered products. Start-up EV automakers also are elbowing into the new landscape, resulting in more brands as well as more models for you to shop.

America is the world’s richest consumer market and there is something for everyone from off-road trucks and on-track hellions to luxury chariots. New car prices have soared in recent years, so get out your checkbook because 65% of new models start at more than $40K. Depending on your budget, you can buy anything from a $21,745 Nissan Sentra to a $34,995 Chevy Equinox EV to an $80,000 Ram 1500 Ramcharger pickup to a $340,000 Cadillac Celestiq EV and a seven-figure Alfa 33 Stradale supercar.

A look at what’s coming in 2024:

2024 Acura ZDX

Price: $60,000 est.

The first electric SUV from Honda’s luxury brand, ZDX will be built on GM’s Ultium platform alongside the Cadillac Lyriq in Tennessee. Acura promises the Type S performance model will be the brand’s most powerful ute yet.

Type S performance version of the Acura ZDX EV, co-developed with GM on Ultium platform.Type S performance version of the Acura ZDX EV, co-developed with GM on Ultium platform.

2024 Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale

Price: $1,000,000 est.

Alfa resurrects the legendary 33 Stradale name to pen a new supercar for a new, electrified era. Just 33 will be made, and they are already spoken for.

The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale sportscar marks the Italian premium brand's return to custom-built vehicles and is a bridge from its internal combustion engine past to the electric future.The Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale sportscar marks the Italian premium brand's return to custom-built vehicles and is a bridge from its internal combustion engine past to the electric future.

2024 Aston Martin Valhalla

Price: $800,000 est.

Marry the famed English automaker with Norse mythology and you get a stunning, $800,000 mid-engine, hybrid supercar. Power comes from a twin-turbo Mercedes V-8 driving the rear wheels and a twin electric motors up front.

2025 Audi Q6 e-tron

Price: $66,000 est.

The midsize EV debuts the PPE (Premium Platform Electric) battery platform shared by Audi and Porsche. The Q6 E-tron parallels the brand’s popular, gas-powered Q5 crossover.

2024 BMW i5/5-series/2025 M5

Price: $58,895 5-series/ $67,795 i5

The 2024 BMW i5 eDrive40 is a truly contemporary luxury sports sedan experience.The 2024 BMW i5 eDrive40 is a truly contemporary luxury sports sedan experience.

The iconic 5 Series sedan will be joined by an all-electric i5. Expect bold designs complete with dramatic kidneys and layers of gloss black plastic. A plugin-hybrid, all-wheel-drive BMW M5 performance model will soon join the party with an estimated 738 horsepower. Gott im Himmel.

2024 BMW X2

Price: $42,995

The second generation of Bimmer’s fastback SUV gets bolder styling, bigger dimensions and a beefer, 2.0-liter, turbo four-cylinder engine drivetrain. More aggressively packaged, the X2 is the boxier X1’s sexier twin.

2024 Cadillac Celestiq

Price: $340,000 est.

Cadillac is going all-EV and Celestiq is the flagship. Taking a page from exotic European brands like Rolls and Bentley, Celestiq will be hand-built, with each model customized to its buyer’s taste. The AWD looker will feature state-of-the-art tech and a $300,000 price tag to match.

Along with the F1 bid, Cadillac's exclusive 2024 Cadillac Celestiq EV aims to remake the brand.Along with the F1 bid, Cadillac's exclusive 2024 Cadillac Celestiq EV aims to remake the brand.

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ

Price: $99,000 est.

The truck-based Escalade gets an Ultium-based electric sibling. The hulking IQ will have an enormous, 200 kWh battery below ships making 750 horses and 450 miles of range. Inside the six-figure land yacht are acres of screens and leather.

2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ

2024 Cadillac XT4

Price: $39,090

Caddy’s entry-level SUV gets a major facelift with dramatic exterior styling to match big brother Escalade. The interior imports the yuge, 33-inch screen from Lyriq.

2024 Chevrolet Equinox EV and ICE

Price: $34,995 EV/ $27,995 ICE

The bowtie brand’s best-selling SUV gets an electric brother for 2024. The Ultium-based Equinox EV essentially replaces the outgoing Bolt as the cheapest GM EV. The Equinox comes in FWD and AWD models with a range of 250-300 miles. It will be assembled in Mexico alongside the more affordable, updated ICE ‘Nox.

A 2024 Chevy Equinox EV is displayed at the AutoMobility LA Auto Show Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, in Los Angeles.

2025 Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban

Price: $59,000 est. Tahoe/ $62,000 Suburban

The truck-based, three-row, V8-powered mega-utes add exterior lighting and tech updates, including big screens and optional Super Cruise driver assist. The popular, off-road Z71 trim adds a diesel inline-6 engine to its toolbox.

The 2025 Chevy Tahoe (right, Z71 off-road model) and Silverado (left, High Country model) lead the class in sales and get major upgrades for the 2025 model year to keep them there.The 2025 Chevy Tahoe (right, Z71 off-road model) and Silverado (left, High Country model) lead the class in sales and get major upgrades for the 2025 model year to keep them there.

2024 Chevrolet Traverse

Price: $39,000 est.

Just below the mega-utes, the unibody-based, three-row Traverse also receives a handsome exterior makeover, 17.7-inch infotainment screen, and Z71 trim.

2025 Dodge Charger EV/Daytona SRT Banshee

Price: $50,000 est. EV/ $90,000 Banshee

The Daytona SRT Banshee concept gave a glimpse at Dodge’s electric future. Production models should retain Banshee’s retro styling and clever aerodynamics while packing electric muscle ranging from a standard 455 ponies all the way to the Banshee’s Hellcat-beating specs.

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee2024 Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee

2024 Fiat 500e

Price: $34,095

The wee, electric 500e takes a second crack at the U.S. market with a more upscale model sitting on a dedicated battery platform. Its 149-mile range is small compared to most EVs but a step above the previous gen’s 84.

The iconic minicar returns to the United States as the 2024 FIAT (500e) RED.The iconic minicar returns to the United States as the 2024 FIAT (500e) RED.

2024 Fisker Ocean

Price: $38,000 est.

Fisker made headlines in 2012 with its outrageous, plug-in hybrid Karma coupe. Now it’s back with an electric SUV — complete with 360-mile range and a trendy, rear “doggie window” for canines.

California dreamin'. The Fisker Ocean EV SUV debuts at Manhattan Beach pier in LA in 2021.California dreamin'. The Fisker Ocean EV SUV debuts at Manhattan Beach pier in LA in 2021.

2025 Ford Bronco Sport

Price: $32,825

With design DNA shared with the truck-based Bronco, the unibody Bronco Sport has been a hit. Expect a refreshed model for ‘24, complete with hybrid option.

2024 Ford Ranger

Price: $34,160

The popular mid-size pickup has been rummaging in big brother F-150’s closet and now wears a more aggressive exterior. The digital interior is more upscale, too. And, like F-150, a powerful Ranger Raptor variant arrives powered by turbo-V6 shared with Bronco Raptor.

The 2024 Ford Ranger RaptorThe 2024 Ford Ranger Raptor

2025 Genesis GV90

Price: $100,000 est.

Genesis complements its flagship, G90 sedan with a flagship, three-row, AWD GV90 electric SUV. Featuring Genesis unique styling cues and a range of 250 miles.

2024 GMC Acadia

Price: $39,000 est.

Honey, I blew up the Acadia. After shrinking GMC’s three-row offering for the current generation, the 2024 model is big again like platform mates Chevy Traverse and Buick Enclave. Following regulatory trends, the GMC will be powered by a turbo-4 with a mountain of torque. A lifted AT4 model will climb mountains.

2024 GMC Acadia2024 GMC Acadia

2024 GMC Sierra EV

Price: $108,695

The Hummer EV pickup introduced GMC’s electric future, now the volume-selling Sierra goes EV. The Ultium-based pickup brings big power (754 horses), big range (400 miles) and a big price tag ($108,695) for its inaugural Denali Edition 1 model.

GMC Showcases its entry into the electric truck market with the 2024 GMC Sierra EV during the 2023 North American International Auto Show at the Huntington Place convention center in Detroit, Michigan, on September 14, 2023.GMC Showcases its entry into the electric truck market with the 2024 GMC Sierra EV during the 2023 North American International Auto Show at the Huntington Place convention center in Detroit, Michigan, on September 14, 2023.

2024 Honda Prologue

Price: $48,000 est.

The first Honda EV, Prologue is pro-space with a claimed most interior room in class. Honda customers may cringe at its nearly $50K sticker price — but Prologue is Made in the USA on GM’s ubiquitous Ultium platform and should qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit.

2024 Honda Prologue front features a plastic grille.2024 Honda Prologue front features a plastic grille.

2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

Price: $33,000 est.

Hyundai has made a habit of cool designs, and the LEGO-block Santa Fe continues the trend. The mid-size SUV grows in size and adds a third row.

Hyundai Santa Fe GRX at the LA Auto ShowHyundai Santa Fe GRX at the LA Auto Show

2025 Infiniti QX80

Price: $70,000 est.

Infiniti has faded to the background compared to its luxury peers, and QX80’s hot design wants to fix that. Based on the QX Monograph concept shown at Pebble Beach, the three-row ute has a striking waterfall grille and horizontal running lights.

2024 Jeep Recon

Price: $60,000 est.

Jeep tiptoed into the electrification game with the plugin 4xe. Recon is all in. True to its Wrangler forefather, the EV has a spare tire out back, removable doors, and locking differentials. You’ll know it by its illuminated, seven-slot grille.

The all-electric Jeep Recon coming in 2024 take a backlit approach to provide a seveon-slot grille look.The all-electric Jeep Recon coming in 2024 take a backlit approach to provide a seveon-slot grille look.

2024 Jeep Wagoneer EV

Price: $80,000 est.

Another lit grille. Jeep charges into the three-row electric SUV class with the Wagoneer EV. It headlines a 400-mile range, 600 horsepower, and a likely hefty sticker price.

2025 Kia K3

Price: $21,000 est.

In a sea of pricey EVs, the affordable, compact, gas-powered Forte is expecting a new gen. Like the mid-sized Optima sedan — now called the K5 — Forte may be renamed K3.

2024 Lamborghini Revuelto

Price: $608,358

Lambo drops its first hybrid supercar to replace the iconic Aventador. This is no tree-hugger. The plug-in hybrid combines three electric motors with a V-12 engine to produce gob-smacking numbers: 1,015 horsepower, sub-2.5 second 0-60, and a 200-plus mph top speed. Mama mia! A hybrid, V10-powered Huracan is expected, too.

2024 Lexus TX

Price: $55,050

Sharing its bones with the three-row Toyota Grand Highlander, TX offers a plug-in powertrain good for 406 horses and 33 miles of electric range.

The cabin is remarkably quiet, and the ride is comfortable with the Lexus TX 350 RX-L.The cabin is remarkably quiet, and the ride is comfortable with the Lexus TX 350 RX-L.

2024 Lincoln Nautilus

Price: $51,810

The hybrid Nautilus debuted at the 2023 Detroit Auto Show, and it’s a spa on wheels. The “Lincoln Rejuvenate” feature surrounds passengers with ambient lighting, speakers, massaging seats, and personalized scents while you poke at twin, 25-inch screens that span the entire front dashboard. It’s the first Lincoln Made-in-China and Sold-in-USA.

The large dashboard screen on the interior of the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus at the Lincoln display at during media day at the North American International Auto Show at Huntington Place in Detroit on Sept. 13, 2023.The large dashboard screen on the interior of the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus at the Lincoln display at during media day at the North American International Auto Show at Huntington Place in Detroit on Sept. 13, 2023.

2024 Lotus Eletra

Price: $115,000 est.

Goodbye whip-quick Lotus sportscars, hello electric Lotus SUVs. The battery-lit Brit makes its performance claims with 603 horses courtesy of twin electric motors and fat, 112-kWh battery.

Lotus EletraLotus Eletra

2025 Lucid Gravity

Price: $80,000 est.

The Silicon Valley startup follows up its stunning Air sedan with a similarly styled SUV. CEO Peter Rawlinson targets his former boss’s Tesla Model X with a three-row SUV offering 440-mile range, and 34-inch curved screen. You might be most impressed with a frunk so big it sits two.

Peter Rawlinson introduces the Lucid Gravity SUV at the LA Auto Show.Peter Rawlinson introduces the Lucid Gravity SUV at the LA Auto Show.

2024 Mazda CX-70

Price: $38,000 est.

The Zoom! Zoom! brand bucks the trend with an all-new, silky-smooth, inline-6 cylinder ICE. Introduced in the three-row, CX-90 SUV, the ICE will also appear in the mid-size CX-70, which slots above the popular CX-50. A hybrid will also be on offer.

Mercedes models

After introducing a blizzard of EVs — EQB SUV, EQB sedan, EQE sedan, and EQS sedan and SUV — the German lux-maker shores up the parallel, gas-powered side of the house with a blizzard of ICEs. Expect a turbo-4 C-Class sedan, high-horsepower, hybrid AMG C-Class models, CLE Coupe, and all-new E-Class.

2025 Mini Countryman

Price: $39,895

Mini is now a BMW property and makes SUVs. The stylish (if still unmistakably Mini-fied) Countryman will be built on the same platform as the BMW X1 and have EV and ICE variants.

2024 Nissan Kicks/Sentra

Price: $22,155 Kicks/ $21,745 Sentra

Nissan offers a $40K-something EV SUV like everyone else, but it’s a value brand at its core. Its entry-level, gas-powered, subcompact crossover and sedan get remade with Kicks getting the most attention with a taller ride, bigger grille, and AWD option.

2024 Polestar 3, 4

Price: $85,300 for 3/ $60,000 est. for 4

Volvo’s sister EV brand adds two SUVs. Both feature simple, attractive Scandinavian design and smooth performance. The aero-minded 4 dares to eliminate the rear window. How do you see out? Camera mirror.

The 2024 Pole.star 3 SUV leads a parade of four cars that will hit the U.S. market in the next two yearsThe 2024 Pole.star 3 SUV leads a parade of four cars that will hit the U.S. market in the next two years

2024 Porsche Macan EV

Price: $80,000 est.

Like the Audi Q6 e-tron, Macan EV is the first Porsche built on the PPE battery platform. Like the lightning-quick Taycan SUV, Macan aims to set the bar for SUV EV handling.

2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger

Price: $80,000 est.

Trying to solve the puzzle of range anxiety while towing, the 1500 Ramcharger innovates an EV with an onboard, gas-engine generator to charge the battery. With 145 miles of battery range — 690 miles total range — Ram claims Ramcharger is a pure EV because there is no direct mechanical path from the V-6 engine to the wheels.

The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger comes in the Bighorn trim.The 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger comes in the Bighorn trim.

2025 Ram 1500 REV

Price: $58,000 est.

If it’s a pure Ram EV truck you want, then REV will be offered on the same STLA battery platform as the Ramcharger. Unlike the Tesla Cybertruck, REV is conservatively styled like crosstown rivals Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevy Silverado EV.

Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, left, and Ram brand Manager Mike Koval show off their new toy, the Ram 1500 REV EV, at New York's auto show.Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, left, and Ram brand Manager Mike Koval show off their new toy, the Ram 1500 REV EV, at New York's auto show.

2024 Subaru Forester

Price: $29,000 est.

The boxy Forester follows its Crosstrek and Impreza relatives with the latest big screen and wireless smartphone connectivity. A hybrid model will follow later in the year.

Subaru Forester unveiled at the LA Auto show.Subaru Forester unveiled at the LA Auto show.

2024 Tesla Cybertruck

Price: $79,990

The EV maker’s most ambitious vehicle since the gull-winged Model X. The sci-fi Cybertruck features a stainless steel “exoskeleton,” drive-by-wire steering, four-wheel-steer, and insane, tri-motor acceleration. It’s the product of Tesla’s new Texas assembly plant.

A Tesla Cybertruck at a Tesla store in San Jose, California, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.A Tesla Cybertruck at a Tesla store in San Jose, California, on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.

2024 Toyota Camry

Price: $30,000 est.

America’s perennially best-selling sedan takes styling cues from the Prius, with a bigger greenhouse for better visibility. All Camrys are hybrids with AWD, a bonus for Michigan winters.

Toyota Camry at the LA Auto show.Toyota Camry at the LA Auto show.

2024 Toyota Crown Signia

Price: $45,000 est.

Stuffed with a similar hybrid powertrain as Camry, Crown Signia is the SUV version of the large Crown sedan. As the fancy name suggests, Insignia comes with a more upscale interior than the typical Toyota.

Toyota's all-new 2025 Crown Signia SUV.

2024 Toyota Land Cruiser

Price: $55,000 est.

The bruiser is back with LEGO-block styling and a rugged TNGA-F truck platform. Following its truck-based stablemates — Tundra, Sequa, Tacoma — Land Cruiser will get high-tech screens and optional hybrid.

A prototype of the Land Cruiser 250 displayed during its world premiere in Tokyo on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023.A prototype of the Land Cruiser 250 displayed during its world premiere in Tokyo on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023.

2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro

Price: $65,000 est.

Taco has been upgraded for the digital age and is on sale now. But the highly-anticipated, trim-topping, differential-locking, all-terrain-tire-wearing TRD Pro and Trailhunter trims will come standard with the truck’s new, stump-pulling hybrid system.

The top-drawer, 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro will debut in early 2024 with 33-inch all-terrain tires and a more powerful, hybrid drivetrain.The top-drawer, 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro will debut in early 2024 with 33-inch all-terrain tires and a more powerful, hybrid drivetrain.

2024 Vinfast VF6/VF7/VF9

Price: $30,000 est. VF6/ $37,000 est. VF7/ $84,000 est. VF9

Vietnam’s ambitious Vinfast EV brand is moving fast in the U.S. market. After introducing the VF8 SUV in 2023, the compact VF6/7 and three-row VF9 model round out the lineup. Vinfast hopes to move production to its North Carolina plant as early as 2025 to qualify for the $7,500 EV tax credit.

Vinfast VF6

2024 Volkswagen ID.Buzz

Price: $40,000 est.

The retro-styled ID.Buzz hopes to recapture the romance of the ‘60s VW microbus. Aimed at a richer demographic than the ol’ V-dub, the battery-powered ID.Buzz arrives with a long wheelbase version and up to 282 horsepower.

VW ID.Buzz at the LA Auto ShowVW ID.Buzz at the LA Auto Show

2024 VW ID.7

Price: $50,000 est.

Like ID.Buzz, the Passat-sized ID.7 is an indication of the VW brand’s up-market ambitions. The battery-powered ID.7 will likely start around $50,000 and show off a 15-inch touchscreen, augmented reality head-up display, and electrochromatic glass roof.

VW ID.7 at the LA Auto ShowVW ID.7 at the LA Auto Show

2024 Volvo EX30

Price: $36,245

At an affordable $36K for a lux-EV, the Made-in-China EX30 combines Tesla and Scandinavian design. A single console screen controls the interior, and the ute is full of typically clever Volvo storage options for phones and purses.

The Volvo EX30 dashboard features a large vertical screen and a horizontal sound bar below the windshield.The Volvo EX30 dashboard features a large vertical screen and a horizontal sound bar below the windshield.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Payne: What I want for Christmas? A McLaren Artura

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 21, 2023

HellMichigan — If I can’t have a Formula One car under the tree for Christmas, I’ll settle for a McLaren Artura. And at $300K — just 2% the cost of a $15 million F1 machine — it’s a steal.

Artura, the latest creation from the elves in Woking, England, has a carbon fiber monocoque similar to the company’s Formula One car. And a hybrid twin-turbo V-6 engine like its F1 car. And similar rear-wheel drive.

Take this combination onto Hadley Road here and it’s Christmas in Hell.

On a lonely stretch of Hadley, I put my right foot to the floor in launch control and Artura exploded forward, blowing past 60 mph in less than three seconds on my way to the moon. But first, a blind right-hander. The McLaren sliced it perfectly, the steering wheel a knife in my hands. With a chassis wrapped as tightly as — well, carbon-fiber threads — Artura exhibited no body roll, its summer Pirelli P-Zero tires responding instantly to my small steering inputs.

Auto racing and manufacturing have been intertwined for decades going back to Henry Ford’s Sweepstakes triumph. Nearly every major manufacturer today is invested in motorsport for its marketing and tech-transfer benefits. Then there are manufacturers who started as race teams. Ferrari, Lotus and the latest to cross over into production cars: McLaren.

Arturo is a case study in a how a brand’s enormous investment in Formula One hybrid tech translates to production. The English company is determined to explore the technology’s envelope to also deliver a luxury touring-car experience. Thus the name Artura — a fusion of “art” and future.”

King of Hell. The 2023 McLaren Artura struts its stuff.King of Hell. The 2023 McLaren Artura struts its stuff.

Arturo is a hybrid in more than one sense of the word. It’s a car with multiple personalities — a country-club tourer for Dr. Jekyll, a track weapon for Mr. Hyde.

McLaren has nailed the “art” piece. Before my descent into Hell (when hair sprouts, Hyde-like, from my knuckles and back), I took a detour through Ann Arbor to pick up my favorite Reuben sandwich at Zingerman’s. I might as well have been Brad Pitt.

At a stoplight, backpack-carrying school kids saw the Serpentine Blue McLaren and erupted into cheers, jumping up and down. Couples on the sidewalk stared and pointed at the rolling sculpture. Arriving at Zingerman’s, the McLaren’s scissor doors opened upward and brought a basketball game to a standstill in the adjacent park.

From stem to stern, McLaren has mid-engine proportions down cold. Artura is the love child of the lean McLaren 570 and iconic 720s — the latter one of the most distinctive mid-engine cars ever made. Scalloped side intakes feed huge radiators located fore of the rear wheels. It’s sensual, simple, yet boasts remarkable outward visibility (compared to, say, the pillbox quarters of a Corvette C8).

A blizzard of steering column stalks control the 2023 McLaren Artura.A blizzard of steering column stalks control the 2023 McLaren Artura.

The simplicity continues inside where McLaren has taken learnings from previous models and consolidated the drive setting and engine mode buttons on either side of the motorcycle-like gauge cluster behind the steering wheel. Only the steering wheel defies the spare theme with more stalks protruding from it than a buck has antlers.

There are shift paddles, wiper stalk, cruise control stalk, light stalk and instrument control stalk. What, no column shifter? No, DRIVE, NEUTRAL and REVERSE are still selected by console buttons mounted below the flame-red START button.

Push START and “future” kicks in. Where Artura’s design and chassis are familiar, the drivetrain is a new animal.

Unlike its forebears, Artura starts in silence. In ELECTRIC mode. On battery power. Like a Prius.

The 2023 McLaren Artura can be charged overnight to 19 miles of electric-only range.The 2023 McLaren Artura can be charged overnight to 19 miles of electric-only range.

I silently crept out of Zingerman’s parking lot without offending neighbors’ ears — or anti-fossil fuel UM academics. Exiting Main Street onto the M-23 four-lane headed for Hell, I toggled to COMFORT drive mode and squeezed the throttle. The powertrain increased the pace on full electric power before finally engaging the other half of the hybrid performance team: the twin-turbo V-6. Artura was now in full stride, yet the hybrid powertrain only emitted the sound of an angry vacuum cleaner.

Engage SPORT and the character of the V-6 emerges — Porsche six-like in its urgency — as it took advantage of McLaren’s lightning-quick eight-speed automatic gear set. That’s quite a show of the hybrid powertrain’s dexterity with the best yet to come.

TRACK mode, counter-intuitively, is the most ambidextrous of them all.

In the hands of heathens like me, TRACK mode will drink 2/3rd more fuel than COMFORT mode thanks to its prodigious power, short-gear ratio and neck-snapping launch control. But select TRACK mode for your interstate ride home from, say, Hell, and it will efficiently use the motor to replenish the 19 miles of battery-only range you exhausted while being stealthy in Ann Arbor. Gas guzzler and battery charger all in one mode.

Armed with a hybrid, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6, the 2023 McLaren Artura was a blast to drive in Hell -- home of Michigan's best roads.Armed with a hybrid, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6, the 2023 McLaren Artura was a blast to drive in Hell -- home of Michigan's best roads.

Of course, gas guzzling is always more fun, and the howl of the V-6 across Hell’s twisted country roads is irresistible. But choosing the TRACK chassis setting? Not so much.

So stiff is Artura in TRACK setting that the car was frenetic over bumpy Patterson Lake Road. That’s a lotta bumps. This must be what a Formula One car feels like on public byways. I found myself constantly fighting the wheel to stay on course. Leave TRACK for smooth race tracks.

The Artura’s sweet spot is SPORT. The suspension keeps the supercar planted, but not harsh so the chassis and drivetrain can work their magic. While I find Porsche 911s to be the most balanced cars in the supercar library, carbon-fiber wonders like the Artura are like nimble go-karts. A go-kart with a rocket strapped to its back.

Despite giving up 1,000 cc and 2-cylinders to the glorious twin-turbo V-8 found in predecessor 570/600 supercars, Artura healthily beats them in horsepower (671) and torque (531). McLaren points to the electric motor which (overcoming the hybrid system’s additional 300 pounds of weight) serves as “torque fill” to give the six-holer added oomph at the low end to help it fill its lungs on the way to a screaming 8,500 RPM.

Art. The 2023 McLaren Artura is a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive super car.Art. The 2023 McLaren Artura is a mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive super car.

“Holy crap!” yelled my friend Anthony over the V-6 as we shot off an interstate on-ramp like a sidewinder missile. Arturo boasts an upgraded infotainment system but we never touched the dial, so engaging is the V-6 audio. Zero-60 blows by in just 2.6 seconds (quicker than the 710 horsepower, V8-powered 720S) and 100 mph in 5.5 seconds (matching 720S).

Kind of like a Formula One car. Merry Christmas.

Next week: 2024 Honda Accord vs. Kia EV6

2024 McLaren Artura

Vehicle type: Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive two-passenger supercar

Price: $237,500, including $3,086 destination ($289,175 Elite as tested)

Powerplant: 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6 hybrid mated to electric motor and 7.4 kWh lithium battery pack

Power: 671 horsepower, 531 pound-feet of torque

Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.6 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 205 mph

Weight: 3,443 lbs.

Fuel economy: EPA 17 mpg city/21 highway/18 combined

Report card

Highs: Supermodel looks; rock-solid chassis

Lows: Maintenance worries; you’ll be trailed by paparazzi

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Ho Ho Ho Horsepower! 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R gets 720 ponies

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 21, 2023

Ho ho ho horsepower!

Just in time for Christmas, Ford Motor Co. announced that its V8-powered off-road beast, the F-150 Raptor R, will up its output to 720 horsepower for the 2024 model year. That puts the Raptor R firmly at the head of the gas-powered super-truck class, eclipsing its rival, 702-horsepower Ram TRX.

However, that’s still shy of new electric-power pickups on the market including the 1,000-horsepower GMC Hummer EV, the 835-horse Cybertruck, and 835-horse Rivian R1T.

The 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R gets a horsepower upgrade to 720 ponies.The 2024 Ford F-150 Raptor R gets a horsepower upgrade to 720 ponies.

The Raptor R is an upgrade over the standard Raptor supertruck with “only” 450 horsepower from its twin-turbo V-6 engine. Otherwise, the super trucks share SuperCrew cabs, 5.5-foot boxes, 10-speed transmissions and enough off-road artillery to make a small army jealous. Giant 37-inch tires, Fox Dual Live Valve dampers, and 13-inch suspension lift help propel the Raptor R across desert dunes at over 100 mph. A factory-sponsored, competition-equipped Raptor R won the Stock Mid-Size class at this year’s Baja 1000.

The Ford Raptor is considered the first “super truck” given its prodigious off-road abilities compliments of racing-proven shocks, tuned chassis, and high-output engine. But after Ford swapped out the first-generation, 2010-2014 truck’s throaty V-8 engine for a more emissions-compliant, twin-turbo V-6 in the second-generation, 2017-2020 truck, the brand heard grumbles from enthusiasts over its lack of rumble.

With canny product management, Ford’s introduction of a battery-powered Lightning pickup opened up regulatory wiggle room for the brand to re-introduce the V-8 engine in the Raptor R for the 2023 model year. The Raptor R’s supercharged, 5.2-liter V-8 is shared with the recent Mustang GT500 coupe and not only beats the Ram TRX horsepower number but crushes the first-gen, 6.2-liter V8-powered Raptors’ 411 horsepower.

The Raptor R was met with huzzahs from enthusiasts and was snapped up by buyers despite its $109,145 sticker price — a healthy premium over the “base” $78,770 model.

“The R is about 40 percent more expensive than the base price for the ‘regular’ Raptor. However, the R also puts out about 55 percent more horsepower,” wrote enthusiast journal Car and Driver. “If you’re after frightening acceleration and peak performance, then the choice is a no-brainer. The glorious wail of that supercharged V-8 is the cherry on top.”

Still, grumbles persisted that the R was shy of the TRX by 2 horses. For 2024, problem solved. Ford elves credit the 20 horsepower increase to “reduced air inlet losses coupled with an optimized calibration that also results in a wider torque curve.”

Opting for the Raptor R also includes unique graphics and badging, and options for the stocking like a Raptor Carbon Fiber Package. You’ll know the R by its larger hood vent, revised grille and standard, 37-inch all-terrain tires. The R also bests its V-6 stablemate with an 8,700-pound tow capability (8,200 for regular Raptor) — though both numbers pale compared to the more Santa toy bag-friendly F-150 and its 14,000-pound max towing.

Those who want to improve the audio experience on the way to grandma’s house can option an 18-speaker B&O sound system. Or you can just turn up the V-8.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

End of Dodge Charger, Challenger, Chrysler 300 production usher in electrification

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 21, 2023

The final models of the Dodge Challenger and Charger muscle cars and the Chrysler 300 as they’ve been known are expected to roll off the assembly line this week, ushering in a new era for the storied nameplates through electrification.

The hiatus will be short-lived for at least one of the vehicles. The new Dodge Charger, an all-electric muscle car whose concept model pays homage to the vehicle’s history while offering a fresh take, will launch in mid-2024. Brand CEOs have suggested the other two nameplates will return, too.

The final Hemi-powered 2023 Chrysler 300C rolls off the production line on Friday, Dec. 8 at Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario. Production of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Challenger as they have been known is expected to conclude this week.The final Hemi-powered 2023 Chrysler 300C rolls off the production line on Friday, Dec. 8 at Brampton Assembly Plant in Ontario. Production of the Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger and Challenger as they have been known is expected to conclude this week.

By industry standards, the next generation of these vehicles is long overdue. Their platform is rooted in ’90s Mercedes-Benz underpinnings from the DaimlerChrysler-era. Including the Dodge Magnum, the vehicle architecture supported 4.3 million vehicles — roughly the same number as the population of Metro Detroit.

The Challenger and Charger have been the flagships of the slimmed Dodge brand defined by performance and a focus on the driver. That identity is unlike anything else in the market, experts say, growing a staunch following. The vehicles’ transition to the new STLA Large multi-energy platform to support EVs, though, creates a cloud of uncertainty as hazy as burning rubber.

“That remains to be seen” if Dodge’s “brotherhood of muscle” will come along in the transition, said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at automotive search engine iSeeCars.com. “The market still wants these cars. There’s not a sign that it’s losing its demand in the market. It’s 100% government requirements and fines that are causing the death of these cars.”

Production of the Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger in their current form are ending in December.Production of the Dodge Charger and Dodge Challenger in their current form are ending in December.

Special edition buzz models, refreshes and ever-improved engine calibrations to produce more horsepower helped continue to make the vehicles desirable in showrooms. Despite launching its third generation in 2008, Challenger coupe sales last year outpaced the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, whose production ended last week.

The Challenger just eked out No. 1 through the third quarter of 2023, even though sales were down 16% year-over-year. The four-door Charger, though, holds the top market share of 33% among the four muscle cars, according to auto information site Edmunds.com Inc. Sales were up 2% through September.

The 1,025 horsepower 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 was unveiled on March 20, 2023, at the Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas performance festival at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.The 1,025 horsepower 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 was unveiled on March 20, 2023, at the Dodge Last Call Powered by Roadkill Nights Vegas performance festival at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

With car clubs for the vehicles in every state, passion remains fervent even as these cars in their current form head to the automotive graveyard in the face of increasing demands from fuel-economy standards and emissions limits. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Challenger produces 389 grams of greenhouse gas tailpipe emissions per mile up to 708 on the 1,025-horsepower Demon 170 that marked the vehicle’s last hoorah.

Ralph Gilles, Stellantis' chief design officer, says the next generation of Dodges still will have an "exhilaration factor."Ralph Gilles, Stellantis' chief design officer, says the next generation of Dodges still will have an "exhilaration factor."

“I don’t think this is an end of an era,” said Ralph Gilles, Stellantis’ chief design officer. “I just think of it as a transition as normal. This has happened before where people call it the end of a time, or the good days are over and all that stuff, and the new part is even more fun and more captivating and more exhilarating. That’s all I look at: the exhilaration factor. We’re trying to create not just a car, but a part of your life, part of your assets that you really, really are proud of, and you wear it on your sleeve.”

Some people literally do, with Gilles noting he’s seeing tattoos devoted to the Mopar brands and vehicles and garages full of paraphernalia. From the “Fast and Furious” franchise to “Talladega Nights,” the vehicles are icons on the racetrack and in popular culture.

Randy Dye, owner of a dealership in Daytona, Florida, is thinking about hosting a party when he has just one of the muscle cars left. The 38 on his lot won’t last him until spring.

“It hurts my heart,” he said about the end of their production. “My gosh, it’s like losing a friend. You’ve had such a wonderful relationship with a car. We’ve really enjoyed that car. The public has enjoyed those cars. The good news is we have all the confidence in the world in the Dodge brand team and what’s coming behind it.”

EV future

Dodge last year gave a glimpse of that future with the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept, a two-door all-electric muscle car with a hatchback trunk, R-wing over a nose-cone hood to provide the look of a Charger with improved aerodynamics and a Fratzonic chamber designed to move air in the same way a Hellcat’s engine does to produce a roar. Base model 400-volt systems would offer 455 horsepower with Direct Connection kits able to boost that up to 535 horsepower, while details of the top-of-the-line Banshee 800-volt system haven’t been shared.

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee2024 Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee

That Charger concept has excited some interested buyers of a production model, while others are “flat-out frustrated” by the end of the engine-run muscle cars, Dye said.

“Have faith,” he said. “The Dodge brand actually unlike any other OEM to the extent I’ve experienced really, really connects with the customer. They listen.”

Marc Flamer of Houston, Texas, has been a fan of cars built on the LX platform since his father bought a Chrysler 300 in 2005. He was saddened by the news that the 300 and Dodge Challenger-Charger have been discontinued.

“It felt like losing my best friend. The people I’ve met through these cars have been like family,” said the 29-year-old who has his own LX-based muscle car — a manual 2016 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack. “These cars are very special. The Challenger is a tremendous value with the performance as well as a roomy back seat.”

A member of the Space City LX community, he’ll continue to take his Challenger — “I’m not selling it anytime soon,” he insists — to events like the Lone Star Mopar Fest. He hasn’t given up on Stellantis brands.

“Tim Kuniskis and Ralph Gilles haven’t steered us wrong yet,” Flamer said of, respectively, Dodge’s CEO and Stellantis chief designer. “Whatever they come up with, I’m open to as long as it has a gas engine in it. They know what sells, but I’m not ready for an EV.”

1966 was the first year of the Dodge Charger.1966 was the first year of the Dodge Charger.

Gilles said attending events devoted to these Mopar vehicles and speaking with enthusiasts supercharges him and his team. The Mopar DNA, he says, is about being “giant killers” with attitude, while still being accessible and practical. That all went into the creation of the next generation.

“They’re going to come along,” Gilles said of the customers. “If you’re an enthusiast, you can sense immediately the dedication of the team that built the car that you love. You really can tell. It comes through in every touchpoint, every detail, the performance attributes, the minute you turn the wheel. You just know, and that’s what makes a great car.

“When you have a good team, and they pour their soul into it, and I know how we roll, and that’s what happened. I would be very surprised if the Mopar faithful, the current customers in smiling even if they didn’t want to will be like, ‘Dammit, I think I love this thing.’”

Jeff Laethem, owner of the Ray Laethem Motor Village in Detroit, said Dodge’s performance focus has driven some excitement around the EV application.

“It’s a perfect spot for something like that,” he said, noting the vehicles are often secondary cars. “Most of that range anxiety is very limited to times people are using them to go Up North or down to Florida. That’s not a problem in the case of a performance car like this. Most of the time, you’re driving your SUV up there.”

The Chrysler 300 came to market in 2005.The Chrysler 300 came to market in 2005.

A future Chrysler 300 also likely would be electrified with Chrysler planning to go all-electric by 2028. Brand CEO Christine Feuell has said it’s not done with sedans, though Chrysler’s first EV launch in 2025 will be a crossover.

The 300 was reborn in 2005 to be different from other sedans available, Gilles said, with a focus on high performance and luxury. The company honored the final model year with a Hemi-powered 300C edition. Sales in the first nine months of this year were down 5%.

1957 Chrysler 300C1957 Chrysler 300C

Bryan Minhinnett, 60, of Toronto bought the first-generation, 2006 Chrysler 300 SRT on power and style. He bought his second-gen 2012 on the interior.

“The 2006 car was different than everything else,” he said. “It was upscale looking; it was fast. The second generation was such a departure in the quality of the interior. I call it the gentleman’s hot rod.”

Minhinnett hosts a Mopar charitable event every June that is attended by a cornucopia of Chrysler cars, including Dodges, Plymouths and Jeeps. He isn’t ready to buy an electric car and laments that there is nothing else on the market that has the swagger of his dearly departing 300 and its meaty V-8 engine.

“I hope that Chrysler brings back the 300 and puts a twin-turbo Hurricane inline-6 in it,” he smiles.

‘Emotional’ end of production

The end of production of these vehicles not only represents a change for customers, but workers manufacturing the vehicles, too. Gilles noted the company threw a lot at the autoworkers at Ontario’s Brampton Assembly Plant outside Toronto with different hoods, wheel options and caliper colors, but “they never flinched.”

“It’s going to be emotional,” Ardis Snow, unit chairperson of Unifor Local 1285, the labor union that represents workers at the plant, said of the end of production. “It’s been a long, fruitful run for us. These are exciting vehicles, to see the pleasure on our customers’ face, their anticipation, their baby — that’s what a lot of them call it. The excitement of this vehicle is now going to be gone.”

The next generation of Dodge muscle cars will be built at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, according to Unifor’s latest agreement with Stellantis that secures $3.24 billion (CAD) in investments in Canada. Brampton will be retooled for the Jeep Compass crossover, which is now produced in Mexico.

“How are these new products going to sell?” Snow said. “Those vehicles provided for those plants. There are a lot of unanswered questions at this point in time.”

1970 was the first year for the Dodge Challenger. This is the Hardtop model.1970 was the first year for the Dodge Challenger. This is the Hardtop model.

What is unquestioned, though, is the passion there will be for these vehicles for years to come. Patrick Rall, 45, from Milford has been a Mopar fan all his life and owns a pair of classic, V-8-powered beasts: a 1972 Dodge Demon and a 1983 Dodge Mirada. The modern Dodge Challenger didn’t interest him until they made an SRT Hellcat model.

“I was watching to see how they would compete against Mustang and Camaro. Then they were the first to break the 700 horsepower barrier with the Hellcat,” he said. “And I thought: ‘The time has come.’”

He drives a 2017 Challenger SRT Hellcat making 707 horsepower from its supercharged, 6.2-liter V-8 mill. He’s drag-raced it at Lapeer International Dragway and recorded a quick, 10.9-second quarter-mile time.

“It wasn’t just the performance — I also prefer the overall interior of the Hellcat over the Camaro ZL1 and Mustang GT500,” he said, citing the high-horsepower muscle car competitive set. “It can comfortably seat my wife and my parents.”

bnoble@detroitnews.com

X: @BreanaCNoble

hpayne@detroitnews.com

X: @HenryEPayne

Staff Writer Kalea Hall contributed.

Payne: Here are the top new auto features of 2023

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 18, 2023

Automobiles are mobile consumer products at the intersection of multiple industries, including rubber, metallurgy, design, fuel and electronics. As a result, they are in constant innovative ferment.

That ferment has accelerated in recent years as the 21st-century electronics revolution — led by the smartphone — has entered the car.

A Silicon Valley tech startup, Tesla, has led the way, but change is coming at a breakneck pace across all brands, bringing not just new toys for consumers, but new headaches to manufacturers. The average number of problems per 100 vehicles rose a record 30 to 192 in the 2023 JD Power Initial Quality Study, the highest number in its 37-year history as cars have become more complicated.

With their skateboard chassis, electric cars are also driving innovation as designers re-imagine cabins and drivetrains. Here are the top features of 2023:

Google Built-in

Android OS (Operating System) operates your phone, and now it’s in your car. After years of building their own software, some automakers are throwing in the towel and conceding those smartphone guys are best at this sort of stuff. Android Automotive Operating System (officially Google Built-In) is now running new GM vehicles as well as those from Honda, Volvo and Polestar.

The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV will route you to, say, Las Vegas, with detailed charging instructions.The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV will route you to, say, Las Vegas, with detailed charging instructions.

The system allows a vehicle to instantly integrate your phone with the car on entry — a significant advance for EV owners, allowing them to plan a trip with charging stops. Honda’s version enables you to continue connecting via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto if you prefer — whereas GM considers them soooo 15 minutes ago.

Column shifter

The column shifter is back! Clunky column shifters used to be synonymous with pickup trucks, but they have been reborn on EVs. Without a drivetrain tunnel running through the middle of the cabin, EVs like the Kia EVs, Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Choose-Your-Model have opted for column shifters to free up console space.

And since single-speed automatic EVs only have REVERSE, NEUTRAL and DRIVE, their stalks aren’t as clunky to operate as ol’ multi-gear trucks.

The compact, steering-wheel-column-based shifter on the 2024 Kia EV9 electric vehicle.The compact, steering-wheel-column-based shifter on the 2024 Kia EV9 electric vehicle.

Steer-by-wire

Electronics are even changing steering systems. Steer-by-wire eliminates the mechanical connection of wheel-to-steering rack. Where the typical steering wheel rotates 540 degrees — nearly two turns lock-to-lock — variable steer means you only turn about 150 degrees.

The interior of the 2023 Lexus RZ looks familiar to Lexus RX buyers — except for an optional yoke steering wheel with steer-by-wire.The interior of the 2023 Lexus RZ looks familiar to Lexus RX buyers — except for an optional yoke steering wheel with steer-by-wire.

On-road inputs are small, which makes it a bit weird. Naturally, the Tesla Cybertruck is all in, while Lexus is teasing it on the RZ EV.

Camera mirror

Not a new concept, but you better have one if you drive a mid-engine Corvette (can’t see out the back), Ferrari 812 Competizione or Polestar 4 (the latter two have no rear window, to assist aerodynamics).

Since it lacks a rear window, the 2024 Polestar 4 comes with a camera mirror to see out back.Since it lacks a rear window, the 2024 Polestar 4 comes with a camera mirror to see out back.

No rear window? We’ll see if that becomes a trend.

Auto emergency braking

Driver assistance systems are hip at a time when autonomous driving is on everyone’s lips. But short of full self-driving, systems like Ford CoPilot360, Honda Sensing and Toyota Safety Sense offer two notable automatic features that will save you a lot of pain: 1) emergency front braking for when you are, say, fishing for something in your purse and take your eyes off the road, and 2) rear brake assist for when you’re backing out of a parking space between two mega-SUVs.

Car-2-car chargers

Electric vehicles are all the rage, but they cause rage when a driver runs out of charge. Can’t just run down the road and fill up a gallon of electrons. But if you see a Hummer EV, Ford F-150 Lightning or Hyundai EV, flag them down.

The 2023 GMC Hummer EV SUV can act as a mobile charger - charging, say, another Hummer that had run out of charge on the side of the road - via its onboard 19.2 kW charger.The 2023 GMC Hummer EV SUV can act as a mobile charger - charging, say, another Hummer that had run out of charge on the side of the road - via its onboard 19.2 kW charger.

These new EVs are capable of car-2-car charging to get you on your way again. At 12 miles-per-hour charge rate or worse, however, you’ll need to be patient.

2X hood pull

Most folks don’t know what’s under their hood, but if you’re curious, it can be a pain finding the hood latch. I’ve nearly lost fingers trying to pry a Jeep Wrangler’s hood open.

Details, details. The 2020 Ford Explorer is stuffed with thoughtful details like this 2x-pull hood tab, which releases the latch so you don't have to burn your fingers searching blindly for it under the bonnet.Details, details. The 2020 Ford Explorer is stuffed with thoughtful details like this 2x-pull hood tab, which releases the latch so you don't have to burn your fingers searching blindly for it under the bonnet.

Happily, Ford and the Chevy Blazer EV have followed BMW’s tradition of installing 2X hood openers under the dash. Just pull it twice (yank, yank) and the hood pops open.

One-pedal driving

Regenerative braking using the electric motor is one of the coolest features EVs offer (almost as cool as a manual transmission in an ICE vehicle).

Shift paddles? Nope, regen paddles on the Honda Accord Sport Hybrid.Shift paddles? Nope, regen paddles on the Honda Accord Sport Hybrid.

Hyundai and Audi use steering-wheel-mounted regen paddles, while Tesla and Volvos have in-screen settings. Even the gas-fired 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid is getting in on the act with its onboard motor.

Multi-link suspensions

Multi-link suspension are traditionally associated with nimble sports cars, but now they’re popping up in pickup trucks.

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma is off-road focused — though it offers the option of multi-link suspension/coil springs.The 2024 Toyota Tacoma is off-road focused — though it offers the option of multi-link suspension/coil springs.

The Truck Wars continue to escalate with high-tech accessories like magnetic shocks and 360-degree trailer views, so it’s only natural that customers now want their trucks to ride like cars.

Digital key

Who needs a door key? Tesla innovated a digital key system that allows access to your car with a phone app, and many other brands have followed suit.

The Hyundai digital key system allows a smartphone to replace the key fob.

You can also open the car remotely or just cool it down before you re-enter on a hot summer day.

Third-row seat access

Third-row seats used to be clumsy to get into, thanks to their multi-step folding process. Heck with that, most folks just climbed through the gap between captain’s chairs.

With the push of a button at bottom (or top), the second-row seat of the 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport collapses forward for easy third-row access.With the push of a button at bottom (or top), the second-row seat of the 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport collapses forward for easy third-row access.

Then, the Honda Pilot innovated the one-button seat collapse, and many competitors followed.

All-terrain tires

Motorheads have always sung the praises of sticky tires on sports cars. Michelin Cup 2 gummies, for example, make a big difference if you want to explore the limits of a modern, 500-horespower cyborg.

The secret sauce of the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness: all-terrain tires.The secret sauce of the 2024 Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness: all-terrain tires.

The SUV revolution has brought us a rash of off-road mountain goats, and they come with their own tire advantages. Whether a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon or Subaru Crosstrek Wilderness or Honda Pilot Trailsport, all-terrain tires are grippier off-road — and on-road in Michigan blizzards.

Engine audio

Emissions mandates are changing automotive sounds. V-6s and V-8s are being sacrificed to the regulatory gods, but customers still crave an appealing engine soundtrack, so, for example, the turbo-4s roar in 2024 Mustangs and Tacoma trucks. Not all EV buyers want peace and quiet either.

Who said EVs are quiet? The 2023 BMW iX M60 offers loud Drive modes. This one, EXPRESSIVE, has sound to match its wild graphics.Who said EVs are quiet? The 2023 BMW iX M60 offers loud Drive modes. This one, EXPRESSIVE, has sound to match its wild graphics.

The BMW iX comes with a symphony of sounds created by Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer (EXPRESSIVE, SPORT, EFFICIENT) depending on what mood you’re in. And we can’t wait for what the pipe organ hanging out the back of the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee sounds like in 2024.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Camaro RIP: Six generations of Chevy’s iconic muscle car

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 15, 2023

As the Chevy Camaro rides into the sunset this month, here’s a look back at six generations of the iconic sports car from its 1960s roots to its first retirement in 2002 to its triumphant return in 2010 as America’s best-selling muscle car.

The 1960s made the reputation of a number of performance car brands and nameplates: Porsche (911), Jaguar (E-Type), Corvette (Sting Ray), Ford (Mustang). So, too, the Camaro.

Camaro was Chevy’s response to Ford’s wildly popular Mustang coupe. Affordably priced but with the looks of a more expensive European sports car, Ford’s rear-wheel-drive “pony car” sold a staggering 680,995 units in its first, 1965 model year.

Reports of a Chevy competitor surfaced in 1965, codenamed Panther. Legend has it the name Camaro was loosely based on the French word camarade (comrade in English). With a base price of $2,466, Camaro was unveiled in September 1966 as a 1967 model.

First generation: 1967-69

Built on the rear-drive, F-body platform, Camaro boasted a base three-speed automatic gearbox (or manual) paired with a V-6 engine. The model lineup featured a Rally Sport (RS) appearance package, Super Sport (SS) performance package stuffed with either a 5.7 or 6.2-liter V-8 engine, and a track-ready Z28 trim.

The first of a breed: The 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS.The first of a breed: The 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS.

Camaro was the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 that year (and again in 1969, 1982, 1993, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2016). Camaro sales in year one? Over 220,000.

For its sophomore year, Camaro received subtle styling updates and an optional, 350-horse, 6.5-liter V-8 for the SS. Roger Penske campaigned a blue-and-yellow Camaro in SCCA Trans Am racing, winning the title in 1968 and 1969. On the production side, the ’69 ‘Maro got new sheet metal — and the convertible option was axed, not to return until 1987.

1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Pace Car is one of nine Camaros used in that role at the Indianapolis 500.1969 Chevrolet Camaro SS Pace Car is one of nine Camaros used in that role at the Indianapolis 500.

Second generation: 1970-82

For its second act, the Camaro was redesigned longer, lower and wider, with the grille and headlights separated and four Corvette-inspired taillights. Taking learnings from track racing, the suspension was upgraded. Under the hood, engine options ran from the standard 4.1-liter V-6 to the 6.5-liter V-8 in the SS. The move to unleaded gas in 1970 brought less horsepower, with the V-8 falling from 350 horses to 300. Government regs also added a full chrome front bumper.

The second-generation Camaro was redesigned with more European flair. The grille and headlights were separated, rear quarter window eliminated, and four Corvette-inspired taillights added.The second-generation Camaro was redesigned with more European flair. The grille and headlights were separated, rear quarter window eliminated, and four Corvette-inspired taillights added.

A 1972 labor strike pinched sales to under 70,000 units and V-8 horsepower numbers declined to 240 horsepower under federal regulations, leading to the discontinuation of the SS. Competitors suffered even more. As the ’70s wore on, Mustang downsized to a Pinto platform and 4-banger engine, while Challenger, Plymouth Barracuda and AMC Javelin all exited the market. As a result, Camaro (and sibling Pontiac Firebird) saw sales soar to over 150,000.

Camaro sales hit a record 282,571 record in 1979 even as the 5.7-liter V-8 was choked to just 185 ponies. The Z28 led the lineup and the coupe sported advances like intermittent windshield wipers, rear windshield defroster, and a T-Top. The decade closed with a shrinking economy and even a shrinking speedometer as the feds mandated an 85 mph limit.

The posh LT trim was replaced by the even more luxurious “Berlinetta” option. Camaro also gained modern conveniences like an electrically-heated rear windshield defroster. Z28 (pictured) rocked on with a fresh front-air dam and side badging. (Chevrolet photo)The posh LT trim was replaced by the even more luxurious “Berlinetta” option. Camaro also gained modern conveniences like an electrically-heated rear windshield defroster. Z28 (pictured) rocked on with a fresh front-air dam and side badging. (Chevrolet photo)

Third generation: 1982-92

With its new chassis, Camaro went on a diet, losing 500 pounds while gaining a sippier, four-cylinder engine to meet federal rules and complement the V-6 and V-8 engines. The front was remade with scalloped headlights — the rear got a hatchback. Model year 1983 brought upgrades like a digital speedo. In 1985, Camaro became the official race car of the International Race of Champions competition featuring pro drivers from different series — and customers got a production IROC-Z variant. In 1986, Camaro kicked the 4-banger to the curb, and the convertible returned for 1987. Still sales lagged.

For 1985, Camaro got an IROC-Z model.For 1985, Camaro got an IROC-Z model.

Fourth generation, 1993-2002

Resisting the industry trend to front-wheel drive models to save fuel, the fourth-gen Camaro debuted on the familiar, solid-rear axle F-body platform with a more streamlined body shape. Production moved out of the United States to Quebec. By 1996, horsepower numbers were back on the rise with the V-6 engine making 200 horsepower and the V-8 a healthy 330 horses. The SS badge returned and was offered as a 30th anniversary model with orange stripes on a white body. Price? 38 grand.

For its fourth generation, the Camaro shared its push-rod V-8 with Corvette. The 5.7-liter, 275-horse LT1 propelled the Z28 model from 0-60 mph in just 5.7 seconds.For its fourth generation, the Camaro shared its push-rod V-8 with Corvette. The 5.7-liter, 275-horse LT1 propelled the Z28 model from 0-60 mph in just 5.7 seconds.

Despite a new front fascia in 1998 with flush, rounded headlights, sales continued to sag to under 30,000 in 2001 and the handwriting was on the wall. In 2002, Chevy pulled the plug on the on Camaro — the last model, a Z28, auctioned  off for $70,500.

The curtain came down on the Camaro program in 2002 with last Gen 4 car rolling off the Quebec line on August 27. Chevy honored the car’s 35-year run with a Penske/Sunoco-colored Z28 at the Woodward Dream Cruise. (Chevrolet photo)The curtain came down on the Camaro program in 2002 with last Gen 4 car rolling off the Quebec line on August 27. Chevy honored the car’s 35-year run with a Penske/Sunoco-colored Z28 at the Woodward Dream Cruise. (Chevrolet photo)

Fifth generation, 2010-15

A determined team within GM kept the Camaro flame alive after 2002 with convertible concepts teased at the 2006 and 2007 Detroit Auto Shows. The flame became a bonfire in 2007 when the hit movie “Transformers” featured a robot transforming into a classic 1997 Camaro and then the 2007 concept.

Chevrolet and a Camaro that converts into the iconic Bumblebee will once again turn heads when the Transformers movie franchise returns to screens around the globe in the upcoming “Transformers: Age of Extinction” from director Michael Bay, in theaters June 27. This Chevrolet Camaro was built under the supervision of GM Design for use in the upcoming film.Chevrolet and a Camaro that converts into the iconic Bumblebee will once again turn heads when the Transformers movie franchise returns to screens around the globe in the upcoming “Transformers: Age of Extinction” from director Michael Bay, in theaters June 27. This Chevrolet Camaro was built under the supervision of GM Design for use in the upcoming film.

Fueled by Hollywood marketing, Camaro was the most searched car online in 2009. The production model hit dealerships for the 2010 model year, rocketing to No. 1 in muscle car sales over Mustang, which had never abandoned its pony car.

Built on the all-new Zeta platform and in LS, LT, and SS trims, Camaro featured a modern, independent rear suspension to counter the ‘Stang’s antiquated solid rear axle. The V-6 engine returned with 312 horsepower, the SS’s 6.2-liter V-8 pumped out 425. In the escalating arms race with Mustang, Camaro launched the 580-horse ZL1, its most powerful model yet.

Camaro received significant cosmetic changes for 2014, including a slit cowl, bigger lower air intake, narrower greenhouse and a wider stance.Camaro received significant cosmetic changes for 2014, including a slit cowl, bigger lower air intake, narrower greenhouse and a wider stance.

Sixth generation, 2016-24

Countering Mustang’s Extreme Makeover in 2015, Camaro answered with a nimble, angular sports car with the same Alpha chassis as the Cadillac ATS.

Despite raves from enthusiasts — and a 455-horse V-8 in the SS — sales suffered as customers complained of poor visibility from the narrow greenhouse. Performance trims 1LE and ZL1 continued to raise the bar, with the latter gaining a 650-horse engine and sophisticated magnetic shocks. The 2019 model evolved with an updated fascia and turbo-4, but sales continued to slip behind the Mustang and resurgent Dodge Challenger. With a surge of emissions rules beginning in 2020 — reminiscent of the 1970s — GM decided to sunset its V-8 pony car for the second time to focus on Corvette.

2019 Camaro line features new front-end styling with distinct differences between LS/LT, RS and SS, including the fascia, grille, LED dual-element headlamps and reshaped hood.

To commemorate its final year of production, Chevrolet released the 2024 Collector’s Edition for all Camaro trims featuring signature Panther Black Metallic paint (a reference to the original 1965 project codename), exterior stripes, black front grille and unique panther badging on the steering wheel and exterior.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Chevrolet says goodbye to Camaro — for now

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 15, 2023

The Chevrolet Camaro will take its last trip down the assembly line this week, but General Motors Co. isn’t dropping the iconic nameplate forever — even though its sales haven’t always been high-powered.

With Chevy’s dive into electrification, it’s expected the next Camaro will have a battery-powered option, especially since Dodge is ending its gas-powered muscle monsters, the Challenger and Charger. GM and other automakers are trying to figure out what to do with their gas-powered muscle and sports cars in the transition to electric vehicles to meet tightening emissions regulations.

Front 3/4 view of 2024 Chevrolet Camaro SS Collector’s Edition in Panther Black Metallic Tintcoat. Preproduction model shown.

Chevrolet has been mum on what’s next for the sports car, but when the brand declared its demise in March, Scott Bell, Chevy’s vice president, said: “While we are not announcing an immediate successor today, rest assured, this is not the end of Camaro’s story.”

The Detroit News requested interviews with brand leaders about the Camaro’s future but received emailed responses instead. Brad Franz, director of Chevrolet car and crossover marketing, said in a statement this week to The News, “As we’ve said, we’re not announcing an immediate successor at this time. But performance remains an important part of Chevrolet’s DNA.”

Franz added that “at the conclusion of model year 2024, the sixth generation Camaro will have completed a strong nine-year lifecycle. Chevrolet made the decision now as a part of continuously evaluating our portfolio offerings for progress toward our EV future and sales demand.”

Chevrolet is offering the Corvette E-Ray hybrid but still has the gas version of the two-seater sports car it’s produced continuously for 70 years. As Dodge wraps production of the gas-powered Charger and Challenger, the Stellantis muscle-car brand plans to roll out a battery-powered Charger in mid-2024.

Still galloping: Unlike its Camaro and Charger/Challenger pony car competitors, the Ford Mustang is outrunning government emissions regulations, at least for now.Still galloping: Unlike its Camaro and Charger/Challenger pony car competitors, the Ford Mustang is outrunning government emissions regulations, at least for now.

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. is sticking with its gas-powered Mustang, revealing the seventh generation in 2022, though it also sells the all-electric Mustang Mach-E.

For Camaro to go electric may not be easy “with the skepticism around electrification,” said Ivan Drury, director of insights at Edmunds Inc., a vehicle information website.

But the performance levels of EVs, which offer instant, seamless torque, could be enough for enthusiasts who just want to drive fast.

“There’s so much compromise of owning a sports car that if all you care about is zero-to-60, just buy yourself an EV,” Drury said. “I don’t care what it is. It’ll be fast enough.”

Whatever the powertrain, Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iseecars.com, an automotive research website, is hoping Camaro’s second comeback is better than its first. Chevy halted production of the fourth-generation Camaro after 2002 and brought it back for a fifth generation in 2010.

“I would love to see them do what they should have done the first time around, which is break from the past,” by making a car that just has some subtle references to the previous generations, he said. “Of course, it will be electrified … but styling-wise and drivetrain-wise, there should be no limitations. It should be as new and cutting edge as possible.”

A ‘passion product’ with challenges

The first cancellation of the Camaro came after 35 years of production, beginning with the 1967 model year. When GM announced in 2001 that it was axing the Camaro and the Pontiac Firebird, the automaker said sports car sales had fallen 53% from 1990 to 2000, CNN reported then.

When it came back, Camaro skated to success on the back of its stardom as Bumblebee in “Transformers.” The Camaro performed well in the early 2010s. In 2011, Camaro had a 31% share of the muscle car segment, according to data from Edmunds.

To Franz, the “Camaro is a passion product.”

“It has developed a fan base across the world and has brought people into Chevrolet dealerships for generations,” he said. “The sixth generation specifically represented athleticism and composure — exuding confidence on the road and dominance on the track.”

The 2010 Camaro SS officially debuted as the fifth generation of the sports car. Sales of the revived icon were strong in its first several years.The 2010 Camaro SS officially debuted as the fifth generation of the sports car. Sales of the revived icon were strong in its first several years.

But Brauer remembers seeing the Camaro’s revived, 2010 version for the first time and feeling disappointed.

“When it first arrived, I wasn’t a fan,” he said. “It looked like a wrong version, or a messed-up version, of a ‘69 Camaro.”

The car also had problems, including visibility issues, an uncomfortable steering wheel and “terrible ergonomics,” Brauer said.

“It was just these little things. There wasn’t any big train-wreck issue,” Brauer said. “If you just kind of looked at it or dealt with it for a long time, it was like, ‘I’m not really a fan.’”

Brauer felt better about the car after its mid-cycle refresh, but he still “didn’t like it.”

“In my mind, it never felt as well-executed as its competitors,” Brauer said. “Mustang and Challenger were just better.”

Sales data from Edmunds show the Camaro’s struggles. Even if it was a shape-shifting star in Michael Bay’s “Transformers” movies, the Camaro consistently failed to surpass its crosstown rivals.

The Camaro has 13% of the market, placing last in the muscle-car segment, which includes the Corvette, Charger, Challenger and Mustang, according to Edmunds’ data. The Charger leads the segment with 33%, followed by Mustang at 20%, Challenger at 19% and Corvette at 14%.

The Camaro’s current market share is better than 2022’s 10% and 2021’s 9% but far from the 20.7% it had in 2017 and the 24.8% share in 2013.

“Camaro production has been closely managed in recent years to maintain healthy demand and has been one of our fastest-turning products,” Frantz said. “The decision to end production of Camaro comes as a result of balancing several business decisions.”

In a filing to the state on Thursday, GM said 369 employees at the Lansing Grand River plant would be laid off because of the loss of the Camaro, which is built there alongside the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans.

The company did say it “anticipates having job opportunities for all impacted team members.”

Under the new United Auto Workers-GM contract ratified in November, the Lansing plant will receive a $1.25 billion investment for future EVs. Details on those EVs have not been released.

Enthusiasts send off an icon

Former Camaro Marketing Manager Scott Settlemire, 69, is known as the “Godfather of the Camaro” for his tireless efforts promoting the muscle car — and then bringing it back to life after its first retirement in 2002.

To GM insiders, he’s known as the “F-bodfather,” since he presided over the last generation of Camaro built on the F-body chassis from 1993 until production halted in 2002.

The 1993 Camaro Z28.The 1993 Camaro Z28.

“It was like losing a member of the family,” recalls Settlemire. But he didn’t give up, helping lead an internal team of Camaro advocates that brought the pony back from the grave in 2010. The fifth-generation model was met with wide acclaim, topping the muscle car sales charts from 2010-14.

Now that the Camaro has been nixed again, Settlemire feels “a similar void.”

“In the current regulatory environment, GM can’t make both a V-8 Corvette and Camaro,” Settlemire, who hung up his GM hat in 2016, said of government rules forcing an end to internal combustion engines by 2035. “I like to say the car is on hiatus. I hope that someone is fighting to keep the Camaro alive inside GM.”

Settlemire, who lives in Mars, Pennsylvania, still owns three Camaros: a red 2010 RS that his mother once drove; a yellow 2008 SS RS manual that was part of the pre-production, fifth-gen test fleet; and a silver 2002 SS Brickyard Festival model in pace car livery.

The license plate on the 2002 SS reads “F-BODFATHER.”

“We’ve lived through this before, and we saw club participation slightly decline,” said Paul Denski, 68, of Plymouth, who is president of the Eastern Michigan Camaro Club. “But when it came back, Chevy hit a home run.”

Like a lot of Camaro faithful, Denski fears it will return as an electric vehicle because of government emissions rules.

“Camaro is a car for America’s back roads. And I don’t see electric chargers coming to the bottom of Tail of the Dragon anytime soon,” said Denski, who has taken frequent trips to Florida in a Camaro — including along the famed, rural, 11-mile section of U.S. 129 through North Carolina. “I don’t like government saying we all have to go EV. I don’t have a choice.”

Denski said the Camaro club will stay healthy “because it’s all about the people you meet. We don’t have a lot of trailer queens — we do a lot of road trips together.” Save for his 2018 COPO Camaro dragster (“I’m too old for that stuff”), he regularly drives his 1967 RS/SS, 2010 2SS, and 2017 ZL1 convertible.

Road trips demand Camaro coupes, and Denski says the value of Camaros all the way back to the first generation remain strong. “There are still 2015 Z28s out there for sale if you want to do the Dragon,” he said of the fire-breathing performance model.

khall@detroitnews.com

@bykaleahall

hpayne@detroitnews.com

@HenryEPayne

Payne: Here is the 2023 Detroit News Vehicle of the Year

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 14, 2023

I tested over 60 new cars this year. The most common question I’m asked: which was the best?

The 2024 McLaren Artura, no doubt.

If I were to take you for a ride, you’d be talking about it for the rest of the week (maybe longer, judging by my friends). Scissor doors, body like Megan Fox, carbon-fiber chassis that grips like black on asphalt, twin-turbo engine from the gods. But at $289,175, most of us would have to sell our house to afford it.

So the “Best Car I’ve Driven” and “The Detroit News Vehicle of the Year” are often two different things. Our focus is on cars that possess affordability (only vehicles under $100,000 are eligible), utility, fun, personality — and that secret sauce that makes them special. Past winners include gems like the Chevy Corvette C8, Chrysler Pacifica, Ford Maverick and Tesla Model 3.

In 2023, automotive fashion was clear: the industry (with a shove from the government) is going all-electric and (not coincidentally) vehicles are getting really expensive. I’ve tested plenty of worthy EVs, from the handsome Hyundai Ioniq 6 to the efficient Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck. But EVs are a niche product (at least until gas cars are banned), and customers have never had such a cornucopia of gas, diesel, EV and hybrid choices. There are midsize pickup trucks like the Toyota Tacoma and Chevy Colorado/GMC Canyon twins, hybrid sedans like the Honda Accord and ugly-duckling-turned-swan Toyota Prius, and impressive SUV debuts from the Dodge Hornet and Mazda CX-90.

The mid-engine, 2020 Chevy Corvette C8 is not quite as nimble as the 2021 Porsche 911 Targa — but the ’Vette has a superior interior, is quicker 0-60, and is less than half the price.The mid-engine, 2020 Chevy Corvette C8 is not quite as nimble as the 2021 Porsche 911 Targa — but the ’Vette has a superior interior, is quicker 0-60, and is less than half the price.

Oh, man, I could fill a shopping cart in a hurry. But we narrowed the choices to three finalists: Chevy Trax/Buick Envista, Ford Mustang and Subaru Impreza. The envelope, please:

Third place: Chevy Trax/Buick Envista

The Chevrolet brand’s halo Corvette wowed this year with the sensational Z06 and all-wheel-drive E-Ray variants that, for $110K, are the performance equal of the McLaren but for, ahem, less than half the price. Value is at the core of Chevy’s DNA, whether supercars or compact cars, and the all-new Trax SUV came at just the right time.

The 2024 Chevy Trax is all-new with a bigger, tighter chassis, cool Activ model and peppy 1.3-liter three-banger.The 2024 Chevy Trax is all-new with a bigger, tighter chassis, cool Activ model and peppy 1.3-liter three-banger.

Auto prices have accelerated beyond the reach of working-class Americans with the average new price at $48K — nearly 30% higher than five years ago, according to Cox Automotive. Most concerning is the lack of entry-level, $20K chariots — much less sub-$20k vehicles, which have virtually ceased to exist.

One of my favorite entry-level SUVs, the frisky Jeep Renegade, debuted at $19K in 2015 and is bowing out with a sticker price at over $28K! Ouch.

Happily, Trax bucked the trend with a stylish ute that is easy on the wallet yet better than the first-gen Trax in every way: more performance, more rear leg room, more digital screens, more wireless smartphone goodies.

I took a base, $21K Trax up the Chimney Rock hill climb in North Carolina 50 years after my father set the course record there in a Porsche 904. The American may not have the German’s speed, but it has amenities the sportscar could only dream about. Wireless Android Auto guided me to Chimney Rock while a wireless pad charged the phone. And though it won’t set any track records, the well-engineered Trax is still fun to drive while carrying four people in its roomy cabin.

The 2024 Buick Envista takes its design cues from the Wildcat coupe concept.The 2024 Buick Envista takes its design cues from the Wildcat coupe concept.

If you have a few more dollars in your pocket, Buick offers its $28K Envista on the same platform as Trax but with the styling of a luxury vehicle costing twice that. At a staggering $15K less than a comparable BMW X1, Envista is a steal.

Runner-up: Subaru Impreza

“What car should my kid get?” is another common question I hear. The Impreza is one of my perennial recommendations with its affordable, sub-$25K sticker price, standard all-wheel-drive and low-center-of-gravity Boxer engine. Yeah, yeah, SUVs are all the rage — and the Impreza has a Crosstrek SUV twin — but the hatchback Impreza is not only cheaper but has better handling for when, say, your kid suddenly finds themselves on an icy road.

For 2024 the Subaru Impreza is only available in a hatchback - but still comes with standard AWD and affordable, sub-$24k sticker price.For 2024 the Subaru Impreza is only available in a hatchback - but still comes with standard AWD and affordable, sub-$24k sticker price.

For 2024, that hatchback utility now comes standard to complement Subie’s signature AWD. The Trax/Envista’s one shortcoming is the lack of an AWD option for Michigan’s wintry climate (the Payne family speaks from experience, where Imprezas made it up our hilly driveway when our front/rear-wheel-drive cars have struggled).

Like its fellow Boxer-engine mate, Porsche, Subaru makes evolutionary changes from generation to generation, but the sixth-gen car makes an important leap: a huge, 11.6-inch Tesla-like console screen now anchors the console, putting infotainment, climate and feature settings at your fingertips. This is a thoroughly modern Subie with Android Auto/Apple CarPlay for just $24,085.

Winner: Ford Mustang

I’m a fan of EVs, but there is a sameness to their quiet motors and slippery shapes that maximize battery range.

No one will confuse the boisterous 2024 Ford Mustang for anything else.

Shot out of a barrel. The 2024 Ford Mustang GT should reach 60 mph in under 4 seconds thanks to 415 pound feet of torque from its big V-8.Shot out of a barrel. The 2024 Ford Mustang GT should reach 60 mph in under 4 seconds thanks to 415 pound feet of torque from its big V-8.

This American icon is all-new for its seventh generation with a 5.0-liter V-8 engine that you can hear coming from Kansas. WAUUUUURGH! I am just as bullish on the pony’s standard turbo-4 engine which — despite half the cylinders — still exhibits a lovely growl, and the ‘Stang with that powerplant is more tossable in the twisties thanks to its lighter weight.

While Mustang’s Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro classmates bowed out this year under assault from the emissions nannies, Ford shrewdly kept its pony car in production as part of a larger-brand electrification strategy. The badass engines are complemented by a badass design that is modern while evoking the coupe’s classic, 1960s, coke-bottle shape. But the real revelation here is the modern interior with twin digital screens designed by game-maker Unreal Engine. The graphics are unreal.

Mustang is one of the most accessible sports cars in the world thanks to not just to its sticker price, but to its ubiquitous presence in rental fleets. So run, don’t walk, to the Hertz Mustang aisle to experience it.

The 2024 Ford Mustang looks like a BMW 3-series inside - though the screen gives off more glare.The 2024 Ford Mustang looks like a BMW 3-series inside - though the screen gives off more glare.

If Mustang is a breath of fresh air in these conformist EV times, its sticker price is not the bargain it used to be. The base price soars over $30K to $32,515 — a whopping $3,370 over the last gen. Want the Dark Horse performance model and its wailing, eat-your-heart-out-EVs, 166-mph-top-speed, 500-horsepower V-8? You’ll have to pay Corvette money at over 60 grand.

Ouch. It’s the price we pay for Mustang’s secret sauce. Long live the V-8.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Payne: Chevy Blazer EV is a $60k smartphone on wheels

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 14, 2023

San Diego — Tesla Inc. may dominate headlines with its sci-fi Cybertruck, (purportedly) self-driving cars and stratospheric stock valuations, but among legacy automakers, General Motors Co. is no less radical. The General has staked its future as an all-electric technology company under the banner, “Zero. Zero. Zero.” Zero emission, zero crashes, zero congestion.

The 2024 Chevy Blazer EV is the first real glimpse of that future.

It is the latest model built with GM’s common Ultium electric architecture, but — unlike the niche-focused GMC Hummer EV moon-shot, bling-tastic Cadillac Lyriq, or Chevy Silverado EV pickup work tool — Blazer EV is a mainstream, volume family vehicle planned to replace its gas peer.

Compared to its small, competitive electric set — Tesla Model X, BMW iX, Kia EV6, Vinfast VF8 — the midsize Blazer EV is a compelling vehicle. Compared to the internal combustion engine Blazer, it is Exhibit A in how jarring a government-forced transition to EVs will be.

First, the competitive set.

Like the Tesla Model X, a smartphone on wheels I first drove in 2017, Blazer EV is more device than automobile. Keyless operation, column shifter, regenerative braking for one-pedal driving. Unlike Tesla, it accomplishes its task without gull-wing doors, yoke steering wheel and mono-screen. Blazer EV takes a more familiar route for our smartphone-run, autonomous future. If Tesla is Apple, think of Chevy as Android.

Tesla has pursued a vertical, proprietary business model from building its own, Linux-based operating system (buying Google data for navigation) to building its own charger network. Like Android, GM is more horizontal — buying its OS from Google (Google Built-In) and relying on third-party chargers. The result is a device — er, automobile — that became an extension of my Android phone.

The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV 2LT AWD starts with 279 miles of range and a $57,710 sticker price.The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV 2LT AWD starts with 279 miles of range and a $57,710 sticker price.

With the key fob in my pocket, Blazer unlocked as I approached and locked when I walked away. Inside, I woke the twin, 11-inch instrument and 17.7-inch dash screens with a touch of the brake pedal.

“The screens are very icon-based — like smartphones,” said Blazer product marketing manager Chris Boman at our media test in sunny SoCal. “They are easy to use, which is one of the benefits of Google Built-In.”

“Hey, Google, navigate to Las Vegas,” I commanded, and the screen methodically charted my course, complete with charging details. GM admits the shortcomings of third-party chargers (like ensuring they, um, work) compared with Tesla. But Chevy adds helpful details like ensuring the SUV reaches its destination with 30% of range so you’re not stranded upon arrival. In keeping with that common-sense approach, Blazer EV eschews Tesla’s Spaceballs obsession with performance — Insane, Ludicrous, Plaid mode, take your pick — for a more serene ride.

On long drives, Blazer EV’s semi-autonomous Super Cruise system (available on all models) beats Tesla Full Self Driving (FSD) as a true hands-free system.

“The Blazer EV contributes to our zero, zero, zero future as an EV with zero tailpipe emissions,” said Boman. “It aspires to zero crashes with its standard, comprehensive, safety-assist system. And it aims for zero congestion with our automated Super Cruise system.”

The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV has three more inches of front legroom than the Blazer ICE.The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV has three more inches of front legroom than the Blazer ICE.

GM’s zero, zero, zero vision ultimately lies with the pod-like, driverless Cruise Origin. Sit in the hushed, spacious, passenger-focused back seat of Blazer EV and that dream feels much closer than the tight back seat of Cruise’s Chevy Bolt that I autonomously rode through Frisco a year ago.

But judged against the broader auto marketplace, my $60,215, all-wheel-drive Blazer EV RS has tough competition from the comparable $47,465 all-wheel-drive Blazer ICE RS across the showroom.

At 564 miles, the Blazer ICE has double the range of Blazer EV. To achieve its 279-mile range figure, EV AWD’s 85 kWh battery lards on 900 more pounds (a longer range, 324-mile, 102 kWh battery is also available) compared to its 4,313-pound gas stablemate.

The resulting 5,235-pound, battery-powered behemoth — about the weight of a V8-powered Chevy Silverado Trail Boss pickup — requires an attitude adjustment. Whether the Blazer or Camaro sports car or compact Trax ute, ICE Chevys have always been fun to toss through the twisties. But the girth of Blazer EV robs it of corner-carving aspirations.

The Blazer EV will route you to, say, Las Vegas, with detailed charging instructions.The Blazer EV will route you to, say, Las Vegas, with detailed charging instructions.

Bury my right foot in SPORT mode and Blazer EV’s 0-60 mph acceleration is a smooth-but-hardly-urgent 6.0 seconds — on par with its V6-powered ICE sibling. Despite losing its front engine and gaining nine inches of wheelbase, the EV matches the interior volume of its 112.7-inch-wheelbase ICE sibling.

Front occupants gain three inches of legroom (44 inches compared to 41 for the ICE model) but the rear seat is smaller (38.9 inches vs. 39.6) and cargo shrinks from 30.5 cubic feet to 25.5. Drop the second-row seats and cargo space is 59.1 cubic feet for EV, 64.2 for ICE. OG FTW.

Despite the substantial price hike from EV to ICE, I was disappointed Blazer EV hadn’t caught Silverado EV’s frunk fever. Similar Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E skateboard chassis boast front trunks, but Blazer EV punts.

Frunks require extensive engineering and Blazer EV wants to keep it simple. It’s available as a $57,710, all-wheel-drive LT model (a sub-$50k FWD LT should come in a year), $61k rear-wheel-drive RS or my $60k, AWD RS. The interior shares Blazer ICE’s fondness for Camaro-like rotary vents, but the dual, digital dash screens are common to Silverado EV and the upcoming Equinox EV. Its U.S.-sourced battery pack will likely gain approval for the coveted $7,500 federal tax subsidy, but manufacturing is in Mexico to avoid soaring UAW labor costs.

The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV does not have a front trunk.The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV does not have a front trunk.

“By manufacturing everything with the same Ultium drivetrain, we get economies of scale and everything becomes easier to manage,” Boman said of a future where Ultium replaces an assortment of V-8, V-6 and I-4 engines. “We’ll only have to do the engineering once for all our vehicles.”

Curiously, then, the Blazer EV is priced right on top of the similarly-contented, $57k, RWD Cadillac Lyriq — despite the Caddy’s unique, 33-inch mono-screen, jeweled interior and front grille light show. That’s well above the $40k average transaction price of a gas-powered Blazer.

The Caddy is a bargain compared to the $80k Tesla Model X. What to call my $60k Chevy EV RS?

With its horizontal front LED strip, raccoon-eyed headlights and chiseled bod, Blazer fits in with its new EV family. Like smartphones, except for their increasing size. EVs are unlike smartphones in one crucial respect, however: convenience.

The Blazer EV is assembled in Mexico, but its U.S.-assembled battery should qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit.The Blazer EV is assembled in Mexico, but its U.S.-assembled battery should qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit.

Blazer EV will add 69 miles in 10 minutes at a fast charger, ICE Blazer will add 500 in three at the pump. Because of government regulations pushing the industry toward EVs, consumers will have to adjust to life with the cord.

As governments nix new Blazer ICE sales over the next few years, Chevy customers may embrace Blazer EV’s technology. Or will they walk across the dealer lot and buy a pre-owned, Blazer ICE’s convenience?

GM’s EV future won’t come with zero compromise.

2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, front, rear, and all-wheel drive, five-passenger SUV

Price: $57,710 including $1,395 destination ($60,215 EV RS AWD as tested)

Powerplant: 85 kWh or 102 kWh lithium-ion battery mated to electric motor(s)

Power: 288 horsepower, 333 pound-feet of torque (Blazer EV LT AWD and RS AWD); 340 horsepower, 325 pound-feet of torque (Blazer EV RS RWD)

Transmission: single-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.0 seconds (Motor Trend); towing, 1,500 pounds

Weight: 5,000-5,500 pounds (5,235 pounds as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. range, 279 miles (AWD, 85 kWh battery); 324 (RWD, 102 kWh battery)

Report card

Highs: Tech-tastic Google Built-In; superior size compared to EV competitors

Lows: Heavy handling; lacks Blazer ICE’s road-trip convenience

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Detroit Grand Prix gears up for 2024 with new pavement, more racecars

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 14, 2023

It’s December in the Motor City, but June’s Detroit Grand Prix is already warming up.

Asphalt paving machines have laid down a new Turn 3 braking zone at the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Griswold Street, tailgating spots have been added, and — just in time for the holidays — tickets are on sale for the May 31-June 2 event, the sixth race on the 2024 NTT IndyCar calendar.

After a successful return to downtown streets last summer, the 2024 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear expands to include the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, featuring wicked-quick prototypes from Detroit icons Penske-Porsche and Cadillac and an angry herd of GT racers including Corvette, Mustang and Porsche. Like IMSA, IndyCar is going hybrid in 2024 — but don’t expect the IndyCar hybrid machines to be ready in time for the Detroit GP (or IndyCar’s signature event, the Indy 500, the weekend before).

Team Penske’s Will Power, reigning IndyCar champion, with rapper Flavor Flav on the pit lane prior to the 2023 Grand Prix in Detroit on June 4. The race is adding extra features for its 2024 run in downtown Detroit.Team Penske’s Will Power, reigning IndyCar champion, with rapper Flavor Flav on the pit lane prior to the 2023 Grand Prix in Detroit on June 4. The race is adding extra features for its 2024 run in downtown Detroit.

“We’ll have a lot more on-track action this year,” said Bud Denker, chairman of the GP, in an interview. “We’ve added the IMSA series with the Porsches racing against the Cadillacs, Acuras and BMWs on Saturday. Then the IndyCars are the stars on Sunday.”

Spectators and a national television audience were treated to a thrilling, 100-lap shootout in ’23, but drivers still saw room for improvement.

Turn 3, the hairpin at the end of the long back straight, was judged difficult to pass by drivers due to the rough braking zone. So organizers have paved the full 750-foot patch leading into the brake zone for better grip.

“The real metric of a competitive track is how many passes did you have? We had 189 in last year’s Sunday race,” said Denker. “The feedback we got back from drivers was: can you do more paving on Jefferson Avenue into the braking zone? They’re going from about 185 mph there to about 30 mph.”

The Porsche Penske hybrid prototype will headline the IMSA Weathertech series' return to Detroit next June.
(Credit: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)The Porsche Penske hybrid prototype will headline the IMSA Weathertech series' return to Detroit next June.
(Credit: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)

A big change coming to IndyCar next season is a switch to Chevrolet and Honda hybrid engines with an electric motor and battery paired with a twin-turbo, 2.2-liter V-6 engine for an expected 850 horsepower — 100 more than last year.

“Look at the manufacturers and what’s important for them: electrification,” said Denker. “We will introduce hybrid tech sometime after the Indy 500. We need more testing and units — we want to make sure that, when we go racing, the technology is bulletproof.”

He noted that IndyCar is the first race series to run 100% renewable fuel — a biomass-derived formula that debuted last year and is rated as carbon neutral by the U.S. Department of Energy — a key metric for manufacturers like Chevrolet and Honda that are the backbone of the series. The international Formula One series follows in IndyCar footsteps with a synthetic fuel in 2026.

Don’t expect IndyCar’s hybrid engine to debut in Detroit. IMSA’s Chevrolet Sports Car Classic on Saturday, June 1, will feature hybrid prototypes that debuted in 2023. Typically a part of the Detroit event, IMSA missed last year due to a scheduling conflict with France’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Indy 500 of the international sportscar world.

Detroit GP Chairman Bud Denker (lft) and IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong walk the pit straight ahead of the 2023 Detroit GP.
(Credit: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)Detroit GP Chairman Bud Denker (lft) and IndyCar driver Marcus Armstrong walk the pit straight ahead of the 2023 Detroit GP.
(Credit: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)

The 2024 IMSA race will pit Detroit icons Penske and Cadillac against one another. Penske manages the Porsche 963 race team, while Cadillac’s fleet of GTP racers will be looking to win in GM’s backyard.

“I’ll be a little bifurcated,” laughed Denker, who is also president of Penske Corporation. “If it wasn’t for General Motors, Chevy, and Cadillac we wouldn’t have the event downtown.”

Penske Corp also owns IndyCar, and the series benefited from a six-episode TV series, “100 Days to Indy,” that debuted in 2023 on The CW network and tracked IndyCar stars through the 500 — the last episode airing just before the Detroit GP. The series drew a healthy 4 million viewers, and Denker expects its renewal in 2024.

Also new to IndyCar last year was the dual pit lane — a Detroit GP innovation with a total of 28 pit stalls to house the different series on tap. Surrounded by downtown buildings, the pit lane is a beehive of action where races can be won or lost. Event organizers have expanded fan viewing of the area with new-for-2024 Tailgating ticket packages.

“We weren’t sure how (the dual pit lane) was going to work out, but it worked well,” smiled Denker. “Parking decks were loaded with fans — seven decks full watching the action — so this year we’re going to put a party deck on top of those rooftops plus a tailgate area. Bring your car, SUV, and we’ll give you the space.”

Just like a UM football game, fans will be able to purchase a tailgate pass for the event. Unlike Michigan football, tailgaters can back their vehicles right up to the action in Franklin Garage, overlooking the pit lane and main straight.

Beth Boles of Indianapolis, mother of Ed Carpenter Racing's Conor Daly, prepares to take a two-seater IndyCar ride with driver Sebastian Saavedra at the Detroit Grand Prix on June 4, 2023, in Detroit.Beth Boles of Indianapolis, mother of Ed Carpenter Racing's Conor Daly, prepares to take a two-seater IndyCar ride with driver Sebastian Saavedra at the Detroit Grand Prix on June 4, 2023, in Detroit.

Those rooftop locations have been expanded as well. In 2023 rooftop views were offered atop the Renaissance Center Garage along the Detroit Riverfront, overlooking Turns 5-7. This year, Franklin Street Garage gets a rooftop deck as does the Port Atwater Garage for expansive views of the Detroit skyline as well as track action.

The circuit’s seven grandstands were sold out on Sunday last year, yet fans still had free access across half of the venue, bringing weekend attendance to an estimated 150,000. Free areas include Hart Plaza, Spirit Plaza, Detroit Riverwalk and the Jefferson Avenue straightaway. Organizers credit the free access and steady stream of live music for the biggest 25 to 30-year old-demographics in the event’s history.

Motown is Corvette town and owners can purchase tickets to a Corvette Corral that includes on-track parade laps. Other pay-for-view options include a Turn 3 Hospitality Club and Pit Lane Suites. In addition to IndyCar and IMSA, fans will get a look at open-wheel racing’s future stars in the INDY NXT series.

Sunday’s IndyCar feature will be televised by USA Network. Tickets are available online at www.DetroitGP.com/Tickets or through the event’s Ticket Hotline at 866-464-PRIX (7749).

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Payne: Family Thanksgiving in the 3-row Acura MDX Type S

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 7, 2023

Detroit — Dinner in Motown, Wings game, paddle tennis, shopping, Bocce ball, dinner, snow, snow and let it snow. Just your typical jam-packed Thanksgiving weekend for the Payne family six-pack of mom, dad, two boys and their wives.

Good thing we had a three-row, six-seat SUV to negotiate it all.

This week’s test mule was a 2024 Acura MDX SH-AWD Type S, the halo model in the brand’s lineup now that the NSX supercar has been retired. Gone but not forgotten. Though the second-generation hybrid NSX didn’t achieve the critical (or sales) acclaim of the original 1989 NSX (blessed by the legendary F1 star Ayrton Senna himself), it inspired a new generation of Acura interiors.

With all-wheel drive, the 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced has no problem in Michigan's Thanksgiving weekend snow.With all-wheel drive, the 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced has no problem in Michigan's Thanksgiving weekend snow.

The NSX’s unique trigger shifter ‘n’ Drive Mode dial is replicated in the MDX, and I rotated the dial to SPORT mode as we entered an S-turn in Oakland County. The V6-fired MDX has also inherited the NSX’s sporty DNA, and the mid-size ute is surprisingly nimble through the twisties. I flicked the MDX left then right, followed by generous throttle on exit onto an uphill straightaway.

“VRRROOM!” growled the 355 horses up front.

“HEEEEYY!” came the cry from the third row.

“Yes, yes. Just having a little fun!” I protested. “Not bad for a three-row family SUV, yes?” With that I got universal agreement, and I settled back into my primary duties: chauffeuring the family to a downtown Red Wings game.

The MDX’s red leather interior — available on all Acura models — not only matched our Wings-colored shirts and sweaters, but drew high praise from the family. Especially my son, Henry, who owns a similarly equipped Mazda3 Turbo. Red is rad and Acura makes good use of it throughout its lineup.

The 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced escorted the Payne family on a variety of Thanksgiving outings. This is the Palazzo di Bocce in Auburn Hills, home of the sport Bocce Ball.The 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced escorted the Payne family on a variety of Thanksgiving outings. This is the Palazzo di Bocce in Auburn Hills, home of the sport Bocce Ball.

Picking straws for who got to sit in the third row was less popular. Competitors Mazda CX-90, Jeep Grand Cherokee L and Infiniti QX60 boast three rows that are so roomy that, at 6’5”, I can sit behind myself sitting behind myself in the last row. Impressive. Not so the MDX, where I would have to remove my legs to sit in the back. In the MDX, the third row requires planning on who sits there.

Be sure to put your smallest passenger in the back — in our case, my 5’5” wife and daughter-in-law Erica. Once seated, they felt a bit claustrophobic — which is where the MDX’s ambidextrous second-row middle seat comes to the rescue.

Honda brands have always been creative with seats (see the ridiculously capable Magic Seat in the late Honda Fit), and the MDX is no different. Check out the cool middle seat. If we had seven in our party — say a grandchild — then we would have utilized it. But with just two in the middle row, we folded the middle seat back down — exposing twin cupholders for use between the occupants. Or you can just remove the middle seat entirely with a pull on the strap poking out from the base, creating a middle aisle for the third-row passengers.

The 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced has three rows - but the third is best occupied by children and small Payne women.The 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced has three rows - but the third is best occupied by children and small Payne women.

Our crew opted for the cupholder option — which also opened a sightline for the third-row gals. Together with the panoramic roof, it kept claustrophobia at bay.

The Type S is stuffed like a turkey with the latest equipment — blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control, head-up display — all of which I used liberally on our Lodge commute to the game.

Some would say overstuffed.

In addition to the trigger shifter and fat Drive Mode knob, Acura also decided to innovate a console mousepad on the MDX, complete with hand-rest to steady your fingers during operation. The effect is inefficient console space once you include a phone charger (which sits below the mouse hand-rest) and cupholders. The MDX would be better off with a good ol’ touchscreen.

Or, for those who prefer BMW-like remotely-operated screens, the latest Mazda CX-90’s rotary dial is more intuitive. Indeed, the MDX’s luxury play — Bimmer X5-like nimble-handling but for $15K less — has been eclipsed by the larger, lovelier Mazda’s even more ambitious premium proposition: BMW-like, inline-6 cylinder wrapped in an athletic chassis and lush interior for 10 grand less than the Acura. Zoom zoom.

Despite its size, the 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced is easy to drive thanks to a tuned suspension and excellent AWD.Despite its size, the 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced is easy to drive thanks to a tuned suspension and excellent AWD.

Truck-based three-row cruise ships like the Cadillac Escalads and Lincoln Navigator may have more interior room than the MDX, but I didn’t envy them parking downtown in tight lots for the game. We entered a jammed surface lot adjacent to Little Caesars Arena, parked effortlessly and were on our way to dinner.

The arena doesn’t allow purses inside (what th-?) and Mrs. Payne was thankful for the MDX’s clever sub-storage under the rear cargo floor, where she stowed her bag.

That cargo space is also big enough to pick up four people at the airport with four carry-on bags (fold one of the third-row seats down, seat three people in the second row), or pack with gifts after a big day at the mall.

For all their interior room, three-row utes can often be intimidating to drive given their size and ample blind spots. But on the way back from a spirited game of Bocce ball in Auburn Hills, my daughter-in-law Amanda warmed quickly to the Acura’s tight handling and spirited engine.

You can opt for red leather in the 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced.You can opt for red leather in the 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced.

She merged with authority onto I-75, was impressed by the big ute’s tight chassis, then set adaptive cruise control to 80 mph to create a cocoon around her. Her review didn’t include snow, but after the family had taken to the friendly skies Saturday to return to Seattle and New Jersey, the heavens buried us with snowflakes on Sunday.

MDX comes standard with front-wheel-drive, but the Type S puts the power down efficiently (zero-60 in 5.5 seconds, or, ahem, the same time as Senna’s old NSX) with torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive that throws the power to the wheel that’s needed – including accelerating the outside rear wheel for good corner rotation. That same torque-vectoring aids traction in slippery conditions, and I spent Sunday running errands.

A pity Acura has left some tech at the curb. MDX doesn’t follow Ford, Mercedes and Tesla in offering a self-park feature. Acura also ditched its NSX-inspired, hybrid, AWD system in 2022 — complete with rear electric motor just like the supercar. Such tech would have impressed younger generation tech-savvy Paynes.

The $75k, 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced is the halo of the Acura lineup now that the $170k NSX supercar has been discontinued.The $75k, 2024 Acura MDX Type S Advanced is the halo of the Acura lineup now that the $170k NSX supercar has been discontinued.

I suspect the hybrid bit the dust because of its towing limitations — Acura didn’t even recommend a tow number. In its stead is the Type S with a 5,000-pound tow rating and compelling acceleration.

With its wide stance and angular features, the MDX has an aggressive design to match its Type S aggression. Just give the third-row passengers warning before you start carving apexes.

Next week: Detroit News Vehicle of the Year

2024 Acura MDX

Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive five-passenger SUV

Price: $51,045 including $1,195 destination fee ($75,296 Type S Advance model as tested)

Powerplant: 3.5-liter V-6; 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6

Power: 290 horsepower, 267 pound-feet torque (V-6); 355 horsepower, 354 pound-feet torque (turbo V-6)

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Weight: 4,741 pounds (Type S as tested)

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.5 seconds (Car and Driver); 5,000 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg: 19 city/25 highway/21 combined (AWD V-6); 17 city/21 highway/19 combined (AWD turbo-V6)

Report card

Highs: Nimble handling for a big SUV; easy third-row access

Lows: Crowded console; tight third row

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

The new Motor City? California is home to the 21st century auto startup boom

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 4, 2023

Los Angeles — On a sunny afternoon this fall, automotive engineers and marketers with Mullen Automotive welcomed new customers to check out a fleet of brands, including SUVs, utility trucks and a sports car. The customers got test rides with experts and a look at future products.

But the startup automaker isn’t located in Motor City, Michigan. It’s in Los Angeles.

The auto industry is experiencing a bloom of startups not seen since the early 20th century. But where Metro Detroit and its deep resources of human, entrepreneurial talent were at the center of the 20th-century auto revolution — a sort of automotive Silicon Valley — that startup synergy has shifted today to California.

The Mullen Automotive display in Los Angeles, anchored by the Bollinger B2 pickup, left, and Mullen 5 SUV. California has become a center for auto industry startups focusing on electric vehicles.The Mullen Automotive display in Los Angeles, anchored by the Bollinger B2 pickup, left, and Mullen 5 SUV. California has become a center for auto industry startups focusing on electric vehicles.

Startup automakers like Mullen, Canoo Inc., Lucid Motors, Tesla Inc., Faraday Future, Fisker Inc. and others draw on extensive automotive — and software — talent needed to make a new generation of electric vehicles. While automakers of all varieties — startups, legacy, foreign transplants — still rely on Detroit’s extensive expertise, the EV gold rush, electronics revolution and non-union manufacturing have democratized the auto industry away from Michigan towards California and southern auto plants.

Even companies like Rivian Automotive Inc. and Bollinger Motors, which opened their first offices in Metro Detroit, lean heavily on California for talent and capital.

Mullen now owns a 60% stake in Oak Park-based Bollinger, a rare EV startup headquartered in Michigan. While Bollinger’s Oak Park operation is focused on heavy-duty, heavily-government-subsidized Class 4 and 5 commercial trucks, Mullen wants to manufacture the brand’s consumer-focused B1 SUV and B2 pickup truck.

EVs like this Mullen 5 require miles of software coding for — not just digital displays — but for their battery drivetrains. Auto startups find a wealth of coders in California.EVs like this Mullen 5 require miles of software coding for — not just digital displays — but for their battery drivetrains. Auto startups find a wealth of coders in California.

“We plan to produce the Bollinger models along with the rest of our product portfolio: the Mullen 5 SUV, GT sportscar, and Class 1 and 3 vehicles,” said Mullen sales director Robert Sanseverino as he stood in front of the Bollinger B2 pickup in Mullen’s sprawling consumer display in Pasadena’s Santa Anita Park.

Sanseverino, a retired, 30-year Ford marketing veteran, is an example of California’s sprawling, human infrastructure essential to startups like Mullen. Sanseverino’s vice president for commercial sales is Don Borthwick, another Ford veteran.

“We started producing the Mullen Three at our assembly plant in Tunica, Mississippi, this summer,” said Borthwick of the company’s Class 3 EV truck — rebadged from a vehicle sold in China by SAIC Motor, China’s largest automaker. Mullen Three production will be followed by the Mullen One — a rebadged EV cargo van created by China’s Wuling Motors.

Another perfect sunset backgrounds the Mullen Automotive customer event in Los Angeles. Mullen 5 SUV on left, Bollinger B2 on right.Another perfect sunset backgrounds the Mullen Automotive customer event in Los Angeles. Mullen 5 SUV on left, Bollinger B2 on right.

“These commercial vehicles get us on an early revenue path, then we can move to the retail market in 2025 and our Bollinger, Mullen 5 and GT models,” said Borthwick.

Part of California’s attraction to startups is its healthy EV market — Tesla’s Model Y and 3 are the best-selling models here — that accounts for over 40% of U.S. EV sales. Battery-powered vehicles are as fashionable as Lululemon and Nike clothing in the country’s biggest state economy.

“I was attracted to the styling of the Mullen 5 when I saw it at the LA Auto Show in 2021,” said Tom Aylesbury, 60, of Pasadena, while ogling a Mullen 5. “I like the Bollinger, too, but I’m looking for a small SUV, and I find the Tesla hard to operate.”

LA-based Mullen Automotive plans to produce the Bollinger B2 pickup — and sister B1 SUV — in Indiana. The company bought a majority interest in Michigan-based Bollinger in 2022.LA-based Mullen Automotive plans to produce the Bollinger B2 pickup — and sister B1 SUV — in Indiana. The company bought a majority interest in Michigan-based Bollinger in 2022.

Not only does California’s government subsidize EV sales, it’s also requiring companies to buy EVs for their commercial fleets — a target of Mullen’s Class 1-3 models.

But California is also attractive to startups because EVs — whose simpler, electric-motor drivetrains don’t depend on Detroit’s vast internal combustion engine expertise — are the cutting edge of a fundamental shift in the industry toward digitization. From electronic suspension and navigation systems to electric motors, vehicles today require extensive computer coding to run.

The center of the coding universe is California.

“The core of automobiles now — especially the EVs that all these startups are making — is software,” said veteran iSeeCars.com auto analyst Karl Brauer, who lives in Orange County south of LA. “And the most fertile soil in the world for programmers is the West Coast. There are massive numbers of coders here. They are young, they like California sunshine and they are in demand.”

The 2025 Mullen 5 at the Mullen Automotive customer event. The company is among EV startups drawn to the Golden State for its place as a tech and software center.The 2025 Mullen 5 at the Mullen Automotive customer event. The company is among EV startups drawn to the Golden State for its place as a tech and software center.

Brauer points to Irvine-based Rivian and CEO RJ Scaringe, who initially located in the Detroit suburb of Plymouth “where he got industry cred for hiring veterans who knew how to screw a car together.”

“Ultimately, Scaringe moved company headquarters here, which is where Tesla and Lucid and Fisker and these other EV companies are and where the coding talent is. And, honestly, where the weather is perfect, and you don’t have to put up with long winters in the Michigan Rust Belt,” Brauer said.

These inherent California advantages are buttressed by an auto infrastructure that mirrors Michigan in many ways. Los Angeles has been home to cutting-edge auto design for years, courtesy of Pasadena’s ArtCenter College of Design. It’s produced luminaries such as Tesla design boss Franz Von Holzhausen, Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker, Lucid exterior design manager Jiyeon Jenny Ha, and Acura brand manager Jon Ikeda.

Major automakers have maintained design shops here to take advantage of the ArtCenter’s pipeline of talent. The state’s racing and performance-car culture has attracted engineering talent found in LA-based Honda Performance Development and the Toyota Research and Development center. Tesla built its first factory on the bones of NUMMI manufacturing, a former joint GM-Toyota operation in San Francisco’s Bay Area.

Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker got his design degree in LA from the ArtCenter College of Design. His company is head-quartered in LA. He is mobbed by fans at the Fisker Ocean EV's LA launch in 2021.Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker got his design degree in LA from the ArtCenter College of Design. His company is head-quartered in LA. He is mobbed by fans at the Fisker Ocean EV's LA launch in 2021.

Even as Toyota pulled up stakes in LA and moved its North American headquarters to Texas, many of its employees stayed behind and were gobbled up by EV startups.

Employees like Raul Garcia, 40, of Costa Mesa, a skilled testing technician who went to work for EV startup Faraday rather than move out of state.

“I worked for Faraday for eight years as a technician testing drivability, range and powertrains,” said Garcia. “In startups, you’re all over the place, doing different things, and I liked that.”

Mullen Engineering Build Manager Mitchell Dyche got his mechanical engineering degree from California State Polytechnic University-Pomona in 2010 and did stints with motorsports programs and performance carmaker Saleen before Mullen signed him up. He showed off the Mullen 5 RS (the 5’s performance variant) with neck-snapping, Tesla Plaid-like acceleration.

Mullen Automotive is producing this Class 3 Mullen Three delivery truck in Mississippi. EV startups with ties to California are nonetheless producing many of their products in plants elsewhere.Mullen Automotive is producing this Class 3 Mullen Three delivery truck in Mississippi. EV startups with ties to California are nonetheless producing many of their products in plants elsewhere.

Will California’s EV startup boom bring the same sustained auto employment that the Motor City has enjoyed for a century?

Tesla’s trillion-dollar valuation is the model, but most startups don’t know where their next capital meal is coming from.

“There are a lot of startups offering work in LA like Canoo, Rivian and Mullen — but there is a lot of fluctuation depending on funding,” said Garcia, now a Toyota associate auto technician in LA. “I went back to work at Toyota TRD in their fuel cell program. TRD has a start-up feel to it, and we have rich parents (in Toyota), which gives more security.”

Nearly 300 startups tried to make a go of it in the early 1900s, but you can count the number of viable 21st-century startups on two hands. They are competing against a mature industry and customer base comfortable with ICEs. Mullen, for example, his picked niche EV segments — Class 1 and 3 utility vehicles — that legacy automakers ignore. As it gets into volume segments like pickups and SUVs with its Bollinger and Mullen models, capital requirements will skyrocket.

Analyst Brauer predicts a shakeout: “There has been a lot of government money supporting these companies, and — while the traditional automakers have taken a while to get into the EV space — they are there now. There is a culling coming.”

The Lucid Air's 900-volt electric battery architecture is displayed in the lobby of the company's headquarters in Newark, California. Lucid is among numerous EV makers operating in the state.The Lucid Air's 900-volt electric battery architecture is displayed in the lobby of the company's headquarters in Newark, California. Lucid is among numerous EV makers operating in the state.

California is also a difficult place to do business with high taxes and regulations that helped drive Toyota, Nissan — even its golden child, Tesla — out of state. Both Michigan and California have lost manufacturing to right-to-work, low-energy-cost states. Mullen, Rivian, Fisker, Lucid and Tesla have all located manufacturing outside California in plants where they can move quickly, unencumbered by union rules.

“With modern production methods continuing to move to computer-assisted design and more software, developers can be anywhere,” Brauer said. “From design to engineering to production, automakers have multiple locations to choose from.”

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Payne: Toyota Taco’s tasty new recipe

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 30, 2023

 

Los Angeles — Like LeBron James in the National Basketball Association, the Toyota Tacoma has been the premier player in its arena — the mid-size pickup segment — for the last two decades. Whether in sport or autos, that’s a long time in a ferociously competitive environment. James has competed against champions like Tayshaun Prince, Paul Pierce, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant. Tacoma has outsold the Chevy Colorado, GMC Canyon, Ford Ranger and Nissan Frontier.

But you don’t stay on top by sitting on your laurels.

For 2024, the Taco is all-new with major upgrades to keep up with the competition while maintaining its core off-road and reliability talents. The changes are immediately apparent on road. With good off-road instincts courtesy of high approach angle, detachable front sway-bar and tough ladder frame — Tacoma first topped the sales charts in 2005. But it was less sure-footed on-road.

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road model is the most rugged trim - until the TRD Pro comes along in early 2024.The 2024 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-Road model is the most rugged trim - until the TRD Pro comes along in early 2024.

Sitting on an aging 2009 chassis, the Toyota was loud ‘n’ loose on asphalt in contrast to the remade GM twins and Frontier. For ‘24, Taco has risen to the challenge by adopting a multi-link, coil-over-shock rear suspension on up-trim TRD models — a trick inspired by big brother Tundra (and the OG Ram 1500).

I flogged a Tacoma TRD Sport over north LA’s twisted Mulholland Drive — behavior that would have sent me flying into the Pacific Ocean on the last-gen truck. I missed the bass of Taco’s ol’ V-6 engine — a casualty of emissions regulations forcing automakers toward electric vehicles. Toyota’s answer is not electric (a liability in affordable trucks tasked with towing and off-roading) but a 2.4-liter turbo-4 with three power variants to choose from, belting out between 228 and 278 horsepower with an electronically-enhanced bark.

“Customers like the authority of V-8s and V-6s, but as we reduce cylinder size, it gets tougher to do with four cylinders,” smiled engineer Sheldon Brown, Taco’s chief chef.

Chief Engineer Sheldon Brown shows off the 2024 Toyota Tacoma's eight versions.Chief Engineer Sheldon Brown shows off the 2024 Toyota Tacoma's eight versions.

The growl works, and my right foot kept mashing the pedal for more. Taco has also upgraded its automatic transmission from six to eight speeds for better fuel economy and added a front apron for better aerodynamics. Multi-speed boxes can annoy by hunting for gears, but — even as I repeatedly gave it the gas — the Taco responded with crisp, authoritative shifts. As for the skirt, take it off to take advantage of the truck’s 34.4-degree off-road approach angle.

The turbo-4’s macho voice is only available in sporty TRD models like the $40,000-plus TRD XtraCab PreRunner and Double Cab that I test drove. It’s worth the cash if you have it. So is the smaller two-door XtraCab. Indeed, despite deep-sixing the V-6, Taco is LeBron-like in its dexterity — preserving customer choice by offering two cabs, two bed options (5-foot and 6-foot), rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and automatic/manual transmissions.

“We wanted to aggressively defend our entry point,” said Brown.

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma is much improved with a stiffer frame and more sophisticated suspension while maintaining lots of choice like manual/auto transmission and two bed options.The 2024 Toyota Tacoma is much improved with a stiffer frame and more sophisticated suspension while maintaining lots of choice like manual/auto transmission and two bed options.

Most Tacos will sell as Double Cabs, but the two-door has features the four-door can’t match. The front passenger seat folds flat (shades of the defunct Honda Fit and 2013 Chevy Trax/Buick Encore) so that you can easily access the cargo space in back that includes … a tool pegboard. Dude.

It’s hidden behind a key-locked, mid-gate entry door (to keep tools from flopping about), that folds down. The flattened front seat, of course, makes it easy to bring along a dog, bag, toolbox, etc.

The Double Cab offers more conventional seating and mid-gate (there’s a cubby behind the rear seats), and every truck comes standard with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, which includes adaptive cruise control, pedestrian detection and auto high beams.

Want more standard stuff? Twin front digital screens with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Only blind-spot assist is missing from my list of standard must-haves.

To complement the tech, engineers tilted the front console so you can more easily see your phone screen. The pad secures your phone so it doesn’t fly out whenever the driver, um, gets aggressive. Modern Taco at your service.

Front quarters are comfortable for bony-legged giants like me — but put LeBron in the back seat and he’ll be cramped. I could barely sit behind myself at 6’5”. I don’t get it.

Lack of rear seat room is a malady that plagues most mid-size pickups, yet trucks are often purchased by big, burly people (tool guys like those referenced earlier). There has to be a happy medium between the palatial rear couches of full-size trucks and mid-size pickups’ tight squeeze.

The 2024 Toyota Tacoma drops its V-6 engine option for a turbo-4.The 2024 Toyota Tacoma drops its V-6 engine option for a turbo-4.

Naturally, all this tech means the base price of the Taco climbs to $33K, a leap from $28K just two years ago. I miss sub-$30K vehicles (much less $20K). Seems like room for a Corolla-based, Ford Maverick-fighting $20K entry-level pickup to me. Hint hint.

Tacoma offers plenty of choice above $30K with eight trims, including the SR5 Double Cab with extended six-foot bed that I drove at length in LA.

Like all Tacos it comes with new sheet metal and interior that gives it a bold, Tonka truck-like presence. Toyota debuted this chunky design on Tundra pickups in 2022, and they still turn my head. So will the Tacoma. The grille is familiar, but the truck’s flanks are more muscular with bold fender flares, chiseled doors and vertical taillights.

The Alpha Male of the lineup is the TRD Pro which looks like Dwayne Johnson emerging from the ocean surf. I’ll get a chance to drive it (and its hybrid powertrain) early next year, but for now the TRD model offers plenty of beefcake.

The interior is just as muscular with a shifter the size of Thor’s Hammer (we truck guys are just big kids) and added cubby space in the doors and dash.

Crawling over dirty off-road trails, ditches and rocky beds, the TRD proved the new multi-link suspension hasn’t made Taco go soft. Just beware of the lower-hanging connection point for the multi-link suspension (shared with traditional leaf springs on lower trims) just ahead of the rear tire.

The interior of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma is more modern with seats that give the driver a more commanding position.The interior of the 2024 Toyota Tacoma is more modern with seats that give the driver a more commanding position.

As the terrain grew more pleasant, I electronically disconnected the front sway bar (shades of Ford Bronco) with the touch of a console button. The Tacoma happily grunted along on grippy Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires as I alternatively toggled the fat MODE button between LOW and HIGH gears.

Like LeBron, Tacoma’s home has moved around over the years from California to Mexican assembly plants. Sitting on a tougher “boxed” TNGA-F  frame, the Taco should please the faithful with its old-school reliability while impressing new-gen technoids.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

Next week: 2024 Acura MDX

2024 Toyota Tacoma

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and four-wheel-drive, two- and four-door pickup

Price: $32,895, including $1,495 destination charge ($44,000 SR5, $41,000 TRD PreRunner, and $42,500 TRD Sport, $43,500 TRD Off Road — est. as tested)

Powerplant: 2.4-liter turbocharged, inline-4 cylinder

Power: 228 horsepower, 243 pound-feet-torque; 278 horsepower, 317 pound-feet-torque; 270 horsepower, 310 pound-feet-torque (manual)

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic; six-speed manual

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5-8 seconds (Car and Driver est.); payload, 1,405-1,705 pounds; towing, 6,500 pounds

Weight: 4,145-4,720 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 21 city/26 highway/23 combined (SR5); 21 city/26 highway/23 combined (SR5); 20 city/24 highway/22 combined (TRD PreRunner); 20 city/24 highway/22 combined (TRD Sport); 18 city/23 highway/20 combined (TRD Off-Road, manual)

Report card

Highs: Looks great inside and out; on-road manners to match off-road capability

Lows: Tight backseat; big price jump

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Chevy Tahoe/Suburban: More tech, more screen, more engine choices

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 30, 2023

Warren — For its 12th generation in 2021, the Chevy Suburban (and sister Tahoe) mega-SUV went to the gym. In a complete body makeover, the pickup truck-based twins shed 300 pounds, gained 10 inches of length, an off-road Z71 model, and acres of interior room thanks to a space-saving independent rear suspension.

For their mid-product cycle update for 2025, the buff SUVs have loaded up on tech.

Slip into the Suburban/Tahoe and the driver’s cabin has been transformed with big, double instrument and infotainment screens stretching across the dash similar to their Silverado and Silverado EV stablemates. The infotainment screen is angled towards the driver (shades of the mid-engine Corvette) for better access to Google Built-In, an elegant interface similar to your smartphone. Icons can be moved around the screen, and the navigation app is familiar to anyone with a phone.

The longest-running badge in the industry (since 1935), the Suburban — along with shorter-wheelbase Tahoe — has long dominated the large-ute segment along with its GMC Yukon and Cadillac Escalade siblings. But this decade has brought competition beyond its traditional Ford Expedition rival. The Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer cannonballed into the SUV pool in 2023 and Toyota has also upgraded its Sequoia offering based on an all-new Tundra pickup foundation.

Despite those new entries, Tahoe/Suburban own 40% of segment sales, but the pressure to maintain that lead — especially in a profit-rich segment at a time when electric vehicle investment is sucking cash — is urgent.

The center console on the 2025 Chevy Tahoe-Silverado can roll backwards for access by the second row.The center console on the 2025 Chevy Tahoe-Silverado can roll backwards for access by the second row.

Thanks to its sheer size and crucial 2021 IRS update, Suburban’s cargo space is massive, with a 20-cubic-foot advantage over the Wagoneer with their third rows folded. But the Chevy interior upgrades will address criticism that the models lagged behind. “The interior styling and materials are ho-hum,” shrugged Car and Driver of the outgoing Tahoe/Suburban. No more.

The tech-tastic Suburban-Tahoe upgrades also shore up the SUVs’ standard safety systems, long a soft spot in GM’s lineup. Where the last-gen mega-utes didn’t make adaptive cruise control standard until its top-rung High Country model, ACC and blind-spot assist are now part of a suite of standard safety offerings including emergency braking, interior occupant detection and rear camera alert. Optional goodies include a 15-inch head-up display and auto, hands-free power liftgate that activates when you round the rear corner.

With the increased standard features, expect the starting price of the $56k Tahoe and $59k Suburban to rise for ‘25. Pricing will be announced when they hit dealerships late next year.

To access the third row in the 2025 Chevy Tahoe-Silverado, the second-row seats simply flop forward.To access the third row in the 2025 Chevy Tahoe-Silverado, the second-row seats simply flop forward.

GM has been a leader in semi-autonomous transit with its hands-free Super Cruise driver-assist feature. The 2025 Tahoe and Suburban option it beginning with the LT trim so you can relax during long trips on divided highways.

New electronic goodies include a Connected Camera feature so you can monitor the vehicle for security breaches and an internal radar that tracks if anyone has been left in the car. Some three-row vehicles like Hyundai’s Palisade connect their third row to the front passengers with a microphone, but the Chevy twins do not offer that feature.

Ergonomically, Chevrolets receive high marks and third-row access is easy with collapsing second-row seats. The middle row also benefits from a sliding center console that brings, say, cupholders closer to rear-seat passengers.

The 2025 refresh also gains from Chevy’s experience with its off-road Z71 trim, which — following market trends — outdoors-focused consumers snapped up in large numbers.

The Chevy Tahoe Z71 off-road model sells like hotcakes and Chevy is adding more goodies for 2025, including a 6-cylinder diesel engine to go with underbody skid plates and 33-inch all-terrain tires.The Chevy Tahoe Z71 off-road model sells like hotcakes and Chevy is adding more goodies for 2025, including a 6-cylinder diesel engine to go with underbody skid plates and 33-inch all-terrain tires.

Some 20% of Tahoe/Suburban buyers opt for the Z71 package with its standard all-wheel-drive, rugged looks, raises height, 33-inch all-terrain tires, and underbody skidplates. Chevy rewards those customers with another engine option for 2025 in addition to the 6.2-liter V-8 — a stump-pulling, 3.0-liter, inline-6 cylinder diesel with 460 pound-feet of torque and a sippy 24 mpg to assist buyers who want to load 8,000-plus pounds of, say, all-terrain vehicles on a trailer.

The diesel is part of a robust lineup of gas engines that carries over from 2024 models and includes a base 5.3-liter V-8 making 355 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque and the aforementioned 6.2-liter boasting 420 horsepower/460 torque. All engines are operated via a 10-speed automatic transmission.

High Country models come with more blingtastic options like 24-inch wheels, air-suspension (so that the big elephant will kneel to help you gain entry) and magnetic ride shocks. The latter trickles down to the RST and ZR71 models.

A driver activates General Motors Co.'s Super Cruise driver-assist system on the 2025 Chevy Tahoe RST.A driver activates General Motors Co.'s Super Cruise driver-assist system on the 2025 Chevy Tahoe RST.

You’ll know the new Tahoe/Suburban by its mid-fascia-mounted headlights, a design detail increasingly common in the industry. The new headlight position allows for less glare when the elephant stomps into the rear-view mirror of a smaller car — but also more flexibility for designers on surrounding LED running lights. All six Tahoe/Suburban trims — LS, LT, RST, Z71, Premier and High Country — get their own unique fascia.

The mega-utes are built at GM’s Arlington Assembly plant in Texas.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Payne: Hammer down in the Chinese-made, all-electric Mullen GT sportscar

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 27, 2023

Pasadena, Calif. — The electric Qiantu K50 lives.

In the parking lot of Santa Anita Park horse track. On an autocross course. On a Tuesday afternoon. Like a thoroughbred from a starting gate, I exploded out from under a pop-up tent into a tunnel of pylons. ZOT! I was in top of the first turn in an instant.

Boy, wish I had this kind of torque when I autocrossed go-karts in West Virginia parking lots as an 11-year-old.

The last time I saw the Qiantu (pronounced Shan-too) was in the lobby of the 2019 New York Auto Show. Heady times. The electric supercar was one of a wave of Chinese autos that were due to the U.S. market in 2020, including the BYD shown at that year’s Detroit auto show and the Byton M-Byte displayed at the Los Angeles show. None of them made it.

But the Qiantu was striking, turning heads in the Big Apple with its sleek lines, unique black lamb chops, and low nose. Mullen Automotive, the car’s U.S. distributor, still believes and has rebadged it the Mullen GT — a halo car for its electric stable of EVs that includes the Bollinger B1 pickup and B2 pickup, Mullen One (rebadged Class One cargo van made by China’s Wuling Motors), Mullen Three (rebadged Class 3 vehicle made by China’s largest automaker, SAIC Motor), and the home-brewed Mullen 5 and 5RS SUVs. Think of Mullen as the Island of Misfit Electric Toys.

Gathering the explosive GT up like a wild stallion, I pulled the reins back (the steering wheel still bears the Qiantu dragonfly logo) and brushed the brakes into a looong carousel turn on the makeshift parking lot course. At around 180 degrees in radius, carousels are half-skid pads that are wonderful tests of a car’s balance. The Mullen pushed off the entry to the turn, but a brief lift transferred weight to the front and brought the rear end around. Back on throttle, I felt the all-wheel-drive system’s tenacious grip as I exited the corner and immediately entered a long right hander.

Oh, man, this sports car is heavy.

On track the Mullen GT was quick, flat, and fun to drive. The EV's 4,300-pound curb weight is a liability, however.On track the Mullen GT was quick, flat, and fun to drive. The EV's 4,300-pound curb weight is a liability, however.

The quick change in direction challenged the supercar’s balance and exposed the biggest issue facing electric performance cars: battery mass. EVs like the Mullen GT are rocket ships in a straight line — a Tesla P90 briefly made me dizzy the first time I tested it 2.3-second 0-60 mph hole shot — but the same battery mass that spins electric motors to crazy torque numbers is the enemy at high g-loads.

It’s why Formula E has struggled to match the dynamism of gas-powered series like IndyCar and why race series owners like Roger Penske have written off electrics as feasible race series (not to mention the other battery bug-a-boo of range-sucking speed).

Even with an aluminum chassis and carbon-fiber skin, the AWD Mullen GT tips the scales at 4,300 pounds — or a bit more than my Tesla Model 3 Performance sedan. Oof. It’s also why few established supercar manufacturers have gone all-electric, choosing hybrid formats instead where smaller battery packs complement the gas engine with low-end torque like a supercharger. Think the Corvette E-Ray.

While rumors exist of a Chevy Corvette EV, the $150,000 Mullen EV’s peers are largely exotic, multimillion-dollar machines like the $2.1 million, 258-mph Rimac Revera or $2.5 million, 1.7-second 0-60 (ow, my brain hurts) Pininfarina Battista.

The GT initially promised numbers to rival those cyborgs — sub-2 second 0-60 mph time, 200-mph top speed — but Mullen has backed off those ambitious numbers. Now its claimed 4.2-seconds 0-60 and 125-mph top speed are nowhere near the top of the class, but neither is its sticker price.

The fastback rear of the Mullen GT sportscar. The twin-motor EV boasts 4.2-second 0-60 mph time and 125 mph top speed.The fastback rear of the Mullen GT sportscar. The twin-motor EV boasts 4.2-second 0-60 mph time and 125 mph top speed.

The world of technology is moving fast and the Qiantu — er Mullen — now trails the sleek, four-door, 2023 Kia EV6 GT which runs to 60 mph nearly a second faster and costs less than half as much. It’ll run rings around the Kia, though.

After a quick right-left chicane, I was back on the throttle downhill and under a bridge (Santa Anita has a BIG parking lot) into a hairpin turn where the brakes gripped like a Rottweiler on a postman’s keg. Impressive. Especially as the Mullen doesn’t appear to make much use of its regenerative braking.

Mullen’s interior design is four years old, but the cockpit is still a modern place to be with its twin digital screens — the dash display a big, 15.6-inch, Model S-like vertical design. There’s also an integrated, roof-top solar panel that powers the 12-volt battery. But for 150 grand, the GT’s graphics are dated and it lacks features like a camera mirror (which would be nice since it has rear blind-spots the size of Rhode Island).

The lovely interior confines of the Mullen GT.The lovely interior confines of the Mullen GT.

Throttle to the floor, I drifted beautifully with my electric dance partners across a wide, 90-degree lefthander on my way back to the makeshift paddock. The Pirelli P Zero rubber can’t quite stick the Mullen’s 4,300 pounds, but the T-shaped, lithium-ion battery is anchored low in the chassis for good center-of-gravity.

Taking over from Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Huaguan (some 1,000 have been built in China), Mullen planned in 2020 to build the car in a California plant that hasn’t materialized. Mullen has production plants in Indiana and Mississippi. If the GT gets the green light for production in 2025-26 (Mullen is asking for a $1,000 deposit upon ordering) it’s a nice flip on the usual script of an American-made product being produced in China.

The Mullen GT features digital displays for driver and console. Note the original Qiantu Dragonfly logo on the steering wheel.The Mullen GT features digital displays for driver and console. Note the original Qiantu Dragonfly logo on the steering wheel.

As I rolled to a stop back at the tented paddock, I popped open the GT’s twin charging ports — like Mickey Mouse ears — located aft of the B-pillars. The left port for a 240-volt home charger, the right for a Level 3 DC fast charger. Range is estimated at 230 miles on a single charge with a sticker price to match the now-defunct BMW i8 plugin hybrid sports car.

White space sales opportunity — except the electric Porsche 718 sports car is due on the same 2025 timeline.

Next week: 2024 Toyota Tacoma

Mullen GT prototype

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, two-passenger supercar

Price: $150,000

Powerplant: 78-kWh lithium-ion battery with twin electric motors

Power: 430 horsepower

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.2 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 125 mph

Weight: 4,300 pounds (est.)

Fuel economy: EPA est. NA; range, 230 miles

Report card

Highs: Unique looks; rare, all-electric sports car

Lows: Uncompetitive performance specs; due at same time as 2025 Porsche 718 EV

Overall: 2 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch his “Car Radio” reports on 910 AM Superstation.

Off-road Hell: Ford dominates grueling Baja 1000 in Raptor R, Bronco, Raptor Trophy Truck

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 27, 2023

Ford Motor Co. put an exclamation point on its “Built Ford Tough” truck tagline last week, winning three classes at the grueling, 56th running of the Baja 100 off-road race.

A factory-sponsored, Ford Performance V-8 powered F-150 Raptor R took Stock Full class honors and a factory Ford Bronco Raptor won the Stock Mid-Size division. To complete the hat trick, a heavily modified, 1,000-horsepower, private-entry Ford Raptor won overall in the Trophy Truck class on a typically tortuous course made more difficult by torrential rain conditions on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.

The SCORE Baja 1000 Presented by K&N has long been a manufacturer proving-ground for off-road performance, and Ford’s history runs back to 1969 when a Bronco (piloted by off-road legend Rod Hall) won overall — the only production truck to win the whole enchilada in a multi-class race that includes motorcycles and purpose-built trucks. The win helped make Bronco a legend — a feat that continues to buoy the badge today as it takes on showroom competitors like the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner which also have Baja 1000 history.

The Bronco Raptor’s win this year in the mid-size class followed a factory-team Ranger Raptor pickup’s class win in 2022. The race vehicles were stock builds but for safety additions like roll cages and light bars. The F-150 and Bronco Raptors are on sale in U.S. showrooms, while the Ranger Raptor is due for the 2025 model year. Bronco Raptor even outpaced big brother Raptor R, crossing the finish line an hour ahead after more than 40 hours in the desert.

“Ford is a family company with not only a goal to win, but to also further develop our street Raptors for customers around the world to enjoy,” said Ford Performance Motorsports chief Mark Rushbrook. “The Baja 1000 not only served as a testament to all the hard work from people on the ground and in Dearborn, but this event also emphasizes our continued global commitment to the sport and making better products for our customers.”

As part of its icons marketing strategy which features the F-150, Bronco and Mustang models, Ford is leaning hard into motorsports with its Ford Performance division and a significant commitment to win high profile races. In addition to NASCAR and NHRA drag racing, Ford has also targeted endurance race series.

On track the Blue Oval is focused next year on winning the world’s most prestigious endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in a GT-class Mustang GT3 Dark Horse.

2023 Baja 1000: Ford Bronco Raptor2023 Baja 1000: Ford Bronco Raptor

Baja is the jewel of the off-road endurance world, the crowning race in the four-race SCORE series. This year’s win was significant for Ford as it has gone all-in on performance halo off-roaders across a model lineup that includes the Maverick, Ranger, and F-Series pickups as well as the Bronco SUV.

Endurance racing is an integral part of performance manufacturers’ production development. Running flat out in harsh conditions not only puts drivetrains, suspensions, and tires to the ultimate test, but attracts top-drawer engineers to company programs. Ford has made endurance racing a particular focus with factory-backed teams competing in major races.

“The Baja 1000 is the ultimate test of manufacturers’ machinery,” said Tom Zielinski, CEO of Detroit 4Fest, Michigan’s premier off-road event in Holly. “It’s also a great marketing tool. ‘Ironman’ Ivan Stewart proved Toyota capability in pickups by running Baja. Trucks are the profit center for brands today and Baja is how you prove credibility.”

Beyond factory team efforts, vehicles and parts from Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, Jeep, and other brands are entered by private teams in multiple 4×4 classes. In Baja history, Ford engines have produced 15 overall winners, with Chevy, 12, VW, 12; and Toyota, two. Ford also leads the way in chassis winners with 19 overall trophies followed by Chevy with 12.

2023 Baja 1000: Ford F-150 Raptor R (rt)2023 Baja 1000: Ford F-150 Raptor R (rt)

Underlining its commitment to the sport, Ford expanded to a two-truck program this year which — despite the Baja 1000 title — actually ran a 1,200-mile course from La Paz to Ensenada. Wearing BFGoodrich All-Terrain KO2 tires and off-road Fox shocks, the Raptors navigated everything from sandy Pacific coastlines to thick silt beds and rugged rock sections.

The Bronco Raptor was powered by its stock, 418-horsepower, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6 engine, while the Raptor R was stuffed with its standard, 700-plus horsepower, 5.2-liter, supercharged V-8. The Bronco Raptor finishing with an unofficial time of 40:37:47 hours and the F-150 Raptor R 41:44:46 hours.

By comparison the overall-winning, purpose-built Red Bull Ford Raptor SCORE Trophy Truck covered the course in a staggering 22.35.33 hours at an average speed of 58 mpg. With tough frames, 25 to 36 inches of suspension travel, and 1,000 horsepower from their mighty V-8 engines they are kings of a race that saw heavy attrition from the 335-entry field from 20 countries in classes covering cars, trucks, UTVs and motorcycles.

2023 Baja 1000: The winners! Ford F-150 Raptor R team.2023 Baja 1000: The winners! Ford F-150 Raptor R team.

Just 178 entries finished due to a rash of accidents, broken parts and mechanical failures

“We are so proud to be able to get these trucks across the finish line,” said Brian Novak, Ford Performance off-road racing supervisor. “Baja is one of the most difficult races in the world, and that is why we use it as a proving ground for our technology. The team is proud to show again this year how capable the Raptors really are.”

Driver Loren Healy, one of off-road racing’s top names, brought home the F-150 Raptor R to victory.

“Winning the Baja 1000 in the Raptor R will go down as one of my favorite victories in my racing career,” Healy said. “The amount of work that went into the race efforts for both the truck and the Bronco Raptor are absolutely mind blowing. Somewhere around 100 people came together as a family and made magic, getting both these stock production vehicles to win their classes in the second longest Baja 1000 ever. It truly is an honor to be a small part of this epic, history-making team.”

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne. Catch his “Car Radio” reports on 910 AM Superstation.

Payne: Truck tailgates are the rage. A brief history

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 21, 2023

Trucks are Swiss Army Knives on wheels, with a variety of tools for every occasion. Four-wheel-drive, towing, bed storage. The tailgate tool has been a particular focus of late as manufacturers have debuted soft-drop tailgates, remote-drop tailgates, tailgates with steps, and multi-purpose tailgates.

Jaws dropped (literally, the theme of an ad campaign) as General Motors Co. debuted the six-way GMC MultiPro Tailgate and Chevy Multi-Flex tailgates. Stellantis NV’s Ram took a different approach with the Multi Function Tailgate that opened as 60-40 split cabinet doors. Even the midsize Honda Ridgeline gets into the act with a side-hinged tailgate that can both drop down — or open like door.

Ford Motor Co., a pickup maker before pickups were cool, brings the newest entrant to the pickup party with its Pro Access Tailgate on the 2024 Ford F-150. The Pro Access allows owners to access the bed via a swinging door within the tailgate.

All this technology, of course, is meant to compliment long, grueling hours on the work site where pickup trucks are expected to do everything from tow heavy objects, haul lumber, haul electric generators, even be stand-up desks for architects.

But the tailgate also is also synonymous with recreation in the United States. Pickups — and their SUV brethren — are expected to house picnics, big screen televisions, and barbecue grills.

Tailgating is synonymous with football, but the practice pre-dates the pigskin, historian Tonya Williams Bradford, a University of California Irvine marketing professor, told Popular Mechanics: “Tailgating. . . didn’t necessarily start with sports. If you go all the way back to the Civil War when people knew where skirmishes would be, they’d pack up food and sit on the sidelines and watch.”

On a trip to drop off furniture at a resale shop, the 2023 GMC Sierra AT4X AEV Edition's 4.6-foot short box was easy to load thanks to the MultiPro tailgate.On a trip to drop off furniture at a resale shop, the 2023 GMC Sierra AT4X AEV Edition's 4.6-foot short box was easy to load thanks to the MultiPro tailgate.

At the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861, nearby residents got word of a battle, loaded up their horse and carts with pies and other goodies, then trotted out to the Virginia countryside to watch. Fast forward to the post-war era in 1869 and the first college football game between Rutgers and Princeton universities. New Jersey newspapers reported on spectators tailgating.

By the 1920s, football stadiums were growing across the country, their crush of fans overwhelming the ability of local restaurants’ ability to feed them. Tailgating became a tradition that has only become more elaborate — and more demanding of vehicles — over time.

In celebration of a century of Ford pickups, here’s a look back at the Blue Oval’s tailgate evolution from station wagons to SUVs to trucks.

1925

Beginning in late 1924 Ford introduced the first factory-assembled pickup, the 1925 model Model TT, featuring a cargo box and (natch) adjustable tailgate.

1925 
Beginning in late 1924 Ford introduced the first factory-assembled pickup, the 1925 model Model TT, featuring a cargo box and (natch) adjustable tailgate.1925 
Beginning in late 1924 Ford introduced the first factory-assembled pickup, the 1925 model Model TT, featuring a cargo box and (natch) adjustable tailgate.

1929

The first station wagon — and no, National Lampoon Vacation fans, it wasn’t called the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. The Model A debuted Ford’s first family wagon showcasing a tailgate and, um, no rear window.

1929
The first station wagon – and no, National Lampoon Vacation fans, it wasn’t called the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. The Model A debuted Ford’s first family wagon showcasing a tailgate and, um, no rear window.1929
The first station wagon – and no, National Lampoon Vacation fans, it wasn’t called the Wagon Queen Family Truckster. The Model A debuted Ford’s first family wagon showcasing a tailgate and, um, no rear window.

1948

The first F-Series pickup marked a divergence of Ford car and truck design, with the latter developed specifically for tough truck use. The F-Series introduced a tapered, tooled-edge tailgate with anti-rattle drop chains holding the tailgate flush with floor.

1959

With safer night-time operation in mind, a reflector was added to the right side of the F-Series tailgate.

1960

Back to the car side of the business and the Falcon wagon became the first Ford with a single-piece, drop-down tailgate and retractable rear window

1960 
Back to the car side of the business and the Falcon wagon became the first Ford with a single-piece, drop-down tailgate and retractable rear window1960 
Back to the car side of the business and the Falcon wagon became the first Ford with a single-piece, drop-down tailgate and retractable rear window

1961-69

The ‘60s were a golden age of automobile innovation from race cars to station wagons to pickup trucks. Steel chains disappeared from Ford tailgates, replaced by instant-lock latches. Ford marketed the innovation as “grain-tight,” and the tailgate also grew by a whopping 13 inches.

In 1964, the pickup grew to 128-inches long — longer than most luxury cars — with a tailgate that could hold 2,000 pounds. The tailgate also featured support straps made of steel that folded into tailgate. The so-called Magic Doorgate took a bow in 1966 on Ford, Fairlane, and Falcon wagons. It opened like a tailgate or like a door. Come ‘69, it could be opened as a door with the window up or down.

1961-69
The ‘60s were a golden age of automobile innovation from race cars to station wagons to pickup trucks. Steel chains disappeared from Ford tailgates, replaced by instant-lock latches. Ford marketed the innovation as “grain-tight,” and the tailgate also grew by a whopping 13 inches. In 1964, the pickup grew to 128-inches long - longer than most luxury cars - with a tailgate that could hold 2,000 pounds. The tailgate also featured support straps made of steel that folded into tailgate. The so-called Magic Doorgate took a bow in 1966 on Ford, Fairlane, and Falcon wagons. It opened like a tailgate or like a door. Come ‘69, it could be opened as a door with the window up or down.1961-69
The ‘60s were a golden age of automobile innovation from race cars to station wagons to pickup trucks. Steel chains disappeared from Ford tailgates, replaced by instant-lock latches. Ford marketed the innovation as “grain-tight,” and the tailgate also grew by a whopping 13 inches. In 1964, the pickup grew to 128-inches long - longer than most luxury cars - with a tailgate that could hold 2,000 pounds. The tailgate also featured support straps made of steel that folded into tailgate. The so-called Magic Doorgate took a bow in 1966 on Ford, Fairlane, and Falcon wagons. It opened like a tailgate or like a door. Come ‘69, it could be opened as a door with the window up or down.

1980

What if you didn’t want a tailgate at all? Ford debuted a removable tailgate that was offered on both the F-Series and smaller Ranger trucks.

1997

A standard locking tailgate debuted on F-150. The tailgate could be unlocked using the same key as on the cab doors.

2003

Innovation really accelerated with the turn of the century. Luxurious Lincoln Navigator SUVs offered an optional power liftgate. Come 2004, Ford built a torsion bar into the tailgate to bear much of the tailgate’s weight for easier operation. The Excursion ute in 2006 got fancy with a Tri-Panel door system with rear cargo door and a lower French doors for cargo access.

2003-2007
Innovation really accelerated with the tun of the century. Luxurious Lincoln Navigator SUVs offered an optional power liftgate. Come 2004, Ford built a torsion bar into the tailgate to bear much of the tailgate’s weight for easier operation. The Excursion ute in 2006 got fancy with a Tri-Panel door system with rear cargo door and a lower French doors for cargo access. A 2007 Ford concept introduced a tailgate elevator that would drop the entire tailgate to the ground for a lift up. Alas, it wasn’t produced. In ‘06 Ford brought to market a mid-gate step that dropped down for easy bed access (complete with a pole so you could haul yourself up).

A 2007 Ford concept introduced a tailgate elevator that would drop the entire tailgate to the ground for a lift up. Alas, it wasn’t produced. In ‘06 Ford brought to market a mid-gate step that dropped down for easy bed access (complete with a pole so you could haul yourself up).

2011

The compact Escape SUV got in on the electronics revolution with the Hands-Free Liftgate that opened with a kick of the foot under the bumper. Multiple brands copied the idea.

2003-2007
Innovation really accelerated with the tun of the century. Luxurious Lincoln Navigator SUVs offered an optional power liftgate. Come 2004, Ford built a torsion bar into the tailgate to bear much of the tailgate’s weight for easier operation. The Excursion ute in 2006 got fancy with a Tri-Panel door system with rear cargo door and a lower French doors for cargo access. A 2007 Ford concept introduced a tailgate elevator that would drop the entire tailgate to the ground for a lift up. Alas, it wasn’t produced. In ‘06 Ford brought to market a mid-gate step that dropped down for easy bed access (complete with a pole so you could haul yourself up).2003-2007
Innovation really accelerated with the tun of the century. Luxurious Lincoln Navigator SUVs offered an optional power liftgate. Come 2004, Ford built a torsion bar into the tailgate to bear much of the tailgate’s weight for easier operation. The Excursion ute in 2006 got fancy with a Tri-Panel door system with rear cargo door and a lower French doors for cargo access. A 2007 Ford concept introduced a tailgate elevator that would drop the entire tailgate to the ground for a lift up. Alas, it wasn’t produced. In ‘06 Ford brought to market a mid-gate step that dropped down for easy bed access (complete with a pole so you could haul yourself up).

2021

The F-150 offered construction workers a power tailgate complete with a multi-function work surface. The tailgate included tie-down hooks that doubled as bottle openers.

2023

To take on Ram and GM trucks, the Pro Access tailgate innovated a door within the tailgate. Opening from the driver side, its especially useful for bed access when towing — complete with mid-bumper step so you can jump through the door. Of, course, the tailgate also comes with the usual drop-down functionality.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Payne: Best of the 2023 LA Auto Show

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 17, 2023

Los Angeles — Nowhere are the auto industry’s various transformations more apparent than in California.

Automakers are transitioning to electric vehicles under government pressure, autos are becoming smartphones on wheels, and car shows are shrinking in importance. The Golden State may be the United States’ biggest market, but brands have fled the Los Angeles Auto Show, just as they have Detroit, New York and Chicago. The LA Convention Center this year is empty of crowd pleasers like Porsche, Mercedes, BMW, Land Rover, Jaguar and Audi — as well as the entire Stellantis stable due to the UAW strike. Big auto displays have been replaced by acres of EV test tracks.

Where the LA Show was once packed with two days of automaker news conferences, this year there were just five. Still, shows have the ability to wow as Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson’s impassioned, packed introduction of the Lucid Gravity showed.

Here are the coolest vehicles of the 2024 LA Auto Show.

Lucid Gravity

Car of show. Lucid’s much-anticipated SUV sequel to the stunning Air sedan (arguably the most beautiful vehicle in autodom) did not disappoint. CEO Rawlinson has a flair for the dramatic and he rolled out the electric ute proclaiming it an “unprecedented combination of the impossible,” slamming competitor EVs for their “dumb range” and sitting in the front trunk of his SUV “just for the frunk of it.” With its efficient electric motors and battery, the Lucid defies gravity with 112 cubic feet of storage space (with rear seats flattened), glass console, seating for seven, 440-mile range, 800 horsepower, 3.6 second 0-60 mph shot, 6,000-pound towing, and a curved, 34-inch OLED screen. Starting price? Under $80k to grab that federal $7,500 EV tax credit.

The Honda Prelude concept teases a two-door performance model that was last offered to U.S. buyers in 2001.The Honda Prelude concept teases a two-door performance model that was last offered to U.S. buyers in 2001.

Honda Prelude Concept

Surprise, the Prelude is back! Honda snuck its famous performance badge into the show as a fetching, two-door concept. A favorite of Honda enthusiasts, Prelude hasn’t been seen on U.S. shores since 2001. Expect a quick coupe (filling a void where the Civic Si coupe use to be) built on the Civic platform powered by a hybrid powerplant.

The redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe bowed at the Los Angeles Auto Show.The redesigned Hyundai Santa Fe bowed at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai opened with news that it will be the first brand available to buy on Amazon’s new online auto store (one of the few products left that can’t be bought there already). Then it made more news by making the Korean brand’s staid, three-row family crossover a fashion plate. The Made-in-‘Bama SUV gets striking, bold, LEGO-block styling with the Hyundai “H” providing inspiration for lighting and interior dash details. Packed inside this shoebox are twin gloveboxes, twin wireless phone chargers, and a double-hinged center console accessible to rear passengers as well as those up front. An off-road-focused XRT model gets a chassis lift and 30-inch all-terrain tires.

2024 LA Auto Show - Hyundai Ioniq 5 N2024 LA Auto Show - Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

Hyunda Ioniq 5 N

Hyundai’s electric hot hatch. Like BMW’s M division and Ford’s ST, N means fun for Hyundai enthusiasts. The brand takes its electric Ioniq 5 hatchback and turns it into a fire-breathing track monster with supercar-like 641 horsepower (nearly double that of the regular Ioniq 5) from twin electric motors. Like its sibling, gas-fired Elantra N, the 5 N dons a black face mask and aggressive rear spoiler. Other goodies include massive, 15.8-inch brakes and “e-shift” that simulates the feel of an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission in a gas vehicle — complete with angry engine sounds.

2024 LA Auto Show - Subaru Forester intro2024 LA Auto Show - Subaru Forester intro

Subaru Forester

Amidst the blizzard of expensive electric toys, Subaru introduced its latest, affordable, $29k compact SUV. A companion compact ute to the chunky, tennis-show-design-inspired Crosstrek, Forster is much more conservative with its upright grille and tidy lines. If  you want some spice in your white bread, opt for the Sport edition and its 19-inch gold wheels. Inside, Forester adopts the big, 11.6-inch touchscreen found on other ‘Rus. All-wheel-drive, IIHS Top Safety Pick, best-in-class residuals come standard. A hybrid model will follow in a year.

Here it is: The ninth-generation Toyota Camry, the best-selling sedan in America.Here it is: The ninth-generation Toyota Camry, the best-selling sedan in America.

Toyota Camry

Americas’ best-selling sedan gets a new wardrobe, adopting the brand’s signature hammerhead fascia (see the handsome Prius) and better driver visibility out of its expanded greenhouse. Under the skin, the Camry will now be available only as a hybrid to satisfy government nannies, while offering all-wheel-drive on all model trims to help with traction in Michigan winters.

The battery-powered Ford wheelchair will give people with mobility issues an easy way to get around at parks.The battery-powered Ford wheelchair will give people with mobility issues an easy way to get around at parks.

Ford wheelchair

The Bronco of wheelchairs. In the middle of a Ford display packed with greyhounds like the Mustang GTD and blue-trimmed California Special sits a beast for the mobility impaired. Thanks to a portion of Bronco SUV sales going to the Bronco Wild Fund, 18 state parks around the country will harbor a wheelchair equipped with tank tracks so those with mobility issues can hit the trails in style. The wheelchairs are powered by twin 12-volt batteries, and the driver gets four cupholders. Participating parks near Michigan include Indiana’s Potato Creek State Park, Buckhorn State Park in Wisconsin, and Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia.

This 1970 Dodge Challenger "Bane" is one of the vehicles from Kevin Hart's collection that visitors to the Los Angeles Auto Show can check out.This 1970 Dodge Challenger "Bane" is one of the vehicles from Kevin Hart's collection that visitors to the Los Angeles Auto Show can check out.

Dodge Challenger ‘Bane’

A Ferrari 812 Competizione sits in the middle of popular comedian Kevin Hart’s car collection at the LA Show. But the revelation is that the “Jumanji” star has a taste for modified, V8-powerd Detroit muscle and movie bad guys. So he has given his creations names like the 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner “Michael Myers,” and 1970 Dodge Charger “Hellraiser.” My favorite is a sinister, black 1970 Dodge Challenger “Bane” — named after Batman’s nemesis — stuffed with a 7.0-liter, supercharged V-8 Hellephant Hemi making 1,000 horsepower.

Long live the V-8.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

NACTOY finalists: EVs dominate nominees, Detroit makers shut out except for trucks Henry Payne The Detroit News

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 17, 2023

Los Angeles, California — And then there were nine.

The Los Angeles Auto Show opened Thursday with The North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year awards announcing their finalists for the 2024 prize. The finalists track industry trends as five of the finalists are all-electric and two are gas-electric hybrids. Governments led by California are ratcheting up fines on automakers beginning in 2026 to produce only EVs by 2035.

Detroit brands dominated the truck category but were shut out of the car and SUV nominees with only one EV, the Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck, making the list.

The NACTOY awards are one of the industry’s most prestigious, with an independent jury of 50 journalists from North America judging the results. “We come from diverse media backgrounds, and we come together to establish a consensus. That is the strength of this award,” said NACTOY President Jeff Gilbert of WWJ radio (950 AM) in Detroit.

Electric SUVs headlined the utility finalists: the $68,000 Genesis Electrified GV70, $56k Kia EV9 and $35k Volvo EX 30. As an affordable, luxury EV priced under $40,000, the Volvo will be the favorite.

Notable vehicles that did not make the cut were the affordable, gas-powered SUVs like the Dodge Hornet and three-row Mazda CX-90 and Hyundai Kona. Gas-powered vehicles make up over 90% of consumer sales, but jurors were keen to showcase the wave of EVs coming to showrooms as automakers phase out petrol-powered options.

2024 NACTOY finalists, SUVs.2024 NACTOY finalists, SUVs.

At a starting price north of $70,000, the Chevy Silverado V Work Truck is nearly twice the price of a comparable gas WT, and it is only available to fleet customers unlike other finalists. But its driving dynamics and tech impressed jurors. The more affordable, turbo-4 cylinder Chevy Colorado mid-size truck may be the favorite here, with the Ford F-250 Super Duty also in the running.

One of the year’s most anticipated trucks, the Tesla Cybertruck, did not make the cut since the Texas-based company has not made the pickup available for media testing. Two midsize trucks that might have given the Colorado a run for its money — the 2024 Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger were not available for juror testing and will be contestants for the 2025 award.

2024 NACTOY finalists, trucks.2024 NACTOY finalists, trucks.

“Ford is a perpetual favorite for truck of the year given their trucks’ market popularity,” said Gilbert. “It’s a shame we had to park the Ranger and Tacoma for this year since they are strong pickups.”

A couple of hybrids, the Honda Accord and Toyota Prius, lead the car category. Both have won NACTOY honors in the past. But the beautiful, upstart Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV may steal their thunder. Car demand has diminished in recent years as Americans have embraced SUVs, but sedans and sports cars remain the industry style leaders.

2024 NACTOY finalists, cars2024 NACTOY finalists, cars

In a surprise, the seventh-generation Ford Mustang did not make the final cut despite being the last muscle car left standing in the U.S. as the Chevy Camaro and Dodge Challenger were sacrificed to satisfy emissions regulations. The Chevy Corvette E-Ray, the first electrified, all-wheel-drive ‘Vette, also was passed over for higher-volume sedans.

Expect the Prius to be a favorite in class as the original, ugly-duckling hybrid has been transformed into a swan — without sacrificing fuel economy.

NACTOY President Jeff Gilbert announces 2024 NACTOY finalists at LA Auto Show.NACTOY President Jeff Gilbert announces 2024 NACTOY finalists at LA Auto Show.

Over the last 30 years, NACTOY has honored automakers who have made substantial innovations in design, performance, technology, driver satisfaction and value. Winners will be announced in January in Detroit.

NACTOY finalists

Car of the YearHonda AccordToyota Prius/Prius PrimeHyundai Ioniq 6

Truck of the YearElectric Chevy SilveradoChevy ColoradoFord Super Duty

Utility of the YearGenesis Electrified GV70Kia EV9Volvo EX 30

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

Payne: The End. Muscular, V8-powered, 2024 F-Type is the last gas-fed Jaguar

Posted by Talbot Payne on November 17, 2023

Oakland County — The V-8 roar of the industry’s big cats are being silenced as brands transition to an uncertain, all-electric future. Dodge Challenger/Charger Hellcats, Cadillac CT5 Blackwing, Audi R8, Chevy Camaro SS.

And then there is the most famous cat of them all, Jaguar.

ROOOOOOAAAR! I buried the throttle in the 575-horsepower 2024 F-Type R75 coupe through the Huntington Place tunnel. ROOOOOOAAR! The sound of the big cat’s quad pipes echoed off the Lodge Freeway’s walls as we shot out of the tunnel onto M-10 like an uncaged, well, Jaguar. ROOOOOAAR! The beast’s fury enveloped my open, convertible cockpit as I clicked off shifts at the 7,000 RPM redline. Oh, joy.

The 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and make mincemeat of the twisties.The 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 can accelerate from 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and make mincemeat of the twisties.

And oy vey as the Jaguar V-8 has become an endangered species, threatened by government nannies. Like the big cats on an expensive African safari, Jaguar sportscars have always been a fascination of enthusiasts with financial means. The looooong-nosed E-Type of the 1960s is automotive legend and coveted by collectors. Now its F-Type offspring is ending its run, and customers will want to run, not walk, to their local dealer to snap up this final edition.

While it doesn’t possess the ‘60s classic E-Type’s majestic snout (the victim of more nanny edicts), F-Type is still achingly gorgeous. “I want it,” said my entrepreneur friend Mike — the owner of an XKE sportscar among other Jags — in a typical, Pavlovian response. Some gotta have a Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette C8, a Jaguar. It’s an emotional thing, I get it. I see an Alfa 4C and my heart skips a beat.

Purists will be most attracted to the F-Type coupe with its sweeping roof line nestling like a Jaguar’s spine between giant rear haunches. But riding the Jag topless ain’t bad, either.

The luscious, leather interior of the 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 seats two.The luscious, leather interior of the 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 seats two.

On a crisp October day, I rolled out of a Southfield parking lot and held down the console roof tab. The cloth top retreated into the trunk behind me in a mere 12 seconds as long as I kept my speed under 30 mph. Another toggle switch on the console selected DYNAMIC mode and I cleared the cat’s throat with a quick stab of the throttle onto Telegraph Road — ROOOOOAR!

Try that in a Hellcat or CT5-V and you’ll have a moment as the rear end tries to swap places with front, but F-Type R models come standard with all-wheel-drive and the grip from the wide Pirelli P-Zero tires was tenacious despite Telegraph’s chilly concrete surface. A standard, rear-wheel-drive, so-called P450 model is also offered with the same supercharged V-8 mill — just detuned to 448 ponies.

Despite the open air, the cabin wasn’t chilly thanks to the big, fat climate knobs that I’ve cranked up to HIGH to keep warm air circulating. I could crank up the radio, too, but I preferred the V-8’s roar. The cabin’s appointments are typically lush in an understated British way. No huge screens or gaudy light shows, just lovely leather and lines.

The sportscar has nicely integrated the latest tech like wireless Android Auto and digital screens — though it could make use of a head-up display like other vehicles in its class.

The 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 stores its top in the boot. But keep the top up and it will carry bags for a weekend trip.The 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 stores its top in the boot. But keep the top up and it will carry bags for a weekend trip.

Put the top up and the convertible also has a useful trunk for weekend travel. The cargo space swallowed a carry-on bag and small duffel bag — and I fit in my fat laptop briefcase in the sub-floor storage bay. It’s not as roomy as a 911’s rear seat/frunk combo (or Corvette’s rear cargo area), but it’s a fair shade better than the cargo-starved Alfa 4C.

When you have $110K in spare change in your packet, there are a lot of choices, and Jag faces formidable sportscar competition.

The Porsche 911 S is simply the best-handling sportscar on the planet. Imbued with a telepathic sense for apexes, it sets the standard for precision and flat-six-cylinder performance. The Audi R8 (in its last year of production) and Mercedes GT AMG are also rocket ships with the latest cabin tech. Over at the Chevy shop, Corvette has not one, but two, V-8-powered, $110K hellions in the track-focused Z06 and all-season, all-wheel-drive E-Ray.

It’s remarkable how brands can evoke emotion from sheet metal, and the F-Type separates itself from the crowd the old-fashioned way: looks and power.

The beast. The 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 is powered by a 575-horse, supercharged V-8 that makes a lovely song when the top is down.The beast. The 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 is powered by a 575-horse, supercharged V-8 that makes a lovely song when the top is down.

Porsche’s familiar shape is timeless, but the Jag is gorgeous. At my doctor’s office, my athletic club — even service stations — the F-Type stopped people in their tracks. “I’ll trade you rides,” smiled an Audi driver at the next pump.

Interestingly, F-Type’s appeal is more muscular than its famous forebear, the E-Type of the 1960s and ’70s. E’s famously elegant nose is no longer repeatable as government nannies now regulate front-end length. The F-Type is more compact, defined by powerful hips and a menacing fascia. Jaguar, indeed.

It’s leaner than its Mercedes peer, and a different aesthetic from Corvette with its angular, deep body stampings. Jaguar is feline, Corvette techno.

Both feature ballistic V-8s, but the 5.0-liter eight in the F-Type has a fat torque band thanks to its supercharger and the 516-pound feet of torque coming on strong at 2,500 RPM. The screaming, normally-aspirated, 5.5-liter ‘Vette Z06, by contrast, doesn’t hit peak torque until 6,300 RPM, where the bird really starts to sing. The AWD E-Ray, meanwhile, uses its electric motor as “torque fill” to complement its pushrod V-8 engine.

The 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 features thinner headlights and more menacing grille for its final year.The 2024 Jaguar F-Type R75 features thinner headlights and more menacing grille for its final year.

All encourage different driving habits. All will give you goosebumps. Long live the V-8.

Which begs the question of how Jaguar lives on after the F-Type. The big cat’s identity — its voice — is historically synonymous with throaty engines. Notably, the last gas-powered Jags are only equipped with V-8 engines and not the turbo-4 and supercharged V-6 options of previous years.

An all-electric Jaguar sports car would seem a different animal, and the poor sales of the electric i-Pace SUV are concerning. A new chapter awaits, but the last gas-fueled beast gives us plenty to sink our teeth into.

Next week: 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

2024 Jaguar F-Type

Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and all-wheel drive, two-passenger sportscar

Price: $79,175 including $1,275 destination ($119,875 R75 as tested)

Powerplant: 5.0-liter supercharged V-8

Power: 448 horsepower, 428 pound-feet of torque RWD (P450 model); 575 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque AWD (R P575 model as tested)

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.5 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 186 mph

Weight: NA

Fuel economy: EPA 17 mpg city/24 highway/19 combined (P450); 16 mpg city/24 highway/18 combined (R575)

Report card

Highs: Jaguar swagger; V-8 music

Lows: Not as quick as competitive set

Overall: 4 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.