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Thursday, August 6, 2020

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

Aug 06, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Hyundai Elantra Exterior Design Walk-around | It's very pointy

The 2021 Hyundai Elantra will not go into production until later this year, but Hyundai isn't letting that get in the way of its efforts to hype up its redesigned compact. That's how we ended up with an early prototype of the new sedan in the Autoblo…

Watch as the 2021 Ford Bronco tackles the Rubicon Trail

It didn't take long for Ford to send the 2021 Bronco directly into Jeep Wrangler -controlled territory. Footage of the company's newest off-roader crawling over compact car-sized boulders on the grueling Rubicon Trail has emerged online, giving fans a…

These are the 40 special-order colors you picked for your 2019 VW Golf Rs

Two years ago, VW announced that it would send off the 2019 Golf R with a custom-order paint program. Dubbed (so to speak) "Spektrum ," it gave American Golf R shoppers access to Volkswagen's expansive list of custom finish options. It was a pricey as…

Say what you will about Joe Biden, but the guy's got a cool car

Joe Biden has a C2 Corvette Stingray. And it's green. Say what you want about the former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee (oh boy, and we're sure many will in the comments), but the guy's got a really cool car. Though it's been see…

2020 Ford Escape Interior Driveway Test | Bins and screens and sliding seats, oh my

Ford's compact crossover entry has been cleaved in two. While the last Ford Escape was a crossover SUV with sporty handling inherited from the Focus compact car it was mechanically based upon, the new one leans much harder into its car lineage and is…

How Yakima knows its racks will fit on your car

As I'm writing this, Autoblog won't get its first drive of the all-new 2021 Mercedes GLA-Class for another 11 days. It's as new as a new car can get. And yet, I already know that my Yakima FullBack bike rack will fit on the liftgate. I even know that…

Next-gen BMW 2 Series Coupe spy photos show details inside and outside

This marks the second time we've seen the upcoming 2 Series Coupe in spy photos, but it's the first look at the interior. One glance at these shots shows us that the interior of the new Coupe is going to look just like the interior of the 2 Series Gr…

2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee interior spied uncovered and classy

Jeep has done an impressively good job keeping the next-generation three-row Jeep Grand Cherokee under literal wraps. But one of our photographers found that they haven't been as careful with the interior and got us an excellent look at the new Jeep'…

2021 Audi E-Tron gets $8,800 price cut, plus more range

The Audi E-Tron is getting a new and significantly cheaper entry point for the 2021 model year. Audi is introducing an entry-level Premium trim with a base price coming in $8,900 cheaper than last year's base E-Tron. Now, the base E-Tron last year wa…

AAA testing finds driver-assistance tech is 'far from reliable'

DETROIT — Two tests by AAA during the past two years show that partially automated driving systems don't always function properly, so the auto club is recommending that car companies limit their use. Researchers with AAA recently tested systems from…

Wednesday, August 5, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for August 5, 2020

Aug 05, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Hyundai Elantra Interior Driveway Test | Five features we love; one we don't

The 2021 Hyundai Elantra is still months away from its on-sale date, but in an effort to drum up some interest, Hyundai offered us an early, essentially hand-built prototype for an early look under the condition that we didn't discuss our experiences…

2022 Gordon Murray T.50 revealed as the 'greatest analog driver's car'

Over the past year or so, the Gordon Murray Design T.50 has been taking shape, from its F1-inspired V12 to its wild fan-assisted active aerodynamics . Now the car has been fully revealed as the machine Murray says is meant to be the "greatest analog d…

2021 Ford Expedition Review | A big-time SUV for big-time needs

For most people, a large crossover or minivan will be more than sufficient for their family's needs. They'll also be considerably cheaper. But we absolutely get the appeal of the 2021 Ford Expedition, which boasts super-size space and a super-powerfu…

New Ford CEO Jim Farley plans to expand into technology fields

Ford's incoming Chief Executive Jim Farley said on Tuesday he wants to expand the automaker's operations into related technology fields, including software, fleet management and electric vehicle charging. "These are new growth initiatives that could…

The world's oldest registered VW Bus celebrates its 70th birthday

Volkswagen began manufacturing the Beetle -based Bus — known internally as the Type 2 — in March 1950, but the vast majority of early examples were mercilessly driven into the ground and scrapped. The oldest-known registered Bus is a Dove Blue panel v…

Zero Labs electric Land Rover Series III is a $185,000 dream off-roader

Zero Labs is the California company that brought us this restomod electric Ford Bronco , and now the startup is adding another vehicle to its roster: a Land Rover Series III. The idea is exactly the same with this Land Rover as it was for the Bronco. …

Land Rover loses trademark battle over Defender SUV's shape

Quick: Think of an SUV. Regardless of which specific model popped into your head, it's likely a pretty basic two-box shape that sits well off the ground and has short overhangs front and rear. It probably looked a lot like the seminal Land Rover Defe…

New Hampshire makes it legal to drive flying cars on public roads

New Hampshire's fierce embrace of personal freedom confers drivers there a latitude found nowhere else in the nation. The Granite State is the only one that doesn't legally mandate wearing a seat belt. Earlier this year, state legislators worked to r…

Watch SpaceX Starship prototype fly hundreds of feet for the first time

Almost a year after we saw SpaceX's 'Starhopper' test vehicle make a short trip into the air , the company has successfully flown and landed a full-size Starship prototype. The SN5 vehicle is missing its nose cone, so it's a bit like a taller "flying …

Astronauts describe SpaceX Dragon reentry: 'It sounds like an animal'

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The astronauts on SpaceX's first crew flight said Tuesday that their Dragon capsule "came alive" and sounded like a beast as it descended through the atmosphere to a smooth splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Two days after retu…

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for August 4, 2020

Aug 04, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Ford CEO Jim Hackett will retire, with Jim Farley replacing him

Jim Farley will take over as CEO of Ford on October 1, replacing Jim Hackett, who will retire from the company but continue to serve as a "special advisor." Hackett came to Ford in 2017 after retiring from furniture company Steelcase in 2014 after se…

2021 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo starts at over $30,000

Following its introduction a few weeks ago , we now have official pricing for the 2021 Mazda3 2.5 Turbo. The most affordable version is the sedan starting at $30,845. The hatchback adds $1,000 for a total of $31,845. The full list of standard features…

Million-mile 2007 Nissan Frontier owner gets a new truck free from Nissan

Brian Murphy of Chicago put over 1 million miles on his 2007 Nissan Frontier, and today Nissan has given him a brand new 2020 Frontier . You may be wondering how someone managed to put that many miles on a truck in such little time. Murphy was a deliv…

2021 Ford Ranger Review | Rarely at the top but always well-rounded

In the growing midsize truck segment, it's hard to find places where the 2021 Ford Ranger is the best at any particular thing. It's not as stylish as the Jeep Gladiator , nor as capable of venturing off road. It's not as versatile as the Toyota Tacoma…

2021 Jaguar F-Type R Exhaust Test | Music to a gearhead's ears

Against all odds, England has outmaneuvered America for the most savage and wicked-sounding V8 among the two countries. The 5.0-liter supercharged V8 in the Jaguar F-Type has sounded better than anything since it was popped into the R and SVR. Sorry …

BMW iNext electric crossover spied in most revealing camo yet

BMW has skinned a layer of camouflage off the iNext , and one of our spy photographers caught every angle of the upcoming EV. The most intriguing part of these shots is the view from the front. A clear outline of the massive, vertical kidney grille …

Mazda announces mild-hybrid variant of MX-30 crossover in Japan

Mazda hinted its first series-produced electric car, the MX-30 introduced in late 2019, might not be sold in the United States. We could see it on our shores with another powertrain under its coupe-like sheetmetal, however. The company announced a mi…

'Long Way Up' features Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman riding Harley-Davidson LiveWires from Argentina to Mexico

It's been over a decade since Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman teamed up for their last two-wheeled adventure. Now, they're at it again in a new show called "Long Way Up." The premise is similar to the two previous shows they did together, called "L…

VW keeping an eye on electric pickups, but the Scirocco remains dust in the wind

After taking reservations for months, Volkswagen began selling the electric ID.3 to the general public on July 20. It's a crucial step that accelerates the company's electrification offensive, but the hatchback is just the tip of the charging cord. A…

Wanna be different with your vintage SUV? Try a Plymouth Trailduster

Ford Bronco mania have you hankering for a cool vintage SUV from the days before "SUV" was even the term used to describe them? When they far more truck than wagon? When two doors was the norm? We feel you. However, are you also a bit of a contrari…

Monday, August 3, 2020

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

Aug 03, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Ford Maverick rumor predicts 'a Transit Connect pickup'

Over the weekend, spy shots of a coming Ford vehicle ignited debate around the Autoblog offices as to whether we were looking at a next-generation Ford Flex or the coming Maverick compact pickup. A surfeit of circumstantial evidence and an amicus cur…

2020 BMW X3 Review | Plugging in and pumping up

The idea of a BMW SUV used to be provocative. There were those aghast that the brand that brought the world lithe-handling sport sedans would stoop to creating a big-and-tall family hauler. Then again, there were those delighting that the big-and-tal…

2020 Ford Expedition Luggage Test | How much fits behind the third row?

It should go without saying that the 2020 Ford Expedition is enormous. I certainly found that to be the case during my recent road trip to Southern Oregon and back where it allowed me to pretty much bring whatever I wanted without much need to Tetris…

Florida man clings to semi truck hood for 9 miles on freeway: Watch the video

Here's something you don't see every day: A man clinging to the hood of a semi truck, bashing the windshield with his fists and head as it drives 9 miles along the Florida Turnpike, captured in a viral video from a passing motorist. Reports say the m…

Honda EV-Cub patent is the electric Super Cub we've been waiting for

Way back in 2009, we wrote that "You meet the greenest people on a Honda." That was after we saw a concept called the EV-Cub that debuted at that year's Tokyo Motor Show. A quick look at the calendar reveals that, oh, 11 or so years have passed since…

Toyota Supra in line to get a manual transmission?

The Supra rumors just get stranger. Japanese outlet Mag X reports (translated ), via CarBuzz , that Toyota is developing a manual transmission for the automaker's newest sports car. We know Toyota has tested row-your-own versions of the Supra, but a de…

Lordstown Motors will go public by merging with DiamondPeak Holdings

Lordstown Motors has agreed to go public through a merger with blank-check company DiamondPeak Holdings in a deal that values the electric pickup truck startup at pro forma equity value of $1.6 billion, the companies said on Monday. The combined com…

Electric car charging station numbers are rising; GM and EVgo to add 2,700 more

DETROIT — When the electric car revolution arrives, will there be enough places to plug in? There are now 26,000 electric vehicle charging stations open to the public in the U.S., with more than 84,000 plugs. But the country, and the world, will ne…

Online car sellers get major boost during pandemic

DES MOINES, Iowa — After years of being part of a future that never quite arrived, the coronavirus pandemic has put U.S. online car sellers on the map. Now comes a race to spend vast sums on digital commerce platforms specifically designed to handle …

Junkyard Gem: 1979 Chevrolet Chevette, Animal Rights Edition

General Motors developed the American-market Chevette in the immediate wake of the 1973 oil crisis , based on the "world car" rear-wheel-drive T-body design, and its low cost of manufacture and simplicity kept it in production here from 1975 all the w…