Autoblog News

The Sierra Nevada storm originally reported by Autoblog on Friday has escalated significantly. What started as a Winter Storm Warning for Mono County and the Donner Pass area has expanded into warnings covering every major mountain corridor in California, from Lassen County south through Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks. Snowfall totals have been revised sharply upward. Wind forecasts have increased. And the worst of it is arriving now.

What Has Changed

The original forecast called for up to 28 inches above 7,000 feet near Lake Tahoe and up to 4 feet at the highest peaks, with...

Cars That Don’t Sit Still Anymore

Over-the-air (OTA) updates have changed what it means to own a car. Instead of being stuck with whatever features your car had when you bought it, modern vehicles – especially EVs – can keep getting better long after you drive them home. That might mean sharper driver assistance, new apps, better efficiency, or just a smoother interface. Of course, it also means you’ll sometimes wait for downloads, run into the odd bug, and realize your car now acts more like a smartphone than a machine you fully control.

EVs are built...

With modern cars becoming increasingly appliance-like by incorporating planned obsolescence and all but ignoring the right-to-repair, classic cars are currently more desirable than ever. Whether as an expression of individuality or simply for the joy of driving something with personality, this is true across the spectrum of socioeconomics. British engineering firms Halcyon and Evice Technologies, both founded by the same trio of engineers, understand this well, offering a limited run of electric restomodded classic Rolls-Royce Corniche and Silver Shadow series cars. Each of these cars can be personalized to an extent only limited by the buyer’s imagination, taking ov...

The Visual Identity Game

Car design may not be as tangible as in-car technology, but it can still play a critical role in a vehicle’s success – and in some cases, it can even prove polarizing, as seen with the Tesla Cybertruck. For Maserati, that makes its upcoming concept car, set to debut at the 2026 Paris Motor Show, especially important, as it is expected to define the brand’s design direction for years to come.

Gilles Vidal, Stellantis’ newly appointed head of design for Europe, told Auto Express that Maserati has a history of periodically reinventing...

Not Totally All-New

Prior to the current model, the Nissan Z languished without a full redesign for an incredibly lengthy time. The 370Z was produced from 2008 to 2020, and some markets continued to sell it as late as 2021. Sure, it received a facelift in 2013, but there were few changes over 12 years.

The Z finally got the redesign it so desperately needed in 2021 for the 2023 model year. There was new sheetmetal, an overhauled interior, more tech, a revamped chassis, and a serious boost in performance - literally and figuratively. Heck, it even came with a new chassis...

A Shift Years in the Making

Chinese cars have long faced skepticism over quality, often tied to perceptions of low-cost manufacturing. That stands in contrast to Japanese automakers, which are widely associated with craftsmanship – an identity brands like Lexus have long leveraged. But as technology and production methods continue to improve, Chinese cars are advancing quickly and beginning to put pressure on automakers around the world.

With the U.S. remaining hostile to Chinese cars, most American consumers still cannot easily get behind the wheel of one. For now, the next best thing may be he...

Mahindra’s tough-as-nails UTV, the Roxor, is currently on offer with 0% finance options and cashback deals ranging between $3,000 and $5,000, depending on the selected variant. The Roxor is not shy of controversy; from its introduction in 2018 until it was brought back in November 2021 after the International Trade Commission’s ruling that its revised design no longer infringed on Jeep’s trade dress, the Roxor has been making headlines for being Mahindra’s problem child in America. Since then, however, it seems to have found its market with off-roaders and farmers as an incredibly capable, robust, and honest little workhorse, leaving Jeep lit...

In the center of the Mojave Desert lies Baker, California, with little else to offer other than sunshine, which, as it happens, was all PowerStation Charging needed. This startup's first DC fast charging station is off-grid, with 1080 solar panels producing enough energy to push electricity into a 3.4 MWh battery pack that keeps four CCS fast chargers running around the clock, rain or shine. There’s no membership or app required to use the station and no bill either, until May 31st, 2026. There are a few places in the country where a solar-powered charging station makes more geographic sense, and fo...

There’s something delightful about digging your toes into the warm sand along a South Florida beach. It’s another matter entirely when it’s your coastal condo sinking into the sand.

That’s what’s happening at the Porsche Design Tower in Miami, a luxurious 60-story condominium on Sunny Isles Beach, a community along the Atlantic just north of Miami, a new study revealing that its one of 35 high rises that have sunk as much as three inches into the sand at a time when the ocean is rising due to global warming.

Opened in 2016, t...

In February this year, a report claimed that Scout would only launch in 2028, something the Volkswagen-backed automaker denied in a forum post, though it did concede that delays related to setting up a new factory and launching multiple powertrains were certainly possible. Now, a new report from AutoForecast Solutions, first noted by Automotive News, suggests that customer vehicles may not start to reach driveways in late 2027 or early 2028 as planned, but that the Traveler SUV will only enter production in September 2028, while the Terra pickup is only expected to launch in March 2030. Scout, however, denies this. Let's look at...

Dreams on Four Wheels

Some are not as interested in concept cars, preferring to wait for the actual road-going model before paying them much attention. Others find them fascinating because they offer a glimpse of what the brand’s future may look like. For automakers, meanwhile, concept cars provide room to experiment with different ideas, some of which can eventually influence their production lineup.

Rolls-Royce, the British luxury marque known for its bespoke approach to individualization, is no stranger to concept cars, even referring to them as Experimental, or EX, models. Now, the company is ce...

Still Pushing the Envelope

The Aston Martin Valkyrie is, without question, one of the most important models to come out of the brand, having been shaped by Formula 1 learnings while retaining a V12 powertrain. As such, it would not be surprising to see Aston Martin do more with the model, and a single-seater variant may be in the pipeline.

A TikTok post by scubachef1969 claims that an unnamed car was being tested on the track, appearing to blend elements of the Valkyrie LM and a Formula 1 car. It had the stripped-down look of an F1...

McLaren is getting ready for a major reveal this summer. While details about its future models remain under wraps, one thing is already clear: fully electric cars are not part of the plan. In an interview with Autocar, CEO Nick Collins outlined a roadmap centred on brand-new ICE-powered hypercars to succeed the 750S and the very real possibility of an SUV.

The Next Chapter Starts This Summer

McLaren

Following its merger with Forseven with the backing of CYVN Holdings, McLaren is preparing to “unpack” its future product strategy in the coming months. Collins conf...

A Slow Start After a Difficult Year

Porsche entered 2026 still feeling the effects of a tough 2025. Even strong US sales couldn’t make up for shrinking profits and bigger industry challenges. Rising costs, changing EV demand, and a need to rethink strategy forced Porsche to work more closely with Audi just to keep things steady.

Anyone hoping for a fresh start in 2026 will be disappointed. The first quarter shows Porsche still wrestling with old problems – and picking up a few new ones. Model changes, shifting markets, and a slowdown in EV demand have kept the bran...

The year’s gotten off to a bad start for the U.S. auto industry, sales tumbling by 6.3% during the first quarter, with only a handful of brands in the black. Buick definitely wasn’t one of them, demand down by nearly a third year-over-year.

There are plenty of headwinds facing manufacturers, including record high prices, rising fuel costs and high interest rates. But Buick faces its own unique set of challenges crippling a brand that has faced a long, on-and-off struggle survival. Point your finger at the Trump administration and the auto tariffs that have sharply driv...

Quantity Over Quality

As automotive manufacturers fight to stay competitive in the rapidly evolving automotive landscape, more and more models are launched each year. These brands seek to have a car in every segment of the market, though sometimes the rapid growth leaves some niggling issues with quality control.

In some cases, the simple things are affected. A lawsuit has been filed against German automaker Audi over a basic car feature we've been using for decades: door locks.

Audi

Locked In or Out

ClassAction.org reports that Audi of A...

Body-On-Frame SUV Resurgence, Anyone?

Before crossovers, midsize SUVs were based on pickups with ladder-frame chassis. A whole load of those popped up in the '80s and '90s, and prime examples include the Toyota 4Runner, Nissan Pathfinder, Ford Bronco II and Explorer, and the GM twins of Chevrolet S-10 Blazer and GMC S-15 Jimmy.

Today, only the 4Runner remains true to the tried-and-tested formula in the U.S., as all of its original rivals have shifted to more car-like platforms. However, there's been a bit of a resurgence in the body-on-frame midsize SUV class...

A Turnaround in the Making

JaguarLand Rover has seemed off the pace in recent years, hit by a cyberattack that halted production last year and an all-electric transition that has proven challenging, particularly for Jaguar. But there are clearer signs of a turnaround, with the British government confirming £380 million (about $510 million) in support for Tata Group’s new battery factory in southwest England.

According to Automotive News, the British government subsidy seeks to support electric vehicle battery production and help the U.K. stay competitive with China and the U.S., where current policies are pus...

Trailhawk Is Back

The Jeep Grand Cherokee got a fairly comprehensive refresh for the 2026 model year, but one notable absence stood out. The Trailhawk – long considered the most off-road-capable version of the SUV – didn’t make the cut.

But its absence didn’t last long. Stellantis has now confirmed that the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk will return later this year. In a brief statement, the company described it as part of a broader product push, emphasizing capability and Jeep’s purpose-built identity.

Stellantis

Familiar Formula, Subtle Tease

Jeep hasn’t shared much...

Curbing The Effects

Even with a ceasefire announcement and agreement between the United States and Iran, gas prices remain high, and the ongoing volatility in the "peace talks" keeps oil prices uncertain for the time being.

All over the world, we're seeing car owners feel the pain at the pump, and most are jumping ship from conventional internal combustion cars to electrified vehicles like hybrids and EVs. A trend like this is hard to ignore, and Hyundai has just made a move reflecting the times.

Cole Attisha

Premium on EVs and...

If you are driving anywhere between Dallas and Wichita this weekend or early next week, you need a plan that accounts for severe weather every single day. The Storm Prediction Center has issued severe thunderstorm outlooks for four straight days, Saturday, April 11, through Tuesday, April 14, across the Southern Plains.

A deep upper-level trough digging into the West is combining with a surge of Gulf moisture so extreme that the Weather Prediction Center says precipitable water anomalies are running three standard deviations above normal across the Plains. Each day brings a new round. The corridor shifts. But the...

The eighth-generation Dodge Charger, which has the difficult mission of replacing both the previous-generation Charger sedan and the Challenger coupe, is far from a commercial success.

Dodge only sold 7,421 units of the new Charger in 2025, its first full year on the market. That’s about ten times less than the almost 76,000 previous-gen Charger units sold in 2023, the LD generation’s last full year on the market—and that’s not including almost 45,000 Challenger sales in 2023.

Mind you, the 2025 sales figure is only for the all-electric Charger Daytona, as the six-cylinder gas model only started to ship in...

Genesis’ upcoming flagship SUV, the all-electric Genesis GV90, is inching closer to production. And now we finally have a proper look inside. Fresh spy images from The Korean Car Blog reveal the GV90's interior. The GV90 will serve as the GV80's electrified big brother, and if these images are anything to go by, they're doubling down on a bold, tech-heavy vision of luxury.

Concept Car to Production Ready, Nearly Unchanged

A few years ago, Genesis previewed its future with the Neolun Concept. Fast forward to today, and the GV90’s interior looks almost unch...

Record Q1 Performance Signals Continued Momentum

Polestar opens 2026 with its strongest first quarter on record, delivering 13,126 retail sales globally in Q1 2026, marking a 7% year-on-year increase from 12,263 units in Q1 2025. The result builds on what was already a record-setting 2025, reinforcing the brand’s upward trajectory despite increasingly complex global market conditions.

This comes despite cooling EV sales across the industry, with some manufacturers scaling back forecasts and even canceling planned models.

Growth was driven by solid demand across key markets, including Australia, Germany, Sweden, South Korea, and the UK. CEO Michael Lohscheller pointed to th...

Last year, there were almost countless recalls for failing rearview cameras, and while that issue is still causing problems in 2026, another problem is becoming increasingly common: detaching seatbelt anchors. That's the fault with nearly 300,000 Hyundai and Genesis vehicles, according to a new recall published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The recall hits 13 products in total, affecting multiple powertrain types and body styles, and because it's a hardware problem, owners with vehicles named in the recall documents will have to visit a dealership to have it resolved. Let's take a closer look.

Hyundai and Genesis Named...

If you needed another reason to envy European car buyers for the diversity of their car market, here it is: the Honda Super-N electric city car is coming to the UK market this July.

Based on Honda’s iconic N Series kei car platform sold in Japan, the Super-N is inspired by the legendary 1980’s City Turbo II. The Super-N boasts a striking exterior design featuring bulged wheel arches and sporty side sills for a distinctive wide stance, as well as more aggressive bumpers with incorporated aero ducts.

A Kei Car With a Widebody Kit and...

Tesla is cracking down hard on owners who used FSD enabler hacks to illegally unlock Full Self-Driving in countries where the software remains unapproved. The company has begun remotely disabling FSD capabilities on affected vehicles across Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, and the UK, amongst other countries. While every Tesla ships with the FSD hardware baked in, software activation remains tied to regulatory approval. Outside the United States, FSD has not received full approval in most markets due to varying safety standards, data privacy requirements, and local traffic laws.

That gap created an opportunity. Hackers in Poland...

If you need to cross the Sierra this weekend, today is your last realistic window. The National Weather Service has a Winter Storm Warning active for Mono County and the Donner Pass area, with watches across the Northern Sierra, and what is heading for the mountains starting Friday evening is not a routine spring snow event. Two Pacific systems are stacking back-to-back. The second is stronger. Snow totals above 7,000 feet could reach 28 inches near Lake Tahoe and up to four feet on the highest peaks. Wind gusts along the Sierra crest are forecast at 70 to 80 mph. The NWS says...

Electrified Except for One

Lexus has had electrified vehicles in its lineup for a little over 20 years. Today, just about every model in its lineup gets some form of hybrid assistance. From the subcompact and not-available-in-the-U.S LBX, all the way to the full-sized LX, hybrid power is, at the very least, an option on all Lexus vehicles save for one.

In case you missed the headline, that model is the GX. For over 20 years, the midsize luxury SUV never once received an electric assist. For most of its life, it had V8 power under...

UPDATE (April 10, 2026): The National Weather Service in Sacramento has upgraded the Winter Storm Watch to a Winter Storm Warning for the West Slope Northern Sierra Nevada and Western Plumas County, now in effect from Friday evening through Monday afternoon. Snowfall totals have been revised sharply upward, with 1 to 2 feet now expected between 5,000 and 6,000 feet and 2 to 5 feet above 6,000 feet, with locally higher amounts at the peaks.

Wind gusts have also increased to 55 MPH in the mountains, and NWS Sacramento is now explicitly forecasting whiteout conditions at times. Snow levels will drop to 5,000 to 6,000 feet Saturday afternoon, roughly 1,000...

Mercedes-Benz USA has released its first-quarter sales results, with total sales of 78,500, a 3% decline relative to the same quarter in 2025. Of that total, 8,500 models were vans (-6%) and 70,000 were passenger cars (-3%). Unlike BMW, Mercedes doesn’t report sales data for specific models, making direct comparisons with its rivals difficult. But this also hints at low sales for models not mentioned by the brand. Here’s a look at Merc’s sales highlights for the first quarter and how the company compares to BMW.

BMW Still Ahead in the U.S.

Merced...

China's Ruffling Feathers

Every once in a while, a country disrupts the automotive market to a point that it eventually defines it and becomes a major player. There was Japan in the '70s, South Korea towards the late 2000s, and now, it's China's turn to shake up the establishment.

Like it or not, the rise of Chinese cars has put the world on notice, and it's now legacy automakers scrambling to keep up with the rapid pace of development China has set. Like any disruptor, it's seen as a threat, but some automakers have a...

2027 Corvette rollout begins, led by the Grand Sport

Chevrolet is approaching the 2027 Corvette model year with a measured, step-by-step rollout. The Rick Corvette Conti YouTube channel uploaded a great preview of the new 2027 model. The full order guide is set to drop on April 13, 2026, with pre-orders opening just a few days later on April 16. Early allocations will be tight as Chevy carefully balances demand with production capacity. Retail production is expected to kick off in the second quarter, though an exact start date hasn’t been locked in yet.

At the heart of this up...

A Lineup in Flux

Tesla has been quietly adjusting its lineup, focusing on core models and axing its more expensive offerings. Supporting that idea is a recent report that Tesla is set to introduce a cheaper SUV in its lineup.

This latest move feels familiar. After focusing on premium models, software features, and big promises about autonomy, Tesla seems to be returning to what it announced last year: building a more accessible, lower-priced EV. It’s not a new idea, and it’s not a surprise either.

What’s different now is the timing...

A Fresh Start Riding on the Pacifica

The refreshed Chrysler Pacifica, despite its not-so-extensive updates, carries more weight than it probably should. It’s currently the only model you can walk into a Chrysler showroom and buy, which makes this update less about staying competitive and more about simply staying present.

That puts a lot of pressure on what is, at its core, a familiar formula. The tweaks – some exterior styling changes and sparse interior updates – feel incremental, but the role it plays is anything but small.

New Chrysler CEO Matt McAlear appears confid...

Conflict Cuts Demand

For all the trouble this Iran war has caused, most of the effects were felt at the fuel pumps. However, big businesses have also suffered setbacks because the Middle East is a key market with high demand.

Nissan, despite all its struggles, has always done well in the Middle East. The Patrol full-size SUV is considered one of the best-selling cars in the region, loved by all, and even modified to various extents. The conflict has, of course, affected sales and, in Nissan's case, deliveries as well.

Production Bottleneck

A Problem You Won’t Even Notice

A few days back, GM hit pause on Corvette C8 sales because of a rear turn signal issue – one so subtle that most owners would never spot it unless it happened to them. At first, it looked like a small-scale problem, affecting only about 3,300 cars.

But that number didn’t stay small. According to the official recall document, the issue now stretches to nearly 33,000 cars – basically every recent mid-engine Corvette, from the 2025 and 2026 coupes and convertibles to the electrified E-Ray and even the rare ZR1X.

For a car...

The Autoblog spy photographers have discovered a fascinating feature of the upcoming Rolls-Royce electric SUV: it'll have a two-piece hood opening, evoking the coachbuilt classics that an electric SUV with a Spirit of Ecstasy mascot seems, on paper, so far from. Since Goodwood can't impress buyers with the cylinder count, Rolls-Royce will instead create spectacle with the body, as nothing else on the planet has such a setup. Sure, it'll be less practical than a regular hood opening, but when the bellhops extract your luggage outside the Four Seasons, even Bugatti owners will be forced to take a look.<...

F-Series Troubles

Ford's F-Series trucks aren't having such a great time at the moment. The first quarter of 2026 saw sales down by a substantial 16% compared to last year's figures, a worrisome figure for the nation's best-selling vehicle. Not helping matters were the successive fires at one of Ford's key suppliers for aluminum, Novelis, late last year.

Novelis is instrumental in the F-Series supply chain, as it produces aluminum sheets for its beds. Its facility in New York caught fire three times in the span of two months, crippling supply and causing production disruptions.

...

It's the end of the line for the Volkswagen ID.4 compact SUV in the US as the automaker has announced it is ending production of its only US-made EV at the Chattanooga plant in Tennessee this month.

The automaker said in a press release that it is prioritizing production of high-demand vehicles in Chattanooga, noting that the all-new 2027 Atlas SUV will be made at the site starting this summer.

“Volkswagen’s Chattanooga assembly plant will shift its primary focus to higher‑volume models that support sustained growth in North America. Central to this effort is the la...