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Category: Highlight

  • 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor, 2021 Porsche 911 GT3, 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor: The Week In Reverse

    We took a spin in the 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor, the 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 received a date with destiny, and a key detail of the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor came to light. It’s the Week in Reverse, right here at Motor Authority.

    The 2021 Ford Ranger Tremor has arrived and we drove the mid-size off-road pickup truck on a snowy Michigan off-road course. We found it has the chops to conquer steep, snowy hills, and take on the likes of the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 and Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro with a smaller price tag. But it’s no Ranger Raptor.

    A report broke that Subaru is working on an all-wheel-drive hot hatch that may serve as the brand’s return to top-level rally racing. Code-named Super AWD, the hot hatch is due in the fall of 2022. Word has it the car is being co-developed with Toyota, though it won’t be a version of the hot little GR Yaris.

    The debut of the 2021 Porsche 911 GT3 is almost here. The German automaker announced the latest GT3 will be unveiled on Feb. 16. A teaser was released showing a race car-like rear wing on “swan neck” struts. Expect the return of the 6-speed manual transmission and a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission option.

    The redesigned 2022 Genesis G90 was spotted undergoing cold-weather testing with a wild new wheel design. Despite a 2020 refresh, the 2022 version of the flagship luxury sedan should ride on a new platform and possibly be available with a battery-electric option. Expect a debut in the next year.

    We learned that the 2021 Ford F-150 Raptor will be available with two different frames. Which frame buyers will get will depend on whether the truck is ordered with the standard 35-inch tires or the optional 37s. The truck with the 37s will come with updated front shocks and modified mounting points for the rear jounce bumpers and spare-tire mount.

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  • Toyota and Aurora partner on self-driving cars

    Toyota and Aurora announced on Tuesday plans to collaborate on self-driving car development.

    The two companies said they formed a long-term partnership to build and deploy self-driving cars at scale. Japanese automotive supplier Denso is also involved in the partnership.

    We won’t have to wait too long to see the first fruits of the partnership. A fleet of Toyota Sienna minivans equipped with a self-driving system developed by Aurora will start testing on public roads in the United States by the end of 2021. Aurora is currently testing prototypes in California, Pennsylvania and Texas.

    Toyota has been developing self-driving cars on its own for several years and has also worked with Uber on the technology. Toyota is also a shareholder of Uber.

    However, Uber sold its self-driving car division, known as Uber Advanced Technology Group, to Aurora late last year. Uber in the future will license a self-driving system from a company like Aurora.

    Aurora on Tuesday said it will be ready to introduce its self-driving system to ride-hailing fleets operated by Uber, as well as Toyota, within the “next few years.” Aurora wants to offer a full service to companies operating self-driving fleets, by covering the financing, insurance and maintenance aspects, as well as the actual self-driving technology.

    “By combining our expertise and know-how in vehicle control systems, mass-production, connected car technology, and our advanced safety support systems with Aurora’s industry-leading approach to self-driving technology, we aim to commercialize and deliver safe, high-quality, and affordable autonomous ride-sharing vehicles and services,” Keiji Yamamoto, Toyota’s operating officer, said in a statement.

    Aurora was established in 2016 with Chris Urmson, one of the early heads of the Google Self-Driving Car Project, now Waymo, among the co-founders. Another co-founder, Sterling Anderson, was in charge of development of Tesla’s Autopilot system in its early years. Aurora’s first product will be a self-driving system designed specifically for trucks, the company said.

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  • Toyota flip-flops, to debut to two electric vehicles and a plug-in hybrid in 2021

    Toyota on Wednesday confirmed plans to launch two electric vehicles and a plug-in hybrid in the U.S. this year.

    The new models are part of a large-scale electrified-vehicle push. By 2025, Toyota wants 40% of its U.S. vehicle sales to be electrified models, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery-electric cars, and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, a company press release said. The automaker expects that to increase to nearly 70% by 2030.

    Toyota U.S. electrified vehicles presentation - February 2021

    Toyota U.S. electrified vehicles presentation – February 2021

    No details of the two electric vehicles or the new plug-in hybrid were released, but a graphic shared by Toyota revealed that one of the EVs appears to be a sedan. The automaker unveiled a handful of EV designs in 2019, and last year confirmed a partnership with Subaru for an electric SUV that will likely be sold under both brands. Toyota also confirmed that it is developing a dedicated EV platform called e-TNGA, and previously said it was working on solid-state batteries for future electric cars.

    Toyota has largely avoided battery-electric vehicles, pitching fuel cells as an alternative zero-emissions technology, and continuing to push the hybrid technology it pioneered with the Prius. As recently as December 2020, company president Akio Toyoda opined that there was too much hype surrounding electric cars.

    Toyota future electric vehicle designs - 2019

    Toyota future electric vehicle designs – 2019

    Wednesday’s announcement indicated Toyota hasn’t completely changed its stance on EVs. The company said internal research showed that battery-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids have “similar environmental benefits.” Greenhouse gas emissions are “roughly the same” for the two powertrains when factoring in emissions from U.S. grid electricity production, according to Toyota.

    However, that contradicts what the Union of Concerned Scientists has calculated in its annual studies of EV emissions. There is almost nowhere in the U.S. where an EV doesn’t produce significantly lower emissions, even when factoring in grid electricity, according to the group. Furthermore, all-electric cars have the potential to get cleaner as the grid transitions to renewable-energy sources.

    The Toyota release also said the the automaker is aiming for “a diversified product portfolio with multiple forms of vehicle electrification” that will “let consumers choose the model that best suits their usage needs and cost profile.” So while Toyota is introducing some electric cars, hybrids and plug-in hybrids could still account for a bigger share of sales volumes.

    Toyota hasn’t sold a battery-electric vehicle in the U.S. since the Tesla-powered RAV4 EV ended production in 2014. So far, the only one of Toyota’s promised new EVs to launch has been the Japanese-market C+Pod minicar.

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