Visual History of the Honda Civic, Generation by Generation

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The warning signs have been hard to ignore. For Stellantis' Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, and Jeep brands, the V-8's time is almost up, even for the headliner specialty items like the Hellcat-powered musclecars that define the Dodge brand's contemporary identity. But it appears there is at least a stepping stone along the way to Stellantis' wide-scale adoption of EVs, in the form of a turbocharged, 3.0-liter I-6 engine that enthusiasts have dubbed the Tornado—and, briefly, that Stellantis itself confirmed was in production at a facility in Mexico.It all started (as it so often does) when a member on the AllPar enthusiast forums spotted an otherwise snooze-inducing fact sheet on the Stellantis media site about the Saltillo Engine Plant in Mexico. It included a short list of the engines it assembles for Dodge, Ram, and Jeep, including 5.7, 6.2, and 6.4-liter V-8s. But, for a brief period of time, this document had a couple of other tidbits.In the list of products, it noted a "3.0-liter GMET6 HO" that was "launched on Nov. 22, 2021." Wait, what? Let's break down the name, because Mopar folks are probably already latching onto the "GME" part of the codename. That is the FCA/Stellantis Global Medium Engine family, which provides the "Hurricane" 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 engine for the Giulia, Stelvio, Wrangler, Cherokee, and several Maserati products—and, notably, is the ICE component of the Wrangler 4Xe powertrain. Add two cylinders to a 2.0-liter I-4 and you get … yup, 3.0 liters.It's fairly common for companies to create modular engine families, and with increasing emissions and efficiency regulations, it's appealing to be able to scale an engine up or down. Jaguar's Ingenium engine family is one example of the trend, as is the heavy sharing of engineering between Mercedes' M256 I-6 and the company's other modern I-4 and diesel products. So it makes a lot of sense that Stellantis is able to leverage the engineering that's already gone into the GME engine and create something that can take the place of the aging, inefficient V-8 offerings.That makes the rest of the engine code somewhat self-explanatory. T6 is shorthand for turbocharged I-6, and "HO" stands for "high output"—leading us to believe that there's likely a low-output variant that'll be hopped up with some sort of electrification, like the Mercedes M256, perhaps taking the form of the company's existing eTorque motor-generator light hybrid system. But the HO Tornado seems, to us, to be a performance-oriented version whose most likely mission is to replace the V-8s used in some or all of the company's products, like Grand Cherokee, Charger, Challenger, and perhaps some Ram 1500 models.FCA patents from November 2019 show a twin-turbo arrangement, with each turbo feeding three cylinders. Inline-sixes can be good performers, offering smooth power delivery and a great sound. And Chrysler has some experience with high-performance I-6s, particularly the company's Australian division, which leaned hard into raw performance with the interesting Hemi-6 line of engines, particularly the hot Six-Pack variants.And the stout and seemingly economy oriented Slant Six has always had its fair share of interest from the hot rod community, and it's beefy enough to take some boost. The company's V-8 offerings have always overshadowed its I-6 history, but there's nothing inherently wrong with the layout. Add a couple of turbos and modern engine controls, and there are plenty of bone-stock I-6 engines today pushing 400 hp, and the contemporary BMW M3 Competition pumps out 503 horsepower without any electrification.With the engine's assembly line (at least) already running in Saltillo, one thing is for sure: We'll know more soon.

WHAT IT IS: A sibling to the Ford F-150 Lightning full-size electric pickup truck, expanding the Ford F-Series family with a new electric Ranger pickup.WHY IT MATTERS: Demand for the Ford F-150 Lightning has exceeded the automaker's wildest dreams, with demand far outstripping supply. Not surprisingly, Ford CEO Jim Farley said there is another electric truck planned. When you strike gold, it makes sense to mine a similar vein. High-volume vehicles are key to Ford's aspirations to become the leader in EVs and scale will also help to reduce cost.PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN: Farley and his team are not sharing details of the EV addition to the F-Series family, but Farley ruled out an electric F-250, F-350, or F-450 for now, and has also said it the truck is different from the next-gen Lightning. Which means Ford is most likely going smaller.Recent trademark filings for Maverick Lightning and Ranger Lightning may reveal Ford's hand. A Ford Ranger Lightning is the most logical next move, and would give the company a fresh EV in a segment that continues to gain popularity. Ford has said the new, next-gen, electric pickup will be made at the new Blue Oval City plant in Stanton, Tennessee, which will also make next-gen Lightnings, starting in 2025.We can't rule out a performance F-150: an electric Raptor, on the new, dedicated EV platform for the next-generation Lightning, which would mean more than the 580 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque already available on the current Lightning. But that will probably come down the road, after the smaller trucks.As the trademark filing and previous speculation indicate, at some point there will also be an electric version of the Ford Maverick, the car-based small lifestyle pickup that is currently available with a hybrid powertrain. But we think this is further out, given its role as an affordable, entry-level vehicle for the brand that no longer has entry-level cars. The Maverick has the least in common with the body-on-frame full-size F-Series family; the car-based truck uses the same platform as the Ford Escape. While Ford is protecting the trademark now, that's not necessarily an indication that it's imminent.ESTIMATED PRICE: $35,000EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE: 2025