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Wednesday, July 22, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for July 22, 2020

Jul 22, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Toyota Venza First Drive | It's back!

The Venza is back. The lifted, wagon-esque crossover that disappeared five years ago was weird, but in a good way, forging its own path by walking a fine line between car and crossover. Yet it also never caught on and was discontinued without being r…

Toyota hybrid crossover comparison | How the Venza, RAV4 Hybrid and Highlander compare on paper

Now that the 2021 Toyota Venza is here, Toyota has nearly as many hybrid crossovers as it does cars. Not only that, but all three hybrid crossovers — Venza, RAV4 Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid — are shockingly similar to each other. To sort out the dif…

2021 Ford F-150 starts at $30,635, according to early dealer guide

The usual culprit has pulled off its usual caper — that being CarsDirect getting a look at an early dealer guide and passing on the particulars we're after, this time the pricing for the 2021 Ford F-150. We're told base price for the entry-level two-…

Next Subaru WRX STI could get 400-hp from a 2.4-liter boxer

Yet another report puts Subaru's FA24 2.4-liter boxer four-cylinder in the next-generation WRX and WRX STI. Not only that, the story in Japan's Car Sensor magazine (translated ) seconds a Forbes report from February of this year that the hardest-core …

2020 GMC Sierra 1500 Interior Driveway Test | Still lagging behind

GM has caught nothing but grief for the interiors of its full-size pickups since they were redesigned. Some of it is about perspective. Ram blew everybody away with the new 1500's interior, but it's not like the Ford F-150 is embarrassed by it. Chevy…

Tesla stock volatile ahead of quarterly report, possible S&P 500 entry

Tesla shares extended their recent rally on Wednesday ahead of a quarterly report from the electric car maker that might clear the way for it to join the S&P 500 and attract over $40 billion in new demand for the stock. Investors watching the co…

Elon Musk qualifies for another fat payday: $2.1 billion

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk qualified on Tuesday for a payout worth an unprecedented $2.1 billion, his second jackpot since May from the electric car maker following its massive stock surge. Tesla's stock was down 3% in afternoon trading, erodi…

2021 Ford Bronco First Edition production run doubled — and it's still sold out

On the same night the 2021 Ford Bronco was revealed and the reservation site launched, the one-year-only First Edition sold out . That was 3,500 vehicles reserved in one evening. Obviously demand was high, so Ford saw fit to go ahead and double produc…

Jeep Wrangler 392 prototype spotted on the open road

A week after the reveal of the Jeep Wrangler 392 concept and reports of prototypes running around, we're getting our first look at one. While this Jeep Wrangler Unlimited doesn't look particularly exceptional, and it's strangely wearing Florida licen…

Here's your chance to own a 7.0-liter V8-powered, stick-shifted Cadillac Catera

Cadillac never stuffed a V8 engine into the Catera, the entry-level model it sold in the United States from 1997 to 2001, so American tuner Lingenfelter stepped in and offered to perform the conversion. One of the few cars it dropped an eight-cylinde…

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for July 21, 2020

Jul 21, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Introducing the 2020 Autoblog gaming guide

These are the cars that depreciate the most in three years

Ford Mustang Mach-E 1400 Prototype is a 7-motor monster track and drift EV

Remember when we saw that wild, stripped down Ford Mustang Mach-E rippin' mystery donuts like they'd cure COVID? Well, mystery solved. This here is the more completely assembled version, the Mustang Mach-E 1400 Prototype, built by Ford Performance an…

PaxPower to make 758-horsepower V8-powered 2021 Ford Bronco come true

In 1969, Bill Stroppe, the off-road racer who built the Big Oly Ford Bronco that won the Baja 1000 in 1969, worked with famed car designer Larry Shinoda on a project called the Boss Bronco. The two men wanted to sell Ford's president at the time, Sem…

2022 Hyundai Kona N shows its face and other details in new spy shots

The upcoming 2022 Hyundai Kona N has been spotted again . This time it was in the vicinity of the Nürburgring and wearing much less camouflage. As a result, we have our best look yet at "Kona the Destroyer," with peeks at the grille and front fascia a…

Ford Maverick tailgate stamping leaks; we may see the whole thing in 2021

Internet clues are helping online detectives build a case proving the return of a compact pickup called the Ford Maverick. In May 2018, Ford filed to trademark the Maverick name in the U.S.; later that year, the automaker filed to reserve the name Co…

2021 Jeep Compass gets a price hike as its loses its manual transmission

It's a bad week for the few car shoppers who still want to give a shift. Shortly after Honda announced plans to stop offering a stick on the Accord, Jeep confirmed the Compass will enter the 2021 model year without a six-speed manual transmission. Go…

2021 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Xago is all about the hexagons

Every modern-day hypercar needs to have loads of limited-production special editions. Even the most exclusive cars such as the Bugatti Chiron aren't exclusive enough. And as a result of needing to satiate the demand for special hypercars, there are s…

1999 Honda Civic Si Retro First Drive | Drive it to believe it

This will not be one of those "meet your heroes" types of retro car reviews. There was no poster of a 1999 Honda Civic Si on my wall, and it certainly wasn't on the shortlist (or even long one) of contenders for my first car. Yet, with a closet full …

Mercedes-Benz announces the electric EQS will offer over 435 miles of range

In the electric car world, entering the range race means butting heads with Tesla. Mercedes-Benz is ready for a tussle, and it announced the EQS it's putting the final touches on will offer more range than the Model S. Speaking to shareholders and i…

Monday, July 20, 2020

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

Jul 20, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport dealer invoice pricing leaks online

Someone snagged a dealer price list for the 2021 Bronco and Bronco Sport, posting the information on the Bronco6G forum . If the information is legit, this would help Bronco buyers understand how much — or in some cases, how little — there is between …

Ford engineer creates DIY 2021 Bronco Lego kits

If you're anything like us, the almost year-long wait for the 2021 Ford Bronco to actually reach dealers may seem interminable, but thanks to one of Ford's own engineers, the Lego fans among you may get the opportunity to build your own 2021 Broncos …

2021 Ford Bronco interior color combinations revealed

Following the reveal of the 2021 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport , there isn't much we don't know about the vehicles. We're mostly gathering details on pricing and packages and things . One of the latest collections of info we've picked up is the differen…

Which Subaru for you? Comparing the 2020 Subaru Outback and Forester

The Subaru Forester and Outback have served similar purposes for years now — hauling families and their gear somewhat off the beaten path to indulge in their favorite outdoor activities — but each goes about it a little differently. Broadly speaking,…

The Grand Caravan, at least the name isn't dead yet in Canada

Last week we got Stellantis . This week, we're learning that the Grand Caravan name isn't actually dead. It's just moved to Canada. Allow us to explain. The Dodge Grand Caravan is well and truly gone . However, FCA has decided the name is too good not…

2021 Ariel Nomad R cranked up to 335 horsepower, hits 60 in under 3 seconds

No one would have accused the regular Ariel Nomad of being boring, what with its open chassis, light weight and off-road-friendly suspension. But Ariel apparently wanted even more excitement, since it created the 2021 Ariel Nomad R. It gets a new eng…

The SVE 2021 Chevrolet Yenko SC Silverado improves a winning formula

Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) isn't finished with special edition pickups this year, after revealing the GMC Canyon-based SVE Syclone . The Toms River, New Jersey, engineers who trade in high horsepower and the classic Yenko name have combined t…

2021 Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Xago is all about the hexagons

Nissan suggests the next-generation Z won't be electrified at launch

Nissan jetted cold water on the rumors claiming the next-generation Z will pack an electrified punch. One of the company's top executives strongly hinted the coupe will not make its debut with hybrid or electric power under the sheetmetal, but he did…

This restored Airstream makes a sleek tiny house

Meet "Roberta," a 29-foot Airstream International named after singer Roberta Flack, who had a hit album in the year this travel trailer was first produced, 1973. While the polished aluminum exterior with its freshly restored original windows and fact…

Friday, July 17, 2020

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

Jul 17, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Chevrolet announces electric full-size pickup with 400-mile range

General Motors confirmed one of the 20 electric cars it plans to release by 2023 will be a full-size Chevrolet pickup. It quietly announced the model in the 179-page 2019 sustainability report it published this month. Chevrolet pledged its yet-unnam…

[VIDEO] We obsessively covered the 2021 Ford Bronco

It's always nice when something is worth the wait. The 2021 Ford Bronco was revealed this week, and besides simply doing our jobs by providing all the details to our faithful audience, we were genuinely inspired to dig up as much as we could about th…

That didn't take long: Chinese carmaker previews Ford Bronco-esque SUV

American motorists aren't the only ones who fell head over heels for the new Ford Bronco. Across the Pacific, China-based Wey announced an SUV called P01 that incorporates some of the off-roader's styling cues. Up front, the P01 is characterized by …

Fit Is Gone! Honda drops subcompact hatch in U.S.

The Honda Fit is quitting the U.S. market at the conclusion of the 2020 model year. Going forward, the Honda HR-V crossover (which is based on the same platform as the Fit) and the Honda Civic hatchback will be the entry-level offerings for the brand…

Honda Civic Si on hiatus for 2021, Coupe body style dropped entirely

There won't be a 2021 Honda Civic Si, Honda announced today. Those who want the sport-injected version of the Civic will have to wait for the redesigned 11th-gen that Honda confirmed will be on sale for the 2022 model year. Honda says the Si model is…

Manual-transmission Honda Accord dead for 2021

Honda confirmed Friday that the manual-transmission option will disappear entirely from the 2021 Accord sedan, marking the end of the bread-and-butter family sedan's decades-long dedication to the stick-shift. In fact, not only is the manual Accord…

New electric Kia spied, looks like the production version of the Imagine Concept

Last we heard, Kia had plans to bring forth a production version of the Kia Imagine Concept vehicle . These spy photos today suggest that the intel was good, and Kia is well on its way to transforming its concept into a production car. The shape and …

Goodwood Speedweek announced as official Revival and Festival of Speed replacement

Goodwood has canceled its traditional headliner events for 2020 due to the coronavirus, but the estate has just revealed plans for a Festival of Speed and Revival replacement. It's going to be called Goodwood Speedweek. The event will take place Oct…

2021 Chevrolet Blazer Review | How you like me now?

Once upon a time, the Chevy Blazer was a big, serious, truck-based answer to the Ford Bronco. It certainly isn't today. While the Bronco has been reborn and sticks to its original off-roading roots, the 2021 Chevrolet Blazer follows a completely diff…

VW trademarks electric versions of classic model names, including the Beetle

A few weeks ago, the folks at electric VW forum VW ID Talk discovered that the German automaker trademarked the name "e-Samba" with the European Union Intellectual Property office. That same forum has now found a few other names based on classic Volk…