The new Prius Prime from Toyota is a plug-in hybrid that pushes the envelope of what we’ve come to expect from hybrid vehicles. That’s not surprising as the Prius brand has led the way in this category for years, and now it’s also coupled with a bolder design to attract even more potential consumers. I drove the Prius Prime on some great roads in SoCal and came away very impressed.

Exterior

As you can see, Toyota has gone with a much more aggressive design for the Prime. It will be interesting to see how loyal Prius buyers react to the new design but in my view it’s a significant improvement. The designers went with a more chiseled profile and edgy character lines along with very distinctive headlights and taillights. The quad LED headlights look like diamonds and highlight the front facia along with a bold acrylic grille, and the rear end with also catch your attention with prominent taillights.

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If you’ve been pining over a new Lamborghini, you’re going to have to look for something other than this new roadster. Lamborghini introduced the limited edition Centenario Roadster at Pebble Beach this weekend and announced they will only be making 20 of these beautiful beasts. All of them have already been sold at a starting price of 2 million euros!

This follows the introduction of the Centenario Coupé, with Lamborghini unveiling its latest one-off creation for fervent collectors and enthusiasts at Monterey Car Week in California.

“Lamborghini prides itself on the relentless pursuit of experimentation. We are proud to unleash Centenario’s further potential in the form of a classic roadster; the perfect harmony between innovation and timeless design. This unique engineering achievement is a befitting tribute to Lamborghini’s extraordinary past and a preview of its brilliant future. Centenario Roadster embraces the cutting edge characteristics of its coupé sibling and embraces the freedom of a true open-top super sports car for a pure drive experience,” said Stefano Domenicali, Automobili Lamborghini Chief Executive Officer.

It’s not just a beautiful vehicle. The new Centenario Roadster also boasts a V12 naturally aspirated engine with 770 horsepower, the most powerful built by Lamborghini, with a weight to power ratio 2.04 kg/hp. The 20 buyers should have some fun with this one!

The Escala Concept introduces the next evolution of Cadillac design.

Cadillac previewed the future design direction for the brand as it unveiled the Escala Concept this weekend at the annual Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Cadillac describes this new concept flagship sedan as a more expressive, expansive companion to the recently launched CT6.

The design is impressive, and it certainly looks like a Cadillac, but it’s still a rather pronounced departure from recent Cadillac design with the shape of the front facia and the front headlights. Take a look back at the Elmiraj Concept from three years ago and you’ll see the difference. The Elmiraj design was reflected in Cadillacs we’ve seen over the past several year, so we can expect to see the Escala front end reflected in upcoming Caddies as well.

Cadillac points out that the new design offers “a new expression of Cadillac’s vertical lighting, a brand signature since 1948.” But there’s no mistaking the horizontal lighting that now dominates the front end.

“Escala is a concept with two clear objectives,” said Johan de Nysschen, president of Global Cadillac. “First, Escala is a statement of intent for the next iteration of the Cadillac design language, and also technical concepts in development for future Cadillac models. Secondly, Escala builds Cadillac’s aspirational character, signaling the brand’s return to the pinnacle of premium.”

I like the new look, and Cadillac probably needed to push their designs in a newer direction to refresh the brand. Let’s see how this new design expression gets treated in upcoming production models.

NASCAR (the National Association of Stock Car Automobile Racing) had a tremendous effect on the development of American’s love affair with automobiles. It also helped in the development of many safety and performance developments that have come along in the last 50 years. The history of American motoring has its roots firmly planted in NASCAR’s development.

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Lincoln completely redesigned the mid-size MKZ sedan for the 2014 model year, and now that design gets a completely new front end with Lincoln’s all-new, one-piece signature grille that debuted on the all-new Continental. You can see from the photos of the new MKZ above that the grille fits nicely with the vehicle’s overall design and gives it a more traditional and distinguished look compared to the previous model pictured below. I like the previous design as well, as Lincoln was in the midst of upping its game from a design point of view with the dramatic front end, but the new look fits the traditional Lincoln brand well.

The 2016 MKZ features the previous front-end design

Another important evolution with the 2017 model is available under the hood. The 2017 Lincoln MKZ comes with the option of an all-new, Lincoln-exclusive 3.0-liter GTDI V6. When paired with an intelligent all-wheel-drive system, the twin-turbocharged engine produces 400 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque, which should improve the overall driving performance of the vehicle. I’ve driven the previous model extensively and this new engine option will likely make a big difference.

The new Lincoln MKZ has many advanced driving features consumers expect from modern luxury vehicles, including available adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality. The system activates the brakes automatically to bring the car to a complete stop if the driver fails to apply brakes in time. To assist with annoying stop-and-go driving, an auto-hold feature keeps the car at a complete stop without the driver having to press and hold the brake pedal. Other features include available Enhanced Park Assist and Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection.

With the new front-end styling and engine options that include a hybrid, the MKZ should continue to be a very valuable vehicle in the Lincoln lineup. We’re looking forward to driving it!