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Monday, January 6, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for January 6, 2020

Jan 06, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

6 electric vehicles we're watching in 2020

The short list of important electric vehicles to pay attention to this year.

Somebody created a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon droptop

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is a vehicle built with one purpose in mind: going fast down a drag strip. Weight is the enemy when it comes to acceleration, and one surefire way to add weight to a car is to make it into a convertible. However, that's…

2020 Honda Civic Sport Touring Manual First Drive | No compromises but price

One of the common laments among modern-day car enthusiasts is that the companies that still offer manual transmissions on cars only put them on the stripped-out versions or otherwise compromised performance cars. For example, the current-generation H…

Ford will buy first two bipedal robots for commercial vehicle research

Last spring, we told you about Ford's partnership with an Oregon-based company that is developing a two-legged, walking work robot that unfurls from the back of a delivery van, kind of like the battle droids in "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace." Now, F…

Ford patent describes four-wheel steering for F-Series trucks

Lots of cars have employed four-wheel steering over the years, but it's not currently available on any of the vehicles that you'd think could really benefit from increased low-speed maneuverability: fullsize pickup trucks. General Motors dabbled in t…

Lamborghini Huracan Evo Rear-Wheel Drive promises lots of oversteer

The debut of the Lamborghini Huracán EVO Rear-Wheel Drive can be seen as a propitious start to the Gregorian New Year, or a starburst finale for the Chinese Year of the Rat – either take works. Coming 12 months after the reveal of its all-wheel-drive…

Fisker introduces the $37,499 Ocean EV crossover ahead of CES 2020

Fisker unveiled an electric crossover named Ocean during a private event held before the model's official debut at CES 2020. Due out in 2022, the Ocean will compete in the same growing segment of the market as the upcoming Tesla Model Y and the recen…

Bosch creates a sun visor that automatically blocks the sun

German supplier Bosch traveled to CES 2020 to introduce an artificial intelligence-powered sun visor called Virtual Visor. It's a major update to a part that has barely evolved in the history of the car. The Virtual Visor takes the form of a rectang…

Mercedes-Benz recalls 750,000 cars for sunroofs that can fly off

Mercedes-Benz is recalling nearly 750,000 cars because the vehicles' sunroofs could potentially detach and fly off, causing road hazards. A full list of affected models can be found here in PDF form . The cars include the Mercedes-Benz's C-Class, E-C…

This wonderful 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC AMG Widebody is up for auction

Long before its purchase by Mercedes and subsequent hyphenation, AMG was an independent company doing some very wild stuff, even by late 1980s standards. This 1989 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC AMG Widebody was on the cusp of madness, with a heavily breathed…

Friday, January 3, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for January 3, 2020

Jan 03, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Auto industry closes out 2019 with record-high transaction prices, incentive spending

This is a developing story. We will continue to update this as more automakers report their 2019 results. Year-end sales figures began trickling in early Friday, with initial reports suggesting that the U.S. auto industry's seasonally adjusted, annu…

Tesla hits sales goals, reports 367,500 cars delivered in 2019

DETROIT — Tesla's global deliveries rose more than 50% last year, meaning the company surpassed the low end of its sales goals for 2019. The electric car maker delivered a record of about 112,000 vehicles in the fourth quarter and about 367,500 for …

[VIDEO] Tesla's new dashcam honk feature gets tested with a flying hammer

Tesla sent a "Holiday Software Update" to owners just before Christmas that included a haul of tech upgrades and features. Included were hard-news features like the improved Tesla Neural Net for identifying traffic lights and signs and rendering road…

Audi E-Tron GT getting RS treatment; E-Tron Sportback might, too

After a year of turning Audi's Q3, Q3 Sportback, Q5, and Q8 crossovers into bawdy cannonballers, the Ingolstadt automaker's go-fast RS department has embarked on plug-in hybrid and electric programs. Autocar reports that among the first battery-elect…

2020 Volvo XC90 T8 Luggage Test | What you'd expect

Hot on the heels of the Cadillac XT6 and its meager showing in the luggage test comes another member of the three-row luxury crossover segment: the 2020 Volvo XC90 and specifically the T8 plug-in hybrid trim. On paper, the Volvo has 15.8 cubic-feet o…

Carlos Ghosn pulled off mystery escape via a discreet airport lounge

OSAKA, Japan — Despite being one of the world's most-recognizable executives, former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn probably embarked onto a private jet from a quiet VIP lounge in Japan's third-largest airport on his astonishing escape from a fraud tri…

2020 Nissan Versa Drivers' Notes | A castaway no more

The 2020 Nissan Versa is a totally new car this year, and Nissan did well by it. Nearly everything about the sedan has gotten better, and we can finally call it a contender in the fast-shrinking subcompact car segment. Nissan made it lower, wider and…

Segway is bringing an electric motorcycle to CES that does 0-60 mph in 2.9 seconds

Segway is cool now? Yes, Segway is cool now, and the long-time mall cop transportation brand is going to cement its new reputation at the Consumer Electronics Show this year. The company has revealed plans to show off a new electric bike called the A…

An updated Polaris Slingshot is on the way

The Polaris Slingshot has suffered from slow sales the past couple years, likely in part because its novelty has worn off. The open-air three-wheeler debuted for 2015 , and even those who are into the idea may find it's starting to get a bit stale. To…

Chevrolet Corvette C8.R will wear heritage-laced yellow livery in 2020

The mid-engined, eighth-generation Chevrolet Corvette will hit the track in the traditional yellow livery. The C8.R made its debut in 2019 in silver, but it's yellow that racing fans associate with the Corvette. Wearing number three, the Coldplay-ap…

Thursday, January 2, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for January 2, 2020

Jan 02, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Lebanon gets Interpol arrest warrant for Carlos Ghosn as escape details emerge

BEIRUT — Lebanon's justice minister said Thursday that Lebanon has received an international wanted notice from Interpol for Nissan's ex-chair Carlos Ghosn, four days after he fled Japan to Lebanon before a trial on financial misconduct charges. Alb…

Ghosn flight prompts renewed focus on Japan's strict justice system

TOKYO — Carlos Ghosn's daring flight from Japan, where he was awaiting trial on charges of financial wrongdoing, has revived global criticism of the nation's "hostage justice," but in Japan is prompting talk of reversing more lenient curbs on defenda…

Jeep plug-in hybrids are coming, will be called '4xe'

Jeep will announce the name of its future hybrid models at CES: 4xe, a badge that will be worn by all electrified vehicles from the marque. That applies to both Jeeps with a mild-hybrid assist like the eTorque system available on the 2020 Jeep Wrangl…

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban can't pair new diesel with new Z71 trim

Until the 2021 Chevrolet Suburban and Tahoe hit the market, the current models offer three trims – LS, LT and Premium – and a number of packages that can be added to specific trims. At the moment, the off-road-focused Z71 package can only be ordered …

Chrysler Airflow Vision concept pairs today's platform with yesterday's name

Fiat-Chrysler has a number of notable announcements at this year's CES, including a formal announcement of its plug-in hybrid plans and branding, as well as the North American debut of the Fiat Centoventi concept . But it's also bringing something new…

Ford's Australian division could stuff the Mustang's V8 in the Ranger Raptor

The Ford Ranger Raptor sold overseas is nearly unstoppable off-road, but its four-cylinder turbodiesel engine makes it slow in a straight line. The Blue Oval's Australian division enlisted the help of an engineering firm to stuff the Mustang 's V8 bet…

One-off, 638-horsepower Bertone Mantide heads to auction in Arizona

When is a C6-generation Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 not actually a Corvette? When it's a one-off, Bertone-pinned extravagance like the Mantide. This 638-horsepower monster may have a face only a mother could love, but we're sure just about anybody could g…

You could own the Plymouth Belmont concept, a Corvette fighter that never was

When you hear American, two-seat sports car from the 1950s, you probably think of either the Chevy Corvette or the Ford Thunderbird. Or if you're into obscure cars, maybe Nash Healey or Kaiser Darrin. But for a moment in time, there was the potential…

Porsche Cayenne Coupe GT ultra-high performance hybrid model spied

Earlier this year, a report came out that Porsche was working on an ultra-high performance variant of the Cayenne Coupe , possibly with the same kind of GT# naming scheme used on the top-tier 911s . One of our spy photographers has managed to get photo…

EPA scientific panel says rollback of vehicle emissions rule is at odds with science

WASHINGTON — A panel of scientific advisers, including several appointed by President Donald Trump, says some rollbacks of clean-air and vehicle rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency are based on weak scientific analysis and should be…

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 …