As someone who spent far too long failing to stick the landing on aircraft carriers in Top Gun, it comes as a bit of a surprise that another Tom Cruise movie almost spawned a video game for the original Nintendo Entertainment System.
Nissan put an end to years of motley rumors and wild speculation by releasing a short video that shows the next-generation Z for the first time. The flick confirms the yet-unnamed model will arrive as a retro-styled coupe.
The current-generation Z entered production in 2009, so it's very old in sports car years. Enthusiasts worried Nissan didn't know how to replace it, or didn't want to because coupe sales are declining globally. The high-riding Gripz concept introduced at the 2015 Frankfurt auto show was interpreted by many as a nod-and-wink way of announcing plans to take the nameplate into crossover territory. Nissan's preview video sets the record straight: The next installment in the Z story is around the corner, and it will once again take the form of a low-slung coupe.
Not even the coronavirus pandemic could stop Toyota from performing the media drive of the updated 2021 GR Supra with the first reviews of the German-bred Japanese sports car having just landed online and it seems as though those who purchased last year's model may start regretting their decisions.
Japan's top figure skater, Hanyu Yuzuru, has uploaded video of his performances to encourage people coping with the coronavirus pandemic.
The three-part series lasting about five minutes in total was posted on Wednesday on the official Twitter account of the Japan Skating Federation.
Valencia Red Pearl. That's the story with the 2020 Acura TLX PMC Edition. We got to see this limited edition TLX sedan at the New York Auto Show last year, but now it's in my driveway. The show lights don't do this paint justice. The setting sun reflecting off the deep and vibrant red ... now that's how this car is meant to be gazed upon.
Like I mentioned in the video walkaround above, the TLX PMC Edition is hand-assembled at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio. The body-in-white is trundled across town to the NSX supercar factory where those technicians do the rest to make it road-worthy. All 360 of them are being wrapped in their own special car covers and delivered to dealers on an enclosed truck to make sure it arrives without a single exterior flaw.
The music video for go!go!vanillas' new song "Amazing Race" has been uploaded onto YouTube.
"Amazing Race" marks the comeback of Hasegawa "Pretty" Keisuke, who was injured in December when he was struck by a large vehicle while walking in Tokyo. This video was shot in early-March at one of the live houses that the band was scheduled to perform at, but was cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. The performance scene was shot in just one take.
You don't hear much about the 2020 Lexus GS F. It's been out for a while now, the model having debuted for 2016 and the base GS sedan stretching all the way back to 2012. That's an awful lot of time for the automotive world to whiz by, especially in the upper echelon of performance sedans. Packing 467 horsepower is suddenly weak sauce when rivals have crested the 600-hp plateau. The fact that Lexus still hasn't convinced the automotive enthusiast community at large that it actually makes compelling performance machines certainly doesn't help.
To be perfectly honest, I have avoided testing the GS F for several years now. "Who's going to buy that?" I've pondered, considering all of the above plus its $85,000 price tag. Nevertheless, I've got more time on my hands these days to test more cars and a Lexus Flare Yellow paint job is impossible to ignore, so hey, why not?
MIYAVI has unveiled the lyric video for his new song "Need for Speed" via YouTube.
"Need for Speed" was released digitally on April 8 and will be included in his new album "Holy Nights" to drop on April 22. It has an edgy sound, and the lyrics portray one's wishes of moving forward.
Infiniti is slowly coming round to the modern age of infotainment systems this year, and our first taste of that is in the 2020 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport 400. This performance coupe has an updated system in it that, while it looks a whole lot like it did before, represents a step forward for Infiniti.
Most importantly, Infiniti has finally added Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality for 2020. Every new 2020 model year car should ship with the smartphone connection technology baked in, and Infiniti has finally gotten with the program this year on nearly all of its cars (QX60 is the holdout). The delay might have something to do with Nissan/Infiniti's reluctance to share customer data to Apple and Google, or perhaps Infiniti was waiting to roll out a broader interface update, but either way, the hardware they've applied it to would seem to be the same as before.
The Kia Telluride has received a lot of deserved attention for its luxurious cabin that looks great and is put together using higher-end materials than is expected for the non-luxury three-row crossover segment. However, after spending time in the range-topping 2020 Toyota Highlander Platinum, I think that its materials and construction are just as good, possibly better.
The earthy two-tone color scheme is distinctive, warm and generally inviting. The silver trim that wraps around the control binnacle like a fork is textured to make it look richer and more like actual metal. The wood trim on the dash and center console, be it real or not, is subtle and tasteful. The padded SofTex vinyl that covers much of the dash, doors and center console is pleasant to touch, while the real leather on the seats is buttery soft. All the switchgear is top notch, and I've already extolled the virtues of the widescreen infotainment system.
The 2020 Toyota Highlander is the first vehicle to receive the newest and biggest touchscreen available in the company's expansive lineup. Measuring 12.3 inches diagonally, it is a widescreen unit, which matches the size offered in the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade. It is also the same size as that found in many Lexus vehicles, but that isn't a touchscreen — it's exclusively controlled by the perpetual punching bag that is the Remote Touch touchpad. Advantage Highlander.
The above video goes into detail about how the extra size is put to good use, and specifically, the widescreen design.
FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE have uploaded the lyric video for their new song "Hey, darlin'" onto YouTube.
The group will release "Hey, darlin'" as their new single on April 1. In the video, you can see the lyrics to the song with heart illustrations in the background.
Thanks to Honda hosting media in Valencia, Spain, for first drives of the Honda E, we have more details on the city car we're condemned to lust after from afar. The power and range specs we already knew — either 134 horsepower from the base model, or 152 hp in the upper Advance trim, and 232 pound-feet of torque from both, deliver a 137-mile range from the 35.5-kWh battery pack. The distance figure is measured on the more accurate WLTP cycle, not the old NEDC; however, it requires the standard 16-inch alloys to achieve. Opting for the 17-inch wheels cuts range to 130 miles. The E hits the scales with 3,338 pounds, balanced 50:50 over the wheels. The weight makes the two-door about 350 pounds heavier than the old Fiat 500e, which was 11 inches shorter, and the E is exactly 200 pounds lighter than a Nissan Leaf, which is 23 inches longer.
Subaru held a technology briefing this week in Tokyo where it announced ambitious sustainability goals, but nearly lost amid the discussion of converting its fleet over to electricity was the unveiling of what appears to be an early concept version of a forthcoming battery-electric crossover. Thanks to the Japanese YouTube account LoveCars!TV!, we get a walkaround look. It appears to be Subaru's version of the crossover EV it is jointly developing with Toyota, to be built atop a flexible platform that can accommodate multiple production vehicles from both brands. What we're shown is an athletic-looking crossover with its wheels pushed to the corners that borrows design elements, for better or for worse, from Cadillac, the Pontiac Aztek and the Tesla Cybertruck. Up front, the crossover borrows and exaggerates Cadillac's signature squared-off corners and deep fog-light scoops that also reminds us of Infiniti's Q Inspiration concept from the 2018 Detroit auto show. It opts for narrow LED headlamps, and it notably omits any aesthetic concession to even a faux grille, save for a hexagonal shape outlined by the panel seams. Coupled with the black cladding on the lower bumper, the crossover's face has a certain Batman-logo shape to it. Moving around to the side, we see heavy black cladding — it doesn't appear to be standard plastic, since it reflects light — around the wheel wells, lending them a semi-octagonal shape that evokes the strongest comparison to the polarizing Cybertruck. Coupled with some interesting side creases, the cladding also gives the appearance that the wheel wells bulge out, and that the doors pinch inward, more than they probably do in reality. There are also no door handles or brakes, the side mirrors are rearview cameras and the windows are blacked out, so there's nothing to divine about the interior and how far along that is in conceptualization. In back is where things get especially weird and Aztek-like, with a blunt and upright rectangular body panel making up the tailgate underneath a generously long, sloping rear window. It's beveled at the top to tuck underneath the rear LED light bar, which stretches the length of the glass, and curved on each end to integrate with the sides. The LED treatment also dives down 90 degrees from the horizontal rear bar and then makes another sharp 90-degree jag to bracket the rear panel in hard-angled brake lights. All in all, we're left with a busy concept full of sharp angles but a not-altogether unsuccessful silhouette that overall seems like a work in progress. The idea behind the tie-up with Toyota is that Subaru will bring its expertise in designing all-wheel-drive systems, while Toyota will add powertrain know-how to the pot, with both parties obviously saving money in development costs. Subaru also confirmed at the briefing that every model it makes will get an electrified powertrain by the mid-2030s and that it aims to reduce the average emissions from new vehicles sold by 2050 by 90% compared to 2010 levels.