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Monday, January 13, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for January 13, 2020

Jan 13, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Chevy, Kia and Jeep win 2020 North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year

Although the Detroit Auto Show is moving to the summer, the North American Car, Utility and Truck of the Year (NACTOY) awards were again announced in January. The car of the year is the 2020 Chevy Corvette Stingray . Utility of the year is the 2020 Ki…

2021 GMC Canyon gets AT4 trim and a 'more upmarket' Denali

The AT4 train continues at GMC, with the 2021 Canyon AT4 climbing to altitude in Vail, Colorado, to announce its arrival. The off-road package, teased during the Sierra HD launch last year and already rolled out on the Sierra and Acadia, replaces the…

2020 Volkswagen Atlas Review & Buying Guide | Das ist huge

The 2020 Volkswagen Atlas is all about providing the basics. For families in need of a vehicle with tons of space, it delivers in abundance. Each seating row is so spacious that you could comfortably fill the Atlas exclusively with 6-footers, while m…

Audi says it's way too early to write the sedan's obituary

LAS VEGAS — As the global car market continues pivoting towards SUVs , and automakers increasingly abandon low-riding models , Audi told Autoblog it's far too early to write the sedan's eulogy. Hildegard Wortmann, the company's sales and marketing boss…

2020 Genesis G90 starts at $73,195 for 3.3T Premium

Genesis wouldn't reveal pricing on the 2020 G90 when we drove the big sedan after last year's L.A. Auto Show. We were reassured, however, that there would only be a slight increase over the 2019 model that sold for $70,345 in 3.3T Prestige trim and $…

The first Toyota Land Cruiser sold in America is a star in this Utah museum

SALT LAKE CITY — Greg Miller's Land Cruiser Heritage Museum in Salt Lake City is one of the most fascinating and comprehensive collections of vintage cars we've ever visited. Of the dozens of off-roaders on display , the most significant one is arguab…

Renault shares hit six-year low on rumors of Nissan split

LONDON — Renault shares hit six-year lows on Monday after a media report that Nissan has accelerated secret contingency planning for a potential split from the French carmaker, the latest sign that the downfall of former boss Carlos Ghosn is roiling …

Ford's new vehicle sales tumble in China by over 26%

SHANGHAI — Ford's China vehicle sales fell for a third consecutive year, by 26.1%, as it battles a prolonged overall sales decline in its second-biggest market that has hit demand for its mass-market Ford brand and sport utility vehicles. The U.S. a…

This 2JZ-powered Toyota Supra convertible is actually a Lexus

The students at Nihon Automobile College (NATS) put together some pretty wild custom cars for each year's Tokyo Auto Salon . Perhaps the most attention-grabbing this year is what looks like a 2020 Toyota Supra . It features the bold orange paint scheme…

Subaru calls Forester Ultimate Customised Kit Special edition 'an unfortunate situation'

Subaru of America reportedly found it necessary to disavow itself from the Forester Ultimate Customised Kit Special edition that was displayed at this year's Singapore Motor Show.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for January 9, 2020

Jan 09, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2019 Hyundai Veloster N Stroller and Car Seat Fit Test | Three doors, no problem

There's no ambiguity about it: The 2019 Hyundai Veloster N is a great front-drive performance car. Heck, it's a great car, bar none. We love it, and have said so every time we drove it . But if you want more proof, our friends at Road & Track name…

2020 Volvo XC40 Review & Buying Guide | Swedish style with sensibility

The 2020 Volvo XC40 is a relative newcomer to the Swedish automaker's lineup, launched two years ago as a crossover slotting below the XC90 and XC60 in both size and price. It's a more city-friendly vehicle than its bigger, plusher siblings, while st…

Nissan's dismal 2019: Where does Japan's struggling brand go from here?

Auto sales have gradually slowed from their peak during the boom years that followed the global recession, but Nissan's rapid decline stood out even in a year when few high-volume manufacturers had much to be excited about. Of the "Japanese 3," Nis…

Lebanon imposes travel ban on ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn

BEIRUT — A Lebanese prosecutor imposed a travel ban on former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn on Thursday, judicial sources said, after he was questioned over an Interpol warrant issued by Japan seeking his arrest on financial misconduct charges. Ghosn fle…

Chevy Corvette C8 plug-in hybrid caught testing in the snow?

Sometimes a set of spy photos drops onto our digital desks that leave us scratching our heads trying to figure out what we're looking at. At first blush, this did not appear to be one of those times. What you're looking at above looks like it could b…

Bollinger believes its approach to EVs is unique enough to patent

High-end EV startup Bollinger announced Wednesday that it has filed a patent application covering the design and execution of the systems underpinning its forthcoming B1 "sport utility truck" and B2 pickup . Bollinger says the application covers the…

[VIDEO] Polaris teases new Slingshot again, and an automatic transmission

Six days after Polaris teased the new headlights of the coming Slingshot three-wheeler, the company's put out two teaser videos, shown above and below. Based on what we can see of the bodywork, exterior changes appear to be superficial. Slingshot's f…

2020 Lexus LS 500h Drivers' Notes Review | Be it blue or red, it's excellent

This is not your grandmother's gold Lexus LS. It's not your other grandmother's hybrid, either. The 2020 Lexus LS 500h represents the biggest step forward in terms of driving dynamics, style and pure luxury for a model line that has largely been know…

Feds now investigating UAW's new reformer president Rory Gamble, newspaper says

Federal investigators working on the case of widespread kickbacks, embezzlement and bribes in the top ranks of the United Auto Workers are now examining Rory Gamble barely a month after he was sworn in as the union's president. The Detroit News repo…

2021 Kia Seltos fuel economy revealed at up to 31 mpg combined

The 2021 Kia Seltos made its official debut in the U.S. just a couple months ago at the L.A. Auto Show. Now its fuel economy numbers have been published by the EPA. The compact crossover's numbers are roughly on par with its smaller Soul sibling and …

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for January 8, 2020

Jan 08, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Carlos Ghosn defiantly accuses Nissan and Japan: 'The charges against me are baseless'

Carlos Ghosn held a press conference in Lebanon early Wednesday to clear his name in the year-long scandal that has stripped him of his leadership roles at Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi, and irrevocably tainted an otherwise well-regarded career as a…

We try on these Honda Xcelerator exoskeletons that may eventually steal your job

LAS VEGAS — On Tuesday at the synergistic automotive/technology juggernaut that is CES, Honda's Silicon Valley-headquartered tech incubator, Honda Xcelerator, unveiled a quartet of new products that it is helping to hatch. Two in particular caught my…

Is this 1983 Fiat Spider EV conversion worth Porsche 911 GTS money?

$140,000 can buy a lot of car. Nothing about Fiat Spiders built in the 1980s would be described as "a lot," unless you're referring to the quantity of maintenance that is sometimes required just to keep them on the road. In that context, this eBay fi…

2020 Mini Convertible Sidewalk Edition hits the pavement again

In 2007, the Mini Convertible Sidewalk dropped its top in bitter winter during the Detroit Auto Show to show off its exclusive appearance package. The cosmetic suite makes a return for 2020, again as the Mini Convertible Sidewalk, with more color and…

2020 Volkswagen Tiguan Review & Buying Guide | Eye of the Iguana

It's big, it's powerful, it's packed with features, and its name comes from putting the words "tiger" and "iguana" together. Yes, that's actually true. Thankfully, the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan isn't anywhere as zany as its name would suggest. It's actu…

The Sony Vision-S Concept car will hit 60 mph in 4.8 seconds

The Sony Concept car caught us all by surprise at CES last night, but we didn't know much about it. Now, Sony has released a short spec sheet that details some of the important bits.

Aston Martin V12 Speedster will ditch roof and windshield

If your hunger for supercars with no windshields wasn't satiated with the McLaren Elva , we have good news. Aston Martin has one of its own to be revealed later this year. It's simply called the Aston Martin V12 Speedster, and sounds like it will be e…

eBay Find: 2006 Honda Insight offers Prius fuel economy with a manual transmission

A simple fact when it comes to modern-day hybrids is that they don't come with manual transmissions. Usually they're coupled to a CVT, a dual-clutch transmission in the case of the Ioniq and Niro, or basically no transmission at all, with the motor d…

Suzuki Jimny transforms into an adorable tiny Ford Bronco

The Suzuki Jimny may be impossibly cute as-is, but there's also something about the baby SUV that begs to be dressed up to look like other vehicles. Suzuki has decked out the Jimny in Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen kit, a theme the aftermarket did one better,…

Junkyard Gem: 1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD Turbodiesel Wagon

The Mercedes-Benz W123 diesels may have been the longest-lasting cars ever sold in North America, with the credit for that longevity equally split among the amazingly good build quality, the overkill-grade toughness of those immortal Stuttgart diesel…

Tuesday, January 7, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for January 7, 2020

Jan 07, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Zombie cars: 9 discontinued vehicles that aren't dead yet

Even after cars are discontinued, new, unsold ones still show up in monthly sales reports. We look at the worst-selling cars that are already dead.

2019 Honda Civic Type R Drivers' Notes | Have fun, bring paper bag

If the VW Golf R is for people who'd rather have their go-fast car stay stealthy and fly under the radar, the Honda Civic Type R is basically a squadron of Lancaster bombers blaring ZZ Top. It's basically impossible to miss it. There's the huge wing.…

Mercedes-Benz Vision AVTR takes inspiration from the creatures of 'Avatar'

It seems like movie tie-ins are becoming more common for concept cars. First Porsche designed a spaceship for "Star Wars," and now Mercedes has created a concept car inspired by and named after the "Avatar" film series from James Cameron. It's called…

Sony built a car — a concept to show off company's sensors, infotainment

The car industry has loads of electronics suppliers that create everything from screens to sensors. And it's a sector that's becoming bigger and more important in today's age of sophisticated driver assists and infotainment systems. One of those supp…

Toyota plans to build 175-acre 'Woven City' of the future housing 2,000 people

Every year, automotive manufacturers release ideas, sketches, and renderings of and for their visions of the future. The fantastical presentations and proposals capture imaginations and theorize how these near-future communities would change society …

Rolls-Royce posts 25% jump in sales thanks to Cullinan demand

Luxury carmaker Rolls-Royce said on Tuesday it recorded a 25% jump in sales in 2019, underpinned by solid demand for its first-ever SUV, Cullinan, just a year after the launch. The 116-year-old British company said it sold a record 5,152 cars in 201…

Ford still sold 226,193 endangered Fusions and Fiestas in 2019

Ford closed out 2019 with a 3% drop in full-year U.S. sales as the continued phase-out of models including the Focus and Taurus helped offset strong performance from its F-Series trucks , Transit vans and Lincoln luxury SUVs . But combing through its y…

Trucks helped carry the market in 2019 to 17.1 million vehicles sold

With the December reports tallied, the U.S. auto industry ended 2019 with 17.1 million vehicles sold, falling short of the post-recession boom years as buying habits continue to swing in favor of profitable trucks and SUVs. Thanks to a slow 4th quart…

Audi AI:Me Concept First Ride | Pointing the way forward

Introduced at the 2019 Shanghai auto show, the Audi AI:Me is a one-off concept that's difficult to put a price on. Its value lies deep in seven-digit territory; it's likely worth more than Bugatti's $3 million Chiron . And yet, I didn't think twice ab…

Elon Musk unleashes dance moves at Tesla Model Y launch in China

SHANGHAI — Elon Musk showed off his dance moves at the launch of Tesla's Model Y electric sports utility vehicle program at its new Shanghai factory on Tuesday, where the company delivered its first cars built outside the United States to the public.…