Street News

Next-Generation Revamp Hitting Pause Needless to say, the Kia Sorento is a big deal for the brand. It’s South Korea’s best-selling passenger vehicle as of May 2026, and it’s also a top-seller in the US. That tells you just how important this midsize SUV is to Kia’s global game plan. The current MQ4 generation is almost seven years old, so a full redesign seemed like the obvious next step. But new sightings in South Korea suggest Kia might be changing course. A Sorento test mule was spotted in Ko

Biological Realities of Car Crashes It might not seem significant, but male and female anatomies are distinctly different. These biological variations warrant entirely different parameters for crash testing. Cars have become dramatically safer recently, but according to a new study from Graz University of Technology proves women are not benefiting equally. Researchers analyzed Austrian crash data from 2012 through 2024 to reconstruct real-world accidents. They found that female occupants face a

The Corvette's Final Stretch Six years on, the mid-engine Chevy Corvette C8 is clearly in its twilight years. Chevrolet hasn’t given an exact end date, but the 2027 model year brings the biggest shakeup since the C8 first landed in 2020. The biggest news, of course, is the addition of the all-new Corvette Grand Sport and Grand Sport X. The Grand Sport sits between the Stingray and Z06, while the Grand Sport X brings a hybrid powertrain and steps into the shoes left by the E-Ray. And then there’s

The Lancia V4 Engine Was Ahead of Its Time Automotive channel MotoIQ recently showcased a true mechanical masterpiece inside its latest teardown video. They examined a 1968 Lancia Fulvia V4 belonging to automotive journalist and current Vehicle Dynamics Manager for Mazda R&D, Dave Coleman. The Fulvia is one of the brand's iconic vehicles, being one of the first front-wheel-drive cars. This strange Italian motor features an incredibly narrow 12-degree V angle housed under a single cylinder he

Volkswagen believes the shift from internal combustion vehicles to electric cars will happen naturally over time, comparing it to the transition from horses to automobiles more than a century ago. Speaking to Auto Express, Volkswagen sales and marketing boss Martin Sander argued that the industry focuses too heavily on bans and regulations instead of convincing buyers why EVs make sense in the first place. According to him, customers will eventually move to electric vehicles because they see cle

A Quiet Safety Feature Airbags are one of those things most drivers rarely think about until they matter. Sitting alongside seatbelts, they remain one of the most common and effective safety features in modern cars. Save for the deadly Takata inflator scandal, airbags have largely earned their place as a quiet but critical layer of protection in crashes. But here’s the thing: airbags haven’t really changed much over the years. No matter if you’re tall, short, sitting upright, or slouched back, t

The Last Car You'd Call "Bonkers" For decades, the Toyota Camry has been the poster child for sensible cars. No matter where you are, it’s never been the car you’d pick for excitement. But that reputation might be in for a shake-up, at least for now. At the Super Taikyu Fuji 24-Hour Race, Toyota decided to have some fun. Two teams – Akio Toyoda’s GR Gazoo Racing crew and Hiroki Nakajima’s Toyota Racing group – went head-to-head. The mission? Take the North American Camry and turn it into somethi

Subaru Has More Than One Surprise Up Its Sleeve Japan’s Super Taikyu Fuji 24-Hour Race had its share of surprises. While Akio Toyoda rolled out some wild Toyota Camry concepts, Subaru quietly used the event to hint at several new performance projects of its own. Subaru kept the cars themselves under wraps, but confirmed that three new manual-transmission models are in the works. The most intriguing is a five-door hatchback that could end up being the brand’s most interesting enthusiast car in a

More Bang For The Mustang Earlier this year, Fordintroduced the Mustang Dark Horse SC, a factory-backed supercharged version of the Dark Horse that produces 795 horsepower, though it comes with a starting price of more than $100,000. Now, Roush Performance has unveiled a new supercharger package for the MY2026 Mustang GT and Dark Horse at a significantly lower cost. Better yet, the system is 50-state CARB compliant, meaning owners in emissions-strict states such as California can legally take ad

The FIFA World Cup, soccer’s most important and prestigious tournament, begins next weekend in North America, marking the first time the competition is hosted by three nations: Canada, Mexico and the United States. Spectators attending the matches will be in for another premiere, before even reaching their seats. Hyundai-backed Boston Dynamics will reportedly deploy its four-legged robot “dogs” at FIFA World Cup venues in North Texas, according to Dallas Express. Robotic Dogs Will Be Used For Se

What Is Whining Inside Toyota's 8-Speed? Lately, Toyota's once-stellar reputation for reliability has taken a significant hit, and the culprit appears to be its eight-speed automatic transmission. According to a recent teardown and analysis by the YouTube channel The Car Care Nut, the specific transmission in the hot seat is the UA80. It first debuted in 2017 for the Highlander and Sienna, which experienced early teething problems right out of the gate. Fast forward a few years, and the UA80 is

Character Development General Motors is introducing a new engine to the C8 Corvette lineup with the 6.7-liter LS6 V8. However, it will not significantly shake up the engine range for MY2027, as it is simply replacing the LT2. Still, GM has given each Corvette engine its own distinct personality, adding context beyond its factory power output. The LS6, coming to the Stingray and Grand Sport, makes 535 horsepower, 40 more than the outgoing LT2. GM engineer Mike Kociba said the engine leans into th

While legacy automakers in Detroit struggle to optimize their logistical operations and supply chains, China’s automotive juggernaut just bypassed the global logistics bottleneck entirely. How? By building its own navy of eight specialized cargo ships. Earlier this month, the BYD Zhengzhou—a purpose-built, roll-on/roll-off (RORO) car carrier owned outright by BYD—docked in Melbourne, Australia. Its cargo hold didn't contain a handful of compliance cars or auto-show prototypes. It unloaded nearly

With autonomous ride-hailing services like Waymo, Zoox, and Tesla becoming increasingly common across U.S. cities, it was only a matter a time until criminals found a way to integrate robotaxis into their illegal activities. The first such documented use of a robotaxi to conduct a crime—in San Francisco at least—took place in January this year. A Waymo robotaxi acted as an unsuspecting getaway car for a burglar who broke into a yoga studio to steal yoga clothes. Waymo Getaway Car Turns Unremarka

Another AMG GT 4-Door Roast? After much attention had been given to the Ferrari Luce, another critique video has been made about the Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door. Well, Ferrari can't hog the spotlight for the most divisive design of 2026, and there have been a lot of contenders so far. Oh, what an age we live in. But this critique is a little different. This one comes from Davis Yongwon Lee, and he's backed up by loads of credentials. Lee was an exterior designer for Mercedes-Benz for seven years. Dur

Back To The People? The Volkswagen Golf was once a mass-market choice in the U.S., but the brand’s strategy has shifted to selling only performance-oriented versions, resulting in a starting price of around $35,000 for the entry-level model. However, the lineup could see major changes, including more affordable trims, once Golf production moves from Germany to Mexico starting in 2027. Volkswagen Group of America CEO Kjell Gruner told Automotive News that “producing it in North America opens up o

The Heart of the Beast Gets Bigger The 2027 C8 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray prepares for a monumental update. A recent video from the YouTube channel MOTROLIX showcases a pre-production Stingray armed with GM's all-new 6.7-liter LS6 V8. This Gen-6 powerplant takes the reins from the 6.2-liter LT2, which has been the staple engine since the C8's groundbreaking 2020 introduction. Despite bringing a bigger and more aggressive V8 to the party for 2027, the new Corvette takes almost no penalty in fuel

Time Capsule for Sale E36 BMWs are dime a dozen. You can see loads of third-gen 3 Series on various selling and auction sites, and you can get one cheap as a project car. More often than not, it's just the M3s, Alpinas, and special models that are cherished, and it's not often you find a preserved and spotless example of the more pedestrian models. But that's exactly what's for sale over in the Netherlands right now. What we have here is a 1995 320i sedan that's barely been driven over the last

The Most Efficient Jeep Despite previously offering the bestselling plug-in hybrid vehicle in America, the Wrangler 4xe, Jeep did not have a single conventional hybrid before the 2026 Cherokee. The Cherokee arrives at an important time as gas prices rise, causing drivers to pay more at the pumps. It boasts fuel economy ratings of 39 MPG city, 35 on the highway, and 37 combined, the highest real-world efficiency of any Jeep product without a plug (excluding EVs, PHEVs calculated in MPGe, and Euro

Rewriting The Camaro Formula The Chevrolet Camaro built its reputation as a coupe muscle car that could go head-to-head against the likes of the Ford Mustang and Dodge Challenger. Now that the nameplate is reportedly making a comeback, possibly with a four-door sedan variant, it is understandable why some push back against the idea. But according to GM Authority, a four-door Camaro could provide a stronger business case for the nameplate while still allowing Chevy to offer a traditional two-door

The Classic Formula With ever-stricter regulations, it's becoming increasingly difficult to build lightweight sports cars. Building them affordably is an even greater challenge, which is why we have to thank Mazda for staying committed to the MX-5. The current model is already 11 years old, but it remains a joy to drive. While far bigger than the original model, the ND is just ever so slightly heavier than the car that came out nearly 40 years ago. Mazda has done well with sticking with its so-c

Ferrari is widely considered the undisputed king of car brand merchandise, with the Prancing Horse logo being featured on all kinds of products, from clothing, footwear, accessories and lifestyle items to jewelry, bags, eyewear, toys and everything in between. Obviously, Ferrari makes a lot of money from this side of the business—almost as much as it does from selling supercars. Still, it’s not the only super luxury brand that has branched out heavily in merchandise. Bugatti also offers a wide r

A Coachbuilder's Dream Candidate The Porsche 911, particularly air-cooled examples, has become a staple of coachbuilding thanks to companies like Singer Vehicle Design. But one designer decided to skip the timeless sports car and instead turn to one of Porsche’s rarest creations: the Carrera GT, which has been transformed into a Le Mans-inspired machine. The designer in question is Jason Castriota, who designed iconic cars including the Ferrari 599, Maserati GranTurismo, SSC Tuatara, and Ford Mu

The Corvette C8 Was a Revolution No One Asked For The shifting landscape of American sports cars reached a defining moment when Chevrolet transitioned the Corvette to a mid-engined layout for the C8 generation. This dramatic move forever altered how enthusiasts view the iconic brand. It also made a return to a traditional front-engined silhouette highly unlikely for any future production models. Despite this corporate shift, Jaguar Exterior Design Manager Jason Battersby decided to explore what

Rivian is facing harsh criticism after an unhappy R1T owner spray-painted phrases including “DON’T BUY JUNK” and “RIVIAN IS JUNK” across his truck before parking it directly opposite the company’s Denver showroom. The protest gained attention online through Reddit posts and a website, titled rivianisjunk.com, documenting the owner’s experience. The ownership dispute turned into a public spectacle for the EV startup, just days before the Rivian R2's arrival. Years Of Frustration

EV startup Slate Auto may have attracted another major investor besides Jeff Bezos, who took a major stake in the company in 2023, only one year after its founding, Documents obtained by TechCrunch now show that online used auto retailer Carvana has been granted the option to invest in Slate Auto last year. Carvana was given a warrant to buy shares in Slate Auto in 2025, around the same time the startup was starting to put together its $650 million Series C funding round, paperwork filed with D

Entry Level Luxury The Cadillac Optiq is considered the entry-level option for the brand's all-electric lineup. It sits below the Lyric, and to buy the "base" model EV Caddy, you have to pay at least $52,695. Since Cadillac is a luxury brand after all, it did the prerequisite service of giving owners the option to spec the Optiq. Now live on their website is the Optiq car configurator, and since we love a good configurator, we hopped on and tried to max out the specs and options, and wow, does t