Tuesday, September 8, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for September 8, 2020

Sep 08, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

GM buys $2 billion stake in Nikola, will build Badger hydrogen-electric pickup

DETROIT — General Motors formed its second major electric vehicle partnership in less than a week, this time a $2 billion deal with startup Nikola. GM will take an 11% ownership stake in the Phoenix company and will engineer and build Nikola's Badge…

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Honda Civic Hatchback gets slight price increase for 2021

After detailing the Type R Limited Edition, Honda has released pricing information for the 2021 Civic Hatchback. It's not making any major changes to the model, but it's slightly increasing prices across the board. The lineup consists of four trim l…

Porsche makes a strong case for pairing the 718's flat-six with an automatic

The high-performance variants of the 2021 Porsche 718 are fearlessly arguing that automatic transmissions and sports cars are not mutually exclusive. When ordered with two pedals, the GTS 4.0, GT4, and Spyder variants are quicker than their three-ped…

[VIDEO] Elon Musk takes the VW ID.3 for a spin: 'It's pretty good'

FRANKFURT — Volkswagen's Chief Executive Herbert Diess on Monday sought to quell speculation that the world's largest carmaker, which is on a mass production push for electric cars, has plans to develop deeper ties with startup rival Tesla. Diess me…

Production VW ID. Roomzz, likely to be ID.6, shown with thin disguise in spy photos

With the recent launch of the Volkswagen ID.3 and the imminent reveal of the ID.4 , VW's electric strategy is building momentum. That momentum will continue with the even bigger electric crossover shown in the spy photos above. It's the production ver…

This gorgeous 1950 Chevy Thriftmaster pickup is the latest Icon build

Icon is best known for its restored and re-engineered 4x4s, but the Chatsworth, California company is also heavily into vintage pickups. We were fortunate enough to drive a blue 1952 Chevrolet Thriftmaster not long ago, and now Icon has rolled out an…

Ineos Grenadier reveals scale and inspiration next to classic 4x4s

British chemical giant Ineos developed the Grenadier , its first car, as a no-nonsense off-roader that picks up where classic 4x4s left off. It proved its point by displaying a prototype next to some of the models that inspired it. Autoblog frantical…

100+ mph speeding tickets, traffic deaths spike nationwide: N.C. driver clocked at 187

Authorities in Four Oaks, N.C., said a man faces several charges after being arrested for hitting 187 mph on Interstate 95 over the Labor Day weekend. A state trooper tried to stop the driver Sunday after he sped through a work zone, TV …

Nissan Rogue Sport interior caught in new round of spy photos

The next-generation Nissan Qashqai (sold in the United States as the Rogue Sport) has been spied in the wild yet again, and this time our enterprising photographers managed to snag a few shots of the replacement crossover's interior.  Much of the in…

Move aside robots, Tesla bets on aluminum casting

FRANKFURT/DETROIT — Robots are not efficient enough for Tesla's new car factory in Germany, which plans to replace hundreds of them with giant aluminum casting machines to build simpler chassis parts, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters. …

Friday, September 4, 2020

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

Sep 04, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Jeep Wrangler 4xe's hybrid powertrain: Could it be headed to other FCA products?

On its own, the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid is a big deal for the brand and the model line. It's the most powerful and most efficient Wrangler by significant margins, and it doesn't give up the off-road capability that makes the Wrangler so…

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Watch Ford Mustang Cobra Jet 1,500-hp dragster's eye-popping 8.27-second quarter-mile

Ford shocked enthusiasts when it unveiled an electric, Mustang-derived dragster with 1,400 horsepower. It finally let the model loose on a drag strip to find out how much time it takes to sprint through the quarter-mile. Developed jointly by the com…

Honda adds the outdoorsy Trail 125 to its motorcycle lineup for 2021

Honda confirmed the Hunter Cub CT125 it introduced in March 2020 will be sold in the United States, where it will be called the Trail 125. It's an evolution of the Super Cub C125 upgraded to comfortably wander off the pavement. Part of the brand's M…

Labor Day is the third-deadliest holiday for driving — and this one could be worse

Summer is the deadliest season for American drivers, and Labor Day is the third deadliest holiday overall on U.S. roads, a study cautions. In a typical year, more than 440 fatal crashes will occur over the end-of-summer holiday. The study conducted …

2021 Subaru Impreza gets new driving modes for a mild price increase

Subaru has announced pricing information for the 2021 Impreza. It costs a little bit more than the outgoing 2020 model, but some trim levels gain a new feature named SI-Drive that adds two driving modes. Pricing for the 2021 Impreza sedan, the compa…

Volkswagen ID.4 EV interior: screens and touch-sensitivity

The reveal of the Volkswagen ID.4 , the first member of VW's new family of battery-powered vehicles slated to come to the U.S., is getting closer. Before we see the exterior of the crossover EV later this month, Volkswagen is giving us a preview of th…

Gordon Murray Automotive T.50s revealed as track-only, even more extreme T.50

It's been one month since the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50 was fully revealed. We're still reeling from learning about how stupendous it is, but Gordon Murray has gone and one upped himself again today. In addition to the road-going T.50, there will…

The Ford Expedition is a comfortable road trip vehicle — here's how I'd make it better

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability is subject to change. Growing up taking long, sometimes arduous road trips from Detroit, Michigan to locations like Maine, Florida and Montana, we got …

Dodge expands Challenger Widebody range to include Shaker and T/A 392 models

Dodge announced early Friday that it has added two new Challenger Widebody variants to its lineup: Starting now, you can get that big ol' booty with a little extra shake, and "T/A" now stands for ... no, sorry, I'm being told it in fact still stands …

Thursday, September 3, 2020

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

Sep 03, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

Jeep Grand Wagoneer revealed at long last: Concept shows premium, hybrid intentions

After years of rumors, spy shots and speculation , Jeep has finally given us a clear look at the upcoming Wagoneer line. Our preview comes in the form of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer concept. That it's a concept may sound discouraging at first, but make no…

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2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe hybrid is the fastest, greenest Wrangler yet

The 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe technically made its debut at this year's CES , but only now are we getting all the powertrains, and they are mighty juicy. Not only is it the most efficient Wrangler, but it's also easily the fastest. So in a break from us…

2020 Audi SQ8 First Drive | Versatility at full speed

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Audi introduced the SQ8 as a performance crossover to slot between the Q8 and the top-performing RS Q8. Extra power in a car is great, but sometimes it can feel wasted in a less-agile crossover. On the other hand, the E-Tron cross…

Second 'No Time To Die' trailer drops with lots of crunching metal

The second trailer for the new James Bond film, "No Time To Die," was posted to social media Thursday morning, getting us thoroughly hyped for the forthcoming installment thanks to some spicy car content and lots of other ridiculous, big-budget actio…

Nissan designer shows the next Z's 300ZX-inspired rear lights

Nissan is preparing to unveil the next-generation Z as a close-to-production concept, and its designers are just as excited about the coupe as its fans. Alfonso Albaisa, the firm's vice president of global design, published a sketch that confirms the…

Next-gen Hyundai Tucson previewed with striking light design, sleek interior

Here's our first look at the next-gen Hyundai Tucson in some fairly revealing teaser photos. It's set to make its official debut on September 14, but we're afforded a sneak peek at the compact crossover today. Undoubtedly, the most striking aspect o…

2021 Ford F-150 Raptor rumored to get two engine choices

If it's true that there's no rest for the wicked, then pickup truck product planners must be the worst, because they can't ever sleep. Every day there's a report of some new feature, new trim or special edition, higher tow rating, or more horsepower.…

2021 Honda Civic Type R Limited Edition starts at over $40,000

Pricing for the 2021 Honda Civic Type R has been announced, and that includes the Limited Edition model that was revealed back in March . The Phoenix Yellow hot hatch carries a large price premium of $6,500 over the base model for a total of $44,950. …

2021 Dodge Challenger Drag Pak costs over $140,000

Although the 2021 Dodge Challenger Super Stock is the most powerful and most expensive Challenger you can buy for the street, Dodge has an even more beastly, and more expensive, version that's only for track and racing use. It's the 2021 Dodge Challe…

2021 Ram 1500 adds Limited Longhorn 10th Anniversary Edition, new tech

The Ram 1500 is getting a handful of updates for 2021, including handy new tech, updated convenience features, and a new Limited Longhorn 10th Anniversary Edition with unique trim elements. We heard hints about the Limited Longhorn earlier in August…

Wednesday, September 2, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for September 2, 2020

Sep 02, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class debuts with tech and luxury innovations galore

It is finally S-Class time again, everybody. The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class just premiered to the world with as much pomp and circumstance as is possible during a global pandemic. Just like every S-Class that has preceded this new model, the new one …

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All-electric, 1,080 hp Lucid Air will cover quarter-mile in 9.9 seconds

With the lead-up to production of the all-electric Lucid Air underway, Lucid Motors detailed the 1,080-horsepower powertrain: It will propel the 500-mile electric car to 60 MPH in under 2.5 seconds as it makes its way through the quarter-mile in just…

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class | How it compares to other flagship luxury sedans

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class represents the pinnacle of the company's engineering and craftsmanship, and has been fully redesigned. It's also long been a benchmark for the full-size luxury sedan class, and now that it's all new, we thought we ought…

Chevy Silverado ZR2 will represent in the factory-built off-roader segment

Ford and Ram proved there is a tremendous amount of demand for factory-built off-roaders among truck buyers. Chevrolet has largely sat on the sidelines, but it's allegedly preparing to enter the battle with a beefier Silverado. Copying and pasting t…

2021 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Tech Deep Dive | Biometrics, digital lights and Level 3 autonomy explained

Every new Mercedes-Benz S-Class has a vast array of new features that tend to blow us away. Whether it's Mercedes inventing something totally new, or just improving upon an older technology, the S-Class consistently sets the bar for every other big l…

Hyundai Kona and Kona N Line facelift debuts, looking sharper all around

Over 2018 and 2019, European buyers took home more than 170,000 Hyundai Konas, beating the U.S. by more than 50,000 units over the same time, and the gap has only grown wider. That's partly why the South Korean maker has launched the facelifted Kona …

Hennessey announces Ram 1500 TRX six-wheel conversion

Between the six-wheeled Hennessey VelociRaptor 6x6 and Goliath 6x6 pickup trucks, based on Ford and GM trucks respectively, we should have known a Ram would be next. And Hennessey Performance is pulling the stops out farther than ever before by basin…

Volvo P1800 from Cyan is a striking restomod with 420 horsepower

Images of a mysterious Volvo P1800 prowling the streets of Gothenburg, Sweden, in full prototype regalia sent enthusiasts on a frenzied search for clues in August 2020. Cyan, the company that built the resto-modded coupe, has laid dozens of rumors to…

Ford will cut 1,400 jobs in the U.S. through buyouts by year end

DETROIT —  Ford said on Wednesday it is targeting the elimination of 1,400 U.S. salaried jobs by year end as part of a multiyear $11 billion restructuring. The layoffs will be achieved through voluntary buyouts, the U.S. automaker said in an email s…

Hit the road in a dream Mercedes Sprinter camper van

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze.   Who hasn't found oneself at some…