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Payne: The first convertible of summer, Mazda MX-5 Miata
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 10, 2025
Oakland County — It was a looooong Michigan winter this year with bitter temperatures, record snowfalls and chilly May days. In the South where I grew up, we hail the first songbird of April spring. Here in Michigan, I look for the first convertible of June summer.
It arrived in my driveway as a Mazda MX-5 Miata.
What a joy this little car is. With its drop-top, manual gearbox and normally-aspirated 2.0-liter engine, Miata is the purest expression of a roadster on the market today. It’s a throwback to the glory days of Lotus Elan, Alfa Romeo Spider, Fiat 124 Spider. They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Remarkably, the Miata has gained little weight over its four generations (Gen 1 weighed 2,210 pounds), staying true to its purpose as a driver’s car. Unlike other performance cars — Mini Cooper, Porsche 911, Chevy Corvette — the MX-5 has maintained its svelte, 2,332-pound figure by remaining tiny. At 6’ 5” I don’t so much sit in the Miata as wear it.
Knees in the dash, elbows in the console, seat all the way back, skull stuffed in the roof. Thank goodness the Miata goes topless. So small is the cabin that I can reach up, unlatch the roof from the windshield, pull it back, and stow in in the trunk in one motion. On a crisp 65-degree evening, I took the Miata over to Woodward Avenue to play with its kin — classic convertibles like Camaro, AC Cobra, Dodge Viper, Jaguar E-Type, MGB, Honda S2000, Mercedes SL, Chevy Corvette, Ford Mustang. But for the latter trio, all have left the market.
And none of them are featherweights as tossable as Miata.
Henry Payne
Exiting Woodward, I headed for Oakland County’s twisties. Miata smiled that big jack o’ lantern grille smile and hustled from turn to turn, clipping apexes, rotating on demand, chirping tires.
Mazda makes the best six-speed shifter this side of a Porsche (or you can buy, ho hum, the automatic option) and it’s a joy to row. Relatively affordable at $30K, the Mazda is your car for summer fun — and to teach your children the joys of driving stick. Master the Miata’s manual and you feel in total command of the car.
Amidst this organic goodness, Miata hasn’t totally ignored the modern digital world. The cabin revolves around that glorious shifter, while modern cars (like the Tesla Model 3 in my garage) are built around big screens.
The Miata is properly equipped with an improved infotainment display.
Henry Payne
My Android phone synced wirelessly with the nine-inch display and took over the touchscreen — a welcome alternative to the Mazda’s native, remote-controlled rotary device screen. The touchscreen works — ahem, as long as the car is in PARK, but then shifts to the rotary controller when on the move.
I set my destination to Zmash Padel in Sterling Heights and was off, listening to my Sirius XM subscription through the phone app on the screen. I cranked up my favorite COMEDY GREATS XM station so I could hear over the wind howling thought the cabin — eventually turning it off to enjoy nature’s (and the 2.0-liter engine’s) sound track. Though it pumps out just 181 horsepower and 151 pound-feet of torque, the Miata never feels underpowered thanks to its light weight. The 12.8-lb/hp power-to-weight ratio is better than the turbocharged 2.0-liter, 13.5-ratio GTI, my favorite hot hatch.
The ride of the Miata is firm, if not harsh, over Detroit roads.
Henry Payne
Beyond that rotary controller, ergonomics are good with the cabin’s round vents giving off an aviator vibe. On cold evenings, I cranked up the climate knobs to blow hot air while going topless (did I mention my head is uncomfortably stuffed into the ceiling when the top is up?). Even the cupholder is cleverly designed as a console snap on — so spare is interior room.
My Grand Touring model is less gym-toned than the Club trim, which is preferred if you want to autocross the little roller skate. But if it’s track days you want to do, you’ll want to modify your roadster with a roll cage (not to mention optimizing the limited slip differential for better cornering grip).
That’s a big investment — and a big compromise to the Miata’s breezy, convertible cabin. If hot laps are your thing, the MX-5 (the most raced car in the world) community has a number of options. For example, my friend Tom bought a race-prepared Mazda Global MX-5 Cup car and tracks it at M1 Concourse in Pontiac.
Henry Payne
Or rent an MX-5 Spec Miata for, say, $1,000 a day from the Sportscar Driving Association. That way you can navigate to the track (while getting an impressive 35 mpg, I might add) in your Grand Touring model — without having to worry about injuring it on track.
Back to the streets, did I mention that the MX-5 is a great date car? The cabin is naturally cozy for a big night out with your partner. Mrs. Payne is a big fan of the Mazda for its cute vibe, open top and free spirit. Rolling ‘round town, the Miata is not unlike taking a puppy for a walk. The car returns smiles from strangers and is a conversation piece at, say, Dairy Mat ice cream in Birmingham.
I just had to remind my wife that she has to pack light for road trips given MX-5’s wee boot and lack of a back seat. Heck, my tennis bag alone took up most of the trunk on my journey across town to Zmash.
Henry Payne
For four decades, MX-5 has been halo to a brand that has evolved into into a mostly SUV stable. I’m happy to report that the MX-5’s DNA has been faithfully transported to everything from the three-row CX-90 to the best-selling CX-5 and CX-50 midsize SUVs.
Still, there’s no substitute for the Miata’s playfulness. So if you own a CX-50, be sure to leave room in the garage for a MX-5.
Topless of course.
2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-passenger sportscar
Price: $30,765, including $1,185 destination charge ($36,115 Grand Touring manual model as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter four-cylinder
Power: 181 horsepower, 151 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Six-speed manual; six-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.7 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 140 mph
Weight: 2,332 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 26 city/34 highway/29 combined (manual)
Report card
Highs: Fun to drive; easy to go topless
Lows: Limited cargo for trips; touchscreen only works in Park
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Honda CR-V TrailSport taste test. Still has that special sauce.
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 3, 2025
San Diego — We Americans love our hamburgers and our mid-size SUVs.
Burgers are the meat (pun intended) of popular food. McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Shake Shack, Five Guys, Sonic, White Castle, Whataburger, Culver’s, Hardee’s and so on meeting consumers’ insatiable appetite for the patty. So, too, are mid-size SUVs the meat of the auto market. Toyota RAV-4, Honda CR-V, Tesla Model Y, Nissan Rogue, Ford Escape, Ford Bronco Sport, Mazda CX-5, Mazda CX-50, Chevy Equinox, Equinox EV and so on meeting consumers’ unslaked thirst for the SUV.
But just as the Big Three of McDonalds’, Wendy’s and Burger King dominate the burger market, so too did RAV-4, Model Y and CR-V rule the segment in 2024 with each topping a staggering 400K in sales (over 400,000 served!) — numbers exceeded only by the Detroit Three pickups of F-150, Silverado and Ram.
McHonda CR-V wants more.
The Made in America CR-V vaulted to 402,791 units sold last year by offering a recipe that appeals to a broad swath of Yanks. The sixth-generation model, introduced in 2023, split the lineup with two powertrains: an entry-level 1.5-liter turbo-4, and a gas-electric hybrid. Call it the Big Mac-V: two all-beef engines, special sauce, served on an all-wheel-drive bun (oh, I’m just getting started with the burger metaphors).
The terrific 190-horsepower/179 torque turbo-4 — shared with the Civic Si pocket rocket and luxury Acura ADX — has ponies aplenty. But the hybrid is no tree-hugging gerbil wheel. It’s a 202-horse/247-torque beastie that can stomp the Acura out of a stoplight while also sipping 40 mpg.
Henry Payne
Offered in the upper-trim Sport models (Sport, Sport-L, Sport Touring), the hybrid made up 50% of CR-V sales last year despite carrying a $1,500 premium. Smart shoppers no doubt figured out gas savings would pay for the premium in about four years (not to mention the time saved with its healthy 500 miles of range).
No surprise that CR-V has changed little for its 2026, mid-product cycle update other than the addition of another hybrid model — my $39K TrailSport.
The CR-V TrailSport follows its larger stablemates (Passport ‘n’ Pilot) in appealing to Americans’ recent taste for off-road models. Dressed in Ash Green Metallic, with black accents and standard all-wheel drive, TrailSport is a looker (note to my sis who thought the fifth-gen model a dog) — if not as capable as its peers (more on that later).
Henry Payne
TrailSport’s special sauce — like all CR-Vs — is its attention to passenger detail and reliability. Let’s begin in back.
Open CR-V’s second-row passenger door — and it keeps on opening. All the way to 90 degrees, a rare feature in automobiles, which makes ingress/egress a cinch whether you’re a 6’5” freak like me or a wee mom struggling to load in one of those modern Brobdingnagian child car seats.
Once inside, row two keeps on giving with a palatial, best-in-class 41 inches of legroom (just two inches shy of a Ford F-150, for goodness sake). More convenience for my long limbs and that mega-car seat. Need more room?
Henry Payne
The second-row seats fold flat to expand the best-in-class cargo space. Climb behind the wheel and CR-V sports excellent ergonomics combined with standard, state-of-the-art tech — all wrapped in signature orange TrailSport trim. After setting my navigation course with wireless Apple CarPlay, I merged onto San Diego’s crowded I-5 and engaged (standard) adaptive cruise control.
I thumbed the steering wheel’s raised toggle switch to increase/decrease speed without taking my eyes off the road. Climate controls are fat knobs under a nine-inch screen located high on the dash for good road visibility while navigating.
The entry-level, alphanumeric turbo-4 CR-V models (LX, EX, EX-L) are all you need beginning at $32K, but TrailSport’s pricier hybrid system offers cool toys.
Henry Payne
Chief among them is the B mode selection (short for regenerative braking) below D (Drive) which doesn’t actually select gears at all. Honda’s two-motor hybrid system replaces a transmission with an electric motor, and B mode allows the e-motor to slow the car without brakes.
So-called one-pedal driving is a unique feature of electrified vehicles, and Honda makes good use of it. The hybrid also has a SPORT mode which enables maximum engine torque for interstate merges and two-lane road passes. The engine gets shouty — WAUUUURGH! — under load, but the extra grunt is appreciated.
Henry Payne
Less inspiring is the hybrid’s long-term reliability given its complexity compared to old-school internal-combustion engines.
Honda’s reliability secret sauce is an asset in the motor mall. An iSeeCars longevity study, for example, gave CR-V the best chance of any mid-size SUV lasting over 250,000 miles.
“I bought a Honda because they are sporty and reliable,” said friend Mike. “Detroit automakers keep getting recalled, and Hondas keep on ticking. I have a family and don’t have time to keep taking my car to the shop.”
Henry Payne
CR-V’s dependability, however, has slipped in recent generations as powertrain complexity has increased. As hybrid sales grow, consumers will have their eye on reliability as well as the gas gauge.
As for McTrailSport’s off-road chops, CR-V is not as ambitious as other brands. Want a mouth-watering beef burger? Ditch Mickey D’s and go to Five Guy’s. Want a dirt-kicking off-roader? Check out a Ford Bronco Sport with lifted chassis, underbelly bash plates and twin-clutch packs out back for gnarly mud-slinging at Holly Oaks ORV Park.
Use the CR-V TrailSport to haul your Honda motorbikes there.
TrailSport will tow up to 1,000 pounds (the turbo-4 1,500 pounds) and comes equipped with all-terrain tires to navigate dirt trails. I grunted around dusty Barona Parks Motocross Park near San Diego, where its off-road tools (all-terrain tires, no-slip all-wheel-drive system, low-speed hill descent control) worked nicely.
Henry Payne
These tools translate to real-world Michigan roads — whether covered by snow or potholes. More aggressive off-roaders be warned — the underbody is not protected by skid plates (like the Bronco Sport — and Passport and Pilot TrailSports), and CR-V hybrids don’t come with a spare tire to make room for the battery beneath the cargo floor.
After a day of driving the CR-V, I devoured a food truck burger at Barona Parks. I recommend both.
Next week: Topless in the 2025 Mazda MX-5 Miata
2026 Honda CR-V
Vehicle type: Front- and all-wheel-drive, five-door, five-passenger SUV
Price: $32,315, including $1,395 destination charge ($40,195 TrailSport as tested)
Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder; hybrid 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder driving two electric motors paired with 1.1-kWh lithium-ion battery
Power: 190 horsepower, 179 pound-feet of torque (Turbo-4); 202 horsepower, 247 pound-feet of torque (Hybrid)
Transmission: Continuously-variable automatic; direct drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.9 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 1,000-1,500 pounds
Weight: 3,900 pounds (TrailSport as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 28 mpg city/33 highway/30 combined (Turbo-4 FWD); 40 mpg city/34 highway/37 combined (Sport Hybrid AWD); 38 mpg city/33 highway/35 combined (TrailSport Hybrid); 30 mpg observed
Report card
Highs: Rugged styling; awesome ergonomics/cabin detail
Lows: TrailSport limited off-road bandwidth; Google Built-in only available on top Sport Touring trim
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
An American (EV) in Paris: Driving Planet Europe’s regulated byways
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 2, 2025
Paris — Merging onto Paris’s suburban ring roads, my mid-size Cadillac Lyriq electric vehicle felt supersized surrounded by subcompacts, motorbikes, and small panel vans. Unlike Detroit’s I-96 and I-75 speedways, we moved like a school of fish, toeing the speed limit in an orderly procession out of France’s biggest city.
Welcome to Planet Europe.
With gas prices at $8-a-gallon (1.80 Euros per liter), mandated in-car speed warnings, speed cameras everywhere, narrow city streets, and the European Commission banning internal combustion engines over the next ten years, the automotive landscape in statist France is a very different place than open-road, low-cost energy USA.
Henry Payne
No wonder Cadillac’s European product lineup is dramatically different than in its U.S. backyard. There are no V8-powered Escalades or fire-breathing CT5-V Blackwing hellions here. Or Ford Mustangs, Dodge Challengers and Chevrolet Corvettes for that matter. Full-size pickup trucks, the best-selling vehicles in the Unites States? Nowhere to be found.
But General Motors’ luxury brand sees paydirt here as it re-invents itself as the electric Standard of the World. European autos, analysts say, are increasingly luxury goods as entry-level vehicles become unaffordable — opening windows for premium, American EVs and heavily subsidized Chinese makes.
“With the electric mandates, small cars are going away. Cars are something for the rich,” said President Emeritus of the World Car of the Year awards and veteran writer Jen Meiners, who splits his time between Europe and the United States. “People are being pushed into public transportation. Even Smart cars and VWs have become unaffordable with the regulations.”
The once-popular, three-cylinder, gas-powered Smart Fortwo microcar cost about $15,000 in 2015 (adjusted for inflation) before the brand switched to electric power in 2018, increasing the price to $25,000 by 2024 when it was discontinued. Smart has moved on to larger, pricier EVs starting at $42k for the Smart #1 subcompact crossover.
The VW Golf GTI, the only Golf hatchback sold in the United States (starting at $34k), sold for $33,000 here 10 years ago. Today it stickers for about $45k, a 30% increase.
Henry Payne
The EV market in Europe, as in the United States, has taken hold among affluent, urban buyers. Cadillac has planted its flagship showroom in the heart of Paris, and there is not a gas-powered car in sight (save the Cadillac V-Series.R Le Mans race car on display).
My rear-wheel-drive Lyriq Sport EV starts at $95,500 in France, compared to $65,000 in the US.
“We have a great opportunity here in Europe to grow our presence, especially in the current environment around EVs and the growth and the attraction that they’re bringing for the brand,” said Vice President for Global Cadillac John Roth in an interview here.
Two Lyriqs are on the showroom floor, and visitors can sign up for test drives around Place de l’Opéra square — nickname, “The Hub of the Universe” — where the showroom is located. My Lyriq journey would be a little longer: three hours west over 133 miles to the city of Le Mans where I would be covering the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s premier endurance race.
Henry Payne
I awoke to a fully-charged Lyriq with 326 miles of range waiting for me outside my hotel. With France’s rush towards EV-only sales, Paris has embraced battery power. Regulators have drawn up plans to eliminate ICEs in the city with expanding “low-emission zones” that allow/fine cars according to their carbon emissions. My Lyriq, of course, wore an approved green badge.
“Cities want to give special rights to EVs and they push all ICEs out by 2035,” said Meiners. Paris regulations have been delayed due to consumer pushback.
Cadillac said inner city parking garages are littered with 220-volt chargers for overnight charging. European metropolises are famous for residents throwing cords out of second-story windows to charge their steeds curbside, and Paris has carved out EV-only parking places with chargers. The nuclear power-fed electric grid here has kept utility costs around 20 cents per-kWh — or about the same as Michigan.
That’s affordable compared to $8 a gallon prices I passed in Paris that have kept vehicles small (along with engine emissions taxes). Heading west on Paris’s Left Bank south of the Seine River, the Lyriq EV’s instant torque was well equipped for stop-and-go city traffic as I repeatedly shot through gaps — ZOT!
I pulled over in front of the Eiffel Tower tourist magnet for photos on a crisp, 60-degree morning. The Lyriq was a tourist attraction itself, provoking long stares. Its bold, vertical, that’s-gotta-be-a-Caddy lines stood out in the sea of homogenous econoboxes.
“There’s a lack of consumer choice here compared to 25 years ago,” said Meiners, who is also founder of the German Car of the Year awards. “Cars are expensive, and they are not as much fun anymore.”
Henry Payne
A fun-killer is the EU’s mandated vehicle speed warnings — aka, Intelligent Speed Assist. Exceed the limit and the cabin will emit a BONG! BONG! BONG! alert. No wonder everyone was minding the speed limit. Exceed the limit in France and Big Brother may record your license plate number — with the fine mailed to your home.
So hated was ISA when it was introduced in 2019 that working class “yellow vest” protestors — rebelling against government taxation and regulations — vandalized 60% of the country’s speed cameras. As an American in Paris, I tucked into the (slow) flow of traffic out of town. Mercifully, my Lyriq tester’s ISA was turned off (a process that needed to be repeated each time I got into the car).
Regulations have deterred Cadillac from bringing its V-6 and V8-powered CT4 and CT5 sedans to Europe because they can’t meet (along with similar U.S. performance cars) Euro 6 emission rules that will soon escalate to tighter Euro 7.
Henry Payne
The regulations concern England-headquartered Ineos CEO Lynn Calder, whose gas-powered, inline-6 cylinder, luxury Grenadier SUVs are built in the Hambach, France, plant where the Smart Fortwo was once made. Ineos is targeting the U.S. auto market for a majority of its sales.
“If (EU regulators)) aren’t careful, they will kill the industry,” she said in an interview. “Europe is a massive problem. EVs are more expensive, residual values are worse, and total cost of ownership is worse, so it’s double whammy after double whammy. It’s a rich person’s thing, and therefore the answer is there are going to be (gas cars) on the road for much longer than 2035.”
Looming electric mandates have, however, attracted new brands in addition to Cadillac — most notably America’s Tesla and Chinese brands.
Planet Europe also differs from the United States in that the majority (about 60%) of vehicles are purchased not by consumers but by companies that then distribute them to employees as perks of the job. Cadillac’s biggest customers, for example, are insurance and infrastructure companies, said Cadillac France Communications Director Isabelle Weitz.
Henry Payne
Model S/E/X/Ys from Tesla — the OG of EV revolution — were everywhere, the electrics of choice among Parisians. Since corporate fleet sales tend to be more compliant with EV mandates, they are also a big opening for Chinese companies.
“We are starting to see the Chinese brands coming into the fleets with little fanfare,” said Meiners. “BYD, XPeng, Great Wall — even MG, which is now an EV brand owned by the Chinese. They are not great quality, but the MGs are fun to drive.”
On a two-lane country lane, the slavish following of speed limits fell away. A white Tesla Model 3 blew past me at a high rate of knots and I gave chase.
As in Paris, EV torque was an advantage. ZOT! We quickly vaulted slow-moving camionette (small utility trucks) in broken-line passing zones. When we approached small towns, the Tesla would slow abruptly, apparently knowledgeable of the speed cameras — located inside big, road-side, graffiti-covered boxes.
Traffic thinned in the countryside as did EV sightings. As back home, rural charging infrastructure is scarce.
Also scarce is government approval for hands-free drive assist — a common feature in U.S. vehicles, including Cadillacs, Chevys, Teslas, Fords and Lincolns. I relied on adaptive cruise control as the EU approves neither Cadillac’s SuperCruise nor Tesla’s Autopilot systems.
Henry Payne
I pulled into Le Mans after my journey with 50% charge left. But for my brief, pedal-to-the-metal playtime with the Tesla, I had traveled below 70 mph — the sweet spot of batteries — so my range had degraded only 10% below expected mileage.
I spent the weekend watching V8-powered Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars, Corvette Z06 GT3 and Mustang GT3 race cars pound around the 8.5-mile circuit against V8s from Porsche, Ferrari, and Mercedes. On Planet Europe, the racetrack is one of the last refuges for the mighty V-8.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne
Super charged: Cadillac Optiq EV bulks up on power, rear-wheel-drive, and price for 2026
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 30, 2025
The Cadillac Optiq is gaining options. And power.
Introduced for the 2025 model year as the gateway drug to the luxury brand’s full electric lineup, the Optiq was only available in 300-horsepower all-wheel-drive guise. For 2026, Optiq expands its offerings with a standard rear-wheel-drive model, a higher-horsepower AWD model and and a steroid-fed V-Series hellion.
The rear-wheel-drive model is significant as it will be $3,500 cheaper than the all-wheel-drive model at $52,395, opening Optiq to more customers — especially in the Sun Beltm where RWD EVs are popular and moderate weather does not affect battery range.
The compact Optiq’s midsize stablemate, the Lyriq, also offers standard RWD starting at $60,090.
“In California’s climate, customers will pay less money with the rear-wheel-drive model,” said Karl Brauer, Los Angeles-based executive analyst. “Buyers in Michigan need all-wheel-drive, but in southern California — the meat of the EV market — there is a higher-percentage of, for example, rear-wheel-drive Teslas.”
Despite its single motor, the Optiq RWD does not suffer on power compared to the 300-horse, 2025 twin-motor system. Indeed, the RWD Optiq will clock in with 315 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque, nearly on par with the 2025 AWD model’s 300/354. Given the RWD Optiq’s similar power, Cadillac says that range will stay the same as the 2025 AWD model at about 300 miles.
Cadillac
Of note: the RWD Optiq’s torque translates to 450 newton meters, a European spec that will be tattooed on the hatchback, indicating the Optiq’s move into international markets.
Meanwhile, the 2026 dual-motor Optiq gets a massive boost to 440 horses and 498 pound-feet of torque. That will also come with a $1,505 price boost from 2025.
“Cadillac introduced the all-wheel-drive model to appeal to first adopters willing to pay for the higher output,” Brauer said. “But the 2026 RWD model will get the same power but without the price tag.”
Cadillac
The RWD Optiq entry still marks a substantial, $10,405 price increase over Cadillac’s outgoing, entry-level internal combustion engine SUV, the XT4. The 2025 model year is the end of the line for the XT4 as its Fairfax, Kansas, production line retools to make the next-generation Chevrolet Bolt EV.
Along with the price jump, the EV boasts more power than the entry-level, front-wheel-drive, $41,990 XT4 and its 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The Optiq is also about 1,200 pounds heavier due to its porky, 85-kWh battery and lags the XT4’s 461-mile gas range, which can be added in a couple minutes. The Optiq can take on 79 miles of range in 10 minutes at a fast charger.
The battery is a key reason for the EV’s price premium over the ICE model, Brauer said. “The reality is battery-powered cars cost more, so brands like Cadilac are translating that into repositioning their brands upmarket.”
Cadillac
Cadillac introduced its new EV line with the halo, $300,000-plus, hand-built Celestiq model featuring new-age styling and enhanced tech. The Optiq follows suit with an upgraded interior over the XT4, including a 33-inch LED display, Dolby Atmos immersive sound and standard SuperCruise hands-free interstate driving.
“Cadillac is using its EV transition to elevate itself to a luxury brand from a premium brand,” Brauer said. “That is what it takes to be profitable in the more expensive battery space.”
The Optiq competes in the luxury EV market with the Audi Q4 e-tron, Genesis Electrified GV70 and Mercedes EQB, with BMW expected to introduce an electric iX3 SUV in 2026. The Tesla Model Y is the largest selling premium SUV in the U.S. market with over 400,000 units sold in 2024 but Cadillac does not consider it a luxury player.
GM-DESIGN
Also coming this fall is the high-performance Optiq-V, which shares its dual-motor system with the larger Lyriq-V that went on sale this year. The $68,795 Optiq-V, introduced in April, wows with 519 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque and a zero-60 mph sprint of 3.5 seconds. Range will suffer with a reduced 275 miles.
Further broadening Optiq’s appeal, 2026 models will be equipped with a lighter NACS (North American Charging Standard) charger connector popularized by Tesla. Thus equipped, the Caddy will have access to some Tesla Superchargers (Cadilac estimates over 21,500, or a little less than a third of Tesla’s 70,000-plus chargers), the nation’s most robust and reliable charging network.
Other upgrades include improvements to park assist and SuperCruise integration with Google Maps that navigates the EV to the correct lane when exiting freeways.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Tremor time: Rugged Ford Explorer Tremor expands off-road sub-brand
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 30, 2025
The Ford Explorer is getting the Tremor treatment.
The Blue Oval’s best-selling SUV gets more rugged for the 2026 model year with an all-new, off-road capable model. Following in the footsteps of the F-150, Ranger, Bronco and Maverick lines, the three-row SUV becomes the latest Ford to wear the Tremor sub-brand badge.
You’ll know it by its orange-accented wheel pockets (to better locate the tire valve stem), tow hooks and grille mustache. But the Tremor badge is hardly cosmetics alone.
Replacing the Timberline model that was discontinued after the 2024 model year, Tremor expands the Explorer’s off-road capabilities with standard all-wheel-drive, all-terrain tires, one-inch suspension lift, underbelly bash plates and unique suspension shocks and springs. The Tremor is even offered with the choice of Ford’s twin-turbo, 400-horse V-6 engine.
Thus equipped, the Tremor stands atop the Explorer lineup alongside the road-focused Explorer ST with the same powerful V-6.
“The Explorer expands the Tremor family and satisfies our customers’ thirst for adventurous SUVs,” said Ford SUV Marketing Manager Craig Patterson at the Explorer Tremor’s media introduction in Louisville, Kentucky,
Key to Explorer Tremor’s rugged chops are 18″ wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires with stiff, broad sidewalls to withstand rocks and other off-road obstacle — not to mention Detroit potholes. The two, front/rear skid plates and one-inch increased ride height further improve off-road capability with better clearance and departure/approach angles.
The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor gets unique interior stitching and seat badging. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Complementing the tires is a Torsen limited slip rear differential to aid with traction.
The Tremor badge was introduced on Ford’s iconic F-150 pickup in 2014 as a less-extreme sibling to the truck’s legendary Baja-racing Raptor model. The F-150 Tremor offered off-road ruggedness without the super-price tag of the Raptor super-truck. Tremor models throughout the Ford lineup (including Explorer) have followed suit with similar off-road tools for their segments.
Under the hood, the Explorer Tremor comes standard with a 300-horsepower, 2.3-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder mill.
True to Ford’s high-tech tradition, the Explorer Tremor will be equipped with the latest, big Ford Digital Experience that includes WiFi hot spot, Google Assistant, Google Maps navigation and Google Play apps. Explorer Tremor comes standard with Copilot 360 Assist 2.0 (including a 360-degree camera for added visibility on trails or in parking lots). The tech is housed in Explorer’s standard, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 13.2-inch touchscreen.
Even BlueCruise hands-free highway driving comes standard to get you to the trailhead comfortably on divided highways.
The 2026 Ford Explorer Tremor comes standard with off-road goodies like AWD, bash plates, one-inch lift, and all-terrain tires. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Explorer Tremor and ST performance models sit atop a lineup that includes the base Active, sporty ST-Line and luxurious Platinum models.
Ordering for the first-ever Ford Explorer Tremor opens on June 24 with deliveries in late 2025. Pricing is likely to start around $52,000 and will be announced closer to the Tremor’s appearance in showrooms.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Road trippin’ in the eager, entry-level Acura ADX
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 30, 2025
Charleston, West Virginia — Acura has finally completed its SUV menu with the entry-level ADX appetizer. It’s a tasty little morsel.
On a road trip to see family in West Virginia, I switched drive modes from NORMAL to SPORT and headed up Charleston’s famed Loudon Heights Road, a twisted two-lane carved into the rocky hill that overlooks the capital river city. The firm, rooted steering rack gave me immediate confidence as I dove into blind bends, narrow sweepers, tight hairpins.
I’ve been driving this road since I was 16 years old in Volkswagen Golf GTIs, Porsches and BMW M3s, and the Acura SUV showed impressive poise for a high-riding SUV. Credit Honda engineering, which has taken the solid Honda HR-V chassis and dialed it up to Acura standards.
Acura has thrown out the HR-V’s 158-horsepower gerbil wheel for the turbocharged, 1.5-liter 4-banger shared with Acura’s entry-level Integra sedan (and the Honda Civic Si hot hatch). Charging into a left-hander at the top of Louden Heights, the all-wheel driver gripped nicely before I flattened the throttle on exit and let loose the turbo-4 and its 190 ponies with a satisfying howl.
It’s a dramatic change from the HR-V with its droning 2.0-liter 4-cylinder, which struggles off corners with just 138 pound-feet of torque.
At rest in a parking lot, my $45,950 A-Spec Advanced tester looked sharp. Signature “chicane” LED running lights, black trim, Urban Gray wardrobe, scalloped shoulders, sharp-edged Diamond Pentagon grille. The wardrobe matches Acura’s performance mission and is as different from the soft, cute lines of the HR-V as a Doberman is from a beagle.
Acura
Together with Integra — a gateway drug to hotties like the Integra Type-S hatchback and TLX Type S sedan (not to mention the Acura team that races in the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar series), ADX is a proper introduction to the brand’s performance-oriented SUVs: RDX A-Spec and MDX Type S.
Performance, meet utility. ADX is no sports sedan, but neither is it your average family hauler, offering surprisingly fun-to-drive dynamics in a ute. For 10 grand extra, it’s a significant step up from HR-V — a signal you’ve entered a premium store in the car mall. Good thing, because there’s little to choose between premium and mainstream in digital features these days. Like Honda, ADX offers a generous suite of standard features such as wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control and a rear hot tub (kidding about that last one).
ADX’s sport ‘n’ style upgrades offer more separation from HR-V compared to, say, an Integra and Honda Civic Si — the latter a hot hatch as compelling as its luxury relative.
Mission accomplished, ADX. Welcome to Acura.
Acura
Ultimately, however, Acura must also justify itself relative to competitors. And subcompact luxe is a boiling shark tank. Ask $40K-plus for an SUV and you are playing in the same league as two of my favorite performers: the BMW X1 and Mazda CX-5.
Like ADX, these sport utes welcome you with distinctive styling, confident handling and a basket-full of standard features. And they expose ADX’s weaknesses.
Chief among them is the drivetrain. A comparable $47,725 Bimmer and $40,015 Mazda offer significantly more performance. The X1 and CX-5 pack a whopping 25-35% more giddyap — 241 and 256 horsepower, respectively — from their turbo-4s. The Mazda also brings, ahem, 320 pound-feet of torque.
Acura
Stomp CX-5 out of a corner and it translates that grunt to all four paws with one of the smoothest six-speed auto transmissions in the business. While ADX’s throaty four is a step up from HR-V’s power, it does not ditch the Honda’s CVT transmission, making for less invigorating acceleration. The result is a 5.5-second 0-60 mph sprint for the BMW (seven-speed dual-clutch tranny), 6.2 seconds in the Mazda — and (yawn) 8.7 seconds for the Acura.
The ADX’s Integra sibling is also equipped with a CVT transmission — but it options a six-speed manual that enthusiasts can row to their hearts’ content. ADX? You’re stuck with the CVT, though Acura adds shift-like “steps” to the experience to simulate gear changes.
The Acura’s cabin also isn’t as dramatic a wardrobe change from its Honda sibling as its exterior suggests.
My A-Spec tester’s interior offered lovely material touches like a two-toned stitched dash and blue suede door inserts, but the twin digital screens are right out of a Honda. No knock on Honda (which has elevated its game with a fine mainstream interior), but Acura has to compete against the BMW’s luxurious, hoodless two-screen layout that sprawls across the dash with graphics galore.
Acura
The Mazda can’t match the Bimmer either, but then it is the value play here (a role Acura usually plays). The CX-5 interior exudes class with its organic lines and horizontal layout.
For hours of interstate driving on our 800-mile round trip to Charleston, ADX was a serene companion. Mrs. Payne took over the wheel for a stint and I laid the driver’s seat (almost) flat and was snoozing comfortably in minutes.
Acura’s excellent ergonomics made for easy driving over a variety of roads. I engaged adaptive cruise control down I-75, across U.S. 35 in Ohio, and into Charleston on I-64. Speed and radio controls on the steering wheel are raised so I didn’t have to take my eyes off the road to find them with my fingers.
Acura
Happily, Acura has ditched the fussy remote True Touchpad Interface screen controller it introduced on the RDX SUV last decade. A nine-inch touchscreen does the job.
BMW, Mazda and Acura complement their controls with voice commands, and my ADX tester stands out with Google Built-in (a system familiar to owners of GM brands).
Hey Google, set driver temperature to 70 degrees.
Done.
Hey Google, navigate to Charleston, West Virginia.
Done.
Hey, Google, what is a good pizza restaurant in Charleston, West Virginia?
“Lola’s and Pies & Pints are often recommended.” Oh, Google you are good.
Acura
But Google Built-in is only offered on the top A-Spec model with the Advance Package, an oversight for this technically focused brand. Otherwise, the interior is spacious for a subcompact with 37.7 inches of rear legroom. Competitive with Bimmer, two inches shy of the Mazda value king.
Head-to-head comparisons aside, ADX sets the bar for Acura. And that’s what you want in an entry model (plus Acura reliability).
After having my fun up Loudon Heights Road, Mrs. Payne finally had enough.
“Can we slow down now?” she pleaded.
ADX SUV, take a bow. As we say in West Virginia: Almost heaven.
Next week: 2026 Honda CR-V
2025 Acura ADX
Vehicle type: Front- and all-wheel-drive, four-door, five-passenger SUV
Price: $31,590, including $1,595 destination charge ($44,925 Badlands Sasquatch as tested)
Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder
Power: 190 horsepower, 179 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.7 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 125 mph (est.)
Weight: 3,611 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 25 mpg city/30 highway/27 combined (26 mpg observed)
Report card
Highs: Sharp styling to match handling; suite of standard features
Lows: Less power than competitors; Google Built-in only available on top trim
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Struttin’ down the runway in the stylish, Nissan Murano
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 19, 2025
Farmington Hills — You don’t so much drive the Nissan Murano as wear it. It’s a fashion statement.
Even coated in salt from a days’ drive across Metro Detroit’s wintry tundra, my Aurora Blue Pearl Metallic Murano looked ready for the Detroit Auto Show Charity Preview. Bezeled silver roofline like a Saarinen arch, muscular hips, slim front light signature over a lit lower grille (a touch of Ferrari Purosangue there?).
The Nissan Murano is lovely. Always has been. Since it strutted down the runaway as the first midsized crossover in 2003, it has put the “sport” in sport utility vehicles. Elegant lines, lush grilles, high-tech interiors, albino seats you want to lick they’re so sweet.
Now in its fourth generation, the 2025 Murano is once again on the cutting edge of fashion, for good and ill.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
For good, it has lost its voluptuous Rubenesque figure from the 2010s and emerged from the gym with a more svelte, athletic torso for the ‘20s. Cars are fashion, and this is the era of sleek iPhones and Teslas. So, too, the interior, which ditches the ol’ vertical lines for lean, horizontal lines accented with high-tech screens and haptic touch controls.
For ill? Murano has conformed to the same common turbo-4 engine found in every other bot these days, from the Nissan Rogue SUV to the Hyundai Tucson to the Chevy Traverse. Sigh. Government emissions regulations force uniformity, and that works against elegant non-conformists like the Murano, which used to belt out healthy V-6 exhaust tunes.
As we danced across Huron River Parkway, I buried the throttle and … oh. like watching Beyonce leaning into a chorus and Rosanne Barr’s voice coming out.
The Ariya, Murano’s fetching electric sister, boasts smooth torque that better complements its similarly exotic wardrobe — right down to the same twin screens and haptic wood dash accents. But that comfort becomes discomfort on a cold Michigan day, where 305-mile range drops 30% and the 270-mile trip to Nub’s Nob suddenly looks challenging.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
With 505 miles of gas range, the 27 mpg highway Murano is the safer date.
While I bemoan the absence of the optional 260-horse V-6, the 241-horse turbo-4 pairs with a smooth nine-speed transmission instead of the coarse, continuously-variable V-6 tranny of yore.
Speaking of yore, many Nissan shoppers will be empty nesters looking to downsize after years carting kiddies in a three-row Pathfinder or Armada. Murano is just the ticket. As is the subcompact Kicks, another stylish turbo-4 entry that is new for ’25. Proving style doesn’t sacrifice quality, both led their segments in J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which tracked reliability over three years of ownership.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Both SUVs boast big backseats for leggy friends, but the Murano bring more sophistication for its higher price. The interior is a great place to spend time.
Start with “Zero Gravity” seats, which you’ll want to rip out of the car and use in your living room they are so comfy. The leather-wrapped console is easy on the eyes — and my knobby knees that rested against the console for miles.
For ill? Ergonomics are a mixed bag. Steering wheel controls are superb, with raised buttons that you can adjust without your eyes leaving the road. However, Nissan chose a push-button console shift design that requires you to look away from the road to shift gears. Better that they had chosen a stalk shifter solution like Chevrolet if it was the console space-saver they were looking for. And that stylish haptic climate control? It also requires taking your eyes off the road.
For good, Murano is tech-tastic.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
My list of safety must-haves — adaptive cruise control, blind spot-assist, rear-backup assist, are all standard. Google Built-in (standard on the SL trim and up) has good voice recognition abilities. So you change the temp by voice rather than haptic touch.
Hey, Google, turn the driver-side temperature to 70 degrees.
Done. I like a car with a sense of humor, and Murano knows dumb jokes.
Hey, Google, tell me a joke.
What’s a pig’s favorite karate move? A pork chop.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Boom. Murano has a deep bench of convenience settings. My favorite: it locks automatically when you walk away with key in pocket — or unlocks automatically as you approach. Just like a Tesla.
Unlike a Tesla: Nissan brings 360-degree camera innovation. Not only will its eight cameras provide a bird’s-eye 360-degree view, but it offers multiple views, including the ability to see through your hood so you can perfectly place your tires in a parking spot or avoid parking-lot potholes. I’m not making this up.
To discover more tech goodies, Nissan thoughtfully provides video guides in the infotainment screen.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
My Murano tester was a top drawer, $51,415 all-wheel-drive Platinum model. But I’d recommend the SL, which allows you to option all the features above. Make mine an SL with standard Google Built-in, wireless charging, panoramic roof, all-wheel drive, 360-degree camera, plus … Auria Blue Metallic paint ($425), spare tire ($180).
Boom. A state-of-the-art Murano for $47,950 that you’ll never get tired of wearing.
Next week: An Amercian in Paris, 2025 Cadillac Lyriq
2025 Nissan Murano
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $41,860 base, including $1,390 destination ($51,415 AWD Platinum model as tested)
Power plant: 2.0-liter turbocharged, inline 4-cylinder
Power: 241 horsepower, 260 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.0 seconds (Car and Driver est. AWD); towing, 1,500 pounds
Curb weight: 4,438 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. 21 city/27 highway/23 combined (FWD and AWD); 505-mile range
Report card
Highs: Sculpted exterior; high-tech features
Lows: Uninspired turbo-4; distracting shifter, climate controls
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Massive Nissan Armada trades fire with Detroit mega-utes
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 19, 2025
Farmington Hills — Where Titan failed, the Armada might break through.
Nissan has sent big truck-based warriors with fierce names into battle against Detroit’s formidable armies of full-size pickups and mega-utes. The Titan pickup finally waved the red flag after bashing its brains in against endless waves of Detroit 1500, 2500, 3500 and even bigger dually pickups with more technology than a NASA launch site and enough towing power to tow, well, a Titan ballistic missile.
Doing battle against the Ford Expedition and Expedition XL looks more feasible. Based on the same truck chassis as the expired Titan, the 2025 Armada has been remade into a state-of-the-art mega-ute matching Ford, Chevy Tahoe and Jeep Wagoneer weapon-for-weapon.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Heading onto I-696, I stomped the gas and the new twin-turbo V-6 awoke with a roar. WHAAAUUGGRH! I miss the V-8s Nanny State rules have suffocated, but turbo sixes like Titan, Toyota Sequoia and Wagoneer have character and make the ocean liners fun to drive.
More compelling is the tech.
Mega-ute land yachts must endure long hours on the road. Nissan has always prioritized comparable seating with its “zero-gravity seats,” and Armada’s no different with its plush thrones. But Nissan has also stepped up with state-of-the-art, hands-free autopilot like Chevy (Super Cruise) and Ford (Blue Cruse) peers. Nissan calls it Pro Pilot Assist 2.1.
Self-driving tech is freaky at first — especially in such a big ocean liner — and Ford and Tesla, for example, smartly offer subscription packages for their systems so you can try ‘em out. Try it, you’ll like it. Unfortunately, Nissan (like Chevy) requires an expensive, $3,375 leap-of-faith purchase.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I toggled the left steering button (nice, raised tabs like a Chevy) and I was hands-free, cruising I-75 with hands on my knees. Tug the left turn signal and Armada switched automatically into the left passing lane. Tug the right signal, and it moved back. Nissan calls such goo-gaws “super powers,” and it will impress the kiddies sitting waaaay back in the third row.
The roomy third row (I could sit behind myself sitting behind myself) benefits from independent rear suspension technology that allowed for more legroom than the traditional, truck-based solid rear axle that Toyota Sequoia employs and that proved cramped on a trip north a couple of summers back. Nothing makes a trip more tiresome than knees in your chest.
Unfortunately, Nissan doesn’t offer a panoramic roof — or split roof like the Expedition — to give third row travelers more light. Not does it attempt to compete with the Detroit utes with an extended-cab XL model like Ford and Jeep (or Suburban, in Chevy’s case).
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Such long cabs make up 40% of Chevy’s business and came in handy when, for example, I towed a sailboat with the Wagoneer L last summer and fit the entire boom through the middle of the cabin so it didn’t rattle around in the boat. Extended cabs are also useful for lots of baggage on, say, ski trips.
What Armada does offer is fold-flat seats so you can store big items (think TV screens or stacks of boxed books) when you aren’t using all three seat rows.
Nissan also keeps up with the Joneses — er, Detroiters — with big, hoodless digital displays that are choked with content and ergonomically sound. While you can outfit Armada with premium trims like the Detroiters, I would recommend starting with the SL model, which offers tech goodies like Pro Pilot and standard Google Built-in.
Google Built-in is General Motors Co.’s new secret sauce — an operating system on par with your phone — and Nissan has embraced it as well.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Google, tell me a joke,” I barked and Armada chose from a library of dumb one-liners to lighten the trip.
More practical is the SL’s standard surround-view that coordinates eight cameras so you can dock the big ship with precision. I turned into a cramped Walled Lake gas station and put the cameras to good use. Most impressive is the hood view, which allows you to look right through the hood to place the front wheels where you want them.
It helped me miss tall curbs as well as potholes opened up by Michigan’s’ long winter.
7Pro Pilot Assist package with a head-up display offers further ease of use on the highway. Ring it all up and Armada comes in at 73 grand, a healthy $4,000 cheaper than a comparable Tahoe LT. And with 70 more horsepower on tap from Armada’s 425-horse turbo-6, you may not miss the Chevy’s throaty 355-horse V-8. But the Ford’s flexible subscription price for Blue Cruise is much more affordable (especially if you only use it during, say, summer trips) and Ford’s Activ model clocks in at a more affordable $71,900. Oh.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Conservatively styled, the Nissan should age well, though it doesn’t have the swagger of Motown’s hunks — or even the nicely styled Toyota Sequioa. Nissan does offer a tough, armored off-road model called the Pro 4X.
Armada has come with big guns blazing so it can trade blows with the Detroit armada. It’s a better battleship than the Titan and offers a legitimate alternative to the Detroit Three.
2025 Nissan Armada
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and-four-wheel-drive, six- to-seven passenger mega-ute
Price: $59,530, including $2,010 destination fee ($81,900 Platinum Reserve as tested)
Powerplant: 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6
Power: 425 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.1 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 8,500 pounds
Weight: 5,886 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est., 16 mpg city/20 highway/18 combined (RWD); 16 mpg city/19 highway/17 combined (AWD); 472-mile range
Report card
Highs: Roomy in all three rows; tech-tastic features
Lows: Meh styling; lacks extended wheelbase model
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him athpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Corvette Hypercar: ZR1X adds AWD to ZR1 formula for insane 1,250 horsepower
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 18, 2025
Austin, Texas — Corvette’s much-anticipated, 1,200-plus-horsepower, sub-two-second 0-60 mph, Ferrari-eating, all-wheel-drive Corvette hypercar is here.
All hail the ZR1X.
Long rumored as a new Corvette badge, Zora — in honor of Corvette’s influential 1960s engineer, Zora Argus-Duntov — the ZR1X instead will be a stablemate to the top-trim, 1,064-horsepower, track-focused ZR1 by adding all-wheel-drive grip and face-flattening electric torque. X as in X-treme.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Driving this car will change your life,” said General Motor Co. president and certified race driver Mark Reuss after climbing out of the ZR1X at a test around the formidable 14.1-mile Nürburgring track in Germany’s Eifel Mountains.
It will certainly change minds about Corvette. Once the “affordable,” front-engine American supercar, the mid-engine Corvette C8 now competes head-to-head with the world’s elite performance manufacturers on and off track. GM credits much of the eighth,-generation car’s performance to its integration with GT3 racing where the Corvette fights toe-to-toe with Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin at places like last weekend’s 24 Hours of Le Mans (‘Vette placed third) then feeds those learnings to its engineers.
“From day one, we designed the mid-engine Corvette architecture with ZR1X in mind,” said GM senior vice president Ken Morris. “This is the most revolutionary platform in Corvette history, supporting the widest range of American sports cars.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Detroit News first reported in 2020 that Corvette was developing performance models after the standard Stingray, including the Z06, all-wheel-drive E-Ray, ZR1 and Zora.
Scheduled for release later this year as a 2026 model — just six months after the ZR1’s first deliveries, ZR1X boasts eye-popping numbers. Pairing the ZR1’s so-called LT7, 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V-8 engine with the E-Ray’s (the first Corvette with both AWD and hybrid-electric power) front electric motor, ZR1X makes 1,250 horsepower, more than any Ferrari on the planet, including the 1,184-horsepower Ferrari F80.
That’s more horsepower than other hypercars like 1,049-horsepower Marcedes AMG One, 1,001-horse Lamborghini Revuelto and 1,160-horse Aston Martin Valkyrie. Only rare animals like the 1,600-horse Bugatti go beyond. The hypercar segment defines itself as supercars using electric motors to take them to the next — “hyper”— level of power and grip.
But the most eye-popping number is ZR1X’s price, which will likely be under $200,000 when it is announced closer to the on-sale date late this year — a fraction of the cost of its exotic European peers, including the 1,184-horsepower, $3,925,000 Ferrari F80 and 1,258, $2,100,00 McLaren W1. The rear-wheel-drive ZR1, with which the ZR1X shares everything — including bodywork, tires and a 233-mph top speed — retails for between $174,995 and $195,995.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
More numbers to wait for? The sub-zero 0-60 mph time to be released later this year by Chevy (and perhaps a Nürburgring lap time as well).
As the top model, the RWD ZR1 bookends the lineup $105,000 north of the $70k, entry-level Stingray. ZR1 more than doubles the entry-level Corvette’s price as well as its horsepower. The 2026 ZR1X will increase that by another 17%, making it the most powerful production Corvette ever made.
The so-called LT7 turbocharged engine is based on the same 5.5-liter, normally-aspirated V-8 found in the Corvette Z06 GT3 race car that competes in the North American Weathertech Sportscar Series and the international World Endurance Championship that sanctions Le Mans.
That engine resides in the track-focused, rear-wheel-drive, $103,000 production Z06, which makes a howling 760 horsepower — the most of any normally-aspirated engine in production — at 8,600 RPM. The Z06 is one of two arms in Corvette’s new, eighth-generation Y strategy — the other being the hybrid, $103,000 E-Ray — which expands Corvette’s bandwidth by offering parallel, track-focused and luxury variants.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The strategy appears to have worked, with Corvette on course for selling 40,000 vehicles a year, far more than any other mid-engine sports car.
Though ZR1X shares the E-Ray’s hybrid, all-wheel-drive format, it remains firmly on the performance side of GM’s Y strategy. Rather than wait two years between models — as Corvette did with the 2020 Stingray, 2022 Z06/E-Ray and 2025 ZR1 models to maximize demand — ZR1X is being introduced on top of ZR1 as a 2026 model.
“They were always meant to to be twins,” said Corvette Marketing Manager Megan Dalley. “We didn’t want to place the ZR1X in the dark when it was ready to go.”
Where E-Ray marries Stingray’s 495-horse, pushrod V-8 LT2 with an electric motor up front, ZR1X thrills by combining the twin-turbo V-8 LT7 and electric motor to attain its stratospheric performance numbers.
Combine the engine’s 828 pound-feet of torque driving the rear wheels and the electric motor’s 186 pound-feet driving the fronts and combined torque is a house-pulling 1,014 (however, Chevy does not list that as an official number since the two drive units are not connected by a driveshaft).
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“It’s important to have the ultimate traction in order to be stable,” said ZR1X lead development engineer Keith Badgley, noting the driver will experience 1.3 forward g-loads under the ZR1X’s torrid acceleration. “This is the most capable, most intelligent Corvette ever made.”
In order to harness all its gas and electric energy, the ZR1X introduces new performance features:
– PUSH TO PASS unlocks all of the battery’s power for quick acceleration bursts in track — or in blowing past slower, two-lane traffic on-road.
– ENDURANCE MODE will apportion electric power so that it can be used throughout the course of, say, a track day.
– QUALIFYING MODE makes all of the battery available for a maximum lap.
With so much thrust on tap, ZR1X engineers also had to develop new brakes to slow it down. The ZR1 already had the biggest brakes developed by Corvette with 15.6-inch, six-piston, carbon ceramic front rotors. ZR1X moves those rotors to the rear of the hypercar and adds 16.5-inch, 10-piston, carbon ceramics rotors up front.
“With great power comes great responsibility,” smiled Badgley of the so-called J59 brake system.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Hard braking from 180-120 mph will generate 1.9 g-loads on the driver’s body. Dalley said the ZR1 will ultimately offer the same brake option as the ZR1X come the 2026 model year after a short 2025 model run. ZR1X is offered with the same options as the ZR1 including a hardtop convertible (the coupe gets the cool, rear split window) and ZTK downforce package.
ZR1 will also adopt ZL1X’s updated interior for the 2026 model year, including includes three screens, a central grab handle for terrified passengers and tidier console buttons. The twins share exterior body panels and interior options — including the return of Sebring Orange paint like the last-gen, 2019 C7 ZR1.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
With its added hardware, the AWD ZR1X beefs up by about 250 pounds over the RWD ZR1’s 3,950-pound curb weight — pushing the Corvette north of 4,000 pounds.
“America’s supercar has arrived,” said Josh Holder, Corvette chief engineer. “This Corvette is more powerful than any Ferrari.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
How Cadillac integrates motorsports to compete on the world stage
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 18, 2025
Le Mans, France — For 15 years, Cadillac has been assembling the pieces to reassert itself as the Standard of the World. A cornerstone of that plan has been to take on its international competition in their backyards, at the track, on the world’s biggest stages.
From the 24 Hours of Le Mans to Paris to Miami, that vision has bloomed in 2025.
Nick Dungan, GM
As tennis legend Roger Federer waved the French tricolors to start Le Mans Saturday, two gold, Hertz-sponsored, V-8-powered, Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars led the field of Porsches, Ferraris and BMWs into Turn One before an estimated 332,000 spectators and another 100 million-plus viewers around the globe. Among them were visitors to Cadillac’s flagship European showroom in downtown Paris watching the race on video screens surrounded by the brand’s sleek, electric Lyriq-V. More tuned in from their phones like the millions who watched Cadillac’s official May launch of its Formula One team at the Miami Grand Prix.
“We haven’t sold cars here in a long time,” said General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss in Cadillac’s Le Mans paddock suite Sunday while 62 of the world’s premier race cars — including four V-8-powered V-Series.Rs — thundered by. “What Cadillac stands for is important, so here in a race like this — or wherever we race — it’s about technology, it’s about our best, it’s about bringing it into our portfolio of cars.”
Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. It’s a hallmark of Le Mans where brands from Ferrari to Porsche to Ford have translated track success to global sales.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Reuss and his team are determined that Cadillac join that list. He says it requires commitment that GM has lacked in the past.
“Cadillac is on a real roll here by plan,” said Reuss, the architect of Caddy’s journey. “We’ve invested a lot of money over a fairly long period, which the company hasn’t done in a long, long time. So, I think that is starting to pay off. We’re not nearly done. You can see the results in the brand, what people think of the brand, and the sales.”
Reuss has followed in the footsteps of his father, Lloyd Reuss, GM president from 1990-92. Like Henry Ford II, who captained Ford’s Le Mans victories over Ferrari in the 1960s, his passion is a primal force inside GM.
The Le Mans start was a poster moment, an image that will live on garage walls like Ford’s three GT40s crossing the line 1-2-3 in 1966 or twin, yellow Chevy Corvettes crossing the stripe in a near dead heat for the 2016 24 Hours of Daytona.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
And that’s before Cadillac enters Formula One next year with its estimated 750-million fan base.
“I never imagined that a video of a brand reveal in Miami would get 10 million (viewers) the next day,” marveled Reuss. “It’s just extraordinary. “Whatever we thought, it was actually much bigger than that.”
This year’s race had a distinctive Motown sound as GT3-class Mustangs, Corvettes and Cadillac V-8 Hypercars pounded around the 8.5-mile circuit. But no Detroit badge is more aggressive at using motorsports to push its brand into Europe than Caddy.
Indeed, Ferrari is the only other manufacturer (not Mercedes, Porsche or BMW) that has committed itself to entries in both F1 and Le Mans Hypercar — the summit of motorsports. “If you don’t compete at the top tier, then you’re never going to be seen,” said Reuss.
International racing’s emphasis on manufacturer technology is important to Cadillac. Formula One is the cutting edge of automotive technology with pneumatic valves, hybrid power units (F1-speak for powertrain) and synthetic fuels. So too, its world sportscar cousin in France boasts similar technologies and speeds. On the jumbotron screen here at Le Mans, the leaderboard displays — not drivers like the Indianapolis 500 (which hosted 350,000 fans this year) — but car brands.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“These Hypercars are not simple,” said Reuss of the 800-volt, hybrid-electric, 690-horse V-8 thoroughbreds thundering around the track behind him. “We’re doing some pretty sophisticated things here. (Formula One and World Endurance Racing) are some of the last series where you can make original parts. That’s cool, that’s creative.”
Cadillac’s history of technological innovation is why it has invested heavily in electrification. The luxury brand has been an innovator over the years in tech like the electric self-starter (1912), air suspension (1957) and magnetic ride suspension (2022).
Today, the cutting edge is battery, motor and digital tech, and the three Cadillacs sold in Europe — Lyriq, Optiq, Vistiq — are on the bleeding edge.
Significantly, Reuss said Cadillac is not going all-electric as advertised in its EV Day five years ago. Customer preference has not dovetailed with government EV mandates — especially in the United States — and automakers are focusing EVs on the niche luxury market.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“We will continue to build up Cadillac both from an electric propulsion standpoint but also from an internal combustion engine standpoint,” said Reuss. “We are not going away with our ICE engines here (in Europe) either. (The V-Series.R) happens to be a hybrid.”
Still, despite market pushback, the European Union has doubled down on forcing the end of new ICE vehicle sales by 2035. Cities like Paris have drafted plans (currently on hold due to consumer resistance) that restrict the use of ICEs by establishing zero-emission zones.
“Things will change, and so we’ll be ready from a regulatory standpoint,” said Reuss. “But at end of the day, driving a really good vehicle — however it is propelled — is really important for us. It gets down to product every time.”
F1 has also received manufacturer pushback on its 50-50 hybrid powertrain plan for 2028, the first year Cadillac will bring its own, in-house-developed power unit to the stage (Ferrari will provide power for the 2026 season). Batteries are expensive and synfuels are in the conversation as an alternative that would not only power F1 cars — but also ICE production vehicles.
It’s another technical challenge that Reuss sees playing to GM’s strength in innovation.
Michelle Malcho, Michelle Malcho
“We are a works team,” he said emphasizing that Cadillac, like Ferrari and Mercedes, will develop its own F1 car. “Not a chassis team, not an engine team — a works team, and that separates us. First time ever there has been an American works team.”
“Cadillac is named after a small town in southwest Fance,” said Cadillac France Sales Chief Chahine Bouaiache on the Paris show floor, where a V-Series.R Hypercar greeted showroom visitors during Le Mans Week. “We are selling our cars to Parisians who love the design of the car. The (Lyriq) designer was a French woman” (Magalie Debellis, former manager of Cadillac Advanced Design).
In the Le Mans paddock 130 miles west, Senior Vice President of GM Global Design Mike Simcoe pointed to the Cadillac race car’s lines — their vertical, sharp edges echoing those of the production EVs.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Design of the car is an important part of Cadillac’s rebirth,” said Reuss. “Design language is very different than it was 10-20 years ago. That is (key) to how many Lyriqs we’ve sold in France.”
Since the showroom opened last year, Cadillac has grown to France’s fourth best-selling EV maker. Four more are now open in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. In 2024, the highest-placed V-Series.R at Le Mans was seventh. This year, the pole-sitting car finished 5th overall behind three Ferraris and a Porsche. In March, Cadillac will make its F1 debut in Melbourne, Australia.
“We’ve tried to be the Standard of the World a lot of different ways,” said Reuss. “We probably didn’t do a good job of building up the portfolio. What we are doing now is the right way: you go product-by-product, success-by-success, and keep bringing Cadillac back to what people know.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Motown at Le Mans: Ferrari denies Porsche Penske, Cadillac posts fastest lap
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 18, 2025
Le Mans, France — It was Detroit vs. Everybody in Le Mans, France.
Motown challenger Cadillac’s V-Series.R Hypercar led the packed, international field to green at the world’s biggest sportscar event, the 93rd annual 24 Hours of Le Mans, but at the checkered flag it was European legends Ferrari and Porsche battling for the win.
Le Mans, France – #12 and #38 Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars lead the race start from pole. Alastair Staley / Drew Gibson Photography, Cadillac
Ferrari has dominated the World Endurance Championship’s top-tier Hypercar class in Europe this year and the Italian marque continued that run with an impressive Le Mans showing, taking three of the top four spots. Only the second-place Porsche Penske 963 Hypercar was a match for the Ferrari 499P’s pace, but in the end the Italian make denied Porsche its 20th Le Mans — and Detroit racing legend Roger Penske his first Le Mans win, one of the few trophies that has eluded him.
Cadillac’s V8-powered Team JOTA dynamic duo finished fourth and seventh after the fourth-placed, #50 Ferrari was disqualified post-race for a wing infraction..
Detroit also brought the V-8 thunder in the production-based LMGT3 class, but Porsche and Ferrari were not to be denied there as well. The #92 Porsche 911 GT3 topped the class while the #21 Ferrari 296 was runner-up. The #81 TF Sport Chevy Corvette Z06 filled out the podium with a strong third-place finish.
The overall winning #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P Hypercar with drivers Phil Hanson (Great Britain), Robert Kubica (Poland), and Yifei Ye (China) ride down pit lane toward the podium with the checkered flag as fans mob the car at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France, on Sunday June 15, 2025. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
“Amazing result,” said #81 Corvette driver Charlie Eastwood. “Not one thing went wrong. Every pit stop was perfect, not a single scratch on the car for 24 hours. We didn’t have the pace (of the Porsche-Ferrari) but we ended up on the podium because of that.”
Motown muscle brought an unprecedented entry to France with Cadillac fielding four cars (two of which failed to finish) in the 62-car field. Three Corvettes and two Ford Mustangs joined the LMGT3 class.
“This is the most competitive Le Mans I’ve seen,” said five-time Le Mans champion Oliver Gavin, who has raced here for Corvette 18 times since 2000. “The competition in the Hypercar class between manufacturers is unprecedented.”
Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
The competitive hype attracted a Le Mans record 350,000 people — one of the biggest motorsports events in the world, rivaling the Indy 500’s attendance — to this small French city. They witnessed a war between a who’s who of world performance brands — including Cadillac, Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren, BMW, Aston Martin, Porsche, Peugeot and Alpine.
Race start at 4 p.m. Saturday portended anything but a Ferrari runaway. Or a challenge from the #6 Porsche.
Cadillac had locked out the front row with a brilliant qualifying effort on Thursday from the #12 and #38 Team JOTA pair. Alex Lynn put the #12 V-Series.R on pole with a 3.23.2 lap around the 8.5-mile circuit for Cadillac. The Le Mans pole was a first for Caddy — 75 years after the brand first raced here in 1950. Teammate Earl Bamber was second-fastest — just a tenth of a second slower — nipping the #4 Porsche Penske 963 Hypercar.
The fastest (of three) #50 Ferrari 499P Hypercars was back in seventh starting position, while the winning #83 Ferrari started 13th. The #6 Porsche, meanwhile, was demoted from its fourth-place qualifying spot to the back of the Hypercar field due to a weight infraction found in post-qualifying inspection. It started 21st on the grid.
The #81 Corvette exits Arnage during sunset Saturday on the way to a third-place finish in the the production-based LMGT3 class Sunday, June 15, 2025, at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
When Le Mans official starter and tennis legend Roger Federer waved the green (actually a blue, white and red French) flag, the gold Team JOTA Cadillacs’ V8-roar led the field into Turn One — a poster shot that will live in Cadillac history.
The #4 Porsche, however, quickly overtook the Caddies on the back straight to lead on Lap One — foreshadowing 24 hours that would see Porsches and Ferraris consistently beat the Cadillac (and everyone else) on top-end speed — a crucial metric on a course where straightaways make up a significant portion of the lap. Ferrari recorded the race’s top speed at a blistering 226 mph on the Mulsanne Straight.
Like IndyCars at the Indy 500, Le Mans race teams do everything to reduce aerodynamic drag given the track’s extensive, 200-mph-plus stretches — and Ferrari/Porsche appeared to find the secret sauce.
By the fifth hour, Ferrari had asserted its dominance, with all three cars swapping the lead between pit stops for fuel. Only the #6 Porsche Penske, climbing steadily through the field, would challenge them before the end.
The #6 Penske Porsche peeks through a space in the guardrail at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France on June 14, 2025. The car finished second Sunday, nearly giving Roger Penske his first win at Le Mans. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
“We’re very good in high-speed corners, but our straight-line speed isn’t great and that really hurts you in traffic,” said English ex-Formula One champion and co-driver of the #38 Cadillac, Jenson Button.
Straight-line speed, however, sacrificed cornering pace, which explained the Cadillac’s ability to reel off cracking laps (see pole) on fresh tires. Over a 45-minute fuel stint, however, the Cadillac’s higher downforce would eat up tires compared to Ferrari/Porsche.
“We can’t fight as we would like to because we’re missing a little top speed, but when the track finally grips up we’ll be one of the fastest cars out there,” said Frenchman Sebastien Bourdais, one of Button’s co-drivers in the #38 Cadillac, on Sunday morning as the Detroit Hypercars established themselves as the best racers not named Ferrari and Porsche.
Bourdais would eventually record the race’s fastest lap — a Hypercar course record — at 3.26.0 minutes.
The #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V‑Series.R Hypercar driven by Will Stevens (Great Britain), Norman Nato (France), and Alex Lynn (Great Brtiain) begins its second lap at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France on Saturday, June 14, 2025. The Caddy began the race on the pole and finished fifth Sunday. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
“It’s frustrating, but I’m really proud for the team that we could show that we extracted the very best of what we had,” said Bourdais. “There’s no doubt that Cadillac has a very fast car, but we need to widen the window and we haven’t quite optimized this yet.”
Endurance racing is built on such tech learnings, and they are applied to production cars like the V8-powered Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, electric Cadillac Lyriq and Chevy Corvette ZR1. General Motors Co. says that is a key reason it races in competitive, international series like Le Mans and Formula One.
Eyeballs are another reason as Cadillac brought its EV lineup to Le Mans’ Manufacturers’ Village, where hundreds of thousands of fans streamed through — ogling the Lyriq and Optiq EVs alongside activations from Ferrari, BMW, Ford and others.
Penske’s bid to win Le Mans was his third with Porsche and came up tantalizingly short. Had the lead Ferrari faltered in the last hour, the #6 car would have won, having left the third and fourth-place Ferraris in the dust.
Le Mans, France – Cadillac store in the Manufacturer’s Village featured the Cadillac Lyriq-V, which bears the same performance badge as the Caddy race car. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Like Ferrari in Europe, Porsche Penske has dominated North America’s MSA Weathertech Sportscar series this year. Had the team claimed Le Mans, they would have won the coveted Triple Crown of endurance racing: the 24 Hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans.
On the LMGT3 class front, the #77 Ford Mustang finished ninth in class after its sister #88 car crashed out in the early going. Ford will join Cadillac in the Hypercar class in 2027, when the Blue Oval tries to repeat its feat of winning the race overall — just as it did in 1966 with the GT40.
Versus Ferrari.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Be iconic: Why Detroit performance brands have descended on Le Mans this weekend
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 14, 2025
Le Mans, France — If the Indy 500 is a showcase for driver glory, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the premier race for manufacturer prowess. Win Indy, and its resulting fame will change a driver’s life forever. Win Le Mans, and an auto brand becomes legend.
Ferrari, Porsche, Audi and Ford have become international household performance names with their dominance of this 24-hour epic. No wonder, then, that the motorsports world was atwitter Thursday when General Motors Co.’s Cadillac swept the front row to claim pole position.
When the green flag drops at 4 p.m. Saturday local time (10 a.m. in Detroit), two Cadillacs — their Team JOTA liveries glistening in the French afternoon sun — will lead a packed international field of Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin to create an image seen around the globe.
The #12 Cadillac V-Series.R of Alex Lynn led a front-row lockout of qualifying alongside the sister #38 car at Le Mans on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Michele Scudiero, Cadillac
“Cadillac locking out the front row is an important thing,” said English driving ace Alex Lynn after putting his Cadillac V-Series.R on pole. “Only the most iconic brands have done that. Cadillac is the first American brand to take the pole since the legendary Ford GT40. We are in the shadows of greats. If we can win this race on Sunday we can cement our car as one of the icons.”
No wonder multiple Detroit brands are competing this year against the world’s best racing manufacturers in rural France before over 330,00 spectators and another 118 million watching around the world. Motorsports has been a key marketing, engineering and sales tool, but the advent of social media and the popular “Drive to Survive” Netflix series covering Formula One has taken motorsports to a new level by broadening its demographic appeal to a younger, gender-diverse audience that auto brands crave.
“’Drive to Survive’ changed everything. It’s making racing globally cool again, and the trickle-down effect we see from F1 is really big,” said Lynn. “We are riding that wave, and showcasing to young people that Cadillac is cool.”
The same electronics revolution that has transformed Hypercars into hybrid rocketships has also exposed youth to racing via simulators and online games where they can act out their fantasy to be, well, Alex Lynn.
“The consumer who is following racing these days is much younger,” said Vice President for Global Cadillac John Roth in an interview here. “They are EV-oriented, they are technologically curious and we put a lot of technology into our vehicles like the Lyriq-V that is the quickest Cadillac we’ve ever built in the marketplace. So there’s a lot of correlation between the V-Series race car and V-Series production car — customers may not attend a race, (but) it’s a great platform to elevate the brand.”
General Motors Co.’s Cadillac chief, John Roth, is using Europe’s most famous sportscar race to boost the Detroit brand’s entry into the rarified European luxury market — and Cadillac claiming the front row on the starting grid of 2025’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is a big step in the right direction. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Le Mans also attracts the world’s best drivers, like Lynn, who is not just a fast pilot, but a global brand ambassador in an industry that craves brand awareness and looks for ways to burnish it.
Dearborn-based Ford Motor Co. has been a global icon for some time. In the 1960s, the Ford GT40 dominated Le Mans for four years — two of them as a factory-backed team, two entered by a private team.
That put the Blue Oval badge on par with Ferrari (which it tried to buy at the time) and Porsche as legends of motorsport. Ford also partnered with England’s Cosworth to produce one of the Formula One series’ premier engines, the Ford-Cosworth, in the 1960s.
Ford’s decision to return to Le Mans prototype racing in 2027 (it announced its chassis partner, Italy’s Oreca, at Le Mans Friday) and Formula One in 2026 (again as an engine partner, this time with Red Bull) reaffirms that it belongs with the world’s best.
“Ford has a special history here. It’s the moment that Ford went global in 1966,” Ford CEO Jim Farley said in an interview here. “This is a big commitment to us. There is no better advertisement for the capability of the company than winning a Le Mans, or it just says your company knows what they’re doing in the car business.”
Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans:” We want to sell race cars to customers worldwide.” A certified race-car driver, Farley drove in the new Mustang challenge on the historic 8.5-mile course. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
For both Ford and General Motors, the international World Endurance Championship and North American IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Series have provided a proper platform to justify the enormous dollar investment that motor racing requires. By agreeing to the same set of sports car rules across continents (and across races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona in Florida), IMSA/EC has opened a global stage for GM and Ford to sell GT race cars as rivals Porsche and Ferrari have done.
“We want to sell race cars to customers worldwide. I have made my career making bad decisions in motorsports,” said a smiling Farley as he overlooked the Ford Chicane on the Le Mans course. “And most of it was a marketing program to get someone interested in a brand. We needed to make motorsports a sustainable part of the company.”
Ford introduced the Mustang GT3 race car for the first time at Le Mans last year — just as it entered the same car in IMSA’s North American series. It made a big splash, placing third and fourth, and the factory team — run by Proton Racing — is back this year. Just like its Ford F-150 Raptor off-road entries in the Baja 1000 and King of the Hammers, the Mustangs are here to sell to customers.
“Racing is an indigenous sport for our industry — we don’t make shampoo,” said Farley. “There are a few events like Le Mans that really put you on the map. We want to sell more (F-150) Raptors and Tremors and Broncos, so we race the King of the Hammers, too.”
Chevy pioneered the GT3 effort back in 2000 with its Corvette entries, racking up nine Le Mans class wins over the last 25 years. It has now pivoted to a customer-based race model, and its three cars here this weekend are entered by customer teams TF Sport and AWA Racing.
As the racing and production programs became more integrated over that time, Chevrolet attracted more engineering talent. Roth points to Tony Roma, who has worked on both the Corvette and Cadillac production performance programs.
“Tony is a race car driver and a great example of translating that feel of what it is like to be behind the wheel of a high-performance Cadillac,” said Roth. Then he “translates that back to the vehicles that will sell to a new generation of buyers.”
The #51 Ferrari 499P Hypercar exits “Indianapolis” during Hyperpole qualifying and takes P3 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France on June 11, 2025. Ferrari has three entries in the Hypercar class of the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
That integration has carried over to Cadillac’s European expansion. Keely Busn is program manager for the Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar and regularly advises, for example, Caddy’s Paris showroom.
“We introduced the livery for our Team JOTA race car in the Paris showroom, for example,” she said in Cadillac’s Le Mans pit. “We coordinated the motorsports display in the showroom that drives home the brand’s performance and precision. If you want to translate what it means to be at the pinnacle of motorsports, it’s good to have a dealership in Paris.”
The V-Series.R that took pole here has a distinctly American V-8 sound. But Roth said racing informs more than just powertrains.
The #12 Cadillac V‑Series.R Hypercar enters “Indianapolis” during Hyperpole qualifying and takes P1 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France on June 11, 2025. Cadillac has four entries in the Hypercar class of the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
“Not only do we go out every day to compete with global luxury brands that we compete with in the retail space, we also get accelerated learnings on how vehicles perform. What’s the aero like? What’s the brake feel like?”
He continued: “That translates back to our EV vehicles that we sell in our retail environment. Aero gives an EV better range. Tires in an EV give better range. Racing is a great platform (that brings) learning back to what consumers enjoy in a vehicle.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Mustang Challenge conquers Le Mans, with Ford’s CEO at the wheel
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 14, 2025
Le Mans, France — This historic track has seen three Ford GT-40s cross the finish line abreast when Ford beat Ferrari in 1966, but it has never seen 38 Ford Mustangs thunder down the pit straight and take the green flag.
With Ford Motor Co.’s CEO in the middle of the pack.
#17 Ford CEO Jim Farley drives for Competition Motors during the Ford Mustang Challenge Invitational Race 1 in Le Mans, France on June 13, 2025. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
Ford brought its Mustang Challenge Series featuring the 500-horsepower, V8-powered, race-prepped Dark Horse R across the pond for its European debut at Le Mans on Friday, with CEO Jim Farley among an accomplished field of Challenge drivers plus celebrities like Formula Drift legend Tanner Foust and Malcom in the Middle-turned pro NASCAR truck driver Frankie Muniz.
Farley acquitted himself well in Race One on Friday, jumping 10 places to finish 19th behind Muniz.
“We‘re an unapologetically American company racing in Le Mans like an American company should,” said Farley in an interview afterwards. “I won’t deny that when we’re all together on the pace lap warming up tires on the Mulsanne (Straight) going back and forth was really an emotional moment.”
That emotion was tempered with a touch of humility.
“All my competitors were customers, so I had to be really careful,” he laughed. “I don’t want to be that guy, you know? I picked up 10 spots, but I’m proud that I did it in a really clean way.”
Ford CEO Jim Farley stands by his #17 Competition Motors Mustang while he signs autographs and takes pictures with fans at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France on June 12, 2025 Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
The race was a triumph for a brand that has scored many at the famed French track, including overall wins with the GT40 from 1966-1969 and a 2016 GT3 class win in the Ford GT. The Mustang Challenge shared the spotlight with the Porsche Sprint Challenge, which featured Porsche 911 and 718 sportscars. Ford’s Mustang is the best-selling sportscar in the world with sales in over 100 countries.
“I was pinching myself getting ready for the race,” said Farley. “It was a really magical moment for the company and for me to have, frankly, I met all the families and the people here from all over the world just to have this experience being in a Mustang, hearing down-shifts into Arnage (corner) from fifth to second gear in a normally aspirated V-8 engine. Ford is probably the only company that could pull this off other than Porsche.”
There are few executives that could pull off competing with top drivers at Le Mans. Farley is an experienced race driver with racing experience on U.S. tracks — and Le Mans.
Indeed, he is one of the few drivers in the world who can claim to have raced Le Mans’ daunting, 8.5-mile, high-speed circuit in both a GT40 and a Mustang. Farley placed second at the Le Mans Classic in 2022 in his 1966 GT40.
Ford CEO Jim Farley drives #17 in the Ford Mustang Challenge during practice at the Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational in Le Mans, France on June 11, 2025. Ford has 40 entries in the invitational, including 15 Mustang Dark Horse R cars in the top Dark Horse class. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
“They’re totally different. The Mustang is a road car that’s converted for racing, and it’s fantastic. The GT40 was the prototype race car of its day,” he said. “It’s cramped, it’s hot, and when it rains, it’s really uncomfortable. The visibility is terrible. It’s 4 inches off the ground, so you feel everything.”
Much of Le Mans’ course is public roads — including the famed Mulsanne Straight where the GT40 was the first car in 1966 to hit 200 mph on what was then a continuous 3.7-mile straightaway. With cars cresting 240 mph decades later, Le Mans punctuates the straight with two changes to slow cars down. But Farley said his GT40 still reaches 180 mph.
“At 180 miles an hour, the front end lifts,” he said. “So you have to be very, very delicate in your input. The Mustang (Dark Horse R) is much more stable, but on braking, the GT40 is more nimble and can change direction faster, because it’s about half the weight.”
Farley will be back for Race 2 of the Mustang Challenge on Saturday morning, and he likes his chances.
“I picked up about six seconds, and I know there’s a couple people that I passed that are like, you know, pretty sure they want to pass me back,” he smiled. “It’s going to be a good duel tomorrow, starting 19th. I would love to move up a couple more spots as a 62-year-old Detroiter, try to put some points on the board for this ol’ Michigander.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Cadillac seeds its fashionable, electric brand in the heart of Paris
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 13, 2025
Paris — With beautiful, branded shop windows and broad boulevards punctuated by ornate architecture, downtown Paris is the intersection of new-world fashion and old-world grandeur. Hermes, the Louvre, Dior, Domaine National du Palais-Royal, Louis Vuitton, Eglise de la Madeleine, Chanel.
Cadillac’s flagship European showroom has found a home here.
Housed in a historic 1919 building across the street from Palais Garnier Opera House, the 122-year-old luxury brand’s Cadillac City Paris showroom is a showcase of state-of-the-art automotive fashion.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
This week, the fashion is motorsports as the automotive world has descended on France for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. A 690-horsepower, V8-powered Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar greeted shoppers, tourists and media this week as they streamed in and out of Cadillac’s huge two-story store on Rue Meyerbeer — one of five European stores for the brand, including Zurich, Switzerland; Stockholm, Sweden, and Hamburg and Frankfurt, Germany.
The race car is representative of Caddy’s four-car assault on Le Mans as the brand tries to win the historic race 75 years after it first competed there in the 1950s. It made a good start Thursday, locking out the front row in qualifying for the race that begins at 4 p.m. local time Saturday (10 a.m. in Detroit). If the V8-powered V-Series.R represents the current fashion in sportscar racing, then the electric Lyriq V-Series — also introduced into the store this week — represents the state of European auto fashion.
“We transformed the entire space in honor of the 24 hours of Le Mans, so we are expecting a lot of traffic to see the beautiful race car — and then watching the Le Mans race with us. We have grandstands, we have popcorn, we have big live viewing screens,’ said Cadillac France Communications Director Isabelle Weitz. “And the Lyriq-V is a big introduction for us. Obviously, the performance aspect, I think, is really going to be of interest.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Like the Apple Opera Store on the Rue Halevy just around the corner from Cadillac City Paris, the showroom gives off a high-tech vibe behind a historic façade. The modern, open space encircles a wrought-iron circular staircase that disappears into the ceiling on its way to the second floor. Instead of iPhones, laptops and tablets, the V-Series models are the product centerpieces. But the second floor feels very Apple Store-like with long tables full of tablets that customers can use to configure their new Cadillac — complete with colors, wheels, V-performance.
It’s a decidedly American high-tech feel, and the Cadilac store was filled with young families and young adults interacting with the tablets as well as the race car.
“The Paris showroom is ornate outside, but feels homey on the inside for families and kids who want to spend time with the products,” said popular model, social influencer and race car driver Lindsey Brewer as she conducted a photo shoot at the store.
Inside, passersby signed up for Lyriq test drives — the cars pulling up to the curb for a slow drive around Paris’s choked evening streets. Since the showroom opened last year, Cadillac has grown to the fourth best-selling EV maker in France. In a country where many owners (unlike in the United States) get their cars via company fleets, some of Cadillac’s biggest customers include telecom, food and postal companies.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Weitz said this new tech mixes nicely with a brand that — for all its years in the wilderness in the late 20th century — is integrated in European culture. Cadillacs inhabit the songs that Europeans listen to — Bruce Springsteen’s “Pink Cadillac,” “Cadillac Song” by Ariana Grande, Aretha Franklin’s “Freeway of Love” — and the new models reinforce that image with cutting-edge Dolby Atmos tech. Cadillac even sponsors the EF Pro Cycling team — providing its Lyriq support vehicles for the Tour de France.
“Unlike Jaguar, for example, that is completely reinventing itself for the electric age, Cadillac is keeping a focus on its heritage while also moving forward,” said Brewer, who raced in the Indy NXT series at the Detroit Grand Prix in 2024. “It’s innovating in fashion and in music.”
Cadillac will follow up this year’s Le Mans-palooza with an even more audacious entry next year into Formula One, Europe’s most prestigious open-wheel racing series. Cadillac’s presence here is about more than performance, however.
The brand sees a unique opportunity to recast itself as the “Standard of the World” in Europe — leaning into its roots as an innovative luxury brand with a new generation of electric cars in a country that bears its namesake.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Cadillac is named after a small town in southwest France,” said Cadillac France Sales Chief Chahine Bouaiache. “We are selling our cars to Parisians who love the design of the car. The designer was a French woman,” referring to Magalie Debellis, former manager of Cadillac Advanced Design who led the Lyriq styling team.
Cadillac believes that its history of innovation positions itself to take advantage of new digital and electric automotive tech. The brand innovated the electric self-starter (1912), column-mounted shifter (1938), air suspension (1957), heated seats (1966), LED lighting (2000) and magnetic ride suspension (2022) — all of which the Lyriq, Optiq and Vistiq share.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Paris store leans into its history with a hallway decorated with features covering the brand’s achievements organized into four sections: Innovation, La Mode (fashion), La Cinema (Cadillac in movies), La Musique. One innovation that’s missing from the EVs? Super Cruise, Cadillac’s innovative, hands-free driving system that the European Union — lagging the United States — has not approved for use on its roads.
“I was born in France, grew up in Germany. Cadillac, for me, is a brand that you just know, and I think that’s I speak for the whole of Europe,” she said of the distinctive Lyriqs plying Paris streets. “It’s one that always had incredible design innovation, technology . . . it’s just one that turns heads. You want to look at it.”
It will be hard to miss Caddy’s four V8-powered Hypercars thundering around Le Mans at 200 mph on Saturday and Sunday as well.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Keep on street truckin’: Ford F-150 joins Maverick with hip Lobo model
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 13, 2025
Detroit — The street truck craze is back, and Ford is jumping in with both feet — or at least both its F-150 and Maverick models.
The F-150 Lobo joins the Maverick Lobo in the market with a modified, slammed and tricked truck. Where the Maverick’s signature trick is a dual rear clutch pack for tire-burning, sideways drifting, the F-150 Lobo brings an old-school trick: Ford’s raucous, 400-horsepower, 410-torque, 5.0-liter V-8 engine. Similar to Mav, the F-150 is lowered (by two inches) with painted rocker panels and signature, brooding fascia and grille lighting.
“The F-150 Lobo is the result of recognizing an under-served audience of potential F-150 customers,” said street truck enthusiast Josh Blundo, Maverick/F-150 Lobo lead exterior designer. “For years, they have been taking factory pickup trucks and lowering them. Adding more power. Leaning on street styling. From an automaker, this has been an untapped market for two decades.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Factory street pickups of yore — think the 1990 Chevy 454 SS, 1993 Ford SVT Lightning, and 2005 Dodge Rumble Bee — have been distinguished by aggressive front air dams, hood scoops, lowered chassis, painted rocker panels, sporty wheels and growly engines. Growly V-8s like the 345-horsepower 5.7-liter Hemi that was stuffed into the Dodge.
The F-150 Lobo delivers on many of those features while building the street rat in-house, complete with factory warranty. When Lobo goes on sale this fall, customers can enter the F-150 website configurator, choose the menacing, midnight-trimmed STX package starting at $42,015, then select Lobo. The Lobo starts at $59,995 and comes standard with a roomy Crew Cab and 5.5-foot pickup bed.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“When it came time to imagine an F-150 Lobo — on the heels of helping create the new Maverick Lobo last year — I didn’t have to look far to know what prospective customers would want,” said designer Blundo, a veteran street trucker. “Drop it. Give it V-8 sound and performance. Make dual exhaust tips standard. Add aggressive styling. And give it a face that looks … sinister.”
If the Maverick Lobo upgrades to a 238-horse turbo-4 from the standard hybrid, then the F-150 chooses one of the big pickup’s most menacing engines for its soundtrack.
Lobo gone loco. The 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo is a hoot on an autocross course with 250 horsepower, AWD and tail-drifting Lobo mode. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The F-150 Lobo gets its muscle from Ford’s 5.0-liter V-8, complete with dual exhaust out back under the painted bumper. Insert the key in the ignition, wake Lobo up and give it a couple of good BRAAAPS to wake the street. Ford then marries it to a standard 4×4 system to put that power to the ground.
In the case of Maverick Lobo, Ford added twin clutch packs in the rear to encourage drifts. Further enhancements include bigger brakes, enhanced cooling, stitched and Lobo-monogrammed seats, and a Lobo mode for truck-focused hooning.
Not F-150 Lobo.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The big Ford’s focuses on aesthetic enhancements like black trim, a light bar bisecting the front grille, hood vents, and its signature Lobo badge aft of the front fender. Beneath the skin is STX’s familiar cloth interior and V-8. No drifting kit, no special stitching – not even the dramatic Turbofan wheel option found on little brother Lobo. The big truck will tow 7,900 pounds, however.
For motorheads looking for more V-8 punch, they can option the $12,350 Performance 700 package on top of the Lobo model — which brings in the Mustang GT500’s fire-breathing, supercharged, 5.0-liter engine that pushes out a staggering 700 horsepower. Huzzah.
F-150 comes with one wheel option: gloss-black 22-inchers.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The new F-150 Lobo is available in five exterior colors: Agate Black Metallic, Atlas Blue Metallic, Carbonized Gray, Oxford White and Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Standard of the (Racing) World: Cadillac stuns Le Mans, sweeps front-row qualifying
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 13, 2025
Le Mans, France — For the first time since Ford accomplished the feat in 1967, a Detroit automaker will lead the field to the green flag Saturday for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most prestigious manufacturers’ endurance race.
Cadillac won its first Le Mans pole position as the #12 Team JOTA Cadillac Hypercar driven by Englishman Alex Lynn beat out a packed qualifying field that included Ferrari, Porche Penske, Aston Martin, BMW and French favorite Alpine.
In a show of Cadillac’s pace, the sister #38 Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar was second-fastest, locking down the front row for the Motown brand. And just to rub it in, a third Cadillac entry (of four) from Whelan Racing set a Hypercar course record around the legendary 8.5-mile circuit in an earlier qualifying heat — a mark two seconds under last year’s pole time. The hybrid-powered, 690-horsepower, winged Hypercars are the fastest sportscars in the world.
The #12 Cadillac V-Series.R of Alex Lynn led a front-row lockout of qualifying alongside the sister #38 car at Le Mans on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Michele Scudiero, Cadillac
“It’s an exciting moment when you put it all together,” said Vice President of Global Cadillac John Roth, who cheered on the results from the Cadillac box above the pits. “Looking forward to the race results on Sunday.”
Cadilac’s grandstand-rattling V-8 engines are a fan favorite here — their distinct sound roaring above the more muffled exhaust notes of competitors’ turbocharged V-8s. Le Mans’ so-called Hyperpole qualifying is designed like other IndyCar and Formula One racing series with an elimination shootout. Entries in each of the three classes — Hyper, LMP2 and LMGT3 — are whittled to 15 cars after one qualifying round, then eight in the final, Hyperpole 2 Round.
“Any time you have the opportunity to drive this kind of car at Le Mans with low fuel, new tires, is an honor,” Lynn told RACER.com after climbing out of the V-Series.R. “I’m proud to deliver for Cadillac. It’s a special feeling, a magical circuit and a place I like to perform my best. Now, just 24 hours. We will enjoy this tonight and get some rest.”
Le Mans, France – Alex Lynn (right) qualified the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R on pole. His teammates Will Stevens (left) and Norman Nato will co-pilot with him June 14-15 to try and win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Photo: Michele Scudiero / Drew Gibson Photography. Michele Scudiero, Cadillac
GM’s luxury brand is not alone in seeking Le Mans glory this weekend and is joined by a multitude of other Detroit-based racers.
Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske qualified third and fifth behind the Cadillacs in Porsche 963s — the dominant car in North America’s IMSA Sportscar Series this year. Corvette also had a strong showing, with one of its three entries making it to the Fast Eight. The TF Sport Corvette will start sixth. Two Ford Mustang entries from Proton Racing will start 10th and 13th after making Hyperpole 1.
But the day belonged to Cadillac, which has raised its game this year with a class-leading four entries. Caddy is determined to re-establish itself as the “Standard of the World” with motorsports playing a big part. In another first, the brand has opened four showrooms across Europe this year — its flagship is in Paris, 130 miles southeast of Le Mans — and Cadillac will be entering the world’s most prestigious open-wheel series, Formula One, in 2026.
Le Mans, France – THough it won’t start on pole, the Whelan Racing Cadillac V-Series.R set a Le Mans lap record earlier in the day on June 12th qualifying. Photo: Nick Dungan / Drew Gibson Photography. Nick Dungan, Cadillac
“Couldn’t be prouder of what’s happened here today,” said Roth. “After all that preparation, all that work by so many throughout the whole organization, from our engineers to our designers to the team members that put together the vehicle, all the way out to the customers to our dealerships who support the brand.”
When the green drops on the 62-car field Sunday at 4 p.m. Le Mans time (10 a.m. in Detroit), Lynn, Will Stevens and Norman Nato will share the lead #12 car with Earl Bamber, ex-Formula One ace Jenson Button and Sebastien Bourdais alongside in the #38.
Ferrari has won the race the last two years, and this year its 499P Hypercar entries will start 7th, 11th and 13th. Come Sunday at 4 p.m., after 24 hours of racing, it could be Cadillac v Ferrari.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: 1925 Chrysler Six vs. 2025 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 12, 2025
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Belle Isle — Happy 100th birthday, Chrysler, you’ve given us the gift of many memorable automobiles over the years.
Over a century not much — and yet everything — has changed.
As in 1925 with its Six (and sister Four) models, Chrysler today offers two 2025 vehicles for the U.S. market: the Pacifica and Voyager minivans. Following in the footsteps of its Six, Pacifica is an innovative family vehicle, bears a winged logo, rides on four air-tube tires and burns gasoline. Those fundamentals aside, a test drive of the two Chrysler icons reveals just how much autos have evolved after a century of innovation.
Speed
I tested the 2025 Pacifica plug-in Hybrid and the 1924 Six B-70 (the prototype for the ’25 production car) at the brand’s 100th birthday bash at the Detroit Yacht Club last week. I rode both at 35 mph around Belle Isle’s perimeter road (behind the wheel of the Pacifica; riding shotgun in the Six with an expert driver, Neal).
That’s slow by Pacifica standards, and just about right for the Six.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“You wouldn’t have wanted to go much faster than that on the roads they had back in the day,” laughed Chrysler historian Brandt Rosenbusch. No wonder the Six had a big, Jeep-like spare hanging out the back (the Pacifica comes standard with a tire repair kit). The Six wasn’t slow for its day. Indeed, its smooth, 3.3-liter inline-6 (thus the Six moniker. The Four was powered, natch, by a four-cylinder engine) was prized for its pace — so much so that Chrysler advertised its impressive-for-the-time 70 mph top speed with the B-70 badge.
Had that tradition continued, Chrysler’s fire-breathing, 173-mph, 435-horsepower, V8-powered 2005 sedan would have been called the B-173 instead of the 300C SRT8.
The Pacifica is a rocket ship compared to the Six B-70 with a top speed of 106 mph and a 0-60 mph dash of 7.3 seconds. Zero-to-60 mph in the Six?
“I don’t think anyone has ever asked that,” laughed Rosenbusch. “Probably a minute.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Operation
It takes a minute and several steps to start the Chrysler Six:
1) Depress the clutch pedal with your left foot.
2) Turn on the ignition to activate the six-volt battery.
3) Pull out the choke (if the engine is cold) to add fuel to the carburetor.
4) Push the starter button on the floor with your right foot.
5) If the Six struggles to fire, maintain pressure on the starter button with your right toes and goose the accelerator pedal (actually a button on the floor next to the starter button) with your right heel.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
VROOM! You’re ready to go. The 2025 Pacifica is as simple as pushing a dash button — its 12-volt battery turning over the starter motor.
Ah, how spoiled we’ve become. Remember clutch pedals?
Manual transmissions have largely been relegated (performance cars aside) to the ash heap of history. Since it first appeared as a three-row SUV from 2004-08 (evolving into a minivan in 2017), Pacifica has never been operated by a stick.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
But a three-speed manual is all you got in the ‘25 Six. Its steering wheel looks oddly modern with its center-mounted horn and what appear to be a pair of shift paddles hanging off the sides. They aren’t shift paddles, though. The right paddle acts as a sort of cruise control (“20 mph was a good speed,” smiled Rosenbusch). The left paddle? It was used to advance the spark plug timing if the engine ran rough.
As if mastering a stick wasn’t enough, drivers also had to adjust ignition timing.
Driver Neal expertly negotiated the H-pattern gearbox (REVERSE in the northwest corner) on our drive, but Pacifica’s nine-speed automatic was magical by comparison. And quiet. In fact, the hybrid could have made the trip around Belle Isle on electrons alone thanks to a 17-kWh battery (separate from the 12-volt) and electric motor that complements the 220-horsepower, 3.6-liter V-6.
Combine the battery, a 16.5-gallon gas tank and impressive 30 mpg fuel economy for the 5,000 pound minivan, and the e-minivan can go 520 miles. The lightweight 3,000-pound Six is no slouch in the gas tank department. With a healthy 20-gallon tank under the rear seat, it gets about 200 miles of range with 10 mpg fuel economy.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
It would have been an exhausting 200 miles, though.
Comfort
While Pacifica sails along on a modern, unibody chassis connected to the road via coil-over springs, shocks and multi-link suspension, the Six rode on a ladder-frame (truck) chassis with leaf springs.
Worse, every coupe and sedan model was a convertible (Chrysler preferred the fashionable term “Phaeton”) thanks to stamping technology limitations that made hard tops a challenge. A convertible was swell on my 80-degree June test day, but Michigan winters were a challenge with open sides.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Owners could option canvas cockpit curtains — complete with glass portholes — anchored to the doors. But the fit was imprecise, said Rosenbusch, and cold air rushed in. “For long trips, some owners would heat up bricks and bring them into the cabin to stay warm,” he said.
The Pacifica’s stamping, by contrast, is state-of-the-art with a panoramic roof overhead. Chrysler would gradually solve the stamping issue, beginning with the 1934 Airflow sedan.
Wind noise and climate control aside, the Six cabin is a lot like your average modern SUV: command-view leather seats (ground clearance an SUV-like nine inches) and lots of front and rear legroom. No seat belts, though. That safety innovation wouldn’t come standard until the late 20th century.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Not that Six was oblivious to safety in the early years of the personal transportation revolution. The Chrysler was equipped with innovative hydraulic (not mechanical) drum brakes. Pacifica, of course, is a fortress with hydraulic disc brakes, auto emergency braking, air bags, seat belts and much more.
The minivan is a Swiss Army knife on wheels with second- and third-row seats that can stow in the floor, fold flat or be removed altogether. And Pacifica has 32-square-feet of cargo room behind the third-row seats.
The Six has … none.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Passengers 100 years ago would lash their luggage to the huge side running boards — or store it in the cabin with them for long trips (leaving room for the heated bricks, of course).
Jetsons car
What really separates Pacifica from its forefather — and even Chryslers 20 years ago — is its electronics. A Six owner would stare in wonder at the minivan’s futuristic digital tricks.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
– Twin seven-inch instrument and 10-inch infotainment displays
– Sirius XM radio
– Amazon Fire TV integrated into the rear-seat Uconnect Theater System so passengers can stream their favorite shows
– 360-degree surround view camera
– Automatic, hands-free park assist
– Adaptive cruise control
– Side mirrors with blind-spot assist
Yes, side mirrors — absent on the 1925 Six. We’ve come along way, baby.
1925 Chrysler Six
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $1,595-$3,725 ($29,288-$68,400 in 2025 dollars; 1924 Chrysler Six prototype as tested)
Power plant: 3.3-liter inline-6 cylinder
Power: 68 horsepower
Transmission: Three-speed manual
Performance: 0-60 mph, 1 minute (estimate) top speed, 70 mph
Curb weight: 3,000 pounds (est.)
Fuel economy: 10 mpg; 200-mile range
Report card
Highs: Roomy interior; speedy for its time
Lows: Poor cabin insulation from the elements; busy starting procedure
2025 Chrysler Pacifica Plug-in Hybrid
Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, seven-passenger minivan
Price: $44,445 base, including $1,995 destination ($64,300 AWD Select model as tested)
Power plant: 3.6-liter V-6
Power: 287 horsepower
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.8 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 106 mph
Curb weight: 5,010 pounds (as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA 82 MPGe; 500-mile range
Report card
Highs: Swiss Army knife interior; electronic controls/features
Lows: Minivan in an SUV world
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Le Mans preview: Motown brands descend on France for endurance race shootout
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 12, 2025
Le Mans, France — June 6 was D-Day. June 14 will be V-8 Day.
Some of Motown’s most renowned performance brands will descend on central France this weekend, June 14-15, with an army of V8-powered machines in an attempt to win the world’s most prestigious endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Leading the pack will be Cadillac with a quartet of V-Series.R Hypercars competing in the globe’s fastest sportscar class. Team Penske will bring a triple threat of turbocharged V-8 Porsche 963 Hypercars as its Bloomfield Hills-based company’s chairman, Roger Penske, seeks to win his first Le Mans — and add to Porsche’s record 19 wins at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Following up its eye-opening 3rd and 4th place finish in its Le Mans LMGT3 class debut last year, Ford’s Mustang will be back with a trio of LMGT3 racers with an eye on taking the top step of the podium. And Corvette thunder will be heard around the 8.5-mile course for the 25th consecutive year as Chevy attempts to add to its nine Le Mans GT3 class wins.
Michele Scudiero, Cadillac
But wait, there’s more.
Ford is bringing its Mustang Challenge series to Le Mans from Thursday to Saturday as a support race to the main 24-hour event. The stampede of 40, race-prepared Mustang Dark Horse Rs will be piloted by pro drivers (Tanner Foust), celebrities (ex-“Malcolm in the Middle” actor-turned-pro racer Frankie Muniz) and even Ford CEO Jim Farley, an accomplished racer. Ford also has ambitions to join the Le Mans front-running prototype class in 2027 and will have news about its racing partner on Friday. Ford last competed in the top Le Mans class in the 1960s, when it won four straight Le Mans from 1966-1969 — inspiring the Oscar-winning movie “Ford v Ferrari.”
There will be plenty of eye candy off track as well. Cadillac’s bid for Le Mans glory dovetails with its entry into the European market as an all-electric brand with showrooms popping up across the continent. Caddy will have a display of its Lyriq and Optiq EVs for fans to peruse at The Village area just outside the pits.
Cadillac, Cadillac
Like the Indy 500 stateside, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is more than a race. It is a weeklong celebration of motorsports with over 325,000 fans descending on this small city (population 145,000) along with representatives from major international automakers. From June 7-13, activities include a public scrutineering of entries, track test days, and a sort of exotic car Dream Cruise through central city streets.
Come Saturday at 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. in Detroit), another 100 million-plus viewers in 196 countries around the world will tune in to watch 62 entries across three classes — Hypercar, LMP2 prototypes and LMGT3 — slug it out for victory.
The field includes 21 Hypercars, hybrid-powered cyborgs with nearly 700 horsepower that top 200 mph for extended periods each lap.
The entry list is a who’s who of global performance icons. The Motor City contingent will take on competitors including Ferrari, Aston Martin, BMW, Peugeot, Porsche, Toyota, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and McLaren.
Porsche
Ferrari has dominated the Hypercar class the last two years with Toyota close behind, but Cadillac put on a formidable effort in 2024. The #3 Cadillac Hypercar (one of three entries) qualified on the front row and led 61 of 311 laps in often appalling, wet-weather conditions. IndyCar ace Alex Palou, driving for Cadillac’s Chip Ganassi Racing team, did yeoman’s work before pit strategy shuffled the car back to 7th at the end.
Ganassi Racing signed a contract with Acura this year to race in North America, so Cadillac has new partners for Le Mans with U.S.-based Wayne Taylor Racing and Whelan Racing crossing the pond with entries from the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Series. Europe-based Team JOTA brings two more Caddies.
“Really cool to have our first session here at Le Mans behind us,” said American fan favorite Ricky Taylor, who will race the #101 Cadillac in a family affair — co-driving with his brother, Jordan, on a team owned by their father, Wayne. “We are just focused on getting laps and trying to get some experience here and then we will build as we get closer to the race.”
Penske’s Porsche team also showed impressive form in ‘24, qualifying a car on pole next to Cadillac. The highest team finisher was 4th. Porsche Penske 963s have dominated the IMSA Hypercar class so far this year, winning four of the first six races. The IMSA series-leading team of Felipe Nasr/Nick Tandy will pilot the #4 car alongside two Europe-based Penske Porsches.
Chevrolet, Chevrolet
“For the first time, we’ve prepped all three Porsche 963s at our facility in Mannheim (Porsche Penske European headquarters) — a big milestone,” said Jonathan Diuguid, managing director for Porsche Penske Motorsport. “We’re better prepared than ever before. The 963 is extremely reliable, the team is in perfect sync and our driver lineup is world-class.”
On Sunday’s test day, Toyota paced the field, but expectations are for a tight race.
Ford and Chevrolet have invested heavily in the GT3 class, offering production vehicles in racing trim that customers around the world can enter in international racing series. Mustang and Corvette teams will go head-to-head with GT3 racers from manufacturers including Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren and Porsche.
Porsche and BMW beat Ford to the checkered flag in 2024, but Ford has continued to improve in only its second season in class. Two weekends ago in Detroit, it won IMSA’s comparable GT3 class with a strong run, its V-8 power proving formidable on Detroit’s long 3/4-mile straightaway — an advantage that should translate to Le Mans’ famed 3.7-mile Mulsanne straight (interrupted by two chicanes) where cars really stretch their legs.
Drew Gibson Photography, Cadillac
Chevrolet has sold 17 Corvette C8.R race cars to private customers and three of them will be in the fray, entered by AWA Racing (two) and TF Sport (one). AWA won the GTD class at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January.
“Our program goal in 2025 was to continue the development and fine-tuning of the Corvette in order to provide our teams with a fast and reliable car that would enable them to compete for race wins and championships,” said Mark Stielow, GM Motorsports competition programs director.
Detroit automakers have been coming to Le Mans for decades, including efforts by Cadillac in the 1950s and Ford’s historic streak in the late 1960s. But the French event has never seen such a sustained period of Detroit involvement as the last three years, with automakers jockeying for engineering prestige, market penetration and brand identity.
Cadillac, for example, uses the V badge that adorns its V8-powered Hypercars to distinguish the performance V-Series versions of, for example, the 519-horsepower electric 2026 Optiq-V crossover that was just introduced this week. Should Cadillac claim Sunday’s prize, expect to see the Optiq-V waving the American flag in the Paris showroom.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Porsche 963 for the street: Penske to take delivery on road version of 200 mph race car
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 7, 2025
Bloomfield Hills-based Roger Penske will take delivery this summer on a street-focused version of the Daytona 24 Hour-winning Porsche 963, the race car that Team Penske and Porsche campaign in international Hypercar prototype racing, the fastest sportscar class in the world.
Modified at Porsche’s North American headquarters in Atlanta from a carbon-fiber chassis made at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen, Germany, racing production facility, the 200-mph-plus, hybrid Hypercar is a one-off — its powertrain and aerodynamics matching the race car, but upgraded with a luxurious leather and Alcantara interior complete with turn signals and a cupholder.
Porsche, Porsche
Badged the 963 RSP (in honor of Penske’s initials, Roger Searle Penske), it is effectively the fastest car ever made for the street. The 963 race car costs $2.9 million and Penske’s unique street cruiser is likely valued at much more.
In an interview, Penske said he had seen his new wheels being made at Porsche Classic, the brand’s Atlanta restoration facility: “It certainly looks and feels like a true Porsche sportscar. I am so honored that Porsche produced this special 963 RSP — I think I will always have a special connection to this vehicle, and certainly to everyone at Porsche.”
He said he looks forward to bringing the car to the Motor City as part of his family’s private car collection.
Roger Penske with a Porsche Hypercar after a Porsche Penske Motorsport press conference at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France on June 14, 2024. Penske is getting a a street-focused version of the Porsche 963 to add to his collection. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
“I’m not sure I would drive the 963 RSP as a daily commuter, though that certainly would be a fun drive to the office,” he smiled.
Penske is scheduled to take delivery stateside this summer at the Monterey Historics in California. Following its unveiling Friday, the 963 RSP will be on public display at Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe during the 24 Hours of Le Mans before it returns to Stuttgart to be shown at the Porsche Museum. In July, the car will appear alongside the 917 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, before crossing the pond.
The Hypercar marks the second time Porsche has created a road version of its ultimate race car. The first was in 1975 when the German performance maker produced a street-legal Porsche 917 (which dominated international racing of that era) that was bought by Count Rossi, heir of the Martini & Rossi liquor fortune.
The eccentric Count then hit the road, driving from Zuffenhausen to Paris in the 580-horsepower, 12-cylinder 917.
In a brief street drive Friday near Le Mans, France, the 963 RSP debuted alongside that legendary 917 — just as the endurance racing world gathers for the week-long lead-up to the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, June 14-15.
Notably, the 963 race car competed on the downtown streets of Detroit May 31 as part of the Detroit Grand Prix. Hitting speeds of over 180-mph on Jefferson Avenue, the Porsche threw up sparks as it bottomed repeatedly down the bumpy, ¾-mile-long straightaway.
Richard Pardon, Porsche
“It’s banging the skid plate through there at nearly 200 mph,” said British race driver Nick Tandy, who co-piloted the #7 963 with Brazilian Felipe Nasr to fourth place in a thrilling race. “You can feel it coming up through the cabin. It’s rough.”
Together with Porsche, Team Penske is seeking to bring “The Captain” (as employees fondly refer to their chairman) his first Le Mans win, one of the few baubles that has eluded him in an illustrious racing career that includes 20 Indy 500 wins (Porsche has won almost as many Le Mans races — 19). It is the third Le Mans attempt by Porsche Penske — an event won by Ferrari the last two years.
“We have enjoyed a terrific relationship with Porsche dating back to 1972,” said Penske, recalling the dynamic duo’s first collaboration on the legendary 917/30 Can Am championship car. “With such a remarkable partnership continuing to this day, we felt it was time to create the most exciting car we could imagine.”
The Porsche 963 RSP is a street version of the 963 race car (shown) that competed in the May 31 Detroit GP. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The 963 RSP will be on public display at Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe during the 24 Hours of Le Mans before it returns to Stuttgart to be shown at the Porsche Museum. In July, the car will appear alongside the 917 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, before heading stateside.
Penske is scheduled to take delivery stateside this summer at the Monterey Historics in California and add the 963 RSP to his private collection of over 100 cars.
Managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport, Jonathan Diuguid, has overseen the 963 racing program that competes in both North America’s IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Series here and the World Endurance Championship overseas. He said Penske his boss has been a big supporter of the 963 program from the start.
“He also got an opportunity to drive the Spyder (the Porsche RS Spyder, the last championship-winning sportscar on which Porsche-Penske collaborated from 2006-2008) at Goodwood a few years back,” said Diuguid. “So when the team planted the seed that there might be an opportunity for him to drive a 963, I think the flower started to grow.”
Richard Pardon, Porsche
The 963 won the IMSA series last year and has dominated so far in 2025, winning five of the first six races — including Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Porsche Penske is bringing three 963s to compete in next week’s Le Mans.
“Just like the 917, I wanted this car to be authentic to its origin and have as few changes to it as possible,” continued Penske. “When we got into the project, the differences in the two generations of race cars provided a great challenge. What emerged is a car that has lost none of its edge and is exciting whether on the track or on the road.”
While retaining most of the mid-engine race car’s dynamics – including the ferocious, 670-horspower, 4.6-liter, twin-turbo V-8 hybrid powertrain – the street car boasts significant changes to make it more comfortable.
Porsche, Porsche
The 963 RSP will not be started by a key to to the left of the steering wheel like Porsche production cars such as the 911 supercar and Macan SUV. That tradition started with left-hand-drive, 1960s Porsche race cars, which strategically located the key on the left so drivers could more quickly fire up the car upon entering the cabin in the pits.
Not only is the modern 963 RSP not started by a left-hand key, it is started from a laptop — just like the race car.
While 963 racers are wrapped in red-and-white trim, the 963 RSP is painted the same Martini Silver as its 917 forebear — a tricky process given the car’s thin, lightweight carbon fiber shell. The car has been lifted slightly — and its Multimatic spool-valve shocks softened — for a more compliant street drive. Tires? The same Michelin rain tires as the race car. Also missing from the 963 RSP are the race car’s fender cutouts — necessary on track to mitigate high-speed flips — but which take away from its aesthetic appearance on the road.
In a nod to tradition, an enamel Porsche badge is added to the nose, a detailed shared with the 1975 917.
Complete with headlight and taillight modifications to suit public roads — as well as turn signals, a horn, and front/rear license plates — the 963 RSP met permissions criteria from French authorities to ply public roads for its reveal today.
“An experience that will stay with me for a lifetime,” said Le Mans winner and Porsche racer Timo Bernhard, who was at the wheel of the 963 RSP for its first road miles. “Driving down a public road with a 917 beside me — it felt unreal. The car behaved perfectly — it felt a little friendlier and more forgiving than the normal 963 — and felt super special and a lot more comfortable, especially as I was not needing all my safety gear.”
Jordan Lenssen
The comfortable cockpit is a mix of luxurious appointments and raw race features.
Like the race car the 963 RSP features a single piece, air-conditioned carbon seat — but it is trimmed in leather with a fixed headrest mounted on the bulkhead behind the seat. The steering wheel — bristling with operating functions — is true to the racer but has been finished in leather. The aforementioned cupholder is 3D-printed and capable of holding a Porsche travel mug.
“This really started out as a ‘what if?’ — a passion project by a small team of enthusiasts at Penske and at Porsche who together imagined a version of the 963 that really resembled as closely as possible the spirit and appearance of the Count Rossi 917,” said Porsche Cars North America President and CEO Timo Resch, who conceived of the 963 RSP. “The 917 was every inch a race car — albeit one driven on the road — and we took the same approach with the 963 RSP.”
No word on whether Penske intends to cruise on Woodward this August.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Drag-racing the Chevy Blazer EV SS (SS for Super Stylish)
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 5, 2025
Oakland County — The last Chevy SS (Super Sport) I drove in 2016 was a stealthy muscle car. Modest looks, sedan shape, growling V-8 under the hood waiting to be unleashed on unsuspecting Bimmers. SS for Sneaky Sport.
The 2025 Chevy Blazer EV SS is not that car.
Wrapped in Habanero Orange with a black roof and sinister black fascia bracketed by orange wasp-like mandibles, you can see my Blazer SS from space. Big 22-inch wheels, big teardrop taillights, big black greenhouse, big 615 horsepower. But you can’t hear it.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
At a Telegraph Road stoplight, I flattened the accelerator pedal with my Size 15 shoes and the SS’s twin electric motors silently sucked the doors off a BMW M340i. FOOOOM! My eyes flattened, the landscape blurred, and 60 mph went by in less than four seconds. That would leave the ’16, 465-horse SS (0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds) in the dust as well, though it wouldn’t keep up with a Tesal Model S Plaid at 1.99 seconds.
My Blazer SS is, however, less than half the price of the $134,490 Tesla.
Chevy’s latest iteration of its Super Sport badge is a welcome addition to its diverse history. SS has adorned everything from the OG 1961, 408-cubic-inch, V8-powered Impala SS coupe to the 1969, double-dome-hooded El Camino SS to the lowered, fire-breathing 2003 Silverado SS pickup. With its super-sized straight-line speed (an SS badge record 3.4-second 0-60 mph), girth (a whopping 5,730 pounds thanks to a 102-kWh battery) and flamboyant wardrobe (hey, Chevy, how about a dual-stripe option?), this SS takes its place alongside other SS Dream Cruise rocket ships. This is an Impala SS for the electric age.
But addictive acceleration aside, what I like best about this SS is its interior integration of state-of-the-art GM technology with retro-Camaro SS design. SS for Super Styled.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Oh, how I miss the Camaro muscle car.
The porky, all-wheel-drive Blazer SS won’t remind you of the rear-wheel-drive Camaro’s deft handling, planted chassis and rib-rattling V-8. But it (along with the standard Blazer) honors the ‘Maro with one of the coolest interiors in this business.
Yuge grapefruit-shaped, aviator-style climate controls bracket the dash with three more anchoring the base of the console. They not only look awesome, but are easy to use (in keeping with GM’s best-in-biz cabin ergonomics). I climbed into the cabin with key in pocket, pressed the brake pedal and the SS came to life. I nudged the grapefruits back-and-forth to adjust air position, then adjusted the rim to turn it on or off.
Chevy marries this retro style with modern Google Built-in controlled digital screens. A head-up display complements the 11.0-inch instrument and 17.7-inch dash displays.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Adjust driver temperature to 70 degrees,” I barked on a chilly, rainy May evening, and the cabin temperature instantly adjusted.
A blizzard of other vocal and physical controls are at your fingertips. I’m particularly fond of the volume and radio station buttons located on the backside of the steering wheel so I could easily cycle through my Sirius XM radio favorites.
Even in the wet, Blazer SS was fun to drive thanks to its upgraded, stiffened suspension and sophisticated electronics. Combined with all-wheel drive, they kept the beast’s 650 pound-feet of torque (nearly 100 more than the last, 2024 Camaro SS V-8) in line as I barreled around the county.
Those electronics also enable non-performance features. Like when you don’t want to steer at all.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
On I-94, I set the speed to 75 mph, engaged Super Cruise and went hands-free to the airport, the Blazer SS navigating traffic beautifully — even moving automatically into the left-hand lane when slower traffic deterred my progress. SS is for Super Smooth.
I kept my hands on my knees, sipped my Grape Snapple and set Sirius XM stations using Chevy’s superb infotainment interface on the big (there’s that word again) infotainment display.
When I exited the freeway, Blazer SS handed the controls back to me and I eased into a stoplight without touching the brake — regenerative braking using the electric motors to bring the sled to a halt.
Afraid that you’ll miss the sound of an internal combustion engine? MY MODE allows you to select a growl (NORMAL or SPORT) to accompany its beastly acceleration. I preferred OFF, content with the silent hammer of the electric motors.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Those motors — and their battery fuel — come at a price. My Blazer SS tester tipped the scales at the same price as a Cadillac Lyriq EV I recently piloted that sits on the same Ultium platform. The Chevy plays in the same space as other mainstream electric hellions like the 601-horsepower Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and 576-horse Kia EV6 GT — but paying Caddy money for a Chevy could be a hard sell.
Blazer SS is also harder to refuel on trips north than, say, a BMW M340i.
Even if you manage to avoid tempting 0-60 launch control dashes, a 75-mph jaunt up I-75 will suck 25% of charger from the battery resulting in a real-world range of 225 miles instead of the EPA-approved 303. And that’s in modest, 70-degree weather. Chevy’s Google-based navigation system is good at navigating to chargers on the route (though the complicated, sliding charging door gives me the reliability willies), but expect a 250-mile trip to, say, Charlevoix to add two stops and a half hour to your travel. SS for Slow Stops.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The SS’s cargo and seating room, however, is easy on the legs — and luggage space — for extended trips. If most of your travel is local (say, over to the Woodward Dream Cruise and back this summer), then there are few cars that stand out — and explode out of stoplights — like the Chevy.
Super Sport. Give it an orange cape.
Next week: 2025 Nissan Murano and Titan
2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, rear- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger hatchback
Price: $61,995, including $1,395 destination fee ($64,180 as tested)
Powerplant: 102 kWh lithium-ion battery with dual-electric-motor drive
Power: 615 horsepower, 650 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.4 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 120 mph
Weight: 5,730 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA range: 303 miles
Report card
Highs: Sporty, ergonomically superior interior; good ol’ SS acceleration
Lows: Pricey; your trip-mileage may vary
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.