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Monday, October 14, 2019

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for October 14, 2019

Oct 14, 2019

Top Stories of the Day

Subaru WRX STI S209 is the most expensive production Subaru ever

We asked for it, and now we have it: The ultimate WRX STI. It's called the STI S209 , and we drove the extra-special Subaru just a few short weeks ago. Now we have a price, and it's officially the most expensive new Subaru ever. All 209 examples of t…

Porsche Taycan 4S expands the range with a cheaper option

Porsche has quickly kept its promise of releasing cheaper Taycan variants, detailing a new, 4S-badged version of the electric sedan that slots near the middle of the range. While Porsche aficionados will instantly recognize the 4S nameplate from oth…

Electric GT returns with an electric crate motor for EV conversions

Three years ago, an outfit called Electric GT (EGT), led by Eric Hutchison, hit the green tech radar by converting a 1978 Ferrari 308 GTS to an electric car. Out went the mid-mounted 2.9-liter V8 making 280 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque, in…

Porsche Macan EV coming in hi-po 'Turbo' versions first

After announcing that the next-generation Porsche Macan would go all-electric , a couple of Porsche execs filled Autocar in on a few more details on what's coming. Perhaps most importantly, any shoppers who'd like to stay in the combustion-engined Mac…

2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV First Drive | Stretching its legs

PORTLAND, Ore. — Changes are few in number for the 2020 Chevrolet Bolt EV, but significant in importance. Chief among them is a 21-mile increase in range that brings its total to 259 miles – a number better than any non-luxury electric vehicle. There…

McLaren adding hardcore GT4-based 620R model to the range

The McLaren 570S has provided a versatile and ever more powerful platform for the English brand. In early 2016, McLaren launched the 570S GT4 (pictured) to compete in global campaigns of the FIA racing series, and a 570S Sprint that was a track-only,…

2015-18 Subaru Foresters recalled because front airbag may not deploy

Subaru is recalling 366,282 Foresters from model years 2015-18 because the front passenger airbag may not go off when it should during a crash. The problem stems from Subaru's "Occupant Detection System," which may not be able to detect a person sitt…

Rising prices on old used cars creating crisis in basic transportation

FREEPORT, Ill. — For America's working poor, an often essential ingredient for getting and keeping a job – having a car – has rarely been more costly, and millions of people are finding it impossible to keep up with payments despite prolonged economi…

Listen to the 2019 Mercedes-AMG E 53's scintillating straight six

In the AMG hierarchy, the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 is the king , but it's not the only good engine to appear in AMG-branded cars. One of our favorite powerplants to receive attention from AMG is the turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 with 48-volt mild-hyb…

2019 Mazda CX-5 Review and Buying Guide | The driver's choice

The 2019 Mazda CX-5 stands out in an ever-expanding field of similarly sized compact crossovers. There are several good options for shoppers looking to replace the traditional family sedan with something that sits up a little higher and offers some a…

Friday, October 11, 2019

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for October 11, 2019

Oct 11, 2019

Top Stories of the Day

2020 VW Atlas Cross Sport enters the two-row fray

About a year and a half after the concept was revealed , the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has been unveiled in production form. It looks quite a bit like the concept, and is pretty much what you would expect of a shortened Atlas . It has a more ag…

GM appeals directly to UAW workers: 'The strike has been hard on you, your families ...'

DETROIT — General Motors took the unusual step of appealing directly to employees in a blog post on Friday that laid out the terms of its latest offer aimed at ending a monthlong strike. While emphasizing GM's commitment to the collective bargaining…

Chevy Corvette C8.R race car revealed with a new 5.5-liter engine

Last week, the 2020 Chevy Corvette C8.R race car made a surprise debut alongside the new C8 convertible . Now the company has finally provided some details on what makes it tick. And the first thing you should know is that it does not use the 6.2-lite…

2021 Toyota Mirai goes from ugly duckling to graceful swan

Although the current Toyota Mirai is only sold in California, the company chose Greensboro, North Carolina to unveil the second generation of the hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered sedan. Greensboro. Get it? The 2021 Toyota Mirai was also unveiled around the…

2021 Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid announced for L.A. Auto Show

The compact to midsize crossover segment is getting a host of fresh hybrids including the completely redesigned Ford Escape Hybrid and the new-for-America Honda CR-V Hybrid . Toyota already had a RAV4 Hybrid , so it's one-upping the competition with th…

BMW won't backpedal on controversial design language

BMW will continue following the polarizing design path blazed by cars like the X7 , the facelifted 7 Series , and the Concept 4 Series Coupe unveiled recently in Frankfurt. The German company's head stylist explained his job is to ensure its design lan…

BMW of South Africa fully restores rare, home-grown 530 MLE

In the 1970s, BMW gave its burgeoning South African division the freedom to develop market-specific products in order to beat rival Mercedes-Benz. And so 227 units of a track-bred sedan named 530 Motorsport Limited Edition (MLE) were consequently mad…

Lunaz electrifying classic cars with coachbuilt, millimeter precision

One day last year, as David Lorenz waited by the side of the road for repair help with his classic car, he had an idea: Why not update all of that ancient mechanical "character" with a modern electric drivetrain? That would give an owner the beauty o…

2019 Ford SEMA builds feature off-road-ready Rangers and wild Transit Vans

The Ford Ranger is the Blue Oval's golden boy for 2019, so it only makes sense that there are six Rangers coming to SEMA. Most of them are off-road builds with light-to-heavy modifications, but one of the tuners went the other way with a Ranger. Two…

Watch boxer Errol Spence cartwheel Ferrari in injury crash

DALLAS — Welterweight boxing champion Errol Spence crashed a speeding Ferrari in Dallas early Thursday and was badly injured but is expected to survive, police said. The crash happened just before 3 a.m., when Spence's Ferrari crossed a median into …

Wednesday, October 9, 2019

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for October 9, 2019

Oct 09, 2019

Top Stories of the Day

2020 Dodge Charger Widebody First Drive | Wider is better

NAPA VALLEY, Calif. - The guy in the white Silverado is already pissed off. He didn't appreciate the first two times we blazed the rear tires of this 2020 Dodge Charger Widebody Hellcat through three gears, so we might as well do it again. That's rig…

2020 BMW M8 Gran Coupe revealed with Competition and First Edition trims

The 2020 BMW M8 Gran Coupe is here, a little over a year after the concept previewed the super sports sedan, and only months after the plain 8 Series Gran Coupe launched. And it certainly lives up to the M8 name, packing the same pair of twin-turbo 4…

2020 BMW M8 First Drive Review | A new peak

PORTIMÃO, Portugal — After politely asking if I can switch my BMW M8 Competition Coupe to drift mode, the pit crew worker responds with a quick "No." Come to think of it, choosing to send 617 horsepower to only the rear wheels on a damp racetrack wit…

First C8 Chevy Corvette to be auctioned for charity — but will it be built in time?

You'll need to take your hands out of very deep pockets to put them on the very first example of the mid-engined, eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette . The manufacturer announced the car wearing VIN 001 is scheduled to cross the auction block in Scot…

2017 Ford GT sells for $1.54 million at Barrett-Jackson, tripling in value

We told you the used Ford GTs were coming a few months back. They did (we weren't lying), and they're still hitting auction blocks at a steady rate. This past weekend saw another 2017 Ford GT '66 Heritage Edition sell for $1.54 million at Barrett-Jac…

Mercedes-Maybach GLS prototype caught testing with its big new grille

The new Mercedes-Benz GLS is a massive tech fortress on wheels, so the Maybach GLS is bound to be a massive tech castle. Last we heard from the gigantic Benz SUV was that it was going to be built at Mercedes' Alabama plant. With a starting price expe…

2020 Jeep Wrangler order guide shows 3.0L EcoDiesel is a $4K option

JLWranglerForums, the same folks who broke pricing on the 2020 Jeep Wrangler range, got the scoop on pricing for the 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 option. The third-generation oil-burner will be a $4,000 option — $995 less than on the 2020 Ram 1500 — but wi…

2020 Volvo XC90 T6 R-Design Drivers' Notes | With a touch of Polestar

The Volvo XC90 has existed in its current form since the 2016 model year, but that doesn't mean it's old and tired. New competition has since showed up to the three-row luxury SUV segment, yet the Volvo still manages to feel fresh in the 2020 model y…

Chevy updates 2021 Colorado with new look

Feeling pressure from a growing number of competitors, Chevrolet has given its entry-level Colorado pickup truck a mid-cycle update that brings a new-look design, among other improvements. The truck will begin arriving in American showrooms during th…

It's October, so squirrels are storing nuts in engine compartments

It's autumn, when leaves turn red and gold, birds begin their long journey south, and squirrels gather nuts like Americans stocking up at Costco. That last group (the squirrels, not the bulk shoppers) sometimes hide their larder in the engine compart…

Tuesday, October 8, 2019

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for October 8, 2019

Oct 08, 2019

Top Stories of the Day

Chevy updates 2021 Colorado with new look

Dad 3D-printed a Lamborghini because his son liked one in Forza

Sterling Backus's son only had one question after he drove a Lamborghini Aventador in the XBOX video game Forza: Can we build one? Most dads would respond with a chuckle and some quip about winning the lottery. But not Backus, whose day job is laser …

UAW strike delays start of 2020 Chevrolet Corvette production

As the UAW strike at GM has entered its fourth week, a Detroit Free Press report cites "two people familiar with GM's production plans" as saying that 2020 Chevrolet Corvette production will be delayed. One said, "I know for a fact that this strike i…

The Hunstable Electric Turbine promises a revolution in electric motors

Linear Labs was founded as a father-son team based in in Ft. Worth, Texas six years ago. Prior to that, father Fred Hunstable designed electrical systems for nuclear power stations for companies like Ebasco and Walker Engineering before the U.S. put …

Audi Plug-In Hybrid First Drive Review | Q5, A7 and A8 are coming to America

MUNICH, Germany – The E-Tron SUV has headlined Audi's electrified offensive since its introduction in 2018, but its supporting acts are just as important in the company's quest to offer cleaner cars. At least 10 of the 30-plus high-voltage nameplates…

2020 Volvo XC90 T6 R-Design Drivers' Notes | With a touch of Polestar

Polestar details, prices Performance Pack for electric Polestar 2

Volvo sister company Polestar released additional information about the optional Performance Pack it will offer on the Polestar 2 , its second model. The equipment group doesn't increase the electric hatchback's power output, but it bundles add-ons th…

Hymer's motorhome of the future roams the land as you relax, eat and sleep

German motorhome manufacturer Hymer introduced a concept named Galileo that argues autonomous technology will make motels obsolete in a distant future. The boxy, glass-walled design study drives itself so its occupants can enjoy the view without need…

2019 Mazda CX-9 improves its IIHS rating to Top Safety Pick +

The 2019 Mazda CX-9 three-row crossover has managed to improve its overall safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety from an already respectable Top Safety Pick to the higher Top Safety Pick +. The area it needed to improve was in…

2020 Fiat 124 Spider Abarth Review | Miata Arrabbiata

The Mazda MX-5 Miata is one of our favorite sports cars , and it's hard to imagine how it could be improved – especially after Mazda added a revvier, more powerful engine for 2019 . That presents a potential issue for its platform mate, the 2020 Fiat 1…