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Friday, March 27, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for March 27, 2020

Mar 27, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2020 Ford Escape SE Sport Hybrid Drivers' Notes | Green sleeper

The 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid aims to offer peak efficiency, but it doesn't shout its green cred from the heavens above. Ford is confident enough in the hybrid's ability to be fun that it's applied this powertrain to a trim called SE Sport. It's no spo…

Honda introduces trail-ready Hunter Cub CT125

"You meet the nicest people on a Honda," according to a decades-old ad, but you might not run into anyone if you use the new Hunter Cub CT125 on the type of terrain it was designed to tackle. Unveiled online, it's an evolution of the perennially popu…

As GM races to help build ventilators, White House balks at cost, shops around

A week ago, General Motors announced plans to partner with a company called Ventec Life Systems to increase production of medical ventilators , becoming one of the first automakers to signal it was joining the fight against the coronavirus. Now the pr…

1990 Chevrolet C/K 454 SS with 26 miles costs more than a Toyota Supra

Chevrolet no longer makes a high-performance, street-oriented pickup. But if you want a new one, you're in luck because there's a 1990 C/K 454 SS with 26 miles on its odometer listed for sale for the price of a Toyota Supra. Florida-based Classic Ca…

Cleveland CycleWerks reveals Falcon electric motorcycle with retro-futurist design

Electric motorcycles are fast becoming a trend in the two-wheeled world, and today we have another contender for you. It comes from Cleveland CycleWerks, and it's called the Falcon. The, yes, Cleveland-based company has made a bike that is more of a …

[VIDEO] Video shows Tesla Model 3 automatically stopping for red light

Tesla owners who bought the $7,000 Full Self Driving (FSD) option have been waiting for what Tesla CEO Elon Musk calls the "feature complete" version of the autonomous software, as there remain driving maneuvers a Tesla can't pull off on its own. In …

2021 Mini Cooper S Sidewalk Edition priced just under $40,000

Earlier this year, Mini announced the return of the Sidewalk Edition visual package for the 2021 Mini Convertible , one that appeared way back in 2007 with the first drop-top Mini. Now pricing has been announced at a base price of $39,250, and it will…

A population stuck inside may be getting more interested in Jeeps

An unexpected consequence of confining a big chunk of the American population is that interest in the Jeep brand is growing, according to a recent study. Exploring the great outdoors is more appealing than ever before. In March 2020, research firm Y…

2021 BMW 330e PHEV launched in America with 22 miles of electric range

It's been well over a year since BMW announced the 330e plug-in hybrid 3 Series for Europe . Back then, we were promised a U.S.-spec 3 Series PHEV, and today we're finally getting it. This plug-in is being introduced as the 2021 BMW 330e, and it featu…

After scrapping electric car project, James Dyson turns to coronavirus ventilators

Now that it's abandoned its work developing an electric vehicle , the company founded by inventor James Dyson is tackling a new and decidedly timely pursuit: building ventilators to help tackle the coronavirus pandemic in his native U.K., where Prime …

Thursday, March 26, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for March 26, 2020

Mar 26, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2020 BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupe Drivers' Notes | A practical, luxury rocket ship

The 2020 BMW M850i xDrive Gran Coupe is a mouthful, but it's a splendid one at that. There are numerous versions and variations of the new 8 Series , and this one is the biggest and nearly the most powerful. Only the big-M M8 Gran Coupe can top this o…

2020 Mazda6 Signature Driveway Test | A luxury car interior with a non-luxury price

The 2020 Mazda6 Signature is pure luxury on the inside. If one were to remove the Mazda badges and replace them with Audi's four rings, or Lexus' stylized L, customers may not even bat an eye. Alas, that is the point of Mazda's range-topping Signatur…

2020 Toyota Highlander gets Top Safety Pick award from IIHS

Toyota's redesigned 2020 Highlander midsize SUV has earned a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, with the familiar caveat that the rating applies only to certain headlight packages available in certain trim levels.…

2020 Nissan Altima Review & Buying Guide | Hey, look, a sedan

Though trucks, crossovers and SUVs rule the earth, there are still a lot of good, honest sedans around. And many people actually like them. Though sales in the segment have slipped, automakers still moved more than 1.5 million sedans in the U.S. last…

U.S. auto sales in states with coronavirus lockdown orders could drop 80%

Vehicle sales in U.S. states that implemented lockdown orders to curb the spread of coronavirus will drop 80% or more, analysts said on Wednesday. Auto retail sales through the week of March 22 declined 22% nationwide on a yearly basis and as much a…

Stimulus package will grant automakers a lifeline — but don't call it a bailout

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., reacts to a final deal on the $2 trillion coronavirus economic stimulus bill, which passed the Senate late Wednesday. / AP WASHINGTON/DETROIT — The $2 trillion economic rescue…

Ford's coronavirus manufacturing push could hinge on 3D printing

Much remains unknown about how exactly Ford plans to fast-track production of ventilators and powered air-purifying respirators with two established medical device makers as it hurries to join the fight against the expanding coronavirus outbreak. But…

Detroit automakers' big transition to electric cars? Don't hold your breath

DETROIT — It's a strategy that has been spelled out for years at General Motors and at Ford : Pay for the transition to electric vehicles by selling profitable trucks and SUVs right now. But despite their continued insistence that they are committed t…

Listen to Lamborghini's 830-horsepower track special scream its heart out

Lamborghini's next V12-powered hypercar is around the corner, and there's a good chance you'll hear it coming before you see it. The company released a preview video that confirms its 12-cylinder sounds better than ever. The 17-second clip shows the…

IndyCar joins other racing series by going virtual, with Indy 500 in doubt

IndyCar isn't sure when it can get its cars on track to officially start the season. For now, the series will follow the lead of other racing leagues and go virtual. IndyCar's first iRacing event will be Saturday with a 25-car field. The track is st…