Acura has great expectations for the all-new 2021 TLX sports sedan, the first model to embody the brand's ‘Precision Crafted Performance’ philosophy.

We just had our first look at the next-generation 2022 Honda Civic hatchback via some patent images, and now CivicXI.com has unearthed even more renderings, this time of the sedan version. As expected, the front portions are about the same, but we're surprised to see how similar the two cars are up until the cargo area. And if the hatchback had some Accord similarites, this one is even closer.

Lexus just found a way to make the UX 250h look even more like a regular hatchback. It's called the 2021 Lexus UX Black Line Special Edition, and it follows the path of previous Lexus Black Line models before it (ES, GS, RC). We'll note that this special edition is based on the hybrid version of the UX, and isn't available with the standard gasoline engine variant.

The body-color fenders stand out the most. Instead of ruggedized black plastic, Lexus is painting them in the same color as the rest of the body. Lexus' UX was already one of the most car-like of the tiny crossover class, and eliminating the ugly crossover-like fenders brings it even deeper into hatchback territory. By painting them the same color as the body, it tricks the eye into thinking the car is hunkered down lower to the ground. The gloss black side sills and lower trim bring it down even further visually. Now, Lexus didn't actually lower the UX, but this package makes it feel much less like a crossover. When painted, the flared fenders even come across as sporty, wider hips. We really dig the look.

The 2021 Toyota Camry gains both visual and technology improvements in the new model year. It's not a full-fledged mid-cycle update, but the changes are welcome nonetheless.

Toyota added an XSE grade to the Hybrid trim to start. This brings the sportier suspension tuning and aggressive appearance package to the greenest of models. It's pictured in gray here, and if not for the blue Toyota logo and Hybrid badge, we'd never assume this model was the eco-focused one. It looks just like the XSE grade for the standard Camry, which gets an even bolder honeycomb style grille this year. If boring, hybrid-car looks were keeping you from going Camry Hybrid, Toyota appears to have a solution for that now.

Following this past weekend’s announcement, Honda showed its new battery-powered concept crossover in the flesh at the Beijing Auto Show. We’ve included live photos on the gallery below. [Updated 9/30/2020]

The 2021 Lexus LC500 and 2021 Toyota Supra are two hugely desirable cars and while they both come from the conglomerate that is Toyota, they couldn't be any more different.

So far, Honda has been careful about keeping the next-generation Civic under wraps. Quite literally in fact, since spy photos of the Civic Type R have featured a well-camouflaged prototype. All that work is out the window now, though, since the folks at CivicXI.com uncovered patent renderings of the 2022 Honda Civic hatchback. And we have reason to believe these images are correct, since they closely match what we've been able to make out from those Civic Type R spy photos.You can also see a couple more angles on their site.

The new Civic's design looks longer and lower. The nose most certainly is longer, and the hood line is nearly horizontal, instead of rising up toward the A-pillars. There's significantly more glass area with a lower window sill and quarter-windows in the rear pillar. The hatch has been lowered at the trailing edge, so there's no longer a split rear window.

Details for the 2021 Infiniti Q50 are out, and while it's largely the same sedan as it was last year, Infiniti made some notable improvements. For starters, Infiniti made its suite of driver assistance equipment standard. This includes blind-spot warning, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, 360-degree camera with moving object detection, parking sensors, backup collision assist and auto high-beams. It's a fairly comprehensive package that many luxury brands would make you pay a pretty penny for.

Additionally, Infiniti is adding a Sensory trim level for 2021. It's equipped with the 300-horsepower version of the 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 engine. Infiniti also equips it with sport design front and rear fascias, leather sport seats, black open pore wood interior trim, black headliner and pillars and a 16-speaker Bose audio system. Both the Sensory and Red Sport 400 gain power-folding, auto-dimming outside mirrors in the new year, too.

Off-road-oriented trucks are the hot trend right now, and automakers are moving beyond special off-road models to selling parts to upgrade existing trucks and SUVs. Ford has rolled out multiple products for the Ranger pickup, and now Nissan is aiming to match them. And it all starts with a new range of parts for the Nissan Frontier.

These parts make their debut on a 2020 Nissan Frontier participating in the Rebelle Rally – a race for women focusing on off-road driving and navigation ability – and will be available later this year. The most immediately noticeable of these parts is the steel off-road bumper. It weighs 106 pounds and features mounting points and holes for lights, shackles and a winch. Mounted to that bumper are a set of lights developed with Rigid Industries. The first lights available will be these round, 6-inch LED units, but other sizes, shapes and illumination patterns will come later. All lights will come with a switch, harness and covers. Capping off the visual upgrades are the 17-inch Nismo off-road wheels.

If you're looking for a compact luxury SUV but are iffy about the higher price tags and running costs (quite understandably), the 2021 Mazda CX-5 is a perfect alternative. It all starts with its elegantly sporty styling and carries inside where its handsome design and plush materials are a clear step up from others at its price point. Then, when you're behind the wheel, the CX-5 impresses with engaging driving manners that we've routinely described as being indicative of a "budget Porsche." Its available turbocharged engine even has as much or more power as several similarly sized luxury crossovers.

Now, if the CX-5 can be credibly considered an alternative to luxury vehicles, it's safe to say that it also stands tall against non-luxury choices like the popular Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Certainly, its style, plush interior and driving manners count for a lot. It also gets a new infortainment system for 2021, addressing one of this Mazda's few low points. It's still smaller than those top competitors, particularly in the cargo area, so if max utility and versatility are a priority, it may not be the best choice. Fashion and function rarely go hand-in-hand, and the CX-5 is no exception.

A Toyota hybrid on display at the Beijing Motor Show. (Reuters)

The Nissan Cube sold very well in its Japanese homeland, but struggled to find many North American buyers during its 2009-2014 sales run over here. As was the case with its boxy Scion xB competitor, the target demographic of youthful Americans looking for a "mobile hub" (Nissan's term) seemed unimpressed with the Cube, and plenty of Cube haters saw its asymmetrical design as the visual equivalent of fingernails-on-the-chalkboard. Here's a 2010 Cube in a Denver self-service yard with the exceedingly rare six-speed manual transmission.

Mazda has announced pricing and specifications for the MX-30 range in the UK, which joins the already available First Edition model.

Few vehicles define a segment quite as clearly as the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek. Before it came along nine years and one generation ago, there really weren't any subcompact crossovers. Today, competitors like the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona and Jeep Renegade keep popping out. Unlike those, though, the Crosstrek continues to basically be an Impreza hatchback with a 3.6-inch suspension lift, some black body cladding and chunky roof rails. It's a recipe that also continues to work. 

Despite sharing a chassis with the definitely-not-a-crossover Impreza, the Crosstrek still manages to offer class-leading ground clearance with a correspondingly tall seating position and good visibility, multiple driving modes geared toward inclement weather and dirt roads, and a reasonably sized cargo area — you know, the kinds of things that small crossover buyers will actually use and appreciate. And like nearly all other Subarus, the Crosstrek comes standard with all-wheel drive. It now offers a choice of three powertrains (including a plug-in hybrid) and may very well be the best buy in its segment.