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Monday, August 10, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for August 10, 2020

Aug 10, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Sturgis draws thousands: Harleys everywhere, masks nowhere

STURGIS, S.D. — Thousands of bikers poured into the small South Dakota city of Sturgis on Friday as the 80th Sturgis Motorcycle Rally rumbled to life despite fears it could lead to a massive coronavirus outbreak. The rally could become one of the la…

2021 Chevrolet Tahoe First Drive | Bigger, bolder, better

The 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe is the first full redesign of Chevy's full-size SUV since the 2015 model year , and it's a major one. It has a completely new independent rear suspension, a larger body, a new diesel engine option and many new features. The ma…

Maserati Ghibli Trofeo, Quattroporte Trofeo revealed with Ferrari V8; Levante Trofeo updated

Maserati just revealed a new Trofeo line of vehicles. They include the Ghibli Trofeo, Quattroporte Trofeo and an updated Levante Trofeo . We're most excited about the new Ghibli Trofeo, which drops a V8 into the smaller Ghibli for the first time. Jus…

Hyundai launches Ioniq as a standalone brand to exclusively make electric cars

A new car brand has arrived, and it's called Ioniq. Hyundai Motor Group is launching the new brand as another make in its portfolio that already includes Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. It's technically IONIQ in all caps, but that's the first and last time…

[VIDEO] 2021 Ford Bronco tackles Moab trails in official video footage

If you can't get enough 2021 Ford Bronco content, we have a hunch you're in for a satisfying 2020. Just days after some amateur photos and video of the new 4x4 running the Rubicon Trail made their way around the Internet, Ford's Bronco Nation channel…

2021 Ford Bronco demonstrates how effective Trail Turn Assist is

The 2021 Ford Bronco is chock full of off-road capability , even more so on some trim levels. One of the nifty off-road features is called the Trail Turn Assist, and it's designed to help the Bronco negotiate particularly tight corners. As the above v…

Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback is discontinued for 2021

Hatchbacks are a tough sell in the United States. Shortly after Volkswagen confirmed it wouldn't offer the regular variant of the eighth-generation Golf in America, rival Hyundai announced 2020 was the last model year for the Elantra GT. It explained…

Lotus introduces Certificate of Provenance program

Lotus is diving into its vast archives to make it easier for owners to trace their car's history. It launched a global program called Certificate of Provenance that provides historical information about a specific car. Available through authorized L…

30 million cars — maybe yours — could still have defective Takata airbags, author warns

The massive blast that pummeled Beirut this week was created by 5.5 million pounds of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive chemical that had been stored at the city's port. But a former adviser to Takata , the bankrupt airbag supplier at the heart of …

How the Beetle-based Plattenwagen spawned the original Volkswagen Bus

Volkswagen's emblematic rear-engined Bus is turning 70 this year. It's one of the best-known and most versatile vehicles ever built. It ended up in the hands of hippies in the United States, power companies in Germany, delivery drivers in Brazil (whe…

Friday, August 7, 2020

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

Aug 07, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat pricing revealed in dealer documents

Dodge has released a lot of numbers about the 2021 Durango SRT Hellcat — we know it has 710 horsepower and it will only be built for about six months — but not revealed so far is how much the SUV will cost. While official pricing information remains …

Cadillac Lyriq EV unveiled as brand's first electric vehicle

Your author has already seen it, back in March, and has had to wait until today to show you the new Cadillac Lyriq electric luxury crossover. We were excited about it then, we're still excited about it now, but we'll see if we can maintain that excit…

[VIDEO] Ford Bronco video on the Rubicon Trail: There's more where that came from

Yesterday we shared with you a brief video that our friends at Bronco6G forum shared with us, of a Ford Bronco test vehicle clambering up the storied Rubicon Trail. That video was just a minute and a half long, but maybe it whetted your appetite to s…

Russian firm announces carbon fiber-bodied, Tesla Model S-based Ford Mustang

If you want an electric Ford Mustang, your options are largely limited to buying the upcoming Mustang Mach-E , which isn't in any way related to the two-door model , or begging the company to build you the one-off Lithium concept it introduced in 2019.…

2021 Subaru Outback Review | Still marching to its own drum

The Subaru Outback has always been different. At first, it was weird for a wagon since it had standard all-wheel drive, a ride height lift and rugged styling flourishes. Today, it's weird simply for being a wagon – all others have effectively disappe…

Bentley will now sell you a model Continental GT for over $9,000

Bentley just announced a 1:8 scale Continental GT model car that costs £6,995. That's $9,123 for a toy. But really, is the cost all that bad? A 1:1 scale Bentley Continental GT V8 (you know, the real thing) has a base price of about $220,000. One-eig…

F1's Racing Point hit with 15-point penalty, $470K fine for copying Mercedes

SILVERSTONE, England — Racing Point was deducted 15 points in the Formula One constructors' championship and fined 400,000 euros ($470,000) Friday for using brake ducts based on those from last year's Mercedes cars. The stewards ruled that Mercedes …

Q&A with 'Top Gear' host Chris Harris: The next season is just around the corner

We had a short, virtual sit down with "Top Gear" host Chris Harris to gather some of his thoughts on the impending season. Filming for the show paused when the U.K. shut down due to the pandemic, but the boys are back at it now to prepare season 29. …

Man who drove $75 pickup for 44 years sells it to original owner's grandson for $75

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minnesota man sold the 1957 Chevy pickup he drove for 44 years for $75, the same price he paid decades ago. Bob Sportal of Prinsburg handed over the key last month to the grandson of the man he bought the truck from, KARE-TV reported…

Stank dank in the tank: 350 pounds of pot seized from septic truck

You've heard the phrase "sticking your nose in other people's business," and that's exactly what a Fayette County, Texas, deputy did during a traffic stop when he opened the hatch of a septic-service tank truck and discovered 350 pounds of marijuana …

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…