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Friday, March 20, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for March 20, 2020

Mar 20, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

VW e-Bulli is an awesome electric Microbus from Volkswagen and eClassics

Hailing all fans of the Volkswagen Microbus . VW has a special treat for you today, and it's electric. A new team effort between Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and eClassics has resulted in the creation of what VW is calling the "e-Bulli." Just so eve…

2020 Hyundai Venue Luggage Test | The little crossover that could

The Hyundai Venue is absolutely tiny, it must be useless, right? Wrong! Although it's considerably shorter in length than the already tiny Hyundai Kona, with a wheelbase that doesn't even cross the 100-inch threshold, the Venue makes impressive use o…

F1 drivers to race eSports stars virtually in place of coronavirus-postponed grands prix

This year's Formula One races are getting canceled left and right , but the series has a temporary solution for everyone ravenous to watch some racing: eSports. Starting this Sunday (March 22), F1 drivers and celebrities will be virtually taking to th…

Trump's coronavirus bailouts could extend to auto industry

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that his administration's plans to provide economic assistance to U.S. businesses hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic will extend to the auto industry "at least a little bit." According to Bloomb…

Trump seeks $3 billion boost for oil companies by topping off emergency reserves

Crude oil pipeline equipment at the Department of Energy's Strategic Petroleum Reserve in Freeport, Texas. / Reuters WASHINGTON — The Trump administration said Thursday that it is seeking $3 billion from Congress to top up the country's stra…

Ferrari, Fiat, McLaren, Nissan join coronavirus ventilator efforts

Siare Engineering, Italy's largest manufacturer of hospital ventilators, has turned to Italian automakers Ferrari and Fiat to investigate the possibility that the automakers might help produce more of the live-saving machines that are urgently needed…

Icon 917K is a stunning replica of Porsche racer from 'Le Mans'

The nine-year odyssey to create the Icon Engineering 917K replica began with an eBay ad. Graham Turner advertised sale of a 917K body that had been copied directly from Dave Piper's 1969 Porsche 917K, chassis #10, which meant the body for sale was a …

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 makes car seats a breeze

Last week, I took my son to preschool for what was probably the last time. My usual car seat, a Britax Frontier Clicktight I bought specifically for its ease of swapping between press cars, was still in his babysitter's car. She's a family friend wh…

Let's all take a moment to smile at this tiny Subaru van

The news is really depressing. You're stuck at home, hopefully working but possibly not. The kids home from school just ... won't ... calm ... down. We need something to make us smile, so allow me to present a tiny morsel of happiness that is this …

Why is this snotty-looking goo one of the bestselling cleaning products for cars?

Detailing putty, or cleaning gel as it's sometimes referred to, definitely isn't new, but it has gained a lot of popularity recently. The fact is, you don't have to be a professional detailer to benefit from having a tool like this in your cleaning a…

Thursday, March 19, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for March 19, 2020

Mar 19, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

GM suspends all new orders for 2020 Chevrolet Corvette

General Motors is shutting down all new orders for the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette , effective immediately, citing heavy demand and limited supply following the production shutdown caused by the United Auto Workers strike last fall. The news was revealed …

Tesla reduces staffing, 'very well could still be making cars' despite coronavirus lockdown

According to an Alameda County spokesperson, Tesla is reducing staffing levels at its manufacturing plant in Fremont, Calif., but perhaps not to the levels necessary to comply with the San Francisco Bay area's regional lockdown order. "They told us…

Coronavirus leads Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai to join North American plant closures

Following the closure of car factories by Ford, GM, FCA and Honda , another group of automakers is shutting down plants in the face of the COVID-19 coronavirus threat. Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai have all announced they will be closing production facil…

GM, Ford are in talks to build medical ventilators for coronavirus fight

WASHINGTON — General Motors and Ford said on Wednesday they were in talks with White House officials about how they could support production of medical equipment like ventilators that may be needed to combat the coronavirus outbreak. GM Chief Execut…

Tesla's Elon Musk offers to make ventilators in coronavirus battle

Hundreds of Elon Musk's Twitter followers welcomed on Thursday an offer by Tesla's chief executive to make ventilators for coronavirus sufferers "if," he said, there is a shortage, after the United States appealed for donations of respirator masks. …

All 2019-2020 Volvos to be recalled over automatic emergency braking failure

Volvo is recalling 121,605 vehicles because the automatic emergency braking (AEB) system might not work as intended. Here are the affected models: 2019-20 S60 , V60 , V60 Cross Country , S90 L , V90 , V90 Cross Country , XC40 , XC60 , XC90 . You may be thin…

2021 Hyundai Elantra vs. compact sedans | How they compare on paper

Despite the rising popularity of crossovers, the sedan market remains packed and fiercely competitive. It looks like it will stay that way with the introduction of the strikingly redesigned 2021 Hyundai Elantra . And since Hyundai was kind enough to p…

Autoblog's favorite spring cleaning accessories

It's been a long time coming, but spring is finally here. This is always a great time of year to do a deep clean of your house, car, or even your digital life, and with the coronavirus pandemic still gripping the world, it's more important than ever …

What would you drive from Seattle to New York?

Yesterday on Twitter, I posed a car question to the world. You know, because what else do we have to do? Your flight from Seattle to New York has been cancelled. You must now drive. You may also take any car ever. What's your choice? …

How an old AE86 schooled me in Toyota's hidden sense of fun

SILVERSTONE, England – Not so long ago the Toyota range seemed like a sea of beige. Then came the 86 . Sure, Toyota was chasing Le Mans glory, there was World Rally Championship heritage and Lexus was doing some cool stuff, but the 86 is where things …

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for March 18, 2020

Mar 18, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Tesla is not an 'essential business,' must heed coronavirus lockdown, sheriff says

Tesla Inc cannot continue to operate its main U.S. vehicle plant normally as it plans to, as its San Francisco Bay Area home began a three-week lockdown on Tuesday to slow the spread of coronavirus, a county sheriff's office spokesman said. Tesla's …

2021 Hyundai Elantra revealed, all-new with coupe-like styling and a hybrid

Hyundai unveiled the 2021 Elantra sedan via a live YouTube stream late Tuesday night, showing off its new coupe-like proportions and confirming an available hybrid powertrain. The Korean automaker hopes that by committing to the small sedan segment,…

2020 Toyota GR Supra Suspension Deep Dive

The new 2020 Toyota Supra is amazing, and by now its bold styling has begun to grow on me. It helps that the first one I drove proved to be an absolute blast on a tight and technical circuit, and this yellow example I've got now shows it to be a plea…

This 'tattooed' Lexus UX is the first of its kind, and we love it

Lexus commissioned the first "tattooed" car ever, and it's chosen the UX as the tattoo artist's canvas. Art cars and special projects catch our eye sometimes, but this particular project is one of the most intriguing works of art on a car we've seen …

Koenigsegg Gemera designer reveals what the car could have looked like

The Koenigsegg Gemera has a design that will influence automotive shapes for years to come. Packaging a 1,700-horsepower hybrid powertrain within a beautiful two-door coupe while maintaining four functional seats for adults is wizardry. Just ask Buga…

2020 Ram 1500 Laramie Southwest Edition is a true-blue Texas truck

American pickup builders love celebrating the Southwest, and Ram is taking its latest stab at the "Texans love trucks" trope with the 2020 Ram 1500 Laramie Southwest Edition. This is essentially an appearance and popular equipment package. Outside,…

Alfaholics built an Alfa Romeo 105 Series entirely out of carbon fiber

Alfaholics has restored numerous 105 Series cars before. And Alfaholics has used carbon fiber parts before. But this is the first time Alfaholics has built a 105 Series with a body made entirely out of carbon fiber. The United Kingdom-based builder a…

New BMW 4 Series spy photos reveal more production grille

BMW's upcoming 4 Series replacement has been spied yet again, this time wearing less front-end camo, and revealing just how low the bottom of that new chipmunk grille truly goes. Just in case the past few BMW product announcements haven't quite sun…

Lotus Esprit spied wearing mismatched Evora bodywork

The sorta funky looking Lotus Evora you see above isn't really an Evora at all. In fact, it's a mule for an upcoming new Lotus in the spirit of the Esprit, which, rumor has it , will be introduced in the first half of 2021. It may even be called the E…

Detroit automakers, UAW agree to curb production to contain coronavirus

The Detroit Three automakers and United Auto Workers agreed on Tuesday to curtail production at U.S. factories and limit the number of workers on the job at one time to prevent the spread of the coronavirus among roughly 150,000 factory employees. T…

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for March 17, 2020

Mar 17, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Coronavirus couch time: Best car shows and movies on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and more

Being shut indoors due to the coronavirus means we all have a lot more time to chip away at those TV and movie lists. To that end, we compiled a list of car- and racing-related TV shows, movies and documentaries you can find on the many popular strea…

Tesla factory will stay open as an 'essential business' despite coronavirus order

Tesla has been declared an "essential business" and will remain open during the San Francisco Bay Area's three-week "shelter in place" lockdown to rein in the spread of the coronavirus, according to the Los Angeles Times . If you're wondering what ma…

GM Tech Center closes in Michigan after employee tests positive for coronavirus

General Motors has shut down a building at its Tech Center in Warren, Mich., after an employee tested positive for coronavirus. GM learned of the positive test result late Monday and immediately began steps to contain any potential spread to other …

Coronavirus prompts VW to stop production throughout Europe

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen Group, the world's biggest carmaker, is suspending production at factories across Europe as the coronavirus pandemic hits sales and disrupts supply chains, the company said on Tuesday. The German carmaker, which owns the Audi,…

In face of coronavirus, several automakers offering breaks on car loans

Several automakers on Monday said U.S. buyers of new vehicles will have the option to defer their payments, and customers with existing car loans could ask for payment rescheduling if impacted by shutdowns due to the spread of coronavirus. The move …

VW's Ford-derived Amarok pickup truck comes into focus

The next-generation Amarok will be one of the first products born out of the new alliance between Volkswagen and Ford. The pickup truck is around the corner, and an early design sketch previews what we can expect from it. The drawing suggests stylis…

2020 Volvo S60 T8 Long-Term Update | Best of the powertrain bunch

As my colleagues can attest, every time I come into the office after taking home our long-term 2020 Volvo S60 , I talk about how much I love it. The main reason: the plug-in hybrid powertrain. Whether you care about the environment, comfort or perform…

2020 Kia Niro electric car gets a $590 price hike

Kia Niro EV shoppers will need to budget a little more for the purchase, the South Korean automaker raising the price on its only U.S.-market electric car by $590. Cars Direct spied an order guide saying that after a $1,120 destination charge, the ba…

2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid First Drive | Joining the green party

TUCSON, Ariz. – The CR-V has been the segment's top seller since its introduction, moving more than 5 million units in the past 23 years. For Honda, its sales juggernaut accounted for more than a quarter of the automaker's 2019 total and a whopping 6…

Just a bunch of pictures of cars painted green

Green is an increasingly popular paint color. Here are photos of many.