GMC has introduced the 2017 GMC Terrain Nightfall Edition, expanding General Motors’ growing list of blacked-out appearance packages.

The Nightfall offering features unique 18-inch wheels that combine a machined-aluminum finish with gloss-black spokes. The theme continues with a charcoal grille and gloss-black finish for the grille surround, front and rear fascia accents, license plate trim, outside mirrors and luggage rails.

The package will be available on SLE-2 and SLT trim levels. Buyers can pick from four different exterior color options: Onyx Black (pictured), Graphite Gray Metallic, Crimson Red Metallic and Summit White.

The Terrain Nightfall joins the Canyon Nightfall Edition and Sierra All Terrain X, all of which feature similar darkened exteriors.

The Terrain is GMC’s second-best-selling nameplate, second only to the Sierra, with 2015 deliveries hitting a record 112,030 units. Despite ongoing growth in the crossover segment, GMC’s compact model has failed to maintain momentum into 2016. Sales are currently down by more than 13 percent for the first two months of the year.

Live images by Brian Williams.

The Buick Enclave lineup will be expanded with a new Sport Touring Edition for the 2017 model year.

The appearance package matches the Sport Touring trim available for the Encore and recently added to Buick’s sedan lineup — the LaCrosse, Regal and Verano — for the 2016 model year.

The Enclave edition centers around a Satin Black Ice-finish grille and 20-inch chrome-clad wheels with Satin Black Ice accents, stepping up from the 18-inch wheels for the rest of the Sport Touring family.

The upgrade will be available for the Leather and Premium trims, with a choice between White Frost Tricoat, Crimson Red Metallic and Ebony Twilight Metallic exterior colors.

The company claims the Enclave has achieved the highest loyalty among any Buick nameplate, with 33.4 percent of sales from returning customers last year. Sales are up by nearly 10 percent in the first two months of the year, with volume only slightly behind Buick’s best-selling Encore.

“That’s the highest loyalty rate among all Buick models and one of the top model-to-model loyalty rates in the crossover SUV segment, topping key competitors such as Audi Q7 and Acura MDX, as well as vehicles like the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota Highlander,” the company said in a statement.

The Buick Enclave Sport Touring Edition will go on sale in the coming weeks.

Live images by Brian Williams.

General Motors has introduced the 2017 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 convertible on the second day of the New York auto show, following the ZL1 coupe‘s debut on day one.

Both variants share the same 6.2-liter supercharged small-block LT4 V8, delivering an estimated 640 horsepower and 640 lb-ft of torque. The powerful engine is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox or an available paddle-shifted 10-speed automatic.

The package features unique styling elements including a large lower grille opening, a unique ‘flow-tie’ logo on the upper grille, a new hood with a carbon-fiber insert, a larger front splitter and a wing-style rear spoiler, among other changes.

Complementing the extra power, the ZL1 features Eagle F1 tires on special 20-inch wheels. Brembo brakes help quickly shave off speed, with six-piston calipers grabbing 15.35-inch two-piece rotors up front.

GM claims the convertible ZL1 offers ‘comparable’ performance to the coupe. The new Camaro’s modular architecture offers improved rigidity, designed from the start with a high-performance topless variant in mind.

“As a result, only a few minor structural differences separate the coupe and convertible models, enabling the coupe’s track-honed chassis and driver control systems to carry over unchanged,” the company said in a statement.

The new ZL1 convertible will arrive in showrooms early next year.

Infiniti has introduced the 2017 QX70 Limited at the New York International Auto Show.

The Limited addition is the second to join the Infiniti family, following the 2016 QX80 Limited. Both range toppers feature a variety of interior and exterior upgrades.

The QX70 variant is visually distinguished by a unique front fascia with LED daytime running lights to replace the standard QX70 fog lights. Designers also crafted a new grille, which will eventually be used for all 2017 QX70 packages. Other exterior tweaks include a stainless steel rear bumper protector and unique 21×9.5-inch multi-spoke wheels with a dark paint finish.

Occupants are treated to a special high-contrast Graphite and Stone interior color scheme. Upgraded elements include open-pore wood trim, aluminum flake trim, pillow quilting and aluminum-trimmed pedals.

The QX70 Limited shares the same powertrain with the lesser packages. All are powered by a 3.7-liter V6 engine with 325 horsepower.

Infiniti has not yet announced pricing or launch dates for the new package.

Live images by Brian Williams.

General Motors has released a promotional video showing Chevrolet Bolt pre-production.

The teaser arrives ahead of Tesla’s long-awaited Model 3 unveiling, serving as a reminder that GM plans to be the first on the market with an mass-market long-range EV.

Despite the video of a fully assembled Bolt on a production line, the EV is still many months from arriving in showrooms. The company expects to begin deliveries before the end of the year, potentially giving GM a significant head start before the Model 3 is expected to hit the market in the second half of 2017.

Whenever it does land in showrooms, the Bolt will carry a MSRP of $37,500 (before tax credits) with a promised range of more than 200 miles.

Analysts will be closely watching sales of both the Bolt and Model 3, though the competitors will be quite different beyond their price tags and battery capacities. Tesla’s offering is expected to focus on luxury, positioned as an electric alternative to BMW’s 3-Series, while the Bolt takes inspiration from small crossovers.

Nissan has unveiled an updated GT-R at the New York International Auto Show, introducing a fresh new look and other improvements for the 2017 model year.

The revision represents the most significant change to the flagship coupe since the model was first introduced a decade ago, bringing the nameplate into line with Nissan’s latest design language.

The front end has been thoroughly revamped with a new ‘V-Motion’ grille, enlarged to provide better airflow. A new hood features more pronounced character lines, blending into a reshaped bumper and front spoiler lip.

Engineers have pushed out the side sills to better manage airflow around the vehicle, while new side air vents now flank the quad exhaust tips. Altogether, the exterior design changes are said to improve stability at high speeds without affecting the GT-R’s 0.26 drag coefficient.

Designers worked to deliver a more premium interior, wrapping the reshaped dashboard in a seamless piece of Nappa leather. A thinner dash cushion layer and new seats help reduce weight.

Controls have been simplified, reducing the number of navigation and audio switches from 27 to just 11, while a larger eight-inch touchscreen replaces the existing seven-inch unit. The company also moved the paddle shifters to the new steering wheel, enabling drivers to easily change gears in mid-turn.

Changes for the 2017 model year are not merely limited to aesthetics and ergonomics. The GT-R’s beloved 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V6 has been tweaked to deliver 565 horsepower at 6800 rpm and 467 lb-ft of torque — an increase of 20 ponies and four lb-ft of twist — thanks to ignition-timing control of individual cylinders and extra boost. Engineers also revised the six-speed dual-clutch transmission for smoother shifts and less noise, while a new titanium exhaust system promises to sound better than ever.

The updated coupe brings a more rigid body structure and suspension revisions, providing higher cornering speeds and better stability during rapid lateral transitions. Despite the handling improvements, ride quality is said to be smoother than the outgoing edition. Active noise cancellation and new sound absorption materials further contribute to a quieter cabin.

Pricing will likely be announced closer to market arrival.

Live images by Brian Williams.

The Scion FR-S is set to be rebranded and revised for the 2017 model year, arriving as the Toyota 86 in the US market.

The nameplate is now consistent with Toyota’s global naming scheme as the company drops its Scion sub-brand in the US and Canada. The FR-S has already been known as the Toyota 86 or GT86 in global markets since its introduction for the 2012 model year.

“When we announced the transition of the Scion models to Toyota we hadn’t planned on changing the names of our cars, but by popular demand, for our sports car, we decided to adopt the global name of 86,” says Toyota VP Bill Fay.

Receiving more than just a new name, the 86 brings slightly more power than the 2016 edition. Its 2.0-liter engine is still naturally aspirated, though the manual version has been retuned for 205 horsepower and 156 lb-ft of torque — up five ponies and as many lb-ft of twist, delivered via new gear ratios.

The coupe also receives a few aesthetic tweaks alongside the Toyota badging. The front fascia has been refreshed with new LED headlights and turn signals, complementing a restyled bumper with a more pronounced lower grille. The back end has also been refreshed with a new number and sportier LED taillights, while new alloy wheels feature a twisted spoke design.

Toyota has upgraded the interior, adding new soft-touch ‘Grandlux’ material on the instrument panel and door trim. Seating material has also been swapped and highlighted with silver stitching.

Engineers worked to improve control and road manners, retuning the shocks and tweaking the spring rates.

Live images by Brian Williams.

Jaguar’s Classic division has announced that it will recreate the nine XKSS road cars that were destroyed by a factory fire in 1957.

Essentially a road-going version of the Le Mans winning D-Type, the XKSS is often billed as the world’s first supercar. In an era when most cars struggled to hit 100mph, the XKSS was capable of hitting speeds in excess of 140mph.

The nine so-called continuation cars will be hand-built at Jaguar’s new ‘Experimental Shop’ in Warwick. It doesn’t appear as though any original parts will be used in the construction of the nine continuation cars, but Jaguar promises that all XKSS’s will be “constructed to the same specifications as those first 16 made in 1957.”

“The XKSS occupies a unique place in Jaguar’s history and is a car coveted by collectors the world over for its exclusivity and unmistakable design,” said Tim Hannig, Director Jaguar Land Rover Classic. “Jaguar Classic’s highly skilled team of engineers and technicians will draw on decades of knowledge to ensure each of the nine cars is completely authentic and crafted to the highest quality.”

A total of 16 XKSS’s made it out of the Browns Lane factory before the fire destroyed the remaining nine cars and the tools to build them in 1957. Some of those cars have passed through the hands of famous owners, including Steve McQueen.

Jaguar says some of the nine continuation cars are still available for purchase, but any buyer will need to have deep pockets; the automaker says each one will command more than 1 million pounds.

Mazda has introduced the 2017 MX-5 RF ahead of its official debut at the New York Auto Show.

The name RF stands for “retractable fastback.” Mazda has added a retractable hard top that gives the MX-5 a fastback-like silhouette when it’s in the up position. The roof panel right above the occupants automatic retracts at the push of a button at speeds of up to 6 mph, making the MX-5 RF more of a targa than a full-blown convertible. Clever packaging allows the RF to offer the same amount of trunk space as the standard MX-5, even when the top is down.

Top aside, the RF is identical to the fourth-generation MX-5. On our shores, it ships with a naturally-aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 155 horsepower and 148 lb-ft. of torque. The four spins the rear wheels via either a standard six-speed manual transmission or an optional six-speed automatic. Performance figures haven’t been published, so we don’t know how RF stacks up against the regular MX-5 ragtop.

The 2017 Mazda MX-5 RF will go on sale in the coming months, though a more specific time frame isn’t available. Pricing information hasn’t been announced yet, but expect the RF to carry a small premium over the MX-5.

Live images by Brian Williams.