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A team of engineers in the UK led by Ben Scott-Geddes had supercar backgrounds, Scott-Geddes having worked on the McLaren F1, BMW LMS racer, Caparo T1, and Ferrari SF90, his crew bearing similar go-fast résumés. Instead of making what they knew, however, they made a left turn and headed for the literal hills about 18 months ago. The mission for their new company, Fering, is "to develop a vehicle that could traverse the globe with a lighter impact." Scott-Geddes was especially interested in a vehicle that could cross an unsupported 4,000-kilometer section of the Arctic through Canada and Russia. The result is the Fering Pioneer, a range-extended electric off-roader packed with novelties.

The least unusual aspect is the powertrain, centered around a twin bank of lithium titanium oxide batteries with a combined 20-kWh capacity. The battery chemistry isn't as efficient as lithium-ion, but it's better at holding a charge in extreme heat and cold, and more resistant to fire, impacts, and punctures. The small unit is good for about 50 miles of pure electric driving, but it's kept charged by an 800-cc diesel range-extender engine taken from a Smart. That combo powers two electric motors, one on each axle, that put out a combined 443 pound-feet of torque. Top speed is about 80 miles per hour.

The 2022 Nissan Frontier represents the first redesign of Nissan's midsize pickup in many years. Although it still shares some bones with its predecessor, the changes are substantial enough that it's finally a serious competitor again. It features updated styling, a much higher-quality interior and a refined, powerful engine and transmission. It's not perfect, but nothing in the segment is, and it has a number of highlights that could make it the perfect truck for your particular needs. 

Specifically, the Frontier is a really good driver's truck. It has a quality and stylish interior that's comfortable with great visibility. It has a remarkably smooth and powerful V6 with a similarly slick transmission. It also offers impressive handling with steering that would make some sporty cars jealous. These aspects add up to a truck that trades some maximum capability (space, towing and payload) for a more enjoyable daily drive. If that sounds good to you, the Frontier needs to be near the top of your shopping list.  

The Toyota Prius has become ubiquitous on today’s roads, so when you come across one you probably don’t think much of it.

Modern automobiles are computers on wheels and that revolution was spearheaded by navigation systems.

With off-road vehicles more popular than ever, vehicles like Jeeps, Ford Broncos, Toyota Land Cruisers and Land Rover Defenders have gained prominence and value. But there are some great and historic off-roaders that haven't received the same attention, and they deserve better. One of those is the Nissan Patrol, particularly the second-generation like this 1969 example that's for sale by Worldwide Vintage Autos.

You see, the Nissan Patrol has just as much history and ability as the other off-roaders we've mentioned. The first generation went into production in 1951, meaning this is the model's 70th anniversary. It's currently in its sixth generation, too. But part of why it's perhaps not well-known in the United States is that only two of those generations were ever offered here: the second-generation featured here, and the current one, which is sold in the U.S. as the Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX80. It's also followed a similar trajectory as the Toyota Land Cruiser, going from Jeep-like machine to a plush passenger SUV, but with traditional body-on-frame construction and real, transfer-case-based four-wheel drive.

Good morning and welcome to our daily digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…

Sony surprised us all when it unveiled a concept car named Vision-S at CES 2020. The electric sedan runs and drives, and it looks nearly ready for production, but the Japanese firm still hasn't decided what to do with it.

"We don't have a concrete plan at this time because our current phase is a research and development phase. We have to investigate what is our purpose in contributing to mobility service. That is our basic idea, and we have to continue the R&D phase," Sony executive vice president Izumi Kawanishi explained to Automotive News.

In the press release for the facelifted CX-5, Mazda made a pretty bold announcement. Starting with the 2022 model year, the i-Activ all-wheel-drive system will be standard across the entire range of CX models in the US market.

Toyota just unveiled the RAV4 Adventure in Europe, featuring not only a more rugged appearance but also a series of small updates that will affect the rest of the RAV4 range for 2022. This is also the first time that the rugged variant of the popular SUV is available in Europe, expanding the Adventure range next to the Yaris Cross.

A logo on the side of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric pickup. (Reuters)

It seems rather late in the year to reveal a 2021 model, but Nissan has just dropped a new variant of its GT-R supercar. Called the T-spec, it's a limited production variant of Godzilla positioned above the GT-R Premium model. It comes in a couple of throwback colors from the GT-R's extensive history, as well as a green interior that is, frankly, awesome.

While the T-spec soldiers on with the same 565 horsepower, 467 lb-ft twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 that the GT-R has had since its 2017 update, the car does feature a number of upgrades to set it apart from the standard GT-R. For one, the front fenders are wider units last seen on the 2020 Track Edition. Behind them lurk brake air guides and carbon-ceramic rotors from the harder-core GT-R Nismo. A carbon-fiber rear spoiler rounds out the changes that would have any effect on performance.

Mazda has announced updates and a new face for the 2022 CX-5. The CX-5 has been a brand best-seller for the past several years, praised for its excellent driving feel, generous luxury features and sharp looks. With a winning formula, any tweaks are sure to be met with some blowback, and we have a few snap judgments to make.

The most visible — and what is likely to be the most controversial — change is in the styling. As predicted by the spy shots we saw last week, Mazda has given the CX-5 a subtle facelift. The front fascia now features a wider lower intake that smooths out some of the design flourishes in the nose. The grille too has a textured pattern rather than the current mesh. It has a thicker chrome frame as well, flanked by headlights housing dual L-shaped LED elements. Oddly, Mazda didn't provide clear images of the rear, but we know from the spy shots that the taillights repeat the rectangular element theme.

The teaser campaign for the 2022 Toyota Tundra is entering the home stretch as the highly-anticipated pickup will be unveiled on September 19 at 9 p.m.

Mitsubishi will reportedly stop the development of car platforms for the Japanese market and resort to offering local buyers badge-engineered versions of Nissan products starting from around 2026. According to a report by Nikkei Asia, the move is said to help Mitsubishi keep a cap on development costs and stem losses as they channel investment into EVs.