California governor Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order that will ban the sale of new cars that are gasoline-powered, beginning in the year 2035.

“This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change,” Newsom said in a statement. “For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe. You deserve to have a car that doesn’t give your kids asthma… Cars shouldn’t melt glaciers or raise sea levels threatening our cherished beaches and coastlines.”

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Users of one of the forums owned by our corporate siblings have spent part of the day complaining that when they attempt to reserve their own 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, the site crashes. Read More >

It’s been talked about and teased, and now it’s finally here. Volkswagen took the wraps off the 2021 ID.4 electric vehicle in one of the now-ubiquitous live-streamed reveals.

You can even buy yours today if you like what you see. Reservations are open.

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Put down your guns. Take your ball and go home.

The war is over. The game has moved on.

Perhaps we’re being just a tad melodramatic, or perhaps we’re injecting a dose of reality into our oil-laced veins. The hot hatch of tomorrow is not the hot hatch of yesterday. In Enthusiasts v. The Market, the 2021 Mazda CX-30 Turbo is just the latest piece of evidence unabashedly layered on top of the auto industry’s mountain of discovery.

The arrival of a small Mazda crossover with all-wheel drive and 320 lb-ft of torque – which doesn’t exactly sound like impending doom, come to think of it – is certainly not the only sign that the market has shifted. Remember, the ordinary Porsche 911 Carrera can no longer be acquired with a manual shifter; the front-wheel-drive coupe is extinct; and America’s best-selling SUV outsells America’s best-selling car by more than 40 percent.

No, the CX-30 Turbo is just one sign that the market has shifted, but is it more than that? Is the 250-horsepower CX-30 laying the groundwork for a shift in how we define hot hatches? And if so, would that be so bad? And furthermore, is the CX-30 really all that different from the hot hatches we’ve known and loved? Read More >

So you just bought your 2021 Ram 1500 TRX. You’ve got a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 from the Hellcat underhood, making 702 horsepower. You’re ready to take on the desert, if not the world.

Yet, you have no frickin’ clue what a certain infotainment-system setting does. You’re stumped. You’ve dove into the owner’s manual and the dry prose has you flummoxed and the index is no help. What’s a truck owner to do?

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Tabless batteries and a Plaid trim level of the Model S made the biggest news at Tesla’s much-hyped “Battery Day.”

Batteries that last longer, cost less, and have more power will help drive EV adoption, and the new 4680 tabless battery cells, which are cylindrical and larger, are claimed to provide five times as much energy as before, with six times the power and up to 16 percent more range. Tesla says production on these batteries has already begun.

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If you like pumpkin spice, Acura has continued the quest to pumpkin spice all the things with the 2021 Acura RDX PMC Edition.

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There’s a whole slew of virtual vehicle launches happening this month and next, and Kia took their turn today, unveiling the 2021 Kia Sorento.

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The New York Times, or one writer paid by the New York Times (one journalist’s take or analysis or opinion doesn’t represent the entire paper, you know), had a piece out a couple days ago claiming the dawn of the EV age is now.

Somehow, I missed this article until now. But let’s a look at its assertions, shall we, and see what is and is not accurate?

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A bronco was being tested on Chicago’s Dan Ryan Expressway Monday, without camouflage, in full view of commuters.

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Hi there! You’ve probably learned a bit about your author during my time at TTAC, but you might not know I toiled in the service department of various car dealerships early in my career.

I started as a porter in high school, then eventually worked as a greeter in the service bay (basically, managing the flow of cars and customers in the service drive), before finally working as a service writer (aka service advisor). I did that final job both in an express-service lane at a dealer (think oil changes and basic maintenance) as well as in a capacity as a “regular” advisor (not just oil changes, but all types of repair). Read More >

The North American International Auto Show, aka the Detroit Auto Show, is moving. Again.

It never even had a chance to take place in summer, due to COVID. Now, it will be moving to September.

That’s right – assuming the pandemic is under control enough to allow for large gatherings by then, the NAIAS will take place just over one year from now, starting on September 28, 2021. The show will conclude on October 9.

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More spy shots of the upcoming Ford Maverick small pickup truck have surfaced over on MaverickChat.com.

These shots show the Maverick (in FX4 trim) parked alongside a current Ranger, and show that the Maverick is narrower, lower, and smaller.

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Nissan’s Maxima turns 40 this year.

“This year” is a tricky statement, of course, since the year of production isn’t necessarily the same as the model year, but whether you mark it from the beginning of production in 1980 or the first model year in 1981, either way you slice it, the Maxima is hitting the big 4-0.

And Nissan is marking the milestone with a special edition package. Naturally.

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U.S. auto-parts manufacturer Garrett Motion filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy over the weekend. The announcement comes as ex-parent Honeywell International decided it could do without turbochargers and spun the company off in 2018. Garrett claims it lost a bunch of money during coronavirus lockdowns, like so many others, and was dumped by Honeywell only to be saddled with financial liabilities related to asbestos-exposure claims.

But Garrett has also said it’s entering into a purchase agreement with the private equity firm KPS Capital Partners LP for roughly $2.1 billion, providing more than a shred of hope things will turn out okay. While other firms can take a whack at buying the turbo supplier, they must be willing to cover its corporate debt by exceeding the existing bid and will likewise be subject to court approval. Garrett thinks it can still come out on top and wrap the sale by the start of 2021 without interrupting production any more than the pandemic already has. Read More >