2016 Lexus RX Spied Testing With New Style

2016 Lexus RX Spied Testing With New Style
Range Rover Evoque Tests Going Topless
2015 Chevy Silverado Custom Sport Revealed
Build-Your-Own Z06 Engine Program Revived
Scion iM, New Sedan Confirmed for NY Debut
California Releases More Green HOV Stickers

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Lexus is preparing a major update for the RX crossover and new spy photos give us a glimpse of its fresh styling.

Details on the upcoming redesigned crossover are sparse, though these photos show off a pretty radical new design. It does appear that the RX has grown a little bit overall, likely to create more space between it and its newly introduced sister vehicle, the NX. This growth may lead to Lexus offering a seven-passenger version of the RX.

SEE ALSO: 2015 Lexus NX Review – Video

Weight loss is also on the table for the new RX through the use of aluminum in many different parts of the crossover. When it comes to powertrains, we expect that a V6 will continue to be offered alongside a hybrid setup. The new turbocharged four-cylinder engine introduced in the NX200t is also a possibility for the Lexus crossover.

An all-new suite of safety systems, known as "Toyota Safety Sense," is also said to debuting on the new RX crossover in North America.

Discuss this story at our Lexus Forum

Range Rover Evoque Tests Going Topless

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The Range Rover Evoque Convertible is almost certainly headed for production based on new spy photos of the topless crossover out testing.

Land Rover is testing a drop-top version of the Evoque which appears to be changed up compared to the concept version we saw at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The rear deck lid and fenders have been revised and a new squared-off lip spoiler has been added that is less elegant than the original version. Presumably these changes were made to keep production costs down.

Along with the spy photos, an image trademarked by Land Rover was also uncovered, showing off the entire Evoque lineup which includes the drop-top model. That picture is a spoof on the famous Abbey Road album cover from the Beatles and even features one car without tires to mimic a shoeless Paul McCartney.

The addition of a convertible will keep the Evoque lineup from going stale, as major changes haven't come to crossover in some time. A production version is almost surely on its way and we may be seeing it at the upcoming 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

GALLERY: Range Rover Evoque Convertible

GALLERY: Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept

Discuss this story at our Range Rover Evoque forum

2015 Chevy Silverado Custom Sport Revealed

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Chevy is adding a new appearance package to the 2015 Silverado half-ton pickup.

Called the Custom Sport Package, it gives the Silverado a monochromatic appearance thanks to body-colored front and rear bumpers along with a body-colored grille surround with a chrome-accented black grille. Chrome is also a big part of the package, which tacks on 20-inch chrome wheels, chrome door handles, chrome mirror caps and chrome body-side moldings.

The new package is inspired by the Chevy Custom Sport Trucks of the late 1960s. To get the package, customers must get at least an LT or LTZ trim truck, with or without the Z71 package. LT models will be available in black or white, while LTZs will come in black or White Diamond Tricoat.

Pricing for the package ranges from $1,950 to $2,950 based on which truck is purchased.

Discuss this story at our Chevy Silverado Forum

Build-Your-Own Z06 Engine Program Revived

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If you buy a Corvette Z06 and have cash left over, Chevrolet will happily let you help built the engine for a fee.

Starting in March of 2015, the American automakers is rebooting the Corvette Z06 engine build program. For $5,000, Z06 buyers will be given a full day in the engine plant, assembling their very own supercharged 6.2-liter V8 under the supervision of a trained technician. These buyers will also get a specialized engine plaque with their name and the name of the supervisor on it along with professional photography from the day.

Once assembled, that big V8 sends 650 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque through and eight-speed automatic or seven-speed manual transmission.

From there, the engine will move on to vehicle assembly, where customers can watch it be put into their car. Delivery can take place at a dealership of choice, or at the Bowling Green, Kentuck Corvette Museum. After the engine build though, don't expect to get your car right away.

"It's important for customers to understand their engine won't be installed the day after they built it," said Harlan Charles, Corvette product manager. "It will flow into the scheduling process for vehicle assembly, which depends on a number of logistical variables."

Discuss this story at our Corvette forum

Scion iM, New Sedan Confirmed for NY Debut

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Scion announced plans today for the 2015 New York Auto Show where it will debut two new vehicles.

The first will be a production version of the iM concept that it showcased during the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, 2014. When it debuted in concept form, Scion said it planned to begin producing the car – based on the Toyota Auris – in 2015. Details on the five-door compact hatchback are still unannounced, but that wasn't all the news from Toyota's youth-oriented brand today.

It also confirmed plans to debut a sedan in New York. Details on that car are even sketchier, but its debut will mark the first time Scion has a sedan in its lineup. The company hasn't announced anything about the sedan apart from plans to show it in some form during this year's New York Auto Show, but we have previously reported, the sedan will be based on the same architecture as the new Mazda2 being built in Salamanca, Mexico.

Scion desperately needs new products. Sales were down by 15 percent in 2014 and there wasn't a single nameplate. Worse still, sales shrunk for every Scion nameplate. The tC, Scion's top volume seller, moved 17,947 copies last year representing a six percent decrease, which was also the least severe of of the brand.

Discuss this story at our Scion forum

California Releases More Green HOV Stickers

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The California DMV will allow more drivers with plug-in hybrids privileged access to high occupancy vehicle lanes.

Starting this month, the DMV is offering an additional 15,000 green HOV stickers, granting plug-in hybrid vehicles access to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. The state stopped offering HOV access to plug-in hybrids after issuing all 55,000 planned permits through September 23, 2014, but new legislation is opening the door for more. Assembly Bill 2013 took effect on January 1 and it increases the maximum number of green stickers to 70,000.

The California DMV is still offering an unlimited number of white stickers for pure electric vehicles with a single occupant to access HOV lanes.

Hybrid vehicles were previously allowed access to carpooling lanes, but an increasing number of vehicles that are more efficient caused the state to stop offering access to those vehicles. The last program that allowed hybrid vehicles access concluded on July 1, 2011.

The bill takes effect at a time that coincides with a huge drop in gas prices that, among other things, will make owning a high-priced plug-in hybrid less attractive proposition for some people.

Car Reviews

Wednesday, 7 January 2015