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Monday, February 22, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 22, 2021

Feb 22, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance brings back the V8

The 2022 Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance revives the dormant IS F formula, bringing V8 power back to the compact luxury Japanese sport sedan for the first time since 2014 and confirming rumors of a new series of V8-powered performance (small p) cars…

2021 Ford Bronco Sport Badlands Road Test | The best version on pavement, too

In the 2021 Ford Bronco Sport range, the Badlands is marketed as the off-road specialist. To back that up, it includes an array of off-road-oriented features. As it turns out, though, some of those features also make it the most entertaining version …

2021 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Carhartt Edition Road Test | The upmarket outdoorsman

While GM is working on broader updates to its full-size pickups, the 2021 Chevrolet Silverado Carhartt Edition is being offered to help move 2500 HDs in the meantime. Joining the ranks of some other national and more localized packages (looking at yo…

2021 Chevrolet Trailblazer Review | It's cute, distinctive and we like it

Kia unveils Humvee-like military vehicle concept in the Middle East

After appearing on dozens of front-end designs for over a decade, Kia's signature Tiger Nose grille is preparing to enlist in the army. The South Korean company introduced a close-to-production concept called Light Tactical Cargo Truck (LTCT) that pr…

Porsche highlights what makes the Cross Turismo different from the Taycan

Porsche is putting the final test miles on the Taycan Cross Turismo, an electric wagon due out in early 2021. As we wait for the official unveiling, the company highlighted some of the key differences between its two EVs. Although it's fully covered…

Mercedes-Benz explains why next C-Class will get only four-cylinder engines

Mercedes-Benz ruffled more than a few feathers when it confirmed the next-generation C-Class (called W206 internally) will downsize to a four-cylinder-only range . That means the fire-breathing, V8-powered C63 will lose half of its cylinders, and the …

Ford issues recalls for F-Series truck windshields, Super Duty payload labels

Ford has issued two safety recalls involving its trucks. The first recall involves a select number of 2021-21 F-Series trucks for an issue with windshields that were inadequately bonded to the vehicle. The recall affects a specific number of trucks…

Junkyard Gem: 1955 Studebaker Commander Deluxe Conestoga Ultra Vista Station Wagon

Most of the vehicle graveyards I visit during my pursuit of discarded automotive history are owned by big regional or national chains , which means I see a lot of new inventory with every visit but perhaps not as many really old cars as I'd like to fi…

VW close to decision on selling Bugatti to Rimac

FRANKFURT — Electric hypercar maker Rimac Automobili and Volkswagen's supercar brand Bugatti are a good technological fit, Porsche's CEO told German weekly Automobilwoche, fueling hopes that a deal between the two could happen soon. British automoti…

Friday, February 19, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 19, 2021

Feb 19, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

Texas Ford F-150 hybrid owners using generator functions to weather the storm

With Texas, the biggest truck market in the country , currently in the middle of a nasty winter storm and subsequent widespread power outages, we've been wondering if anyone has put the generator capabilities of the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost hybrid t…

2021 Porsche Taycan First Drive | Mmm, electric snow donuts

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The all-electric Taycan is a fantastic first step for Porsche into an electric future. Now in its second model year, it has seen both acclaim and sales success, and for good reason. The Taycan 4S on up to the very hottest Turbo S a…

2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon EcoDiesel Road Test | Torque it don't bork it

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — "Hey, you got it all dirty!" The guy in the UTV had spotted the 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon parked nearby as he crawled over rocks to exit a 4x4 trail called the Timber Tamer. "Yeah!" I replied with false bravado, knowing the Gl…

Dakar Yellow! Mint Green! Behold the glory that is the BMW Individual Visualizer

It's very much a good thing that no major automotive news broke yesterday afternoon, because it's virtually certain that the Autoblog staff wouldn't have noticed. Ford could've sold the rights to produce the Bronco to Stellantis and we all would've b…

Lexus leads J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for 2021

J.D. Power's latest Vehicle Dependability Study is out, and, not surprisingly, Lexus sits at the top for the ninth time in the last 10 years. Right behind Lexus is Porsche, followed by Kia, which is the highest-ranked mass-market brand in the study. …

Marc Philipp Gemballa's 959-inspired supercar will have an engine tuned by RUF

Last year, Marc Philipp Gemballa, the eponymous supercar company started by Uwe Gemballa's son, said it would build a heavily modified 911 Turbo S inspired by the Porsche 959 Dakar Rally cars . Based on the official render and past announcement, it wi…

Michigan-based Buell Motorcycles resumes production after 12-year hiatus

Once celebrated as America's entry into the superbike segment, Michigan-based Buell Motorcycles has awakened from a 12-year slumber with plans to launch at least 10 models by 2024. It was formed in 1983, gradually became part of Harley-Davidson in th…

Ford recalls 2021 Bronco Sport over loose rear suspension

Ford has issued a recall that applies to 1,666 examples of the 2021 Bronco Sport. It explained that an internal investigation revealed the affected crossovers were shipped with loose or missing rear suspension bolts. Released in 2020, the Bronco Spo…

Ford loses track of dangerous airbags, forcing recalls of 154,000 vehicles

DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford has lost track of some older Takata airbags that can explode and hurl shrapnel, so it's recalling more than 154,000 vehicles in North America to check for them. The company on Thursday issued two recalls, with the largest comi…

Kia denies ransomware attack 'speculation' as it recovers from days-long outages

BOSTON — Kia Motors America says it's restoring services crippled by a computer network outage that began Saturday and which apparently affected dealers' ability to order vehicles and parts and knocked offline a smartphone app that owners use to remo…

Thursday, February 18, 2021

What You Missed | Your Autoblog Daily Digest for February 18, 2021

Feb 18, 2021

Top Stories of the Day

Next-generation Honda HR-V revealed as a compact hybrid crossover

The next-generation Honda HR-V has been revealed, and in many ways it's a major departure from the old model. Not only does it have a sportier stance, but it's now a hybrid only. But there are still some classic HR-V features sprinkled about. The sh…

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Review | Looking beyond the badge

Nissan moves the Qashqai upmarket with sharp design, unusual hybrid powertrain

Nissan continued its model offensive by unveiling the third-generation Qashqai, a compact crossover that slots below the Rogue in its global lineup. Designed and engineered in the United Kingdom, the popular soft-roader will likely make its way to th…

Carroll Shelby's personal Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is headed to auction

The late Carroll Shelby's personal 1966 Shelby Cobra 427 Super Snake is going up for auction at Barrett-Jackson in the March Scottsdale auction this year. When it was sold back in 2007 at Barrett-Jackson, it fetched $5.5 million. That was the highest…

Toyota introduces Tacoma TRD lift kit

Toyota announced Wednesday that it will begin selling a factory TRD-branded lift kit for its midsize Tacoma pickup. This new kit is not only TRD-approved and backed by a factory warranty, but it is fully compatible with the new Toyota Safety Sense (T…

Mazda leads Consumer Reports' latest Brand Report Card Rankings

The latest automaker brand report cards from Consumer Reports are in, and there are quite a few changes for 2021. At the very top of the charts sits Mazda, up three spots over last year, followed by BMW and Subaru to round out the top three. It's int…

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…

2021 Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 First Drive | Fat cat money

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Do you like the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, but just don't think it's fancy or expensive enough as it is? Maybe the AMG version is too audaciously sporty or you'd prefer a completely different flavor of garish. Maybe you don't want to…

Lordstown is going to race an Endurance skateboard off-road

A few months ago, Lordstown Motors took the chassis powertrain of an Endurance pickup truck , threw a roll cage on it, and made some fun promo videos showing off the design tackling some rough driving. Things have escalated since then, as the company …

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…

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

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

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…