Happy Friday! Welcome to this week’s edition of the Official DoubleClutch.ca News Rundown, where we recap the top automotive headlines from the week that was in one convenient package. Let’s go.
Redesigned Elantra, Tucson coming for 2027: Hyundai CEO
Hyundai CEO José Muñoz committed to delivering a slew of all-new or significantly updated models over the next few years. Among them will be the next-generation Elantra and Tucson, and we might see them sooner than we think.
Muñoz made the announcement this week in a shareholder letter, promising a “global product offensive” consisting of 36 all-new or updated models through 2030. Part of that product onslaught will be all-new, next-generation versions of the Elantra and Tucson scheduled for their home-market reveals later this year.
Curiously, Muñoz didn’t outright tie those two to the North American market. But before you dive head-first into a tizzy that Hyundai is foolish enough to kill off two of their best-sellers here, remember that Hyundai (and Kia, and Genesis) typically reveal the home-market versions first, followed by the North American-spec variant some time later.
To that end, it’s reasonable to expect the North American versions of the next-gen Elantra and Tucson sometime in 2027. In addition, Muñoz promised we’ll see the first of Hyundai’s “extended range electric vehicles” — basically plug-in hybrids, but with the gas engine acting as a generator instead of driving the wheels — next year, and a body-on-frame pickup “before 2030.”
Dodge axes the 5.7L Hemi in the Durango — and gives us the 6.4 instead
Now this is the kind of powertrain shuffling we can get behind: Dodge is replacing the Durango R/T’s 5.7-litre V8 with the 6.4L Hemi from the SRT.
This is the first time the 6.4-litre normally aspirated Hemi V8, typically reserved for the performance-oriented SRT trims and Mopar trucks, will appear in the mid-trim R/T. As before, it puts out 475 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, and Dodge even clocks a zero-to-60 run in 4.4 seconds. All that’s a good bump over the Durango 5.7’s 360 horses, 390 torques, and 6.2-second null-to-sixty run.
Dodge is marking the occasion with the 2026 Durango R/T 392 Launch Edition, which seems a little silly considering the Durango has been around in its current form for 16 years. It receives a bunch of performance goodies from the SRT, along with visual upgrades inside and out like body-coloured accents, 20-inch wheels, Nappa leather, and much more.
Acura celebrates 40 years with a sick first-gen Integra build
Last week, Nathan got all worked up about nostalgiapathy. Barely a week later, we fell into Honda’s trap yet again with this charming, resto-modded first-generation Acura Integra.
The build, which Acura just wrapped up, celebrates their 40th anniversary in North America. It’s a tribute to the No. 48 Comptech Integra racer, this time adorned with ’40’ on the side for obvious reasons. It’s done up in Rio Red metallic, wears a smattering of stickers done up to resemble the Comptech Integra’s original livery, and rolls on white 14-inch Mugen wheels. Rad.
Underneath all the rad dress-up is actually a 1991 Integra; Acura kept the original D16A1 four-cylinder engine and five-speed manual transmission, but rebuilt the engine and redid the valve cover in a unique shade of silver. Look closer and you’ll pick out the stainless long-tube headers and Borla exhaust. Elsewhere, the Integra 40 gets a limited-slip diff, Tein coilovers, braided brake lines and track pads, and Yokohama semi-slicks.
Inside, the Integra 40 is pretty stripped-out save for the dashboard, original steering wheel, and shift knob. A half roll cage eats up the space where the back seats used to be, while the fronts have been replaced by a pair of OMP buckets with six-point harnesses.
Nostalgia may be one helluva drug, but this Acura Integra 40 sure is the good stuff.
Managing Editor
Nick has more than a decade of experience shooting and writing about cars, and as a journalism grad, he's a staunch believer of the Oxford Comma despite what the Canadian Press says. He’s a passionate photographer and loves exploring the open road in anything he gets his hands on.
