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Tuesday, February 16, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 16, 2021

Feb 16, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

2022 Porsche 911 GT3 is basically a street-legal race car

Here it is folks, the first GT variant of the 992 Porsche 911, the 911 GT3. And it packs just about everything a Porsche-fanatic could want: a screaming naturally aspirated flat-six, an available manual transmission, and a chassis tuned for track per…

Watch — and hear — Cyan Racing's resto-modded Volvo P1800 drift on ice

Lighter than a Mazda MX-5 Miata and more powerful than an Audi RS3, Cyan Racing's take on the Volvo P1800 is one of the most stunning resto-mods we've seen in years. It's quick in a straight line, sharp around bends, and a recent round of cold-weathe…

2021 Land Rover Defender Review | A new legend

For many in the United States, the name Land Rover Defender will be a new one. Oh sure, the illustrious original was sold for a few years in the 1990s and you'll see them here or there as imported classics, but the weight of history just isn't anchor…

Lexus teases new F Sport engine cover

Lexus has teased a new F Sport model by revealing just the engine cover. It could point to a new performance version of the 2021 Lexus IS, and a potential successor to the dearly departed IS F. The image was obtained by Lexus Enthusiast , which point…

Mercedes-Benz GLB vs GLA Luggage Test | How much bigger is the box?

The Mercedes-Benz GLA and GLB classes share a common platform, powertrain options and multiple interior pieces. They're awfully similar, but you don't have to look at their specs to guess correctly that the boxier GLB provides more utility than the h…

2022 Infiniti QX55 pricing is out, and it carries a premium over the standard QX50

Pricing for the coupe-ified 2022 Infiniti QX55 crossover is out, and just like every other coupe-like version of a crossover, it's more expensive than the regular one. For starters, the QX55 comes with standard all-wheel drive. It also starts at th…

Nearly-ready electric Jaguar XJ gets scrapped even as JLR announces its EV push

A smattering of news from Jaguar Land Rover landed this morning concerning the brands' electric futures. One sentence partway through Jaguar's long press release caught our eye, though, and it has to do with the Jaguar XJ. "Although the nameplate ma…

Mercedes-Benz won't sell the EQC in the United States after all

Just about a year ago, Mercedes-Benz delayed the American launch of the EQC , its first purpose-designed electric car, until 2021. Over two months into the year, Autoblog learned that the battery-powered crossover's launch has been canceled. "Followi…

Mercedes-Benz's fifth-generation C-Class is nearly ready for its big debut

Mercedes-Benz is nearly ready to introduce the fifth-generation C-Class. It's keeping the model's full design under wraps for another week, but it released a pair of preview images to give us a better idea of what to expect. While the photos do a fa…

Fighter jet-inspired Lotus EV was developed for endurance racing in 2030

Lotus is about to start writing a new chapter in its long history , and the plot could include a renewed focus on racing. It unveiled a futuristic concept called E-R9 that explores what an endurance race car might look like in 2030. Developed by Lotu…

Monday, February 15, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 15, 2021

Feb 15, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Kia K5 GT First Drive | Quick, and oh so fun

To understand the 2021 Kia K5 GT, think of it as a front-wheel-drive Dodge Charger Scat Pack . It's an immature, OK-handling, affordable performance sedan that burns rubber like it wants to shake its Pirellis right off the rims. Kia might eschew some …

Cadillac Escalade reportedly getting 200-hp bump from supercharger

Cadillac is preparing to supercharge the Escalade, according to a recent report. The body-on-frame General Motors SUVs that it shares its basic underpinnings with are allegedly in line to receive a big increase in power, too. Released for the 2021 m…

2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV introduced along with revised Bolt EV

Chevrolet always tried to market its Bolt electric car as a crossover, but the tall, skinny hatchback wasn't fooling anyone. Now, the brand is making more of a go at it with the reshaped and slightly embiggened 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV. Except it's no…

Stellantis axed the SRT engineer team, but performance isn't going away

Stellantis has broken up the Street & Racing Technology (SRT) engineering team that created over a dozen high-performance vehicles, including the Dodge Charger Hellcat , but the situation isn't as dire as it sounds. The newly-formed company assign…

New 2022 Acura MDX platform to underpin future Hondas

The 2022 Acura MDX introduces a new platform to the Acura and Honda lineup called the Global Light Truck Platform, and it's currently exclusive to the MDX. The new 2021 Acura TLX is also built on a totally new platform that isn't shared with any othe…

A pink and white Bugatti Chiron Sport is one of the most outrageous Valentine's Day gifts we've ever seen

Valentine's Day is coming up, and while you may have something special planned for your significant other, it's probably not as wild as what one Bugatti customer has done (though, depending on your significant other, that might be a good thing). The …

Mercedes-Benz recalls 1.29 million vehicles in the U.S.

WASHINGTON — Mercedes-Benz USA is recalling 1.29 million vehicles sold since 2016 because software may fail to communicate correct vehicle location in the event of a crash. The recall covers some 2016-2021 model year CLA-Class, GLA-Class, GLE-Class,…

Jaguar to sell all-electric cars by 2030, and six electric Land Rovers coming in next five years

Jaguar is making a big transition to become an electric-only car company. The switchover is meant to kickoff in 2025, and by 2030, Jaguar says 100% of its vehicle sales will be of electric models. Land Rover is taking a similar route, but to a lesse…

Alpha Motor reveals off-road and high performance versions of the Ace coupe

Back in December, Alpha Motor Corporation made a splash with its retro-styled Ace coupe . It promised rear-wheel-drive fun and a fairly long EV range of around 250 miles, though the company only showed it in 3D renders. Since then, the company has com…

Junkyard Gem: 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Convertible

Sales of the Oldsmobile Cutlass peaked during the 1977-1981 period, with the Cutlass and Cutlass Supreme occupying either the #1 or #2 spot in the best-selling vehicle charts for most of those years. Back then, all Cutlasses lived on the 1964-vintage…

Friday, February 12, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 12, 2021

Feb 12, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

Are half-ton pickups too expensive? Pondering the $68,000 2021 Ford F-150 Platinum

If you pay even occasional attention to the pickup truck market, you've probably been exposed to a common complaint about the modern half-ton: It's expensive. The cheapest 2021 Ford F-150 rings the till at just over $30,000, and for that, you're gett…

2022 Kia Carnival is more efficient than the Sedona it replaces

Information on the 2022 Kia Carnival continues to trickle out. This time we have fuel economy numbers, and they show that it's more efficient than the Sedona it will replace. The EPA's FuelEconomy.gov website shows that the Carnival gets 19 mpg in t…

Mercedes-AMG's next C63 will downsize from a V8 to a hybridized four-cylinder

Mercedes-AMG is leveraging electrification as a replacement for displacement as it develops the next-generation C63. While the current model is powered by a twin-turbocharged V8, the company confirmed its successor will make its debut in the not-too-…

2021 BMW 540i First Drive | It has grown up, accept it

Today's BMW 5 Series doesn't have the same mission statement as it did a decade or two ago. For years, the German automaker's middle sedan was designed to be the absolute sharpest tool in the luxury car shed. Its steering was perfect, its ride was cr…

Mercedes-Maybach S 580 production launch marks 50-millionth passenger car from Mercedes

Mercedes-Benz just produced its 50 millionth automobile, a testament to just how long Mercedes has been screwing together cars. The 50-millionth vehicle also marks the beginning of Mercedes-Maybach S-Class production, as the car is the first of this …

Lexus flagship SUV, a true three-row crossover and an EV on the way, dealer says

Lexus is working to update its mostly dormant portfolio with new cars to populate currently unfilled segments. These will include a full electric vehicle, a true three-row crossover, and a flagship SUV. Many existing models will be getting updates as…

Trio of Chevys to set the pace at Daytona this weekend

There's something special about pace cars. Even though they're typically a marketing exercise by the automaker supplying them, it's still an occasion to see a notable model in a distinctive, often bespoke, livery leading the pack on a famed circuit. …

Indian celebrates the Chief's 100th birthday by launching three new motorcycles

Indian Motorcycles is celebrating 100 years of the Chief, one of its best-known nameplates. It marked the occasion by releasing three new models for 2022 named Chief, Chief Bobber, and Super Chief, respectively. While all three motorcycles are built…

Peugeot's American future looks dead, but Stellantis intends to keep all brands alive

The years-old promise of a Peugeot return in the U.S. is looking bleaker by the second. Peugeot said the French brand would come back to sell cars in the U.S. five years ago, but now that FCA and PSA have transitioned to one Stellantis, that promise …

Ford CEO Jim Farley asks LG Chem, SK Innovation to bury the hatchet

WASHINGTON — Ford CEO Jim Farley on Thursday publicly encouraged South Korean electric vehicle battery makers LG Chem and SK Innovation to reach a settlement on LG's battery allegations that SK stole trade secrets. The U.S. International Trade Commi…

Thursday, February 11, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 11, 2021

Feb 11, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Audi E-Tron Sportback Interior Driveway Test | Q5 bones, Q8 interior

The Audi E-Tron Sportback is the automotive equivalent of a neutron star: small yet unimaginably dense. Now, I was a bit off in the above video when I said it's equal to the Q5 in size. Though it shares the Q5's platform, it's actually closer to the …

2021 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class Review | Bigger, boxier, better

Most subcompact luxury SUVs come across as a bit cynical; built to a price on less sophisticated bones than its pricier, more refined siblings. It sure seems like people buy them cause they can't make the payment on one of those pricier, more refined…

2022 Infiniti QX60 to get 295-HP V6, dump CVT for nine-speed auto

Infiniti confirmed Thursday that its redesigned QX60 will ditch its CVT in favor of a newer nine-speed automatic, following its platform cousin, the 2022 Nissan Pathfinder , in adopting an updated powertrain. Though not officially revealed, it should …

Listen to the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3's flat-six engine sing its anthem

Porsche will unveil the first GT-badged variant of the 992-generation 911 next Tuesday, February 16. Widely expected to be the GT3, the mystery model has been previewed in a sonorous video a few days before its official introduction. The 14-second v…

SCG's Le Mans twin-turbocharged V8 engine roars to life for the first time

Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus is busily preparing its entry into the World Endurance Championship's Le Mans Hypercar category. It released details about the engine that will power the car, which is called 007, and it reached a major milestone this mon…

2021 Ford Mustang gets more standard safety features and new colors

Obviously, the big news for the 2021 Ford Mustang is the return of the Mach 1 and all the performance upgrades in includes. But other Mustangs are getting some welcome if minor additions. All of them get new standard features, and there are a few new…

Dallas awakens to massive winter-weather pileups

East Texans encountered dangerous road conditions Thursday morning thanks to a winter storm that plunged deep into the Lone Star State, depositing as much as a quarter-inch of ice on some road surfaces. The weather is being blamed for massive pileups…

Apple Maps introduces user-based road hazard reporting, including speed traps

Apple just released an update for its Apple Maps application that brings Waze-like functionality to the iPhone's native navigation. It allows users to report a number of different road situations, with speed traps being one of them. It's only availab…

Ram introduces 33-mpg Tradesman HFE EcoDiesel

Ram announced Tuesday that its 2021 1500 Tradesman HFE EcoDiesel trim goes toe-to-toe (tow-to-tow?) with the segment's most efficient diesels, offering 23 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg combined. That's good enough for a first-plac…

Ford Maverick prototype spy photos reveal an independent rear suspension

Spy photos of the upcoming Ford Maverick compact pickup truck have revealed a fascinating development in the truck's design. Up until this point, the Maverick prototypes we've seen have featured a torsion beam rear suspension and front-wheel drive . T…