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Friday, February 19, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 19, 2021

Feb 19, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

Texas Ford F-150 hybrid owners using generator functions to weather the storm

With Texas, the biggest truck market in the country , currently in the middle of a nasty winter storm and subsequent widespread power outages, we've been wondering if anyone has put the generator capabilities of the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost hybrid t…

2021 Porsche Taycan First Drive | Mmm, electric snow donuts

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The all-electric Taycan is a fantastic first step for Porsche into an electric future. Now in its second model year, it has seen both acclaim and sales success, and for good reason. The Taycan 4S on up to the very hottest Turbo S a…

2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon EcoDiesel Road Test | Torque it don't bork it

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — "Hey, you got it all dirty!" The guy in the UTV had spotted the 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon parked nearby as he crawled over rocks to exit a 4x4 trail called the Timber Tamer. "Yeah!" I replied with false bravado, knowing the Gl…

Dakar Yellow! Mint Green! Behold the glory that is the BMW Individual Visualizer

It's very much a good thing that no major automotive news broke yesterday afternoon, because it's virtually certain that the Autoblog staff wouldn't have noticed. Ford could've sold the rights to produce the Bronco to Stellantis and we all would've b…

Lexus leads J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for 2021

J.D. Power's latest Vehicle Dependability Study is out, and, not surprisingly, Lexus sits at the top for the ninth time in the last 10 years. Right behind Lexus is Porsche, followed by Kia, which is the highest-ranked mass-market brand in the study. …

Marc Philipp Gemballa's 959-inspired supercar will have an engine tuned by RUF

Last year, Marc Philipp Gemballa, the eponymous supercar company started by Uwe Gemballa's son, said it would build a heavily modified 911 Turbo S inspired by the Porsche 959 Dakar Rally cars . Based on the official render and past announcement, it wi…

Michigan-based Buell Motorcycles resumes production after 12-year hiatus

Once celebrated as America's entry into the superbike segment, Michigan-based Buell Motorcycles has awakened from a 12-year slumber with plans to launch at least 10 models by 2024. It was formed in 1983, gradually became part of Harley-Davidson in th…

Ford recalls 2021 Bronco Sport over loose rear suspension

Ford has issued a recall that applies to 1,666 examples of the 2021 Bronco Sport. It explained that an internal investigation revealed the affected crossovers were shipped with loose or missing rear suspension bolts. Released in 2020, the Bronco Spo…

Ford loses track of dangerous airbags, forcing recalls of 154,000 vehicles

DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford has lost track of some older Takata airbags that can explode and hurl shrapnel, so it's recalling more than 154,000 vehicles in North America to check for them. The company on Thursday issued two recalls, with the largest comi…

Kia denies ransomware attack 'speculation' as it recovers from days-long outages

BOSTON — Kia Motors America says it's restoring services crippled by a computer network outage that began Saturday and which apparently affected dealers' ability to order vehicles and parts and knocked offline a smartphone app that owners use to remo…

Thursday, February 18, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 18, 2021

Feb 18, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

Next-generation Honda HR-V revealed as a compact hybrid crossover

The next-generation Honda HR-V has been revealed, and in many ways it's a major departure from the old model. Not only does it have a sportier stance, but it's now a hybrid only. But there are still some classic HR-V features sprinkled about. The sh…

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Review | Looking beyond the badge

Nissan moves the Qashqai upmarket with sharp design, unusual hybrid powertrain

Nissan continued its model offensive by unveiling the third-generation Qashqai, a compact crossover that slots below the Rogue in its global lineup. Designed and engineered in the United Kingdom, the popular soft-roader will likely make its way to th…

Carroll Shelby's personal Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is headed to auction

The late Carroll Shelby's personal 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is going up for auction at Barrett-Jackson in the March Scottsdale auction this year. When it was sold back in 2007 at Barrett-Jackson, it fetched $5.5 million. That was the highest…

Toyota introduces Tacoma TRD lift kit

Toyota announced Wednesday that it will begin selling a factory TRD-branded lift kit for its midsize Tacoma pickup. This new kit is not only TRD-approved and backed by a factory warranty, but it is fully compatible with the new Toyota Safety Sense (T…

Mazda leads Consumer Reports' latest Brand Report Card Rankings

The latest automaker brand report cards from Consumer Reports are in, and there are quite a few changes for 2021. At the very top of the charts sits Mazda, up three spots over last year, followed by BMW and Subaru to round out the top three. It's int…

The Maserati MC20's new Nettuno V6 is a high-tech showpiece

It's been more than two decades since Maserati was in the business of developing an in-house 90-degree V6 engine, and the last one it had traced its genealogy back 30 years. That story started in 1968, when Citroën took a controlling stake in Maserat…

2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 First Drive | Fat cat money

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Do you like the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, but just don't think it's fancy or expensive enough as it is? Maybe the AMG version is too audaciously sporty or you'd prefer a completely different flavor of garish. Maybe you don't want to…

Lordstown is going to race an Endurance skateboard off-road

A few months ago, Lordstown Motors took the chassis powertrain of an Endurance pickup truck , threw a roll cage on it, and made some fun promo videos showing off the design tackling some rough driving. Things have escalated since then, as the company …

Rivian CEO shows off R1T electric pickup climbing hills in Arizona

Rivian boss RJ Scaringe shared a few videos of the company's upcoming R1T electric pickup testing off-road in the hills of Arizona as the EV startup inches closer to its 2021 on-sale date. The videos show the R1T tackling some steep, loose grades and…