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Monday, October 5, 2020

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

Oct 05, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Nissan Rogue First Drive | It's good now!

"Why do so many people buy the Nissan Rogue?" It's something we ponder and lament every time we see it on a top 10 list of best-selling cars. We're not alone. Perhaps it's because its styling, size and interior quality made a good first impression at…

Got a car that will fit a Chevy small block? EV West will make it easy to drop in a Tesla motor instead

As electric cars become more common, so too is the idea of doing an electric motor swap into a previously internal-combustion car. High-end shops and hobbyists have been at the forefront , but other companies are working on making the process easier. …

Mitsubishi i-MiEV reportedly reaches the end of the road this year

It looks like the Mitsubishi i-MiEV is completely out of juice. News outlet Nikkei reports that Mitsubishi will completely end production of its tiny electric car this year. While the i-MiEV had been discontinued in the U.S. for a few years already , …

Roll like bad, bad LeRoy Brown in this '74 custom Continental

In the 1973 number one hit single, "Bad, Bad LeRoy Brown," Jim Croce sings about a gentleman from the South Side of Chicago who has "a custom Continental and an Eldorado, too." The Eldorado presumably was unremarkable factory fare, but we have to bel…

'Sylvan Rock' by Aston Martin could be your home for $7.7 million

Aston Martin is known for some of the most gorgeous automotive designs ever produced, but occasionally it lends that expertise to other items. Sylvan Rock, a 55-acre luxury residential resort to be constructed in New York's Hudson Valley in partnersh…

This 1974 BMW 2002 Turbo is gorgeous, rare and can be yours

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. Enter to win this giveaway or any…

2021 Subaru Crosstrek driven, and EV performance kings | Autoblog Podcast #647

In this week's Autoblog Podcast , Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski . They kick things off by talking about Jeremy's recent drive in the new 2021 Subaru Crosstrek . They compare the BMW X1, BMW X2 and Mini Co…

Tesla CEO Musk suggests India entry in 2021

BENGALURU — Tesla Inc chief executive Elon Musk indicated on Friday that the U.S. electric carmaker will make a foray into India in 2021. "Next year for sure," Musk said on Twitter in reply to a post with a photograph of a T-shirt with the message: …

Lia Block will learn to drift in a Vanilla Ice-flavored Mustang

Be prepared to add Ken Block's daughter, Lia, to the list of people you'd like to be. After all, what can be better than getting driving lessons from the Hoonigan himself? Well, as it turns out, Block himself found a way to top that by building his d…

This incredibly '90s Dodge Ram video shows roots of the luxury pickup truck

To paraphrase the Talking Heads, you may find yourself behind the wheel of a Ram 1500 Limited with a 12-inch touchscreen and sumptuous leather, and you may ask yourself, "How did we get here?" Well, some of that credit goes to that loaded Ram's pred…

Friday, October 2, 2020

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

Oct 02, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Porsche 718 Boxster GTS 4.0 Road Test | A potentially perfect Porsche with perplexing gearing

Periodically, Porsche has a phase in which it starts to change its cars. And it never fails to upset the faithful. The most recent uproar came about with the switch to downsized turbocharged engines, especially the new turbo flat-fours introduced for…

Lamborghini previews a supercar with no top, no windshield, and lots of power

Fall weather be damned, Lamborghini's racing division is developing a roadster that has no top and no windshield. It published an image of a camouflaged prototype to give enthusiasts an early look at the model. Carefully study the psychedelic wrap, …

Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo spied with little to no camouflage

Last we heard from the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, Porsche announced it was delayed until 2021. Porsche's priorities had switched to production of the standard Taycan , as demand was stronger than expected. That doesn't mean development has ground t…

2.0-liter turbo four reportedly returning to Chevrolet Equinox line-up for 2022

Chevrolet's popular Equinox crossover will enter the 2021 model year with comprehensive updates and a turbocharged, 1.5-liter four-cylinder as its only available engine. The 2.0-liter turbo four offered through 2020 is allegedly leaving the line-up , …

Will the electric Ford F-150 receive a clever, toolbox-shaped range extender?

Ford is keeping technical details about the upcoming electric version of the 14th-generation F-150 under wraps, but patent drawings shed light on the kind of technology it's experimenting with. Its engineers have seemingly developed a removable, gaso…

The Silver Spectre is a custom shooting brake based on the Rolls Wraith

The Rolls-Royce Wraith coupe undergoes a long-roof transformation in this custom by Niels Van Roij Design , and the result takes the name Silver Spectre Shooting Brake. It turns out the Wraith looks particularly fetching as a shooting brake, as these …

Next-generation Acura MDX teaser released along with reveal date

Next month, we'll get to see if Acura can keep building steam following its well-received TLX and RDX redesigns. That's because we'll get our first clear look at the new Acura MDX three-row crossover. Before then, we have a unique teaser to analyze. …

2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC rates a Top Safety Pick from IIHS

The 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 has earned a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, but the GLC needs specific equipment in order to hit that mark. Besides achieving a Good score in all six of the agency's crash-test e…

Honda to quit Formula 1 after 2021 season ends

Honda is ending its participation in Formula 1 in order to focus its research and development on fuel cells and battery EV technologies, the company announced. It currently builds the turbocharged hybrid power units for Red Bull Racing , which sits in…

Volvo-based, Chinese-built Lotus SUV allegedly due out in 2020

Lotus will set foot in the lucrative SUV segment before the end of 2020, according to a recent report. It's preparing to unveil a high-riding model named Lambda that will be made in China with Swedish parts. Five-plus years in the making , the first …

Thursday, October 1, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for October 1, 2020

Oct 01, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Final Drive | One tough goodbye

Once upon a time, I was a test driver working for Roush. I'd show up to a Ford building in Allen Park, Mich., at 6 a.m. five days a week, be given a set of keys, a drive route, a massive stack of paper and then be sent on my merry way for about seven…

Ford officially discontinues the Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R

Just like the leaked product information indicated , the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 and GT350R won't be returning in 2021. With the pair goes the 5.2-liter flat-plane-crank V8 and its exotic soundtrack. We asked Ford about this engine's future, but wer…

Possible Chevy Corvette Grand Sport spy photos show fat tires

At first glance, the C8 Chevy Corvette prototype you see above doesn't seem to look too different from old camouflaged cars or even the current model. But looking closely, it features some seriously wide tires, and probably wider bodywork to boot. It…

2021 Audi RS 5 Coupe and RS 5 Sportback gain Ascari and Black Optics launch editions

The 2021 Audi RS 5 Coupe and RS 5 Sportback are back in the game for 2021, and the two Audi Sport models are both updated and improved. We detailed the majority of Audi's changes back in May , but now U.S.-specific pricing information is available. Pl…

Ford's new CEO Jim Farley promises urgency, names new CFO in shakeup

DETROIT — On his first day in Ford's top job, CEO Jim Farley is replacing the company's chief financial officer and announcing other structural and management changes. The company says in a prepared statement Thursday that Chief Financial Officer Ti…

Ford cuts prices of the 2021 Mustang Mach-E

Ford has good news for many of the motorists who reserved a 2021 Mustang Mach-E . It sent its dealers a notice to announce it's dropping the electric crossover's price by $1,000 to $3,000 -- with one exception. The lineup still includes five basic tr…

Lexus prices the new 2021 IS below most of its main rivals

As an outlier in a shrinking segment, the 2021 Lexus IS faces an uphill battle. Product planners know this, so they've priced the new model below most of its main rivals without compromising on content or performance. Unveiled in June 2020 , the 2021…

2020 Cadillac CT5 Luggage Test | Definitely not your granddad's Cadillac

The Cadillac CT5 is a midsize luxury sedan. At least by today's standards. By the standards of Cadillac's past, it's practically a compact. At 193.8 inches long, the CT5 is 3 inches shorter than its STS predecessor of 15 years ago and 11 inches short…

Tesla Autopilot gets low score for driver focus in Europe's new testing

Tesla Inc's Autopilot has ranked sixth in 10 driver assistance systems evaluated in a European safety assessment, scoring low on its ability to keep drivers engaged. The Tesla Model 3's Autopilot scored just 36 when assessed on its ability to mainta…

The oddest oddities from the Beijing Auto Show

Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, we haven't enjoyed our usual routine of obsessively covering auto shows ... because there haven't really been any auto shows to obsessively cover. That finally changed this week in Beijing, but pretty much…

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for September 30, 2020

Sep 30, 2020

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Ram 1500 Review | A champion adds a heavy hitter

This review is cram-packed with everything there is to know about the full 2021 Ram 1500 lineup, including the new 702-horsepower TRX, so we'll go ahead and keep this intro brief. In short, the Ram 1500 continues to be our top full-size pickup choice…

2021 Toyota Camry adds XSE Hybrid trim, better infotainment and safety tech

The 2021 Toyota Camry gains both visual and technology improvements in the new model year. It's not a full-fledged mid-cycle update, but the changes are welcome nonetheless. Toyota added an XSE grade to the Hybrid trim to start. This brings the spor…

2022 Honda Civic sedan shown in patent images, shares similarities to hatchback

We just had our first look at the next-generation 2022 Honda Civic hatchback via some patent images , and now CivicXI.com has unearthed even more renderings , this time of the sedan version. As expected, the front portions are about the same, but we're…

2021 Lexus UX250h Black Line Special Edition looks less like a crossover than ever

Lexus just found a way to make the UX 250h look even more like a regular hatchback. It's called the 2021 Lexus UX Black Line Special Edition, and it follows the path of previous Lexus Black Line models before it (ES , GS , RC ). We'll note that this spe…

Dashcam shows Florida man shooting through his own windshield at another car

It's the Wild West out there, nowhere more so than in the Sunshine State, where Central Florida's WESH 2 news reports that a man fired several shots through his own windshield after he says the driver of another car pointed a gun at him. Dashcam foot…

2020 Lincoln Aviator Black Label Interior Driveway Test | The best American luxury

It seems safe to say that Lincoln has finally managed to brush off its "fancy Ford" reputation. Nothing illustrates this better than Black Label, Lincoln's range-topping trim level that elevates its various models' style, status and, of course, price…

2021 BMW X2 Edition Mesh is a luxury crossover in a track suit

Possibly inspired by autumn leaves, BMW is adding a touch of orange to the X2 lineup . It detailed an appearance package named Edition Mesh that gives the crossover a colorful look that won't go unnoticed. American-spec models will not wear the orang…

2021 BMW 4 Series convertible debuts with canvas top, giant grille

Following closely on the heels of the latest BMW 4 Series coupe comes the new 2021 BMW 4 Series convertible. As expected, the four-seat droptop 430i and M440i adopt their coupe counterpart's giant bucktoothed grille but do surprise by switching from …

2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing will get carbon fiber seat backs

Cadillac is putting the finishing touches on the 2022 CT5-V Blackwing , the high-performance sedan that will pick up where the CTS-V left off. It announced the model will be available with carbon fiber front seat backs. Presumably found on the list o…

Buick resurrects the Electra nameplate on a science fiction-like electric concept

Buick plans to broaden its range of electric cars in the coming years, and it still owns the rights to the heritage-laced Electra nameplate, so it was only a matter of time before the past and the future met head-on. Buick resurrected the name it use…