Although there are many reasons to buy a new Toyota GR Supra or GR Yaris, the most adorable will certainly be the little plushy you get with your new car in the U.K.

TOKYO - Toyota cut its annual production target by 300,000 vehicles on Friday as rising COVID-19 infections slowed output at parts factories in Vietnam and Malaysia, compounding a global shortage of auto chips.

"It's a combination of the coronavirus and semiconductors, but at the moment it is the coronavirus that is having the overwhelming impact," Kazunari Kumakura, an executive at the world's biggest car maker, said after the company revised its production target.

Subaru will apparently overhaul the Levorg and turn it into a wagon alternative to the latest-generation WRX.

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology let slip a few photos of a refreshed Mazda CX-5 that's expected to make it to international markets, Korean outlet Autospy found them and ran with them. Japanese publications have said the tweaked people hauler will launch in Japan at the end of this year. Overseas regions would see it sometime in 2022 model year, where it would hold down Mazda's midsize crossover fort until it's either supplanted by a new midsize crossover or sold alongside the new CUV. 

At the front end, a thicker piece of chrome trim frames the grille, between headlights featuring new headlight fixtures and L-shaped DRLs. Those lights have been upgraded with adaptive high beams using 20 LED elements instead of the current 12. Beneath that, the bumper area's been smoothed compared to the current CX-5, framing a wider intake that omits the current center strake. In back, the taillights adopt the L-shaped signature mirroring the forward lenses, and the bumper's shape has been massaged. Looks like there will be at least one new wheel design, and two new colors called Platinum Quartz and Zircon Sand Metallic. You can compare the changes against the blue 2021 in the photo pairing below.

WRX fans can exhale. The freshly unveiled 2022 Subaru WRX indicates the development team has not lost sight of what makes this car special. The designers did not imbue the thing with an outrageous grille or superfluous appendages to stimulate social conversations and generate shares. The new, fifth-generation WRX is sure to garner likes much as it always has, but now with a bigger 2.4-liter turbo boxer-four engine, a substantially improved chassis, vastly improved infotainment and a new outrageous color they call Solar Orange Pearl.

It would have been easy to hate the new shape if they had precisely followed the somewhat awkward contours of the 2022 Subaru Impreza sedan when they updated the new "Rex" to the Subaru Global Platform. But the WRX is far more pleasing because the nose and headlights are tidier, and its front fascia features familiar fog-light jowls at the corners. In back, the rear fenders, roof, doors and "magma" taillights flow together in a more cohesive way, and the fender stampings themselves have been resculpted to produce a haunchy, widebody stance that suits the car well.

For 2022, the Lexus IS is getting a V8, the first time since the last IS F was built back in 2014. But instead of an uncompromisingly sporty successor to the IS F, Lexus has created something a little softer and more civilized, and given it a similarly watered-down name: IS 500 F Sport. And in our time with the sedan, it's an apt name, since it's not a real competitor for the M, AMG, RS and Blackwings of the world. But what it is isn't bad, either. It's a characterful sport sedan that makes for an interesting alternative to similarly softer and more civilized choices like the BMW M340i or Audi S4. It is hampered by some familiar Lexus problems, but it has enough to like that the right buyer can happily overlook the shortcomings.

Before diving too deep into the driving impressions, let's go over what was done to create the 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport. The lynchpin is the 5.0-liter naturally aspirated V8. It's a unique feature for a class full of turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines. It sends 472 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque to the rear through an eight-speed automatic transmission and a standard limited-slip differential. Lexus clocks the 0-60 time at 4.4 seconds, which is on par with the rear-drive M340i. Of course, the BMW has 90 fewer horsepower.

Overland Expo, one of the nation's largest gatherings of off-roaders and overlanders, has revealed the two Ultimate Overland Builds it created for its 2021 event. One is based on the Toyota 4Runner, while the other is an evolution of the Honda Africa Twin motorcycle. Both will be put through their paces before being auctioned off later in 2021.

Issaquah, Washington-based Mule Expedition Outfitters spent about six months transforming the 4Runner into an exploration rig, while the task of making the Africa Twin even better-suited to the great outdoors was given to a team led by rider Eva Rupert. In both cases, the builders had the advantage of starting with a platform designed for all-terrain driving.

This was my first long haul behind the wheel of our long-term 2021 Acura TLX, and past experience with the brand (and Honda in general) led me to believe that if I could get past any seat comfort issues, the TLX and I would get along just fine. As it turned out, I had no cause to worry in the first place. The TLX's seats are comfortable and supportive enough for my typical driving position – and look great in red to boot. Not having to worry about my back screaming at me after a couple solid hours on the highway, I was able to devote my attention elsewhere, and the report is largely positive.

To me, the most impressive thing about the TLX is how small it feels from behind the wheel. I've had it in my driveway for nearly two months (for various reasons, none of them good; look for more in a future update) and despite driving it rather frequently, I often forget that it's a midsize.

Toyota announced pricing Thursday for its new, higher riding Corolla Cross. At $23,410 (including $1,215 for destination), the base model checks in approximately $3,000 above the standard Corolla sedan or hatchback models. 

Like the standard Corolla, Toyota will offer the Corolla Cross in L, LE and XLE trims. Standard equipment for the L model includes a 7" infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Amazon Alexa integration, Toyota's Safety Sense 2.0 (automatic emergency braking, lane departure monitoring with lane keeping assist, dynamic cruise control and automatic high beams) and LED head- and taillights. 

This month of Editors' Picks saw us award the honor to a couple of redesigned stalwarts like the Honda Civic and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Plus, a new crossover that splits the difference between the compact and subcompact class takes home the prize. On top of this, we'll introduce you to a new term: midcompact. We'll be using this to describe those in-between crossovers that are a tad too small to be considered compact, but too large to neatly fit into the subcompact class. For a few examples of these "midcompact" cars, we'll point you to the Ford Bronco Sport, Kia Seltos and VW Seltos.

In case you missed our previous Editors' Picks posts, here's a quick refresher on what's going on here. We rate all the new cars we drive with a 1-10 score. Cars that are exemplary in their respective segments get Editors' Pick status. Those are the ones we'd recommend to our friends, family and anybody who's curious and asks the question. The list that you'll find below consists of every car we rated in August that earned an Editors' Pick.

Honda today announced that it will begin a testing program for autonomous vehicles this month in Japan. This will be an early step, it says, in its journey towards creating an autonomous vehicle mobility service in collaboration with GM and its autonomous division Cruise.

OK, we get it: There's really no such thing as "reasonable" Acura NSX ownership anymore, but around here, we're fans of cars that can be appreciated, and this 66K-mile automatic NSX-T finished in Long Beach Blue Pearl with a week to go at Cars & Bids has "driver" written all over it. 

"But Byron, how can you call it a 'driver' when it has an automatic?" Honestly, we can't defend that particular choice on the original buyer's behalf, but what we mean is that this car isn't begging to be garaged for eternity. Between the visible signs of use on both the interior and exterior and the grunge present on the underbody, it's clear this car has spent its life being driven, meaning you won't have to feel guilty about doing the same. 

NAPA, California — Standing out in a field that includes the Audi Q7, Volvo XC90 and Acura MDX is no easy task. The trio nails driving dynamics, modern style and tech to a tee, putting all the more pressure on Infiniti's long-awaited revamp of its top-selling QX60. As a sophomore effort to an SUV that lasted well past its best-by date, the 2022 Infiniti QX60 undergoes a substantial overhaul to bring it up to snuff. Does it succeed? We scored seat time in all three rows for answers.

Most visibly in this image-conscious segment, the QX60's fully redesigned exterior is a less fussy, more serene look than the previous one, which debuted back in 2013 as the JX35. Gone are the deeply contoured body panels, whose pinched sheetmetal and curved character lines evoked a certain (and increasingly dated) moment in Infiniti's design language history. The new QX60 flattens many of those creases, bringing a smoother, more monolithic vibe to the table. According to Infiniti senior design director Taisuke Nakamura, the update embraces the concept of "Ma," which describes a form of Japanese minimalism. We're not sure if Nakamura's "kimono fold" headlights or "origami-inspired" dashboard are readily identifiable as such, but the redesign is nevertheless a handsome one. The 2022 QX60's redux actually gives it a stylistic leg up on some competitors.

The current sticking point for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) highest honors, the Top Safety Pick+, is headlights. The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander, despite having strong results in almost every category, missed out on any Top Safety Pick rating because of lights rated "Poor" on all models. But Mitsubishi has now fixed them, getting the crossover the coveted award.

The rating applies to Outlanders built after June 2021. The LED reflector headlights now have the top "Good" rating on all trim levels because of reduced glare for oncoming drivers. There's also some additional good news for existing owners of Outlanders. They can go to their Mitsubishi dealer, where the existing headlights will have the aim adjusted to reduce glare.