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Tuesday, June 16, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for June 16, 2020

Jun 16, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is the hottest Mustang this side of a Shelby

The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach 1 is here, ending a 17-year hiatus for the special edition sports car. And while this one lacks the last car's shaker hood scoop, it makes up for it by stuffing in oodles of performance parts, including many from the Shelby…

2021 Lexus IS debuts with new styling and greater emphasis on handling

The reveals keep on coming today. Lexus just took the wraps off the 2021 Lexus IS sport sedan, the fourth generation of its small, sporty four-door. It may not look all that different on the outside, but Lexus is making heady claims that the driving …

Future Lexus products to feature heavier focus on performance and handling

There's a sea change of performance occurring over at Lexus these days. At least, that's what the Japanese luxury automaker claims. Lexus has made plenty of excellent performance cars in its past, but the brand has never been known for performance. I…

These are the best deals on used cars from Hertz

When Hertz was forced into bankruptcy during the coronavirus pandemic, one of the first things the massive rental car agency did was list a whole bunch of lightly used cars and trucks for sale . And those vehicles are currently selling at sizable disc…

Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door gets entry-level 43-badged model for 2021

Mercedes-AMG is expanding the GT 4-Door lineup toward the bottom by launching an entry-level model named 43 for the 2021 model year. It's been available overseas since 2018, but it's never been sold in America before. It takes an eagle-eyed car spot…

2020 Cadillac CT4 Review & Buying Guide | Cadillac recommits to the small sedan

The 2020 Cadillac CT4 is a brand-new entry into the baby luxury sedan space, replacing the ATS. With an excellent rear-wheel-drive chassis and a performance-oriented "V" trim (to be topped by a yet-wilder "Blackwing" model), the CT4 is aimed at the e…

Donkervoort D8 GTO-JD70 is how you say 'g-forces' in Dutch

Last August, Donkervoort announced a special edition of its D8 GTO to celebrate founder Joop Donkervoort's 70th birthday. The model was dubbed the D8 GTO-JD70 , and befitting the best birthday commemorations, it took awhile to complete. The roadster's…

Vicki Wood, pioneering and record-breaking race driver, dies at 101

Vicki Wood's racing career is a plum subject for a documentary, because it's the kind of thing that only happens in movies. A flippant comment Woods made to her husband in 1953 turned into a decade of breaking barriers and setting records until 1963,…

Ford Via concept sells at auction — to the designer who originally worked on it

For car designers, falling in love with your own work, we imagine, must be an occupational hazard. When that work is a production car, the easy solution once the model reaches showrooms is to go out and buy one — taking advantage of friendly, employe…

Millions of abandoned oil wells in the U.S. are leaking methane

SALYERSVILLE, Kentucky — In May 2012, Hanson and Michael Rowe noticed an overpowering smell, like rotten eggs, seeping from an abandoned gas well on their land in Kentucky. The fumes made the retired couple feel nauseous, dizzy, and short of breath. …

Monday, June 15, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for June 15, 2020

Jun 15, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Pandemic car buying: Consumer strategies for the age of COVID-19 and beyond

To buy a car, you need money. To have money, you need a job, unless you're cruising on investments. So for many of the 40 million unemployed Americans — only the most recent, crushing count — happy talk about buying a car is bound to chafe. But whi…

Police officer rescues family after father drives off San Diego cliff into ocean

A man who was reportedly suicidal and his two young daughters were rescued by a police officer who improvised a way to be lowered down to the ocean after the father drove his pickup truck off a seaside cliff. All three were transported to a hospital …

2021 Nissan Rogue revealed: Fresh styling, lots of safety features

The 2021 Nissan Rogue is finally here, replacing the version that has been around since the 2015 model with minor updates . The new model is completely redesigned inside and out, and it boasts a large array of standard safety features. From the outsi…

2021 Nissan Rogue vs compact crossover rivals: How they compare on paper

Nissan has finally revealed the 2021 Rogue , which means we have basic specs for the upcoming redesigned crossover. This clean-sheet overhaul should breathe new life into a compact crossover that once challenged the segment leaders for sales superiori…

Replacement Harbor Freight jack stand reportedly fails on first use

Last month, Harbor Freight issued a recall for 1.7 million Pittsburgh-branded three-ton and six-ton jacks stands over a manufacturing flaw. Due to worn stamping machinery, the jack stand's ratchet teeth might not be deep enough to hold the lifting ex…

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB Buying Guide | Hip to be square

It might be easy to dismiss the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLB as yet another box-checking effort by Mercedes, but as the SUV and crossover segments get carved into thinner and thinner slices, it's offerings like the GLB that remind us why customers want hig…

Infiniti will reinvent its models, tech and design language as part of reboot

Infiniti raised more than a few eyebrows when it announced plans to follow a strategy it described as Nissan-Plus . Although this term suggests the brand's image will be dangerously watered down, its chief executive stressed its flag will remain firml…

At last: 2021 Ford Bronco jumps out of the bucking chute July 9

Ford's Instagram channel posted a photo, a date, and three words on Saturday: "07/09/20. The Wild Returns." It's been nearly five years since we found out about the steed's resuscitation in a proposed labor agreement with the United Auto Workers unio…

2020 BMW M2 CS allocation to the U.S. rumored around 400 units

When BMW revealed the 2020 M2 CS — for Coupe Sport — before last year's L.A. Auto Show, we wrote at the time, "BMW initially said it would allocate 500 examples to the U.S., but later backed off and said it couldn't confirm an exact number." Thanks t…

Internal Nissan emails reportedly corroborate Ghosn's claim of a setup

An internal email trail reportedly supports former boss Carlos Ghosn 's claim that Nissan orchestrated his ouster. The leaked emails have been corroborated by sources familiar with their contents, Bloomberg reports . Emails going back to February 201…

Friday, June 12, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for June 12, 2020

Jun 12, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

NASCAR's Confederate flag ban — now comes the hard part

This Confederate flag at the Daytona 500 was even being flown over the American flag. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) NASCAR's decision to ban the Confederate flag from its races and venues grabbed headlines and stars like a…

Our pledge: Autoblog stands with the Black community and for equality

Words matter in these troubled times. Silence is complicity. As our society quakes with injustice and racism, it's incumbent on all of us to speak out. At Autoblog, we pledge to be a part of the solution. At its best, the auto industry embraces diver…

2021 Lexus IS shows its rear end, gets a new unveiling date

Lexus was set to introduce the next-generation IS on June 9, but it postponed the event to respect "the recent global situation," meaning worldwide protests in the wake of George Floyd's death in police custody. Now Lexus has rescheduled the unveilin…

2021 Nissan Rogue teased ahead of reveal next Monday

The leaks were accurate. Nissan just teased the 2021 Nissan Rogue in its most revealing photo yet, and the crossover looks just like the one that was shown in some blurry photos a couple months ago. We can make out the details better in this new pho…

Fiat Chrysler wins trade case against Mahindra over Jeep look-alike Roxor

Fiat Chrysler has won a cease-and-desist victory against Indian conglomerate Mahindra to stop imports of the Roxor off-road vehicle. Bloomberg reports that the United States International Trade Commission upheld a judge's earlier findings, with some …

2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S First Drive | Turbo by name, turbo by nature

NEWBURY, England — There are Porsches with turbocharged gasoline engines not badged as such, while electric ones now carry the famous script despite lacking an internal-combustion engine of any sort. There is, thankfully, no such confusion with the n…

2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS and GTS Coupe revealed during would-be Detroit Auto Show week

This week would've been the week of the 2020 Detroit Auto Show . Alas, 2020 had other plans, and the biggest car reveal so far this week was the updated 2021 Subaru Crosstrek . Today the 2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS and 2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupe join …

Mustang owners file lawsuit over six-speed manual transmission

Automotive News reports that a lawsuit filed in California last year goes after Ford for alleged defects in the six-speed manual transmission found in 2011MY to 2019MY Mustangs. Starting with the 2011 model year, the Mustang switched to a Getrag MT82…

2021 Jaguar XF Sportbrake and XF sedan spied in camo with updates incoming

The Jaguar XF and XF Sportbrake are both due for a mid-cycle refresh in the near future, and one of our spy photographers just caught both of them running around in suits of camouflage. Being car journalists, our eyes instantly latched onto the wagon…

2020 EarthCruiser FX and EXP off-road RVs add double-cab accommodations

Bend, Oregon's EarthCruiser — not to be confused with Colorado-based EarthRoamer — produces two overland adventure RVs that get top billing: The 2020 EarthCruiser FX and EXP , both based on the Fuso FE160G Class 4 medium truck chassis. Sold in two-doo…

Thursday, June 11, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for June 11, 2020

Jun 11, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Autoblog's favorite Father's Day gift ideas

Father's Day is June 21, just around the corner, and we wanted to get the pulse of the team here at Autoblog to see what they were going to be picking up for their dads, or in some cases, what they hoped to get from their families. Check out some of …

2020 Cadillac CT4-V First Drive + Video | The Cadillac of compact Cadillacs

2020 Porsche 718 Cayman Luggage Test | Junk in the trunk and the frunk

As we've previously discovered with the Lexus LC and Porsche 911 , you shouldn't discount a sports car's road-tripping potential because you think it can't carry all your stuff. Of course, the main reason they're able to carry surprisingly so much is …

2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 Road Test | Does more = better?

If you're looking for something with which to properly compare the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GLS 63 , you won't find it in the automotive realm. Nothing else is this powerful, seats as many people and is packed from firewall to tailgate with such an orgy of i…

Abt Audi S8 ramps the big, luxury sedan up to 690 horsepower

The 2020 Audi S8 is a powerhouse to begin with. From the factory, Audi has fitted a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that produces 571 horsepower and 590 pound feet of torque. That's more than enough for most who want to get into a large, luxurious sedan. We …

NASCAR bans Confederate flag from its races and properties

NASCAR banned the Confederate flag from its races and properties on Wednesday, formally distancing itself from what for many is a symbol of slavery and racism that had been a familiar sight at stock car events for more than 70 years. The move comes …

Police in Detroit suburb pin black Amazon driver in incident over parking

Police in a Detroit suburb are under fire after viral video emerged of an officer pinning a black Amazon delivery driver to the ground during an arrest after he had parked his delivery van on the wrong side of the street while delivering a package. T…

Scout Olympic camper full of clever touches and portable gear

Overlanding and #VanLife were already huge when the coronavirus got everyone locked in their homes for a few months. With summer coming on, road trips the go-to escape, and RV rental bookings skyrocketing , there's always room for another way to get a…

Yamaha is developing a whole range of turbocharged motorcycle engines

Car companies have glorified turbocharging as the ideal way to reduce an engine's fuel consumption and exhaust emissions without compromising its power, and motorcycle manufacturers are beginning to adopt this solution. Yamaha is reportedly developin…

Ford recalls 2.5 million vehicles — again — for door latches, brakes

DETROIT — Ford is recalling about 2.5 million vehicles in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere because of a nagging door latch problem and a brake fluid leak. The door latch recall covers 2.15 million cars, SUVs and vans in the U.S. The latches can fail a…