Honda’s new supercar already has many superlatives associated with it, but there’s one that’s unlikely to be at the top of anyone’s list. The 2017 Acura NSX is the most expensive car built in America.

When it begins production this April at Honda’s new Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, the NSX will surpass the current titleholder of most expensive car built in the US, the Dodge Viper. This metric was discovered by Kelly Blue Book’s managing director Matt DeLorenzo and reported by Biz Journals.

At $156,000, it surpasses the approximately $90,000 Viper by at least 50 percent. The FCA halo car is built at the Conner Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan. Though Ford has a new, even more expensive supercar on the horizon in the form of the $400,000-plus GT, the NSX will still hold the title. That’s because the Ford GT will be built by Multimatic Inc., a Ford supplier in Canada, which takes over production from previous generations of the Ford GT built in Detroit.

At top trim levels and loaded with optional equipment, the NSX will break the $200,000 mark. Other versions have been hinted at as well. Honda says that 800 units will be built in 2016, the first of which will be delivered shortly after production kicks off.

State-owned Chinese car maker Beijing Automotive Industry Holding (BAIC) will unveil a sleek coupe powered by an all-electric drivetrain at next month’s Beijing Auto Show.

On paper, the yet-unnamed model is downright impressive. It can hit 62 mph from a stop in three seconds flat, it can reach a top speed of over 160 mph, and it can drive for nearly 190 miles on a single charge. Technical specifications haven’t been published yet.

The two teaser sketches published by BAIC suggest that the coupe boasts a muscular design characterized by a pronounced wheel arches, a low roof line, and a spoiler integrated into the rear deck lid. Its front end gets sharp LED headlights underlined by blue strips of trim and a sizable splitter.

BAIC will release more information about its upcoming EV in the next few weeks, and Leftlane will bring you live images of it straight from the Chinese capital starting on April 25th. What the future holds for the coupe largely depends on whether it’s merely a concept or a production model. If it’s approved for production, there’s a small chance we’ll see it on our shores one day because BAIC joined forces with California-based EV startup Atieva late last year in order to build premium electric cars for markets all around the globe.

Honda has begun restoration of its first US-market passenger car, a 1967 Honda N600. The car was discovered by a long-time restorer of the model, who had it in his possession for years before he discovered it was serial number 000001.

The N600 was a front-wheel-drive hatchback based on Japan’s supercompact class called kei cars in its home country. While Japanese versions were powered by a 360cc motor in line with kei requirements at the time, US-bound markets did not have such displacement limitations, allowing Honda to install a 600cc air-cooled two-cylinder, four-stroke engine good for about 31 horsepower and a top-speed of 77 mph. The car itself weighed less than 1,120 pounds. The N-Series also served as styling inspiration for the N-One.

This particular car, which Honda is calling Serial One, was discovered by N600 expert Tim Mings of southern California. Mings discovered it at a swap meet nearly 10 years ago and bought it without knowing its significance. It wasn’t until years later when he scraped off the grime covering the serial number that he realized it was the first N600.

The car is one of 50 from the first batch imported to the US as a pilot program for Honda Automobiles. It’s one of three known to have survived. Mings has been restoring N600s for over 20 years, and calls this the most important project he’ll ever undertake. When it is complete, it will reside at the American Honda collection.

In order to spur hydrogen vehicle and infrastructure development, Toyota is turning to a fleet of fuel cell forklifts.

Though Toyota has been advocating hydrogen-powered vehicles, the technology is still moving too slowly for the company’s tastes. It’s a classic chicken or egg scenario, in which the vehicles can’t proliferate because of the lack of infrastructure, but the infrastructure is too expensive to build because there’s not enough vehicle using them.

Toyota will attempt to give the alternative energy source another jumpstart by installing small communities of fuel cell workhorses at key locations. Later this year, hydrogen fuel cell forklifts will begin rolling out at the Tokyo Bay waterfront, where they’ll be used to haul bulk food and beverage loads around the wholesale market.

The hydrogen fuel would be generated by wind to keep carbon emissions at a minimum. Fuel cell forklifts can also be filled up in three minutes, rather than the hours needed for a batter-powered equivalent.

Toyota sees airports and other industrial areas as venues where small communities of fuel cell vehicles could be beneficial. As reported by Automotive News, Toyota senior manager in charge of the company’s Business Development Group Shigeki Tomoyama estimates that there could be as many as 100,000 fuel cell-powered industrial vehicles in use by 2030, which will lower the cost of fuel cell components. “Fuel cell [passenger] vehicles alone can’t stimulate the market,” Tomoyama said at the forklift program’s launch, “That’s why we need to expand to industrial use.”

As it happens, Toyota Group is also the world’s largest manufacturer of forklifts.

The Geneva Auto Show closed its doors a few days ago, and the New York show hasn’t even kicked off yet, but automakers are already beginning to talk about this fall’s Paris Auto Show. Renault will introduce a new concept in the French capital that will usher in its next design language.

The yet-unnamed concept will take the form of a stylish sports car, according to design boss Laurens van den Acker, but it won’t share any components with the long-awaited Alpine A120 that will also debut in Paris. Instead, it will be billed as a follow-up to the DeZir (pictured), which means it will be the first in a series of about five concepts built to show how the company’s next design language will look on a variety of body styles.

The changes made to Renault’s current design language will be evolutionary, not revolutionary.

“It took us so long to find a face. I’m not sure we could go through the agony again,” explained the Dutch designer in an interview with trade journal Automotive News.

The concept most likely won’t spawn a production model because a Renault-badged sports car would compete against the storied Alpine brand that executives are on the verge of re-launching after a 20-year hiatus.

Every year, Jeep gives its designers a blank slate and asks them to create a handful of concepts for the Moab Jeep Safari. The trucks are usually wild, one-off models created for enthusiasts, but at least one concept from this year’s batch hints at a production model.

“There may be things you see on the Crew Chief that you might see on [the Wrangler pickup]. Oddly enough though, we’ve never done a crew cab pickup [concept] before. Hint, hint,” said Mark Allen, the head of Jeep’s design department.

The comments suggest the first-ever Jeep Wrangler pickup will be offered as a crew cab. We’ll have to wait to find out if the truck will exclusively be offered with four doors, or if Jeep will also build a shorter single cab model inspired by the CJ-8 Scrambler that was built during the 1980s and the Gladiator concept shown over a decade ago at the Detroit show.

One part of the Crew Chief (pictured) that most likely won’t make the jump from concept to production is the heritage-laced front end.

“I don’t have a lot of interest in doing retro,” explained Allen. He added that the Crew Chief’s stamped tailgate will remain at the concept stage, too, because it’s difficult to implement on a series-produced model.

Jeep’s upcoming pickup will be built alongside the next-generation Wrangler in Toledo, Ohio. The Wrangler is expected to bow in late 2017, and the pickup is tentatively scheduled to arrive before the end of 2018.

Just what Infiniti wants to become – or what it is today – is probably a regular topic of lunchtime conversation at parent company Nissan’s headquarters.

The division’s updated-for-2016 QX60 certainly doesn’t define anything, but it does represent a nice upgrade of a model deservedly popular with families looking for a decent dose of luxury in a three-row crossover.

Changes for 2016 are subtle, but a tightening down of the crossover’s suspension, some updated styling inside and out, and a few new safety features make it worth a look for those in the market.

Moving up
Underneath, the QX60, which debuted a few years ago as the JX35 and was renamed as part of the brand’s rather confusing revamp, remains a Nissan Pathfinder. But it’s a dressy Pathfinder, with an interior that suits its $42,600 base price. That’s about $6,000 more than a Pathfinder SL, which is equipped about the same but comes with a shorter warranty and lacks Infiniti’s upmarket dealer experience. The value equation makes more sense at the low end of the QX60′s spectrum, however, as a to-the-gills Pathfinder Platinum checks in at a staggering $13,000 less than the fully-optioned, $58,845 QX60 AWD we sampled in San Antonio recently.

For $13,000, you do get nicer interior accouterments, including additional soft-touch trim on the dashboard, acoustic glass for the front driver and passenger windows, and a new gear lever for 2016. You’ll also net a host of camera-based collision prevention tech including new-for-2016 Predictive Forward Collision Warning, a cool technology that looks two cars ahead to anticipate an impending collision. If the car two in front hits its brakes, the Infiniti will let you know.

Still, that’s a lot of coin, so for 2016, Infiniti buttoned down the QX60′s suspension with new dampers, spring rates, and bushings, in an effort to deliver a driving experience more up to the brand’s performance positioning.

Not only can you carve corners a bit faster in the updated 2016, you’ll look a little better doing it. A revised front fascia, new tail lamps, and updated 18 and optional 20-inch alloy wheels add a touch more on road presence.

Like the Pathfinder, family-friendly features abound. The second row of seats scoots forward with ease to allow for above average access to row three. For 2016, Infiniti added lots of USB outlets, including two for the third row, but it also removed the rearmost ventilation outlets, a move the brand says allows the remaining vents to work more effectively.

Materials are nice overall, especially the leather seats, but they fall short of the bar set by European luxury brands. Let’s put it this way – we wouldn’t be surprised if there are a lot of part numbers shared with the Pathfinder.

The sporty choice?
Infiniti markets the QX60 as “built for families” and “designed for drivers.” Families? Yes, especially given how comfortable all three rows of seats are. Drivers? Well, not really, but the updated QX is sharper and marginally more entertaining than before.

Underhood, last year’s 3.5-liter V6, putting out 265 horsepower and 248 lb-ft. of torque, carries over, as does its continuously variable transmission. AWD, fitted to our tester, adds $1,800 to the bottom line. That powertrain is nicely isolated from the passenger cabin and it delivers more than acceptable acceleration, but it hardly turns this family hauler into a rocket ship.

Infiniti continues to build a hybrid version of the QX60, but the brand admits that its appeal is limited in the United States, so most assembled at the automaker’s Smyrna, Tenn., assembly plant are destined for overseas markets. An American dealer can special order a QX60 Hybrid for a roughly $6,500 premium if you so desire. But you probably don’t.

On the road, the QX60 carries itself nicely over smooth pavement and even rough terrain hardly upsets the cabin. There’s more road roar from the tires than we think is appropriate for the segment, however, and while the CVT is generally unobtrusive, hill climbing can leave it growling its way into the upper reaches of the rev range. Around town, the QX60 acquits itself better, feeling fairly lithe and nimble in tight situations, especially for a vehicle with such a roomy interior.

Even around town, however, the Infiniti is more isolated from the road than the MDX or the Volvo XC90, both of which fulfill the “designed for drivers” approach far better. It’s those two models, both of which are newer designs than the QX60, which make this Infiniti something of a tough sell.

While we didn’t have the opportunity to sample fuel economy, the AWD QX60 is rated at 19/26 mpg city and 22 mpg combined, figures acceptable for the class.

Leftlane‘s bottom line
No question the QX60′s 2016 improvements are worthwhile over last year’s model. But what makes it a tough sell is a glance at its rivals. Test drive an Acura MDX or a Volvo XC90 and you’ll be rewarded with a more authentic luxury feel, enhanced dynamics, and, frankly, a better value proposition.

2016 Infiniti QX60 base price, $42,600.

Photos by Andrew Ganz.

Mercedes-Benz has released a teaser video for the GLC Coupe, due to make its global debut next week in New York.

As expected, the ‘coupe’ edition keeps four doors but brings a more streamlined shape with a tapered rear end. Overall the compact crossover coupe resembles its larger sibling, the GLE Coupe.

Technical details are being kept under wraps, but the coupe will likely powertrains as the GLC crossover. The latter model is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 241 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, delivered via a nine-speed automatic transmission. Buyers will likely face a choice between rear- or all-wheel drive.

The coupe will be presented alongside the high-performance AMG-tuned GLC43, which boasts a twin-turbo 3.0-liter V6 engine with 362 ponies. The package also features unique bodywork, upgraded steering, revised suspension and a rear-biased 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.

Additional details surrounding the GLC Coupe could surface ahead of the unveiling event.

Toyota has announced a US launch window for its C-HR concept, a unique “five door coupe” that was recently shown in closer-to-production form in Geneva.

The US production version will be revealed later this year before arriving in showrooms in spring 2017 for the 2018 model year. The compact high-riding model will likely take center stage as the Japanese automaker retires Scion and attempts to give its core Toyota brand a more youthful image.

“The style and substance of the production C-HR will make it a winner in the hottest segment in the industry,” said Toyota VP Bill Fay.

The production crossover will be built on the modular Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform, sold with traditional powertrains and a gasoline-electric hybrid system repurposed from the Prius. Front- and all-wheel drive will be offered, though the company has not yet confirmed technical details for the US-bound edition.

The C-HR will be positioned below the RAV4, serving as Toyota’s entry to the mini-CUV segment. The company appears to believe the C-HR’s unique styling will give it an edge against the Honda HR-V and other rivals.

Live images by Ronan Glon.