MotorTrend June 2023

Editorial Digital Director Erik Johnson Executive Editor Mac Morrison Deputy Editor, Daily Content Alex Stoklosa Daily Content Team Justin Banner, Andrew Beckford, Monica Gonderman, Alex Kierstein, William Irvin Lewis, Matt Rodriguez, Justin Westbrook Buyer’s Guide Director Zach Gale Buyer’s Guide Team Duncan Brady, Bob Hernandez, Alex Leanse, Kelly Lin, Billy Rehbock International Bureau Chief Angus MacKenzie Senior Features Editors Kristen Lee, Jonny Lieberman Detroit Editor Alisa Priddle Mexico Editor Miguel Cortina Features Editors Scott Evans, Christian Seabaugh Editor-at-Large Edward Loh Senior Editor Aaron Gold Manager, Visual Assets Brian Vance Photography Asset Editor William Walker Associate Photographers Renz Dimaandal, Brandon Lim, Darren Martin Managing Editor Rusty Kurtz Senior Copy Editor Jesse Bishop Copy Editor Claire Crowley Technical Technical Director Frank Markus Testing Director Eric Tingwall Road Test Editor Chris Walton Associate Road Test Editor Erick Ayapana Road Test Analyst Alan Lau Art Creative Director Alan J Muir Digital Design Manager Ryan Lugo Editorial Operations Director of Editorial Operations Mike Floyd Manager, Editorial…

I’ve heard several people ask rhetorically why racing matters. I haven’t conducted anything resembling a scientific survey, but it’s as if the emergence and proliferation of electrified automobiles, ongoing grandiose fantasies of autonomous driving, and even the anticipated rise of the machines (i.e., artificial intelligence) tells them motorsports’ days are numbered. It’s an odd—ignorant, really—hot take when you consider interest in multiple racing series around the world is on the rise. IMSA’s season-opening Rolex 24 saw a record crowd of an estimated 50,000, much of which series officials attribute to interest in the new era of various manufacturer-backed hybrid-powered Prototype-class cars. The NTT IndyCar Series is healthier than it has been for years, and Formula 1—once the Fabergé egg of motorsports to millions of racing fans while forever struggling to establish…

After much waiting—only four years late!—the electric Tesla Semi’s initial customer, PepsiCo, has taken delivery of its first examples of the big rig. We got a look at the trucks at an event celebrating the transformation of the beverage and snack conglomerate’s Modesto, California, Frito-Lay plant into an emissions-free pilot project as its aims to achieve zero overall emissions by 2040. The revamped facility’s 500,000 square feet are dedicated to turning potatoes and corn into Lay’s, Ruffles, Doritos, Cheetos, and Fritos, all powered by a massive on-site solar facility and local renewable energy projects and backed by 2.7 MWh of on-site battery storage. Helping the factory distribute its snacks throughout the American West are three electric BYD 8Y yard tractors, six Peterbilt 220EV electric box trucks for local last-mile deliveries, 38…

The recent rise of startup rocket companies has led many to declare we’re living through a second great Space Age, and Lamborghini couldn’t have asked for a better backdrop to unveil its all-new V-12 flagship supercar, the 2024 Revuelto. Indeed, Lamborghini celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023, with a legacy stretching back to the first great Space Age of the 1960s. The Revuelto attempts to capture this heritage via several cues. The new supercar features scissor doors like the 1971 Countach prototype, similar proportions as found on the Diablo, the Murciélago’s front-end incline, and V-12 hybrid tech inspired by the Sián. Meanwhile, the engine is repositioned 180 degrees opposite that of the outgoing Aventador, and a transverse gearbox as found on the 1966 Miura and more modern track-focused Essenza SCV12 hypercar. A…

Buick is finally clearing up the confusing situation where it sold both the largely unrelated Encore and Encore GX SUVs, the former being the one that looked like a potato on wheels and the latter being the one that looked like, well, a slightly larger potato. To its credit, the Encore helped establish the wee-UV segment in America in 2013, but the GX arrived in 2019 as a more modern, more premium, and more spacious alternative and quickly became both Buick’s and the class’ bestseller. For 2024, the original Encore is dead while the GX gets a midcycle refresh with updated styling, improved infotainment, new trims, and a price drop. If you expected more, you haven’t been paying attention to GM’s very public and very large investment in electric vehicles, including small…

Is the Nissan GT-R keeping the dream alive or overstaying its welcome? The sports car has certainly stoked enthusiasts’ hearts over the years, and it still delivers mind-blowing performance. But it’s been a long, long time since the R35 generation arrived in 2007 as a 2009 model, and fans have anxiously awaited the model’s fate as the world turns toward EVs. Would it die, never to return? Or would an electric (or electrified) R36 generation rocket from the shadows? Turns out the answer is neither as the oft-updated R35 soldiers on with more revisions. The most obvious difference is the boxier front fascia, with the side inlets now integrated into the main intake opening and more modern, honeycomb-style lights occupying the lower corners. The upper grille appears slightly longer and sleeker,…