Good morning and welcome to our daily digest of automotive news from around the globe, starting with…

Fuel Economy Penalties Reinstated In U.S. After Being Paused Since 2019

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reinstating and raising fines for automakers that don’t meet government-mandated fuel economy standards. The Trump administration had paused a rise in penalties that was planned for 2019, and subsequent fines had not been collected for the 2019 to 2021 model years. Stellantis could be particularly hurt, with estimates suggesting that the company might owe $572 million when all penalties are accounted for.

Driven: The 2022 Hyundai Kona N Proves That Good Cars Don’t Need To Make Sense

Hot hatches are well-represented from a broad crosssection of manufacturers. On the other hand, the performance crossover is a relatively new concept. With that in mind, the Kona N is a bit of a masterstroke. It features the same 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine as the i30 N hatch, pumping out 206 kW (276 hp) between 5,500 rpm and 6,000 rpm and 392 Nm (289 lb-ft) of torque from 2,100 rpm to 4,700 rpm. There’s an LSD, adaptive suspension, and uprated brakes, too. Some may be put off by the fact that it’s available only with front-wheel drive and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. That said, our drive proved that none of this detracts from the excellent chassis — even though it lacks the added grip that could have been afforded with an all-wheel-drive model.

You Asked, We Answer: What You Want To Know About The 2023 Mazda CX-50 We Reviewed

We got behind the wheel of the all-new 2023 Mazda CX-50 and, as usual, we asked what you wanted to know. Many wanted to find out more about the car’s off-road abilities, how the all-wheel-drive system worked, and what the interior space was like. And, of course, we answered all those questions and more!

Are Cars Getting More Expensive? We Compared 2012 And 2022 Prices To Find Out

Inflation is raging, and everyday items are costing most of us far more than they used to. Does the same apply to cars? To find out, we used data from the U.S. Inflation Calculator website and compared the prices of cars ten years ago to the same models today. Our findings may surprise you.

Bugatti Recreates 1922 Type 13 Victory At La Turbie Hill Climb With Chiron Pur Sport

In 1922, Jean Mabille piloted a Bugatti Type 13 to victory at the La Turbie hill climb, 450 meters uphill from Monte Carlo. One hundred years later, Bugatti decided to recreate this win, taking the modern-day Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport to run the same roads today. The car, designed to be the most agile member of the Chiron lineup, donned a silver and green livery for its drive through La Turbie, to follow in the tire tracks of the Type 13 voiturette.

Fake Nissan R35 GT-R From Thailand With RB26 Engine Breaks The Internet

Sure, it looks like an R35 GT-R, and it technically came from a Nissan factory. But, in actual fact, this custom creation is nothing more than a replica. It’s based on an A31 Cefiro and has a straight-six RB26 under the hood. It cost the owner — who built it to showcase his company’s tuning parts — around $50,000. When you factor in Thailand’s 300 percent import duty, the R35 Replica starts to make some sense, with a real R35 costing the equivalent of over $400,000.

What Else Is Making The News

Robot Dog Used To Issue Covid Orders In Shanghai 

With parts of China once again under lockdown due to a new outbreak of Covid-19, Chinese authorities appear to have a new tool to get their message across. A robotic dog with a loudspeaker on its back has been spotted in Shanghai, telling people to wear a mask, wash their hands, and check their temperature.

Olivia Rodrigo, Silk Sonic, And Jon Batiste Among Grammy Winners 

19-year-old Olivia Rodrigo took home best new artist, best pop solo performance, and best pop album at last night’s Grammy Awards. Silk Sonic, a joint project involving Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, won song of the year and record of the year. The Foo Fighters also picked up three awards, not long after the band’s drummer, Taylor Hawkins, was found dead in his Colombian hotel room. The awards also saw a surprise video message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.