Latest news with #crossover
Motor 1
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Lexus Trademarked 'LBX' In America. But Why?
Automakers securing trademarks and patents in regions where a vehicle may not exist is nothing new. Ram recently filed a patent for its Rampage truck in the US, but we don't necessarily expect to see that exact model Stateside. GM, meanwhile, recently renewed its Pontiac trademark , but we're not holding out hope for a comeback. Now Lexus is securing a trademark for the nameplate "LBX" in America, according to Justia Trademarks , which lists public trademark and patent filings in the US. The LBX is the automaker's tiny, Yaris-based crossover sold throughout Europe and other markets. There's even a performance variant with the GR Yaris's three-cylinder engine underhood—the LBX Morizo RR . Lexus LBX Morizo RR Photo by: Lexus As with any trademark filing, this doesn't necessarily mean that Lexus will bring its tiny LBX crossover to America. The automaker is likely securing the patent to prevent other companies from using the name. That said, the LBX would make a lot of sense for the US. Lexus is slowly phasing out its other tiny crossover, the UX, in certain markets, or has moved it to a hybrid-only configuration. The UX went on sale in 2019 and hasn't exactly been a hot commodity. Even in its best sales year in the US, Lexus never moved more than 12,000 examples. If the company hopes to continue in this segment, the LBX would make a lot of sense. Riding on Toyota's versatile TNGA architecture, the LBX has a hybrid 1.5-liter engine making 136 horsepower in the UK, paired to either a front- or all-wheel-drive setup. It starts at £29,995, which comes out to just over $40,000 in the US. The Lexus UX, meanwhile, costs $37,715 in the US for 2025. But the question remains: Will Lexus bring the LBX to the US? We'll just have to wait and see. 51 Source: Lexus The Latest From Lexus Lexus's First EV Has Fake Shifts This Lexus IS500 Special Edition Is the Rarest V-8 of All Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily. back Sign up For more information, read our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Source: Justia Trademarks Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
Gizmodo
3 days ago
- Business
- Gizmodo
DC and Marvel Are Smashing Together Batman and Deadpool
It will probably never happen on the big screen but in the comic book shops, Marvel and DC are ready to team up once again. The two biggest comic book companies just announced that two of their most popular characters, Batman and Deadpool, are going to show down across splash pages later this year. Entertainment Weekly broke the news of the crossover, which will mainly consist of two separate one-shot comics. On the Marvel side, Zeb Wells (Deadpool and Wolverine) is writing Deadpool/Batman with art and cover by Greg Capullo (Wolverine: Revenge) which will be out September 17. Over at DC, Grant Morrison (All Star Superman) is writing Batman/Deadpool with art by Dan Mora (Batman/Superman), which will be out in November. The Marvel comic will tell a story about Wade Wilson being hired to do a job in Gotham City, which doesn't sit well with Batman. DC wouldn't say what its story would be about, but both revealed in addition to these one shots, there will be some 'backup adventures' with other 'exciting Marvel and DC character match-ups.' All of that, however, is being kept under wraps, as is another set of crossovers coming in 2026. 'I don't do many comics these days but there was no way I could turn down the chance to work with Dan Mora again, one of my all-time favorite artistic collaborators—and definitely no way I could turn down Batman and Deadpool!' Grant Morrison said in a statement to EW. 'Expect 4th wall-busting mayhem, owls, blood, blades, and at least one giant typewriter!' 'After writing Amazing Spider-Man for 60 issues, I told Marvel I needed a break,' Wells said. 'Marvel told me I could do that or I could write a comic starring Deadpool and Batman with the best Batman artist of our generation. I no longer needed a break. In Batman we've found someone who has even less time for Deadpool's antics than Wolverine, but a city-wide threat from the Joker makes strange bedfellows (literally, if Deadpool had his way). It's been a blast letting Deadpool loose in Gotham City and watching what happens.' For those wondering, this is not the first time Marvel and DC have teamed up for something like this, it's just been over 20 years Previous crossovers and seen Spider-Man and Superman together, as well as the Justice League and Avengers. Jim Lee, the iconic artist turned CCO and Publisher at DC, explained why it's taken so long to do it again. 'It happens kind of once every generation of readers,' Lee said. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions as to why. The timing has to be right in that you don't want to do these too often. You want them to feel special. It is sort of finding that right moment for both companies to come together because it is complex. There's a lot more coordination, collaboration, approvals that have to be done. And, obviously, from the business side, you're sharing revenue, but it's going to be a big deal. So you want the story, creatively, to warrant the hype of it all.' Here are the two covers of the comics and you can read more over at EW. Are you excited to check these out? Do you think this could ever happen on the big screen?
Auto Car
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Auto Car
New Vauxhall Frontera harks back to the '90s original with 4x4 makeover
All-terrain tyres, roof rack and tow winch transform the crossover into an adventurous off-roader Open gallery Close Vauxhall has hinted at a more rugged version of the incoming Frontera with a new concept car that turns the conventional electric crossover into a trail-hunting 4x4. Named the Vauxhall Frontera Gravel and based on the electric version of the family car, it gains several key elements aimed at helping it tackle the wilderness. Up front, it receives a tow winch and extra LED light bars, while the car's rear haunches now feature extra storage panniers. It also gains a chunky roof rack with a spare tyre and further storage, and the wheels are shod with aggressive BFGoodrich all-terrain tyres. Inside, the interior configuration matches that of the regular Frontera, but it has been reupholstered with orange contrasting elements to match the car's exterior livery. Opel-Vauxhall CEO Florian Huettl said it 'embodies [Vauxhall's] commitment to making electric mobility versatile and accessible… with respect for the environment'. Although Vauxhall has yet to state any production plans for the Frontera Gravel, the car's modifications are ultimately minimal and could in theory constitute a special-edition variant of the crossover. Sibling brand Fiat recently showed its vision of a 4x4 version of the Grande Panda, which shares its Smart Car underpinnings with the Frontera. It is possible that Vauxhall could use the electrified rear axle from that car to give its model four-wheel drive – although the Fiat uses a hybrid powertrain, whereas the Frontera Gravel has a battery-electric powertrain. Such a model would more clearly carry the torch from the new Frontera's 1990s ancestor, which was a 4x4 based on Japanese brand Isuzu's Mysterious Utility Wizard. Join our WhatsApp community and be the first to read about the latest news and reviews wowing the car world. Our community is the best, easiest and most direct place to tap into the minds of Autocar, and if you join you'll also be treated to unique WhatsApp content. You can leave at any time after joining - check our full privacy policy here.
Car and Driver
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
Tested: 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Bends Reality
About two years ago, Volvo announced the EX30, a compact electric crossover that headlined with an audacious base price around $35,000. A single-motor version would anchor the low end of the lineup and entice younger buyers into the Volvo fold, while a performance-oriented dual-motor version would pad profit margins with a much higher sticker price. That was the plan back in 2023, but as you may have heard, there's been a bit of turmoil in the car market since then—particularly for imports, EVs, and cars at the lower end of the price spectrum. The EX30, belonging to all three of those cohorts, is in a particularly fraught position, so Volvo did the logical thing and trimmed the lineup. Go ahead and take a wild guess which EX30 variant is on sale now. If you think it's the bare-bones affordable one, we have a bridge in Jönköping to sell you. HIGHS: Bonkers acceleration, admirable efficiency, tidy dimensions. The EX30 Twin Motor Performance starts at $46,195 for the Plus trim, while our Ultra-trim test car goes for $47,895. There's not much difference in pricing between the two because there's barely any difference in the trims, with the Ultra including extra driver-assist features—automatic rear braking, Volvo's Pilot Assist lane-keeping and adaptive cruise, and a 360-degree camera system. The challenge for the uplevel EX30 is that it's based on a car that was aimed at a much lower price point, and evidence of that fiscal discipline abounds. View Exterior Photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver Connoisseurs of the modern Volvo interior experience will find no crystal shifters or gray ash veneer here. Also: no dedicated rear window switches up front, no key fob, no gauges in front of the driver, and no knobs or buttons whatsoever besides the stalks on either side of the steering wheel and the multipurpose buttons on the wheel itself. The tinted glass roof doesn't open, nor does it have an interior shade. There's no start/stop button. Your primary interface with the car is a touchscreen that, at 12.3 inches, is smaller than some current iPads. View Interior Photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver All of this is framed as stark Scandinavian minimalism, and Volvo at least has the cred to pitch it that way. But in practice you might wish for a few more non-virtual buttons and physical controls. Sometimes, you put the EX30 in Park and step out and the car remains awake, your music blaring—there's no button to push on the featureless black rectangle known as the key tag. You can use your phone as a key (a.k.a. digital key plus) as long as you have an iPhone 11 or newer, and there's an EX30 app that can spoof some of the functions of a physical fob, like unlocking the doors. But mostly you just trust the car to power up when you climb in and put itself to bed when you leave, even if that occasionally means that passersby catch the final refrains of "Dr. Feelgood" as you open the door. At least the buttons on the right side of the steering wheel can control the stereo volume—if they're not being deployed to adjust the exterior mirrors. Yes, Volvo clearly spent plenty of time with a Tesla or two. LOWS: Bare-bones interior aesthetic, indifferent handling, limited range. If the EX30's spartan interior recalls a race car more than it does a traditional Volvo, so does its performance. Volvo predicted that the dual-motor EX30 would become its quickest car yet, and it was right. The EX30 is small—nearly seven inches shorter than a Jeep Compass—and narrow enough that you have to take the drivers out of a golf bag to fit clubs in the cargo area. It's also light for an EV, with our test car weighing a relatively feathery 4189 pounds. But it packs 422 horsepower, and that's a formula for righteous acceleration. Our example torched 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, which is awfully close to the starting-line jolt you'd get in a PDK-equipped Porsche 911. Reaching triple-digit speeds requires just 8.6 seconds. If the EX30's quarter-mile sprint—11.8 seconds at 112 mph—doesn't seem quite as keen as its off-the-line energy, that's partly because the wee Volvo is approaching its 114-mph speed limiter by the end of the quarter. We can attest that it's great fun to smoke V-8 Mustangs at stoplights with a small Volvo, particularly when it's painted a shade of yellow that's "inspired by the lichen on Swedish granite." View Interior Photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver Fortunately, the EX30's brakes are up to the task of erasing all this speed, hauling it down to a stop from 70 mph in 166 feet and from 100 mph in 331 feet. Of course, you needn't touch the brake pedal much at all in daily driving if you engage one-pedal drive from the touchscreen. We preferred the more natural coasting setting, preferably when paired with the Performance AWD mode. The EX30's 253-mile EPA-rated range—stout for a car with a modest 64-kWh battery—is goosed by the Volvo's eco-minded standard drive mode, in which the front motor is dormant until called upon. Locking the wee SUV in AWD helps quell any wheelspin, but it might also cost you some range. Which is important given our car went only 160 miles on our 75-mph range test. Volvo says the EX30 can charge from 10 to 80 percent in less than 27 minutes on a DC fast-charger, and an 11.0-kW onboard AC charger will make for reasonably timely fill-ups at home. In our testing, however, its battery took 39 minutes to go from 10 to 90 percent on a DC hookup, with an average draw of only 83 kilowatts. Its peak rate never approached its 153-kW max. The EX30's handling is best described as benign, with limits more in line with your small-crossover expectations—0.85 g on the skidpad, with the Michelin Primacy All Season tires gently proclaiming their preference for minimal noise and low rolling resistance over outright stick. Indeed, 69 decibels inside at 70 mph makes for a fairly quiet environment. There are three choices for steering effort, with the firmest one feeling like it would be our default setting. Speaking of default settings, the EX30's invasive lane-keeping tech defaults to active. On the highway you don't notice it as much, but it's constantly tugging at the wheel on two-lane roads. Perhaps Volvo's over-the-air-update department could see fit to rectify that. View Interior Photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver As for whether Volvo will ever get around to building the single-motor EX30 and attempting to realize its original thrifty-EV vision, that's a hard maybe. They're looking into it, but there's no timeline. What is imminent is the EX30 Cross Country, an all-terrain offshoot that will send the price further upward. In the meantime, the EX30 Twin Motor Performance offers a glimpse of what might've been and what might still be. But if this is the only EX30 we ever get, at least we get the quickest Volvo ever built. View Exterior Photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver VERDICT: Of course the quickest production Volvo ever built is a sleeper. Specifications Specifications 2025 Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance Ultra Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon PRICE Base/As Tested: $47,895/$48,395 Options: Climate package (heated steering wheel and front seats), $500 POWERTRAIN Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 154 hp, 148 lb-ft Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC, 268 hp, 253 lb-ft Combined Power: 422 hp Combined Torque: 400 lb-ft Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 64 kWh Onboard Charger: 11.0 kW Peak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 153 kW Transmissions, F/R: direct-drive CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink Brakes, F/R: 12.7-in vented disc/12.6-in vented disc Tires: Michelin Primacy All Season 245/45R-19 M+S POL DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 104.3 in Length: 166.7 in Width: 72.3 in Height: 61.2 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 56/37 ft3 Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 32/14 ft3 Curb Weight: 4189 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 3.3 sec 100 mph: 8.6 sec 1/4-Mile: 11.8sec @ 112 mph Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.5 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.5 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.0 sec Top Speed (gov ltd): 114 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 166 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 331 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.85 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING Observed: 83 MPGe 75-mph Highway Range: 160 mi Average DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 83 kW DC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 39 min EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 109/116/100 MPGe Range: 253 mi C/D TESTING EXPLAINED Reviewed by Ezra Dyer Senior Editor Ezra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He's now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Health
- Fox News
Dog owners who ruminate about work stress may pass anxiety to their pooch: study
If your job has you feeling tense, your dog might be feeling it too. A new study published in Scientific Reports finds that stress from work can affect your dog at home. The research, led by Tanya Mitropoulos and Allison Andrukonis, shows that when dog owners dwell on work problems after hours, a habit known as "work-related rumination," their pets show more signs of stress. Researchers surveyed 85 working dog owners. They measured job stress and how often people kept thinking about work during their free time. Then they asked how stressed owners thought their dogs were and also tracked actual behaviors linked to canine stress, like whining, pacing or restlessness. The study found that owners with higher job stress had dogs who showed more stress-related behaviors. That link stayed strong even when the researchers accounted for other stress in the home. Interestingly, owners didn't always realize their dogs were stressed. It was a pup's behavior that told the story. The big factor driving the connection? Rumination. Owners who mentally took work home were more likely to have stressed-out dogs. Thinking about work off the clock seemed to spread stress from humans to pets. This idea is known as "crossover," when one person's stress spills over to others in a home. Previous research has shown this happens between spouses, and now there's evidence it can happen between people and their pets too. Dogs are especially sensitive to their owners' moods. Scientists call this "emotional contagion," the idea that dogs can pick up on human feelings through tone of voice, body language and other subtle cues. When an owner is distracted or irritable from work stress, the dog notices. Over time, this can affect the dog's well-being. The study also suggests another explanation. When people are focused on work problems, they may become less patient, more distant or less consistent with routines like walks and feeding. That kind of change in care can also increase stress in dogs. The authors point out that Americans overwhelmingly see their pets as part of the family. That makes it even more important to understand how our behavior affects them. In the study's words, "employed dog owners might benefit from avoiding work-related ruminations when at home to protect the well-being of man's best friend." Putting work aside when you walk through the door doesn't just help your own health. It helps your dog, too.
