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Monday, April 12, 2021

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

Apr 12, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Nissan Kicks Review | Dang it if it isn't a great value

Even with a successful restyle this year, it's hard to get too excited about the 2021 Nissan Kicks. It's a humble tall hatchback marketed as a crossover with 122-horsepower, a CVT and obligatory front-wheel drive. If it hits 60 mph in less than 10 se…

Toyota's first global EV shows its nose ahead of its Shanghai debut

Toyota, the industry's hybrid champion, will signal its intent to adopt fully electric powertrains by displaying a close-to-production concept at the upcoming Shanghai auto show. It released a dark teaser image to preview the model. We see just enou…

2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e PHEV First Drive Review | Better Bimmer with a bigger battery

Although full electric cars and internal-combustion engines with mild electric assist are becoming more common, plug-in hybrids, particularly with usable range, are still fairly uncommon. This is especially evident in the luxury market where the 2021…

2021 Jeep Gladiator Texas Trail attempts to win the heart of Texas

Ram isn't the only Stellantis brand that gets a Texas-themed truck anymore. Today, Jeep joins the fray with the Gladiator Texas Trail. It's a special edition Gladiator pickup with a specific set of equipment and an appearance package to match. Plus, …

Lexus ES nips-and-tucks previewed ahead of 2021 Shanghai show

Lexus will travel to the biennial Shanghai auto show to present a futuristic concept called LF-Z that previews how its range will evolve by the middle of the 2020s. It's not forgetting about the near-term future, though. It will also introduce an upd…

Man's truck seized for 2 years over 'munitions of war,' 5 forgotten bullets

WASHINGTON — Gerardo Serrano ticked off the border crossing agents by taking some photos on his phone. So they took his pickup truck and held onto it for more than two years. Only after Serrano filed a federal lawsuit did he get back his Ford F-250.…

Ford to help 100 dealers add Bronco-only showrooms

Ford dealers are seeing so much interest in the 2021 Bronco and Bronco Sport that they've asked Ford for help branding dedicated showrooms. According to Automotive News (subscription required), approximately 100 dealers intend to open new Bronco-only…

Your next pizza from Domino's could be delivered by a robot

Domino's, the largest pizza chain in the world (based on global sales), and autonomous vehicle startup Nuro have partnered to launch a pilot program in Houston to delivery pizzas using self-driving robot cars. A limited number of customers ordering o…

Michelin looks to become more than a tire company

PARIS — France's Michelin plans to add about 14 billion euros ($17 billion) to its annual revenues by 2030, by recovering from a pandemic-induced slowdown and diversifying beyond its tire-making heritage into new activities including hydrogen power a…

Junkyard Gem: 2004 Ford Mustang

After more than a decade of the very successful Fox Mustang , the SN95 Mustang (based on a modified Fox chassis) first appeared for the 1994 model year. Production of the SN95 continued through 2004, which turned out to be the 40th anniversary of the …

Friday, April 9, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for April 9, 2021

Apr 09, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

Hyundai Santa Cruz pickup's design team: 'It's not a truck'

The Hyundai HCD-15 Santa Cruz was one of the biggest hits of the North American International Auto Show back in 2015. A year later, the company promised that a production version was a matter of when, not if. Well, it's been half a decade since then,…

The 2021 Toyota 4Runner Trail Special Edition boasts better colors and a cooler

The TRD Pro has been the top-dog 4Runner model for seven years now. It's the most hardcore in terms of capability and appearance, which perhaps has made it desirable enough to warrant the hefty price tag. There is another factor, however: There has b…

BMW motorcycles as big as a Smart car will tread on Harley-Davidson's turf

BMW's motorcycle-building division is thinking extra-big. It's preparing to unveil a pair of jumbo-sized motorcycles that will be based on the R18 cruiser and aimed at a segment dominated by Harley-Davidson's biggest models. Patent filings discovere…

Freightliner electric semi and commercial trucks available to order

Way back in 2018 , Freightliner revealed that it was working on electric commercial trucks and that it would put a small fleet into service to test them. Three years, 38 trucks and nearly 750,000 miles later, the company has announced that it will sta…

Big rig driver ends California chase by crashing into murder suspect's pickup

A good Samaritan in a semi truck put an end to a California car chase the hard way Tuesday by putting his big rig in the path of a fleeing murder suspect. While police officers hung back during the two-hour pursuit, Ahmed Shabaan decided to take matt…

Mil-Spec M1-R First Drive Review | The ultimate Hummer H1 gets better

In 2018, we got our first introduction to Mil-Spec , a company that sought to do to Hummer H1s what other resto-mod companies like Singer and Icon have done to other classic cars. Its initial run of hopped-up Hummers showed quite a bit of promise with…

UPDATE: MG reveals Cyberster, its electrifying return to the roadster segment

MG has released official photos of its Cyberster electric roadster concept, which will be shown in April at the Shanghai auto show.

Jurassic Park Ford Explorer-themed sneakers are a thing

In the nearly 20 years since its release, the 1993 film "Jurassic Park," from Hollywood legend Steven Speilberg, has become something of a cultural phenomenon. it has spawned four sequels — with a fifth, "Jurassic World, Dominion," due in 2022. And…

A pair of Mitsubishis, the Mazda CX-30 and electric incentives | Autoblog Podcast #673

This week's Autoblog Podcast features Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore and Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski as they debate the merits of the redesigned Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 coupes and whether or not they are distinctive and powerful enough to att…

Porsche issues stop-sale order, recall of 2021 718 Boxster, Cayman models

Porsche has issued a stop-sale on 718 Spyder, Boxster and Cayman models equipped with its adored 4.0-liter flat-6 due to a defective batch of engine connecting rods. Porsche says the defective rods may crack and loosen, which can lead to engine failu…

Thursday, April 8, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for April 8, 2021

Apr 08, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E First Edition Road Test Review | Revisiting the past in Ford's future

DETROIT — The 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E is a lot to unpack. It's a crossover. It runs on electricity and wears the Mustang name, specifically the legendary Mach badge . Some of this might feel contradictory, but in a few short years, it will not be a n…

2021 Acura TLX A-Spec Long-Term Update | How's it handle?

A couple of months have passed since we took delivery of our new 2021 Acura TLX A-Spec long-term tester , and the miles are starting to pile on — the odometer just clicked past 6,000. I was particularly eager to get behind the wheel of our TLX, as my…

2021 Ford Explorer adds Enthusiast ST trim, expands Hybrid availability

Ford is adding a few new trim variants partway through the Explorer's 2021 model year . The most intriguing is a budget-oriented "Enthusiast ST" model, but there's also a rear-drive Platinum and Platinum Hybrid on the way. We haven't seen the Enthusi…

Tiger Woods was speeding at nearly double the 45 mph limit before crash

LOS ANGELES — Tiger Woods was speeding when he crashed his courtesy Genesis GV80 CUV in Southern California in February, leaving the golf superstar seriously injured, authorities finally revealed Wednesday. Woods was driving between 84 and 87 mph on…

2022 Porsche 911 GT3 torture test: 186 mph for over 3,100 miles straight

Porsche put out a news bulletin today detailing some of the highlights from the test sessions it held for the 2022 Porsche 911 GT3 . The numbers are predictably astounding, as is typical from Porsche. Engineers ran the new 4.0-liter flat-six for ove…

V8-powered 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor R spied testing alongside Ram TRX

Spy photographers captured Ford engineers testing what appears to be a 2022 F-150 Raptor R alongside a Ram TRX this week, giving us a sneak preview of the first major battle in the coming war for super-pickup dominance. Ford has remained tight-lipp…

BMW motorcycles as big as a Smart car will tread on Harley-Davidson's turf

Toyota Mirai, Lexus LS show off Advanced Drive assists with OTA updates, AI

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp unveiled on Thursday new models of Lexus and Mirai in Japan, equipped with advanced driver assistance, as competition heats up to develop more self-driving and connected cars. Toyota's latest launch comes as automakers, ele…

Chinese company offers 'M3 Big Mouth Front Bumper' for E60 5 Series

A Chinese company is offering a body kit for the E60 BMW 5 Series (2004-2010) that it's literally dubbing the "M3 Big Mouth Front Bumper." It's inspired by exactly what the name suggests and includes an M5 emblem. It is available on the general shopp…

Audi finally brought the RS 6 Avant to the States and you can win one

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. There's nothing a group of auto…

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for April 7, 2021

Apr 07, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

V8-powered 2022 Ford F-150 Raptor R spied testing alongside Ram TRX

2021 Hyundai Veloster N DCT First Drive Review | Your lap record awaits

We're big fans of the Hyundai Veloster N around here, and suffice it to say that we were happy with it as it was (the Performance package box checked, naturally). If it ain't broke, why fix it? Well, the fact of the matter is that while we may be in …

2004-2006 Pontiac GTO | Used vehicle spotlight

Three simple letters borrowed from a well-known Italian automaker kicked off the muscle car revolution that sent hearts racing for a decade starting in the year 1964. The Pontiac GTO may be best known today for Tri-Power carburetors, Hurst shifters, …

How much car tech is too much, and how much is it really worth to you?

There's this basic skill, taught in driver's-ed: Don't drive just down the middle of your lane. Passing pedestrians or a bicycle? Hug the center stripe. Lots of oncoming traffic? Favor the lane's right edge. Adjust your driving line to fit the circum…

GM CEO Mary Barra bets the General can grow beyond cars and trucks

Pam Fletcher wants to change the way General Motors Co makes money. The veteran GM engineer's Global Innovation team is looking for new enterprises to expand the automaker's sources of revenue well beyond vehicle sales and is incubating ventures fro…

2022 Hyundai Kona N seems to only get the dual-clutch automatic

Bad news, manual transmission fans. It seems the 2022 Hyundai Kona N hot crossover is only getting the eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. The news came in a press release detailing the transmission: "Hyundai's N DCT technology was first…

2022 Buick Envision Plus three-row crossover is like an Envision, plus

Buick exited the sedan segment when it axed the Regal , but it's going all-in on crossovers and SUVs. It released a dark preview image that gives us an early look at a three-row family-hauler named Envision Plus. Announced only for the Chinese market…

Japanese firm buys Caterham and pledges to keep the Seven alive

British boutique carmaker Caterham moved a lot closer to Japan, one of its biggest markets. VT Holdings, its Japanese importer since 2009, purchased the brand and immediately pledged to honor its heritage. Neither party disclosed details about the s…

2022 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class gets updated styling

Approaching its third model year, the Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class is getting a mild refresh. That is, a very mild refresh. The changes are essentially cosmetic only, including some body trim changes and new colors and wheels. The biggest change is that …

Lancia 037 prototype number one up for auction

A legend in rallying, the Lancia 037 marked the end of an era. It was simultaneously the first car to win the legendary Group B constructors' championship, but also the last non-AWD car to win an overall WRC title. And, it did so by defeating the jug…