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By on August 13, 2020

2019 Chevrolet Blazer front quarter

The mild content changes coming to Chevrolet’s midsize Blazer for 2021 were the talk of the town last month, though it’s entirely possible people were talking about Blazer for a very different reason

Regardless, one of the changes not talked about by either the public or General Motors is something first aired by the EPA. Read More >

By on August 13, 2020

We don’t have to tell you that organizations will frequently go to great lengths to protect themselves, sometimes pursuing unseemly tactics. German investigators are now checking to see if that extends to instances of murder after the body of a suspended Volkswagen employee was found in a burned-out automobile on Monday.

Prosecutors in Braunschweig announced Wednesday that they are looking into the matter, hoping to determine whether or not links exist to a dispute between VW Group and Bosnian supplier Prevent. Volkswagen claimed it was “the victim of an illegal eavesdropping attack” after someone recorded its plans to end its relationship with the parts supplier. Dozens of covert recordings, believed to have been taken by a male staffer, chronicled the process between 2017 and the start of 2018.

Authorities now worry the person found in the burned vehicle may have been their man. Read More >

By on August 13, 2020

The Rare Rides series has previously featured many Pontiacs, and today’s hatchback is our ninth to wear the Red Arrow badge. It’s also the smallest Pontiac we’ve ever featured.

It’s not a Chevette, but it is the Chevette’s sporty Driving Excitement cousin! Read More >

By on August 13, 2020

gm

Steve Carlisle, whose job title was recently upgraded to president of GM’s North American operations, knows you can’t market emissions-free driving on novelty alone. The former Cadillac brand boss offered a hint about the window sticker affixed to the upcoming Cadillac Lyriq electric SUV on Wednesday, citing a need for competitive pricing.

The Lyriq, which this writer can’t seem to spell correctly the first time, is Caddy’s first EV. The first of many, too. Entering production in late 2022 as a 2023 model, the midsize Lyriq’s price won’t be stratospheric, Carlisle claims. Read More >

By on August 13, 2020

This one’s a bit of a bummer, though it’s not surprising. The 2021 model year will bring a Hyundai model lineup bursting at the seams with crossovers, but there’s apparently no room for a lowly compact hatchback.

The sun in that photo is setting, not rising.

Offered since the early 2000s, the five-door version of the Elantra sedan (actually a wholly different car underneath) has met its end in the North American market. Read More >

By on August 13, 2020

Hyundai

Hyundai dropped details on the upcoming Elantra N Line sedan Thursday, revealing that the six-speed manual that disappeared from the previous Elantra Sport for 2020 will reappear in the new-generation model.

Not appearing in ’21 are extra horses, however. Read More >

By on August 13, 2020

Image: Ford

Let’s keep our minds far away from the gutter, folks. We may be talking inches today, but they’re cubic inches.

Yes, displacement, a unit of measurement that spans the gamut in today’s new vehicle lineups. Thanks to the advent of the subcompact crossover segment and the proliferation of big boy HD pickups, the breadth of displacement choice has only grown in recent years. General Motors can now sell you Chevrolets ranging from 1.2 to 6.6 liters, but Ford has them beat: 1.0 to 7.3 liters.

There’s plenty to choose from out there, but today we’re looking only in one direction. Read More >

By on August 12, 2020

BMW teased the M3 Touring today, surprising just about everyone, as no one outside the company actually knew it was planning to build a wagon version of the car. Rumors of substance had been circulating for about a month, since we live in the information age, but it’d be a new trick for the M3.

Obviously, we’re going to gush about it because people who write about cars tend to gravitate toward fun vehicles that fly under the radar. Any advantage you can give yourself against the watchful eyes of highway patrol are always welcome, and there’s just something about a quick wagon that makes you feel unique  even if owning one doesn’t automatically make it true. Read More >

By on August 12, 2020

Colossal rental car provider Hertz is on the hunt for life-sustaining cash, but raising it itself now seems out of the question. Hertz Global Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy in May, recently moved ahead with a plan to raise a cool half-billion through a stock sale, only for the Securities and Exchange Commission to step in and say “hey, whoa, no more of that.”

Left with no other option, Hertz is now seeking a bankruptcy loan. Read More >

By on August 12, 2020

The next time you don your best wool and tweed garb and grab the Holland & Holland for a day of upland game hunting on the moors, you might want to leave the largest of Rolls-Royces in your heated garage. That’s because the next-generation Ghost, the most affordable of Rolls’ cars, will send power to all four wheels.

Retailing for a mere $314,400 (2020 model), the now decade-old Ghost is a suicide-doored alternative to the gauche, look-at-me Phantom, Wraith, and Dawn, to say nothing of the Cullinan SUV. Due for a full revamp this fall, the Ghost stands to gain some of the features modern drivers can’t do without. Read More >

By on August 12, 2020

The other week we brought you a list of best used car buys for teen drivers. Driver safety factored heavily into the choices compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Consumer Reports, with the cheapest offerings obviously being car-like in nature.

With their lower prices, cars remains the ride of choice among teens, despite the new vehicle market shifting violently away from traditional three-box conveyances. They’re also the type of vehicle teens are most likely to turn up dead in, and the trend shows little change, despite the rapidly evolving auto landscape. Read More >

By on August 12, 2020

2020 BMW X1 xDrive28i

Crossovers often get mocked by auto journalists as “tall wagons.” These scribes – and there are many, myself included, who have used this term – don’t understand why people don’t buy actual wagons.

Indeed, just the other day, the section of the Twitterverse reserved for auto writers had a discussion about why the public likes the much-loathed crossover so much.

There’s the obvious reason, of course – most of the people in the car-buying public are either not car enthusiasts, or they’re enthusiasts forced into crossover life by budget and life needs. We’ve been over this before.

Read More >

By on August 12, 2020

Unifor will take on the Detroit automakers this week, with the Canadian union undoubtedly planning to do everything within its power to keep as many jobs as it can manage. Unfortunately, that might be easier said than done, what with vehicle demand suppressed by months of lockdowns and an associated economic recession. Despite the positivity surrounding Wall Street, regular folks aren’t in the mood to buy lately.

No matter. Union negotiations are always famously contentious anyway. Corporations want rock-bottom prices for top-shelf work and labor associations always have to ask for more to rationalize their existence. Unifor President Jerry Dias noted that he’s ready for whatever the Big Three throw at him, though we doubt it will include totally sweet offers for line workers. The best the union can probably hope for in 2020 is not losing more Canadian jobs than absolutely necessary. Read More >

By on August 12, 2020

Ram has issued a succinct press release on the status of its answer to the Ford Raptor. The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX is now officially set to debut next Monday, ready to dazzle you with the volume of dirt it can kick up when asked.

Sadly, that’s about all we can tell you. Despite the concept (pictured) coming equipped with a healthy 6.2-liter V8 belching out nearly 600 horsepower way back in 2016, everyone and their mother now claims the production TRX will come with a Hellcat motor to ensure Ford is shamed into submission. While that’s hardly the only metric one could use to measure the total value of an off-road pickup, most seem to think it’s a good place to start.

Read More >

By on August 12, 2020

kia

Everyone’s favorite rear-drive South Korean liftback sedan, the Kia Stinger stands to gain a refresh for the coming year. Appearing in its home market Wednesday, the ’21 Stinger aims for added aggression, but Kia didn’t lose its mind applying this facelift.

Details on powertrain alterations, if there are any (there might be!) are off the table for now, but the rest we can see with our own eyes. Read More >

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