Tesla Wants You to Stop Filming Its Cars Mowing Down Child-Sized Mannequins

With Acura's NSX supercar being sunsetted this year after the final run of Type S variants is built, the Performance Manufacturing Center (PMC) where it is assembled by hand is going to need purpose. Well, a different purpose, at least—and Acura's been trying to give it some over the past few years with its normal-looking-on-the-outside, secretly hand-built batches of PMC Editions of its mainstream models. These mostly ordinary Acura models are usually gifted some special paint—a lustrous red on the 2020 TLX PMC Edition, a blazing orange on the 2021 RDX PMC Edition, etc.—and carry the distinction of being hand-built in the same factory as the NSX supercar, by the same technicians, even. The newest addition to this PMC family? The latest-generation TLX sedan.As mentioned, there has been a TLX PMC Edition previously, but that was based on the previous-generation TLX. This 2023 Acura TLX PMC Edition blends not only the newest TLX with the PMC treatment, but also the TLX in its spicier 355-hp Type S form, which also gets Acura's torque-vectoring Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. This sport sedan with a name of many characters will, ironically, be limited in number, though Acura hasn't outlined yet what that number will be. (Past PMCs were built in numbered runs, with each model wearing a plaque inside with its unique figure; there is a similar plaque pictured on the new '23 TLX, but it only shows "001," not how many that number is out of.) It is, of course, built by hand at Acura's PMC in Ohio, and for an added dash of fancy, each car will be delivered in a covered, single-car transporter to its delivery dealership in order to keep the paint free from blemishes.In no small part because this TLX PMC Edition is based on the already saucy looking Type S version of Acura's midsize sedan, it is an altogether more serious-looking machine than the old one. Acura steps up the visuals with copper-colored 21-inch wheels, carbon-fiber rear spoiler and diffuser pieces, and Berlina Black (a classic Honda color) roof and door mirrors. Three colors will be available, and (go, America!), they're Curva Red (with a black interior), 130R White (red interior), and Long Beach Blue (with a white interior)—perfectly timed for a certain celebratory weekend in the U.S.A. All three colors are borrowed from the NSX, too.Other enhancements on the PMC include Pirelli P-Zero summer tires, carbon fiber interior trim, backlit "Type S" door sill plates, and blacked-out badges. The result is a TLX Type S that is subtly different, but in a hard-to-place way if you just saw one on the street.Of course, the delicious, even subtler aspect of these PMC cars has long been their hand assembly, which is just plain unusual for cars not priced in the stratosphere. Like with past PMC Editions, we anticipate the TLX Type S version won't break the bank, costing a few thousand bucks more than a regular one. Again, imagine someone paying just a little more for, say, a hand-built Ford F-150 or Honda Civic. It's both weird and kind of, secretly, maybe cool. We'll know final pricing and, likely, how limited production will be when the order books open for the TLX Type S PMC Edition later this year.

It never fails: Each year after we award our Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, and SUV of the Year, we're inundated with your letters demanding to know why we didn't include your favorite vehicle. While many readers' theories border on conspiracy, the simplest explanation is that if a vehicle isn't at an Of The Year, you can blame one of three reasons: it wasn't eligible, it wasn't available, or on rare occasions the manufacturer wasn't interested in competing. We expect many of the same letters about our inaugural MotorTrend Performance Vehicle of the Year competition. So in the spirit of transparency, we're opening the curtains to let you know all the vehicles we invited and why they were missing this time around.Before we dive in, let's review our Performance Vehicle of the Year eligibility requirements. Like Car, Truck, and SUV of the Year, contenders must be all new or significantly updated and on sale in all 50 states by January 1 of the award year (2022, in this case) to receive an invitation. Manufacturers must commit to loaning us their vehicles without supervision for two weeks. But then our criteria for inclusion in Performance Vehicle of the Year begin to diverge from our older Of the Year awards.For starters, we had to define "performance vehicle." In our case, it means a road-going vehicle with a focus on speed, handling, and capability over all else. That means no off-roaders this year (though we'll keep the door open on that in the future). Next was the issue of which of a manufacturer's performance vehicles to invite when a model lineup includes many. To keep things simple, when multiple new performance variants exist (as in the case of the Volkswagen Golf GTI and R), we opted to invite the sportiest variant available. And last, our price cap—$150,000 for Car, Truck, and SUV of the Year—was eliminated.Head here for the contenders and here for the finalists to see the list of vehicles that participated in our inaugural Performance Vehicle of the Year competition; you can find out which vehicle took the crown here. What now follows is the list of 26 additional vehicles we invited, and the reasons they didn't participate.2022 Acura NSX Type SThe new NSX Type S certainly appears worthy of inclusion, but unfortunately the hybrid supercar wasn't ready yet (media drives still haven't occurred but are scheduled for February 2022). The NSX will remain on the invite list for the 2023 MotorTrend Performance Vehicle of the Year program.2022 Aston Martin DBX, 2022 Aston Martin ValkyrieWe extended an invite to Aston's new super SUV and its hypercar, but the company declined to participate for undisclosed reasons. Valkyrie production began as our PVOTY program kicked off in November 2021.2022 Audi RS E-Tron GT, 2022 Audi RS3The COVID-19 pandemic hasn't been easy on automakers, forcing many to trim their press fleets and be strategic with where they send vehicles. Unfortunately for us, that led to Audi declining to send us both the RS E-Tron GT (its press vehicles were on the East Coast) and the new RS3, as the media launch for the new sport compact conflicted with PVOTY.2022 BMW i4 M50The BMW i4 M50 wasn't ready in time for our program. We'll extend BMW's first electric sport sedan an invitation for 2023.2021 Dodge Durango HellcatThe hot-selling (and limited edition) 710-hp Durango Hellcat was already out of production by the time our program began.2022 Ferrari 296 GTB, 2022 Ferrari 812 GTS, 2022 Ferrari SF90Ferrari said it didn't have any cars, such as the SF90 we tested previously, stateside to send to Performance Vehicle of the Year. See you next year.2022 Hyundai Elantra N, 2022 Hyundai Kona NHyundai opted not to send either the Elantra N or the Kona N to our program. It held a media drive for both vehicles in California a few days after Performance Vehicle of the Year concluded.2022 Lamborghini Countach LPI 800-4Lamborghini told us it didn't yet have any of its hyper-limited edition 2022 Countachs available for media reviews.2022 Lucid Air Dream Edition PDespite its Car of the Year win, Lucid declined to participate in our Performance Vehicle of the Year program for undisclosed reasons.2022 Maserati Ghibli Trofeo, 2022 Maserati MC20, 2022 Maserati Quattroporte TrofeoMaserati said it didn't have any 2022-model-year vehicles in its fleet. We eagerly anticipate seeing the mid-engine MC20 at our next PVOTY, especially after getting a first drive of it recently.2021 McLaren 765LT Spider, 2022 McLaren ArturaMcLaren said the 765LT was unavailable and that the new Artura was not yet ready. The Artura is a shoo-in for the invite list next year.2023 Mercedes-AMG GT73e 4-DoorIt certainly seemed that the long-rumored hybridized AMG GT73e 4-Door would make its debut before our Performance Vehicle of the Year competition, but it still hasn't been revealed at the time of publication.2022 Pininfarina BattistaWe asked for the multimillion-dollar, Rimac-built electric hypercar, but the Italian design-house-turned-manufacturer said its car would be in Europe with clients.2022 Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-HybridThe refreshed Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid was unavailable for our testing. Because the Turbo S E-Hybrid supersedes the Panamera GTS on the performance hierarchy, we didn't invite the GTS.2022 Rimac NeveraRimac expressed a great deal of interest in participating but claimed all of its pre-production and engineering cars were tied up in the final production-certification process. The Croatian electric supercar will remain on our short invite list for next year.2022 Subaru WRXThe new WRX simply wasn't ready in time for our PVOTY competition. Media first drives didn't occur until about a month after our program concluded, but we look forward to testing it at next year's program.2022 Tesla Model S Plaid, 2022 Tesla Model X PlaidAlthough Tesla famously no longer has an official public-relations department, a representative for the company responded to our invitation with, "Pass. Thanks." A shame, really, especially considering how the Model S Plaid performed in our previous test.

Don't hold your breath waiting for Tesla's rumored $25,000 electric car. "We are currently not working on the $25,000 car," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during a call to report the automaker's stellar fourth-quarter and full-year earnings. The reason: He has too much on his plate.Hmmm. Well, he does have two new car plants, in Texas and Berlin, pumping out pre-production models and awaiting final certification to begin delivering salable vehicles to customers. And he said he will use this year to scout locations for even more plants and could announce decisions by the end of the year.But Tesla won't be introducing any new vehicles in 2022, Musk said. With parts shortages, adding new models would take away semiconductor chips and other key components from existing models that also need them. So, it's not just the $25,000 car we won't see this year, it's everything on your wish list, including the Cybertruck, Semi, or a new Roadster. The company hasn't rolled out an all-new nameplate since introducing the Model Y crossover in 2019.Tesla will "likely" introduce new models in 2023, Musk told investors on the call.The CEO did clarify that a battery shortage is not the reason for the much-delayed Cybertruck. The problem, it seems, is there is a lot of tech in the triangular truck and the company seems to think if it cannot be offered affordably, people won't buy it. Perhaps Musk fears shoppers might opt for a Ford F-150 Lighting or Chevrolet Silverado EV in the $42,000 price range instead? And it will take time to achieve economies of scale to help bring prices down. Musk said he wants to eventually make 250,000 Cybertrucks a year but it will "take a moment" to get to that level. Setting aside the tech involved in bringing a new electric pickup into this world—that kind of volume is tough for any new pickup truck; the truck market is notoriously harsh to newcomers. Just ask the Nissan Titan, Honda Ridgeline, and Toyota Tundra, none of which trade in the vast numbers of the Big Three's full-size trucks.Tesla is also busy working on Optimus Subprime, a robot that will move parts around the factory floor, a seeming distraction from, well, the obvious lack of new product.And there is this biggee: A self-driving car Elon says will be available this year. In fact, he will be shocked if it is not. And those who questioned any of his other product plans on the call were admonished for not understanding just how significant the self-driving capability is. Consider our wrists slapped. Also consider that this isn't the first time Tesla has claimed it would bring out a self-driving car soon—a breakthrough that, while promised in 2019, hasn't happened yet.