New Cars A-Z, Tesla Model 2 Rendered, And Toyota Mirai Driven: Your Morning Brief

Good morning, and welcome to our daily digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…

Your A-Z Guide To All The New Cars, SUVs, Trucks And EVs Coming In 2022

A new year means a slew of new cars scheduled for launch. And with the world slowly finding its feet after a couple of rocky years, 2022 looks like it’s going to be packed with new metal. So we’ve rounded up everything from the Acura Integra to the VW ID.5 in our new car, SUV, truck, and EV A-Z.

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Quick Spin: The Toyota Mirai Is A Comfortable And Stylish Fuel Cell Flagship

While not everyone is convinced there’s a future for hydrogen-powered vehicles, Toyota has been one of the strongest proponents of the alternative fuel source. But is it a Betamax car in a VHS world? Quite possibly, and it doesn’t help that California is the only state where one can refuel. Regardless, the Mirai is a glimpse at what could be possible, but with most automakers opting for battery electric tech, for the time being it can’t be any more than that.

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2023 Tesla Model 2: Everything We Know About The EV Brand’s $25,000 Compact Car

While many are waiting for the Cybertruck and Roadster to become a reality, the $25,000 “baby Tesla” Model 2 could just be the most significant car for those wanting a cheaper point of entry to the Tesla lifestyle. Official details are scant, but these independent illustrations show how this compact hatchback could look. One thing’s for sure: it could provide serious competition to the VW ID.3, Honda e, and Nissan Leaf.

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Lexus Will Reportedly Replace Rear-End Badge With Lettering Across Entire Lineup

The Lexus “L badge” will be making its departure from the rumps of new Lexus cars, according to Lexus’ global head of marketing Brian Bolain. Bolain recently told Motor Trend that the full name badge that was previewed with the 2022 NX will soon become a brand-wide design choice. It follows similar design decisions from the likes of Range Rover, Jeep, and GMC Hummer.

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Which Of These ’97 Classics Would You Import Under The 25-Year Rule In 2022?

A new year also means that there are new possibilities for those wanting to import foreign market automotive offerings to the US. Quick math tells us that the golden model year will be 1997, which means some exciting options, such as the EK9 Honda Civic Type R, Ford Puma, Alfa Romeo 156, Nismo 400R and Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution. If none of these performance cars tickle your fancy, rest assured that the first-gen Mercedes A-Class and Toyota Prius will also be an option. Yay…

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Meet Jack Wendel, The Man Who’s Spending $100,000 To Create A C2 Inspired Coachbuilt Corvette C8

Jack Wendel’s project work has prompted a few strong reactions, but perhaps none as strong as what he’s doing to his C8 Corvette. The theme is ‘what might the C2 have looked like if GM had made it mid-engine.’ Wendel told us that “Those that believe I’m trying to ‘convert the C8 Corvette into a C2’ will obviously be critical of the results because they are using the wrong yardstick to measure it by.”

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What Else Is Making The News

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Blackberry Phones Officially Dead

Blackberry phone users (those that are left anyway) will finally have to move on to new devices, as the company announced that services for older devices would be shut off on January 4. The phones will no longer be able to function reliably, including data, texts, or making phone calls, reports The Independent.

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US Phone Firms Say No To 5G Roll-Out Delay

AT&T and Verizon have rejected government requests to delay their 5G rollouts this week. This comes after US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the request over concerns about aviation safety, reports the BBC.

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