Laurence Iliff

The new architecture of electric vehicles is allowing stylists to rethink the rules of front ends that have defined what autos have looked like for decades.

Honda's electric crossover will use GM's Ultium platform and batteries, but Honda will develop the vehicle's body style and interior.

The automaker will end sales of the plug-in hybrid and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in August, marking the end of the line of electrified vehicles after the electric version was discontinued last year.

The global debut of the Honda Civic hatchback will happen during a virtual concert on June 23. Features are not expected to stray much from the redesigned Civic sedan, which debuted in late April.

The latest Mazda6 has never been a big hit with the general public compared with heavy hitters such as the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord.

The Ioniq 5 will face rivals such as the Ford Mach-E, Volkswagen ID4, Tesla Model Y and Kia EV6 from Hyundai's corporate sibling next year.

The changes to Honda's compact mark a careful evolution of the popular sedan, with more mature exterior styling and a simplified interior with improved tech and premium materials.

Hyundai has transformed the Kona crossover, which already comes in gas and EV versions, into a track-ready N performance variant that puts out 276 hp with a dual-clutch gearbox and paddle shifters.

Honda's new interior design, dubbed "simplicity and something," uses a horizontal layout and buttons for functions like radio volume. The 2022 Civic will be the first model to use the redesign.

The plan is not so much to take on the pickup market. Think of that cargo bed as a crossover feature.

The automaker is targeting buyers looking for alternatives to the closed cargo area of crossovers, like its own Tucson. The 2022 Santa Cruz goes on sale this summer.

The 11th-generation compact, billed as "the most fun-to-drive and technologically advanced sedan in the model's nearly 50-year history," features evolutionary styling. More details will be released when it is formally unveiled April 28.

Mazda will sell the MX-30 electric crossover in Canada this fall, prior to rolling out a plug-in version with a rotary engine and additional hybrids in future mainstream vehicles.

The Genesis X concept is an EV-based performance GT coupe that represents an evolution of the brand's Athletic Elegance design language for future electric vehicles.

Production complications are snowballing. They hit Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Volvo last week.