Larry P. Vellequette

A sneak peek posted to Toyota's media website shows that the Sequoia large SUV will be upscaled to fill in some white space left by the end of the Land Cruiser.

The new halo version of the full-size pickup will ride on standard 22-inch chrome wheels and be loaded with standard options to compete with domestic plush pickups.

There's a growing list of growing utilities across the industry — vehicles that are adding inches to their third rows, or are adding a new third row.

Volkswagen's freshened 2022 Jetta sedan, which features a slightly larger engine, more standard equipment and modest styling changes intended to keep the brand's entry-level vehicle attractive to newcomers to VW, has a price.

It will be the first Toyota equipped with Version 3.0 of the brand's Safety Sense suite of driver assistance and safety features.

The factory is expected to begin production in 2025, and it will eventually supply electric vehicles and hybrids built in the region.

The redesigned SUV is built on Toyota Motor's new GA-F global luxury platform, improving body rigidity by 20 per cent.

For the first time since 2007, the brand will field a redesigned pickup in a bid to grab a piece of the full-size segment dominated by the Detroit 3.

Images posted on the brand's website show part of the new battery-electric crossover.

With a slightly larger 1.5-litre engine, the updated 2022 Jetta will have better low-end torque and is expected to see a fuel economy improvement over the existing sedan. The Jetta will continue to be the brand's entry point for new buyers.

The automaker, which has largely avoided assembly disruptions this year during the global semiconductor shortage, this month will suspend output at all but one plant in North America as well as factories elsewhere — putting more pressure on dealers with historically low inventories.

Automobili Lamborghini says it will sell 112 copies of a resurrected Countach supercar, this time with a hybrid V-12 powertrain that makes 825 hp and will accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds. The price tag will be US$2.6 million.

A spokesman for VW confirmed that its dealers have been issued stop-sale orders for all-wheel-drive versions of its just-launched Taos compact crossover because an unidentified issue may cause engines to stop while the car is in use.

VW said ending the Passat will allow its Chattanooga plant flexibility to boost sales of its other products, the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport crossovers, as well as the launch of the ID4 EV there next year.

Developed in-house by Toyota Connected, Lexus Interface ditches the joysticks and touchpads that cost it sales in favor of a more intuitive system.