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Wednesday, February 17, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 17, 2021

Feb 17, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

McLaren Artura is a thoroughly new hybrid supercar

For the first time since the P1 , McLaren has returned to the hybrid game with the Artura. And although it looks an awful lot like McLaren's Sports Series supercars, it's apparently an all-new car underneath, and it packs a very new twin-turbo V6 pair…

The Maserati MC20's new Nettuno V6 is a high-tech showpiece

It's been more than two decades since Maserati was in the business of developing an in-house 90-degree V6 engine, and the last one it had traced its genealogy back 30 years. That story started in 1968, when Citroën took a controlling stake in Maserat…

2022 Hyundai Kona gets first big update: Adds N Line, new look for Kona Electric

Hyundai is giving its 2022 Kona lineup a substantial refresh this year. It covers both the standard Kona and the Kona Electric . Both versions of the car get big exterior visual updates, and both receive similar interior upgrades, too A giant, new sp…

2021 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 Road Test | Z engine preview

There isn't much reason to take another look at the 2021 Infiniti Q50 Red Sport 400 on the surface. It's largely the same sedan as it was when we drove it in 2016 : powerful and stylish, but lacking in tech and polish. However, what's under the hood i…

Ford boss Jim Farley wants to see the 200-horsepower Puma ST in America

Ford entered 2021 sedan-free, which leaves room for more crossovers to join its American range. Company boss Jim Farley wrote that he hopes one of them will be an Americanized version of the Puma sold in Europe. "[I] wish this came to North America …

Rivian CEO shows off R1T electric pickup climbing hills in Arizona

Rivian boss RJ Scaringe shared a few videos of the company's upcoming R1T electric pickup testing off-road in the hills of Arizona as the EV startup inches closer to its 2021 on-sale date. The videos show the R1T tackling some steep, loose grades and…

Land Rover hints that a pickup will again be part of the Defender family

Land Rover wants to turn the Defender into a full family of off-roaders, and it signaled that the lineup could once again grow to include a pickup. It said that it has the demand, the heritage, and the technical ability to build a truck. Nick Collin…

2021 Kia K8 shows big grilles aren't just for BMWs

BMW summoned a whirlwind of criticism when it began putting oversized grilles on its cars, but it might have started (or at least fortified) a trend. Kia introduced the K8, a new sedan developed to replace the Cadenza in global markets, and it gave t…

2022 Mitsubishi Outlander revealed with concept car looks and Nissan underpinnings

The 2022 Mitsubishi Outlander is a pretty big deal for the automaker. It marks the first time since 2014 that the brand's long-running small crossover has had a thorough overhaul and not just a big facelift. It also marks the first Mitsubishi model i…

'Drive & Listen' app takes you on a virtual car ride through cities of the world

Most of us haven't done much traveling in the past year, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. So, it's been a while since we've had the pleasant experience of driving, or riding, in a car through another city, taking in the sights and the sounds. If y…

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…