All New KIA

Remember the GR GT3 Concept? We do. It debuted at the Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2022 as a preview of the successor to the aging Lexus RC F GT3. It won’t officially race until the 2026 season, but a camouflaged prototype has now been spotted in Belgium. The sleek, powerful Toyota was seen in action on the wet Spa-Francorchamps track.

The GR GT3 has previously been filmed testing in Japan at the Motegi track as well as Toyota’s Fuji Speedway. Now it’s landed in Europe with a massive rear wing and wide hips. To get an idea of ​​what’s hiding beneath the guise, we’ve attached a concept image at the bottom of this page.

A little rain didn’t stop the test driver from putting his race car through its paces on the challenging 4.3-mile circuit. The GR GT3 is relevant for another equally important reason: it will spawn a Lexus road-legal version. This isn’t hearsay, it’s fact. About a year ago, Toyota WEC team director Rob Leupe told our sister site Motorsport.com:

“Date [2026] “In line with the road car side, which follows Toyota's philosophy of having a race car on the road. That continues today.” When asked if the car would have a Lexus badge, Leupe said: “At the moment, it looks like it. It depends on how it develops within Toyota, but at the moment, yes.”

Lexus or Toyota, the important thing here is that there will be a license plate on the new sports car. The car will likely be powered by a big V-8 engine, judging by the throaty exhaust note. Motor sports reported the racing version was supposed to debut in the 2025 season but was delayed by a year due to obstacles in developing a road-legal car. It has been two and a half years since the concept debuted.

In February 2024, Toyota Racing Development President David Wilson said SportsCar365 that “timeline [for the car’s launch] It's still around 2026, and development is going well. Homologation has to be done and there are a lot of steps involved. Everything is going according to plan, but you have to give yourself a little bit of leeway.”

Wilson suggested a racing debut could come at the 2026 Daytona 24 Hours. Hopefully, we'll see a road-going model sooner rather than later.

The Corvette ZR1 is finally here, and it’s more ferocious than we ever imagined. With 1,064 horsepower from its twin-turbocharged flat-plane crank V-8, it was set to be the most powerful C8 ever (by a wide margin). That is, until Zora came along.

Yes, an even crazier Corvette is on the way. The long-rumored Zora is expected to use the ZR1’s twin-turbo V-8 engine paired with the E-Ray hybrid’s electric motor and battery setup, resulting in all-wheel drive and around 1,220 horsepower. While Chevrolet hasn’t confirmed plans for the top-tier Zora, there are some telltale signs. Here’s a rundown.

There is Zora's Test Donkey

It’s always hard to tell which trim is hiding under the camouflage, but if you look closely, there are a few clues. Spy photos of the Corvette test mule reveal that engineers have been testing more than just the ZR1.

CorvetteBlogger do a good analysis in a new set of prototype photos, which provide some insight into the differences between the ZR1 and what appears to be a more extreme Zora. The change is in the radiator. Look closely, and you can see the E-Ray-style stacked cooler used on the ZR1-bodied test car.

This type of radiator is only found on the E-Ray, likely used to cool the battery and/or electric motor. Look at the radiators on the Z06 and ZR1, and you won’t see a stacked arrangement. So it’s reasonable to assume that this prototype uses the ZR1 engine combined with the E-Ray’s electric powertrain, aka the Zora.

Of course, this is just speculation at this point. Manufacturers test different drivetrains and cooling setups all the time, so it’s possible that Chevy is testing out odd radiator combinations with existing powertrains, or even adding extra radiators to confuse the curious. However, we think the Zora’s case is the most likely.

Chevrolet Cars

ZR1 Can Accommodate E-Ray Electric Motorcycle

During our walk around the ZR1's deer cutout, we noticed some interesting design choices that hint at the Zora's presence.

Despite the twin-turbo rig and all the extra cooling load that comes with it, there’s still room in the center tunnel for the E-Ray’s 1.1-kilowatt-hour battery pack. Chevy could have used that space for larger cooling hoses or even storage space, but instead, the engineers left it empty. Telling story.

And while this may just be a matter of sharing components, we can't help but notice that Chevy opted to use a cooling hose up front that bends around the area where the electric motor would be located, leaving another large space begging to be occupied.

Of course nothing is certain, but all signs point to even crazier models in the future.

Corvette Chief Engineer Drops Big Hint

When talking to Motor1 about the Corvette trims and their respective power levels, chief engineer Tadge Juechter dropped a strong hint about an even more powerful C8 to come (emphasis ours).

“We have to be careful because we have been working [the ZR1] for six years,” Juechter said. Motor1We have to keep our mouths shut, and we are still working on things in the future“.”

On the surface, that sounds a bit vague, but it’s important to remember that Juechter is set to retire after the ZR1 launches, so it’s likely he won’t have much knowledge of the Corvette until the near future. That means his statement above is a lot more specific than it seems, hinting at a more powerful C8 on the horizon.

Chevrolet Compares Ferrari SF90 Stradale

Corvette engineers have been known to buy cars from competitors to use as benchmarks. Chevy famously bought a Ferrari 458 Italia, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, and Acura NSX to use as benchmarks against various Corvette trims. And they likely did the same for the Zora.

Back in June Chevrolet caught testing the Ferrari SF90 Stradale against a bunch of camouflaged Corvette prototypes. The SF90 pairs a twin-turbo V-8 in the rear with three electric motors—one in the transmission and two up front—for all-wheel drive. It’s a very similar setup to what we see in the Zora, albeit with far less power (the Ferrari makes “only” 986 hp).

It’s possible Chevy used the SF90 to compare it to the ZR1, as the power output is similar. However, given the Ferrari’s drivetrain setup, we think it was used for the Zora.

After launching the electric Cadillac Escalade IQ, the luxury automaker is updating its gas-powered behemoth for 2025. The Escalade has a new face, a big touchscreen, and for you die-hard fans—the Escalade-V is coming back for another year.

If the gas-powered Escalade looks a lot like its electric counterpart, that’s because Cadillac borrowed lighting elements from the IQ model and other Caddy EVs like the Celestiq and Lyriq. Vertical headlights with LED accents adorn each corner of the bumper, a new illuminated Cadillac emblem adorns the hood, and on V-Series models and beyond, even the grille surround lights up.

The Escalade-V also gets some performance-specific upgrades. The front fascia is more aggressive and has a larger lower grille for better cooling. Inside, there are more carbon fiber accents surrounded by Jet Black leather. Aside from the base Escalade, every trim gets the latest Magnetic Ride Control 4.0 with Air Ride adaptive suspension, and Super Cruise is standard across the board.

The 2025 Cadillac Escalade and Escalade-V will go on sale later this year, but the company has yet to release pricing. The current 2024 Escalade starts at $112,690 with destination; we expect the 2025 model to see a slight overall price increase.

Apparently, South Korea doesn’t realize that EV sales are declining. Kia just set a new EV sales record, posting 29,392 units sold in the first half of 2024. It’s the best half-year for EVs in the company’s history. Hyundai isn’t slowing down either. The Ioniq 5 just had its best-ever June sales, and the Ioniq 6 is up 113 percent year-over-year.

Let’s start with Kia. The EV6 is Kia’s EV champion, with 10,941 units sold so far this year. Overall, the EV6 is up 31.3 percent, and the EV9 isn’t far behind. We don’t have the percentage for the SUV since it wasn’t sold last year, but 9,671 units have been sold through the first half of 2024. As for the Niro, Kia doesn’t separate EV sales from hybrid sales, but basic math tells us that 8,780 Niro EVs should be the right number.

Meanwhile at Hyundai, the Ioniq 5 is having a strong year. June was a record-breaking month for the hot hatchback, with sales of 3,755 units. Overall, the car is up 37 percent year-over-year with total sales of 18,728 units—nearly beating the EV9 and EV6 combined. The Ioniq 6 is also up year-over-year, with sales of 6,912 units.

However, it’s not all good news. Despite a significant increase throughout the first half of 2024, Ioniq 6 sales fell slightly in June with only 914 units sold. Overall, Hyundai’s vehicle sales rose only 2.2 percent, but Kia suffered a slight loss with a 2.0 percent decline. Furthermore, in June, Hyundai’s sales fell 2.5 percent and Kia’s sales fell 6.5 percent. Interestingly, both brands will suffer if EV sales are not strong.

The CDK Global cyberattack likely contributed to the slowdown in sales in June. CDK’s software suite for dealers was out of service on June 19, essentially halting service and sales. The software suite was down for the rest of June and is only now back up and running, with a full recovery expected by July 4. The outage is believed to cost dealers nearly $1 billion when all is said and done.

Ferrari announced in late 2019 that it would not introduce its first electric car until the middle of the decade. However, the market launch was brought forward in April 2021 when company chief John Elkann said the car would be out in 2025. The car is still on track for its official debut late next year. In the meantime, the car may have been spotted testing for the first time.

This strangely disguised test mule was discovered by Derek Cornelissen looks like a large hatchback. Spotted in Maranello, the unusual vehicle appears to be wearing a modified body taken from the Maserati Levante. However, the headlights appear to be Ferrari Roma-like. We also can’t help but notice the redesigned wheels, which may lack aero covers.

And yes, those quad exhaust tips hanging out of the corners of the rear bumper are fake. The yellow high-voltage stickers indicate that we are dealing with an electric vehicle. This is not the first time an automaker has decided to install fake exhausts on an EV prototype as Porsche has been doing it for some time now with the electric Boxster.

Just because Ferrari has decided to use the Levante body doesn’t mean the V-12-powered Purosangue will get an electric companion. The Prancing Horse has yet to reveal what its electric car will look like. What we do know is that the mystery car will be built at a new factory that was unveiled this week at its Maranello base. Seeing this test mule driving a few days later may not be a coincidence.

Ferrari has promised its first EV will make a “real” sound, whatever that means. The car is said to cost more than $500,000 each. Reutersalthough CEO Benedetto Vigna declined to confirm the reports this week. He also denied speculation that the new plant would increase annual production from around 14,000 to 20,000 vehicles.

Even though Ferrari is just entering the electric era, the company still plans to sell V-12 cars for as long as possible. Product Marketing Chief Emanuele Carando recently said that the twelve-cylinder engine will remain in production until it is banned. However, the Italian exotic car brand projects that pure ICE cars will only account for 20 percent of its annual sales by 2030. About 40 percent will be represented by plug-in hybrids, with the remaining 40 percent being pure EVs.

Meanwhile, the first EVs are expected to account for five percent of total deliveries by 2026. Reuters suspect that a second electric car is already in the works, although it is still in the early stages of development.

Before you jump in surprise after reading my headline—hear me out. Mazda has been quietly creeping up the market since 2022. It started with the CX-50 and has continued with the three-row CX-90. The company hopes to become a true BMW competitor in the next few years, and while some of its products are far from ready, the CX-70 is proof that Mazda is headed in the right direction.

Yes, I know, the CX-70 is literally The CX-90 has one fewer row. That means you get the same design, the same engine options, and the same interior. And for some reason, it costs more; the CX-70 starts at $41,900 while the CX-90 starts at $39,300. But if you ignore the very confusing packaging issues, at face value, the CX-70 is a great deal. And in many ways, it might be a better buy than the comparable BMW X5.

From the get-go, you won’t find a BMW SUV that looks this good. Mazda’s design language is a natural fit for a somewhat larger SUV. The sleek headlights with LED accents blend into the five-sided grille and the horizontal taillights give the CX-70 a wide-set look at the rear. This test car even had Zircon Sand paint, one of my favorite Mazda colors.

The interior is equally beautiful. Thick suede covers the dash and door panels. Brown Nappa leather, black stitching, and aluminum accents on this Premium Plus model adorn the rest of the cabin. It all feels… nice. You won't find some of these materials in any mainstream BMW, let alone one that cost $57,775 as tested.

Then there’s the only reason you’d buy the CX-70 over the CX-90: The trunk space. Behind the second row is a generous 39.6 cubic feet of storage. The BMW X5 has 33.9 cubic feet by comparison, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee has 37.7 cubic feet.

Fold the Mazda’s second row flat and the space swells to 75.3 cubes. I managed to fit three medium-sized storage bins, a hockey bag, and a large picture frame in there with relative ease. All I had to do was move the second row up a bit.

Pros: Beautiful design, Large cargo capacity, Premium features, Comfortable to drive, Affordable price

Granted, you get a little more cargo space behind the CX-90’s second row: 40.1 cubic feet. But that requires you to fold the third row every time you need to load something, so the load floor isn’t completely flat.

With all your cargo secured, the CX-70 is as comfortable as a three-row car gets. The front seats are soft and supportive. Both driver and passenger have Nappa leather upholstery with suede inserts on this Premium Plus model, eight-way power adjustment, and heating. My only complaint—a common one in other luxury SUVs—is the lack of extended thigh support. And the bottom cushions on the front seats aren’t long enough for my slight frame.

The CX-70 has a 12.3-inch, easily configurable digital instrument cluster that changes appearance depending on the driving mode and an adjacent 12.3-inch central touchscreen. Capacitive touchscreens are new for Mazda, and they work well, but the central screen retains the more familiar rotary-button controller with quick-access buttons, making navigation easier while driving. The infotainment system itself could use a refresh. Its layout looks dated. However, standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto mean you can avoid them altogether.

Under the hood is a turbocharged 3.3-liter inline-six that makes 280 horsepower in base form, or 340 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque with mild-hybrid assistance if you step up to one of the Turbo S models tested here. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and in the case of our test car, all-wheel drive.

Cons: This is a CX-90 with two rows.

Mazda loudly and proudly calls attention to its inline-six engine with an “Inline6” badge on one of the front fenders. The average SUV buyer probably doesn’t have “Need an inline-six” on their shopping list, but then again, it’s a small detail that makes the Mazda feel more premium.

The engine is a beast, and it deserves the badge. Ample low-end torque and a smooth powerband propel Mazda’s SUV to 60 mph in about 6.0 seconds. The Turbo S has just the right amount of power to get going quickly under pressure, but the base model with the standard engine will probably be enough for most buyers.

Mazda’s focus on driver engagement is still evident behind the wheel of the CX-70. The steering is responsive and the suspension is tuned to handle bumps well. This is still a fairly large SUV (4,863 pounds and 200.8 inches), so there’s still a bit of body roll—but the ride is composed. The CX-70 is a quick-starting machine, and the suspension tuning is far from a true performance SUV.

The CX-70 also has a full suite of safety features including a 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, lane centering, and lane keeping assist. It all works well on the highway; braking and acceleration are smooth and the lane centering really keeps the car away from the road markings.

The criticisms surrounding the CX-70’s packaging and pricing are all valid. Why would you spend more money for one fewer row of seats? Why is the engine the same? And why doesn’t a more expensive SUV have more features? It’s a mystery.

Other than that, I’m hard-pressed to find anything I don’t like about this SUV. The CX-70 looks great, feels premium, and handles as well as a comparable X5. Assuming you’re not afraid to trade in your BMW for a Mazda—it’s a great decision. The CX-70 is far and away the class leader.

My instinct when something with a locker lands in my driveway is to lug it deep into the woods. Anything less would be a journalistic dereliction of duty; if it’s a 4×4, I have to use it, right? But a closer look at the habits of SUV buyers reveals something less interesting.

Most SUV buyers—especially at the higher end—don’t really take advantage of all that rock-crawling capability. Or even the four low legs. Those features are nice to have for the annual camping trip, but what’s far more important is day-to-day livability.

With that in mind, I used the Land Rover Defender 110 S as a housewife. I did grocery shopping, I drove friends, I got stuck in tedious traffic jams on the 5th highway and I slogged through potholes in industrial areas. A week in the Defender made me understand the suburban desire for the Rover—despite it being a luxury SUV for moms. mustbut there is still a downside.

Let me state the obvious: The Defender 110 S is absolutely incredible on paved roads. In my test vehicle, with the Advanced Off-Road Capability Pack ($750), Off-Road Pack ($1,550), and Air Suspension Pack ($1,500) selected, the Defender had 11.5 inches of ground clearance, a 38.0-degree approach angle, and a wading depth of 35.5 inches—numbers that would beat a four-door Jeep Wrangler or an Ineos Grenadier.

Despite its unibody construction, the Defender can handle a 10,000-pound winch mounted on its front bumper. Off-road, it’s virtually unmatched. With an as-tested price of $81,103—more than a fully loaded Lexus GX 550 Overtrail+ or Jeep Grand Cherokee—it should be.

But this week I’m really playing housewife, with guests in town and errands to run, which means I don’t care about rock climbing. I care about how well it handles the trip to WinCo.

Pros: Roomy, solid cabin, comfortable second row, excellent off-road capability

Fortunately, the unibody construction helps the Defender feel like a road car, with sharp steering even with the Off-Road Package’s all-terrain tires. There’s very little vibration over rough bumps, and the interior remains quiet, even on poorly paved roads at high speeds. If I had to complain about one thing, it’s that the air suspension is firmer than I expected on the road. Despite the absence of body-to-frame bumps and pothole vibrations, the ride feels firm over rough roads.

The cabin addresses all of these issues with a very high level of comfort. It’s plush and comfortable, especially with its combination of durable, hard-wearing materials in high-use areas with touch points that are soft enough to still feel premium. It doesn’t feel like durability cosplay; it feels durable, but never comes close to being plasticky or cheap.

The seats are comfortable, with easy-to-clean leather and ample range of motion via a power-adjustment switch. The electric tilt-telescope steering wheel lets the Defender driver find an upright, ergonomic position. Visibility is also excellent, thanks to the forward-retracting windshield, squared-off mirrors and relatively low beltline. My rear passengers reported that the second-row bench seat was comfortable and roomy enough, even when three people were seated side by side.

Cargo space is also excellent. I had a book signing to attend, and I found that the Defender 110’s 34.0 cubic feet of cargo space could fit hundreds of books with plenty of room, thanks to its square, easy-to-load cargo area and wide cargo doors. in appreciate the air suspension height adjustment knob positioned in the trunk when loading a heavy box of books.

Unfortunately, the side-hinged tailgate—one of the last in its class now that the Lexus GX has switched to a traditional top hinge—became a problem when I picked up friends from the airport. There wasn’t enough room to let my friends walk behind the truck with another car behind us. It made quick pickups a headache, and since the Defender’s rear window doesn’t open, the side-hinged tailgate was a constant problem in everyday life.

Cons: Annoying side-hinged trunk, poor fuel mileage, annoying center console

Once the Defender was loaded and I was back behind the wheel, I found the 11.4-inch central screen easy to navigate. It was easy to scroll through common features and driving modes, and the system includes standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The screen is equipped with a few physical buttons, which is welcome in theory but frustrating in practice.

Selecting the heated seats, for example, requires at least three interactions (including a press and a twist) to turn them off. Selecting the fan speed is similar. I found myself looking away from the road at the unadorned center console far more often than I would have liked. I found the 400-watt, 10-speaker Meridian sound system underwhelming for an $80,000 car; even the less luxurious and less expensive Grand Cherokee offers 19 speakers, 950 watts, and much better clarity.

And the Rover isn’t cheap to drive, even with the mild-hybrid 3.0-liter turbocharged/electrically-supercharged straight-six engine that powered this Defender. It’s powerful for its class—395 horsepower, 406 pound-feet of torque—but its mileage is poor, at just 17 miles per gallon in the city and 20 miles per gallon on the highway. I never got close to those numbers, either. Even as I gingerly drove a friend with a broken neck, I managed to get about 15 mpg over a few hundred miles of driving.

The hybrid drivetrain feels responsive, very quick and very well-composed, and the eight-speed automatic delivers torque with confidence and smoothness. Be prepared to pay for the privilege.

The Defender in the County package—which adds special graphics, 20-inch steelie-style wheels, two-tone paint, a rear-mounted spare tire, and some tough-looking interior trim—looks ready for the trail, and makes the Defender even more handsome.

If I actually took the Defender into the woods to hunt foxes, I’m sure it would be unbeatable. But I didn’t. I did the usual SUV things, like picking up friends from the airport and doing grocery shopping, and there, I just wished the Defender 110 was a little more practical.