Week in Review: The Top News from May 23 to May 29

This week’s news so a lot of EV and truck goods from Ford and some teasers and special edition variants from Toyota. We also got some juicy sports car rumors and pricing for a hotly anticipated crossover from Korea.

The biggest news of the week is the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Pro. This is the commercial version of Ford’s upcoming all-electric pickup truck that starts at $39,974. That will get you 230 miles on a charge and a dual-motor setup good for 426 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque. You can also upgrade to the extended range battery, which bumps range up to 300 miles per charge and power to 563 hp. However, you won’t be able to get the massive 15.5-inch touchscreen that the consumer version of the F-150 Lightning gets. The F-150 Lightning Pro will only be initially available in a crew cab configuration.

Continuing with more Ford news, the automaker is developing two battery-electric platforms one for trucks and another that’s RWD/AWD-focused for cars and SUVs. According to a report from Automotive News, Ford and Lincoln are getting electric versions of the Explorer and Aviator respectively. Hau Thai Tang, chief product, platform, and operations officer also hinted that the Bronco could also get an EV variant along with other so-called “iconic” nameplates.

Check out the recorded live stream of Ford’s Capital Market Days here.

Toyota teased three models ahead of a big reveal week for the Japanese brand. The first and most exciting one is the U.S.-spec Toyota GR86 sports car, which should be mechanically similar to the Subaru BRZ. The second ones are two new off-road-oriented versions of the Tacoma midsize truck so we’re expecting some updates to the most capable version. Last but most importantly is what appears to be the 2022 Toyota Corolla Cross, which is expected to slot between the C-HR and RAV4. Expect the Corolla Cross to offer more practicality than the C-HR. A hybrid option should be in the cards too since Toyota has committed to offering an electrified version of every vehicle it sells.

Two new special edition models were also announced this week. The 2022 Toyota Prius Nightshade Edition gives the hybrid pioneer a blacked-out look and is nicely equipped. It appears to be based on the XLE grade since it’s packing a long list of standard equipment and is only missing a handful of gadgets versus the range-topping Limited trim. FWD and AWD will be available on the 2022 Prius Nightshade Edition.

The second special edition is the 2022 Toyota Highlander Bronze Edition, which gets a huge helping of bronze accents inside and out. Slotting between the XLE and Limited grades, the Highlander Bronze Edition will be available exclusively with a hybrid powertrain and in FWD or AWD flavors. In addition to the bronze 18-inch wheels and interior accents, the Highlander Bronze Edition gets additional standard features like a 10-way power driver’s seat with memory, a 1,500-watt power outlet, and a hands-free power liftgate.

We got a first look at the U.S.-spec 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5 and based on Stefan’s first impressions, it looks like an oversized angular hatchback, which is not a bad thing. The U.S. will only get the larger 77.4-kWh battery, allowing the car to travel up to 300 miles in a single-motor guise or 244 to 269 miles if you get the dual-motor flavor depending on the trim. Single-motor versions make 225 hp and 258 lb-ft while dual-motor models have 320 hp and 446 lb-ft. Key features include Highway Driving Assist II, which enables the car to react to other vehicles cutting you off and adds automatic lane changing. Certain variants of the Ioniq 5 will also get two 12.0-inch displays.

Spy shots of the 2022 Nissan Z have popped up on the Nissan Z Club forum. This appears to be one of the vehicles that leaked earlier this year where it was filmed in a warehouse somewhere near an airport. This essentially confirms that the Z Proto shown last year wasn’t going to change much on its way to production. The only real difference between the camouflaged car and the Z Proto is that the former has a small duckbill spoiler to channel the original 240Z.

Based on some insider information, we know that the 2022 Nissan Z (internally known as the Z35) uses a heavily reworked version of the FM platform. That’s been used on everything from the Infiniti FX, EX, G35/G37. Q50/Q60, Q70, and the last two generations Nissan’s Z sports car. With that said, the platform’s development costs have long been paid off and it could help keep the price down for the next Z. The venerable 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 is the only viable engine choice for the new Z and we’re suspecting it’s getting the higher output version just like the Q50 and Q60 Red Sport. The carryover six-speed manual will be joined by a new nine-speed automatic transmission that’s already in the Titan and Frontier. The spy shots on the Nissan Z Club forum also show one car with active driver assistance equipment, hinting that the Z could finally get advanced safety technologies. Expect the digital gauge cluster and 9.0-inch main touchscreen from the Rogue and Pathfinder to also end up on the Z.

Pricing for the 2022 Genesis GV70 has been released with the base model starting at $41,000 before the $1,045 destination fee. That gets you a generous list of standard features including AWD, a 300-hp 2.5-liter turbo-four, a 14.5-inch touch screen, highway driving assist, and a full suite of driver assistance features. If you want a GV70 with the 375-hp 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6, that’ll set you back $52,600 before destination but you’ll also get extras like an electronically controlled suspension, Highway driving Assistant II, evasive steering assist, and ventilated front seats as standard. The range-topping 3.5T Sport Prestige is the only way to get the electronically-controlled limited-slip differential and the 12.3-inch 3D digital cluster.

Infiniti finally gave us a quick glimpse of the 2022 QX60 ahead of its June 23 debut. This three-row is the most important product for the brand because it’s the best-seller. The 2022 Infiniti QX60 is expected to get the same 295-hp 3.5-liter V6 but the CVT will be ditched for the same ZF nine-speed automatic found in the Pathfinder. The dual-screen center stack will also be swapped out for a since larger display, which looks similar to the unit found in the Armada.

If you’re looking to build your ideal 2022 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, there’s some good news for you because the configurator is now online. After spending a few minutes with it, we found that you can easily configure a Grand Wagoneer up to $110,000 while a Wagoneer can quickly hit $90,000. The Wagoneer comes only with a 5.7-liter V8 with the 48-volt eTorque mild hybrid system while the Grand Wagoneer gets the 6.4-liter V8. Both models use an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Kia announced pricing for the 2022 Kia Seltos, which gets the brand’s new badge and a Nightfall Edition replacing the S Turbo grade. The latter gets a black grille, black 18-inch alloy wheels, and slightly different roof rails and side sills. All 2022 Seltos models now get a full suite of driver assistance suite as standard while the SX grade gets a flat-bottom steering wheel. The S trim and higher gets the 10.25-inch touchscreen, automatic climate control, and remote start as standard equipment. Pricing starts at $22,490 before the $1,175 destination charge. LX, S, and EX grades are powered by a 146-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder paired to a CVT. Nightfall Edition and SX variants use a 175-hp 1.6-liter turbo-four coupled to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. AWD is standard on all trims except the S grade, which is available with FWD.