Mazda has been moving upmarket over the past few years, positioning itself closer to something like Acura than Honda, for instance. One of the clearest signs of this is in the Signature trim levels that combine a large number of features with high-end materials. To see how successful the Signature trim is at turning a Mazda into a near-luxury vehicle, we spent some time in the biggest and most expensive example the company offers, the 2021 Mazda CX-9 Signature.

Although the interior accoutrements are the real appeal of the Signature, Mazda does sprinkle a little extra flash on the outside, too. The 2021 model has a new, unique grille design that especially stands out at night with a subtle line of LED lights around the lower edge of the grille. It picks up 20-inch wheels and bigger dual exhaust tips, too. They're nice little details that help it stand out without shouting about the fact that it's the fanciest version.

Lexus is gearing up for its future range which will include 10 new hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and BEV models by 2025. While we can’t guess all of them, a new report from Japanese magazine Mag-X suggests that Lexus is working on a small hybrid SUV based on the Toyota Yaris Cross, designed for the European, Japanese, and Australian markets.

I used to be enamored with the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine format. I owned a 2004 Subaru WRX, with its turbo boxer mill, and liked it quite a bit, rough though it could be. Then turbo-fours, often displacing the same 2.0 liters, began replacing heavier and thirstier naturally aspirated V6 powerplants across the industry, and I was on board.

Since then, they've become much more refined and responsive, all while their often uninspiring soundtracks faded into the background as automakers worked to improve the experience inside the cabin. They've also become so ubiquitous that, apart from certain standouts like the turbo boxer in the Porsche 718, they ceased to be as exciting to me.

Mitsubishi was the first automaker to market with an all-wheel-drive plug-in hybrid crossover, the Outlander PHEV, which went on sale in some parts of the world as long ago as 2013. It hit the U.S. market in 2016 as a 2017 model and was just updated for 2021 with a more powerful electrified drivetrain and a bigger battery pack. But it was still based on the old Outlander architecture instead of the completely new non-PHEV Outlander that launched as a 2022 model and shared a lot of its underpinnings with the Nissan Rogue.

Now Mitsubishi says an all-new Outlander PHEV will hit its home market of Japan before the calendar closes on 2021 and will debut in the States in the middle of 2022. As expected, it will be built on the automaker's latest crossover chassis, a vastly improved platform that benefits greatly from the automaker's partnerships with Nissan and Renault. We don't have any specific details, but Mitsubishi says we can expect "improved motor output and increased battery capacity over the current model." That means "more powerful road performance and greater driving range."

TOKYO — Panasonic Corp said first-quarter operating profit surged more than 27 times, handily beating expectations as demand for home appliances and automotive batteries recovered from a particularly weak COVID-hit year.

Profit for April-June rose to 104.4 billion yen ($950 million) from 3.8 billion yen a year earlier, some 50% higher than market expectations and its strongest performance for a first quarter since 2008.

After spending an entire month with our long-term 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec, I had high hopes for the new TLX Type S. When you start from a good base, that means things can only get better, right? The chassis underneath the base TLX's flashy sheetmetal is a thing of brilliance. This four-door is taut and responsive the way you expect a high-performance German sport sedan to be, and the SH-AWD system is one of the best in the business, hugely aiding its agility.

But not everything about the TLX A-Spec with its 2.0-turbo four-cylinder is perfect in the fun-to-drive column. The 10-speed transmission is mediocre at best, and while the engine makes a good noise, an Accord with its 2.0-turbo can outrun it in a straight line. There's enough thrust to keep things lively, but it's not going to raise your pulse.

Mitsubishi announced the upcoming premiere of the new-generation Outlander PHEV, which will be available in Japan in late 2021 or early 2022, with the US debut following in the second half of 2022.

A few months after the 2022 Honda HR-V was unveiled in Europe and Japan, the company has now confirmed that it will be sold exclusively in e:HEV guise across the Old Continent.

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.

TOKYO — Nissan reported a 114.5 billion yen ($1 billion) profit for the April-June quarter as its sales and profitability improved, especially in the U.S. market.

The Japanese automaker says it expects to return to profit for the fiscal year through March 2022, with a 60 billion yen ($545 million) profit. It had previously expected to sink into a 60 billion yen annual loss.

The Toyota Tacoma has firmly established itself as one of the best mid-size pickups, and the company is hoping to replicate that success in the full-size segment with the redesigned Tundra.

Despite showing what the 2022 Toyota Tundra will look like, Toyota is continuing to trickle out teasers of the pickup truck. And for once, we have a fairly helpful teaser. Not only does it give us more of a look at the new truck's interior, but it shows a couple of nice feature upgrades over the old truck.

Most exciting for off-roaders are the dial and buttons shown in the top right of the teaser. The Tundra, presumably in TRD Pro guise like it says on the seats, will now get the Crawl Control and descent control functions that have been previously available in Toyotas such as the 4Runner and Tacoma. Crawl Control is Toyota's off-road cruise control system (Ford has one, too), that will hold the vehicle to a low speed and help it climb over obstacles. Descent control isn't particularly unusual for modern off-road trucks, but it's not something that has been previously available on the Tundra.

Two Tom Hanks vehicles are headed to auction at Bonhams during Monterey Car Week this August. The big get is a 1992 Airstream Model 34 Limited Excella travel trailer that Hanks used while shooting movies for decades. The secondary (but also exciting) offer is a 1980 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser that Hanks had specially built for his use.

Starting with the trailer, Hanks had it built to his specifications and equipped for his use in 1993. He's owned and used it in movies up to 2017. His reason for selling the trailer wasn't listed in Bonhams' notes, but there's no doubt the trailer is showing its age at this point.

General Motors and Honda have tightened the screw on lease returns to ensure their franchised dealers have an adequate supply of used cars to sell in a period marked by shortages and skyrocketing prices. Both firms made it significantly more difficult for someone leasing a car to return it to a dealership that represents another brand.

Industry trade journal Automotive News reported General Motors took the first step when it instructed its Financial arm to stop working with non-brand dealerships. Honda announced a similar policy several days later. In both cases, the new rules mean drivers currently leasing a General Motors or Honda car (including an Acura model) will not be allowed to sell it to any dealership that wants to buy it, regardless of whether it's a rival company's (Ford, for example) or a store that sells used cars (including a national firm like CarMax or a small mom-and-pop business).