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Ford vs. Everyone: Automaker opens new chapter at Daytona with Mustang GT3/GTD supercar

Posted by Talbot Payne on February 2, 2024

Daytona Beach — Standing in front of the lean, mean Mustang GT3 racing machine in the Ford Motor Co. garage at Daytona International Raceway, Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. recounted his ah-ha moment when he realized Mustang could take on the world.

“I was in Dubai in November 2014 as part of our international tour announcing that we were taking the sixth-generation Mustang global,” Ford said over the cacophony of race mechanics preparing the GT3 for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. “After our announcement, I was swarmed by passionate Mustang owners wearing Mustang jackets and shorts from Eastern Europe and the Middle East — countries that we didn’t even sell in it yet! That’s what Mustang is about. We want to re-ignite people’s love affair with cars.”

It was hard to understate the size of Ford’s ambition at this year’s 24 Hours of Daytona, the launch of the international sportscar racing season.

Bill Ford Jr. (left) with Mustang GT3 driver Dirk Müller inside the Ford garage at the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Müller and his teammates would take the Mustang to first place in class in its race debut before mechanical problems se them back.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

If 1966 was Ford v Ferrari, then 2024 is Ford v Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, Aston Martin Mercedes, Acura, Corvette McLaren. To borrow a Detroit mantra, Ford vs. Everybody.

Ford’s big guns were all here. Its executive chairman was in the pits (shades of Henry the Deuce at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hour) and working the crowd at the Ford infield display; its ground-shaking V8-powered race car was pounding around the track, and its 800-plus horsepower, bi-wing, $300,000 Mustang GTD supercar was the most outrageous car in an infield midway that showcased everything from BMWs to ‘Vettes to the Lamborghini Revuelto.

“Of course, we’re racing in the international GT3 class. We’re the world’s best-selling sportscar,” smiled Mustang marketing guru Jim Owens when asked why Mustang was mixing it up with six-figure, luxury brand cars like Porsche 911, McLaren 720S and Aston Martin Vantage.

FOrd Mutang at Rolex 24. #64: Ford Multimatic Motorsports, Ford Mustang GT3, GTD PRO: Harry Tincknell, Mike Rockenfeller, Christopher Mies. Courtesy of IMSA

Ford Mutang at Rolex 24. #64: Ford Multimatic Motorsports, Ford Mustang GT3, GTD PRO: Harry Tincknell, Mike Rockenfeller, Christopher Mies. Courtesy of IMSA

But the GTD betrays Ford’s larger goal: it wants to prove it can make cars every bit as capable as European supercars even as it sells in much greater volume in 144 countries worldwide.

The GTD is based on the GT3 race car, but doesn’t have to conform to IMSA racing regulations that regulate horsepower and suspension technology in order to maintain a balance of performance between competitors, encourage close competition, and keep costs down. Whereas the GT3 race car is limited to 495 horsepower, the GTD’s supercharged V-8 pumps out a healthy 880 horses while also boasting active suspension and aerodynamic tricks outlawed in endurance racing.

“It’ll turn similar lap times as the Mustang GT3 race car,” said Larry Holt, chief technical officer for Multimatic that builds both the GTD and the race car.

The GTD is aimed squarely at the Porsche 911 GT3 RS’s 6:44.8-minute lap around the Nürburgring race track in Germany. Thirteen miles long with 154 turns, the high-speed Nürburgring is the world’s most formidable race track and the benchmark for production car performance.

Ford Mustang marketing guru Jim Owens talks about the Ford GTD with Rick Jeffrey, 63, of San Francisco at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

Ford Mustang marketing guru Jim Owens talks about the Ford GTD with Rick Jeffrey, 63, of San Francisco at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“We’re aiming for a sub-seven minute lap,” said Mark Rushbrook, Ford Performance chief, of the lap time few production missiles have ever achieved.

That’s impressed Dr. Brett Rosenberg, 49, of Jupiter Florida, who circled the GTD at the Ford display. Rosenberg owns a garage-full of Porsche sportscars including a 2019 GT3 RS and is well aware that that GTD is going to Nürburgring to challenge Porsche. Orders for the limited edition GTD will soon open and Rosenberg may apply.

“The Mustang GT3 looks cool and it’s American. I want to support American brands,” he said. “The Porsches are good because they are fast and they don’t break. They race the same engine that they put in their production cars. You have to have that.”

Mustang owners and race fans Kevin Clabert, 44, of New Orleans (right) and Rick Jeffrey, 63, from San Francisco (left) pose with the new Ford Mustang GT3 race car at the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.
Mustang owners and race fans Kevin Clabert, 44, of New Orleans (right) and Rick Jeffrey, 63, from San Francisco (left) pose with the new Ford Mustang GT3 race car at the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Kevin Clabert, 44, of New Orleans also came to the busy Ford display to ogle the GTD. A Ford collector, he owns everything from a 1926 Model T to a 1965 Shelby Mustang to a mid-engine 2020 Ford GT. He’s impressed with the GTD.

“Henry Ford could never have imagined cars like this,” said Clabert. “But if were alive today, he would love it because he was a visionary.”

The $300,000 GTD is a far cry from the $43,305, V8-powered Mustang that sells in dealerships. But Rick Jeffrey, 63, of San Francisco still sees it as a logical extension of the brand.

“Mustang has raced since its founding in 1965,” said Jeffrey, who met up with Clabert and other car pals from around the country for the Rolex 24. “They were successful in Trans Am, and this shows they can compete with the world’s best.”

The OG. A 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 on display at the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona was the first Mustang to go racing.

The OG. A 1965 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 on display at the 2024 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona was the first Mustang to go racing. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

That the Blue Oval can sell a Mustang to such a broad demographic pf customer — from blue bloods to blue collars — is a rare feat in autodom. It was reinforced by the hundreds of people who jammed the Ford booth, from moms and dads pushing baby strollers to successful, gray-haired businessmen. In the middle of the scrum was Bill Ford Jr..

His great grandfather, Henry Ford, first attracted investors by winning the 1901 Sweepstakes race in Gross Pointe. Sixty-five years later, Ford beat Ferrari on the world’s biggest sportscar stage, the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hour. Now, another 58 years on, Ford’s third act is elevating its Mustang icon to take on the world’s greatest GT race cars.

The result has been a re-igniting of Mustang performance. Call it Ford Racing 3.0.

“Maybe the GTD is the car that inspires you to buy your first Mustang,” said Mustang GTD product manager Greg Goodall. “Mustang is a family. This car is part of that story and expands the family.”

Out on track, the Mustang GT3 ace car thundered down the straightaways, its distinctive V-8 soundtrack bouncing off Daytona high backings. After qualifying deep in the grid, the Ford Performance factory cars charged into the top five after four hours of racing.

The Ford Mustang GT3s were mobbed by fans at the pre-race grid walk at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

The Ford Mustang GT3s were mobbed by fans at the pre-race grid walk at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

When Ford Performance boss Mark Rushbrook took over in 2014, the division was a company backwater with eight employees largely devoted to marketing. But CEO Jim Farley and Executive Chairman Ford had a a plan.

“They said: ‘we want to win Le Mans,’” said Rushbrook of the famed 24-hour French race. “That’s all they needed to say.”

In the the last decade, he has expanded Ford Performance to 100 employees. Initially, the goal was winning Le Mans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Ford’s historic win over Ferrari. But that was only the beginning, as Ford Performance is now integrated into the company — dedicated to producing Mustang and Bronco racing machines to sell to customers in track and off-road racing.

That has also meant a big expansion of its relationship with Toronto-based Multimatic — one of the world’s premier race shops that also builds the Porsche Penske 963 that won the Rolex 24 at Daytona this year. That partnership has churned out 60 GT4 racing Mustangs in recent years and now Multimatic’s Charlotte race shop has the capacity to make 40 GT3 racers a year for racing as diverse as the WEC in Europe, Bathurst in Australia, and IMSA in North America.

The Ford Mustang GT3 race car and Mustang GTD production car together at the Ford display at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The GTD is a production car based on the GT3 but without any racing restrictions on horsepower, suspension and aerodynamics.

The Ford Mustang GT3 race car and Mustang GTD production car together at the Ford display at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. The GTD is a production car based on the GT3 but without any racing restrictions on horsepower, suspension and aerodynamics. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The crowing jewel is the GTD monster.

“This proves to customers what Ford is capable of,” said Ford’s Owens, who spent the weekend shuffling between the Ford garage, display, Mustang Club corral, and grid walks ahead of the Rolex 24.

Fans mobbed Ford’s Mustangs on the grid. IMSA says that its 62nd running of the Rolex 24 attracted recod attendance. Credit that, in part, to the siren song of the Detroit V-8.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne

Detroit at Daytona: Penske wins, Cadillac second, Ford vs. Vette, Pitt films

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 29, 2024

Daytona Beach — Roger Penske won his second Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on Sunday, leading a Motor City onslaught on the Super Bowl of American sportscar racing.

Team Penske’s #7 Porsche 963 GTP racer beat the #31 Whelan Cadillac GTP of Ganassi Racing to the line by just two seconds after 24 hours of nail-biting racing, with the two top dogs swapping the lead multiple times.

2024 Rolex 24 Horus of Daytona had it all from 11 automakers, Mustang vs. Corvette battle, a record nine female drivers and 15 IndyCar drivers; even Brad Pitt was there in a racing suit shooting a movie.

Victory: #7: Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963, GTP: Matt Campbell, Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron, Josef Newgarden, podium. Courtesy of IMSA. Michael L. Levitt, LAT Images

The Rolex 24 set an attendance record, with the biggest crowd in its 62-year history. Here are the highlights:

Penske leads the D in the D. The last time “The Captain,” 86, won a Daytona 24-Hour race was in 1969 when he was just 32 years old.

Emotional after the race, he was nonetheless typically understated. “This was a good win for us, now we have to go win Le Mans.” Le Mans, in the heart of France, is the world’s most prestigious endurance race and one of the rare baubles not in Penske’s trophy case.

For Porsche, it was the 19th time they’ve been atop the Role 24 podium, a record. That number equals the number of wins Penske has at the Indy 500. Josef Newgarden, the IndyCar ace who won his first Indy 500 last year for Bloomfield Hills-based Team Penske, was on the four-man team that won the Daytona 24 Hour. Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell and Felipe Nasir rounded out the lineup, with the latter bringing the red-and-white Porsche across the finish line after a sterling duel with Cadillac driver Tom Blomqvist, who won the race a year ago for Acura.

The Captain in Victory Circle: #7: Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963, GTP: Matt Campbell, Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron, Josef Newgarden, podium, Roger Penske, NBC. Courtesy of IMSA

The Captain in Victory Circle: #7: Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963, GTP: Matt Campbell, Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron, Josef Newgarden, podium, Roger Penske, NBC. Courtesy of IMSA Michael L. Levitt, LAT Images

“To see Roger in tears, this means a lot. It’s very special, and congratulations to Porsche, it was a team effort,” said Newgarden, one of 15 IndyCar drivers in the highly competitive 59-car field.

The Porsche Penske win was hard-earned over the #31 Cadillac that Pipo Derani had put on the pole, smashing the track record by two seconds. Porsche entered four GTP prototype cars in the contest — two from Team Penske — but it was the #7 that kept up with the Caddy’s torrid pace from the start. The two hybrid-V8-powered machines never ran into serious reliability problems — even as their BMW and Acura competitors struggled with bugs.

Ford vs. Corvette. Detroit’s two most famous muscle cars squared off in the GT class for the first time with all-new GT3 cars that the brands now offer for sale to customer racing teams across the globe. Corvette fielded two factory-backed teams managed by New Hudson’s Pratt & Miller, plus two private entries from AWA. Mustang fielded two factory Ford Performance teams and one private entry from Proton Competition.

Ford MUstang at Rolex 24. #64: Ford Multimatic Motorsports, Ford Mustang GT3, GTD PRO: Harry Tincknell, Mike Rockenfeller, Christopher Mies, pit stop. Courtesy of IMSA

Ford Mustang at Rolex 24. #64: Ford Multimatic Motorsports, Ford Mustang GT3, GTD PRO: Harry Tincknell, Mike Rockenfeller, Christopher Mies, pit stop. Courtesy of IMSA Michael L. Levitt, LAT Images

In anticipation of the Detroit face-off, the Rolex 24’s official T-shirt featured the Mustang and Corvette.

The Mustangs qualified well down in the field, but it didn’t take long for them to find race pace with the #65 car at the hands of veteran Joey Hand spearing through the field of Lamborghinis, Porsches and Ferraris early on. Four hours into the race at sunset, the GT competition was a Detroit shootout with the #65 Mustang running first and the Pratt & Miller Corvettes just seconds behind in third and fourth.

Crovette at Rolex 24. #4: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, Corvette Z06 GT3.R, GTD PRO: Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Earl Bamber, pit stop. Courtesy of IMSA

Corvette at Rolex 24. #4: Corvette Racing by Pratt Miller Motorsports, Corvette Z06 GT3.R, GTD PRO: Tommy Milner, Nicky Catsburg, Earl Bamber, pit stop. Courtesy of IMSA Michael L. Levitt, LAT Images

Alas, the night would not be kind to the Motown muscle entrants. One of the Corvettes punted the sister #64 Ford Performance Mustang while under caution, sending it careening into the Proton Mustang, forcing the latter to retire with heavy damage. The #64 soldiered on, but many laps down. Before noon on Sunday, mechanical issues had befallen all of the Detroit GT competitors, with the #65 Mustang and both AWA Corvettes joining the Proton Mustang behind the wall.

The #3 Corvette finished fifth in class, the #64 Mustang sixth and the #3 Corvette eighth.

Brad Pitt. The American heartthrob has been a fixture in Daytona Beach for the last two weeks, shooting scenes for his new racing movie, tentatively titled “Apex.” On Saturday night, he was in pit lane, filming footage. Pitt’s character is reportedly a veteran sportscar racer coaching an up-and-coming Formula One driver. Pitt attracted plenty of attention along pit lane, but so did Patrick Long (the legendary, ex-Penske Porsche racer who won Daytona in 2009 and is featured in the film) and Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who has produced classics like “Top Gun, “Flashdance” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

The movie crew also had cameras in the #120 Porsche GT entry and a paddock garage full of movie cars in similar livery.

Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona: Brad Pitt (in driver's suit) filming in the pits.

Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona: Brad Pitt (in driver’s suit) filming in the pits. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Funky trunk. Racing programs are key to technology transfer as production vehicles learn from the abuse race cars take over 24 hours of motor racing at the limit. But the Mustang GT3 could learn from the production Mustang on keeping its trunk shut.

Both Ford Mustang Performance factory cars had to take early pit stops after their rear bonnets shredded. Faulty rear pins were to blame.

Cadillac thunder. “I’m an audio geek,” said General Motors Co.’s director of performance and racing propulsion, Russell O’Blenes, and the Cadillac GTP car was proof. The 5.0-liter overhead-cam 670-horsepower beast could be heard all around the Daytona tri-oval, and that’s by design. Even as it revved to 8,800 rpm like a Ferrari, the big bopper had the low baritone of a classic GM V-8.

Record crowds at Rolex 24 Daytona swarm the grid.

Record crowds at Rolex 24 Daytona swarm the grid. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“We want the race car to have as close a correlation to the customer as possible,” he said as the Caddy thundered by on Daytona’s high banking. “And the customer passion for V-8s is incredible.”

“He doesn’t sleep.” So said Porsche Motorsport chief Urs Kuratle of the ageless Roger Penske when Porsche Penske first partnered last year at Daytona. The 86-year-old is renowned in the IMSA paddock for being awake for the entire 24-hour race in the team’s paddock command center. “The man is a national treasure,” smiled veteran AP racing correspondent Jenna Fryer.

The Super Bowl (of racing). Daytona International Speedway’s mile-long main grandstand and stadium would make the NFL proud. Built in 1958 for $15 million, the 10-story, 100,000-seat structure was renovated 10 years ago for $400 million with state-of-the-art corporate suites and tech.

The checkered flag. #7: Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963, GTP: Matt Campbell, Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron, Josef Newgarden, Checkered Flag. Courtesy of IMSA

The checkered flag. #7: Porsche Penske Motorsports, Porsche 963, GTP: Matt Campbell, Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron, Josef Newgarden, Checkered Flag. Courtesy of IMSA  Michael L. Levitt, LAT Images

On the seventh floor, a massive data system crunches nine terabytes of data during the Rolex 24, monitoring everything from the 59-car entry’s tire pressures to engine torque to make sure the racing is fair.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

The D at the D: Daytona 24 Hours attracts Detroit’s top race teams from Ford to GM to Penske

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 29, 2024

Daytona Beach, Florida — The Detroit Lions have their eye on winning a Super Bowl. Detroit’s biggest automotive names have their eyes on winning the Super Bowl of American sportscar racing.

Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford and Penske are in Daytona Beach this weekend for the 62nd running of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona — the first race on the highly-competitive IMSA Weathertech Sportscar calendar. The series has become a must for international performance brands putting their thoroughbreds against the best in the world — while testing their equipment over 24 hours at over 200 mph on Daytona’s icon roval (road course combined with NASCAR oval).

Like the football Super Bowl, the epic Rolex 24 attracts a who’s who of drivers from IndyCar, Formula One, and even celebrity Brad Pitt, who will be capturing footage for his new racing movie.

Proton is the first private entry of the Ford Mustang GT3 at Daytona. Wes Duenkel

Cadillac’s GTP hybrid prototypes swept the front row of qualifying last weekend and will be carrying the American flag against foreign rivals from Acura, BMW and Porsche. The latter is partnered with Roger “The Captain” Penske, the Bloomfield Hills-based team owner seeking his second Daytona 24 win to go with his chart-topping 19 Indy 500 victories. Team Penske partners with Chevrolet in IndyCar, but for international sportscar racing, it has teamed with the most successful sportscar team in motorsport. Porsche’s 23 Daytona wins is unmatched.

But for all the firepower at the front of the grid, the rivalry that many in the Motor City will be watching is in the GT class as Corvette and Mustang go head-to-head for the first time in the GT class.

Both brands have embraced new rules by the North American IMSA series and international World Endurance Championship that have standardized GT3 racing qualifications across the world. Manufacturers can sell their race cars to private teams in multiple international series.

The Corvette Z06 GT3.R and Mustang GT3 will debut for the first time in Daytona. They will not only be racing each other but also GT3 entries from a who’s who of manufacturers including Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin, McLaren, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, and Acura.

Corvette Racing at Daytona 24 Hour.

Corvette Racing at Daytona 24 Hour. Richard Prince Richard@rprincephoto.com

Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley — who once famously trash-talked General Motors Co. saying “I’m going to beat Chevrolet on the head with a bat, and I’m going to enjoy it” — downplayed the matchup. “Of course we want to beat them, but it really is chalk and cheese,” he said in an interview of the production sportscars aimed at different demographics.

Ford sells its Mustang production car in 144 countries and the GT3 program is an avenue to appeal to consumers as well as make money on race program by selling the $800,000 beasts to customer teams. As the industry homogenizes under single-powertrain, electric vehicle mandates, racing V8-fired cyborgs like the Mustang and Corvette helps maintain brand identity.

Under IMSA’s Balance of Performance rules, the two race cars — only required to share a chassis with production cars — will be evenly matched on track and will each feature thundering, crowd-pleasing V-8s.

The Mustang GT3, built by Multimatic’s race shop in Charlotte, brings to the dogfight a ferocious-looking machine with a rear wing the size of a Boeing 737. The factory team will field two cars featuring veteran drivers like Joey Hand and Dirk Müller — who teamed on a historic victory for the mid-engine Ford GT at the 2016 Le Mans on the 50th anniversary of the marque’s first Le Mans win. A customer car entered by Proton Competition will also be on the grid.

Cadillac Racing celebrates pole by No. 31 driven by Pipo Derani at the Rolex 24. Lauren Klauser, GM sportscar racing chief, is at right.

Cadillac Racing celebrates pole by No. 31 driven by Pipo Derani at the Rolex 24. Lauren Klauser, GM sportscar racing chief, is at right. Richard Prince Richard@rprincephoto.com

“We are the underdogs against the Ferrari and Porsche teams that have a lot of experience in IMSA racing,” said Farley. “But we want to sustain this for decades and we have a real chance to challenge the European elite. We have a chance to be one of the great brands.”

For its part, Corvette will bring four new Corvette Z06 GT3.R race cars to the dance — two fielded by the factory-backed, Pratt Miller Motorsports team out of New Hudson — and two from privateer AWA.

A total of 36 GT cars will roll of the grid at 1:40 p.m. Saturday for the grueling overnight race.

Leading the field will be defending champion Action Express Racing’s #31 Whelen Engineering Cadillac V-Series.R GTP hybrid, whose ace driver Pipo Derani smashed the track record by two seconds in qualifying.

Porsche 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport (#6), Mathieu Jaminet (F), Nick Tandy (UK), Laurens Vanthoor (B), Kevin Estre (F) on the banking at Daytona.

Porsche 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport (#6), Mathieu Jaminet (F), Nick Tandy (UK), Laurens Vanthoor (B), Kevin Estre (F) on the banking at Daytona.HZ, Porsche / Juergen Tap

“The change in the past year is massive. The development has been tremendous,” said Derani, who won the first championship of the hybrid era last year. The hybrid prototype cars have allowed manufacturers to race with trendy electric motors favored by governments while still pleasing fans with high horsepower V-8s.

To bring home the connection between racing and production, the new 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing sedan will pace the field the the green flag — its 668-horsepower V-8 putting out the same power as the prototype hellions behind it.

Auto races have become major consumer competition for events like the Detroit auto show, with manufacturers at Daytona mirroring their GT race cars with displays of production cars on the infield midway. GM, for example will have Cadillac and Corvette displays.

Team Penske’s partnership nearly bore fruit last year, with the Porsche Penske 963 in contention with Cadillac for the season title right down to the season finale at Road Atlanta.

“Our main focus will be on reliability, which was a problem for us last year,” Urs Kuratle, Porsche director of factory GTP racing, said in an interview.

Porsche will bring four 963 prototypes to the the grid — two Porsche Penske factory entries and two with private teams, JDC Miller and Proton. The #7 Porsche Penske 963 will lead the way, qualifying third behind an all-Cadillac front row with Felipe Nasr, Dane Cameron, Matt Campbell, and Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden behind the wheel.

Mustang GT3 on the Daytona banking.

Mustang GT3 on the Daytona banking. Ford, Ford

Newgarden’s presence is testament to the star power that Daytona brings as the world’s best drivers — from every motorsport — convene to add the classic to their trophy case.

In addition to Newgarden, resigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou, IndyCar racer and 2023 GTP winner Tom Blomqvist, and six-time IndyCar champ Scott Dixon will be behind the wheel of Cadillac GTP cars.

Other IndyCar divers in the field include Colton Herta (Acura GTP), Alexander Rossi (McLaren GT), Romain Grosjean (Lamborghini GT), Katherine Legge (Acura GT), Scott McLaughlin, Pato O’Ward and Felix Rosenqvist in LMP2 prototype cars (less powerful than the GTPs), and Marcus Ericsson — winner of the 2022 Indy 500 — will be at the wheel of the Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Acura GTP. Also racing are Ex-Formula One stars Jenson Button (Acura GTP), Felipe Massa (LMP2) and Eddie Cheever (Lamborghini GT).

“I’m very excited to return to Daytona after competing with the team in 2022. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of the new hybrid,” said Spaniard Palou.

Porsche 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport (#7), driven by Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden.

Porsche 963, Porsche Penske Motorsport (#7), driven by Indy 500 winner Josef Newgarden. HZ, Porsche / Juergen Tap

If that’s not enough star power, then keep an eye out for Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt, who is filming a Formula One-themed movie (rumored to be titled “Apex”). The plot line involves Pitt as an aging Rolex 24 driver who mentors an F1 rookie. The #120 Wright Motorsport Porsche GT will have a camera on board shooting footage.

A total of 10 GTP cars will line up at the tip of the spear Saturday. Thirteen more LMP2 cars will follow along with the huge GT field for total entry of 59 cars, making for a very busy 24 hours as prototypes make their way through the slower GT field.

The Rolex 24 at Daytona goes green at 1:40 p.m. Saturday with race broadcast partners NBC, USA Network and Peacock sharing airtime across the 24-hour Super Bowl of racing.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Mustang at 60: The last muscle car standing doubles down on racing

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 29, 2024

As Ford Motor Co.’s Mustang stands as the last traditional American muscle car, the automaker is hoping to be among the last standing and first to cross the finish line this weekend at the International Motor Sports Association’s Rolex 24 race at Daytona in Florida.

For the first time since 2019, the storied nameplate returns to the 24-hour race on Saturday with its first Mustang GT3 going up against the world’s best from the likes of Porsche, Ferrari and Corvette. It kicks off a major year for the automaker in racing as it seeks to grow the vehicle’s notoriety and international appeal. Plus, it’s the 60th anniversary of the first pony car.

Mustang GT3 is Ford Multimatic Motorsports entry in GTD Pro for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The vehicle qualified in the Roar Before The Rolex 24. Le Mans winners Joey Hand and Dirk Müller are joined by Frédéric Vervisch racing in No. 65.

Mustang GT3 is Ford Multimatic Motorsports entry in GTD Pro for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The vehicle qualified in the Roar Before The Rolex 24. Le Mans winners Joey Hand and Dirk Müller are joined by Frédéric Vervisch racing in No. 65. Courtesy Of Wes Duenkel For Ford Motor Co.

It all comes after General Motors Co. ended production of the Chevrolet Camaro and Stellantis NV ended production of the Dodge Charger and Challenger last month with greenhouse-gas emission and fuel-economy regulations pushing automakers to adopt cleaner vehicles. With the Chevrolet Corvette mainly a sports car, that leaves Mustang as the last in the traditional muscle-car segment, and Ford is betting on capitalizing off that.

“You’re going to attract that person who wants that American V-8, that muscle car, and we’ll welcome them with open arms and make them part of the family,” said Joe Bellino, Mustang brand manager. “But then it’s tricky, right? Because you’ll have people who really love other brands and might not want to come over here, so that’s what we are focusing on this year: How do we attract a different buyer.”

Bellino says the automaker thinks it has the solution in its seventh-generation coupe. More tech savvy than ever, the vehicle features an electronic parking drift brake, a driver-centric cockpit with tilted screens, greater customization, video game-style animations for changing drive modes and the ability to switch exhaust modes.

“You might think the segment’s dying,” Bellino said, “but it’s really expanding for us, and we can take advantage of this of this opportunity.”

The 2024 Mustang offers the more sophisticated technology of the seventh-generation pony car.

The 2024 Mustang offers the more sophisticated technology of the seventh-generation pony car. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co.

Mustang burst to the scene in 1964, with Ford delivering more than 400,000 that first year. The 1 millionth Mustang was sold within the first two years. After debuting the seventh-generation at the 2022 Detroit auto show, Mustang’s U.S. sales rose 2.2% last year to less than 50,000 vehicles.

Still, there’s arguably no other nameplate more ubiquitous with the Blue Oval, and CEO Jim Farley said earlier this month there’s no plans to pull in the reins.

“Sixty years, and it’s changed over time,” he said at a Ford Performance event earlier this month. “We have EcoBoost, we have the Dark Horse now, and we’re going to continue to invest, and if we’re the only one on the planet making a V-8 affordable sports car for everyone in the world, so be it.”

An early 1965 Mustang convertible. The first edition of Ford's pony car was a runaway sales hit.

An early 1965 Mustang convertible. The first edition of Ford’s pony car was a runaway sales hit.. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co.

That’s sure to make Mustang’s 8.2 million Facebook followers and more than 500 car clubs globally happy.

Kyle Markland, 23, was raised in Long Island, New York, and is a third-generation Ford owner after his father and grandfather, with each getting a little bit faster. His grandfather owned a Galaxie 500, his father a Mustang GT convertible and Kyle’s first ‘Stang is a fire-breathing 2020 GT tricked out with Performance Package and aftermarket Roush exhaust, grille and RTR wheels.

“I’m a V-8 guy,” said Markland, who moved to Detroit to work in the auto industry, where he’s gotten a front seat to how integrated Mustang is with the Dearborn automaker’s identity. “I like the sound and power. You get a lot of performance for not a lot of money.”

The 2015 Mustang GT celebrated the nameplate's 50th anniversary with a special edition.
The 2015 Mustang GT celebrated the nameplate’s 50th anniversary with a special edition. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co

It’s not just Mustang owners who feel love for the brand. Its status as an icon has been cemented in popular culture in music and films like “Bullitt” and “Ford v Ferrari,” which tells the story of the Shelby Mustang.

Mustang licensed merchandise is the second most popular for Ford behind the blue oval, attracting collaborations like the one launched in December with Spanish multinational retailer Zara. The brand represents 25% of the automaker’s merchandise sales even as they have risen 23% year-over-year and 56% since 2019.

The Mustang Lego set is the most popular item, followed by pieces like the red Mustang hoodie and the tribar vintage T-shirt. There are even Mustang-branded barstools available.

“There’s just that authenticity to it, but also connection to family members,” said Maria Turner, Ford’s senior manager of global brand licensing and merchandising. “You have a lot of 18-to-20-year-old sons who are in the garage with a grandpa working on the Mustang. It’s that really deep, visceral connection that they have with the brand, because it’s been passed down from generation to generation.

“And it’s just a cultural icon, so they see it in movies, they see it in video games, they see it on the racetrack, and they really connect with that brand because it’s been in their life.”

The 1976 Ford Mustang II Cobra was part of a pony car generation downsized amid rising fuel prices and shortages.

The 1976 Ford Mustang II Cobra was part of a pony car generation downsized amid rising fuel prices and shortages. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co.

A majority of car buyers have turned to larger SUVs and trucks for their transportation needs. There, however, remains a market for muscle cars, especially if there’s one player, said Karl Brauer, executive analyst at auto information website iSeeCars.com.

“In the face of shrinking demand, only the strong will survive,” he said. “If Ford can take what is a very unique position in the car’s heritage and recognition and the level of icon it represents in the automotive world, it’s going from being a super iconic, historic vehicle to a super iconic, historic, unique vehicle.”

Ford, Brauer added, sees the value of that, even if it’s not something that fits nicely into a spreadsheet.

The fifth-generation Mustang bowed in 2005.

The fifth-generation Mustang bowed in 2005. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co.

Transforming industry

As standards for carbon emissions become stricter and noncompliance leads to larger financial penalties, that becomes a tougher sell. Dodge is going the electric route: In the fall, it will begin production of an all-electric Charger “muscle car,” though its STLA Large platform can support multiple kinds of powertrains. The Charger will join the likes of the Tesla Model S Plaid.

Ford has said it will be carbon neutral by 2050 and signed a commitment to be all-electric by 2040. The manual 5-liter, eight-cylinder Mustang Dark Horse performance variant with a combined 17 combined miles per gallon produces 535 grams of greenhouse-gas tailpipe emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That’s compared to 341 grams per miles and 26 miles-per-gallon fuel economy on the 2.3-liter, four-cylinder Mustang with an Ecoboost engine. Ecoboost represents just under half of sales.

“We’ve made that very capable while still keeping the fuel-efficient part of it,” Bellino said. Still, with the Dark Horse delivering 500 horsepower, and the Ecoboost Fastback 315 horsepower: “It’s not just a economy play for us. It’s a strategic partner lineup.”

Ford hasn’t said when it could introduce an electrified Mustang coupe. It sought to build off its reputation when it introduced the all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV in 2019, garnering enthusiasm as well as some criticism from coupe-committed fans. U.S. sales of the electric variant rose 3.3% last year to almost 41,000.

2024 Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles are displayed at a Ford dealership Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Broomfield, Colo.

2024 Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles are displayed at a Ford dealership Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Broomfield, Colo.David Zalubowski, AP

The vehicle shows Ford has the technology for performance-focused EVs, though the auto industry is recalibrating EV sales expectations in recent months. Ford cut $12 billion in planned investment for electrification, stating demand was missing expectations even as it was growing. So, just because Mustang may not be first to market with an all-electric muscle car doesn’t mean it’s necessarily at a disadvantage, Brauer said.

“Ford can easily move from electric back to internal combustion and move Mustang onto electric in two years or 15 years from now,” he said. “They still have that option. When they have the market and demand, whenever that happens, they can still do that.”

The 1979 Ford Mustang Cobra debuted as part of the fourth-generation lineup, known for its Fox body platform.

The 1979 Ford Mustang Cobra debuted as part of the fourth-generation lineup, known for its Fox body platform. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co.

Racing reputation

The gas powertrain for now is allowing Ford to extend its commitment to motorsports this year. In 2024 alone, Mustang will race on five continents from NASCAR to Formula One. There isn’t an African series on the docket for now. As for Antarctica, “We’re working on it,” said Mark Rushbrook, director of Ford Performance.

The GT3 was built at the Mustang plant in Flat Rock and has been upgraded to be a racecar, including being boosted to a 5.4-liter engine. Its first test will be one of its toughest with the 24-hour race at Daytona, Rushbrook said, emphasizing the need for consistent laps. He’s expecting a 1-minute, 46-second lap time. Qualifying had an average lap speed of about 120 mph.

Mustang GT3 is Ford Multimatic Motorsports' entry in GTD Pro for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The vehicle qualified in the Roar Before The Rolex 24. Le Mans winners Joey Hand and Dirk Müller are joined by Frédéric Vervisch racing in No. 65.
Mustang GT3 is Ford Multimatic Motorsports’ entry in GTD Pro for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. The vehicle qualified in the Roar Before The Rolex 24. Le Mans winners Joey Hand and Dirk Müller are joined by Frédéric Vervisch racing in No. 65. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co

“We race to win,” he said. “We know that it’s going to really test the car, it’s really going to test the team, and we’re just looking forward to a good competitive race against some of the best manufacturers in the world.”

That’s important since Mustang sales went global in 2015, and as the old adage goes, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.” That doesn’t apply just to the muscle cars either: NASCAR races famously attract parking lots of Ford’s cash-cow F-150 pickup trucks.

Mustang GT3 customer Proton Competition enters the GTD Class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona with drivers Dennis Olsen, Corey Lewis, Ryan Hardwick and Giammarco Levorato in the No. 55 car. The vehicle qualified in the Roar Before The Rolex 24.
Mustang GT3 customer Proton Competition enters the GTD Class at the Rolex 24 at Daytona with drivers Dennis Olsen, Corey Lewis, Ryan Hardwick and Giammarco Levorato in the No. 55 car. The vehicle qualified in the Roar Before The Rolex 24. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co

“It engages them,” Rushbrook said, “and brings them into the brand and lets them see what Ford is as a company, our products, our people and more broadly than just the Mustang that they see racing on the track.”

Racing in professional series down through grassroots races, drag racing to drifting and more, Mustang also shows its versatility, Rushbrook added.

Ford does compete in the World Rally Championship with a hybrid Puma crossover, and it’s working with Oracle Red Bull Racing in preparation for F1’s move to hybrids in 2026. It’s partaken in individual races for electric vehicles, though not a series at this point.

“Those were great for us, because we’re learning we can build exactly what we want,” Rushbrook said. “We can learn exactly what we want. We’re not limited by rules or regulations, and then we can create whatever within reason, we can create any spectacle that we want to tell a story and connect people to, whether it was a Mach-E or a Mach-E 1400 or an electric Transit van.”

Drivers Chris Mies, Mike Rockenfeller and Harry Tincknell are in the No. 64 Mustang for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Drivers Chris Mies, Mike Rockenfeller and Harry Tincknell are in the No. 64 Mustang for the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Courtesy Of Ford Motor Co.

Ford also is encouraging Mustang owners in the motorsports action. In June in Ohio, it’ll start its Mustang Challenge to pit Dark Horse R racers against each other. Prizes include a $100,000 scholarship toward racing in Mustang GT3 or GT4 to identify new talent.

Sportscar nuts like Chris Sadek, 56, of Bloomfield Hills, think Mustang’s commitment to racing has helped its longevity.

“That Ford is committed to motorsport is something I think about as a buyer,” he said. “It’s the original pony car and they have dominated with Shelby models. Back when I was in high school, everybody had to have the 1980s Fox body V-8 Mustang.”

Sadek himself has owned European jewels like the 2004 BMW M3, 1986 BMW 635 CSI and 1978 Mercedes SLC. But when the 2015 Mustang GT350 arrived with a Ferrari-like, flat-plane crank V-8 making 526 horsepower and track-focused Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires, he had to have it.

“I bought the GT350 because I wanted to track it,” said Sadek, who will be watching the Rolex 24 this weekend. “It’s a great car and I like the direction of models like the BMW M3, Porsche 911 and Mustang to making all-around sportscars.”

Breana Noble  Henry Payne

The Detroit News

Payne: Furniture shopping in the giant Lexus TX500h

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 25, 2024

Sterling Heights — Three-row SUVs are pickups with hatchbacks, so Mrs. Payne and I took my 2024 Lexus TX 500h Direct 4 to Gardner White to complete our month-long search for a big, stuffed sofa chair.

Ahead of our chair pickup, we called the GW furniture department to make certain the mega-chair would fit.

Salesman: What’s a Lexus TX?

Me: It’s like a Chevy Traverse.

Salesman: Oh yeah, you should be fine.

The Paynes load a sofa chair into the 2024 Lexus TX 550h F Sport at Gardner White’s loading dock.. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

We measured, he was right. The chair was 25” tall x 38” deep, which fit (sideways) through the rear hatch. The chair’s biggest dimension was width at 52” but the interior easily swallowed that with the rear two rows of seats flattened. Heck, with 85” of room from the back of the front seat to the hatch, we could have fit our living room sofa in there. TX for Texas-sized.

For all their utility, three-row mid-sized SUVs are a varied lot depending on brand. A BMW X7 has more technology than the space shuttle (and probably horsepower, too). The Dodge Durango Hellcat is also a rocket ship on wheels — and, like a Charger Hellcat, offers cinema-size rear seats so the whole family can enjoy the theatrics. The Mazda CX-90? Honey, I blew up the Miata.

Now along comes Lexus with its first mature three-row unibody ute, and it’s got all of the Toyota family DNA: Hybrid power, Lexus RX interior, Papa Prius quirkiness.

What big utes are for. The 2024 Lexus TX 550h F Sport swallows a sofa chair at Gardner White.What big utes are for. The 2024 Lexus TX 550h F Sport swallows a sofa chair at Gardner White. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Being a descendent of Prius used to mean geeky design and interior features in weird places (think shifters on the dash). But for ‘24, Prius has cleaned up its act with a handsome, minimalist design. So, too, Lexus TX. Circling the TX in the Gardner White parking lot, I was struck by how much my tester looked like … well, a Chevy Traverse parked nearby.

Clean lines, boxy shape, slab sides, square jaw. Made in Indiana, which may explain the Midwest accent. “That’s really nice looking,” said my wife’s gal pal Jameson.

Where was the Darth Vader maw (“Spindle Grille” in Lexus speak) that I had just tested on the Lexus UX 250h? Where were the deeply scalloped side flanks? Zany rear hatchback design? The TX is spare, purposeful — dare I say conservative? The front fascia could pass for the simple Shake Shack logo.

I pressed the key fob’s unlock button just to make sure I had the right vehicle. Like GM’s three-row products — Traverse, Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia — the Lexus is built for travel. German SUVs are built for vroom, TX for room.

The spacious interior of the 2024 Lexus TX 550h F Sport doesn't wow like a BMW or Mercedes - but it's a comfortable place to be.

The spacious interior of the 2024 Lexus TX 550h F Sport doesn’t wow like a BMW or Mercedes – but it’s a comfortable place to be. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

It’s not just the chair-swallowing rear cargo hold. With all three rows of seats upright, the Lexus will carry a men’s basketball lineup and its sixth man. At 6’5”, I could sit behind myself in the third row. Lexus engineers were thoughtful enough to add space under the second row for my size-15 shoes as well. Access to the third row is easy: push the button on top of the seatback or yank the handle on the seat bottom, and the captain’s chair will collapse forward.

Careful exiting, though. After collapsing the seat forward, I tried to exit the third row facing forward. Bad idea. My foot slipped on the slick door rail and — YAAAHHH! — I sprawled forward, my right knee buckling under the middle seat. Note to self: Exit backward, like climbing down from a ladder.

The roomy theme pervaded the cabin, including a console that can charge phones and square cupholders that accommodate a variety of bottles. Even the name is big: TX500h F SPORT Performance Direct 4. Allow me to translate:

TX tops an (out of order) alphanumeric SUV lineup that includes the subcompact UX, compact NX, midsize RX, rugged GX and full-size LX. The number 500 is the top trim model and h = Hybrid. F SPORT designates a performance trim with standard Direct 4 all-wheel drive with four-wheel steer.

The 2024 Lexus TX 550h F Sport features a 360-degree camera which helps back the big ute into tight sports.

The 2024 Lexus TX 550h F Sport features a 360-degree camera which helps back the big ute into tight sports.. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

It all gels for a surprisingly peppy driving experience anchored by a hybrid 4-cylinder drivetrain that debuted in the geeky Pious — er, Prius — 25 years ago.

That’s right. Behind that Shake Shack grille is a Prius-like gas-hybrid powertrain made up of a nickel-hydride metal battery, electric motors and a 2.4-liter turbocharged 4-banger. No Bimmer-like V-6 or Durango-like V-8. Just a good ol’ Toyota hybrid that somehow pumps out 366 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque. The same turbo-4 is available in the standard TX 350, or you can move up to hybrid V-6 in the 550h plug-in to creep silently around town for 33 miles on electrons.

My F SPORT dressed in Incognito (clay gray) is the sweet spot. Without a giant sofa chair in the cargo bay, I nailed the throttle onto I-75 and the 4,949-pound land yacht merged with authority.

From geek to chic, Prius’s hybrid powertrain is so mainstream it powers a three-row family luxury SUV. Lexus also indulges its inner geek in operation. The space-saving monostable shifter is right out of the Prius and helps save console room. Happily, Lexus has abandoned its unworkable console touchpad for a proper, 14-inch touchscreen. With fat temperature dials, TX’s system echoes the best-selling RX.

The Payne unload their sofa chair from the 2024 Lexus TX 550h F Sport in their garage.
The Paynes unload their sofa chair from the 2024 Lexus TX 550h F Sport in their garage. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The TX’s haptic adaptive cruise control steering wheel controls are more problematic. GM products do this best with raised switches, roller and buttons that allow you to adjust speed and volume without taking your eyes off the road.

The Lexus attempts that same feat with a steering touchpad that controls info in the head-up display. On I-75, my eyes never left the road, but the touchpad was cumbersome to operate. That head-up display comes with a pricey $2,380 Technology package that includes two essentials in a three-row this size: auto park and panoramic camera.

The latter came in handy as I backed into the Gardner White loading dock to load our chair (and again when I unloaded the chair in our garage). Between the cameras, collapsing side mirrors and the constant beeping of sensors, I was able to back right up to the GW dock where the chair awaited.

Gardner White dock operator: I love Lexus. My 2005 E350 sedan has 350,000 miles on it and runs like a top.

Me: That’s the Lexus secret sauce.

Plus, this one will carry a sofa chair.

Next week: 2024 Nissan Leaf

2024 Lexus TX

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front- and all-wheel-drive six- or seven-passenger SUV

Price: $55,050, including $1,350 destination fee ($77,159 TX500h F Sport as tested)

Powerplant: 2.4-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder (TX350); Hybrid 2.4-liter turbocharged inline 4-cylinder with 1.4 kWh nickel metal hydride battery and two electric motors (TX500h)

Power: 275 horsepower, 317 pound-feet of torque (turbo-4); 366 horsepower, 406 pound-feet of torque (hybrid)

Transmissions: 8-speed automatic (TX350); 6-speed automatic/direct drive (TX550h)

Performance: 0-60 mph (5.7 seconds, Car and Driver); towing capacity, 5,000 pounds

Weight: 4,949 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA, 27 mpg city/28 highway/27 combined

Report card

Highs: Simple styling; roomy interior

Lows: Bland interior by luxe standards; finicky head-up display

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Updated 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will pace Daytona 24-hour field

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 24, 2024

Cadillac is going all-electric by the end of the decade with its Celestiq, Optiq, Lyriq, Vistiq and Escalade IQ lineup, but gas-fired models aren’t going quietly. The updated, 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will debut as the pace car for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona sportscar race this weekend.

Hopefully, the field can keep up.

The updated, 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing boasts a beastly 668 horsepower.

The updated, 2025 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing boasts a beastly 668 horsepower.DIT, Cadillac

The ferocious, rear-wheel-drive Blackwing puts out a staggering 668 horsepower from its 6.2-liter V-8 engine — or about the same as the pair of Cadillac GTP Hybrid prototypes in the front row behind it.

General Motors Co. has long raced to advance technology in its production cars as well as market performance. The Blackwing’s pushrod V-8 engine is similar to the race car’s 5.5-liter V-8 that is paired with a 50 kW electric motor. In a bit of technology transfer from production to race car, the GTP features the same camera mirror as in the Blackwing. It’s nice to know who’s behind you at 215 mph on Daytona’s high bankings.

“The track is a proving ground that is then applied to production,” said Global Cadillac Vice President John Roth, who said 2024 celebrates the V-Series’ 20th anniversary as a competitor to Europe’s performance sedans.

Performance aside, the Blackwing’s biggest upgrades are shared with the Lyriq, Cadillac’s first electric car. The CT5-V Blackwing — and its sister V-series sedan, the CT5-V — upgrade to the same, curved, 33-inch screen that spans the Lyriq’s dash. The screen contains two digital displays for instrumentation and infotainment. The latter is run by Google Built-In for intuitive, smartphone-like commands and graphics. In back, the sedans maintain the same expanded legroom that has given the model a leg up versus tight European competitors.

The Cadillac CT5-V, left, and CT5-V Blackwing. The latter model will bow as the pace car for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race this weekend

The Cadillac CT5-V, left, and CT5-V Blackwing. The latter model will bow as the pace car for the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona race this weekend. Cadillac, Cadillac

In addition to interior upgrades, the V-series beasts get new front and rear fascias.

The CT5 lineup has ridden the notoriety of the Blackwing model — which more than holds its own with cyborgs like the BMW M4 — to become the best-selling vehicles in Cadillac’s lineup worldwide. Not bad for a sedan in the SUV age.

“Cadillac sedans continue to drive positive brand momentum, year-over-year,” said Roth. “Last year, our sedans experienced their best sales since 2018 and CT5 is Cadillac’s best-selling vehicle, globally.”

The Blackwing is the badge’s halo, but for customers that don’t have $95k burning a hole in their pocket, the CT5-V bears similar styling cues (and two less cylinders) for a significant $40k less. A 360-horse, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo V-6 engine exhales through quad, trapezoid exhaust. The engine is mated to a 10-speed transmission and is available in all-wheel-drive as opposed to the more track-focused, rear-wheel-drive Blackwing.

The CT5-V's interior features the same curved, 33-inch screen found in the Lyriq. It contains two digital displays for instrumentation and infotainment.The CT5-V’s interior features the same curved, 33-inch screen found in the Lyriq. It contains two digital displays for instrumentation and infotainment. DIT, Cadillac

Like Blackwing, CT5-V has an updated version of Caddy’s signature vertical lighting. The sedans gain three new colors: Drift Metallic, Deep Space Metallic, Typhoon Metallic.

The Blackwing’s front fascia update goes further with aero ground effects, including an optional carbon fiber front splitter. For performance junkies, Blackwing also contains launch control, Brembo brakes and an available 6-speed manual transmission.

For those who want to explore the Blackwing’s considerable performance envelope on track, an in-vehicle Performance Data Recorder is embedded in the center display. Its features include:

1) Speed Tips tool, which automatically highlights your best lap, including a sector analysis and side-by-side video playback

The 668-horsepower, V-8 monster that lies under the hood of the CT5-V Blackwing.

The 668-horsepower, V-8 monster that lies under the hood of the CT5-V Blackwing. DIT, Cadillac

2) Automatic summary of the CT5’s configuration ahead of track laps, including tire pressures.

3) Live data with on-track lap time details. Performance gauges read g-forces, tire temps and engine vitals.

4) Head-up display containing lap time details in driver’s line of sight.

5) AliveDrive mobile app for performance analysis off track.

V-series sedans also come standard with GM’s Super Cruise4 driver assistance technology, which includes features like auto lane change on divided highways.

In addition to its pace car duties, the CT5-V Blackwing (and CT5-V) will be on display Saturday and Sunday in the Cadillac midway display at Daytona International Speedway. This summer, they will roll off GM’s Lansing Grand River Assembly into a Caddy dealership near you.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Team Penske’s Newgarden and Penske receive their Baby Borg Indy 500 trophies

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 24, 2024

Greenfield Village — On Memorial Day weekend last year, Josef Newgarden won the Indy 500 for Team Penske. On Tuesday night, Newgarden and team Roger Penske came to Detroit to accept their “Baby Borg” trophies to commemorate the triumph.

For Newgarden it was his first, for Penske — his 19th.

“To be at the Indy 500 and win the race For Roger is something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” said Newgarden, cradling the trophy in his hands at The Henry Ford Museum. “It took me 12 attempts to win, which is a lesson of never give up. You have to work as a team — you have to run the perfect race.”

Reigning Indianapolis 500 Champions team owner Roger Penske of Team Penske and driver Josef Newgarden, sitting on his Indycar, after receiving their Baby BorgWarner Trophies at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan on January 23, 2024.

Reigning Indianapolis 500 Champions team owner Roger Penske of Team Penske and driver Josef Newgarden, sitting on his Indycar, after receiving their Baby BorgWarner Trophies at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan on January 23, 2024 Daniel Mears, The Detroit News

With the museum’s “Driven to Win” exhibit — which includes such iconic Indy 500-winning cars as Jim Clark’s 1965 Lotus — as the backdrop, Newgarden and Penske celebrated the moment with sponsors, including engine supplier Chevrolet and Borg Warner (the turbocharger manufacturer). General Motors President Mark Reuss and Motorsports Chief Jim Campbell were among those in the audience.

“Think of the history in this museum going back to the start of the automobile,” said Penske when it was his turn at the podium. “Josef, I know how badly you wanted to win this. Indianapolis is not an easy place to commit to.”

Reigning Indianapolis 500 Champion driver Josef Newgarden buffs out a smudge after receiving his Baby BorgWarner Trophy at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan on January 23, 2024.Reigning Indianapolis 500 Champion driver Josef Newgarden buffs out a smudge after receiving his Baby BorgWarner Trophy at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan on January 23, 2024. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News

Along with the Stanley Cup, the Borg Warner is one of the most famous trophies in sport. The massive, sterling silver trophy stands just over 5 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 110 pounds. Commissioned for the 1936 race, the trophy bears small busts of every driver to win the 500 (including retroactively to the 1911 winner). Only one non-race winner’s face is affixed to the trophy: Anton “Tony” Hulman, the owner of the International Motor Speedway from 1945 to 1977.

Newgarden sat for his likeness on the trophy shortly after his in last year with sculptor William Behrends in North Carolina. His likeness is fixed to the base of he trophy with the last Team Penske winner — Will Power in 2018 — nearby. Former Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves has won the 500 four times — and has four tiny busts on the trophy. The current trophy has space available for the race winners through 2033 at which time the base will likely be expanded.

Reigning Indianapolis 500 Champion driver Josef Newgarden's face sculpted into the BorgWarner Trophy at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan on January 23, 2024.Reigning Indianapolis 500 Champion driver Josef Newgarden’s face sculpted into the BorgWarner Trophy at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan on January 23, 2024. Daniel Mears, The Detroit News

Borg Warner CEO Fred Lissalde presented the inscribed, so-called Baby Borg trophies to the Team Penske duo. While the Borg Warner trophy resides at the Indy 500 museum, the smaller replicas are for the winners to keep in their trophy cases.

“I was with Josef the evening before the race,” Lissalde smiled. “I saw a strong-minded Josef.”

Newgarden’s win would be the fourth-closest Indy 500 finish in history, as he passed defending champ Marcus Ericsson going into the last lap and held him off at the finish line after a furious 500 miles and three hours of racing at average speeds of 220 mph.

Newgarden would finish the 2023 fifth in the points standings with wins at Indy, Texas, and Iowa. The 2024 season starts on March 10 in St. Petersburg, Fla. with the Indy 500 124 days away in May. The Detroit Grand Prix immediately follows Indy.

“I’m ready to win No. 2 at Indy and Roger his 20th,” smiled Newgarden, telling the crowd this was his first visit to The Henry Ford.

“Josef, I want to win No. 20 as bad as you do,” Penske replied.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

GM reveals next-generation Equinox inspired by its trucks with more standard safety tech

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 24, 2024

Chevrolet has taken the wraps off the compact 2025 Equinox, the fourth generation of the mainstream brand’s best-selling SUV. The new Equinox faces formidable competition in the industry’s largest-volume segment and steps up its game with new connectivity, standard safety technology, and tough design inspired by the bowtie brand’s trucks.

The 2025 model marks 20 years since the Equinox was introduced, over which time it has sold about 3 million units. Expect it to hit dealerships in mid-2024 with pricing released close to arrival. While Equinox has traditionally eschewed hybrid engine upgrades and $40K high performance models compared to competitors, it has made its mark with an affordable machine in the $28K-$33K price range. The current model is manufactured in Mexico, which is where the next-generation Equinox will also be produced.

The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox LT goes on sale later this year along with other trims of the bowtie brand's compact SUV.

The 2025 Chevrolet Equinox LT goes on sale later this year along with other trims of the bowtie brand’s compact SUV. Chevrolet, Chevrolet

Even though General Motors Co. is pushing forward to have all-electric offerings, Chevy has continued to update its internal combustion engine lineup over the last 18 months. It’s unclear if this Equinox is the last gas-powered version of the top-selling SUV since GM is also launching this year an electrified version of the Equinox after pushing it back by a few months.

In 2023, the gas-powered Equinox’s market share in the segment was 7.3%, while the Honda CR-V led with 12.4%, followed by the Nissan Rogue with 9% and the Toyota RAV4 with 8.5%, according to data from Edmunds.com Inc., a vehicle information website.

“What you’re seeing for us is we’re elevating our game across the board with our SUVs, so now that we’ve had an opportunity to refresh the entire portfolio over the last 18 months, you’ll see every vehicle is notching up their game. … Equinox will be the same,” said Brad Franz, director of Chevrolet car and crossover marketing.

“We’re very aware that we are dealing with everyone’s top seller, so it’s incredibly important for us to be bringing a new Equinox to the market at this point. … We don’t see this segment slowing down.”

The 2025 Equinox Activ comes with a unique front fascia and style designed for an off-road look with 17-inch machine-faced aluminum wheels.

The 2025 Equinox Activ comes with a unique front fascia and style designed for an off-road look with 17-inch machine-faced aluminum wheels. Chevy

Whether or not Chevrolet develops another generation of the gas-powered Equinox will depend on what the customer wants.

“We are reacting to the market and the market needs,” Franz said.

New trim, new design

The new Equinox has strong body lines to align with the Chevy truck lineup and the 2024 Traverse large SUV. “Compared to the last generation of Equinox, it’s just a little tougher, more-capable looking,” said Sam Bell, Chevrolet’s lead designer. “Our goal was to really push it towards the strength side of our portfolio.”

The design aligns with industry trends as SUVs and trucks dominate sales, and customers express an interest in the outdoors. The Toyota RAV4 also toughened up its wardrobe to echo its Tacoma pickup trick.

The Equinox loses its base LS trim for the 2025 model, which means the SUV will likely start at just over $30,000 as an LT model rather then the current $27,995. The lineup gains an all-new trim with the 2025 Equinox called Activ — following Activ trims for Chevy’s entry-level Trax and Trailblazer models — that comes with a unique front fascia and style designed for an off-road look with 17-inch machine-faced aluminum wheels. The Activ trim has all-terrain tires and is available with a white roof.

The Equinox has aluminum wheel choices ranging from the standard 17-inch to available 20-inch wheels on RS, which is a first for the SUV.

The interior of the 2025 Chevy Equinox in Activ trim.

The interior of the 2025 Chevy Equinox in Activ trim. Chevy

Following Chevy siblings from Trax to Blazer to Silverado, Equinox gains a broad dash display that includes an 11-inch-diagonal configurable driver information center and 11.3-inch-diagonal infotainment screen, which is 30% larger than the previous generation. The infotainment system will run on Google Built-In, an intuitive system that operates like a smartphone.

“We’ve really come leaps and bounds over the last generation,” Bell said.

The 175-horsepower, 1.5-liter turbo-4 cylinder engine carries over from the previous generation ute — but, to increase fuel economy, its ditches the six-speed automatic for a continuously variable transmission in front-wheel-drive configurations, and ads an eight-speed automatic transmission with available all-wheel drive.

For the first time, Equinox offers RS and Activ customers driver-selectable modes through a rotator on the center console where the driver can select between “normal” and “snow” on a front-wheel-drive equipped vehicle.

New safety features

Chevrolet had been light on standard safety features on previous models, but takes a big step up with the 2025 Equinox. The SUV now comes with a laundry list of popular safety tech, including:

∎ Chevy Safety Assist bundles automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, following distance indicator, lane keep assist with departure warning and IntelliBeam, a lighting technology that will turn the high beams on and of as needed. Additonal standard goo-gaws include side bicyclist alert, rear vision camera, lane change alert with side blind zone alert, enhanced automatic emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert with braking, rear seat reminder, adaptive cruise control, rear park assist, and enhanced lane keep assist.

∎ Teen Driver, which provides an in-vehicle report card and has customizable settings, like preventing shifting from park if the driver’s seat belt isn’t fastened.

∎ Intersection Automatic Emergency Braking, which provides alerts and can automatically use hard emergency braking or enhance the driver’s hard braking.

“They’re following the competitors in making those features standard,” said Sam Abuelsamid, principal e-mobility analyst at market research firm Guidehouse Inc. “Toyota was the first to go down that pathway with making things like adaptive cruise and a lot of the other features standard. … GM is finally starting to do that now with their mainstream models like the Equinox.”

But, Abuelsamid noted, Chevrolet hasn’t yet revealed the price of the new Equinox and “they’re certainly not going to be giving us those features for free. It’ll probably be a noticeable price increase on the new generation.”

khall@detroitnews.com

@bykaleahall

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Q&A: Ryan Blaney on winning his first NASCAR title and working with Ford, Penske

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 24, 2024

Dearborn — Ryan Blaney won his first career NASCAR championship in November by passing contender Kyle Larson in the final laps at Phoenix Raceway to finish second, giving Team Penske back-to-back Cup titles.

Blaney, an Ohio native whose father is former Cup driver Dave Blaney, followed teammate Joey Logano in winning two straight titles for businessman and racing legend Roger Penske. Blaney won two of the final six playoff races in a big boost for Ford Performance. Blaney, who turned 30 on Dec. 31, sat down recently with Detroit News Auto Critic Henry Payne to talk about his championship season, his relationships with Penske and Ford, and what he drives off-track.

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for clarity.

Ryan Blaney enjoys Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 29, 2023, in Concord, N.C.

Ryan Blaney enjoys Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, May 29, 2023, in Concord, N.C. Matt Kelley, AP

Question: I am at Ford headquarters with Ryan Blaney, your new NASCAR 2023 champion. Ryan, a tremendous season, obviously, for you. (Detroit) is a big baseball, basketball town. They have long seasons — 100-plus games in baseball, and then a playoff season. You guys do something similar in NASCAR. NASCAR is the longest, most brutal season in motor racing, but then you’ve got a playoff at the end. How do you plan for a season? Do you have to be consistent through the whole season? Or do you have to peak for the playoffs?

Answer: It’s a little bit of both, right? You try to run well every week but yeah, obviously, the most important time is in the playoffs. You have to perform well through the year to get in the playoffs . . . that’s honestly what we did. We had a decent year, decent regular season. But when the playoffs came around, we just found great speed and stepped up our game and executed perfectly and were able to come away with a championship. So it’s a balancing act between the two.

Q: You’re like the Philadelphia Phillies in baseball — you’re good enough. You kind of hang around and then you peaked at the right time this year. You race for Roger Penske, for Penske Racing. Penske is a legend around here, It’s fun as the Detroit Grand Prix comes into this town – we spend a lot of time with (Penske drivers) like Josef Newgarden and some of his past drivers like Helio Castroneves. They’re impressive individuals. What do you think separates a Penske driver from the rest of the field? For folks who just saw your speech at the (NASCAR banquet), very eloquent speech, you guys seem like different cats.

A: Oh, I don’t know. I guess everyone’s different in their own way. I feel like when you drive for Roger, you act a certain way, right? You want to act like the atmosphere that you’re around, right? You become like the people around you, and you’re surrounded by good people. It rubs off on you for sure, especially when you’re a young kid getting in there, right? I was 19 when I came into the organization, and you kind of mold yourself after that. You want to be like those people, and be like RP. That’s the reason why . . . all the drivers are a little bit different and kind of all act like mini-Mr. Penskes of some kind – just because you want to be like that guy because he’s a special person . . . and a role model that you look up to.

Q: You also have a very special relationship with your father. You look across sports . . . Michael Jordan talks a lot about his father. Coco Gauff talks a lot about her family. Lewis Hamilton talks a lot about his father. How important was that relationship with your family growing up and becoming the racer you are today?

A: I think it’s huge. You know, I think family makes you. Growing up at the racetrack — seeing Dad race for a long time — I just wanted to be like that and do what he did. He taught me everything I know, (and I) trusted him because he’s been through the wringer, right? (He) was easily accessible for me to ask him about these things — or him to tell me about these things, no matter what it was. My mother and two sisters were amazing, supporting me growing up and lucky to have a good relationship with them to this very day.

Q: You have a very good relationship with Ford. We’re in the spectacular Ford headquarters — an iconic place for those of us who live in Detroit. It has to be special for you to be here and celebrate your (championship) What does that mean to represent a brand like Ford on a stage like NASCAR?

A: Well, it’s been fantastic. We’ve been with Ford for 10 years now, pretty much my whole professional life. (People) talk about the Ford family — they’re not joking, you know. You’re part of their family and I’ve been able to have lunch with Mr. Farley in the morning. Who gets to have breakfast with the head of your manufacturer company? It shows what what kind of a great group this is, what a great person Mr. Farley is to his racers. It’s not just me, it’s me and Cole Custer, Ben Rhodes, the off-road champions. It’s just amazing to know his passion — and really, all of Ford’s passion for racing and building cars. You understand the history behind Ford, right? You know what you’re racing for — who you’re representing — and you want to do well for them.

Q: Win on Sunday, sell on Monday. You’ve been in motorsports for a long time. Ford is one of those companies that really defines itself by motorsports, going all the way back to Le Mans in the 1960s. Now, Ford is going to Formula One. As you go out and talk to regular folks — which you do a lot in the course of a racing season — do you feel like that performance on track translates to the showroom?

A: I think it does. I think people . . . are very passionate about the brand of vehicle that they drive. That matters. There’s so many people who I meet who say: ‘I’ve been a Ford fan ever since I was so-and-so years old watching my favorite driver grow up driving a Ford. I’ll never root for another manufacturer.’ The hate for other manufacturers is huge (chuckles). Everybody’s like, ‘I can’t stand Toyotas’ or ‘I can’t stand Chevys, I’m a Ford guy my whole life.’ Meeting people like that (is) hilarious to me, and it just shows how passionate they are about motorsports. Whether it’s NASCAR, IndyCar, F1, they’re very, very protective of their manufacturer. I think it resonates like you said: ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.'”

Q: You also walk the walk. You own Fords, you own a Ford Mustang. Talk about that experience: what’s a Ford like on road when you’re not racing cars?

A: I have a bunch of different Ford vehicles. I have a new Bronco. I have a Raptor R, I’m getting a Ranger Raptor, which I’m really excited about. I love those trucks, I have a Mustang, I have an ’85 Bronco. I had an ’88 F 150 for a while, that I finally had to sell. It was a junker.

Q: We need to get you off road with Loren Healy (Baja 1000 class winner) and do some truck racing. What kind of Mustang do you have and what do you like about it?

A: I have a GT350 R and I do love it. Ford’s always coming up with new and exciting things with any vehicle, right? But all the Mustang stuff they have going on right now is spectacular for me to see personally. That GT 350 R is a spectacular machine, and I don’t drive very often just because I don’t want to ruin it. It’s probably got 10,000 miles on it. It’s like a mini racecar. I need to take (it) on a track day, to see what it will do. I’m sure it’ll set some records.

Q: With you behind the wheel, I think it’d be great. There’s nothing like a flat-plane crank V-8 on a racetrack. Ryan, congratulations on a great year. And thanks for joining us.

‘We race to perfect the machine.’ How Ford is embedding motorsports in its core business

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 24, 2024

Charlotte, N.C. — The stars were out at the Ford Performance Season Launch in Charlotte this week. Fifty racing luminaries from Red Bull Formula One driver Sergio Perez to NASCAR champ Ryan Blaney to off-road wizard Vaughn Gittin Jr. to Funny Car drag racer Bob Tasca III showed off the breadth of the Blue Oval’s international racing ambitions as it embarks on the 2024 racing season.

On the doorstep of the racing world’s epic season openers at Daytona — the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona on Jan. 27 and NASCAR’s Daytona 500 on Feb. 18 — the event was an opportunity to digest the historic announcements Ford Motor Co. made over the last year as it embeds motorsports into its core, production business model in ways that performance icons like Porsche and Ferrari have done.

Leading the parade is the thundering, V-8-powered Mustang, the world’s best-selling sportscar, and an icon as important to Ford’s future as the screaming, flat-6 cylinder Porsche 911 is to the German automaker.

Ford CEO Jim Farley with the new Mustang GT3 at Multimatic, the race shop building the track beasts for the Dearborn automaker.

Ford CEO Jim Farley with the new Mustang GT3 at Multimatic, the race shop building the track beasts for the Dearborn automaker. Griffith Bean, Endurance Photography

Mustang flies the Ford flag in multiple race series: International Motor Sports Association, FIA World Endurance Challenge, NASCAR, Xfinity, NHRA drag racing, Mustang Challenge, Australian Supercar, GT4 and Formula Drift. This year, the Mustang GT3 race car will debut at IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Racing’s Rolex 24, taking on Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette, McLaren, Lamborghini, BMW, Aston Martin, Mercedes, Lexus and Acura in the world’s most watched sportscar series.

Sold as a customer racing car, the GT3 program is a break from Ford’s past as a factory-only team that won Le Mans in 1966 and 2016 (with, respectively, the Ford GT40 and GT).

“Why do we race? To perfect the machine. We want to move our racing beyond a marketing expense and shift from a factory orientation to a customer orientation,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley at a media tour at Mutimatic, the race shop building GT3 race cars for Ford in Charlotte. “We have shrink-wrapped our company around iconic models like the Mustang. From Aussie Supercar to drift racing to WEC to IMSA, Mustang is at every race track in every corner of the world. What other nameplate does that?”

Ford Performance Season Launch - Farley and Henry Ford racing history

Ford Performance Season Launch – Farley and Henry Ford racing history. Wes Duenkel, Ford

Racing is in Ford’s blood going back to its founding when Henry Ford secured investors by winning a 1901 race in his Sweepstakes racer. That DNA has been passed on to his great grandson, Ford executive chair Bill Ford Jr. — a passionate race fan who attended the Charlotte celebration — as well as Farley, an accomplished sportscar racer who has competed in his 1968 GT40 at the vintage Le Mans classic in France.

At a time when government regulations are forcing automakers to make electric vehicles, Ford sees racing as a way to separate itself from the homogenization of the industry around self-driving, battery-powered models.

Ford Performance Season Launch - F1 driver Sergio Perez and FarleyFord Performance Season Launch – F1 driver Sergio Perez and Farley. Wes Duenkel, Ford

“We don’t make commoditized vehicles!” said Farley before extolling the virtues of the Mustang’s V-8. “If we are the only ones on the planet making a V-8, then so be it. We will continue to invest.”

The comment brought a roar from the hundreds of Ford enthusiasts and employees at the Season Launch event.

NASCAR star Blaney followed Farley on stage to underscore the point. Motorsports put a premium on high-horsepower gas engines that can withstand long, open-throttle runs, complete efficient pit stops, and entertain fans. Blaney drove a 5.7-liter, 670-horsepower Team Penske Mustang V-8 to his first title in 2023.

Ford Racing Season Launch 2024 - the Mustang GT3 uses a 5.4-liter V-8 engine derived from the production Mustang GT.

Ford Racing Season Launch 2024 – the Mustang GT3 uses a 5.4-liter V-8 engine derived from the production Mustang GT. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“There aren’t a lot of people making V-8s anymore, but at Ford that’s what we’re all about,” he said to more huzzahs.

The event’s other big cheer came for F1 Red Bull star Perez. Ford and Red Bull, the premier team in the world’s premier motorsport, have partnered for the 2026 F1 season when the sport goes to a 50-50 gas-electric hybrid powertrain. Ford will supply the battery technology for the powerplant in the early stages of development at Red Bull’s headquarters in England.

Multimatic engineers outfit the Mustang tub with a rollbar.
Multimatic engineers outfit the Mustang tub with a rollbar. Bob Chapman, Ford

Unlike the global Mustang GT3 and GT4 customer cars that will ring Ford’s cash register, the F1 partnership has a traditional, marketing-and-technology-transfer focus.

“Formula One has blown up across the U.S.,” said Farley, standing next to the Mexican driver, in reference to the unprecedented three U.S. Grand Prix events now on the F1 calendar. “We can offer battery technology to them, and we get aerodynamic and digital telemetry learning from them.”

At Multimatic’s state-of-the-art race shop in Charlotte’s Mooresville suburb, Farley elaborated on the Red Bull-Ford team’s impact on Ford’s nascent EV product lines.

“Going Formula One racing with Red Bull is a very specific bet. It’s a technology transfer,” said the 61-year old CEO. “We get aerodynamic technology from the partnership, and we need the best aero people in the world to shrink the battery size of EVs. This is old-school tech transfer.”

Ford CEO Jim Farley lays out his vision for Ford's racing future at Multimatic in Mooresville, N.C., discussing the automaker's partnership in F1 with Red Bull: “We can offer battery technology to them, and we get aerodynamic and digital telemetry learning from them.”

Ford CEO Jim Farley lays out his vision for Ford’s racing future at Multimatic in Mooresville, N.C., discussing the automaker’s partnership in F1 with Red Bull: “We can offer battery technology to them, and we get aerodynamic and digital telemetry learning from them. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Farley’s motorsports vision is also self-aware — a way to “executive-proof” racing from the personal whims of changing leadership. “We don’t want racing to be a particular avocation of our executives,” said Farley, who plans to race a GT4 Mustang in the SRO series this year. “We want motorsports to be self-sustaining, not episodic. Porsche has done that. That means on- and off-road racing, driver’s schools, merchandise. We want to do this for a long time.”

Off-road racing is the fourth leg of the performance table along with open-wheel, sportscar, and drag racing and has big potential given the production market’s shift to SUV and truck products.

“We want to dominate off-road,” Farley said.

Ford won the Baja 1000 stock classes last year with Bronco and F-150 Raptors as well as the King of the Hammers 4600 class in a Bronco. In 2024, it expands that effort to the Dakar Rally, a brutal, two-week event through Saudi Arabian desert.

Ford Racing Season Launch 2024 - Vaughn Gittin, Jr. gives off-road rides in the Ford Lightning Switchgear EV.

Ford Racing Season Launch 2024 – Vaughn Gittin, Jr. gives off-road rides in the Ford Lightning Switchgear EV. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Hammers 4600 class champ Gittin (who also won the Formula Drift championship in a busy year) took the Season Launch stage to celebrate another Ford off-road endeavor: its first, trail-focused F-150 Lightning Switchgear EV pickup.

“This is the most capable EV on the planet,” Gittin said of the 580-horspower, four-wheel-drive beast developed by his race shop, RTR Vehicles, for Ford. “We are super pumped about the ultimate fun-haver machine.”

Gittin and teammate Loren Healy were also super pumped about the upcoming Hammers season opener in Johnson Valley, California, from Jan. 28-Feb. 3. With an eye on off-road customer racing, Ford has made 50 Bronco DR racers for the Baja/Hammers series.

Ford Performance Season Launch - Farley (second from right) with Mustang GT3 drivers and Multimatic's Holt (far right)

Ford Performance Season Launch – Farley (second from right) with Mustang GT3 drivers and Multimatic’s Holt (far right). Griffith Bean, Endurance Photography

But all eyes that weekend will be on the East Coast when Ford’s long-awaited Mustang GT3 goes for Daytona endurance glory in the competitive GTD class.

The Ford flag will wave over three entries — two factory cars from Ford Multimatic Motorsports and one from privateer Proton Competition.

Multimatic Chief Technical Officer Larry Holt is the mad genius behind the firm’s ascension to the pinnacle of motorsports development, where it crafts race cars for Porsche as well as Ford. He gave media a tour of the Mustang GT3 production process, from the raw, steel chassis made at Ford’s Flat Rock plant to the winged cyborg that will compete at the Daytona 24-hour.

At a cost of $700,000-$800,000 per car, GT3 production can spit out 40 cars a year for global customers, said Holt. The carbon-fiber skinned monster develops an impressive 2,600 pounds of downforce (about 50% of an IndyCar) and has gone through rigorous endurance testing ahead of its Rolex 24 debut.

Proton Competition is the first privateer team racing the Mustang GT3 at Daytona, evidence of Ford's increasing investment in racing.
Proton Competition is the first privateer team racing the Mustang GT3 at Daytona, evidence of Ford’s increasing investment in racing. Ford, Ford

At its core, of course is a bored-out, 5.4-liter, normally-aspirated V-8 — a close cousin of the production 5.0-liter V-8 Mustang GT.

“We’re really excited about the race,” said Ford Performacne chief Mark Rushbrook. “We think we’ve done all our homework but the ultimate test is when we get on track. We’re looking forward to competing against the best in the world.”

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Watch Ford CEO Jim Farley pilot the 2,000-horsepower electric SuperVan: ‘Crazy, isn’t it?

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 24, 2024

CharlotteN.C. — Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley has a need for speed. He races a 1965 Shelby Cobra, 1978 Lola T298 sports racer, Mustang GT4 in the 2024 SRO Series, and has even competed at Le Mans in his historic 1968 GT40.

But perhaps the fastest car he has driven is a Ford Transit van.

Not just any Transit van, but a heavily modified, 2,000-horsepower, four-motor, all-wheel-drive electric hellion developed by the Ford Performance division called the SuperVan 4.0.

Ford CEO Jim Farley and his new toy, the Ford SuperVan 4.0.

Ford CEO Jim Farley and his new toy, the Ford SuperVan 4.0. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“Crazy isn’t it?!” grinned Farley through his helmet visor after he had just destroyed the 1.5-mile infield track at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the SuperVan with your humble scribe riding shotgun. “This thing really shows what electric power can do.”

The SuperVan 4.0 is part of stable-full of electric Ford Demonstrator projects designed to explore the envelope of electric performance as the Blue Oval invests big bucks in electric vehicles. Demonstrator toys include the 1,400-horsepower, seven-motor Mustang Mach-E 1400, the CobraJet 14000 dragster, and F-150 Lightning SwitchGear off-road beast. But the SuperVan may be the most jaw-dropping of the lot.

Ready to rumble. Ford CEO Jim Farley at the controls of the Ford SuperVan 4.0.

Ready to rumble. Ford CEO Jim Farley at the controls of the Ford SuperVan 4.0.Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Built on the same chassis as Ford’s commercial, electric Transit van, SuperVan looks like a breadbox on wheels. Under the breadbox’s Ford Performance logos, SuperVan is packed with some serious meat. A 50 kWh battery feeds juice to four high performance motors developed by STARD, an Austrian-base motorsports shop.

Where cargo would normally be housed, the van is crisscrossed with a tabular frame for chassis stiffening. Up front are race seats and five-point seatbelts to hold passengers in place through excruciating corner g-force loads. And the whole package is slammed to the ground for maximum downforce on 12.8-inch-wide, slick racing tires.

Put the CEO of one of the world’s largest automakers behind the wheel, and it’s a treat.

Ford SuperVan 4.0 is a 2,000-horsepower, track-focused breadbox.

Ford SuperVan 4.0 is a 2,000-horsepower, track-focused breadbox. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“Hold on!” Farley says and then jammed the gas — er throttle — pedal to the floor. SuperVan laid rubber down CMS’s pit lane, leaving a cloud of black dust in its wake. Tires dust, not exhaust dust. The acceleration crushed our spines into the seatbacks, the electric motors screaming under duress like an overgrown slot car.

Zero-60 mph went by in a blistering 1.8 seconds — on par with a Formula One car — before Farley hauled the 4,000-pound van back to earth for a lefthander onto the infield course. A skilled race driver who has competed on some of the world’s greatest tracks, Farley attacked the nine-turn course with gusto in the flying shoebox.

“It definitely pushes into the corners because of the weight,” Farley said afterwards of the SuperVan which sports a 186 mph top speed, “but it has good weight transfer so you can really go deep on the brakes. Then you can rotate the car on throttle.”

Ford CEO Jim Farley completes a lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Ford SuperVan 4.0.

Ford CEO Jim Farley completes a lap at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Ford SuperVan 4.0. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Over the infield course’s diabolical Turn 6 — a fast, uphill, blind, off-camber corner — Farley used quick hands to keep the SueprVan on line, then — ZOT! — exploded off the exit into the long, 180-degree Turn 7.

Back into pit lane at the end of the run, Farley yanked the “Hoon stick” parking brake and the van did an instant, 180-degre U-turn into the pit box. Every 10 laps, Farley would return to the infield paddock garage for a fast charge of the battery and a change of tires. The ferocious acceleration and g-loads from the two-ton van are hell on tire wear.

Ready to launch 0-60 mph in under 2 seconds with Jim Farley in the 2,000-horse Ford SuperVan 4.0.

Ready to launch 0-60 mph in under 2 seconds with Jim Farley in the 2,000-horse Ford SuperVan 4.0. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

How does Ford top the SuperVan 4,0? Well, with the SuperVan 4.2, of course. With a bespoke chassis and giant rear wing out back like Superman’s cape, the 4.2 model generates an IndyCar-like 4,000 pounds of downforce with an eye on setting track records. Look for it at the famed Pike’s Peak, Colorado, hill climb event in June.

Maybe you’ll find Ford’s CEO behind the wheel.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Payne: To Hell and back in the Acura TLX Type S

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 24, 2024

Hell — At a time when electric vehicle mandates are forcing a commoditization of auto products, the Type S dynamic duo of the Acura Integra and TLX are welcome rebels.

I fell hard for the Integra Type S when it debuted last year, and now the TLX Type S gets a healthy mid-cycle update for 2024. Dressed in Urban Grey Peal, body stampings you could slice paper with and quad tailpipes the size of ship cannons, the TLX Type S isn’t shy.

I took it out on Hell’s asphalt dance floor this January to tango. When I turned the fat DRIVE MODE knob to SPORT+, the Acura suspension noticeably stiffened. The 10-speed transmission dropped a gear. The engine growled. We danced across Hadley Road, the big sedan’s turbo V-6 delivering effortless power while the neutral chassis rotated beautifully through corners.

With a 355 horses and a liquid-smooth, 10-speed transmission, the 2024 Acura TLX Type S was a joy in Hell’s winding roads. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Born in 2020, TLX is still cursed by inherent flaws of a mouse pad-controlled console screen and cramped rear seats in a brutally competitive luxury muscle space. Those flaws were corrected on its Integra stablemate.

The pair make for an intriguing choice. But first, let’s hear it for muscle.

Performance auto fans are blue as the auto industry struggles with a government-forced transition to electrics. Mandating battery-powered drivetrains is inevitably breeding homogeneity: quiet, smooth soap bars focused on maximizing range.

The 2024 Acura TLX Type S goes 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds with its turbo V-6 engine.

The 2024 Acura TLX Type S goes 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds with its turbo V-6 engine. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

That’s the opposite of highly individualized, multi-cylinder hellions aimed at enthusiasts. Recent years have seen low-volume standouts of the breed — Chevy Camaro, Dodge Challenger, Dodge Charger, Kia Stinger, Hyundai Veloster, Audi TT, Ford Focus/Fiesta ST, Alfa Romeo 4C — sacrificed for low-volume EVs aimed at meeting government regs.

Increasingly enthusiasts must seek refuge — not in bespoke models like Camaro and Challenger, but in performance sub-brands of existing models like Cadillac CT5-V, BMW M340i, Audi S5. Type S is Acura’s sub-brand that endows TLX with a special 355-horsepower six that immediately got me thinking of Hell.

Hell, Michigan, that is, where the roads are curved and people scarce — a playground for Type S, which is aimed at enthusiasts, but not track rats. For the hardcore motorhead, there are steroid-fed 500-plus-horsepower cyborgs like the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, BMW M3 and Audi RS5. The Type S is a middle ground between beauty and beast — a sedan upgraded to thrill without a supercar bill (my favorite CT5-V Blackwing, for example, rings the register at $100K).

The interior of the 2024 Acura TLX Type S shows off the latest wireless tech. Its mousepad controller, however, is out of date.

The interior of the 2024 Acura TLX Type S shows off the latest wireless tech. Its mousepad controller, however, is out of date. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

My $58K TLX Type S tester, meanwhile, boasts a sticker not far from some of our dearly departed favorites: the $53K Dodge Charger Scat Pack and $53K Kia Stinger GT2, for example. It does this while providing luxurious red leather confines, rad styling handed down from the NSX supercar and an array of standard safety features, including blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control and Brembo brakes.

For the new model year, Acura also gifted TLX standard jewelry like a fashionable, frameless front grille, new wheel designs, digital instrument cluster, 12.3-inch dash screen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, 360-degree camera and 10.5-inch head-up display. That’s a lotta goodies under the Christmas tree.

The ergonomics complementing these tech goodies are typically excellent for a Honda product, including NSX supercar hand-me-downs like a compact trigger shifter and meaty Drive Mode knob. Notably, the head-up display is operated by a button on the left dash so 5’5” Mrs. Payne and her 6’5” husband don’t have to fish around in the infotainment screen every time we swap seats.

The 2024 Acura TLX Type S was at home on Hell's challenging roads.

The 2024 Acura TLX Type S was at home on Hell’s challenging roads. . Henry Payne, The Detroit News

So it’s a surprise the Type S’s two big negatives are ergonomic: remote-controlled screen and small back seat. Even Lexus has abandoned its mouse-pad screen controller — joining Bimmer, Audi, Mercedes and Cadillac with touchscreens (ooooh, check out the 2025 CT5’s new Lyriq-like 33-inch screen).

It’s a smartphone world, and touchscreens rule. The TLX rear seats? Too small for a sedan this size.

Walk across the Acura showroom and TLX’s new little brother, Integra Type S, gets it. Indeed, little brother has a significant 2.5 more inches of legroom in back, courtesy of its shared Civic chassis. Also shared with Civic is a touchscreen with similar standard goodies as TLX: wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, HUD, adaptive cruise control, blind spot-assist, digital instrument display and those comfy red-leather thrones.

Integra’s touchscreen is a major improvement and also opens up console space. My Gen X son is a hot-hatch fan and loves his Mazda3 Turbo but wishes it had a touchscreen. Were he to enter Acura’s showroom, he would run to the Integra Type S.

The rear seats of the 2024 Acura TLX Type S are cramped for six-footers despite its status as a mid-size sedan.
The rear seats of the 2024 Acura TLX Type S are cramped for six-footers despite its status as a mid-size sedan. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

At $5K less than big brother, the $52K 320-horse, turbo-4-powered Integra Type S also gains a hatchback for better utility and loses a whopping 1,000 pounds over TLX. As fun as the TLX Type S is in Hell’s twisties, the lighter Integra is even sharper. The Integra Type S even gains Dodge Widebody-style blistered fenders for added visual menace.

No wonder I wrote “the Integra Type S is as good as it gets” last year after shredding California Route 150. No wonder Car and Driver elevated Integra Type S to its coveted “10 Best List.”

And yet.

Before you turn your back on the TLX and write that Integra check, consider the white powder that buried my driveway as I returned from Hell. The TLX’s all-wheel-drive system drove up my steep driveway like snow wasn’t even there.

It’s an asset Acura didn’t bestow on Integra Type S — unlike its $50,000 AWD competitive set of Audi S3, BMW M235i XDrive and Mercedes CLA AMG 35. Also unlike those beasts, Integra Type S is only available in a stick. Whoooooaaaa! My son just stopped in his tracks.

As much as we motorheads like manual shifters, they can be a turn-off for daily driving — and distasteful to other members of the family who don’t share our passion. As modern as Integra Type S is for a new generation of buyer, the stick shift is a throwback.

Especially when you consider TLX Type S’s delicious 10-speed manual. As I stomped on the gas through Hell, the tranny was smooth as silk, swapping gears like a pro. No jerks, no confusion. To satisfy my Neanderthal manual-mode needs, I used the steering column paddles. They are as crisp as any I’ve driven. Through Hadley Road’s undulating sweepers, I flicked easily between 4th, 5th and 6th gears — the gearbox, engine and AWD system dancing as one.

Quad pipes like ship cannons. You'll know the 2024 Acura TLX Type S by its four exhaust pipes out back.

Quad pipes like ship cannons. You’ll know the 2024 Acura TLX Type S by its four exhaust pipes out back. . Henry Payne, The Detroit News

So rejoice that Acura offers not one — but two — compact mid-sized performance cars: TLX and Integra Type S. Do you like a manual and touchscreen? Or automatic and all-wheel drive?

The choice is yours.

Next week: 2024 Lexus TX

2024 Acura TLX Type S

Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive five-passenger sports sedan

Price: $53,325, including $1,025 destination fee ($58,825 as tested)

Powerplant: 3.0-liter turbocharged 6-cylinder

Power: 355 horsepower, 354 pound-feet of torque

Transmissions: 10-speed automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph (4.9 seconds, Car and Driver); top speed, 155 mph

Weight: 4,221 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA 19 mpg city/25 highway/21 combined

Report card

Highs: Distinctive styling inside and out; smooth 10-speed auto transmission

Lows: Maddening touchpad; small back seat

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

E-Beast: Ford debuts dirt-chewing F-150 Lightning SwitchGear for off-road racing

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 24, 2024

Ford F-150 Lightning SwitchGear, Ford, Ford

CharlotteN.C. — Auto racing and Ford Motor Co. have been synonymous since Henry Ford first secured investors with his wining Sweepstakes car in 1901. Today, the Blue Oval competes in multiple racing classes across the world with the Ford Mustang, F-150, Bronco, Puma and Bronco Sport.

Now, as the auto industry moves towards a battery-powered future, Ford is prepping its electric vehicles for racing as well.

On Thursday, Ford unveiled the F-150 Lightning SwitchGear, an off-road, performance-focused pickup based on the brand’s first electric truck. While the production Lightning doesn’t lack for on-road acceleration (its extended-range, 131-kWh battery pack model dashes from 0-60 mph in just 4.5 seconds — on par with a Ford Focus RS), the Switchgear outfits the truck for off-road adventure. The 580-horsepower, 775-torque electric powertrain remains the same as in extended-range production trucks.

Ford F-150 Lightning SwitchGear has 13 inches of suspension travel with its Fox shocks.

Ford F-150 Lightning SwitchGear has 13 inches of suspension travel with its Fox shocks. Ford, Ford

The SwitchGear comes with a SuperCrew cab and features such performance goodies as 37-inch off-road tires for added grip and body clearance, a lightweight carbon-fiber body, rear spoiler and wider, 80-inch track for better stability off road.

The Lightning SwitchGear joins the Ford Demonstrator stable that includes electric hellions like the seven-motor, all-wheel-drive, 1,400-horsepower Mustang Mach-E 1400, the Mustang CobraJet 1400 dragster, F-100 Eliminator, and Pike Pike-conquering SuperVan 4.0 and 4.2. Built under the Ford Performance umbrella — which also races the brand’s gas-fired cars — Demonstrator is aptly named as a demonstration program to explore the full potential of EVs. The program is also an opportunity for EV technology transfer between competitive and production engineering.

Electric vehicles have been challenged in competitive environments by their battery weight and range limitations compared to gas cars. Formula One racing — where Ford has partnered with Red Bull — has its eye on an all-electric future, but the series is currently running hybrid gas-electric powertrains. IMSA sportscar racing, too, has gone hybrid with its prototype class, while IndyCar is due to switch to hybrid powerplants later this year.

 

The F-150 Lightning SwitchGear has the 580-horsepower, 775-torque electric powertrain used in extended-range production trucks.

The F-150 Lightning SwitchGear has the 580-horsepower, 775-torque electric powertrain used in extended-range production trucks. Ford, Ford

Beyond these big-money series, however, battery-powered racing has proven expensive and difficult to market. Formula E — which runs under the same FIA sanctioning body as Formula One — has failed to stimulate public interest even as it multiple manufacturers have entered to advance battery engineering.

Competitive off-road series are an even steeper climb given their long distances and extreme weather conditions like Baja deserts or frigid winter forests.

Ford Performance partnered with RTR Vehicles to build the Lightning Switchgear. RTR and Ford have combined on numerous racing endeavors as well as the F-150 RTR Ultimate Fun-Haver project vehicle from 2016.

The Lightning SwitchGear interior includes a hoon stick for drifting.

The Lightning SwitchGear interior includes a hoon stick for drifting. Ford, Ford

The SwitchGear’s exterior carbon bodywork is wrapped in Ford Performance 2024 livery. Under its lightweight skin are numerous upgrades for taking the Lighting deep off road.

To manage rough terrain, SwitchGear upgrades to beefy, Fox internal bypass shock absorbers to increase suspension travel and ground clearance to 13 inches. They are complemented by custom-built, front independent double-wishbone suspension and multilink independent suspension with coil-over rear shocks. Unique front and rear bumpers improve approach and departure angles, and SwitchGear adds steel-fabricated rock rails and a front skid plate to help absorb bruising off-road moguls.

If the 37-inch Nitto Ridge Grappler tires wear out, the Lightning features two spare tires held by a unique chase rack. Inside the cockpit, drivers are secured by six-point seatbelts, Recaro seats, and have fun toys to play with like a drift brake.

Ford developed the Ford F-150 Lightning SwitchGear with RTR racer Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Ford developed the Ford F-150 Lightning SwitchGear with RTR racer Vaughn Gittin Jr. Ford, Ford

The SwitchGear off-road beast will make its public debut in Johnson Valley, California, at the King of the Hammers race starting Jan. 25.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Payne: Efficient Lexus UX 250h dresses up

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 15, 2024

Oakland County — The auto industry’s emerging electric car segment begs the question: how do you differentiate brands if everything sounds like a quiet, electric motor-driven Tesla? Porsche’s answer is Porsche-like handling. The Mustang Mach-E pipes in an artificial growl. Dodge says its Daytona Banshee’s electronic Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust will roar like, well, a banshee.

Actually, luxury automakers have been struggling with this issue for a while. As electronics democratize auto tech and nanny mpg laws forced drivetrains to downsize to 4-cylinders and CVT transmissions, premium brands have had to hone their brand identities.

Take the Lexus UX 250h F Sport sitting in my driveway. You can see it from space.

With big grille, lots of body cuts, and flashy wheels, the 2023 Lexus UX 250h stands out. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Lexus’s entry-level ute wears a wild wardrobe that would make Gene Simmons proud. Yuuuuge front grille. Angular peepers with L-shaped eyebrow running lights. L-shaped gills. Dramatic swept flanks that look like the sheet metal was shaped by desert winds. Narrow greenhouse that finishes with three-dimensional taillights arching across the rear.

It’s polarizing. Outrageous. A design statement. At $47,930, my hybrid F Sport Handling tester added a moonroof, power-folding mirrors and a kick-open rear hatch. This is a brand you won’t confuse with any other.

Open the front doors and the drama continues. The front seats wrap me in red leather. A Cyclops-eye instrument gauge slides back and forth, depending on how you like your drive data displayed. Drive modes are selected using one of the devil’s horns that sprout from the instrument hoodie. Tweak the horn to SPORT or SPORT PLUS and the instrument gauge glows (appropriately) red.

The 2023 Lexus UX 250h offers lush, red leather seats.

The 2023 Lexus UX 250h offers lush, red leather seats. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Loud mouth. Red leather. Hoodie. Devil’s horns. Oh, this bad boy wants to misbehave. Grab the shifter, yank it into DRIVE and the Lexus’s bark … is worse than its bite.

Stomp the throttle and the 181-horsepower engine drones. Never mind that similarly priced luxury competitors like the Audi Q3 and BMW X2 boast much more powerful turbo-4s — the Lexus will be eaten for lunch by mainstream brands like the 250-horse Mazda CX-30 or 210-horse Kia Soul Turbo.

The latter pair cost less than 35 grand while also offering all-wheel drive and distinctive styling.

Indeed, for a grand less than my 250h tester, you could buy my coveted all-wheel-drive hot hatch VW Golf R with 315 horsepower, digital tech, two more inches of rear legroom/two more cubic feet of cargo space and be the envy of every motorhead on your block. Heck, for the same coin, the BMW X1 has 60 more horsepower, four more inches of rear legroom, and eight more cubic feet of cargo space.

But they don’t carry Lexus badges.

The 2023 Lexus UX 250h offers front or all-wheel-drive with the latter preferred for Michigan winters.The 2023 Lexus UX 250h offers front or all-wheel-drive with the latter preferred for Michigan winters. . Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The auto industry talks about the Cult of Tesla and its hordes of fans who worship the brand’s pioneering, risk-taking, high-tech EV cars. Never mind the, ahem, quality issues. Lexus owners are no less cultish — they just prioritize.

Lexus vehicles are bone reliable, winning so many quality trophies that Tokyo HQ long ago ran out of shelf space. That quality is backed by Disney-quality dealer service, which lavishes customers with attention. I’ve met Lexus owners who love their dealer contact more than their dog.

Tesla fans marinate in sex appeal but, um would like a little show of quality every once in a while. Over on the Lexus side of the dance floor, they are at home in the trusty arms of their brand, but, um, would it kill them just to take me out on the dance floor and do the swing?

Just once?

The 2023 Lexus UX 250h isn't quick on the open road, but its AWD system is useful in slippery conditions.
The 2023 Lexus UX 250h isn’t quick on the open road, but its AWD system is useful in slippery conditions. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Tesla quality is improving and so is Lexus sex appeal. Beneath the UX 250h’s wardrobe is a good ol’ conservative, reliable appliance.

While autos like the $35K Chevy Bolt EUV (Super Cruise) and $50K Tesla Model 3 (Autopilot) push cutting-edge driver-assistance features, my Lexus offered adaptive cruise control. Cruising down Telegraph Road toward stopped cars at a traffic light, the Lexus’s average system would only brake hard once it was nearly on top of the traffic. Um, better to intervene.

BMW and Cadillac sport superb interior ergonomics like tactile steering-wheel controls that you can locate easily with your thumbs so you never have to take your eyes off the road — or squint at the controls in the dark. UX’s average control buttons, however, are flat and hard to locate by touch alone.

Lexus steps it up when it comes to infotainment.

Long a laggard in tech like voice command software and Apple CarPlay, Lexus offers an “Intelligent Assistant” system with a native navi system on par with Google Maps. On the way to the airport with Mrs. Payne, I barked our destination — Hey Lexus! Navigate to QuikPark, Romeo, Michigan — and the system understood my West Virginia accent like we’d grown up together.

Still, Mrs. Payne prefers Apple CarPlay (and Android Auto) so she can play her Spotify music lists and pre-set a destination on her phone in the house (that then translates to Apple CarPlay in the car). It’s a wireless world (except, ironically, for government edicts forcing automakers on the electric car cord), and the Lexus hybrid is in sync.

Though not on par with competitors, the ergonomics of the 2023 Lexus UX 250h are much improved over past, mouse-pad operated screens.

Though not on par with competitors, the ergonomics of the 2023 Lexus UX 250h are much improved over past, mouse-pad operated screens. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

As the car rotated onto Telegraph, my wife instantly grabbed for the ceiling handle to brace herself. But the Lexus is no Mazda CX-30 Turbo, so I took the corner at a moderate pace.

The F Sport trim offers paddle shifters, but I never touched them. Indeed, the AWD system is hardly necessary for burning rubber out of stoplights — Lexus clocked an 8.4 second run from 0-60 mph — but owners will find it useful in Michigan snow. Indeed, the most interesting drivetrain feature was to gauge how long I could maintain electric power at low speeds before the gas engine kicked in.

True to the commoditization of vehicles today, the UX 250h has the same CVT automatic transmission found in a Toyota Corolla Cross. But unlike the UX Darth Vader-mobile dressed in red leather, Gene Simmons would never give the Toyota a second look.

Next week:

2023 Lexus UX 250h

Vehicle type: Front engine, front- and all-wheel-drive, five-passenger hybrid SUV

Price: $36,490, including $1,150 destination fee ($47,930 F Sport as tested)

Powerplant: 2.0-liter 4-cylinder mated to twin electric motors (as tested)

Power: 181 horsepower

Transmission: Continuously variable transmission

Performance: 0-60 mph, 8.4 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 110 mph

Weight: 3,604 pounds

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 41 city/38 highway/39 combined (AWD as tested)

Report card

Highs: Much improved interior displays; lots of personality

Lows: Tight rear seat; personality ends when you press the pedal

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

CES: Sin City is the new (Electric) Motor City

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 15, 2024

Las Vegas — The 2024 Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center is a sprawling electronics buffet. There are giant TV and computer screens. The latest cameras, gaming consoles, and wireless headphones. And so much more, including voice recognition software, 3D printing, autonomous robots, artificial intelligence and massaging chairs.

And, naturally, electric vehicles.

Naturally, because the modern car contains all of the electronic products listed above. Stick a battery in its belly instead of a combustion engine, and it’s a rolling smartphone. No wonder, then, that CES, the world’s biggest trade show covered by a swarm of media, has become the show for EV news, presenting more competition for traditional shows such as Detroit’s, where automaker attendance has shrunk in recent years. Even with the Detroit Three missing this year because of the UAW strike, CES 2024 was stuffed with vehicle debuts.

Sony and Honda showed an updated version of their joint Afeela EV sedan at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, just one sign of the show's growing importance as the industry pivots to electrification.

Sony and Honda showed an updated version of their joint Afeela EV sedan at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week, just one sign of the show’s growing importance as the industry pivots to electrification. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Honda Motor Co. introduced its 0 Series line of electrics, Volkswagen AG showcased its ID.7 EV — the first mainstream vehicle using ChatGPT, Sony and Honda rolled out an updated version of their joint Afeela EV sedan, Mercedes-Benz Group unveiled its electric CLA Concept, Kia Motors Corp. showed off a new line of electric vans, and Bugatti showcased its electric scooters (no, they don’t go 200 mph). Hyundai Motor Co. even debuted a vertical-takeoff airplane. Past Detroit Three debuts here have included the Chevy Silverado EV and Ram 1500 Revolution electric pickups.

The auto industry is hosting the most startups in 100 years, and CES was a showcase for their wares. Electric startups Fisker Inc., VinFast LLC, Turkish-based Togg and Mullen Automotive Inc. all were on hand, with the latter employing a staged introduction once common at the Detroit Auto Show.

California-based EV startup Mullen Automotive Inc. debuted the Five RS, a fire-breathing model with 1,000 horsepower.

California-based EV startup Mullen Automotive Inc. debuted the Five RS, a fire-breathing model with 1,000 horsepower. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“Today’s electric cars are not the traditional vehicles like we used to make,” Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said in an interview. “They are not quite electronic appliances, but vehicles are moving in that direction with the pace of software development.”

Indeed, the Honda Saloon and Space-Hub EVs that Honda rolled out here might as well be electronic devices were they not on four wheels. Their yoke, e-steering wheels — like something off a game console — recede into the dash if passengers want to ride autonomously. Anticipating a self-driving future, the 0 Series vehicles are essentially smartphone extensions — a space where passengers can make phone calls and play games.

“Given the technological changes in the industry, CES is a natural event for automakers,” said Stephanie Brinley, S&P Global associate director of auto intelligence. “Auto brands are increasingly tech-based, which integrates well into a technology show.”

Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe introduces the Saloon EV concept at CES. He said electric cars are “not quite electronic appliances, but vehicles are moving in that direction with the pace of software development.”

Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe introduces the Saloon EV concept at CES. He said electric cars are “not quite electronic appliances, but vehicles are moving in that direction with the pace of software development. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The Afeela concept (which a Sony pr—senter remotely drove on stage using a PlayStation 5 controller) is the first in a series of cars from a Sony-Honda joint partnership that explores, for example, connecting Sony’s millions of PlayStation users or streaming Sony-owned Columbia Pictures like “Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse” and “Bullet Train.”

Volkswagen’s ID.7 sedan is sleek as a smartphone and integrates the latest smartphone craze — Open AI’s ChatGPT Chatbot — into the vehicle.

Volkswagen's ChatGPT is integrated into the ID.7 sedan in yet another demonstration of how technology and autos are becoming increasingly inseparable. Updates will be done over the air.

Volkswagen’s ChatGPT is integrated into the ID.7 sedan in yet another demonstration of how technology and autos are becoming increasingly inseparable. Updates will be done over the air. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

“Hey, Ida,” I queried the car using its ChatGPT voice recognition prompt. “Set the temperature to 70 degrees.”

The car complied. Then. . .

“Hey, Ida, I’m feeling hungry,” and the car responded to my offhand question (not the usual stilted command) with a list of nearby restaurants.

VW’s system competes with Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Siri and has lots of room to improve. Like a smartphone, those updates will come OTA. And the feature is only approved for Europe, for now.

Mercedes-Benz took the wraps off the CLA EV concept at the Las Vegas show, joining the large number of automakers using the tech-focused show to spotlight their battery-powered efforts.

Mercedes-Benz took the wraps off the CLA EV concept at the Las Vegas show, joining the large number of automakers using the tech-focused show to spotlight their battery-powered efforts. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Traditionally, CES’s auto displays have been consigned to the LVCC’s West Hall, but so integrated are electronics and autos that vehicles displays now bleed into all three of the center’s halls. Electronic giants like Sony, Samsung and LG dominate CES just as the Detroit Three dominate NAIAS, but Afeela was adjacent to Sony’s display in Central Hall and Fisker joined Panasonic. Honda and Mullen were in the North Hall near displays for wireless tech and pool-cleaning robots.

“CES is a trade show — not a consumer show like Detroit — and it’s an opportunity for industries to see what the others are doing,” said auto analyst Brinley. “You may be a tech company that gets inspired by what an auto company is doing — and visa versa. It’s a way for businesses to build partnerships.”

CES has big screens.
CES Has Big Screens. Henry Payne The Detroit News

Hoping to follow in the footsteps of Tesla, which made the first smartphones on wheels, auto startups made a big splash.

Los Angeles-based Mullen’s display was stuffed with its array of brands including Oak Park-based Bollinger Motors, an electric truck-maker of which it is now a majority stakeholder. Key to the company’s future success is its Mullen Five SUV — a competitor to the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E.

VinFast, the Vietnamese EV maker, is going small with the VF 3, which it showed at CES this week.                                  VinFast, the Vietnamese EV maker, is going small with the VF 3, which it showed at CES this week. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Mullen leapfrogged them both with a Five RS performance model that boasts a staggering 1,000 horsepower, 900 pound-feet of torque, a sub-2.0 second 0-60 mph dash and a drone that activates out of the rear hatch to videotape you in the act. The challenge? The Five RS will debut in 2025 for $295,000 — well above the cost of a $55k Model Y Performance or even a $110k, 1,020-horsepower Model S Plaid. Like VW’s ChatGPT, Europe will be its first market.

Vietnamese EV-maker VinFast continued its determined bid to break into the U.S. auto market following Asian pioneers like Hyundai and Toyota Motor Corp. Following the three-row VF 9’s introduction last year, VinFast rolled out the wee, two-door VF 3 and mid-size VF Wild pickup concept — complete with a midgate like the Chevy Silverado EV.

Fisker Inc. CEO Henrik Fisker thinks government aid to encourage EV adoption would be better spent on charging infrastructure than purchase and leasing incentives.

Fisker Inc. CEO Henrik Fisker thinks government aid to encourage EV adoption would be better spent on charging infrastructure than purchase and leasing incentives. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

For all their electronic synergies, EVs remain niche products in the U.S. market. Rush-hour traffic outside the LVCC on the Las Vegas strip featured few non-Tesla EVs.

“Electrification is here to stay, but it is clear we are now at an inflection point (beyond) early adopters,” said Henrik Fisker, CEO of Fisker, in an interview. His plug-in Fisker Karma helped pioneer battery-powered cars in 2012. “We are now getting normal consumers into the vehicles and there is a different mindset. I don’t think (the $7,500 government incentive to buy an EV) is the right way to do it. I think we should spend money on infrastructure — the new consumer wants to know that they can find a charger.”

The real-world challenges of the electronic auto are right under the LVCC.

Tesla is known for its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving autonomous technology but the underground "Loop" it built to ferry visitors between the Las Vegas Convention Center and nearby hotels relies on old-fashioned human drivers.

Tesla is known for its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving autonomous technology but the underground "Loop" it built to ferry visitors between the Las Vegas Convention Center and nearby hotels relies on old-fashioned human drivers. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Elon Musk’s Boring Company has built a 1.7-mile, three-station, underground “Loop” that shuttles passengers from the convention center to nearby hotels. Even though the Loop is a closed environment, the service’s Tesla Model Y and Model X utes do not use the brand’s autonomous Autopilot software. They are still driven by human pilots.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

On road to all-electric future, Honda debuts 0 Series models

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 11, 2024

Las Vegas — Honda Motor Co., the U.S. market’s sixth best-selling automaker, has made its Civic, Accord and CR-V models household names.

Now, as it embarks on an all-electric future, the Japanese automaker hopes that “0 Series” will resonate as well.

Honda unveiled its new, battery-powered model line Tuesday at Las Vegas’s sprawling Consumer Electronics Show with two futuristic-looking concepts, the Saloon and Space-Hub. In contrast to the internal combustion engines in its existing lineup of cars, trucks and SUVs, the “0” (zero) is meant to represent zero emissions. Sitting on Honda’s in-house, skateboard battery platform, the two models share design elements like illuminated, cube-like front-and-rear fascias and cutting-edge steer-by-wire yoke steering wheels (debuted on the Tesla Cybertruck last year).

The Honda Saloon shows off a sleek form with lots of interior room. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda

The 0 Series line appears to follow the EV offerings from other mainstream auto competitors like Hyundai Motor Co.’s Ioniq models, Kia Motors Corp.’s EV models and Volkswagen AG’s ID lineup of cars. Honda is bullish on an EV future (if not as bullish as General Motors Co.’s promise to sell only EVs by 2035). Come 2040, Honda says its sales will be EV and hydrogen alone. Honda established itself in the U.S. market as an affordable, enthusiasts’ brand, but the sustainability-focused 0 Series appears to be an attempt to follow Tesla as an electric brand with a social conscience.

Like its main Japanese competitor, Toyota Motor Corp., Honda has not rushed into EVs as quickly as other automakers in part due to its sale of fuel-efficient models. Hybrids and sales of high-mpg models like Civic have helped it weather strict carbon dioxide emissions regulations that are becoming increasingly expensive for some automakers.

The American Automotive Policy Council, an industry trade group, predicts that U.S. emissions rules through 2032 will cost GM $6.5 billion in government fines, Stellantis $3 billion and Ford $1 billion due in part to their truck-heavy lineups. Volkswagen faces upwards of $1 billion in penalties, the most among foreign carmakers. As its electric lineup of ID.4, ID.7, and ID. Buzz come to the U.S., their sales should help reduce those fines.

The Honda Saloon concept features steer-by-wire, a feature found on Tesla Inc.'s Cybertruck.

The Honda Saloon concept features steer-by-wire, a feature found on Tesla Inc.’s Cybertruck. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda

While Tesla has dominated the EV market, sales of other electric model lines have been modest. The Ioniq 5 last year sold 33,918 units compared to 209,624 units by its gas-powered ICE counterpart, the Tucson. The electric VW ID.4 sold 28,031 units last year compared to 76,227 by its ICE Tiguan doppelganger. As regulatory agencies from D.C. to California increase penalties on gas car sales over the next decade, manufacturers expect EV sales numbers to increase.

Honda’s first EV, the Prologue, hits showrooms this spring and is a departure for a brand that has traditionally targeted budget conscious buyers with $25,000 Civics and $30,000 Accords. The Prologue is a $50k SUV aimed at upscale EV customers.

The Prologue is also a departure in that it is built on another automaker’s architecture — GM’s Ultium battery platform. The 0 Series will be built on all-new Honda battery platform that that Japanese automaker calls “thin, light and wise.” That mantra runs counter to the industry trend of heavy EVs. The GMC Hummer, for example, weighs nearly five tons, while the Chevy Blazer EV —  with which the Prologue (and its sister Acura ZDX EV) shares its chassis — tips the scales at a porky 5,500 pounds.

The sci-fi design of the Honda Space-Hub is right out of the movies.

The sci-fi design of the Honda Space-Hub is right out of the movies. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda

“The mobility we dream of is not an extension of the trend of ‘thick, heavy, but smart’ EVs,” said Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe. “We will create a completely new value from zero based on thin, light and wise as the foundation for our new Honda 0 EV series to further advance the joy and freedom of mobility to the next level.”

The first 0 Series model will launch in the U.S. in 2026 and will be based on the Saloon concept, which looks like a Lamborghini supercar married a vehicle from the movie “Tron.” A global model line, 0 Series will also be sold in Japan, other Asian countries, Africa and the Middle East. The vehicle will also bear a new Honda logo which the brand calls its “H mark” and signals its U-turn to an all-electric future.

“We have gone back to basics and formulated the Honda 0 Series with a design for the new era,” said Global Executive Vice President Shinji Aoyama. “A bold and pure proportion that from the first glance is overwhelmingly different from other EVs to evoke a new perspective for people.”

For all the 0 Series’ newness, Honda says it wants EVs that carry on the brand’s tradition of nimble, fun-to-drive vehicles — a tradition rooted in its successful motorsports history. That principle will endure in a dedicated “thin” EV platform that creates a low center of gravity for aerodynamic performance, and in powerful, lightweight “e-Axles.”

The Honda Saloon looks like something out of a Blade Runner movie.

The Honda Saloon looks like something out of a Blade Runner movie. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda

Sensitive to Americans’ resistance to EVs due to their inferior range, refueling time and long-term battery degradation, Honda promises battery advancements on all fronts. It asserts its 0 Series cars will have high-density, long-range batteries able to fast-charge from 15% to 80% of battery capacity in 15 minutes while minimizing battery degradation to 10% after a decade of use.

The Saloon flagship aims to be sporty to drive while also sporting a roomy interior with its battery stored below the cabin. The Saloon appeals to green customers with environmentally-friendly materials while a video of the Saloon indicates rocket-like acceleration.

The Space-Hub appears to be a different animal designed for an autonomous age. Developed under the theme of “augmenting people’s daily lives,” Space-Hub looks like a living room on wheels with bench seats facing each other in the second row. Thus the “hub” name, as the boxy vehicle accommodates multiple passengers similar to GM’s Origin autonomous vehicle.

The Honda Space-Hub is like a living room on wheels with autonomous driving capability.

The Honda Space-Hub is like a living room on wheels with autonomous driving capability. HIROSHIAOKI, Honda

The new Honda logo — which symbolizes two outstretched hands — is meant to represent the brand’s historic transition to a self-driving, electric future realizing “the possibilities of mobility.”

Similar to autonomous systems like Tesla’s Autopilot and GM’s Super Cruise, Honda’s next-gen autonomous system will integrate artificial intelligence software, sensors and driver-monitoring cameras with a goal of safe, hands-free driving on both highways and city streets.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Payne: How I voted for the 2024 Car, Truck and Utility of the Year

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 5, 2024

Pontiac — In Hollywood, January means Oscar nomination time. In Detroit, it’s NACTOY season.

NACTOY as in the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year awards, which crowned the 2024 model year winners Thursday at the fancy M1 Concourse car club. While the MotorTrend Car of the Year awards are the industry’s glitziest prize, NACTOY is its most democratic, bringing together 50 independent automotive journalists from across North America — including your Detroit News scribe.

This year, my NACTOY picks came up short — though my car and truck favorites missed by a hair. It’s the SUV category where I have a beef with my fellow jurors.

The auto industry is in the midst of a historic, government-forced transition from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles, and EVs are all the rage. But electrics are often at cross purposes with America’s largest auto segment, SUVs, where families depend on affordable, utilitarian, efficient vehicles.

EVs have largely catered to luxury buyers and motorheads — like, well, me and my $60k Tesla Model 3 Performance — who have multi-vehicle garages and only use EVs for local transit. I love to rocket from 0-60 mph in 3 seconds and drive hands-free, but when it comes to road trips, Mrs. Payne wants to take a gas car. EVs are generally much more expensive that their ICE stablemates and are less practical.

Find new roads. The 2024 Chevy Trax Activ top trim is meant to look more rugged with its black highlights and higher-profile tires - all for under $25k.

Find new roads. The 2024 Chevy Trax Activ top trim is meant to look more rugged with its black highlights and higher-profile tires – all for under $25k. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

My Detroit News SUVs of 2024 are the gas-powered Chevy Trax and Buick Envista — sibling GM utes that are an impressive value at under $30k, yet still offer state-of-the-art tech and roomy interiors to accommodate the Payne family of four. Yet, those vehicles — along with other practical ICE chariots like the affordable Dodge Hornet, stylish Mazda CX-90 and rock-chewing Jeep Wrangler — were passed over as finalists for three niche electric SUVs: the $68,000 Genesis Electrified GV70, $56k Kia EV9 and $34k Hyundai Kona EV (and sister $25k Kona ICE).

Staring at the finalists, I felt like the Oscar fan scratching his head as to how small-release “CODA” beat out blockbusters “Dune,” “Free Guy” and “Spiderman: No Way Home” to win the 2021 Oscar for Best Picture.

The Kia EV9 won in a landslide with 320 points over the Genesis (98 points) and Hyundai (82) points. My fellow jurors took to heart the NACTOY mantra that the “awards honor vehicles that have raised the standards and have become new benchmarks in their class” — and the edgy EV9 is certainly noteworthy for its tech-tastic interior and being the first mainstream, three-row electric SUV.

In front of Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line shows off its sculpted, sci-fi looks. Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne took the mainstream segment's first, three-row SUV through the snow to northern Michigan.

In front of Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line shows off its sculpted, sci-fi looks. Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne took the mainstream segment’s first, three-row SUV through the snow to northern Michigan. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

But it’s also a whopping 20 grand more expensive than its ICE brother, the Telluride (which I voted for as 2020 SUV of Year), while offering similar space and way less practically for family road trips (as I documented in a Detroit News review). Affluent folks in Malibu will buy it.

I gave all 10 of my points to the Kona, which impressed with upscale style and digital screens for just $25k (and an EV version, if you prefer, costing almost 40% more).

The car and truck classes were more to my liking.

Car of the Year was an epic battle between two successful movie — er, auto — franchises: Honda Accord and Toyota Prius. I gave seven of my 10 allotted points to Accord and three to Prius given the Honda’s massive appeal (almost 200,00 sales in 2023) and ability to reinvent itself over 11 generations to maintain its relevance even in an SUV-obsessed marketplace. The 2024 model is its best-looking yet with a roomy cabin that shrinks around you when you want to have fun in the twisties.

Prius has suffered mightily from the SUV-to-sedan transformation, with sales cratering from 236,000 to 31,000 over the past 10 years. But that’s also because the Prius made hybrids cool and hybrids are standard issue in the Toyota SUV lineup, rather than the Prius standing alone. With its improved looks and handling, Prius is likely to remain a brand halo for some time.

The ugly duckling Prius has been remade into a 2023 Toyota Prius Prime swan.
The ugly duckling Prius has been remade into a 2023 Toyota Prius Prime swan. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Prius notched 192 points from the jury with the Accord second at 159 points — just edging out the lovely Hyundai Ioniq 6, a worthy electric competitor to the Tesla Model 3.

American automakers were shut out of the car and SUV categories, but they dominate in trucks. The 2024 awards were notable, however, for what wasn’t eligible.

Speaking of movies, the Tesla Cybertruck looked like it rolled off a “Blade Runner” set in 2023 and debuted as the world’s most talked about vehicle. Alas, Tesla doesn’t play ball with NACTOY and didn’t make the sci-fi pickup available for media testing. Jurors expected a mid-size truck battle between the Chevy Colorado, Ford Ranger and Toyota Tacoma — but only the Chevy was eligible given that sales of the new Ranger and Taco were pushed back into 2024.

The Colorado is representative of the trio’s comprehensive upgrades in liveability, technology and exterior styling and it got all 10 of my votes. I judged its much pricier competitors — $47,000-$100,00 Ford F-250 Super Duty and $75,000 Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck — to be less-attainable, more work-place focused than the everyday Colorado

But my fellow jurors split into competing pickup, heavy duty and EV camps with the Ford winning by a nose with 189 points over Colorado (163) and Silverado EV (148).

2024 NACTOY finalists, trucks.
2024 NACTOY finalists, trucks. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

I defer to fellow juror Jack Nerad to explain: “The Ford Super Duty retains its leadership in the heavy-duty pickup truck category with impressive towing, payload, torque and horsepower figures. Its four engine choices are highlighted by the new standard 6.8-liter gasoline V-8 and 6.7-liter Power Stroke diesel V-8.”

We jurors began this process — the 30th year of the prestigious award — with 52 nominees covering 17 new nameplates, multiple drivetrains and everything from electric trucks to sportscars.

The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is the first hybrid, all-wheel-drive super car from Corvette.

The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray is the first hybrid, all-wheel-drive super car from Corvette. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Maybe NACTOY should have more categories, like the Oscars. What if, for example, we had a Performance Car of the Year category featuring 2024 nominees Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray, Ford Mustang, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Porsche 911 Dakar and Toyota GR Corolla?

Huzzah. Now that would add a little Hollywood sex appeal.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Payne: Are we there yet? Road trippin’ in the Kia EV9 family SUV

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 4, 2024

Gaylord — Early electric vehicle adopters have lots of questions: What’s the 0-60 mph acceleration time? How big is the screen? Does it have a frunk? Does it have one-pedal driving?

But as manufacturers broaden their EV selections beyond enthusiasts and toward family vehicles to satisfy looming government mandates eliminating gas-powered chariots, the question on buyers’ minds is:

Are we there yet?

As the market’s first electric three-row SUV, the 2024 Kia EV9 begs the question as families size up its handsome exterior, sci-fi wheels and lush interior. It’s a compelling ute, but is it road trip-friendly like its gas-powered 2024 Telluride sibling costing $20,000 less but featuring nearly 200 miles more range?

In front of Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line shows off its sculpted, sci-fi looks. Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne took the mainstream segment’s first, three-row SUV through the snow to northern Michigan. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

I took the top-trim $77,395 EV9 GT-line on an overnight Payne Christmas shopping trip up I-75 to test its family-friendly capabilities.

The big SUV is certainly friendly to the eyes. With its sculpted body stampings, sci-fi “X” wheels and vertical LED lights, my gunmetal gray Kia looks like it just rolled off a “Blade Runner” movie set. Snow-and-salt-blasted after my 470-mile trip north, it looked like it had been through a windswept dystopian landscape to boot.

The interior is state of the art, its layout rivaling luxury automakers. A pair of crisp 12.3-inch digital displays are housed in a continuous dash-top screen. A useful head-up display complemented them on my GT-Line model, and the screen responded quickly to my touch. Interior room is plentiful like the Telluride, including a big third-row seat and healthy 82 cubic-feet of cargo space with the second row folded (perfect for a big chair at Gardner White furniture that we had our eyes on).

At 75 mph in freezing temp, the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line sucked battery power on I-75, delivering just 55% of predicted range.

At 75 mph in freezing temp, the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line sucked battery power on I-75, delivering just 55% of predicted range. Henry Payne, The  Detroit News

Mrs. Payne and I packed our overnight bags beneath the hatchback, and we were off at 11 a.m. Well, not quite.

With over 400 miles of range and dozens of quick-fill gas stations everywhere, fueling a gas Telluride is an afterthought. EVs, on the other hand, require extensive trip planning. Are there chargers on the route? Are they fast chargers? Are they 350 kW fast chargers? Are they near food/restroom facilities? Chargers at the destination? What’s the weather forecast?

Happily, Kia Connect will not only route you to your destination, but plan your charger stops along the way (like Tesla and its proprietary charging network). Alas, I had difficulties connecting with Kia Connect (problem solved later in the drive), but — no worries — the ABRP phone app (A Better Route Planner) came to the rescue.

The EV route planner is excellent, and ABRP scheduled us for two fast-charger stops on our route in Bay City and Waters. Why two charging stops when the Kia’s 243-mile range (we started with 90% of the full, 270-mile range) should have gotten us the 230 miles to Gaylord? ABRP knew that cold and highway speed — both the bane of batteries — would reduce range. The stops added 47 minutes of travel time compared to, say, a Telluride trip.

Are we there yet?

With a twist of the column steering shifter to DRIVE, we were off into the blowing snow. Like other electrics (Chevy, Hyundai, Tesla, VW), Kia EVs have made the column shifter hip again thanks to their single-speed transmissions. No clunky shifts through multiple gears like the ol’ truck column shifters. And no gas driveline tunnel down the center of the car, opening console space for my knobby knees, wireless phone charger and Mrs. Payne’s purse.

North Pole, Michigan. The 2024 Kia EV9 enters Frankenmuth, home of the Midwest's most famous Christmas store: Bronner's.

North Pole, Michigan. The 2024 Kia EV9 enters Frankenmuth, home of the Midwest’s most famous Christmas store: Bronner’s. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

First stop: Gardner White in Auburn Hills. The furniture store gave us plenty of chair ideas — and we also began to understand why ABRP’s navi had scheduled a two-stopper: EV9 was sucking battery range at 75 mph in 33-degree temps. With range degradation of 45%, the Kia’s realistic range was 134 miles rather than the 243 we had started with. Whoa.

A recent Car and Driver article came to mind: “A trend has become clear: most EVs fall notably short of their EPA-estimated range figure. On the flip side, we found most cars with ICEs either met or exceeded their EPA fuel-economy ratings.”

After Birch Run, we headed to Bronner’s Christmas smorgasbord in Frankenmuth. Despite its 16½-foot length, the EV9 land yacht was easy to maneuver in Bronner’s stuffed parking lot, thanks to its 360-degree camera and periphery of sensors.

We added gift bags to the cargo bay and headed for our first Electrify America fast-charging stop in Bay City — in a Meijer parking lot. ABRP app indicated 18 minutes to charge to 85% battery, but electric charging is rarely that efficient.

In Bay City, the 350 kWh hour fast chargers were unavailable - one taken, the other out of order - so Payne settled for a 150 kWh hour fast charger in the 2024 Kia EV9.
In Bay City, the 350 kWh hour fast chargers were unavailable – one taken, the other out of order – so Payne settled for a 150 kWh hour fast charger in the 2024 Kia EV9. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

First there are the heavy CCS connectors. Unlike light, standardized fuel pumps, CCSs are unwieldy even for your 6’5” reviewer to connect. Then there are balky card readers. It took me two tries in the bitter cold to get it right. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait in line for a charger. Unfortunately, only one of the two 350-kW ultra-fast chargers was in working order — and it was occupied.

I plugged into a slower, 150-kW port, which took 32 minutes to charge instead of the expected 18.

Are we there yet?

I got work done while charging, and Mrs. Payne shopped Meijer. After a total stop of 52 minutes, we unplugged with 200 miles of range — and range anxiety creeping in.

The Kia’s onboard computer had recalculated to predict 25% range degradation in current conditions — but we had actually experienced 45% degradation while taking 176 miles off the battery to go 96 miles to Meijer. ABRP’s next stop? A ChargePoint fast-charger in Waters, 108 miles away.

CCS charging cords are the standard of non-Tesla chargers and can be bulky to operate on vehicles like the 2024 Kia EV9 in tight charger spaces.
CCS charging cords are the standard of non-Tesla chargers and can be bulky to operate on vehicles like the 2024 Kia EV9 in tight charger spaces. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

With the temperature dropping to 24 degrees in Gaylord and heavy snow predicted (where is global warming when you need it?), we feared we may not make it. So we charged just 54 miles later in West Branch to assure we’d get to Gaylord.

Are we there yet?

Despite its 5,714-pound girth — 1,300 pounds more than the gas-powered Telluride — the EV9’s low center of gravity and all-wheel drive make for good driving dynamics, and I nailed the throttle back onto I-75. Zot! The Kia merged with a burst of liquid-smooth power.

The speed limit jumps to 75 mph north of Bay City, but I backed off to 70 mph to help range. Range degradation decreased to 25% from the 45% I’d been experiencing.

Boasting an outlet mall, West Branch is peppered with 10 gas stations — but only two fast-charge stalls in the back of an out-of-the-way Ford dealership. After another frustrating few minutes coaxing the Shell charger app to sync with my Kia, I filled to 80% of range in 30 minutes before our last 70-mile leg to Gaylord.

At 10:45 p.m., Payne leaves the hotel to charge for an hour to 100% of battery capacity in the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line at Gaylord's Electrify America charger in preparation for the trip home the next morning.At 10:45 p.m., Payne leaves the hotel to charge for an hour to 100% of battery capacity in the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line at Gaylord’s Electrify America charger in preparation for the trip home the next morning. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

In Gaylord, our dinner hosts admired the Kia’s lush interior. Not being motorheads, though, they were more interested as to why it had taken 4¼ hours to make a trip they usually do in three in their gas-powered Ford Edge.

The EV9 would make one more demand before I retired for the night.

Are we there yet?

My wife had a business appointment the next morning in Oakland County, and we needed to be as efficient as possible going south. I dropped her off at our hotel at 10:30 p.m. for a good night’s rest and headed to Gaylord’s Electrify American charger (another Meijer parking lot) so the Kia battery would be at 100% charge when we took off in the early a.m.

In northern Michigan chargers are few and far between for EVs like the 2024 Kia EV9. Gas infrastructure is a different story - as is energy-dense gasoline's much quicker fill-up time.In northern Michigan chargers are few and far between for EVs like the 2024 Kia EV9. Gas infrastructure is a different story – as is energy-dense gasoline’s much quicker fill-up time. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

The Gaylord chargers were empty at 10:40 p.m. Kia claims its 800-volt platform can charge quickly on 350 kW chargers, but I never saw a charging rate better than 141 kW. It took an hour to charge from 40% to 100% battery capacity. Exiting Meijer at midnight, I did a few doughnuts in a snowy lot nearby — a big kid enjoying the Kia’s all-wheel-drive system.

The next morning, EV9 was wiser for the previous day’s travel experience.

It calculated the SUV’s range at 214 miles on a full charge (not the full 270 as advertised) — or only 80% of advertised range to account for the subfreezing temperatures. Still, the Kia would lose another 20% of range going south on I-75 — for a total range degradation of 40%, similar to the previous day.

Our biggest worry was that the Bay City chargers might be occupied at 7:15 a.m. on a work-week Tuesday. They were empty. I refueled from 33% to 88% in 35 minutes on a 350-kW charger and we arrived home in 3.4 hours. I immediately plugged in to my 240-volt garage charger.

The 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line is the SUV's plushest model starting at just over $75k.
The 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line is the SUV’s plushest model starting at just over $75k. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

An EV trip is more complicated than travel in a gas vehicle — and at greater cost. EA’s 48 cents/per kWh rate meant that filling up the EV9 cost me $74 for the trip compared to $58 for a 24-mpg Telluride.

I recommend doing small road trips (like our Gaylord shopping jaunt) if you get a battery-powered family SUV. Most folks will buy the cheaper Telluride for its convenience — until Kia retires its gas vehicles to meet government rules, and the EV lineup is all that’s left in the showroom.

Are we there yet? In about 10 years.

Next week: 2023 Lexus UX 250h

2024 Kia EV9

Vehicle type: Battery-powered rear- and all-wheel-drive six-passenger SUV

Price: $56,395, including $1,495 destination ($77,395 GT-Line e-AWD as tested)

Powerplant: 76.1 kWh or 99.8 kWh lithium-ion battery mated to electric motor(s)

Power: 215 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque (Light RWD model); 201 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque (Light LR RWD); 379 horsepower, 443 pound-feet of torque (Wind and Land e-AWD); 379 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque (GT-Line e-AWD)

Transmission: Direct-drive automatic

Performance: 0-60 mph, 5.0 seconds (GT-Line, mfr.); towing, 3,500 pounds (as tested)

Weight: 5,093-5,714 pounds (5,714 pounds as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. range, 230-304 miles (270 miles as tested)

Report card

Highs: Tech-tastic, roomy interior; instant torque in a big SUV

Lows: Battery range less than expected; fast-charge connector clunky to operate

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Here are the 2024 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year winners

Posted by Talbot Payne on January 4, 2024

The North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year awards kicked off the 2024 award season at M1 Concourse club Thursday with the Toyota Prius, Ford Super Duty pickup truck and Kia EV9 taking home trophies.

The NACTOY awards are one of the auto industry’s most prestigious, with an independent jury of 50 journalists from North America judging the results. “The jury looks for vehicles that raised the standard in their segment and are destined to be new benchmark,” said Jack Nerad, vice president of NACTOY.

The Toyota Prius is the North American Car of the Year award winner.

The Toyota Prius is the North American Car of the Year award winner. Henry Payne Detroit News

The Toyota Prius and Honda Accord — both previous NACTOY winners — went neck-and-neck for Car of the Year with the handsome, redesigned Prius pulling it out. The Prius was a pioneer in hybrids 25 years ago, and the Accord has followed suit by offering a hybrid powertrain as well. The third finalist was the all-electric Hyundai Ioniq 6.

“We are excited about the future of hybridization,” said Scott Neiheisel, Toyota general manager for Midwest operations, in accepting the award. Toyota has pushed back on the trend toward battery-only cars as customers continue to prefer gas and gas-hybrid drivetrains.

The Ford Super Duty is the North American Truck of the Year.The Ford Super Duty is the North American Truck of the Year. Ford Motor Co.

In a demonstration of why the F-series is America’s best-selling vehicle, the Ford Super Duty beat out the Chevy Silverado EV and Chevy Colorado for Truck of the Year. Though the turbo-4 cylinder Chevy Colorado mid-size truck was the most affordable competitor, the Ford F-250 Super Duty wowed with its customer-friendly high tech.

“The Ford Super Duty is intended to be ultimate Built Ford Tough vehicle,” said Andrew Kernahan, Super Duty chief program engineer, in accepting the NACTOY bauble.

Detroit brands dominated the truck category but were shut out of the car and SUV nominees. The finalists track industry trends as five of the nine were all-electric and two gas-electric hybrids. Governments led by California are ratcheting up fines on automakers beginning in 2026 to produce only EVs by 2035.

The Kia EV9 is the winner of the North American Utility of the Year Award.The Kia EV9 is the winner of the North American Utility of the Year Award. Henry Payne The Detroit News

Toward that end, three electric SUVs headlined the utility nominees with the luxurious Genesis Electrified GV 70, three-row Kia EV9 and Hyundai Kona EV/gas the finalists. The Kia EV9 won the award, marking the third year in a row the Korean brand has taken the SUV of the Year honor. The Kia Telluride and EV6 won the past two years.

“The EV9 is part of our leap to becoming a sustainable utility provider,” said Kia Chief Operating Officer of North America Steven Center in celebrating the award.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, NACTOY has honored automakers who have made substantial innovations in design, performance, technology, driver satisfaction and value.

NACTOY finalists

Car of the YearToyota Prius/Prius Prime(other finalists: Honda Accord, Hyundai Ioniq 6

Truck of the YearFord Super Duty(other finalists: Chevy Silverado EV, Chevy Colorado)Utility of the YearKia EV9(other finalists: Genesis Electrified GV 70, Hyundai Kona/Kona EV)

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

Payne: Gas or electric car? Honda Accord Hybrid vs. Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV

Posted by Talbot Payne on December 29, 2023

Oakland County — For those of us on the 2024 North American Car, Truck & Utility jury, the expected mid-size truck showdown between Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma and Chevy Colorado for Best Truck fizzled this year. Colorado will likely win the class as the Taco and Ranger arrived too late for jury testing.

But there is another intriguing showdown over in the Best Car class: Honda Accord Hybrid vs. Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV.

The Accord, of course, has been one of the best-selling sedans in America over the last five decades and is a three-time finalist and one-time NACTOY winner (2018) over the award’s 30 years. The all-electric Hyundai is a newcomer and a contender to take over the class lead should government bureaucrats have their way and ban gas-fired vehicles like the Accord in coming years.

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid is all new with sharp handling, new digital displays , and a hybrid gas engine with a range of nearly 600 miles.

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid is all new with sharp handling, new digital displays , and a hybrid gas engine with a range of nearly 600 miles. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

In short, it is a mano a mano test between the king and the contender. Between gas and electric. Consumer favorite and government favorite.

Despite vastly different powertrains and styling — and 4.5 inches of wheelbase difference (116.1 for I6 and 111.4 for Accord) — the two mid-size sedans share interior dimensions (including palatial rear seats), all-digital displays, generous standard safety equipment, even regeneration paddles (more on that later). And the Accord mimics many of the electric features of the Hyundai as Honda sees its hybrid as a bridge to a government-compliant EV lineup.

But the differences are where it gets interesting.

My sleek, soap bar-shaped Hyundai tester got a lot of attention. “Oooooh, it’s very attractive,” said my Tesla-owning friend Janice. Tesla designers have led the way in crafting new grille-less fascias on EVs that don’t need grilles to feed petrol engines under the hood. Other EV makes like Ford (Mustang Mach-E) and Genesis (G80 EV) have kept faux grilles. But Hyundai (and sister brand Kia) and Porsche have made the obvious leap to mid-engine sportscar-like front ends with attractive tapered noses.

It’s a sporty — and minimalist look — that Hyundai replicates in the tapered tail (think design icon Audi TT). The clever design includes hiding the car’s sonar in a black strip beneath the headlights. Determined to break with tradition, the I6 completes the mod look with sci-fi wheels.

The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV is the brand’s first electric sedan with handsome looks, rear-wheel-drive (AWD optional) and up to 361 miles of range.

The Accord is hardly a wallflower — “That’s a lovely car, I especially like the color!” — said the security guard at my 910 AM radio station. But Honda achieves its looks the conventional way — by evolving the last-gen Accord’s head-swiveling, coupe-like shape with a more pleasing mouth.

Both cars are effortless to drive.

The rear-wheel-drive Ioniq 6 won’t flatten your face like my all-wheel-drive Tesla Model 3, but its instant 248 pound-feet of torque still gives you the kick in the pants you expect from an EV. I merged with authority onto metro interstates, instantly shot gaps in traffic and ruled stoplight getaways.

My top-line front-wheel-drive $39K Accord Touring model has similar features (plus a sunroof) to the well-equipped Ioniq 6’s SE trim — and is nearly as quick from 0-60 mph with its hybrid 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder/1.3 kWh battery. It’s cheaper than the Ioniq 6 without all that battery pack to pay for — and then uses those savings to try to re-create an EV-like experience with an internal-combustion-engine married to twin electric motors.

Pulling out of my driveway, the Accord ran on battery power alone under 20 mph until I put my boot into it off a stoplight, where its direct-drive transmission showed how it’s carefully engineered to shift like butter through gear changes. Toggle SPORT mode on the console, and the engine’s voice lowers an octave to a satisfying growl (eat your heart out, EVs!). Side note: Accord ergonomics are excellent, with raised toggle switches and tactile rollers that my fingers found without my eyes leaving the road.

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid features a remade cabin with digital displays and wireless Android Auto.

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid features a remade cabin with digital displays and wireless Android Auto.

But wait, there’s more. The Accord also comes with steering wheel paddles like the Ioniq (pioneered by the Chevy Bolt) that enable regeneration for single-pedal driving. Like instant torque, single-pedal driving is one of the signature features of the EV experience. It’s gimmicky compared to full-electric regen experiences like the Hyundai and Tesla, but it’s fun to try.

Speaking of fun, the Honda ran circles around the Hyundai in the twisties. Maybe it’s the I6’s porkier (by 20%) 4,225-pound curb weight. Maybe it’s Honda’s decades of experience on the racetrack. Whatever, the front-wheel driver is effortless to drive quickly.

But where the Honda is most effortless is on long journeys. With a healthy 583 miles of driving range from its 46-mpg hybrid powertrain, I could go to Mackinaw City and back without visiting a gas pump. When refueling is necessary, I could refill in three minutes at a nearby service station.

The cockpit of the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV feature twin digital screens and easy-to-use controls.

The cockpit of the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV feature twin digital screens and easy-to-use controls. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Conventional wisdom says that EVs just need to match gas-filling infrastructure in order to be competitive. But in truth, driving EVs requires a change in mindset, similar to switching from a wireless mobile phone to a landline. EVs simply aren’t as convenient as gas cars.

The Ioniq 6 Long Range model I tested has an advertised 361 miles of range — but that’s in perfect, 70-degree, 55 mph conditions. At a more realistic 75 mph (and before you get into the subject of cold weather) up I-75, our pals at Car and Driver put the range at 260 miles, meaning you’d need to stop three times to refill from 10%-to-80% of charge. Try to charge to a full 100%, and you’re going to be at the charger awhile.

At an optimal 350 kW charger (if you can find one), Ioniq will charge from 10%-80% (190 miles added) in 20 minutes — compared to the Accord’s 589 miles in three minutes. Cries of “Are we there yet?” from the kiddies might start to get on your nerves.

While on the journey, the Hyundai exhibited superior adaptive cruise (one of the industry’s best this side of Tesla Autopilot or GM’s Super Cruise) to the Honda, which tends to “bowling ball” from side to side in its lane. Both cars exhibit state-of-the-art, wireless Android Auto, wireless charging and head-up displays.

The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV charged overnight on a 240-volt charger in Detroit News Auto Critic Henry Payne's garage.

The 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV charged overnight on a 240-volt charger in Detroit News Auto Critic Henry Payne’s garage. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Ioniq 6 or Accord? The question comes down to the usual EV vs. gas stereotype. If you have deep enough pockets for a multi-car garage, $10K more to spend and another two grand (that’s a lotta green) to wire your garage with a 240-volt home charger, then the Hyundai is your show horse.

If you need a roomy sedan that can do it all effortlessly, then the gas-fired hybrid Accord is Car of the Year.

Next week: Road trippin’ in the 2024 Kia EV9 family SUV

2024 Honda Accord

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel drive five-passenger sedan

Price: $28,990, including $1,095 destination ($38,985 Touring Hybrid as tested)

Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbocharged, inline-4 cylinder; gas-electric hybrid with 2.5-liter inline-4 cylinder and two electric motors (as tested)

Power: 181 horsepower, 246 pound-feet torque (turbo-4); 204 horsepower, 246 pound-feet torque (hybrid)

Transmission: Continuously-variable transmission (turbo-4); single-speed transmission (hybrid)

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.5 seconds (hybrid, Car and Driver); top speed, 125 mph

Weight: 3,532 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 46 city/41 highway/44 combined; range, 563 miles (hybrid)

Report card

Highs: Handsome wardrobe; sippy drivetrain

Lows: Regulations have nixed sporty 2.0-liter turbo-4 engine option; gimmicky regen paddles

Overall: 4 stars

2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, rear- and all-wheel-drive five-passenger sedan

Price: $38,615, including $1,115 destination fee ($46,825 long-range, RWD SE as tested)

Powerplant: 53-77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery with single or dual electric-motors; 800-volt charging with 10%-80% fast charge in 18 minutes (mfr.)

Power: 149 horsepower, 258 pound-feet torque (standard range, RWD); 225 horsepower, 258 pound-feet torque (long range, RWD); 320 horsepower, 446 pound-feet torque (long range, AWD)

Transmission: Single-speed direct drive

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.2 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 116 mph

Weight: 4,225 pounds (as tested)

Fuel economy: EPA MPGe 140 (as tested); range, 240-361 miles (RWD), 305-316 miles (AWD)

Report card

Highs: Unique styling; excellent adaptive cruise for long trips

Lows: Premium price over comparable gas car; charging complicates long trips

Overall: 3 stars

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.