Production images of the upcoming Nissan Z have leaked, photographed at what appears to be a cargo staging area. The tentatively named 400Z shows a few differences from the Z Proto that we've seen, and two new colors are spotted.

According to 400ZClub, the location appears to be at Nissan's Tochigi factory. One set of images shows the car finished in a dark gray metallic color that recalls the 350Z and 370Z. Another is a classic silver that has been a staple of Z-cars since the Datsun 240Z.

TOKYO — Americans Michael Taylor and his son Peter could face jail terms of up to three years after Tokyo prosecutors charged them on Monday with illegally helping former Nissan Motor Chairman Carlos Ghosn flee Japan more than a year ago.

TOKYO — Toyota, Nissan, Honda and other Japanese automakers scrambled on Monday to assess the production impact of a fire at a Renesas Electronics automotive chip plant on Friday that could aggravate a global semiconductor shortage.

"We are gathering information and trying to see if this will affect us or not," a Honda spokesman said. Other carmakers including Toyota and Nissan said they too were assessing the situation.

Morning. Welcome to our daily digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…

The latest Lexus to undergo modification for the company's marketing efforts is called the Lexus IS Wax. That's because it's for vinyl lovers, and contains an actual car-mounted record player that, Lexus claims, does not skip.

Earlier this month we saw a sneaker homage to the Lexus IS. It, and now the IS Wax, are part of Lexus's "All In" campaign that lets influencers in creative fields loose on a luxury sedan. The goal is to put the Lexus brand in front of others in that field, even if they are largely unrelated to anything automotive. Just last month, the company presented a gaming-themed IS built with input from the Twitch streaming community. 

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There isn't a single tiny crossover out there at the 2021 Mazda CX-30's price point that has a more lavish and upscale interior. That makes perfect sense, considering it was exactly Mazda's aim to punch up into the entry-level luxury market.

Mazda likes to talk endlessly about ergonomics and adapting the interior to work best for the driver, and it's not just talk. Its design is inherently pretty to look at, but it's also made to be a joy to use. Being a crossover, the entry and exit into the driver's seat is high enough to just slide right in without needing to crouch downwards or hoist yourself upward — I prefer a low car, but there's no denying the benefit to crossover height for old knees. 

Nissan will cut production at a number of North American assembly plants over the semiconductor shortage that continues to impact the car industry.

When the rebirth of the iconic NSX nameplate finally came to fruition, the world was impressed. Honda had done it again. And while the new creation was realistically a world away from the original, it had to, in order to be relevant.

Every 2021 Honda Accord has a trunk that measures 16.7 cubic-feet in volume, including the Accord Hybrid whose past versions had severely reduced cargo capacity. That means it should have the best cargo space of any midsize family sedan. Although I've found during these luggage tests that relying on cubic-feet is an imperfect means of comparing one vehicle to another, in this case, a real-world test confirms the Accord's trunk supremacy. 

Having done a similar cargo capacity test during our midsize family sedan comparison test, this was really a foregone conclusion. Still, I hadn't done the exact test with all six bags, so I could only loosely state that the Accord would be better than the Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, VW Passat and Subaru Legacy. How much better is still to be answered. Other members of the segment? Well, the Mazda6 was included in that comparison and was clearly the smallest. The remaining two family sedans, the Kia K5 and Nissan Altima, have not been luggage-tested, but their volume figures would indicate they should be behind the Accord. 

Acura is clearing up a few nagging questions we had about the 2021 TLX Type S today. The company's latest announcement spells out both the starting price and a precise on-sale date. 

You'll be able to drive a 2021 Acura TLX Type S home in May this year, and pricing starts "in the low $50,000s." We wish Acura could be a little more specific on exact pricing, but apparently it's not ready to divulge that information yet. Regardless, this price point makes perfect sense when you consider that the regular TLX with its 2.0-liter turbo can be optioned up to about $50,000.

WASHINGTON — Toyota and Honda announced new North American production cuts, citing supply chain issues that have wreaked havoc with the auto industry.

Toyota said it would cut production this week at four plants in Kentucky, West Virginia and Mexico, citing "a shortage of petrochemicals" and "recent severe weather conditions" affecting production.

City cars are dropping like flies on the European market. Toyota remains committed to the segment, and it unveiled a concept named Aygo X Prologue to demonstrate how it plans to reinvent its smallest hatchback for the 2020s.

The name immediately announces that the futuristic-looking concept penned by the firm's French design studio previews the third-generation Aygo. Unsurprisingly, keeping the average buyer interested in cheap and cheerful hatchbacks requires a generous serving of body cladding and a slight suspension lift. The Aygo X Prologue has noticeably more ground clearance than the current Aygo, and it consequently blurs the line between a city car and a crossover. Roof rails add an extra dose of rugged flair. Its front end is SUV-like, too, but the glass rear hatch creates an unmistakable visual link between the X Prologue and the first two generations of the Aygo.

One of our spy photographers has caught a near-production Subaru WRX testing with very thin camouflage. It shows what appears to be an evolutionary design that shares similarities with the Japanese-market Levorg.

The whole car looks a little sharper and more crisp than the outgoing WRX model. There are more creased lines throughout, and the trapezoidal wheel arches and angular headlights and taillights help emphasize the design. The front end looks close to the Levorg, though with a more aggressive air dam and grille openings. Naturally, the WRX's trademark hood scoop remains and looks quite large. The fenders are particularly bulging, and the front wheel arches feature little air vents.