Best Shots: December 2019

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for December 31, 2019

Dec 31, 2019

Top Stories of the Day

Some dealers asking $100,000-plus for Daytona-edition Dodge Charger SRT Hellcats

If you thought the name of the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition was a lot to swallow, then you're definitely going to choke on what some dealers are asking for the privilege of owning one. The $4,495 package is…

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E buyers want range and all-wheel drive

We recently learned that Ford sold out of all its pre-order slots for the First Edition 2021 Mustang Mach-E , while other trims such as the Premium and high-performance GT are still available. Now Ford has released some statistics from its current col…

Ousted Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn leaves Japan for Lebanon

BEIRUT/TOKYO — Ousted Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn was in his childhood home of Lebanon on Tuesday after fleeing what he said was a "rigged" justice system in Japan, raising questions about how one of the world's most-recognized executives slipped away w…

[VIDEO] Video captures semi truck careening into first responders at freeway pileup

Two people were hurt, including a Texas state trooper, after a horrific incident caught on video that shows an 18-wheel semi truck barreling off the freeway behind a pileup in heavy fog, sending emergency responders and others fleeing before jackknif…

2021 Ford Bronco headlight leaked by forum

We got a good preview of what the 2021 Ford Bronco SUV will look like thanks to the Bronco R off-road racer. But the lookalike obviously was missing plenty of details, most notably any lights that weren't aftermarket LED light bars. Now that gap has …

Junkyard Gem: 2002 Daewoo Lanos

Once again, and before any readers feel compelled to burst a few bloodvessels over seeing the words "Gem" and "Lanos" being used in the same sentence, we need to explain that sometimes these cars are gems in a historical sense rather than being vehic…

Redesigned Kia Sorento lineup to include hybrid, plug-in models

The next generation of Kia's mid-size crossover will be electrified, a company executive confirmed Friday. The redesigned Kia Sorento, due in 2020 as a 2021 model, will be offered in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants. Kia's European COO, Emili…

Fast & Furious Crossroads video game due out in May 2020

May 2020 will be an eventful month for Fast & Furious fans. The ninth installment in the series is coming to theaters across America on May 22, and the next video game inspired by the franchise will be released for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One…

2020 Mazda MX-5 Miata due for price bump, more safety tech

Mazda hasn't released official information yet on its 2020 MX-5 Miata , but CarsDirect got its hands on an early draft of an order guide, which suggests both the soft- and hard-top versions of the roadster are due for a price bump after receiving more…

Japanese students turning Mazda CX-5 into Dakar Rally-ready off-roader

Students at Japan's Nihon Automobile College (NATS) are transforming a first-generation Mazda CX-5 into a full-blown off-roader that looks ready to compete in the Dakar Rally. Named CX-Runner, the one-of-a-kind model will make its debut at the Tokyo …

Monday, December 30, 2019

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for December 30, 2019

Dec 30, 2019

Top Stories of the Day

2020 Toyota RAV4 Review & Buying Guide | Style and sensibility

The 2020 Toyota RAV4 may not be the uber-practical compact SUV it once was, but by nipping here and tucking there to its dimensions, the end result is a far more distinctive and characterful choice that stands a better chance of attracting people bec…

[VIDEO] Our favorite Autoblog videos of 2019 | Behind the Wheel S01 // EP09

Behind the Wheel is a new video series that shows you a bit of what it's like to work at Autoblog. The Editors and Video Producers will show you the cars we have in our fleet, and you'll get a behind the scenes look at some of the personalities that …

Chrysler Pacifica reportedly getting updated design and eAWD system for 2021

Chrysler is preparing to give the Pacifica and Voyager minivans a comprehensive mid-cycle update, according to a new report. Both models are scheduled to make their debut in early 2020. The Pacifica currently shares styling cues with the 200 , a seda…

Mitsubishi shows five concepts headed to the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon

Mitsubishi will storm the 2020 Tokyo Auto Salon with seven concepts, five based on production models getting early previews. This year's haul more than doubles the trio of concepts Mitsubishi took to this year's Tokyo Auto Salon, and it's obvious the…

[VIDEO] 2020 BMW M8 Gran Coupe First Edition gets its own first edition

In October, BMW divulged a smattering of information on the M8 Gran Coupe First Edition . Just 400 units would be built for world consumption, all in Competition spec, meaning 617 horsepower and 533 pound-feet of torque from the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V…

2020 Porsche 911 Ultimate Road Trip: From the Autobahn to Tail of the Dragon

We pick up a 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S from the original 911 factory in Stuttgart and will drive it on two continents, including on Germany's autobahn and Tennessee's Tail of the Dragon, with a trans-Atlantic crossing by cargo plane in between.

Tesla-rival Nio quarterly sales beat, shares surge driven by higher EV demand

Tesla-rival Nio on Monday beat quarterly revenue estimates on higher demand for its electric vehicles, sending the company's U.S.-listed shares up more than 13% in trading before the bell. Sales were up nearly 22% to 1.7 billion yuan ($243 million) …

Tesla delivers first Chinese-built Model 3s in just under a year

SHANGHAI — Tesla started delivering Model 3 electric cars built at its Shanghai factory just under a year after it began work on the $2 billion plant, a record for global automakers in China, and said it would ramp up deliveries from next month. The…

[VIDEO] Why settle for a Cybunker when you can have a Cyberhouse?

Expanding the Tesla Cybertruck aesthetic to architecture, New York-based Lars Büro design created the Cybunker as a spontaneous exercise. Once uploaded to the web, the 1,800-square foot storage depot and accessory dwelling unit found enough fans to c…

Production version of Kia Imagine concept due in 2021

In an interview with Automotive News Europe , Kia Europe COO Emilio Herrera said the Imagine concept that debuted at this year's Geneva Motor Show should turn into a production model "in one or two years." Gregory Guillaime, Kia's European VP of desig…

Friday, December 27, 2019

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for December 27, 2019

Dec 27, 2019

Top Stories of the Day

2020 Nissan Rogue Review and Buying Guide | The value play

The 2020 Nissan Rogue is a compact crossover that checks many of the boxes folks are looking to fill in this segment. It has slick styling, a spacious interior and up-to-date tech. This generation of Rogue may be getting old in model years (six years…

The first 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 is an homage to the 1968 Green Hornet

The first 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 rolled off the assembly line in October this year, and it's a special one. Purchased for charity at a Barrett-Jackson auction by Craig Jackson (the Barrett-Jackson chairman and CEO), it's painted in a bespoke …

Turkey unveils first fully homemade car in $3.7 billion bet on electric

ISTANBUL — Turkey unveiled its first fully domestically-produced car on Friday, saying it aimed to eventually produce up to 175,000 a year of the electric vehicle in a project expected to cost 22 billion lira ($3.7 billion) over 13 years. The projec…

Volkswagen will put one million EVs on the road sooner than expected

Volkswagen's electric car offensive is moving faster than expected. The group announced it will sell its millionth battery-powered model in 2023, which is two years earlier than it originally planned. The numbers are mind-boggling. In the coming yea…

Junkyard Gem: 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sedan

Ever since I pined for a new Starion while I was driving a beige Toyota sedan in high school, I've had a great affection for sporty Mitsubishis. That means that I keep my eyes open for such cars while making my appointed junkyard rounds , especially t…

Tesla set to begin deliveries of China-made Model 3 cars on December 30

BEIJING/SHANGHAI — U.S. electric vehicle maker Tesla will begin delivering Model 3 vehicles built at its Shanghai factory on Monday, a company representative told Reuters. Construction of its first plant outside the United States began in January an…

2 former UAW presidents drove corrupt spending, report alleges

The New York Times is out with its own deep-dive into the graft and influence peddling that is at the heart of an ongoing federal investigation into a scandal at the United Auto Workers union. And it uncovers a litany of eye-popping details, includin…

Volkswagen ID.3 reportedly suffering software problems

Reports earlier this year spoke of delays with the Mk8 Volkswagen Golf over software issues, Automotive News saying the bugs were serious enough to change the hatchback's launch and production schedule. A new report in Germany's Manager Magazin (tran…

[VIDEO] Bisimoto Porsche 935 K3V is an electric restomod

Bisi Ezerioha was born and raised in Nigeria, went to university in California, has spent 20 years drag racing, and worked in pharmaceutical research before turning to automotive tuning with Bisimoto. His shop's creations combine just as many threads…

Nissan orders drastic spending cuts to stem profit slide and 'conserve every yen,' say sources

BEIJING — Japan's Nissan Motor Co has told its managers to slash non-essential spending as the automaker grapples with slumping car sales and tumbling profits, three company sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The penny-pinching drive…

Tuesday, December 24, 2019

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for December 24, 2019

Dec 24, 2019

Top Stories of the Day

The Dodge Challenger 1320 is rarer than the vaunted Demon

Dodge stopped making the 840-horsepower Challenger Demon after the 2018 model year, and it filled the gap the coupe left in its range with a slightly tamer variant called 1320 . While it wasn't a limited-edition model, production figures released rece…

2020 Ram 1500 Review & Buying Guide | The class home run

The 2020 Ram 1500 is a home run, plain and simple. From the humble Tradesman to the opulent Limited and every flavor in-between, this thoughtfully designed and well-executed truck impresses like none other. It possesses the capability expected of a h…

Stanford builds an electric, autonomous DeLorean that drifts like a pro

Researchers at Stanford University built an electric, autonomous DeLorean DMC-12 and taught it how to drift like a pro. They're burning rubber through a slalom course at the Thunderhill Raceway Park in California to learn more about how autonomous ca…

Sixteen Power's 2,200-hp V16 marine engine ready for automotive use

When Michigan-based Sixteen Power unveiled a V16 crate engine for boats at the 2019 SEMA show , hot-rodders immediately wondered what it would take to stuff it in a car. The company took notice, made a few small tweaks to its 16-cylinder, and transfor…

[VIDEO] Hennessey Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk takes a Christmas tree home at 181 mph

Aerodynamics what? Hennessey likes strapping Christmas trees to cars and then seeing how fast they'll go. Awesome, it makes for some great entertainment. The tuner company used a Dodge Challenger Hellcat Widebody for its first run a couple years ago ,…

Ford could include a 400-hp Focus RS hybrid in its electrification push

Ford will leverage the benefits of hybrid technology to make the next-generation Focus RS quicker than its predecessor while staying on the good side of emissions regulations, according to a recent report in British magazine Car . The gasoline-electri…

Ford's Breadcrumbs feature helps off-roaders find their way home

Ford's software engineers drew inspiration from a 207-year old German fairy tale to create a feature named Breadcrumbs that helps adventurers find their way home far off the beaten path. The Ranger inaugurates this function in the United States, but …

Junkyard Gems: 15 Greatest American Wrecks

Here are 15 of our the most interesting American cars and trucks from our long-running Junkyard Gems series by resident expert Murliee Martin.

[VIDEO] Top Gear magazine climbs all over the McLaren Elva

Top Gear deputy editor Jack Rix took a camera crew to McLaren's Technology Center for a closer look at the Elva roadster. Not only did Rix provide his usual, thorough once-over and explanation of design features, but thanks to the magic of moving pic…

This WRX STI S209 is the rarest (and most expensive) Subaru ever | Behind the Wheel S01 // E08

Behind the Wheel is a video series that shows you a bit of what it's like to work at Autoblog. The Editors and Video Producers will show you the cars we have in our fleet, and you'll get a behind the scenes look at some of the personalities that help…