Autoblog News

UA’s Most Ambitious Project To Date

For the past ten years, Urban Automotive has made a name for itself by taking already fancy European rides and cranking up the exclusivity. Range Rover, G-Wagen, Urus, Cullinan – you name it, they've probably given it the Urban treatment. Their formula? Aggressive looks, loads of carbon fiber, and just enough restraint to keep things recognizable.

For its tenth run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Urban isn't just rolling out another widebody kit. This time, they're showing off what they call their wildest project yet: the Urban Widetrack Avont...

Still Running Wild

The Ford Mustang is one of America’s longest-running sports car nameplates, alongside the Chevrolet Corvette, and has continued to keep its competition on its toes. So much so that, in the first half of this year, the Mustang outsold all of its rivals in the non-premium sports car segment combined, and did so in dominant fashion.

With H1 2026 sales of 28,725 vehicles, the Mustang sold more than seven times as many units as its closest competitor, the Toyota GR86, which sold 4,007 units during the same period. Other models in this space include th...

Tesla's Profits Are Down

Profit per vehicle is what it sounds like: essentially how much money an automaker makes per unit sold. Tesla's still the most profitable brand per vehicle sold for the fifth straight year, but recent developments could see it abdicate its throne in the near future.

The gap between first and second place is narrowing. Following closely behind Tesla in profits per unit is Toyota, at about $40 per unit. As to why this is happening, U.S. Tariffs, slowing EV demand, and the removal of EV tax credits are some of the...

Exhausting All Options

Toyota's approach to sustainable mobility has been measured and pragmatic; while the world has gone deep into EVs, the Japanese auto giant has chosen to explore all options. Pioneers in Hybrid technology, they've now also invested heavily in hydrogen-powered cars and are the only manufacturer still producing a Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV), the Toyota Mirai.

Not one to be deterred, Toyota isn't giving up on the FCEV technology; in fact, they're testing it further through their favorite testing program, racing.

BMW

2027 Toyota...

Redesigned, Restocked

The Nissan GT-R Skyline (BNR32) mouse is back in stock. When it was first released, the mouse quickly sold out, proving that demand for the legendary Nissan Skyline GT-R remains strong, even for its officially licensed spin-offs. New stock is now available for general sale to the public, with a bunch of new features.

Aside from the fact that it is a mouse, it's wireless, and it even comes with a dedicated mouse pad; it even has a light-up headlight gimmick. All of this is in addition to it being an officially licensed...

5 unmodified Ford SUVs and trucks just tackled a volcano more than 22,000 feet above sea level. The automaker backed a team attempting a Guinness World Record, sending its production vehicles into one of the most unforgiving environments on Earth. Freezing temperatures, brutal winds, steep volcanic slopes, and dangerously thin air combined to create a test far beyond anything most owners will ever experience.

Taking On The World's Tallest Volcano

Ford

Ford

Ford

The expedition took place on Ojos del Salado in Chile, the world's tallest active volcano. The fleet consisted...

A second heat dome of the summer is locking down over the western and central United States this weekend, and the desert road corridors are taking the worst of it. The National Weather Service has posted Extreme Heat Warnings across the Desert Southwest, where afternoon temperatures are forecast to reach up to 117 degrees in the lowest desert basins. Forecasters describe a strong upper-level ridge parking over the region, sinking hot air toward the surface and trapping it there for days.

The most dangerous window runs Sunday through Wednesday, when desert segments of I-10 and I-15 could sit...

A Familiar Promotion Makes a Comeback

Seven years ago, Dodge launched a promo that was pretty popular among Dodge muscle car fans. Forget boring cash discounts – Dodge’s Power Dollars handed buyers $10 for every single horsepower under the hood. It was a cheeky way to give gearheads one more excuse to buy the more powerful Dodge models.

Now, Power Dollars is back for another round. From July 9 to August 3, Dodge is rolling out Power Dollars for anyone picking up a 2026 Charger with the new gasoline SIXPACK engines. The rules are simple: more horsepower equals more cash...

Catastrophic flash flooding has turned parts of southeast Missouri into a disaster zone, and the threat is not over. Slow-moving thunderstorms parked over Reynolds and Iron counties overnight into Friday and dumped what the National Weather Service called a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall, with 8 to 12 inches falling in a matter of hours. The Black River near Lesterville rose roughly 8 feet in a single hour, prompting a Flash Flood Emergency, the most urgent flood alert the NWS issues.

The human toll built fast. According to CNN, dozens of people were pulled from floodwaters, including campers along the swollen Black...

After weeks of relentless heat, the Desert Southwest is flipping the switch. The North American monsoon, the seasonal wind shift that pulls deep moisture north from the Pacific and the Gulf of California, is arriving, and it will fuel the first widespread summer thunderstorms across the interior West this weekend into next week.

As AccuWeather explains, southerly winds are drawing increasing moisture into the region as an area of high pressure settles over the Four Corners, the classic setup for daily rounds of afternoon and evening storms.

Those storms are a double-edged sword. They can...

The Ultimate EV Fire Guarantee

Chinese automaker Chery is offering a wild new incentive to get you behind the wheel. Under their launched Rhino battery safety plan, the company makes a lifetime commitment. If your vehicle experiences a battery-induced thermal runaway, Chery will simply replace the car for free. This aggressive operational baseline covers all passenger electric vehicle platforms across the brand ecosystem.

This wild guarantee targets consumer anxieties, keeping mainstream buyers away from fully electric cars. Shoppers constantly read about major global recalls over pack combustion risks. Once a lithium pack ignites, the notorious...

EV sales have taken a tumble since federal tax credits were phased out last September. Industry analysts suggest high prices have added to range anxiety and concerns about public charging. But studies show a large number of potential buyers are reluctant to go electric fearing the eventually need to replace an EV’s batteries – which can reach $20,000 on some high-mileage models.

They may not have to worry, however,

A recent study by EV research firm Recurrent reveals that while the cells on early electric vehicles weren’t particularly reliable, the need to replace batteries on “Modern E...

The Hype Building Around The Compact G-Class

Mercedes-Benz fans have been buzzing about the upcoming miniature version of the iconic G-Wagon. Insider leaks confirm the new model will bring a unique flavor rather than just being a shrunken carbon copy of the legendary G-Wagon. This strategic design choice ensures the compact variant retains a premium feel while appealing to urban adventurers.

We've caught a glimpse of what to expect when photographers captured camouflaged prototypes testing in the wild. Initially, the manufacturer teased an exclusively electric future for the off-roader. That narrative shifted when executives reversed...

Maserati Perfects Alfa's Formula

To this day, if you had to ask me to name the best-driving SUV in the world, it would be the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. There are better all-around vehicles, but for a single pleasurable drive, the Stelvio's pinpoint steering, gutsy engine, and car-like agility made it the most entertaining SUV I have ever reviewed. Granted, Ferrari has never handed me the keys to a Purosangue.

Though I have called the Alfa the best-driving SUV of my journalistic career, I've also criticized it for having a lackluster interior, dated technology, and...

The Escort America Never Got

The Ford Escort has a pretty ho-hum image in the U.S, but mention this model to folks across the pond, and you'll hear endless stories of it being a rally legend and an icon of Ford's European operations. One nameplate with opposing reputations and completely different histories.

America only got the Escort starting in 1980, but the original European model debuted in 1968. It was an economy car built in the same vein as the Toyota Corolla from the same era. But then, Ford made racing versions of the car, competing...

How Many Inches?

The Chery Jaguar and Land Rover partnership is doing a big-screen teaser for its newest "revived" model, the Freelander 8. The numbers alone are enough to turn heads: 46.3 inches is the equivalent of an average-sized TV nowadays, and the Chery JLR Freelander packs that into its dashboard.

However, when you look at it, it's not as crazy as it sounds, since the 8K panoramic screen spans 46.3 inches across a very wide space, similar to how BMW does it with its Panoramic Vision screens in its latest crop of EVs. The Freelander 8's teaser p...

The RS Standard

Needless to say, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS is one of the benchmarks for street-legal, track-ready cars. It notably features a Formula 1-inspired drag reduction system (DRS) on its active rear wing, a technology Toyota could adopt for future versions of its latest flagship sports car.

PistonHeads, which was invited by Toyota UK to take a closer look at the Toyota GR GT and GR GT3, reported that GR GT project manager Takashi Doi hinted that movable wings “aren't off the table for future models,” referencing the DRS-style wing on the 911 GT3 RS. The...

Porsche never struggles to attract attention at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, but this year they have more art pieces than ever before. Alongside the breathtaking Tree of Life 911 GT3 Touring from Porsche's Sonderwunsch program, three one-off Porsche 911s, inspired by Toy Story 5, stole the spotlight.

Of course, there was plenty of other automotive eye candy, including what appears to be the Lexus LFA's long-awaited successor and the quad-turbo V12-powered Zenvo Aurora Tur. Yet, few cars drew bigger crowds than these movie-inspired Porsches. Seeing them up close, it's easy to understand why.

Buzz Lightyear's...

The Cadillac EV Expansion

Cadillac continues to aggressively expand its electric vehicle lineup to capture premium buyers transitioning away from internal combustion engines. We particularly liked its blend of distinct styling, modern cabin technology, and everyday driving range. These product efforts are yielding substantial commercial results, driving record sales growth across the brand's entire electric portfolio as traditional luxury buyers migrate away from legacy competitors.

However, a major architectural shift is already underway behind the scenes for the luxury crossover's next iteration. According to a report from GM Authority, General Motors plans to migrate the...

As British as Fish and Chips

The British motoring industry is one of great highs and crushing lows. But despite all the challenges, the Mini has stayed strong and resilient, even as many of its compatriot brands have crumbled around it. The ten-foot motorized symbol of Englishness has deeply rooted itself in British pop culture and has won many fans around the world.

Okay, it's been under BMW's wing for decades now, but the cars still retain some of the charm of the original from 1959, at least in the modern hatchbacks. The company also likes...

Your favorite VW Group brand could look very different by 2030

The full extent of the Volkswagen Group’s restructure have become clearer over the last few weeks. Late in June, a report said VW was set to cut up to 100,000 jobs and would close four factories as competition from Chinese brands intensifies. What was less obvious is how these potential cutbacks would affect the company’s model range. We now have the answer, as the executive board of the VW Group has presented its future plan this week. Part of that plan includes slashing its model lineup by u...

Subaru Keeps the Formula Mostly Intact

The Subaru Crosstrek is still holding down the fort for the star-spangled brand in America, right up there with the Forester. Sure, it's lost a bit of steam in early 2026, but it's still a mainstay in Subaru showrooms and a common sight on the road.

That said, Subaru hasn't gone wild with updates for 2027. Prices are basically the same as last year – at least on paper. The sneaky bit, however, is the destination charge, which has crept up from $1,420 to $1,475, so you might want to check the math before cel...

UPDATE (July 11, 2026 at 3:00 am ET): Toyota reached out Autoblog and provided its statement regarding the production delay:

"Additional adjustments are being made to the vehicle prior to launch with a delay of a minimum of eight weeks. At reveal, Toyota announced that models were expected to start arriving at Toyota dealerships in late 2026 and into 2027. We will update on-sale timing when start of production is confirmed."

The original story continues below.

Gas and Hybrids Remain Strong

Toyota's delaying its three-row EV SUV until next year. The United States was supposed to...

The Future in Doubt

As it is, large flagship sedans are on shaky ground at best. If anything, it's just the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class that are keeping that segment above water. America doesn't have an answer for those models, as Cadillac and Lincoln have axed their respective large sedans. The Lexus LS, the car that disrupted that particular segment, has also been discontinued.

That brings us to the Audi A8. At the moment, even the folks from Ingolstadt aren't entirely sure what to do with it. At the same time, it's slowly being...

The premium compact coupe segment is about to get a lot more interesting, with the upcoming Mercedes-AMG CLE 63 returning to V8 power as it aims to lure BMW M4 owners in. And there could be a lot more oomph than we were originally anticipating, with more than 700 horsepower now looking very likely. Affalterbach has just launched the tiny CLA 45+ with 671 hp, or as much as the current C 63, and that means the coupe version of the C-Class (the CLE 63 spied in these images) needs to stake its claim as the current king of the lineup.

Mercedes-AMG's New...

Porsche builds fast works of art. That's nothing new. The 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed was filled with extraordinary machines, from the debut of the mighty quad-turbo V12-powered Zenvo Aurora Tur to Maserati's all-new GT racing car. Yet one of the biggest surprises wasn't the fastest or the loudest. It was this breathtaking Porsche 911 GT3 Touring, called "The Tree of Life".

We saw the special 911 in person at Goodwood, and while its vivid purple/pink finish grabs your attention, the story behind it makes it even more remarkable. Created through Porsche's exclusive Sonderwunsch – German for "special request" – pers...

Miss the Fit?

Subcompact hatchbacks and sedans are extinct in the U.S, and there are no more sub-$20,000 brand-new cars in the market today. But if you wind the clock back 10 to 15 years, there were a lot of great choices available. One of those was the Honda Fit, and it was quite a packaging miracle.

Beyond that, the Fit was a surprisingly fun car to drive. It's far from a hot hatch, but its chassis felt dynamic, and the manual was a joy to shift. Despite its talents, it was discontinued in the U...

New IIHS safety results are a mixed bag

The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety (IIHS) has released new safety ratings for nine models. These results apply to 2026 model-year vehicles, and the ratings are based on a series of crashworthiness and crash-prevention tests conducted by the safety authority. Four new models achieved the coveted Top Safety Pick+ award, but several models battled with the latest moderate overlap front crash test. Here’s an overview of the results, which includes both mass-market and luxury brands.

The Latest Safety Award Winners

2026 Subaru Crosstrek Hybrid

Kr...

Nissan's Baby Armada Has Finally Arrived

After its teaser and announcement last year, Nissan has finally pulled the covers off the all-new Tekton at its global debut in India. This compact SUV is the latest move in Nissan's comeback playbook, offering buyers a more wallet-friendly alternative to the hulking Patrol – better known as the Nissan Armada if you're in North America.

The Tekton is a key player in Nissan's 'One Car, One World' push. Co-developed with Renault and rolling off the Alliance's Chennai plant, this SUV is set to launch in about 50 markets across the Mi...

Toyota's “Holy Trinity”

When Toyota yanked the covers off its so-called "Holy Trinity" last December, it was easily the brand’s boldest performance flex in years. The spotlight was split between the road-going GR GT, the track-focused GR GT3, and the Lexus LFA Concept – a spiritual follow-up to one of Japan’s most legendary supercars.

But while the Gazoo Racing twins looked ready to hit the road or track, the Lexus stayed true to its name: just a concept. The LFA Concept was more of a teaser for Lexus’s next flagship than anything you could actuall...

Lexus just had its best June ever

Lexus reported 29,166 vehicles sold in June, up 3.9 percent year over year and enough for the brand's best-ever June. Lexus moved just 3,367 sedans and coupes in June, down 27.2 percent, and its passenger-car volume is off 39.2 percent for the year.

The ES fell 89.3 percent as it winds down ahead of a redesign; the flagship LS dropped 98.5 percent; and the RC coupe has all but left the building, with just 3 units sold.

Jared Rosenholtz/Autoblog

The IS surges in June 2026

Lexus sold 2,888 copies...

Lucid is offering a $10,000 credit on the hood of its remaining 2026 Gravity SUVs, paired with zero-interest financing for a full 6 years. It is a compelling deal for anyone shopping for a luxury electric SUV, and it is also one more sign that demand for expensive EVs has gone cold. The offer, promoted through an email campaign and listed on Lucid's website, requires buyers to take delivery by July 31. It lands at an awkward moment for the company, which is still selling first-year 2026 Gravity stock in July, even though the updated 2027 model went on sale back in April. With a...

The Hype is There

General Motors is adjusting its sports-car assembly strategy as early production data for the 2027 Corvette reveal a clear shift in consumer preferences. The Bowling Green Assembly Plant is currently closed for its annual summer shutdown following the July 4th holiday. However, the first three weeks of assembly since the June 8th launch show that buyers are increasingly selecting higher-performance, premium variants over the entry-level model.

The new Grand Sport has already been spotted in the wild as dealerships prepare for initial deliveries. The launch data suggest that Chevrolet successfully captured distinct...

A North American debut that stops at the border

Chinese EV maker Leapmotor has officially entered Mexico, giving the Stellantis-backed brand its first foothold in North America. Leapmotor has launched its B10 EREV SUV in Mexico for $32,895, offering up to 615 miles of range combined, from its 1.5-liter range extender engine and electric motor, paired with an 18.8kWh battery. This brings one of China's fastest-growing automakers to America's doorstep, while US trade barriers keep it out of domestic showrooms.

Instead, Mexico has become the company's North American foothold, highlighting how trade policy has effectively split the...

A concerning seat issue returns for the Kia Telluride

Kia has recalled over 460,000 Telluride crossovers for a fire risk related to overheated power seat motors. The high number of vehicles recalled applies to most of the first-generation model years but does not include the all-new Telluride, which arrived for the 2027 model year. The fire risk is serious enough for Kia to have advised affected Telluride owners to park outside. Here’s everything we know about a significant recall impacting one of America’s favorite three-row crossovers.

Kia Telluride Recall Detailed

Kia

A boxer engine is flatter and wider than a traditional Vee engine, creating several challenges, but that hasn't stopped Ruf from continually improving the layout, and now it's revealed a new horizontally opposed engine with eight cylinders. The flat-eight is being shown off in a modified Ruf CTR3 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this weekend, taking to Lord March's driveway with Tanner Foust behind the wheel every day from tomorrow until Sunday. But its true home is yet to be announced, with Ruf saying the new boxer-eight is destined for a future supercar. If it's going in a...

A Concept That Waited  60 Years

Some concepts get stuck in the sketchbook. Others just bide their time. Bizzarrini’s latest is the patient type. Meet the 5300 Aperta Lusso: an open-top grand tourer dreamed up by the late Giotto Bizzarrini and Giorgetto Giugiaro over 60 years ago, and finally brought to light.

Originally conceived in the early 1960s, this project was shelved as Bizzarrini chased racing glory and was ultimately shut down in 1969, leaving the idea gathering dust in the archives. Now, Bizzarrini is dusting off the old blueprints for its first all-new production car in decades. The...

UPDATE (July 9, 2026 at 4:00 pm): Hyundai reached out to Autoblog and clarified that the myQ Connected Garage technology will be a new service to be added on top of its existing HomeLink physical garage door/gate controls. In the company's own words:

"Our vehicles continue to be available with HomeLink physical garage door/gate controls for optimum one-touch convenience. myQ is an additional owner-elective feature from Chamberlain Group that does not replace the functionality of our popular HomeLink physical buttons. myQ is a convenience and safety connectivity technology for customers who value additional remote control and supervision of...

A structural defect prompts Toyota's latest recall

A recall has been issued for approximately 5,400 examples of the 2026 Toyota Grand Highlander and Lexus TX after a defect in the rear axle carrier that could increase crash risk was discovered. While the Grand Highlander recall campaign is relatively small, especially by recall standards related to this model line, it involves a structural suspension component rather than a software update or labeling error, making it a more significant issue for affected owners.

The SUVs span one of Toyota's fastest-growing product lines, with prices ranging from about $42,000 for a...

It was Bound to Happen

For the most part, every car that Mercedes-Benz launches, you're pretty much guaranteed an AMG version down the line. After all, this was a company that turned the R-Class minivan into a tire-shredding people carrier with a 6.2-liter V8. There's no doubt, then, that even the smallest Mercedes models would get the sporty treatment.

That's exactly the case for the CLA. Ever since the first generation, it has always come with an AMG version, so it was only a matter of time before the all-new model received a healthy dose...