Before there was the front-wheel-drive Nissan Maxima we all know today, there was the rear-wheel-drive Datsun 810, which was pretty close to a sedan version of the famous Z-Car. The 810 begat the Datsun 810 Maxima, which begat the Datsun Maxima, which begat the Datsun Maxima By Nissan, which begat the final rear-wheel-drive Maxima of 1984. After that, the Maxima got a 300ZX V6 engine, but became front-wheel-drive. Today's Junkyard Gem is one of those incredibly rare straight-six/rear-wheel-drive Maximas of the early "The Name Is Nissan" era, found in a Denver-area self-service yard earlier this month.

The Honda Passport enters its third year as the brand's midsize two-row SUV entrant. For 2021, the Passport sees prices climb by a few hundred dollars, but the base trim at least has additional content for the extra money.

Prices rise by $625 for the base Passport Sport. The 2WD Sport is now $33,710 (including $1,120 destination charge, which is an increase of $25 over 2020), while the Passport Sport with 4WD is $35,710. From there, the next step is the Passport EX-L, where prices inch up by $225. The EX-L 2WD is $37,730, with the 4WD version again carrying a $2,000 upcharge at $39,730.

This generation of the Lexus RC (launched as a 2015 model) can't be long for the world, but it's coming back around for the 2021 model year with some fresh new gear. The biggest news is the introduction of the RC F Fuji Speedway Edition.

It's limited to just 60 units and takes after the RC F Track Edition that debuted last year. Just like the Track Edition, the Fuji Speedway Edition adds Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, a titanium exhaust and has gone through an extensive weight savings program that includes a big dose of carbon fiber. The hood, roof, wing, front spoiler, rear-seat partition and bumper reinforcement are all made of carbon fiber. All these weight savings help the 0-60 mph time fall to 3.96 seconds, down from the 4.2 seconds of the standard RC F.

Nissan is marching on with its teaser campaign for the Z Proto that will be fully revealed on September 15. Today, Nissan has confirmed in a YouTube video that it will feature a manual transmission.

The video pans sideways to a manual gear lever, then the driver slots it into first gear. So there you have it! The next-gen Z will definitely come with a manual transmission, which, in case you were missing the theme here, is a great thing. It also has a manual emergency brake, a feature slowly (and sadly) being replaced by electric parking brakes in other models.

Nissan has delivered the 500,000th example of the Leaf to its owner in Norway in celebration of World EV Day.

In order to celebrate the company’s 100-year anniversary, Suzuki has unveiled a limited edition GSX-R1000R motorcycle, set to go on sale in the UK next month. Only 100 units have been allocated for Britain.

The Infiniti QX60 has been around for nearly a decade (since the days of the JX), and it’s in dire need of a replacement. Luckily, the Japanese carmaker is planning a little surprise for us come September 24.

Suzuki's subcompact hatch, the Swift, has been given a mid-cycle makeover for the 2021 model year, after it was presented in 2017.

Work continues on the redesigned Nissan Qashqai as spy photographers have snapped a prototype undergoing hot weather testing.

The next-generation Nissan Qashqai (sold in the United States as the Rogue Sport) has been spied in the wild yet again, and this time our enterprising photographers managed to snag a few shots of the replacement crossover's interior. 

Much of the interior is still obscured even in these photos, but we can see enough to tell that Nissan has taken its baby crossover's redesign seriously. We can see a large infotainment screen and interface similar to the ones in Nissan's newer passenger cars, along with what appears to be a full digital gauge cluster. This particular model even has wheel-mounted paddle shifters, indicating we're likely looking at a fairly well-equipped example; the quality of the visible interior materials backs that up. 

After detailing the Type R Limited Edition, Honda has released pricing information for the 2021 Civic Hatchback. It's not making any major changes to the model, but it's slightly increasing prices across the board.

The lineup consists of four trim levels: LX, Sport, EX, and Sport Touring. That's down from five in 2020, because the EX-L model which was positioned one notch below the range-topping trim is not coming back for 2021. Pricing starts at $22,000 before a $955 destination charge enters the equation, meaning putting a Civic Hatchback in your driveway will cost at least $22,955. For context, the 2020 model started at $21,650 before Honda added a $930 destination charge, so it was priced at $22,580.

PARIS — French carmaker Renault will develop and assemble the next generation of partner Nissan's Micra models, a senior executive at the Japanese firm said, as the two companies try to reboot their alliance with tighter cooperation in production.

Ashwani Gupta, Nissan's chief operating officer, said in an interview with France's Le Monde newspaper published on Monday that the Micra plan was an example of their "leader-follower" strategy, with one firm taking the lead on certain car types.

TOKYO — Nissan says it has developed a new way to produce high-tech auto parts that highlights the Japanese automaker's engineering finesse, even as it faces a criminal trial in an ongoing scandal involving former Chairman Carlos Ghosn.

Nissan Motor Co. said it has achieved a "breakthrough" in molding carbon fiber reinforced plastic, or CFRP, components, now used in racing cars and jets because of their light weight and strength.

While Subaru kept the hatchback version of the second-generation Leone available in North America all the way through the late 1980s, the third-generation sedans and wagons went on sale here in 1985. Today's Junkyard Gem is a loaded '88 4WD sedan, found in thoroughly worn-out condition in a junkyard next to Pikes Peak in Colorado.