The all-new Honda Civic Type R will still come with a manual gearbox
“Surprise, surprise. The next-generation Honda Civic Type R will still come equipped with a manual transmission.
“The news was shared by Honda USA media relations manager Carl Pulley during a recent livestream by CivicXI.com. In the clip, Pulley reveals during a product walkaround that the Civic Type R will indeed still get a manual gearbox. Other Civic units which will also get a stick include the next-gen Civic hatchback and, “as tradition,” the next-gen Civic Si.
“‘The hatchback will be next, will definitely come with a manual transmission. And, arguably, Honda makes the best manual transmissions. And then we will Si, and as tradition, it only comes with a manual transmission,’ Pulley shared to the livestream’s viewers.”
Mitsubishi marks end of the line for the Pajero with Final Edition model in Australia
“This is really it, people. The end is nigh for the legendary Pajero.
“We’ve already known for quite some time now that Mitsubishi will officially cease production of the Pajero sometime in 2021. But now that the carmaker has announced the 2022 Mitsubishi Pajero Final Edition for the Australian market, it seems we’re officially looking at what could be the iconic SUV’s last hurrah.
“Mitsubishi Motors Australia’s brochure says this limited-edition MY22 Pajero will come with added accessories like carpet mats, a tinted hood protector, and branded leather compendium (owner’s manual and service book). The vehicle will also be wearing unique ‘Final Edition’ badges.
“According to a report by Motor1, there will only be 800 units allocated for Australia, and it will be the final Final Edition model. See, there were Pajero Final Edition units rolled out in Japan in 2019, but this batch for Down Under will be the last one.”
Ford teases the upcoming Ranger Raptor Special Edition
“We’ve already seen a couple of dressed-up Ranger Raptors launched in Malaysia and Australia over the past few months, but it looks like we’re going to witness the reveal of yet another special-edition model. Ford sure loves to toy around with its high-performance truck, doesn’t it?
“This time around, we’ll be seeing a new Ranger Raptor Special Edition debut over in Europe, and Ford has given us a cheeky teaser. We’ll be getting a good glimpse of the new truck through the upcoming film The Good, The Bad and the Bad-RSE, wherein we’ll see the Raptor evade hostile bandits with the help of fellow Ranger models. We told you it’s pretty cheeky.
“‘The new Ranger Raptor Special Edition adds even more dramatic style to our ‘badass’ truck, with unique exterior touches and cabin enhancements that make our off-road performance pick-up even more distinctive and desirable,’ said Ford Performance (Ford of Europe) manager Stefan Muenzinger. ‘Starring in its own Spaghetti Western movie is the perfect way to demonstrate Ranger Raptor’s outlaw appeal.’”
The updated Subaru XV will be priced at P1.908-M
“There’s a new Subie in town, folks. And no, we’re not talking about the Evoltis. We’re talking about the refreshed XV that has just arrived at local Subaru dealerships.
“The updated compact crossover is now on display in Motor Image Pilipinas showrooms, and we’ve been told that it will officially go on sale on June 1, 2021. The price? Well, it’ll sticker for P1,908,000, and an introductory discount of P80,000 will be available at launch.
“Now, you’re probably wondering if it gets the 182hp, 238Nm 2.5-liter boxer engine from the US-spec Crosstrek we saw debut last year. Unfortunately, we don’t—local XVs retain the 2.0-liter petrol engine that generates 154hp and 196Nm of torque mated to a Lineartronic CVT. Of course, Subaru’s AWD system is also still available.”
Toyota teases the upcoming next-gen Tundra
“There’s more than a single reason Toyota is one of the world’s leading manufacturers. It isn’t just because the company knows cars and does a fine job of building them—the brand knows its markets and consumers like the back of its hand, and as such, it has mastered the ways of catering to them.
“So, how does Toyota do that for a market like the US? When it comes to trucks, the answer is pretty obvious: Go big. And you aren’t going to find a bigger pickup from the company than the full-size Tundra it offers over there.
“Now, the carmaker is set to launch the latest-generation Tundra in the US market. It has released a teaser image for the upcoming truck showing off the vehicle’s shadow-draped face and lighting units. As with more teasers, this isn’t much, but we do get a few things worth noting here.
“One is that the Tundra’s shoulders now appear more sculpted than in the previous version, and this should help further accentuate the model’s size. Another is that the lighting up front looks much more modern, thanks in part to the reshaped headlamps. The grille-mounted LEDs look cool, too.”
About 20,000 people have already booked reservations for the Ford F-150 Lightning
“America’s best-selling truck has gone electric. In case you missed it, Ford has officially unveiled the fully-electric F-150 Lightning. Yes, the truck that POTUS himself, Joe Biden, recently took out for a spin.
“It’s impressive, all right, and the public’s reception of it is generally positive, especially when you compare it to how purists reacted when the Mustang Mach-E was launched. As a matter of fact, Ford has already received 20,000 reservations for its new electric pickup.
“According to a report by Automotive News, company CEO Jim Farley told CNBC that within the first 12 hours of the F-150 Lightning’s global premiere, about 20,000 reservations for it were booked. However, Farley also said that production of the truck would be limited during its first year on sale, although he didn’t provide any figure whatsoever.”
Ford has officially revealed the F-150 Lightning
“With electric vehicles, there’s much talk of a ‘tipping point,’ the moment they become so ordinary and accessible that they’re the norm. America’s best-selling truck turning EV feels like as good a moment as any to trot out the cliché again. If the Ford F-150 can go electric, anything can.
“This is the F-150 Lightning, borrowing its name from a late ’90s V8 special, but its thinking from two-and-a-bit decades later. Its dual motors are hooked up to four-wheel drive proffering peaks of 563hp and 1,050Nm. That makes this the torquiest F-150 yet and leads to a pickup that’s “wickedly quick off the mark,” according to Ford.
“In mildly more mathematical terms, that’s 0-60mph (97kph) in the mid-fours. Perhaps more pertinent stats, though, are its maximum range (370km to around 480km, depending on spec), payload (900kg) and towing capacity (4.5 tons). And EV life brings something new to the F-150—yet more storage up front (400 liters of volume, 400kg in payload) in its fairly massive powered frunk.
“‘Powered’ because not only can the Lightning’s battery power be used to, you know, travel places, it’ll also feed electricity to your work tools via four sockets. You can even plug the Lightning into your home as a power source should a storm strike and grid power be struck down.”
The upcoming BMW 2-Series will still be RWD
“Seasons change, tides ebb and flow, empires rise and fall. Also, cars tend to get replaced at some point with newer versions of that car.
“Okay, so it’s perhaps less poetic than the other things, but it’s another mark of the unrelenting passage of time. And it seems time has very nearly come for the old 2-Series given that BMW is already hyping up its replacement, which will be here later this year.
“But it’s not just a case of ‘out with the old.’ For the new 2, BMW has made sure to remember its traditions. That means 50:50 weight distribution, a straight-six engine, and making sure to mention the Nürburgring within the first four paragraphs of the press release.
“The German carmaker has also upheld the fine automotive tradition of organizing professional photography for a car that’s still covered in camouflage. Which means it has gone to the trouble of showing us exactly how the car won’t look, making sure to send photographic evidence of exactly how little it’s going to look like the finished product.
“Of course, it’s what’s lurking under the spray-paint psychedelia and fly-screen gauze that we really care about. And it’s hard to say that BMW has missed a single trick there.
“But then it would be aiming a singularly large-caliber weapon at its feet if it got the 2-Series coupe recipe wrong, especially after the supremely tasty dish that the current hot-shoe 2 is. It might be our tender(ish) years or small (no need for an ish) bank accounts, but we think the current M2 is M Division’s (and perhaps the brand’s) best car at the moment.
“So there’s a lot riding on this ghillied-up German coupe. Which must be why BMW has made a point of building a car that’s ‘ideally suited to ambitious cornering, including easily controllable drift maneuvers.’”
This 1969 Ford GT40, the last GT ever built, is going up for bids
“Gather ’round, affluent Ford enthusiasts: You’re looking at the last-ever GT40. Yes, folks, this is the last sample of the iconic Le Mans-winning nameplate that Ford ever built, and it’s set to go under the hammer at a Gooding & Company auction in June.
“This specific unit has been verified by GT40 experts, such as historian Ronnie Spain, as the last one ever made by Ford. It was sold new as a rolling chassis to Sir Malcolm Gutherie in the UK on behalf of a certain Gil Jackson in New York. It was then left in storage, untouched, until the late 2000s, when UK-based Racing Fabrications restored it to its rightful JWA specifications.
“The chassis is still unmodified and in original condition, as the restoration job entailed that the stock form would be retained, ‘encapsulating within this particular chassis the very last essence of authentic GT40 production.’”
