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- New Toyota V-8 Confirmed, AMG SL63 Rips, Hammonds 500hp Daily
New Toyota V-8 Confirmed, AMG SL63 Rips, Hammonds 500hp Daily
PLUS: 2027 Telluride Look, Subaru STI, Nissan Patrol Restomod
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2025-10-31
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Releases & Reviews
AMG pairs a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with a rear-axle electric motor for explosive, seamless thrust and a sub‑3‑second 0–60 mph launch. The plug-in adds precision without dulling roadster charm; ride is assertive, trunk tiny, and cabin quality lags price, but top-down refinement excels.
After 15 years, Nissan’s Elgrand returns with boxier styling, sliding doors, and a more premium, lounge‑style second row aimed squarely at Toyota’s Alphard. Expect hybrid power and advanced driver assists, improved packaging for seven or eight seats, and no U.S. launch plans as Nissan refocuses on JDM family haulers.
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Technology, Market Data & Analysis
Toyota’s powertrain chief confirmed a twin‑turbo V‑8 for an upcoming GR‑badged flagship debuting in early December, built on a new modular engine family alongside 1.5‑ and 2.0‑liter fours. The unit is expected to pair with electrification, and Lexus applications are planned, signaling ICE performance remains in the playbook.
Auto APRs aren’t tracking mortgage declines because car loans rely on asset‑backed securities with shorter durations, higher loss expectations, and lingering delinquency risk amid quantitative tightening. Expect elevated rates and thinner incentives through year‑end, with relief more likely into 2026 as credit spreads compress and OEM plans stabilize.
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Car Culture
On DRIVETRIBE, Hammond unveils his new daily and explains how it balances grin‑inducing pace with commute‑friendly comfort and practicality. He walks through ownership costs, winter‑weather drivability, and the tweaks he’ll make next, offering a candid look at living with a high‑output performance car every day.
The story traces how the Galaxie’s Space Race styling and broad lineup—from workaday sedans to fearsome factory lightweights—made it a showroom star and track terror. It links NASCAR glory to sales success, then charts the model’s fade as America shifted toward smaller intermediates and later personal luxury coupes.
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Miscellaneous
Ram’s SEMA‑bound “The Dude” concept is a slammed Ram 1500 wearing retina‑searing lime paint and ’70s throwback graphics—and a factory‑designed dashboard cowboy hat holder. The cheeky accessory nods to the original Dodge Dude and Don Knotts lore while previewing Mopar’s appetite for playful, lifestyle‑minded truck extras.
Toyota previewed a Century Coupe positioned against Rolls‑Royce and Bentley, expanding the storied nameplate beyond its JDM sedan and recent SUV. The low‑roof, ultra‑lux two‑door emphasizes bespoke craftsmanship and chauffeured calm with contemporary tech, signaling Toyota’s intent to court clientele far above its core lineup without abandoning understatement.
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Quick Links
Two teaser images confirm a blockier redesign with slimmer, taller amber LED daytime running lights and a budget Range Rover vibe, signaling a bolder second-generation three-row flagship focused on presence rather than curves.
Sold under court order near Atlanta with almost no provenance, this dust-caked survivor wore a broken windshield and leaf-filled interior—an extraordinary public appearance for a model usually confined to decommissioned museum displays.
Dubbed the Performance‑E STI, Subaru’s Tokyo show star pairs razor-edged surfacing with a cheeky fake wing and teases the brand’s electrified performance direction inside an exhibit billed as an emotive “Performance Scene.”
Two builds headline SEMA: a comfy race‑truck chase rig and a classic Patrol restomod making 1,000 hp (746 kW), underscoring the nameplate Americans mostly know via the Armada’s shared bones.
Leaning into analog tactility, Scout’s Terra and Traveler prototypes pack rows of physical switches and knobs as CEO Scott Keogh decries screen-first cabins as “dystopian disconnection machines” and promises a “connection machine” driving experience.
Honda’s Super‑One prototype evolves July’s Goodwood run into a production‑targeted city EV, premiering in Tokyo ahead of 2026 Japan sales, wider Asian and U.K. rollout as Super‑N, but no North American plans.
Lucid says future customers will own Level 4 self‑driving cars powered by Nvidia Drive AV, though no vehicle exists yet and real‑world deployment hinges on safety validation, regulation, mapping, and fleet support.
Doug DeMuro tours the V12 flagship’s opulent Manufaktur touches - from executive lounge seating and massaging thrones to intricate ambient lighting and lavish rear conveniences - positioning it as an ultra‑quiet, chauffeur‑class step above the S‑Class.
carwow pits Japanese and British pickups through off‑road climbs, traction tests, and towing challenges, comparing real‑world capability and durability rather than brochure specs to crown a surprising winner by the final hill.
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