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Le Mans preview: Motown brands descend on France for endurance race shootout
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 12, 2025
Le Mans, France — June 6 was D-Day. June 14 will be V-8 Day.
Some of Motown’s most renowned performance brands will descend on central France this weekend, June 14-15, with an army of V8-powered machines in an attempt to win the world’s most prestigious endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Leading the pack will be Cadillac with a quartet of V-Series.R Hypercars competing in the globe’s fastest sportscar class. Team Penske will bring a triple threat of turbocharged V-8 Porsche 963 Hypercars as its Bloomfield Hills-based company’s chairman, Roger Penske, seeks to win his first Le Mans — and add to Porsche’s record 19 wins at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
Following up its eye-opening 3rd and 4th place finish in its Le Mans LMGT3 class debut last year, Ford’s Mustang will be back with a trio of LMGT3 racers with an eye on taking the top step of the podium. And Corvette thunder will be heard around the 8.5-mile course for the 25th consecutive year as Chevy attempts to add to its nine Le Mans GT3 class wins.
Michele Scudiero, Cadillac
But wait, there’s more.
Ford is bringing its Mustang Challenge series to Le Mans from Thursday to Saturday as a support race to the main 24-hour event. The stampede of 40, race-prepared Mustang Dark Horse Rs will be piloted by pro drivers (Tanner Foust), celebrities (ex-“Malcolm in the Middle” actor-turned-pro racer Frankie Muniz) and even Ford CEO Jim Farley, an accomplished racer. Ford also has ambitions to join the Le Mans front-running prototype class in 2027 and will have news about its racing partner on Friday. Ford last competed in the top Le Mans class in the 1960s, when it won four straight Le Mans from 1966-1969 — inspiring the Oscar-winning movie “Ford v Ferrari.”
There will be plenty of eye candy off track as well. Cadillac’s bid for Le Mans glory dovetails with its entry into the European market as an all-electric brand with showrooms popping up across the continent. Caddy will have a display of its Lyriq and Optiq EVs for fans to peruse at The Village area just outside the pits.
Cadillac, Cadillac
Like the Indy 500 stateside, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is more than a race. It is a weeklong celebration of motorsports with over 325,000 fans descending on this small city (population 145,000) along with representatives from major international automakers. From June 7-13, activities include a public scrutineering of entries, track test days, and a sort of exotic car Dream Cruise through central city streets.
Come Saturday at 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. in Detroit), another 100 million-plus viewers in 196 countries around the world will tune in to watch 62 entries across three classes — Hypercar, LMP2 prototypes and LMGT3 — slug it out for victory.
The field includes 21 Hypercars, hybrid-powered cyborgs with nearly 700 horsepower that top 200 mph for extended periods each lap.
The entry list is a who’s who of global performance icons. The Motor City contingent will take on competitors including Ferrari, Aston Martin, BMW, Peugeot, Porsche, Toyota, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG and McLaren.
Porsche
Ferrari has dominated the Hypercar class the last two years with Toyota close behind, but Cadillac put on a formidable effort in 2024. The #3 Cadillac Hypercar (one of three entries) qualified on the front row and led 61 of 311 laps in often appalling, wet-weather conditions. IndyCar ace Alex Palou, driving for Cadillac’s Chip Ganassi Racing team, did yeoman’s work before pit strategy shuffled the car back to 7th at the end.
Ganassi Racing signed a contract with Acura this year to race in North America, so Cadillac has new partners for Le Mans with U.S.-based Wayne Taylor Racing and Whelan Racing crossing the pond with entries from the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Series. Europe-based Team JOTA brings two more Caddies.
“Really cool to have our first session here at Le Mans behind us,” said American fan favorite Ricky Taylor, who will race the #101 Cadillac in a family affair — co-driving with his brother, Jordan, on a team owned by their father, Wayne. “We are just focused on getting laps and trying to get some experience here and then we will build as we get closer to the race.”
Penske’s Porsche team also showed impressive form in ‘24, qualifying a car on pole next to Cadillac. The highest team finisher was 4th. Porsche Penske 963s have dominated the IMSA Hypercar class so far this year, winning four of the first six races. The IMSA series-leading team of Felipe Nasr/Nick Tandy will pilot the #4 car alongside two Europe-based Penske Porsches.
Chevrolet, Chevrolet
“For the first time, we’ve prepped all three Porsche 963s at our facility in Mannheim (Porsche Penske European headquarters) — a big milestone,” said Jonathan Diuguid, managing director for Porsche Penske Motorsport. “We’re better prepared than ever before. The 963 is extremely reliable, the team is in perfect sync and our driver lineup is world-class.”
On Sunday’s test day, Toyota paced the field, but expectations are for a tight race.
Ford and Chevrolet have invested heavily in the GT3 class, offering production vehicles in racing trim that customers around the world can enter in international racing series. Mustang and Corvette teams will go head-to-head with GT3 racers from manufacturers including Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lexus, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren and Porsche.
Porsche and BMW beat Ford to the checkered flag in 2024, but Ford has continued to improve in only its second season in class. Two weekends ago in Detroit, it won IMSA’s comparable GT3 class with a strong run, its V-8 power proving formidable on Detroit’s long 3/4-mile straightaway — an advantage that should translate to Le Mans’ famed 3.7-mile Mulsanne straight (interrupted by two chicanes) where cars really stretch their legs.
Drew Gibson Photography, Cadillac
Chevrolet has sold 17 Corvette C8.R race cars to private customers and three of them will be in the fray, entered by AWA Racing (two) and TF Sport (one). AWA won the GTD class at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January.
“Our program goal in 2025 was to continue the development and fine-tuning of the Corvette in order to provide our teams with a fast and reliable car that would enable them to compete for race wins and championships,” said Mark Stielow, GM Motorsports competition programs director.
Detroit automakers have been coming to Le Mans for decades, including efforts by Cadillac in the 1950s and Ford’s historic streak in the late 1960s. But the French event has never seen such a sustained period of Detroit involvement as the last three years, with automakers jockeying for engineering prestige, market penetration and brand identity.
Cadillac, for example, uses the V badge that adorns its V8-powered Hypercars to distinguish the performance V-Series versions of, for example, the 519-horsepower electric 2026 Optiq-V crossover that was just introduced this week. Should Cadillac claim Sunday’s prize, expect to see the Optiq-V waving the American flag in the Paris showroom.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Porsche 963 for the street: Penske to take delivery on road version of 200 mph race car
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 7, 2025
Bloomfield Hills-based Roger Penske will take delivery this summer on a street-focused version of the Daytona 24 Hour-winning Porsche 963, the race car that Team Penske and Porsche campaign in international Hypercar prototype racing, the fastest sportscar class in the world.
Modified at Porsche’s North American headquarters in Atlanta from a carbon-fiber chassis made at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen, Germany, racing production facility, the 200-mph-plus, hybrid Hypercar is a one-off — its powertrain and aerodynamics matching the race car, but upgraded with a luxurious leather and Alcantara interior complete with turn signals and a cupholder.
Porsche, Porsche
Badged the 963 RSP (in honor of Penske’s initials, Roger Searle Penske), it is effectively the fastest car ever made for the street. The 963 race car costs $2.9 million and Penske’s unique street cruiser is likely valued at much more.
In an interview, Penske said he had seen his new wheels being made at Porsche Classic, the brand’s Atlanta restoration facility: “It certainly looks and feels like a true Porsche sportscar. I am so honored that Porsche produced this special 963 RSP — I think I will always have a special connection to this vehicle, and certainly to everyone at Porsche.”
He said he looks forward to bringing the car to the Motor City as part of his family’s private car collection.
Roger Penske with a Porsche Hypercar after a Porsche Penske Motorsport press conference at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Le Mans, France on June 14, 2024. Penske is getting a a street-focused version of the Porsche 963 to add to his collection. Chris DuMond, Special To The Detroit News
“I’m not sure I would drive the 963 RSP as a daily commuter, though that certainly would be a fun drive to the office,” he smiled.
Penske is scheduled to take delivery stateside this summer at the Monterey Historics in California. Following its unveiling Friday, the 963 RSP will be on public display at Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe during the 24 Hours of Le Mans before it returns to Stuttgart to be shown at the Porsche Museum. In July, the car will appear alongside the 917 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, before crossing the pond.
The Hypercar marks the second time Porsche has created a road version of its ultimate race car. The first was in 1975 when the German performance maker produced a street-legal Porsche 917 (which dominated international racing of that era) that was bought by Count Rossi, heir of the Martini & Rossi liquor fortune.
The eccentric Count then hit the road, driving from Zuffenhausen to Paris in the 580-horsepower, 12-cylinder 917.
In a brief street drive Friday near Le Mans, France, the 963 RSP debuted alongside that legendary 917 — just as the endurance racing world gathers for the week-long lead-up to the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race, June 14-15.
Notably, the 963 race car competed on the downtown streets of Detroit May 31 as part of the Detroit Grand Prix. Hitting speeds of over 180-mph on Jefferson Avenue, the Porsche threw up sparks as it bottomed repeatedly down the bumpy, ¾-mile-long straightaway.
Richard Pardon, Porsche
“It’s banging the skid plate through there at nearly 200 mph,” said British race driver Nick Tandy, who co-piloted the #7 963 with Brazilian Felipe Nasr to fourth place in a thrilling race. “You can feel it coming up through the cabin. It’s rough.”
Together with Porsche, Team Penske is seeking to bring “The Captain” (as employees fondly refer to their chairman) his first Le Mans win, one of the few baubles that has eluded him in an illustrious racing career that includes 20 Indy 500 wins (Porsche has won almost as many Le Mans races — 19). It is the third Le Mans attempt by Porsche Penske — an event won by Ferrari the last two years.
“We have enjoyed a terrific relationship with Porsche dating back to 1972,” said Penske, recalling the dynamic duo’s first collaboration on the legendary 917/30 Can Am championship car. “With such a remarkable partnership continuing to this day, we felt it was time to create the most exciting car we could imagine.”
The Porsche 963 RSP is a street version of the 963 race car (shown) that competed in the May 31 Detroit GP. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The 963 RSP will be on public display at Le Mans’ Circuit de la Sarthe during the 24 Hours of Le Mans before it returns to Stuttgart to be shown at the Porsche Museum. In July, the car will appear alongside the 917 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, before heading stateside.
Penske is scheduled to take delivery stateside this summer at the Monterey Historics in California and add the 963 RSP to his private collection of over 100 cars.
Managing director of Porsche Penske Motorsport, Jonathan Diuguid, has overseen the 963 racing program that competes in both North America’s IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Series here and the World Endurance Championship overseas. He said Penske his boss has been a big supporter of the 963 program from the start.
“He also got an opportunity to drive the Spyder (the Porsche RS Spyder, the last championship-winning sportscar on which Porsche-Penske collaborated from 2006-2008) at Goodwood a few years back,” said Diuguid. “So when the team planted the seed that there might be an opportunity for him to drive a 963, I think the flower started to grow.”
Richard Pardon, Porsche
The 963 won the IMSA series last year and has dominated so far in 2025, winning five of the first six races — including Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring. Porsche Penske is bringing three 963s to compete in next week’s Le Mans.
“Just like the 917, I wanted this car to be authentic to its origin and have as few changes to it as possible,” continued Penske. “When we got into the project, the differences in the two generations of race cars provided a great challenge. What emerged is a car that has lost none of its edge and is exciting whether on the track or on the road.”
While retaining most of the mid-engine race car’s dynamics – including the ferocious, 670-horspower, 4.6-liter, twin-turbo V-8 hybrid powertrain – the street car boasts significant changes to make it more comfortable.
Porsche, Porsche
The 963 RSP will not be started by a key to to the left of the steering wheel like Porsche production cars such as the 911 supercar and Macan SUV. That tradition started with left-hand-drive, 1960s Porsche race cars, which strategically located the key on the left so drivers could more quickly fire up the car upon entering the cabin in the pits.
Not only is the modern 963 RSP not started by a left-hand key, it is started from a laptop — just like the race car.
While 963 racers are wrapped in red-and-white trim, the 963 RSP is painted the same Martini Silver as its 917 forebear — a tricky process given the car’s thin, lightweight carbon fiber shell. The car has been lifted slightly — and its Multimatic spool-valve shocks softened — for a more compliant street drive. Tires? The same Michelin rain tires as the race car. Also missing from the 963 RSP are the race car’s fender cutouts — necessary on track to mitigate high-speed flips — but which take away from its aesthetic appearance on the road.
In a nod to tradition, an enamel Porsche badge is added to the nose, a detailed shared with the 1975 917.
Complete with headlight and taillight modifications to suit public roads — as well as turn signals, a horn, and front/rear license plates — the 963 RSP met permissions criteria from French authorities to ply public roads for its reveal today.
“An experience that will stay with me for a lifetime,” said Le Mans winner and Porsche racer Timo Bernhard, who was at the wheel of the 963 RSP for its first road miles. “Driving down a public road with a 917 beside me — it felt unreal. The car behaved perfectly — it felt a little friendlier and more forgiving than the normal 963 — and felt super special and a lot more comfortable, especially as I was not needing all my safety gear.”
Jordan Lenssen
The comfortable cockpit is a mix of luxurious appointments and raw race features.
Like the race car the 963 RSP features a single piece, air-conditioned carbon seat — but it is trimmed in leather with a fixed headrest mounted on the bulkhead behind the seat. The steering wheel — bristling with operating functions — is true to the racer but has been finished in leather. The aforementioned cupholder is 3D-printed and capable of holding a Porsche travel mug.
“This really started out as a ‘what if?’ — a passion project by a small team of enthusiasts at Penske and at Porsche who together imagined a version of the 963 that really resembled as closely as possible the spirit and appearance of the Count Rossi 917,” said Porsche Cars North America President and CEO Timo Resch, who conceived of the 963 RSP. “The 917 was every inch a race car — albeit one driven on the road — and we took the same approach with the 963 RSP.”
No word on whether Penske intends to cruise on Woodward this August.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Drag-racing the Chevy Blazer EV SS (SS for Super Stylish)
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 5, 2025
Oakland County — The last Chevy SS (Super Sport) I drove in 2016 was a stealthy muscle car. Modest looks, sedan shape, growling V-8 under the hood waiting to be unleashed on unsuspecting Bimmers. SS for Sneaky Sport.
The 2025 Chevy Blazer EV SS is not that car.
Wrapped in Habanero Orange with a black roof and sinister black fascia bracketed by orange wasp-like mandibles, you can see my Blazer SS from space. Big 22-inch wheels, big teardrop taillights, big black greenhouse, big 615 horsepower. But you can’t hear it.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
At a Telegraph Road stoplight, I flattened the accelerator pedal with my Size 15 shoes and the SS’s twin electric motors silently sucked the doors off a BMW M340i. FOOOOM! My eyes flattened, the landscape blurred, and 60 mph went by in less than four seconds. That would leave the ’16, 465-horse SS (0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds) in the dust as well, though it wouldn’t keep up with a Tesal Model S Plaid at 1.99 seconds.
My Blazer SS is, however, less than half the price of the $134,490 Tesla.
Chevy’s latest iteration of its Super Sport badge is a welcome addition to its diverse history. SS has adorned everything from the OG 1961, 408-cubic-inch, V8-powered Impala SS coupe to the 1969, double-dome-hooded El Camino SS to the lowered, fire-breathing 2003 Silverado SS pickup. With its super-sized straight-line speed (an SS badge record 3.4-second 0-60 mph), girth (a whopping 5,730 pounds thanks to a 102-kWh battery) and flamboyant wardrobe (hey, Chevy, how about a dual-stripe option?), this SS takes its place alongside other SS Dream Cruise rocket ships. This is an Impala SS for the electric age.
But addictive acceleration aside, what I like best about this SS is its interior integration of state-of-the-art GM technology with retro-Camaro SS design. SS for Super Styled.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Oh, how I miss the Camaro muscle car.
The porky, all-wheel-drive Blazer SS won’t remind you of the rear-wheel-drive Camaro’s deft handling, planted chassis and rib-rattling V-8. But it (along with the standard Blazer) honors the ‘Maro with one of the coolest interiors in this business.
Yuge grapefruit-shaped, aviator-style climate controls bracket the dash with three more anchoring the base of the console. They not only look awesome, but are easy to use (in keeping with GM’s best-in-biz cabin ergonomics). I climbed into the cabin with key in pocket, pressed the brake pedal and the SS came to life. I nudged the grapefruits back-and-forth to adjust air position, then adjusted the rim to turn it on or off.
Chevy marries this retro style with modern Google Built-in controlled digital screens. A head-up display complements the 11.0-inch instrument and 17.7-inch dash displays.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Adjust driver temperature to 70 degrees,” I barked on a chilly, rainy May evening, and the cabin temperature instantly adjusted.
A blizzard of other vocal and physical controls are at your fingertips. I’m particularly fond of the volume and radio station buttons located on the backside of the steering wheel so I could easily cycle through my Sirius XM radio favorites.
Even in the wet, Blazer SS was fun to drive thanks to its upgraded, stiffened suspension and sophisticated electronics. Combined with all-wheel drive, they kept the beast’s 650 pound-feet of torque (nearly 100 more than the last, 2024 Camaro SS V-8) in line as I barreled around the county.
Those electronics also enable non-performance features. Like when you don’t want to steer at all.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
On I-94, I set the speed to 75 mph, engaged Super Cruise and went hands-free to the airport, the Blazer SS navigating traffic beautifully — even moving automatically into the left-hand lane when slower traffic deterred my progress. SS is for Super Smooth.
I kept my hands on my knees, sipped my Grape Snapple and set Sirius XM stations using Chevy’s superb infotainment interface on the big (there’s that word again) infotainment display.
When I exited the freeway, Blazer SS handed the controls back to me and I eased into a stoplight without touching the brake — regenerative braking using the electric motors to bring the sled to a halt.
Afraid that you’ll miss the sound of an internal combustion engine? MY MODE allows you to select a growl (NORMAL or SPORT) to accompany its beastly acceleration. I preferred OFF, content with the silent hammer of the electric motors.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Those motors — and their battery fuel — come at a price. My Blazer SS tester tipped the scales at the same price as a Cadillac Lyriq EV I recently piloted that sits on the same Ultium platform. The Chevy plays in the same space as other mainstream electric hellions like the 601-horsepower Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and 576-horse Kia EV6 GT — but paying Caddy money for a Chevy could be a hard sell.
Blazer SS is also harder to refuel on trips north than, say, a BMW M340i.
Even if you manage to avoid tempting 0-60 launch control dashes, a 75-mph jaunt up I-75 will suck 25% of charger from the battery resulting in a real-world range of 225 miles instead of the EPA-approved 303. And that’s in modest, 70-degree weather. Chevy’s Google-based navigation system is good at navigating to chargers on the route (though the complicated, sliding charging door gives me the reliability willies), but expect a 250-mile trip to, say, Charlevoix to add two stops and a half hour to your travel. SS for Slow Stops.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The SS’s cargo and seating room, however, is easy on the legs — and luggage space — for extended trips. If most of your travel is local (say, over to the Woodward Dream Cruise and back this summer), then there are few cars that stand out — and explode out of stoplights — like the Chevy.
Super Sport. Give it an orange cape.
Next week: 2025 Nissan Murano and Titan
2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, rear- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger hatchback
Price: $61,995, including $1,395 destination fee ($64,180 as tested)
Powerplant: 102 kWh lithium-ion battery with dual-electric-motor drive
Power: 615 horsepower, 650 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.4 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 120 mph
Weight: 5,730 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA range: 303 miles
Report card
Highs: Sporty, ergonomically superior interior; good ol’ SS acceleration
Lows: Pricey; your trip-mileage may vary
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
How track-licensed GM President Reuss helped develop the 233-mph Corvette ZR1
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 4, 2025
Circuit of the Americas, Austin, Texas — General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss has seen the King’s moods both high and low.
Licensed to test on the world’s greatest race tracks, the engineer-cum-product chief has been intimately involved in the development of multiple generations of the King of Corvettes, the ZR1 — the mightiest sportscar GM has ever made. On the 3.4-mile Circuit of the Americas Formula One track here, Reuss put the eighth-generation Chevy C8 supercar’s improved grip to the test — a direct consequence of its mid-engine layout, a first for Corvette and a significant evolution from the seventh-generation car.
“I can tell you firsthand the C7 was a little light in the rear end. Really light,” laughed Reuss in a presentation to media here — a reference to his infamous looping of the seventh-generation ZR1 pace car into the Turn Two wall in front of the IndyCar field at the 2018 Detroit Grand Prix.
GM President Mark Reuss is a track-licensed test driver who clocked a record 233 mph in the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1in Germany. He recently tested the 1,064-horsepower beast at Circuit of the Americas. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Now, with the mass of the engine pushed rearwards, traction has improved. As has engine packaging. Without the weight limitations of the front-engine, seventh-generation car, Chevy engineers wrapped the $174,995 C8’s engine with the biggest twin turbochargers in the industry, producing an astonishing 1,064 horsepower — over 300 more than C7.
With such ballistic power on tap, Reuss piloted the King to 233 mph — a record for a sub-$1 million production car — last fall on the high ovals of the 7.6-mile Papenberg test track in Germany.
“This is something we targeted from day one with the C8 architecture,” Reuss said in an interview in COTA’s paddock while a squadron of ZR1s thundered around the track. “The day (we) pulled over 1,000 horsepower . . . was a big day for the whole company. It’s a miracle engine.”
At 233 mph, the 2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is now the fastest car ever built by an American auto manufacturer. It achieved the feat on the 50-degree banking of Papenberg, Germany. Matt Beard, Chevrolet
Reuss is one of a few suits in the industry licensed to test his products to the limits. He holds a so-called Level 6 driving license (an internal GM designation that connotes a high-level of race track skill) that allows him to test, for example, Corvettes on tracks like 20-turn COTA — or the 12.9-mile, 73-turn Nürburgring in Germany, considered the most daunting circuit in the world.
Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley is an active race driver who recently competed in IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge with a Mustang GT4. Toyota Motor Corp. Chairman Akio Toyoda has competed at the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring endurance race, and former Stellantis NV executives — ex-CEO Carlos Tavares and ex-Alfa Romeo CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato — shared a car at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
“It’s an honor, and I take that certification and use very seriously,” Reuss said. “I love to do it, but it’s not for me personally. It’s for being part of the development team and giving direction to our engineers. Doing that is highly satisfying, but also I think we get the best out of our engineers for our customers with that approach.”
A lineup of 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1s at Circuit of the Americas. The supercar makes 1,200 pounds of downforce at COTA with an aero package that includes a huge rear wing. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Those engineers include four Level 6 drivers — lead performance engineer Bill Wise, lead vehicle dynamics engineer Brain Wallace, lead development engineer Chris Barber and global vehicle performance manager Aaron Link — who, along with Reuss, hosted media at COTA for a first test drive of King Corvette. Link piloted the C8 ZR1 pace car for Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix (Reuss did the honors in the 670-horse Corvette Z06 sister car for the 2023 race).
In a testament to their skill, engineers not only traveled with Reuss to Nürburgring and Papenberg to test the ZR1, but set production car lap records at five U.S. tracks where Chevrolet tests. Those records include:
– Watkins Glen, New York: 1:52.6 minute lap (Wise)
– Road America, Wisonsin: 2:08.6 lap (Wallace)
– Road Atlanta, Georgia: 1:22.8 (Barber)
– Virginia International Raceway, Full Course: 1:47.7 (Link)
– Virginia International Raceway Grand Course: 2:32.3 (Link)
Global vehicle performance manager Aaron Link tests the 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1 at Circuit of the Americas. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The times are notable for how close they are to times set by pro drivers who race the Corvette Z06 GT3.R race car in the IMSA Weathertech SportsCar series. Barber’s Road Atlanta time, for example, was just 0.7 seconds off GT3.R race laps at last fall’s Petit Le Mans race. Also notable: Wallace’s 188 mph top speed on Road America’s front straight eclipsed that of IndyCar’s 185 mph.
“To really show the product that we have, this is the place to do it — COTA or the Nürburgring,” said Ken Morris, a GM engineer and senior vice president of product Programs, Product Safety and Motorsports. “A place that has a lot of different conditions that you’re going to exercise the car.”
Morris credits the C8’s mid-engine layout for better weight distribution, which enables better front corner turn-in and better rear traction.
“Putting turbochargers on was a big reason for doing the mid-engine car,” said Reuss, who also lauded the magnetic shock-equipped supercar’s dexterity as a daily driver on Michigan roads. “I drive one every day.”
Reuss redeemed. After his 2018 pace car incident on Belle Isle, GM President Mark Reuss returned to lead the IndyCar field to green in a Corvette Z06 in 2023. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The Circuit of the Americas test was a first for the GM president.
“I’ve never been here, but I watch it on TV — whatever series it is at this track,” Reuss said. “The elevation piece of this is way different in person than you see on the track on TV. That’s been pretty spectacular.”
“We’re getting right around 1,200 pounds (of downforce) off the rear wing,” he continued, noting how COTA’s fast corners complement the ZR1’s aerodynamics. “How hard you can accelerate out of a corner (and get) top speed on a straightaway is one thing. But where you really make hay . . . is in these corners, and that wing helps you.”
Circuit of the Americas also holds special meaning as GM gears up for entry into Formula One racing with its Cadillac brand in 2026.
“I’m really excited when we bring Formula One and Cadillac (here) next year,” Reuss said. “To be in America at this track is a huge deal. It’ll be sort of our home track.”
Maybe Reuss will take the F1 car for a few laps around COTA as well.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Corvette ZR1: How Chevy makes an exotic 1,064-horse supercar for 1/5th the price
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 31, 2025
Austin, Texas — All hail the members of the world’s elite club of 1,000-horsepower-plus supercars: Ferrari, Bugatti, Aston Martin, Lamborghini, Chevrolet.
Chevrolet?
The 1,064 Chevy Corvette ZR1 has joined European exotics despite a sticker price that is a fraction of its storied competitors. While the $174,995 ZR1, which Chevy made available for media testing at America’s formidable Circuit of the Americas Formula One course outside of Austin, is hardly affordable, it’s a bargain compared to, say, the 1,018-horspower, $850,00 Ferrari SF90 XX or 1,160-horse, $3.5 million Aston Valkyrie
Chevy’s secret sauce, GM executives say, is leveraging in-house engineering, a strong supplier base, and the General’s formidable army of manufacturing resources.
“First off, you might ask why the others are charging so much money,” smiled Vice President for Global Chevrolet Scott Bell in an interview here. “(This is) in our DNA. Corvette from the very beginning has been about having something that’s aspirational, but also attainable. And our engineers just continue to push to places I never dreamed.”
Unlike small volume production cars like the SF90 XX — of which only 1,398 are planned — the Corvette is built on a dedicated, automated assembly line in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
European exotics’ small numbers guarantee exclusivity and high resale residuals for wealthy collectors, whereas Chevrolet has long prioritized volume production, company insiders say, to make it an attainable supercar.
Henry Payne
The in-house production is a point of particular pride for GM. When crosstown rival Ford, for example, set its sights on the supercar class with its mid-engine, carbon fiber-tub Ford GT, it followed the European exotic model. The limited production, $500,000-plus model was produced from 2017-2022 for a total of 1,350 units by specialty performance manufacturer Multimatic in Toronto (Multimatic is also producing Ford’s front-engine 2025 Mustang GTD supercar that’s estimated to start at $350k).
“(The ZR1) is made in Bowling Green, Kentucky, by all of our team members. It’s engineered in Detroit. So this is a big American story,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “It’s not farmed out. It’s not made somewhere else, and the starting price is something that we’re all very proud of.”
While the move to a mid-engine platform opened a bigger envelope for track-focused performance, program managers also anticipated a broader demographic of customers who had not shopped Corvette when it was a front-engine car. The mid-engine layout screamed sophistication.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Corvette is based on a different business model than the exotics, because they are going for a bigger market,” said Steven Cole Smith, special projects editor for Hagerty. “Corvette has outperformed again with the ZR1. They are punching way above their weight with this car.”
Significantly, the Corvette eschews exotic, expensive, lightweight materials like a carbon-fiber chassis used by some if its peers to maintain the ZR1’s accessibility. At 3,800 pounds, the aluminum-chassis ZR1 is a thousand pounds heavier than, for example, the all-carbon Aston.
Chevy’s Bell said the scale of GM is key to the ZR1’s unique story.
“We do this car in some volume, which is pretty significant in this space,” he said. “When we went to the mid-engine, the aspiration grew, and we saw some new customers come into the Corvette family. The volume has helped us continue to invest in how far can we take it.”
In recent generations, the Bowling Green plant has pumped out 35,000 vehicles per year and the C8 has consistently hit that mark since 2021 with the ZR1 model now coming on line.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“We leverage the scale of this great company, General Motors, and everything we do with the brand Chevrolet allows us some things that are very efficient, very effective,” Bell said. “(We’ve got) a lot of variants of this car: Stingray, E-Ray, Z06 and now ZR1. “(In) Bowling Green, we learn from all of our facilities across the U.S.”
General Motors Co.’s sprawling manufacturing footprint brings with it a deep bench of efficient suppliers who help pump out over 2.5 million vehicles per year. With volume comes efficiency.
“It’s engineered into the car,” Reuss said. “Our supply base is really good. We get that relationship — that advantage — that’s gone on for many years. They know what we’re trying to do. They give us their best, we give it our best, and that’s pretty magical.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
That includes a comfortable, state-of-the-art interior that wouldn’t be out of place in a luxury European sedan. Stitched leather thrones in multiple colors including red, orange, and two-tone. Big digital screens that include high-tech features like a Performance Data Recorder, camera mirror and crisp graphics.
“That scale gives us permission to go after the ultimate in performance,” Bell said.
Similar features are found in other GM vehicles like the Silverado LT, High Country and electric trucks as well as Cadillacs. That interior grows more sophisticated for the ‘26 model year (ZR1 has a short tun as a 2025 model before adopting 2026 upgrades).
“The 2026 model year has an all-new interior . . . that’s even a step up from when we started (C8) five years ago,” Bell said. “The evolution is from learnings that we have across many platforms within our company.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
At the heart of Corvette models is an LT family of V-8 engines, from the pushrod, 6.2-liter LT2 in the base Stingray to the insane, overhead-cam, twin-turbo 5.5-liter mill in the ZR1. LT2 is an evolution of the pushrod engine that has powered millions of Chevy trucks over the years as well.
“Pulling this kind of horsepower out of a V-8 in a Corvette helps us in the truck world,” Bell said. “We are in a unique position.”
The ZR1 brings a race-developed, 5.5-liter engine — its sophisticated, high-revving, flat-plane crank design shared with Ferrari — that competes against the world’s best sportscar brands week-in and week-out on tracks across the globe.
“It’s a very proud moment (for) just the engine itself: 5.5-liter, flat-plane crank, twin-turbos,” Reuss said. “Those are the biggest (turbos) on a production car, period. Our front-engine cars were all supercharged, because we couldn’t fit the turbos. This is . . . one of the big reasons we went to mid-engine.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Hagerty’s Cole Smith credits GM manufacturing with ZR1’s otherworldly performance numbers: “The turbos have a lot to do with the ZR1 capability. They had to have a base engine that was capable of holding up to that kind of stress.”
In addition to competing with the C8.R race car in the IMSA Weathertech (at the Detroit Grand Prix this weekend) and World Endurance Championship (the 24 Hours of Le Mans runs next month) series, Chevy has been torching track lap records with the ZR1 across North America this year — at the hands of its own engineers.
“The engineers that set the track records are the ones that work on these cars day in and day out,” Bell smiled. “All the racing we do, we can transfer that skill set into manufacturing.”
It may not cost seven figures, but the $175,000 ZR1 (along with its $100k Z06 and E-Ray siblings) looks like a million bucks and is attracting high-end customers. Bell says Corvette has responded with a more premium experience.
“The Bowling Green facility uses the best of the best of what we produce at GM, but we also ring in some of that hand-crafted culture as well,” he said. “For our upper-end customers there’s a museum there, there’s (track-testing) at Spring Mountain (Nevada), so we bring that exclusivity to people who are going to spend this kind of money.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Flat out on Circuit of the Americas in the 1,064-horsepower Corvette ZR1
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 31, 2025
Circuit of the Americas, Texas — RAAAAAWWWWWWRGH! At 155 mph, the glorious sound of my 2025 Chevy Corvette ZR1’s V-8 echoed off Circuit of the Americas’ pit straight grandstands before climbing 13 stories into the Formula One race track’s iconic Turn 1. At the 150-foot marker, I buried the left pedal, and massive brakes slowed my rocket ship to a crawl for the 90-degree hairpin — the automatic gearbox downshifting rapidly from 5th to 4th to 3rd to 2nd – WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!
At the turn’s 133-foot summit, the King of Corvettes seemed to pause, as if surveying its domain, before plunging down to Turn 2.
This is rare air.
With an astounding 1,064 horsepower, ZR1 is the most powerful ‘Vette ever and the latest member of an elite club of quadruple-digit-horsepower supercars. Down the slope through Turn 2, the ‘Vette’s acceleration was ballistic. With the V-8 howling behind my ears, I stormed towards the technical Turn 3-4-5-6 esses complex like a four-wheeled tsunami. Powerplant engineer Dustin Gardner says it “feels like you’re strapped to an aircraft carrier. You’re getting fired off in a jet plane.” I’ve never been launched off a carrier, but ZR1 feels like it must be close.
Credit the addition of the largest pair of turbochargers on the planet to the screaming, 5.5-liter, flat-plane crank engine out of the Corvette Z06/C8.R GT3 race car. But this is no stoplight drag queen.
At $174,995, King ZR1 goes toe-to-toe on the world’s greatest tracks (like COTA) with $1 million-plus cyborgs like the 1,063-horsepower, $2.7-million Mercedes-AMG One and 1,160-horse, $3.5 million Aston Martin Valkyrie.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The ‘Vette’s secret sauce? The same mid-engine chassis that undergirds the standard, $70,195, Corvette C8 — the first ‘Vette in eight generations to move the engine from front to rear. Then Corvette engineers weaponized it.
This thing has more artillery hanging off it than an F-15 fighter jet.
Sticky 10.8-inch wide front/13.6-inch rear Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 R tires (Pilot Sport 4S standard). 15.6-inch carbon-ceramic brakes (the largest in Corvette history). Towering rear wing, dive planes and a wing-shaped front splitter for sucking the beast to the ground. Then there’s the LT7 engine — turbos wrapped around its sides like a pair of pythons.
The result is the ‘Vette changes direction through COTA’s esses like Cade Cunningham doing a dribble cut down the lane for a slam dunk. This dexterity of power and nimbleness enables inane performance (not unlike 6’6” guard Cunningham).
The ZR1, driven by its own engineers, has clobbered production-car lap records from coast to coast.
Road America, Wisconsin: 2.08.6 minutes. That’s seven seconds quicker than the Sports 2000 SCCA race class I compete in with 1,350-pound, bespoke race cars that weigh nearly a third less than the 3,950-pound ‘Vette (but ZR1 has seven times the horsepower).
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Watkins Glen, New York: 1:52.7 minutes
Virginia International Raceway: 1:47.7
Road Atlanta, Georgia: 1:22.8. To put that in perspective, Lead Development Engineer Chris Barber’s lap time was just shy of the fastest race lap of 1.22.1 recorded last October at the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Series Petit Le Mans race by the 2,700-pound Corvette C8.R race car on racing slicks driven by pro factory drivers Alexander Sims and Antonio Garcia. I’m not making this up.
Want more numbers?
I hit 176 mph on the back straight at Circuit of the Americas. That is 40 mph faster than both my Lola S2000 racer and the standard, 495-horse ‘Vette Stingray.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
It’s 20 mph faster than the Corvette Z06 equipped with similar tires and 670-horsepower V-8 engine revving to 8,600 RPM.
At Road America, the ZR1 hit 188 mph on the front straight, faster than an IndyCar’s 185 mph. Lucky the ZR1 pace car pulled off after its pace laps at this year’s Indy 500 — or it might have won the race.
Yet, thanks to its 1,200 pounds of downforce, magnetic ride shocks, electronic limited slip differential (eLSD for short) and other performance toys, the ZR1’s ballistic power was surprisingly easy to drive fast around this high-speed F1 circuit. It’s predictable and well balanced, with linear acceleration courtesy of no discernible turbo lag.
Just respect the 828 pound-feet of torque.
Unlike my, ahem, Lola’s normally-aspirated 2.0-liter engine, the beast behind your ear in the ZR1 must be let loose progressively, not all at once (or be prepared for lurid slides).
Take it to a track day, and ZR1 won’t wear you out. Neither will it wear out — a key competitive advantage of Corvette’s development by one of the world’s best manufacturers.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
This is a point of pride to Porsche GT2 and GT3 owners as well. Those cars run like trains, which is why you find so many at race clubs. Porsche (and Corvette) put their cars through extensive, grueling 24-hour, high-speed durability tests. There’s nothing worse than buying your expensive, exotic dream car and taking it to the shop all the time.
After finishing a track day on America’s premier F1 circuit (or M1 Concourse in Pontiac), King Corvette is comfortable commuting home with the rest of the peasants.
The interior houses the same luxurious stitched leather and digital screens that you’ll find in the base Stingray. It’s a personal favorite (only to get better with a 2026 update) with its square steering wheel for better viewing of the instrument display, thoughtful ergonomics, and camera mirror to see out of the narrow greenhouse. Magnetic ride shocks come with a variety of drive modes for everything from track performance to comfort on the street.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
That’s a contrast to Porsche GT3 cars — my benchmark for the best handling supercars — but that come with compromises like harsh suspensions, stiff rides, uncomfortable sets. Corvette engineers call them “20-minute cars”: they’re supreme for 20 minutes on track, but drive them any longer than that on street and you’ll be black and blue.
Corvettes are big cars made for big folks. Like me. The rear hatch will swallow my big tennis bag — or your golf bag. Need more storage? There’s a frunk like a Porsche 911.
Purchase a ZR1 and you gotta track it. Allow me some suggestions: 1) Buy the coupe for better headroom (over the convertible); 2) set aside money for tires (Cup 2 Rs don’t last long channeling 1,064 horses); and 3) sign up for the Corvette Racing school in Pahrump, Nevada (free for ZR1 buyers).
Because you’ll never know the envelope of quadruple-digit horsepower until you’re at triple-digit speed on a racetrack.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
2025 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
Vehicle type: Mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive, two-passenger supercar
Price: $174,995 base including $1,395 destination ($189,680 LT1 coupe and $200,180 convertible models with ZTK Package as tested)
Power plant: 5.5-liter, twin-turbo V-8
Power: 1,064 horsepower, 828 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 2.3 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 233 mph
Curb weight: 3,800 pounds (Coupe est.)
Fuel economy: EPA 12 mpg city/18 mpg highway/14 mpg combined
Report card
Highs: Ballistic acceleration; state-of-the-art interior
Lows: Will drink the Permian Basin oil field dry for a track day
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Midwest-friendly Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT sports all-terrain tires, NACS charging
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 30, 2025
Franklin — With its raccoon-like black details, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 XRT is instantly recognizable as a new, 2025 off-road trim for the brand’s electric hatchback. It sports a black mask, black wheels, black wheel arches etched with “digital camouflage” graphic, and black mirrors. XRT for Xtra Raccoon Trim.
But what Michiganians will really appreciate about the latest member of the I5 family is its Tesla-like NACS charging port and all-terrain tires.
“WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMPA! WHUMP WHUMP!” we went across 14 Mile’s pothole-pocked dirt road, one of many across Metro Detroit. These dirt roads are bad enough in summer but come spring they are really fraught after a harsh winter, particularly in premium vehicles with low-profile tires like the standard 19-inch-wheel Ioniq 5.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Residents along these roads are best served by rugged mules like pickups, Jeeps, Broncos and other off-roaders. For EV fans, the I5 XRT allows them to pair battery and brawn. Just choose the ALL-TERRAIN button on the steering wheel spoke to soften the ride. “WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMPA! WHUMP!” The high-profile Continental CrossContact ATR tires cushioned the blows as I weaved my way west …
… toward a Tesla Supercharger station.
Tesla, of course, has won the charging wars, defeating the industry-favored standard for bulky, five-prong CCS charging ports with its leaner, two-prong so-called North American Standard (NACS for short) plug. Combined with the Texas automaker’s ubiquitous reliable network of fast chargers, it has forced competitors to reluctantly succumb to consumer preference. NACS it is.
With customers screaming about fickle third-party DC chargers, EV makers have rushed to buy access to Tesla’s reliable network and Hyundai is one of the first automakers to — not just enable access to Superchargers for its clients — but also to equip their cars with NACS ports just like a Tesla.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Hyundai NACS has its hiccups, however. I was unable to connect to the 240-volt Tesla charger in my garage (I own a Model 3) because it was a 2018 NACS, which doesn’t sync with the Hyundai’s 2025 NACS plug. Something about software.
Neither could the Hyundai charge on my 240-volt, J1772 Juicebox garage charger that I use to charge non-Tesla EVs with CCS/J1772 ports. If this sounds complicated to folks used to simply stuffing a nozzle into a fuel filler, it is. And it is a reason EVs have proved to be niche vehicles in the U.S. market.
Stymied at home, I used I5’s native navigation system to locate the nearest Tesla Supercharger in Northville 12 miles away. I’d been before, the last time in June 2024 with a Ford Mustang Mach-E (Ford being the first automaker to gain access to Tesla’s network).
The Ioniq 5 was much easier to fill. And not just because it has a NACS port that the Tesla cable slipped into as easily as, well, a Tesla.
Hyundai also had the good sense to locate its NACS charging port on the rear corner of the vehicle like Tesla (right rear for I5, left rear for Tesla), meaning I simply backed the XRT up to the charger and connected the port. The Mach-E, like most EVs, locates its charging port behind the left front wheel, meaning I had to park the ‘Stang against the curb for the cord to reach. Combined with the bulky CCS/NACS adapter required for the Ford, it takes effort.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
You don’t need an adapter to charge the 2025 Hyundai, but you need a Tesla app. Download it. Add the Hyundai to its vehicle list. Then locate the Supercharger where you want to charge. Not all Tesla chargers are available to non-Tesla customers, but the Northville charger was, happily.
I plugged in, and my steed slurped electrons.
Northville is one of the busiest chargers in Metro Detroit, evidence that Tesla’s open-charger policy is catching on. Eight of the nine stalls were occupied on a Tuesday afternoon, with EVs including a Mustang Mach-E and Rivian R1S as well as the usual assortment of Tesla Cybertrucks, Model 3s, Ys and Ss.
Hyundai has upped the range on AWD models for 2025 to 290 miles (XRT clocks in at 259 with its all-terrain tires). That’s plenty for metro travel, but having the option of more chargers (like more gas stations for an internal combustion-vehicle) makes road trips less stressful.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
On a recent road trip to two-hours-from-anywhere — Sebring, Florida, for example — the only charging station in town was a Tesla Supercharger.
Hyundai, of course, does not have the cachet of the Tesla brand, and two friends recently opted to buy Model 3s as their first EVs. If you’re shelling out $50K for a car, brand matters.
But for those who want something different, my $56K XRT tester is a shockingly sophisticated (pun intended) EV. It’s roomy, utilitarian … and quick. (For $10K less, its I5 siblings begin at $46K and offer many of the same attributes.)
Merging onto I-696 on my way home, I dialed the steering wheel drive button (like a Porsche) to SPORT and buried my right foot. ZOT!
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Acceleration is, well, bioniq. Car and Driver clocks its 0-60 mph sprint at 4 seconds. Settling into the drive, I told the Ioniq to detour to Popeyes for lunch, and directions quickly appeared on the big, hoodless 24.6-inch jumbotron in front of me.
Where Hyundai comes up short is in hands-free driving, where Tesla and General Motors lead the way. Set a destination on a Tesla and it will self-drive there. It’s a feature prized by my pals. A Caddy EV, too, will go hands-free on most divided highways. Not Ioniq 5.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
My XRT’s adaptive cruise control system automatically changed lanes (like its EV competitors) when I tugged on the turn stalk — but otherwise required I keep a hand on the wheel. Worse, it nannied me constantly to watch the road even when my eyes had never left it. Sheesh, take a valium.
But that camera watching me suggests Hyundai plans over-the-air updates and Ioniq 5 should get more capable with time. High 5.
Next week: 2025 Nissan Murano and Titan
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, rear- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger hatchback
Price: $44,075, including $1,495 destination fee ($56,875 XRT as tested)
Powerplant: 63 kWh or 84 kWh lithium-ion battery with single or dual-electric-motor drive
Power: 225 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque (RWD); 325 horsepower, 446 pound-feet of torque (AWD)
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.5 seconds (Car and Driver, AWD as tested); top speed, 115 mph
Weight: 4,707 pounds (XRT as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA range: 245-318 miles (259 miles, XRT as tested)
Report card
Highs: NACS charge port; Michigan-friendly XRT trim
Lows: Pricey; hands-free driving, please
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Detroit Grand Prix: Motown automakers integrate racing and production
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 30, 2025
Detroit — The 2025 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix will take place Friday to Sunday on a 1.7-mile street track circling General Motors Co.’s Renaissance Center headquarters in downtown Detroit.
Lauren Heinrich driving the Porsche 911GT3 R (992) along side the Detroit River, goes on to win the IMSA WeatherTech Sportswear Championship at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend in downtown Detroit, Michigan on June 1, 2024. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
Chevrolet isn’t the only Detroit-based manufacturer featured in this year’s race.
Motorsports has become a key marketing, engineering, and sales tool for the auto industry today and Motown brands in particular have accelerated their involvement in recent years from international Formula One and GT3 Racing to the IndyCar and IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship Series on display in Detroit this weekend.
Forty percent of the 27 IndyCar racers will be powered by Chevrolet engines while 40% of IMSA Weathertech’s 22 entries will be represented by home brands (if you include Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske, which runs the Porsche GTP team). In addition to Penske’s two Porsche entries, Detroit car brands include three Cadillac GTP racers, a pair of Corvettes, and two Ford Mustangs.
IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Series Corvette GT3 racers will be at Detroit GP (here shown at Long Beach).Chevrolet, Chevrolet
“Since we got into GT racing in 1999, we believed in the continuity and the messaging to expand our customer base and embrace technology – and the IMSA series is really representative of that,” said Corvette Racing Brand Ambassador Doug Fehan, who, as Corvette Racing program manager, established Chevy’s presence in international motorsports three decades ago. “When you look at the things we try and accomplish in racing — whether it be materials or fuel mileage or aerodynamics or light-weighting — all those things were always important in racing and now have become extraordinarily important in production. Corvette set the bar for technology transfer.”
The Detroit brands are joined by a who’s who of international brand,s including Honda (which will power the other 16 IndyCars on the Detroit GP grid), Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, BMW, Acura, Lexus and Mazda (whose engines power the weekend’s third competition, Indy NXT, IndyCar’s feeder series).
That’s an elite club.
Will Power takes turn 3 during NTT Indycar series qualifying at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend in downtown Detroit on June 1, 2024. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
Like Porsche, Ferrari, and Honda, which built their brands on motorsports success in the mid-20th century, Team Penske founder Roger Penske made competitive success the foundation of a business brand that covers rental trucks and auto dealerships. That model increasingly speaks to other brands.
“Racing is more than a checkered flag and a trophy. Racing can be internalized,” said Fehan. “Racing can be used to attract young, bright personnel with the excitement that racing — and the level of technology — generates. People want to be part of something they can be proud of.”
Whether the hybrid technology in IndyCar and IMSA GTP powertrains, or the chassis that are the backbone of GT race cars, racing informs production technology by testing at extreme track conditions.
“On the (mid-engine Corvette) C8, we had a clay model in the design studio of the street car, and — for the first time in history — right next to it, we had a clay model of the race car,” said Fehan. “And we’re transferring stuff back and forth. Those production engineers were wearing Corvette Racing hats. On the walls were Corvette Racing posters. They were embracing the fact that they were part of racing as well as part of production.”
IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Series Cadillac GTP racers will be at the Detroit GP (here shown in Long Beach). Cadillac, Cadillac
Manufacturers in the GT race class now include Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Ford, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche. In the top GTP prototype class, there will be nine brands represented by 2027 including: BMW, Cadillac, Acura, Porsche, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren, Ford and Genesis.
“That’s a lot of manufacturers across the board,” said Fehan, who has been part of Corvette’s nine victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most prestigious endurance race, from 2001-2023. “They’re now involved in IMSA, which is like twice what it ever was in the history of the sport.”
The benefits of racing translate beyond the workplace and into the showroom. Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.
“It’s undeniable the effectiveness of a marketing program that takes place on a racetrack,” said Fehan. “Watch what we’ve done from a sales perspective. Almost 50% of Corvette C8 sales are to people who have never owned a Chevrolet product.”
Team Penske’s Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor celebrate in victory lane after winning the GTP class at the 24 Hours of Daytona in the #7 Porsche Penske Motorsports Porsche 963 in January 2025.Brandon Badraoui, Courtesy Of IMSA
Fehan expects the interest in motorsports to grow as a new generation of buyers raised on Netflix series like “Drive to Survive” and online gaming gain disposable income to buy cars.
“Just look at the Netflix series with Formula One. America is awakening to the high-tech side of what we’re doing in racing,” continued Fehan. “That has opened the door to the gaming side of it, and that’s a whole different perspective of how you market and sell cars. Racing is becoming more imperative if you want to sell vehicles.”
IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Series fans enjoy some Cadillac swag (here shown at Long Beach). Cadillac, Cadillac
In addition to its success in sportscar racing, Cadillac (IMSA manufacturer titles in 2017, 2018, 2021 and 2023) is now pursuing Netflix and international markets by entering Formula One in 2026. Brad Pitt’s “F1” movie opens June 27 and hopes to replicates the success of Oscar winner “Ford v Ferrari” in 2019.
Sensing the moment, Fox Sports became the sole broadcaster of IndyCar for 2025. It will televise the NTT IndyCar race at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Peacock will carry the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar race at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Hands-free in the Caddy ‘Baby Escalade’ Vistiq
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 22, 2025
Chelsea — The Baby Escalade is Cadillac’s most mature electric vehicle.
The Vistiq is the fifth and final piece in the GM luxury brand’s EV squadron and, at $79,290, its combination of size, speed and tech make it the best value of the quintet. That value is relative as Caddy’s EV lineup makes a big move to the ultra-luxury EV market (led by its $340K Celestiq flagship) over its outgoing internal combustion models. Expect the EVs to cost $20,000-$40,000 more than their ICE peers.
My all-wheel-drive Luxury model asks a 30-grand premium over the comparable $50K gas-powered XT6 Luxury model, which is retiring after this year.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
On Patterson Lake Road’s rollercoaster in Livingston County, I confidently leapt from turn to turn in the three-ton, three-row, three-story Vistiq despite its girth. Thanks to the 102-kWh battery’s location in the basement, my tester sported a low center of gravity to stay planted through the twisties.
That low CG is an EV trait — but in the smaller Optiq and Lyriq crossovers, it’s, um, outweighed by a lack of nimbleness compared to their 1,000-pound-lighter internal-combustion engine peers. In a three-row SUV class where everything tips the scales over two tons, however, the low CG stands out. Add rear-wheel steer in upper Premium Luxury and Platinum trims, and this is a rhinoceros in tennis shoes.
The rear-drive feature is shared with Papa Escalade IQ, but the electric family’s patron will set you back another (cough) 40 grand. ZOT! I buried my right foot and Vistiq hit 60 mph in a fantast-iq 3.9 seconds merging onto I-94 West. Baby Escalade coming through!
Vistiq is also a technology showpiece. Without taking my eyes off the road, I toggled the raised adaptive cruise switch on the steering wheel and set my speed at 75 mph, then fingered a nearby braille pad for Super Cruise. The steering wheel lit green for hands-free driving.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
While Baby Escalade took over driving duties, I rearranged icons on the 33-inch curved dash screen as I would my phone. I dragged icons for DRIVE MODES, CHARGING and SELF PARK ASSIST (features I used frequently) to the left side of the screen.
GM pioneered hands-free driving in 2017, and has been neck-and-neck with Tesla ever since. Tesla’s Full-Self-Driving system leap-frogged GM cars last year when it went hands-free with navigation, enabling its cars to take you door-to-door across secondary roads and divided highways. Super Cruise is slowly adding secondary roads to its network of mapped, divided highways — but it won’t navigate.
What it will do, like Tesla, is automatically change lanes. At 75 mph, Vistiq sensed slower traffic, automatically applied its turn signal, moved into the fast lane and swept by a line of cars. Safely clear, it automatically pulled back into the slower lane. Terrif-iq.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Approaching my off ramp, Tesla FSD would automatically transition to the slower secondary road. The Caddy? It handed driving duties back to me, the steering wheel light turning red.
Super Cruise comes standard on Vistiq for three years, plenty of time for owners to learn the system. You won’t want to go back. Not standard is an augmented reality head-up display available on Premium Luxury and Platinum trims. Caddy’s been a HUD pioneer, and AR advances the game by placing directions over the road ahead. Alas, my standard Luxury version did not option even a regular head-up display. Neither did it have a frunk for storage like the Escalade IQ — or Rivian and Tesla models.
Baby Escalade doesn’t have big brother’s curved, A-pillar-to-A-pillar 55-inch jumbotron, but the 33-incher does just fine, thank you very much. Especially as the touchscreen is paired with the same console climate touchscreen found in Escalade. Like a scarf and mittens, they make a nice pair.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Not that I touched them much. Vistiq is powered by Google Built-in, so I could talk to the car for many of my needs.
Hey, Google, turn the driver’s side temperature to 68 degrees.
Hey, Google, tune to Sirius XM Comedy Greats.
Hey, Google, Tell, me a joke.
Google: How do trees access the Internet? They log in.
Hey, Google, what was the score of the Tigers game?
Google: The Tigers won on Wednesday, 6-5 against the Red Sox.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Pick up the kids from school in my Luxury tester and it will fit seven passengers across three rows including bench, second-row seats (captain’s chairs optional). Even the third row is comfortable, accommodating my long 6’5” frame. If the second row is empty, I encourage taking a seat in the third row. I dropped the second-row bench seat and used it like an ottoman — stretching my legs so I could work on my laptop.Longer trips, however, are three-row EVs’ kryptonite. The Escalade IQ is so expensive because it packs a mighty 202-kWh battery with 460 miles of range. Vistiq keeps its cost below $100K with a 102-kWh battery that makes similar range (302 miles) as little brothers Lyriq and Optiq.Navigate to your cottage up north (in perfect 70-degree weather) going 75 mph on I-75 and real range is 225 miles — or 75% of EPA estimates. In truth, your range will be 181 miles because charging to over 80% of battery range at a fast charger slows to a crawl.Are we there yet?
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
To prevent hearing those infamous words from your kids, a 250-mile trip north (to, say, Charlevoix) is best done with one charging stop in Bay City for 20 minutes so the kids can tinkle and stretch their legs. In less ideal temperatures, your range could crater to 50% as it did in a brutal three-stop, subfreezing December trip I took in one of Vistiq’s competitors, the $78K Kia EV9 GT-Line, a couple of years back.
If you have a second home, install a 240-volt charger to ease end-to-end range anxiety. Staying in a hotel? Find lodgings with 240-volt charger so you can charge your battery to 100% overnight for a fresh a.m. start.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Faced with these restrictions, GM buyers may prefer a comparably priced family-sized Chevy Tahoe with Google Built-in, 456 miles of range and more third-row seat and cargo room. Or (horrors) you might cross the road to a Lincoln dealer and pick up a $62K three-row Aviator ICE with Blue Cruise hands-free driving and 505 miles of range.But if you want a three-row EV that can drive you hands-free across Michigan, then Baby Escalade has a leg up on peers from Rivian, Volvo, Hyundai and Kia.
Next week: 2025 Nissan Murano and Nissan Titan
2026 Cadillac Vistiq
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, six- or seven-passenger SUV
Price: $79,090, including $1,395 destination fee ($79,890 Luxury as tested)
Powerplant: 102 kWh lithium-ion battery with dual electric-motor drive
Power: 615 horsepower, 650 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Single-speed direct drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.7 seconds (mfr.); towing, 5,000 pounds
Weight: 6,326 pounds
Range: 302 miles
Report card
Highs: Livable interior; Super Cruise
Lows: No frunk; limited range for a family hauler
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Stylish, techy VW Tiguan packs it all in
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 22, 2025
Clyde Park, Montana — In this small cattle town east of Bozeman between the Bridger and Crazy Mountains, I pulled up in my Cactus Green, 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan SUV tester in front of Glenn’s grocery. A grizzled dude in a cowboy hat and jeans strolled by and I nodded hello.
“Howdy,” he said.
“How do you like my Volkswagen?” I asked.
“It’s nice,” he said before turning into Glenn’s.
In this rural ‘burg in America’s Big Sky west, the VW Tiguan fits right in. Big screens, big back seats, big wheels, big hatchback, big mirrors, big panoramic roof, big massaging seats. It’s been a long time comin’.
Volkswagen came to America to build cars in Pennsylvania in 1978 but the plant closed less than a decade later. In the 2000s, as Japanese Toyota and Honda SUVs soared, VW lagged. In 2008 Dieselgate buried the brand’s signature, diesel-powered fuel economy calling card. In 2020, VW’s first ID.4 electric vehicle landed with a thud.
But behind these headlines, a rose has been blooming.
In 2024, Volkswagen’s SUV sales hit 77% of the automaker’s product portfolio as the entry-level Taos and yuuuuge Atlas three-row made friends with a new generation of American consumers. Like my sister, who (along with her two dogs) adores her Atlas Sport.
Now comes the third-generation Tiguan in America’s biggest-volume, midize SUV segment and Tiggy is Terrific. Three is the charm.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I cruised State Route 819’s two lane with its 70 mph speed limit (love these western states) with adaptive cruise set to 75 mph. Coming up on a truck burdened with cargo, I punched the 214-horsepower turbo-4 and the eight-speed automatic transmission smoothly selected a lower gear and I sped by my prey. Once past, I looked for a red blind-spot warning in the left mirror and — seeing none — merged back into the right lane.
Impressive. And all standard on this $30,920 SUV.
Compare that to the Honda CR-V, which at $31,495 offers 190 horsepower, no standard blind spot-assist and a continuously variable transmission. With its solid build, the Honda deserves its reliable reputation. But the V-dub seizes on its sporty reputation to offer a more stylish experience.
Credit Tiggy’s ID.4 and Golf R DNA. Though the electric ID.4 has struggled to keep pace with Tesla in the U.S. market, it forced VW to reinvent itself as a high-tech brand. Tiguan is refreshingly modern with clean exterior styling that echoes the ID.4’s lean lines — a design that is echoed inside with simple horizontal lines, tasteful dash materials and big digital displays that would make a Silicon Valley computer engineer proud.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Golf R would also be proud. The lean, digital look in Tiggy complements Brother R’s all-wheel-drive corner carving — so much so that the SUV has adopted a top-trim R-Line. That trim line will be further extended later this year by a 268-horse Tiguan Turbo model aimed squarely at the Mazda CX-5 Turbo — the best performance SUV in the segment (and a brand that also leans into its sporty, Miata-inspired DNA).
I look forward to flogging that beast — but, at the affordable end of the segment, the Tiguan also echoes the Mazda for value. Mazda wows with lush materials and standard features. So too, Tiggy. The standard, 12.9-inch touchscreen is easier to navigate than the Mazda’s remote-rotary controlled screen.
Not that the VW shies from rotary dials. Again cribbing from ID.4, Tiguan has moved its shifter to the steering wheel column to free up console storage for an optional phone charger and rotary dial. That dial enables the driver to quickly access drive modes as well as a palette of ambient lighting colors.
Also per its American training, the VW’s ergonomics are solid. Like GM and Ford, Tiggy has placed raised volume, radio and speed controls on the steering spokes so you can easily access these functions without taking your eyes off the road or hunting for them in the computer screen.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The V-dub does not follow GM’s lead on a Google Built-in operating system, which adds another clever voice recognition system to the cabin. Chevy’s elves have their act together these days.
But where Chevy’s Equinox takes its styling cues from big brother Silverado pickup, Tiguan looks to Golf R. In SPORT mode, I hit the gas and the playful two-liter engine awoke with a pleasing burble. Interested in towing a go-kart to the track for a weekend? The all-wheel-drive V-dub will tow 1,800 pounds, enough for a small trailer.
My kids go-karted at a young age and they would appreciate the roomy rear bench seat — optioned with heated seats for chilly winter months. VW says 60% of buyers option all-wheel drive, which will add $1,000 to a Michigan buyer’s bill. Volkswagen kept the price steady at just over $30K for the 2025 model year, and, with all the standard gear, AWD is all the upcharge you really need.
For consumers looking for a bit more pizzazz to match the Tiguan’s wardrobe, may I SE-ggest the SE model, which adds leatherette seats and 19-inch wheels to the equation. My SE tester struts out the door for $35,220.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Those with more coin in their pocket may look toward an Audi Q5. But like the Audi, Tiggy now brings a lot of character to the dance floor, thanks to its high-tech, ID.4 wardrobe. Outfit the VW in Monterrey Blue with black package, head-up display and 20-inch wheels (like my $39,230 R-Line Black Edition model), and I wouldn’t shy from parking next to a $50K Q5.
Heck, with $50K in my pocket, I’ll get the Golf R, which will outhustle most Audis on track.
Ahem.
Mrs. Payne is giving me the sharp elbow. Oh yes, we were talking midsize SUVs, not track cars. “How does it compare to a Subaru?” she asks. Quite well. Subie can’t match the VW’s performance with 184 horses and CVT — though the Crosstrek brings plenty of off-road character.
The Japanese brand has made itself at home in the United States by staying true to its formula and asking Americans what they want. The 2025 Tiguan does the same and I expect to see a lot more hanging out in front of Glenn’s grocery in the years to come.
2025 Volkswagen Tiguan
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger SUV
Price: $30,920, including $1,425 destination fee ($35,220 SE and $39,230 R-Line Black Edition as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter turbo-4 cylinder
Power: 201 horsepower, 207 pound-feet of torque (FWD); 201 horsepower, 227 pound-feet of torque (AWD)
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.7-8.7 seconds (Car and Driver est.); towing, 1,500-1,800 pounds
Weight: 3,563 pounds (FWD); 3,801 pounds (AWD)
Fuel economy: EPA, 26 mpg city/34 highway/29 combined (FWD); 22 mpg city/30 highway/25 combined (AWD)
Report card
Highs: Upscale styling and tech; loaded with standard features
Lows: No mute button; slider volume controls take getting used to
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Cadillac delivers on EV promises (with a side of ICE)
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 22, 2025
Chelsea — Media reviews of the three-row Vistiq SUV are out this week as the final player in Cadillac’s electric vehicle lineup goes on sale. It’s a feather in the cap for General Motors Co. as it completes an electric model line seeded at its EV Day just five years ago — central to its plan to re-establish Cadillac as the “standard of the world” above EV startup brands like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid.
Yet even Cadillac is hedging its bet on an electric future.
The brand that has been the boldest legacy luxury voice for battery-power is retaining its internal-combustion-powered XT5 SUV while updating its ICE Escalade mega-ute and CT5 sedan with the same digital technology as its EVs.
Chelsea – The 2026 Cadillac Vistiq EV is a three-row SUV that slots below the $130k Escalade IQ EV. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“We’re shifting now to meet market demand,” Global Cadillac Marketing Director Brad Franz said in an interview. “We’re going to continue to listen to the needs of customers and adjust as appropriate.”
That’s a hard turn from four years ago when Rory Harvey, then vice president of Global Cadillac, told media that “we will be leaving this decade as an EV brand, as things stand today, which means that we will not be selling ICE vehicles by 2030.”
Electrification is one leg in a broader brand reinvention that includes performance (a commitment to global motorsports like Formula One) and technology (led by GM’s pioneering, hands-free Super Cruise technology).
As its parent company ditched gas-engine development at the start of this decade and went all-in on EVs by 2035 in anticipation of market and regulatory demands, Cadillac took the lead. It now boasts five EV models — topped by the brand-redefining, $300,000-plus Celestiq sedan and including the Vistiq, Optiq, Lyriq and Escalade IQ SUVs.
Cadillac is leaning into electrification with the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq (background) the fifth EV in its stable. ICE cars like the CT5 sedan (foreground) remain in the lineup. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“Cadillac wants to be the ‘standard of the world’ again,” said auto analyst Rebecca Lindland with Allison Worldwide Communications & Marketing. “They are interested in being the premier American luxury brand. So if (GM) positions Cadillac as the EV innovator — the technology brand — they appeal to people with more disposable income who are more interested in being seen in the very latest technology.”
Spurred by Tesla’s sky-high market evaluation and an incoming Biden administration’s EV regulations backed by massive subsidies, multiple legacy automakers in 2020 made bullish predictions about battery-powered portfolios — only to pull back as the EV market stalled. According to Cox Automotive data, EV sales have stabilized at about 8% of the market with political headwinds on the way as the Republican-controlled federal government prepares to nix the $7,500 federal EV credit and claw back industry subsidies.
Cadillac plans to stay the course on EVs while being careful not to alienate its traditional ICE buyers.
The United States’ four best-selling luxury brands — BMW (371,346 units sold in 2024), Lexus (345,669), Mercedes (324,528) and Audi (196,576) — have pursued a strategy of parallel EV-ICE model lines. Audi’s electric Q4 e-tron/Q6 e-tron/Q8 e-tron lineup, for example, parallels its Q3/Q5/Q7 ICE lineup.
Cadillac (2024 sales: 160,204), by contrast, has begun to pare its ICE lineup. It is discontinuing its entry-level, gas-powered XT4 and three-row XT6 SUVs after this model year. Franz said the brand will continue to manufacture the midsize XT5 and Escalade ICE SUVs “to meet strong customer demand.”
The EV strategy has begun to bear fruit.
In Park City, Utah, the Cadillac Lyriq EV shows off its athletic proportions. The car weighs a whopping 5,610 pounds, but that weight is low in the belly for a good center of gravity. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
In 2024 the Lyriq became the No. 2-selling Caddy after the iconic Escalade (41,001 units sold) with 28,410 in sales — a healthy 210% increase over 2023.
The XT5 was the brand’s No. 3-selling model in 2024 with 26,432 sales while the XT6 moved 20,225 units, a 5.8% increase over the prior year.
“What we’re seeing right now, especially on Lyriq, is 80% conquest,” said Franz. “We are bringing in new customers, and those customers tend to be from a higher income (and) education perspective. We’re encouraged by the fact that our products are driving new business . . . but also (we’re) making sure that we take care of customers that have been with us for a long time.”
The 2026 Cadillac Vistiq EV features hands-free Super Cruise driver-assist technology. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Franz estimates that EV sales will account for 30-35% of Cadillac U.S. sales this year — key as GM faces mandates from California and other zero-emission states requiring electrics to make up 35% of sales for the 2026 model year or face steep penalties. Those mandates, however, could be overturned by a vote in the U.S. Senate this week.
Significantly, EVs accounted for 37% of Caddy’s California retail sales in the first quarter of 2025.
“From a corporate standpoint, Cadillac helps GM to meet regulatory requirements, so they can still sell highly profitable pickup trucks,” said analyst Lindland. “Positioning Cadillac as a full EV brand gives the other (GM) brands more leeway and more freedom to continue to sell highly profitable gas engine models.”
In addition to replacing ICE models with EV equivalents, Cadillac is moving its EVs upscale with price increases of $20,000-$40,000 over equivalent ICE vehicles. The $79,090 Vistiq, for example, is priced $28,000 above the three-row XT6 ICE that it replaces. The compact, $54,390 Optiq EV starts over $12,00 above the outgoing XT4 ICE; the $60,090 Lyriq starts $14k north of the XT5; and the $130,090 Escalade IQ EV is 40 grand more expensive than the gas Escalade.
Cadillac’s EV price premium is consistent with that of European competitors.
“I don’t think it’s a brand shift,” Franz said about Caddy’s pricing. “It’s just when you think about the technology, the design, the product speaks for itself. When you start to bring in things like four-wheel-steer, augmented reality, different levels of refinement in third row . . . folks will see that.”
Cadillac Lyriq starts at $60,090 – or about $14k north of the XT5 ICE SUV. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Analyst Lindland said that premium luxury pricing is the new normal.
“This is the reality that we’re in nowadays,” she said. “Luxury vehicles are, for the most part, $60,000 and up . . . with all the technology that we are demanding of manufacturers. Not just battery technology, but all the safety equipment, all the infotainment equipment.”
Technology is a big part of Cadillac’s new brand message along with the EV transition. Electric SUVs get substantial tech upgrades over most of their ICE peers with 33-inch, curved screens and standard Super Cruise hands-free driving. In a nod to their staying power, Escalade and CT5 sedan ICE models share those tech upgrades.
Super Cruise is an important selling point for Cadillac. The hands-free system competes head-to-head with Tesla’s Full Self Driving system while also pointing toward GM’s corporate mantra: zero crashes, zero emissions, zero congestion.
2025 Cadillac Escalade IQ. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“You’ll see us really leaning into that as a differentiator. And it’s beyond EV,” Franz said. “We have that capability in Escalade, we have it on the CT5. Once (the customer) experiences it, it’s hard to not have.”
Cadillac is also pushing the envelope in racing, including the pinnacle of motorsport, Formula One. Cadillac will enter the series next year and plans to develop its own electrified powertrain by 2029 to burnish the brand’s image as a technology leader. But here, too, gas-power remans a key player — the CT5 sedan’s V8-powered V-Series Blackwing model echoes the V8-powered Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar that competes in international endurance racing.
Vistiq will push the EV envelope. Three-row vehicles are typically used for family travel and Vistiq offers significantly cheaper transport than the $130k Escalade IQ EV. Its 300-mile range, however, could be a challenge relative to 550-mile XT6 ICE.
The Platinum version of the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq EV tops the lineup with rear-wheel-steer and Augmented Reality HUD display. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“We get excited thinking about the competitive space (Vistiq) is playing in right now,” Franz said. “You’re talking about Lucid Gravity, Rivian R1S and Tesla Model X. Here comes Vistiq . . . that, I think, stacks up very well. There is considerable demand for a three row EV SUV, and there’s not a lot of choice out there.”
That choice includes a three-row gas-powered XT6. For now.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Full steam ahead in the 2025 Ford Expedition land yacht
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 17, 2025
Louisville, Kentucky — I usually review cars from bow to stern. But since this sumptuous 2025 Ford Expedition is a rolling land yacht, let’s start with stern.
Like the rear deck of a ski boat, the Expedition’s stern is a cool place to hang out. New for ‘25, the Ford offers a rear split gate — the upper portion a hatchback for loading, the lower a tailgate. So you can lay out a picnic spread at a Kentucky Derby tailgate party here, or relax out back (complete with seatback) on the sidelines of your kid’s soccer game.
Speaking of kids, they’ll want dibs on the third-row seat.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Third row
On a morning journey into Indiana, I opted for the third row, which easily accommodated my 6’5” frame. I slipped my Pure Leaf iced tea into a cupholder (there are three back here). If I had been carrying an Egg McMuffin and hash browns, I could have popped them on a side tray. A yuge panoramic roof flooded the cabin with sunlight — and if it got too toasty on this May day; I could have removed my sweatshirt and hung it on one of four third-row coat hooks.
I had work to do, so I booted up my laptop, connected it to the boat’s — er, SUV’s — WiFi hotspot (it can support 10 devices), and plugged it into the 110-volt outlet behind me in the cargo bay. Speaking of cargo, the Expedition comes in a stretched Max version (for an extra $3,000) for more luggage space.
For a little extra comfort, I reclined my third-row seat, then depressed the latch on the side of the second-row chair (since no one was sitting in front of me) — collapsing it into an Ottoman for my legs. When I needed a break from work, I took a sip from my tea and chatted with my media colleague, Mike, driving up front (more on driving later) thanks to the quiet, insulated cabin.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Expedition rolls off the same Kentucky Truck Plant line as its luxury sibling Lincoln Navigator, which I tested earlier this year in San Diego. For another $30K, Navigator floats on smooth adaptive shocks, but you’d never know the Expedition was built on a ladder track frame either, thanks to its independent rear suspension.
Sit in the bed of a Ford F-250 truck and you’ll know — WHUMP! — that it sits on a leaf-frame suspension. But in the third row of the Expedition and Navigator, the giant SUV was smooth as silk. No wonder Detroit automakers dominate this mega-ute space and American families order them by the thousands.
Navigator is posh with second-row heated, cooled, massaging seats — but they can’t turtle into Ottomans like the ones in my Expedition tester. Score one for the $63K Ford.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Row two
Expedition options a second-row bench seat so you can sit a ridiculous eight people in the cruise liner if needed. Maybe Ford will offer a pool deck next. Our $72K Activ tester was equipped with second-row captain’s chairs that were roomier than Delta coach seats, with a center aisle wider than an airliner for easy access to the third row. I could comfortably sit behind myself sitting behind myself in the cabin.
The second row also had a 110 outlet strategically placed in the back of the center console for second- and first-row passengers. USB and USB-C ports are littered around all three rows, including a pair in the back of the front seats.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Why? Because, coming for the 2026 model year is a clever phone holder incorporated into the back of the headrests so you can watch movies or play games with your head in an upright position to prevent motion sickness (I felt a little woozy after working on my laptop in the third row).
The cockpit
Up front in the captain and co-captain’s quarters, Expedition has leaned into the Navigator’s cool digital experience. The last-gen Expedition deployed the F-series’ familiar digital screens, with the option of a vertical center console tablet.
The ‘25 model offers the Ford Digital Experience with a 24-inch jumbotron (the Lincoln gets an A-pillar-to-A-pillar, 48-inch display) sprawling across the base of the windshield — containing three screens for instruments, navigation and other information (your choice of tire pressures, radio info, fuel mileage and so on).
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The jumbotron is controlled by a smaller console screen, which I rarely consulted. Instead, I operated the land yacht with the modern square steering wheel and Google Built-in voice commands.
Hey, Google, set driver temperature to 68 degrees.
Hey Google, navigate to Louisville Slugger Field.
Hey, Google, tell me a joke.
Google: “OK. Why was the student’s report card wet? Because it was below C level.”
Haw. The kids will love that feature. And families will enjoy the mega-digital displays as well as a sliding center console that can either open space for a large purse up front — or bring cupholders closer to rear passengers. Kids can play movies or download game apps, including one called Shuffleboard played by up to four players after scanning a QR code with their phones.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The square steering wheel will take some getting used to, however.
Shared with the Navigator, it’s right out of Tesla Cybertruck with its minimalist interface. Blue Cruise hands-free driving also takes getting used to, but once you’ve tried it there is no going back. Ford makes it easy to try with one-month subscriptions (or you can buy it outright). I drove for hours across Bluegrass interstates hands-free. It’s a great companion for checking email and eating meals on long trips.
Exterior
Wrap this rec room on wheels in any of the Expedition trims (Activ, Platinum, King Ranch and Tremor — my favorite with its 33-inch all-terrain tires and orange accents) and this is a good lookin’ yacht. Put your foot down and the mega-ute will create serious bow waves.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
BWAAUUUUGH! The Tremor’s 440-horse (a jump of 40 horses over base Activ), twin-turbo V-6 roared as I punched it around a slower car on a two-lane road — the 10-speed transmission expertly choosing the right gear for smooth acceleration.
Drop the tailgate, throw out a rope, and I bet you can water ski behind it.
Next week: 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan
2025 Ford Expedition
Vehicle type: Front-engine, rear- and four-wheel-drive, six- to eight-passenger mega-ute
Price: $63,995, including $1,995 destination fee ($93,490 Platinum Max, $83,025 Tremor and $74,905 Activ Max as tested)
Powerplant: 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged V-6
Power: 400-440 horsepower, 480-510 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.9 seconds (Car and Driver); towing, 6,100-6,300 pounds (RWD) and 9,000-9,600 pounds (4×4)
Weight: 5,404-5,794 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA, 15 mpg city/22 highway/18 combined
Report card
Highs: Screen-tastic family yacht; three-row comfort
Lows: Steering wheel ergonomics take getting used to; gets pricey
Overall: 4 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
William Porter, 1931-2025: Influential designer of 1970s Pontiac muscle cars
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 17, 2025
GM, GM
Auto designer William Porter has died, long live William Porter.
The celebrated General Motors draftsman penned some of the most iconic muscle cars that will ply the Woodward Dream Cruise this summer including the 1968 Pontiac GTO, 1970-73 Pontiac Firebird and Trans Am, and 1971 Bonneville. The academically-trained artist and industrial designer is credited with the long, muscular styling that helped define a Golden Era of 1960s and 1970s American automobiles.
A resident of Whitmore Lake, Porter died at home on April 23 at the age of 93. In his 39 years as a designer with GM, Porter oversaw the Buick design studio as well as Pontiac, retiring from the company in 1996.
“I have always respected and admired Bill for his design track record but even more so for his personality and his design discretion and expertise,” wrote Jon Albert, who worked alongside Porter as Buick interior chief designer in 1995. “I am extremely privileged to have worked with a guy who knew the history of design in general (not just auto design) and who possessed such a keen sense for good design as well as what makes sense for compelling styling.”
Porter joined the company in 1957 as an intern while working on his master’s degree at New York’s Pratt Institute, then was hired full-time in 1958. He began sketching Pontiac designs in 1962 as well as other work with the Advanced Design studio, then was transferred to Pontiac in 1968 as chief designer, where he really began to make his mark.
In the early 1970s, he directed the design of the brand’s GTO, Firebird, LeMans, Catalina and Bonneville coupes and sedans.
“My first assignment at GM Design was in Mr. Porter’s Advanced Pontiac Studio,” wrote John Manoogian II in a tribute to his former boss. “I was in awe of the talent in that studio, with the maestro himself, Bill Porter, running the place. To this day, I can’t believe how fortunate I was.”
GM, GM
Porter’s signature was the uniquely American design of Coke bottle-shaped cars with mile-long scooped hoods and aggressive grilles. With fire-breathing V-8 engines under their hoods, these thoroughbreds became symbols of American individualism and the call of the open road.
“(My contribution to the ’68 GTO) was the basic body theme, the monocoque shell form with elliptical pressure bulges over the wheels,” Porter said in an interview with High Performance Pontiac in 2000. But when it came to naming his favorite car, Porter singled out the second-generation 1970-73 Pontiac Firebird.
“I was absolutely crazy about that car from day one and really threw myself into it,” he said. “I put the best designers I had on it and we were consciously trying to create an important American sports car.”
GM, GM
The 1960-70s Pontiacs were groundbreaking in foreshadowing today’s “bumperless” integrated fascias — and also with their interior design.
“One of the design approaches pioneered in the ’70-1/2 F-car and that’s coming into the industry in a more widespread way now, is the integration of the interior and the exterior,” Porter said in the 2000 interview. “When you open the door of the Firebird … there is a subliminal sense of the unity of the interior and exterior. That had never been done before that I know of.”
The designer’s keen sense of art — he was a collector of Tiffany glass and Arts and Crafts furniture — extended to the famous Firebird “screaming chicken” hood graphic. The graphic almost didn’t make it to production after then-GM Vice President for Design Bill Mitchell went into a fury over its design.
“He called me up and I had to hold the phone away from my ear,” remembered Porter. “That was the end of that! Then a couple of years later, (colleague) John Schinelle talked him into taking another look at it. And so it finally saw the light of day on the ’73 cars. Mitchell was a real hair-trigger.”
GM, GM
Porter moved on from Pontiac to work on the Chevrolet Camaro before taking on Buick’s chief design position, where he oversaw design development for the Park Avenue and Riviera.
Porter was born in Louisville and received a B.A. in painting and art history from the University of Louisville in 1953. He served in the Army before pursuing his industrial design master’s at Pratt.
In addition to his son, Porter is survived by his wife, Patsy Jane, his son Adam, two daughters, Sarah Wilding Porter and Lydia Porter Latocki; a brother, Thomas Hampton Porter; and three grandchildren.
Porter gathered his favorite design sketches, which are preserved at his website: http://williamlporter.com/index.html
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Corvette update elevates C8 interior: More screens, grab handles, new colors
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 9, 2025
America’s mid-engine supercar is getting a mid-cycle refresh.
Since Chevrolet dropped the mic six years ago with the stunning, first-ever mid-engine Corvette Stingray, the eighth-generation rocket has maintained sales momentum with a series of performance models: the high-revving, 670-horsepower 2022 Corvette Z06; all-wheel-drive, gas-electric hybrid 2023 E-Ray; and 1,064-hp, 233-mph, twin-turbo-V8-powered 2025 ZR1.
For the 2026 model year, the focus moves from engine bay to cockpit.
Chevrolet, Chevrolet
Already one of the most luxurious supercars on the planet at a fraction of the price of its European peers, Corvette generation 8 1/2 introduces a refined interior that pushes the envelope of sports car comfort and technology. The driver-centric cockpit wraps the pilot in three screens with upgraded graphics and enhanced tech — drawing from a deep well of General Motors Co. engineering that smaller exotic brands can only dream about.
The ‘Vette’s signature center console gets reordered with climate control buttons moved from the signature center spine to sub-screen buttons like other Chevrolets. The spine is now a dedicated “Oh-Crap!” handle for passengers.
The console itself is more ordered with drive mode selector in line with the trigger shifter, while the cockpit’s wardrobe is expanded with a wealth of color options — including an asymmetrical seat option. The reimagined interior is applied to all Corvette models.
“The design team considered every element — from materials, to stitching, to layout of the interior — for the 2026 Corvette,” said Global Chevrolet Executive Design Director Phil Zak. “Paired with the new screens and technology, the refreshed interior enables a refined experience for the driver and the passenger.”
Chevrolet, Chevrolet
The three-screen layout includes a larger 12.7-inch diagonal center console display — a significant expansion over the last model’s 8-inch display that is now run by the same Google Built-in operating system as other GM products. When drivers aren’t gritting their teeth around high g-force corners, they can bark voice commands at the supercar to, say, navigate to a destination or change the cabin temp.
The digital instrument display also grows — from 12 to 14 inches behind the innovative, square-shaped steering wheel that allows for better viewing of the screen’s information. The instrument display’s hood can now be optioned in carbon fiber. To the driver’s left is an all-new, 6.6-inch diagonal touchscreen that houses goodies like traction management, trip mileage, and head-up display controls.
Ergonomically, Chevy has resisted the industry move away from control buttons, and the display volume knob is not only bigger than before but also lit for better visibility.
The console itself has been cleaned up to offer more room. The Drive Mode selector, for example, is now a simple toggle switch rather than a rotary dial. That opens space for a charging pad so you don’t drain your phone when navigating to Bowling Green, Kentucky on Google Maps — and the pad is thoughtfully equipped with a cover so that your phone doesn’t become a UFO when carving corners.
Chevrolet
In addition to the grab-handle, passengers gain a USB-C port in the console. Further amenities include fancy, exposed cupholders with ambient lighting and Corvette crossed -flag logos in the bottom.
Fancier graphics also light up the larger instrument display as drivers toggle though Drive Mode options.
“There’s an intentional balance of physical and virtual controls,” said Dusty Smith, performance driving product manager. “The technology in the new Corvette is as strong and capable as the engine behind you.”
More new digital toys include a Performance App (previously exclusive to the E-Ray model) — the app displays live horsepower and torque flow, acceleration timer, G-force gauge, tire pressure/temp, engine oil temperature/pressure and more.
Complementing the app is an available, enhanced Performance Data Recorder that, like a race car’s AIM system, records in-car performance data and video so drivers can analyze track laps for better performance.
In addition to its voice command capability, Google Built-in brings apps Google Chrome, GameSnacks, HBO Max, Prime Video and more so you can stream videos or play games when parked between track sessions.
All this tech is wrapped in the C8’s first-class seats that add four new color schemes: Sky Cool and Medium Ash Gray with Habanero accents; Santorini Blue; Very Dark Atmosphere, which pairs chocolate brown with Jet Black and Natural Tan accents; and Ultimate Suede, a Jet Black interior customizable with Adrenaline Red, Santorini Blue and Competition Yellow colors and matching seatbelts.
The latter is the headliner as Corvette’s first so-called asymmetrical interior. For example, customers can spec a mixed seating option with Asymmetrical Adrenaline Red on the driver’s side and Jet Black for the passenger side.
Chevrolet
The C8’s exterior gets some love too.
The top-drawer ZR1’s ZTK performance package options a new ceramic-disc brake package with 10-piston front and 6-piston rear calipers to bring it back to earth from 200-mph-plus speeds. Blue brake calipers, currently available only on ZR1, will be available on E-Ray and Z06 performance models too. The C8 coupe gets an electrochromic roof so customers can select a tint level. Two new skin colors are available across the lineup: Roswell Green Metallic and Blade Silver Metallic.
Pricing for 2026 models will be released closer to production, with the 2025 Stingray model’s $70,195 now over 10 grand higher than the 2020 model’s $59,995 debut.
“Corvette is the ultimate American sports car, which is why it has remained the luxury sport segment leader for more than 20 years — with the next competitor a distant second in terms of market share,” said Scott Bell, vice president of Global Chevrolet. “With these updates, the mid-engine Corvette will continue to cement its leadership for years to come.”
Chevrolet
The update should carry the eighth-gen model through the end of the decade with expectations that a fourth performance model called Zora is forthcoming. The hypercar is expected to combine the E-Ray’s electrified, AWD system and the ZR1’s twin-turbo V-8 for a 1,500-horsepower Ferrari-killing monster.
The C8’s run comes amid speculation that the ninth-gen Corvette will get an electric model with GM’s new London design studio recently showcasing an electric concept.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Toyota Corolla FX is X-tra fun, until you put your boot into it
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 8, 2025
Romulus — The FX is back. And so is Toyota attitude.
The Toyota Corolla FX is low, dark and mean. I circled my Midnight Black Metallic tester like Hiccup assessing his Night Fury dragon. Chocolate mirror caps, wheels with machined accents crouched on shortened springs with a chocolate spoiler out back that would make a Corvette proud. This is a Corolla? The vanilla ice cream of compact cars?
The FX is a throwback to the Corolla FX16 hatchback of 1987, when hot hatches were the new, new thing (my first car was the hot-hatch, segment-busting, FX16 competitor, 1984 VW Rabbit GTI). The U.S. was in a trade war with Japan, and Toyota (in the words of enthusiast mag Car and Driver) was “run by a bunch of gonzo back-yard tinkerers.”
The ‘80s are back, baby.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The rowdy FX16 was assembled in California to avoid the threat of steep Washington tariffs (and get around the Reagan administration-negotiated Japanese import quotas), and Toyota was tinkering with fun toys like the FX16, Supra coupe and innovative engines like dual-overhead-cam hellions. Sound familiar?
Supra came back in 2019, and Toyota’s elves have introduced mills like the 100-plus-horsepower-per-liter, 1.6-liter turbo-three.
As for the FX16, it has actually been reborn as the GR Corolla hot hatch. Like the FX16 and its high-revving, innovative DOHC engine, the all-wheel-drive GR gets a different engine from the standard Corolla — that Godzilla-in-a-briefcase, 300-horse turbo-3. And, like the ‘80s FX, the GR is laugh-out-loud fun — one of the most entertaining cars introduced in the last decade. Period.
The FX is no GR, but it’s plenty OK.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
At just $27,635 — a four-grand bump from the base vanilla model — FX is the bargain of the Corolla family. That crouched stance isn’t just for looks. Approaching a series of twisties in Oakland County, I gripped the heavy steering wheel in SPORT mode, which made FX feel rooted to the asphalt.
I flung my steed into a righthander, and it went right where FXpected. Minimal body roll, minimal push. Sharing an independent suspension with its more expensive GR and XSE siblings, the short-sprung FX rotated beautifully. In sedan form, FX has a roomier cabin than the GX hatch, so I could take three friends to the Sign of the Beefcarver for dinner after I was done carving corners.
Of course, at 10 grand cheaper than the stick-shift GR hot hatch, something is missing, and that’s the drivetrain.
Under the hood is the standard 169-horsepower, 4-cylinder gerbil wheel controlled by the dreaded CVT transmission. Sliding across a corner apex, I nailed the throttle. My Night Fury Dragon was toothless:
DROOOOOOOOOOOONE!
My ears bled. Make it stop. I reached for the stick shift, but that’s only available on GR. I reached for shift paddles on the back of the steering wheel. Same.
DROOOOOOOOOOOONE!
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The CVT is why six-speed automatic transmissions in, say, the Mazda3, are prized in the compact performance segment. And why Honda and Hyundai worked hard to implement shift points in their, respectively, Civic Sport and Elantra CVTs. Toyota is content for the CVT to prioritize fuel efficiency.
Add 34 mpg to FX’s long list of standard features: Bullet-proof reliability, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, adaptive cruise control with lane-keep-assist, rear-cross traffic alert, blind-sport assist and 10.5-inch tablet touchscreen display.
The latter is new to Corolla and will be an option on other trims. Positioning is excellent — high on the dash like a Mazda for good visibility, but — unlike Mazda — a touchscreen for easy access. Upon entry, the infotainment system mirrored my smartphone on the screen. Google Maps popped up complete with my pre-loaded destination, and the Sirius XM app played Comedy Greats.
Alas, the new FX is plagued by Toyota’s ol’ ergonomics issues.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
I reached for the volume knob to turn up the volume on a Brian Regan bit, and — um, volume knob?
Curiously, Toyota has chosen a volume slider at the base of the screen instead of a simple knob. Honda and Cadillac tried similar solutions and returned to knobs after owners judged them hard to operate when driving.
I ignored it for the volume controls on the steering wheel, but here too Toyota ergonomics come up short. Where competitors like Hyundai, Honda and Mazda use lifted buttons to select volume and adaptive cruise controls, Corolla’s wheel buttons are flat, necessitating that you take your eyes off the road to find them. The good news is the adaptive cruise features lane-keep assist, so I could afford to look away while adjusting volume on I-275.
Typical of Toyota, the nannies are always close by if you remove your hands from the wheel for too long (Hyundai, for example, will allow you about a minute hands-free) on long hauls.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
It was short trips that I really enjoyed — made shorter by the fun-to-drive FX. For Corolla, GR and FX are a needed shot of adrenaline in a segment boiling with performance. In addition to VW’s Teutonic threesome of Jetta GLI sedan and Golf GTI/R hatchbacks, Toyota’s Asian competitors have also stepped up their game.
Most formidable is the roomier Honda Civic with its full range of sedans, hatches and hybrids, starting with the base Civic sedan all the way to the rowdy Type R hot hatch. Hyundai, too, sweetens the deal with a 100,000-mile drivetrain warranty — and is coming on strong with variations of the Elantra sedan, which include a compelling N-line performance line. N for Nürburgring, a nod to the legendary German race track.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda is an auto enthusiast, has raced the ‘Ring several times, and has been on a mission to push the brand toward more performance. He’s established a Le Mans-winning Toyota racing team, Supra and GR86 sports cars, and GR Corolla. Now he is resurrecting the FX badge.
It’s affordable, stylish, nimble, with — ahem — droooooooning CVT. Keep pushing, Akio!
Next week: 2025 Ford Expedition
2025 Toyota Corolla FX
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan
Price: $27,635, including $1,335 destination fee ($28,144 as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter inline-4 cylinder
Power: 169 horsepower, 151 pound-feet of torque
Transmission: Continuously-variable automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.1 seconds (Motor Trend)
Weight: 3,070 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA, 31 mpg city/40 highway/34 combined
Report card
Highs: Balanced, fun-to-drive chassis; new, big screen
Lows: The curse of the CVT; poor screen ergonomics
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: Cadillac F1 team creates buzz at Miami GP, including hopes for a synfuel future
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 6, 2025
The Formula One wars are in full swing for 2025, and the General is plotting its 2026 entry.
The F1 circus made its annual stop in Miami last weekend, and while the world’s best drivers slugged it out on track, General Motors Co.’s fledgling Cadillac F1 team was creating plenty of buzz in the paddock. Cadillac F1 hosted an exclusive event where it introduced its official logo. GM President Mark Reuss said the program would not be impacted by tariffs, and rumors swirled that Mexican Formula One driver Sergio Perez would join the team
But it was news that Cadillac F1’s drivetrain (or “power unit” in F1-speak) had been approved for entry in 2029 that has perhaps the greatest impact for the world’s premier motorsports series and the future of the auto industry.
“Cadillac is honored to share the F1 stage with the best luxury brands from around the world. It’s a brand whose legacy on and off the track is filled with innovation, technological precision and timeless beauty,” Reuss said in Miami. “Our journey has been long but from the very beginning, it has been about ambition … audacity … and now acceleration.”
Mark Reuss addresses the crowd at Crown Miamai Beach restaurant during the May 2-4 Miami GP weekend as Cadillac F1 introduced its team logo. Michelle Malcho, Michelle Malcho
When Cadillac F1 enters its first Grand Prix in Melbourne early next year, it will use a gas-electric hybrid power unit developed by Ferrari. But GM’s ultimate goal in Formula One — and the reason the open-wheel series accepted its entry — is joining the world’s elite automakers in 2028 as the sport transitions to so-called “sustainable,” non-fossil-fuel dependent drivetrains.
Manufacturers have long assumed this means electrified drivetrains that are powered 50/50 by a turbocharged V-6 gas engine/battery-electric motor hybrid. That assumption also has dovetailed with manufacturers’ plans to transition to all-electric drivetrains like Cadillac’s production lineup. Ford Motor Co., too, is joining F1 — though as a battery-supply partner to Red Bull racing, not a full power unit manufacturer like GM.
But an alternative is gaining ground: synthetic fuel.
As expected, Formula One’s governing body, the FIA (French-based Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) officially approved Cadillac F1’s entry for the 2026 season. But in a surprise, the team was allowed until 2029 (not 2028 as expected) to introduce its own power unit to join other makers like Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull-Ford and Honda.
The reason? The potential, according to motorsports insiders, to bypass costly, heavy battery technology and go straight to internal combustion engines powered by synthetic fuels — long the Holy Grail of green energy solutions.
The announcement “opens the door for (Cadillac F1) to enter at the same time the series could switch to a simpler V8 or V10 alternative,” reported motorsports insider publication The Race. “The timing of that date is interesting because that is the year . . . when F1 could move away from turbo hybrid engines and towards a cheaper and simpler power unit — like a V8/V10 that runs on fully sustainable fuel.”
Said veteran international motorsports writer Steven Cole Smith, special projects editor for Hagerty: “Everything is still on the table, and Formula One requirements are likely to change over the next few years. Cadillac does not want to have to change power units midstream.”
Cadillac F1 introduced its logo at the 2025 Miami Grand Prix. GM, GM
The prospect of a shrieking V-8 or V10-powered Cadillac Formula One car storming the world’s greatest racetracks would send Motown enthusiasts into rapture.
But its implementation with synthetic fuel — not just for GM but for other teams — would solve a problem that has increasingly bedeviled the world’s automakers even as they have collectively vowed to government regulators that they want to transition to non-fossil-fuel-based drivetrains.
Simply put, the twin curses of battery costs and weight that have dogged the electrified vehicle market are magnified in motorsports, where lightweighting is crucial to performance and where organizers are determined to keep costs under control to maintain manufacturer participation.
“No one is happy with the 50/50 hybrid drive unit,” Cole Smith said. “Synthetic fuel makes a lot of sense.”
Adds The Race of a potential, 90/10 synfuel/battery solution: “A simpler kinetic energy recovery system and smaller batteries will be much more cost-efficient . . . and will also have an impact in reducing car weight — which remains a hot topic in F1.”
The synfuels topic has gained momentum across the automotive world. Sister sportscar racing series — North America’s IMSA and the international WEC — have developed mild-hybrid, electrified systems that allow V-8 engines from Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche and BMW to compete (as well as a V-6 engines from Acura and a V-10 from Lamborghini), but they have also stressed the importance of synthetic fuels.
Porsche is particularly bullish on synfuels (also called e-fuels) and has been working with Exxon at a Chilean facility.
Russ O’Blenes, director of the GM Motorsports Propulsion and Performance Team, has been named CEO of GM Performance Power Units LLC, a newly formed business that will build powertrains for the Cadillac Formula 1 Team. GM, GM
“Porsche is way ahead of everyone else on synthetic fuels in Chile, and a new factory in Texas,” said Cole Smith. “And they are running a race series in Europe on synthetic fuels. Synfuels are getting a lot of attention as the weight penalty for hybrid-electric systems is significant.”
Like its fellow motorsports manufacturers, Porsche must navigate an international marketplace where governments from China to Europe are banning fossil fuel-fired engines. Yet a ban on gasoline would shortchange the millions of owners who would see their residual vehicle values crater.
Synfuels could not only keep these cars running — but would also allow race series to avoid the inherent drawbacks of batteries compared to ICEs.
“Putting off the power unit development until 2029 will help alleviate stress on the program,” said Hagerty’s Cole Smith. “Cadillac F1 has a lot to do to make the grid in 2026.”
Another stress point alleviated involves tariffs. Though GM recently estimated the Trump administration’s tariffs could cost the company $5 billion in annual earnings, Reuss told reporters in Miami that tariffs would not impact GM’s F1 investment.
“We’re working very hard,” Reuss told Autosport. “There’s about $5 billion of impact for us (as a result of tariffs), but it’s not going to affect this project.”
Cadillac F1 and its American racing partner, TWG Motorsports, showcased the team’s new logo in a dramatic video introduction at Queen Miami Beach lounge in the historic Paris Theater.
Rumors had swirled that the event would debut the team’s car livery and a new driver, Sergio Perez. Neither happened (despite a sea of fans chanting Perez’s nickname, “Checo,” outside the venue), but the event still provided plenty of information about the F1 entry.
An image of a Cadillac F1 car as part of the team’s video introducing its logo at the 2025 Miami GP. GM, GM
The brand sees the world’s motorsport as a way to remake Cadillac’s catchphrase as the “standard of the world.” The F1 entry dovetails with Cadillac reinvention as an EV brand as it expands sales into global markets — including Europe, where Cadillac has opened a flagship Paris showroom.
The video liberally mixed images of Cadillac’s hallowed design past — 1950s tailfins and rocket-shaped taillights — with its electric design future and screaming F1 car. The video ended with the tag words BOLD, INNOVATIVE, RELENTLESS before the Cadillac F1 logo exclamation point.
Cadillac recently joined other F1 manufacturers at a V-10 engine summit in Bahrain, at the invitation of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, to discuss F1’s long-term vision.
GM and TWG are building a dedicated F1 engine facility in Charlotte under the direction of veteran powertrain guru Russ O’Blenes. Speaking of F1’s approval of Cadillac’s 2029 power unit timeline, O’Blenes said: “With this approval, we will continue to accelerate our efforts to bring an American-built F1 power unit to the grid.”
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Spring, split windows and supercars: Lingenfelter Collection opens doors for charity
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 6, 2025
April flowers bring May flowers and May flowers bring the Spring Open House at the Lingenfelter Collection in Brighton.
One of Michigan’s premier auto collections opens to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday to benefit the American Cancer Society. Donations are encouraged at the door, and in return visitors can ogle a cornucopia of rare automobiles from dragsters to Ferraris to historic Corvettes to the modified General Motors monsters that are the product of Lingenfelter Engineering.
“Its springtime here in Michigan (when) we get our cars out and really start enjoying them,” smiled collector Ken Lingenfelter, who is also CEO of Lingenfelter Engineering. “The American Cancer Society is a great charity, all the money goes where it’s supposed to go. We want people to come and get a look at the Lingenfelter Collection; we have about 160 cars.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Lingenfelter has been impacted personally by cancer, losing his father and sister to the disease.
“I think cancer has touched just about everybody. This is one way to help out,” he said in an interview. “The collection is not open to the public, so we just do charity fundraisers and corporate meetings and that keeps it special.”
One of the collection’s jewels is a so-called “split window” 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, a rare car in the Chevrolet model’s 72-year history that was only produced for one model year. The split window is so prized by collectors that a pair was the centerpiece of the New York Auto Show’s 125th anniversary display this April.
“(Chevy) only did it one year, and the next year they got rid of split in the window. It wasn’t looked on positively by the top of GM,” said Lingenfelter. “The designers and engineers really wanted it so they did it for a year, but that was it. So they are rare — but in addition to that, it’s just such a cool look. I saw my first one when I was 10 years old, and it turned me into a Corvette guy for life.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Both the Stingray badge and split window have become, over the years, a signature Corvette feature and are highlighted in the current, eighth-generation, mid-engine supercar. The base model is called a Stingray and the top-shelf, 1,064-horsepower ZR1 track beast has a split rear window.
The split window is also featured in the first electric Corvette concept tht was penned by Chevrolet’s London studio earlier this year. All in memory of the ‘63 OG.
Kept in a 40,00 square-foot warehouse, the Lingenfelter collection sprawls across three bays and 40,000 square feet. There’s an eclectic assortment of rare toys, including a re-creation of the first-generation 1954 Corvette Corvair Motorama Showcar, a juiced 2010 Pontiac Trans Am, two-door Nomad wagon, 215-mph Greenwood Corvette GTO, V8-powered 1974 AMC Gremlin (complete with Levi’s jeans interior), and nitrous-fed 2007 NHRA Nationals-winning Dodge Charger Funny Car dragster.
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Want a little Hollywood? Lingenfelter’s 2006 Pontiac Solstice sports car played the character “Jazz” in the 2007 sci-fi movie “Transformers.”
But in his heart, Lingenfelter is a Corvette fan with some 60 models of GM’s famed sports car in his collection. His passion was rewarded this year with a seat on the board of the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
“The Corvette Museum is such a jewel,” said Lingenfelter. “If you’re an auto enthusiast, it’s something you need to get on your bucket list. It covers the whole history of Corvette. There are some amazing cars built — and others that were designed but never built. The Father of the Corvette is Zora Arkus-Duntov, and there’s a big display of some of the ideas that he had.”
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
One of those ideas was the so-called “Duntov Mule” that is featured in Lingenfelter’s stable.
Only was made in 1954 as a test car. It was Chevy’s first V8-powered Corvette and boasts a 5.0-liter eight-holer under the hood, open cockpit, and shark fin for high speeds. The Mule hit 163 mph at GM’s Arizona Proving Grounds in 1955 in the hands of test ace Smokey Yunick.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Ford Mustang GTD scorches Nürburgring for another record lap
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 6, 2025
Like the Terminator, the Mustang GTD came back.
In August 2024, the 2025 Ford Mustang GTD became the first American-made production car to lap Germany’s famed 12.9-mile Nürburgring race track in under 7 minutes. Not satisfied, the Ford team said it would return for another go. Last month, Mustang’s 815-horsepower beast shattered its own 6.57.7 record by five seconds with a 6:52.1 minute lap.
The feat makes the Mustang GTD the fourth-fastest production sports car to ever lap the so-called Green Hell, trailing only the Porsche GT2 RS, Mercedes AMG GT Black Series and Porsche GT3 RS.
“We’re proud to be the first American automaker with a car that can lap the Nürburgring in under seven minutes, but we aren’t satisfied,” Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said last year after GTD’s first sub 7-minute lap. “We know there’s much more time to find with Mustang GTD. We’ll be back.”
The new time came as the halo Mustang — estimated to cost $325,000 — ramps up for production this spring for customer delivery. Improvements to the car over the August, 2024 test included updated powertrain calibration, chassis stiffening, refined aerodynamics, and reconfigured traction control for better acceleration out of Nürburgring’s corners.
The GTD’s 2024 achievement was celebrated at the New York Auto Show last week where the ultimate ‘Stang was featured in a special exhibit on the show floor detailing the car’s 2024 accomplishment. For its next stop, the display will have to be updated to reflect the new time. The high-speed, roller-coaster, 73-turn track is the benchmark for performance car testing with speeds cresting 180 mph for long stretches.
The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD recorded the fourth-fastest production sports car lap at Germany’s Nürburgring. Giles Jenkyn, Ford
Like last year, the Nürburgring lap was clocked by Ford pro-race driver Dirk Müller. Along with co-driver Joey Hand, Müller also piloted the Mustang GT3 — the race car version of the production GTD — in North America’s IMSA Weathertech Sportscar series. The pair placed 7th at the Detroit Gand Prix and 10th overall for the year.
The Mustang GT3 kicked off 2025 by winning the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona — following up on an impressive 2024 when it debuted internationally with a third-place finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.
The winged GTD monster validates Ford’s ambitions to compete against elite sports car brands including Porsche, Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Corvette. Ford will also be entering the top-rung prototype class in 2027 to compete for the overall world championship for the first time since the GT40 dominate Le Mans in the late 1960s.
The 2025 Ford Mustang GTD hits speeds upwards of 180 mph on its Nürburgring lap. Ford
“Motorsports is in Ford’s DNA, back to our founding,” said Ford in a press release. “Our vehicles are bred to race, because there’s nothing better than high-stakes competition with the best in the world for improving quality, reliability, and performance. No current Ford vehicle exemplifies this philosophy like the Mustang GTD.”
The GTD’s 2024 attempt was marred by inclement weather, a common issue in the remote Eifel Mountains where Nürburgring resides.
The lap time closed the gap to the lap times of the Mustang’s Porsche and Mercedes rivals, both of which compete against Ford (along with Chevrolet’s mid-engine Corvette) in the international GT3 class with race versions of their own supercars.
The Mustang GTD on display at last week’s New York Auto Show. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The supercharged 5.2-liter V-8 engine is similar to the mill in the last-generation, 760-horsepower Shelby Mustang GT500 but includes upgrades like a rear-mounted transmission, lightweight carbon-fiber driveshaft, dry-sump oil system and swan-neck rear wing for better downforce. The carbon-fiber-skinned GTD was developed by Ford’s Toronto-based racing partner Multimatic, which also developed the mid-engine Ford GT.
The lap record by a production hypercar is 6:29.1 set by the Formula 1-based Mercedes-AMG ONE. The outright lap record is held by the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo race car at 5.19.5.
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Payne: 2025 VW Golf GTI has it all (except a stick)
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 2, 2025
Summit Point, West Virginia — WAUUGGGGH! At West Virginia’s premier Summit Point Motorsports complex, I wrung the 2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI’s neck through the Jefferson Circuit’s technical Turn 2-3-4-5 complex. The V-dub proved remarkably poised for an oversized shoebox.
At $33K, GTI is an appetizer to an industry performance menu that includes $100K filet mignon steaks like the Porsche 911. But Golf is plenty filling. Savor its recipe of limited-slip front wheel-drive, 273 pound-feet of torque, intuitive steering. Yum.
This talk of food reminds me of a recent dinner conversation with friends that turned to cars.
“Which car should I buy?” asked a successful 27-year-old New Yorker at the table who was about to venture beyond the comfort of Gotham’s public transit system into the vast American frontier of personal transportation.
He wanted something peppy — but with good fuel economy. With utility — but not a cookie-cutter SUV. Stylish — but under $50,000. Around the table we went with suggestions:
BMW 3-series
Ford Mustang GT
Tesla Model 3
When the conversation came to me, I offered my stock response: a hot hatch. Specifically, Golf GTI/Golf R. The OGs.
Like their Honda Civic Si/Type R peers, the twin hotties have it all: fun-to-drive, 30 mpg, cargo utility, cool design, all for $33,000-$50,000. Affordable hot hatches are the Cade Cunninghams of autodom. They can do it all.
“I’ve heard those are really good,” our New York colleague commented.
I offered one caveat: the eighth-generation-and-a-half Golf GTI and Golf R are the first of the V-dub hot hatches to ditch the stick.
“I don’t need a manual transmission anyway,” he replied with a shrug.
But the other enthusiasts at the table went ashen.
A hot hatch without a stick shift?! Especially the sainted Golf GTI? Would Townsend be the same without a guitar? Picasso without a paint brush? Thor without a hammer?
For enthusiasts, GTI’s (and Golf R, which joined the lineup in 2012) stick shift was the straw that stirred the drink. Just as the stick is at the heart of rival pocket rockets like Civic Si, Acura Integra Type S, Subaru WRX, even the Johnny-come-lately to the segment, GR Corolla.
American consumers in particular coveted the stick, which made up a healthy 35-40% of sales in a car market that has few manual transmissions. But Europe, VW’s home market, has largely moved on from the stick shift with just 3% take. Just 3% in the land of Nürburgring? Was gibt?
VW explains that it is simply following economics — it makes little sense to offer a stick for one market in a small-volume car. And I suspect the brand’s move to electrification is a contributor as well. But this is no average small-volume car. Like the Mazda Miata (also available in stick) it’s the soul of the VW brand.
Even Porsche has flirted with ending the manual, but continues with the GT3 and T models. If GTI/R see a big drop-off in sales as buyers flee to Civic and Corolla (even sibling sedan Jetta GLI still offers a stick) expect the manual to return. Perhaps as a premium upgrade (see Mazda 3).
In the meantime, whether you are a hot hatch neophyte or a grizzled veteran, we’ll have to live with the seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission. The GTI and R are still a hoot.
Performance
WAUUUUGH! Back at Summit’s Jefferson Circuit, I warmed to GTI’s stick substitute — shift paddles behind the steering wheel to shift the dual-clutch automatic’s gears yourself.
Not as much fun to row — but quicker on the upshift so I could better maintain momentum. WHAP! I grabbed 4th gear on the back straight and — cresting 100 mph — the uphill, right-to-left Turn 13/14 complex came up in a hurry.
Stab the brakes. Downshift to third. The summer tires (standard on the Autobahn model) chirped as I stood the car on its nose. The magic of the GTI’s front, limited slip diff rotated the car and I shot out of the corner with all four tires squealing on to the front straight.
Want more capability? Opt for the 328-horse, all-wheel-drive Golf R — its hind legs augmented by a sophisticated twin clutch pack that can throw 100% of torque to the outside real wheel to rotate on a dime.
Utility
When the track day is done, GTI/Golf R will get you home in comfort. If I brought my three dinner pals along, they would have fit comfortably in the front and rear seats, the Golf’s square back design easy on the neck even for six-footers. Plenty of room in back for folding chairs and picnic food.
When the snow comes, just fold down the second-row sets and throw in four Blizzack winter tires to be mounted at, say, Belle Tire.
Design
The Golf bros are easy on the eyes. Like their Porsche and Audi stablemates, the hot hatch design is simple, timeless. I especially like the GTI’s five fog-light cluster — one on each front corner — a unique design trait. The higher-cost (by a whopping 15 grand) Golf R looks more blunt instrument with its gaping front air dams for better engine breathing — and cannon-sized quad pipes out back. For 2025, it even gets a new Black edition for added menace.
Open the door, however, and the Teutons offer similar, rich interiors with practical living space. New for its 2025 mid-cycle refresh, GTI gets a full red “eyebrow” across the fascia as well as a suite of standard features, including twin digital screens, 12.9 infotainment display, wireless phone apps, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot assist. Echoing the exterior, designers have opted for a simple, streamlined look devoid of volume/climate buttons, which will irk purists.
Again, GTI outdoes Golf R with intuitive, raised steering wheel buttons. Both vehicles sport voice commands so you can order changes like:
Hey, Volkswagen, change the temperature to 70 degrees.
The Germans even have a sense of humor.
“Hey, Volkswagen, tell me a joke,” I said.
“What has four legs and flies?” responded my tester. “Two birds.”
My favorite package? The base GTI S model dressed in Moonstone Grey with classic plaid seats and phone-dial wheels. It all makes for a compelling package that — like its hot hatch competitors — reaffirms GTI/Golf R as two of the best all-around players in the U.S. market.
Now, if we all just write lots of emails to VW urging they #SaveTheManual.
Next week: 2025 Toyota Corolla
2025 Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R
Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive (GTI) and all-wheel-drive (Golf R), five-passenger hot hatches
Price: $33,670, including $1,225 destination fee (GTI, $42,295 Autobahn model as tested); $48,325, including $1,225 destination fee (Golf R, $53,731 Black Edition as tested)
Powerplant: 2.0-liter turbo-4 cylinder
Power: 241 horsepower, 273 pound-feet of torque (GTI); 328 horsepower, 310 pound-feet of torque (Golf R)
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.5 seconds (GTI, Car and Driver); 4.0 seconds (Golf R, Car and Driver); top speed, 130 mph (GTI), 155 mph (Golf R)
Weight: 3,250 pounds (GTI, est.); 3,400 pounds (Golf R, est.)
Fuel economy: EPA, 25 mpg city/34 highway/28 combined (GTI); 25 mpg city/34 highway/28 combined (Golf R)
Report card
Highs: Superb chassis control; premium, utilitarian, digital interiors
Lows: Golf R gets pricey; no stick shift
Overall: 3 stars
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.
Stick shift, RIP: Enthusiast icon VW Golf GTI latest to ditch the manual
Posted by Talbot Payne on May 1, 2025
Reston, Virginia — Et tu, GTI?
The manual transmission-operated automobile has shrunk to a niche, performance market in recent years as automatic transmissions have been favored by customers for their ease of use — and by manufacturers for their favorable fuel economy rating to meet tightening government carbon-dioxide emissions regulations.
But now even performance vehicles are ditching the stick. Case in point: the Volkswagen Golf GTI, a pioneer in the affordable hot-hatch segment and a vehicle that thousands of manual enthusiasts cut their teeth on since the compact Golf’s hellion model was introduced to the United States in 1983.
The 2025 VW Golf GTI (left) and Golf R ditch the stick. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
For the 2025 model year, the $33,670 GTI (and its sister, all-wheel-drive, $48,325 stablemate, the Golf R, introduced in 2012) will no longer have a manual option. Only a 7-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission will be on offer. The GTI/Golf R follows the Mini Cooper (and its John Cooper Works performance variant) hatchback in closing out a manual option this year.
“Our American buyers hold the stick in high regard,” said Petar Danilovic, VW’s North America senior vice president for marketing and strategy. “About 35-40% of GTI sales are manual. But it’s not as popular in Europe, where the take rate is only about 3%.”
Sky-high $7-a-gallon gas prices and onerous emissions standards have tempered Europeans’ enthusiasm for manual gearboxes.
“Increasing emissions standards have made it very difficult to manufacture manuals,” added Danilovic at VW’s North American headquarters in Reston. “We tried to keep it as long as possible here in the North American region because we have this enthusiast fan base here. At a certain point we said: OK, we’d rather invest more in the car (for example) in the engine on the Golf R.” For 2025, the Golf R extracts 13 extra horsepower from its 2.0-liter turbo-4 cylinder engine.
The 2025 VW Golf GTI offers only a 7-speed automatic transmission after 50 years in the market with a manual option. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Anticipating the manual’s demise, Golf GTI and Golf R sales jumped by 48.6% and 29.6%, respectively, last year as American buyers snapped up the last of the manuals.
Danilovic noted that the automatic hot hatches have a manual mode operated by steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles. And buyers can still get a six-speed manual in the Golf’s performance cousin, the Jetta GLI sedan. Jetta is made in Mexico while the Golf GTI/Golf R is produced in Germany.
Auto enthusiast and auto analyst Karl Brauer of iSeeCars said that once multi-speed automatic transmissions outpaced manuals in fuel economy, the writing was on the wall for the stick as a mass-volume gearbox.
“There is no justification for a manual today except as an enthusiast car,” said the California-based analyst, who once drove a manual BMW M3 but now prefers an automatic BMW 330i when slogging through Los Angeles traffic. “On fuel economy, on useability, an automatic is superior. Nearly every major city now has traffic issues, and automatics are less frustrating to drive for most people.”
The 2024 VW Golf GTI was the last model year of the hot hatch to get a manual transmission. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
He was puzzled, however, as to why Volkswagen would give up on the manual for the GTI and Golf R — especially as they were targeted at American enthusiasts as they only Golf trim available to the U.S. market since the 2022 model year.
“Brands like Mazda (Mazda 3 and Miata MX-5), Subaru (WRX) and Ford (Mustang) will continue to make manuals as long as people want them,” Brauer said. “Their buyers are a passionate audience. Enthusiast brands will be more than happy to see VW exiting the market because that means more customers for them.”
Volkswagen also has made no secret about its intent to go all-electric by the middle of next decade as governments from the European Union to California phase out the sale of internal combustion engines. Single-speed electric vehicles do not have traditional gearboxes to build engine torque.
To that end, Volkswagen has said that the current, eighth-generation, internal combustion engine Golf will be the brand’s last with the first electric GTI, likely to be called the Volkswagen ID.GTI, arriving in 2026.
V-dub head of design Andreas Mindt previewed the coming electric hot hatch in an Instagram post in 2023 with the caption: “The Golf GTI was first unveiled at the 1975 Frankfurt Motor Show with a production run of 5,000 units. To date, we have sold more than 2.8 million. In 2026, we will introduce an electric version of this iconic model.”
The 2025 Honda Civic Si is affordable at $31k – and fun to drive. Henry Payne, The Detroit News
According to enthusiast publication Car and Driver, there are nearly 400 car models in the United States and 24 of those have a manual gearbox option. All but two of those manuals are performance focused — the Mazda 3 and Nissan Versa being the exceptions. Two others — the BMW Z4 and Toyota Supra — are due to be discontinued after the 2026 model year, further paining the #SaveTheManual movement.
The $18,330 Versa, like entry-level vehicles of the past, offers its stick only in base trim. However, the wee Nissan, currently the most affordable car in the U.S. market, will be discontinued after the 2025 model year. Also an entry-level compact, the Mazda 3 offers its stick shift as an upgrade on its Premium trim front-wheel-drive models.
Brauer said offering the stick as an upscale option will help preserve the manual going forward.
“Look at the Porsche 911 GT3 and Carrera T and 2024 Aston Martin Valour,” Brauer said of recent high-priced offerings. “They are low volume, aimed at enthusiasts, and will demand a premium — and high residual value — given their low production numbers.”
2025 model year manuals in U.S.
- Acura Integra/Integra Type S
- BMW M2
- BMW M3
- BMW M4
- BMW Z4
- Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing
- Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing
- Ford Mustang GT/Dark Horse
- Honda Civic Si/Type R
- Hyundai Elantra N
- Lotus Emira
- Mazda 3
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Nissan Versa
- Nissan Z
- Porsche 718 Boxster/Cayman
- Porsche 911T/GT3
- Subaru BRZ
- Subaru WRX
- Toyota GR86
- Toyota GR Corolla
- Toyota GR Supra
- Volkswagen Golf GTI/Golf R
- Volkswagen Jetta GLI
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.