Street News

Waymo has decided to make driverless taxis a less daunting prospect with its Ojai (pronounced Oh-hai) robotaxi. On the outside, it’s just a boxy, blue minivan with a few sensors and automatic sliding doors, which open the portal to a far roomier cabin than its previous offerings or even Tesla’s Robotaxi can offer. In order not to alienate skeptical newbies on their maiden autonomously driven voyage, there’s still a steering wheel. Inside, the Ojai abandons the cramped, converted-car feel of earl

Top-Shelf German V8 The Mercedes-Benz M176 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 is the kind of engine you’ll find quietly doing its job in the brand’s priciest non-AMG models. S-Class, GLS, G-Class, Maybach S 580 – they all rely on this V8 for that effortless torque and smooth, confident acceleration you expect from a luxury flagship. For the most part, the M176 has built a reputation for reliability, though servicing isn’t exactly a simple task. That said, a 2018 Mercedes S560 with the M176 developed a rod

Slate Auto Bucks the Connected Trend Automakers are stuffing vehicles with constant internet connections and tracking devices. A startup based in Warsaw, Indiana, is taking the opposite approach with its new electric pickup truck. According to a report from the SAE Media Group, Slate Auto recently announced that its upcoming vehicle will exclude an embedded modem. This decision severs the data tether found in almost every other new car. Buyers looking to escape data brokers now have a serious co

When the words “Mansory” and “G-Class” appear in the same sentence, you already know the result is going to be polarizing. With their latest creation, the controversial German tuning house has outdone itself. Enter the Mansory P720, a "price on request" gold G-Wagon that somehow manages to make the standard six-figure luxury SUV look completely pedestrian by comparison. Mansory Th

Beijing's Ultra-Luxury Gamble in Moscow China's premier automotive brand is making an incredibly aggressive play for Russia's elite car buyers. With strict European sanctions completely cutting off legitimate dealer access to traditional German mainstays like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series, wealthy local businessmen are hunting for alternative status symbols. According to a report from Autohome, Chinese state-owned FAW Group is capitalizing on this luxury vacuum by introducing the m

A Much-Needed Facelift We still remember the initial reactions towards the seventh-generation 7 Series. Just when we thought the facelifted sixth-gen model had a massive grille, we were all proven wrong in 2022. Couple that with the monolithic theme of the exterior, and there were, inevitably, violent reactions to it. More recently, the flagship sedan received a facelift, or rather, benefitted from one. Yes, there were still some negative comments about it, but there have been those saying it's

A Tariff Workaround Kia has kicked off US production of the Sportage Hybrid, and this shift could be just as important for the bottom line as it is for shoppers. The first Sportage Hybrid rolled out of Hyundai Motor Group’s Metaplant in Georgia on June 2, marking not only the first Kia-badged vehicle built there but also the first time the Sportage Hybrid is assembled in America. Up until now, every Sportage Hybrid came from South Korea, which meant a 15% US tariff right off the bat. By shifting

Dealerships, Beware Just over a week ago, we wrote about how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has been cracking down on car dealerships across the nation. What's got the FTC so ticked off? Apparently, certain dealerships have been using dubious, borderline shady marketing and advertising tactics. At the time we wrote the previous report, it was disclosed that the FTC had issued warning letters to 97 dealerships under FTC review. Now, it seems the FTC is being more deliberate about it and has a

Hyundai has released its U.S. sales figures for May 2026, and the results show the vast difference in growth rates between various powertrains. While Hyundai’s overall May sales were up 3% year-over-year, EVs increased by 10% and hybrids by a substantial 90%. In fact, this was the best-ever month for Hyundai hybrid vehicles, with four hybrid models achieving record May sales. EVs have rebounded after a decline in sales following the scrapping of the federal tax credit last year, and the three-ro

The modern Land Rover Defender is beginning to show its age, with the L663 generation launching in 2019, and it's nearly time for a refresh inside and out. Land Rover USA's best-seller by far, the Defender is worthy of being its own brand with three models of the same name distinguished only by the length of their bodies, but it's a tricky vehicle to improve on. The Defender's shape is a brand of its own, and it seems JLR won't be doing too much to mess with it, as camouflage has only been deeme

Busted...Again As if there isn't enough AI slop littering the internet right now, companies are increasingly relying on generated images rather than letting actual creatives do the work. One such automaker is Stellantis, and it was caught using bad AI yet again. Getting caught once is embarrassing enough. A few months ago, Dodge and RAM posted 'throwback' photos of their vehicles on their socials, and it was obvious from the start that AI had been used to create the images. Indeed, the Dodge Neo

Signs of Life It's been far too long since the Pacifica had a companion in the lineup. For the longest time, Chrysler has been soldiering on with just one model, and no, we're not counting the discontinued Voyager as it was essentially a decontented Pacifica. It also doesn't help that the minivan is already about a decade old. However, efforts are underway to revitalize the once-proud marque. When Stellantis presented its Fastlane 2030 vision, there were plans for Chrysler to expand its lineup.

Honda Continues Sales Surge Driven by Core Models American Honda posted strong sales results for May 2026, outperforming the previous month's record by 18.58% and growing 9.95% compared to the same period last year. Total sales for the month reached 148,903 units, showing sustained momentum for both the Honda and Acura brands. This impressive growth proves that consumer demand for affordable, practical transportation remains incredibly high. The massive monthly surge was driven primarily by thre

The Resurrection of a Cinematic Icon The legendary Eleanor Mustang remains one of the most famous cars in cinema history. Inspired by the sleek lines of a 1967 Shelby GT500, this vehicle captured the hearts of car enthusiasts globally. The car became an instant cultural phenomenon after its starring role in the hit movie Gone in 60 Seconds. For decades, strict copyright restrictions legally blocked custom builders from using the Eleanor name or replicating the project. Now, a shift in the legal

The Subaru Impreza 22B was born collectible. Built in 1998 to mark Subaru's 40th anniversary and celebrate three back-to-back World Rally Championship constructors' titles, the 22B arrived already wearing legend status. It was the closest thing road users could get to the factory rally machines Colin McRae and Richard Burns were tearing up stages around the world, wearing those beefy, wide arches and a humongous rear wing. Now, one of only 16 examples earmarked for the UK market has surfaced on

Ready for Primetime While the first-ever Q9 has been grabbing headlines for Audi's crossover range, let's not forget that the company is also busy preparing the world premiere of the long-overdue third-generation Q7. In fact, it's the first to be revealed ahead of its now-bigger brother. There's no launch exact date for now, but Audi has revealed the first photo of the SUV. This indicates that we might not have to wait too long before we see it in the metal. That said, all the folks from Ingolst

V8 Power All The Way The Dodge Durango is not exactly a fresh face anymore. Its bones have been around for years, and in a market obsessed with downsized turbo engines and electrification, it continues to do things the old-school way. That, oddly enough, is exactly the point. For 2027, Dodge is giving its fans exactly what they’ve been asking for: HEMI V8s across the board. The company claims the Durango offers “the most horsepower per dollar among gas SUVs,” but the real story is that the formu

Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) has released sales results for May 2026, and it was a strong month for the Japanese brand. It sold a total of 39,066 vehicles, a 35% increase over May 2025. It was Mazda’s best sales month since July 2025, although year-to-date sales are still 6.9% lower than they were in 2025. There were a few surprising results from Mazda’s May sales: Mazda 3 and MX-5 sales surged, while the CX-5 wasn’t the brand’s top-selling model.  Mazda’s May Sales Results

It's a bad time for Ford's Maverick and Bronco Sport, which share a platform. After a recent recall fix allegedly failed to solve a stop-start system failure, leading to a lawsuit, a new recall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns thousands of Bronco Sport and Maverick owners not to drive their vehicles or risk a serious crash. The affected models are the 2021-2026 Bronco Sport and the 2022-2026 Maverick, so there's a big spread, though only 4,653 units of both are affec

New Model Year Updates Now Available The Dodge Charger is in a strange spot right now. It’s the brand’s halo muscle car, the face of Dodge performance, and arguably one of the boldest reinventions in the segment. But despite the noise around the new-generation Charger, it hasn’t exactly been flying out of dealer lots. For 2027, Dodge brings some updates to the Charger lineup, but the headline is really about pricing. Gasoline-powered SIXPACK models keep last year’s prices, but the Charger Dayton

Update: June 3 5:26 AM EST: The Storm Prediction Center has two active Severe Thunderstorm Watches running across the Northern Plains: Watch 270 covers 34+ counties across central and northern North Dakota (including Bismarck, Mandan, Jamestown, Minot, and Devils Lake) through 10 PM CDT, and Watch 269 covers western South Dakota, the Nebraska Panhandle, and southeastern Wyoming through 9 PM MDT. Active warnings have already fired inside both boxes, including an NWS Rapid City bulletin for ping p

If Rivian has its way, Level 4 autonomy, where a car can drive itself without any human input, is coming by around 2030, possibly even as soon as 2028. RJ Scaringe has spent years steering Rivian from a scrappy EV upstart to a serious force with over 42,000 R1s sold and a $5.8 billion tie-up with Volkswagen Group. He is not a man given to hyperbole. So when he says the people who think full self-driving is still ten years away are badly misjudging the pace of change, it lands differently than th

Reviving the Working Class Hero Tolman is steadily gaining a reputation for building and restoring classic performance cars in a truly special way. They reach out to our nostalgia rather than just chasing outright performance figures. Having recently made waves with high-profile projects like an exceptional Integra Type R, they have now unveiled their newest creation. This time, it has tackled the iconic Ford Escort XR3i. The Ford Escort XR3i arrived in the 1980s as a working-class hero. It brou

It's been rumored since the G87 launched, its existence was accidentally leaked, and now it's here: say hello to the first-ever all-wheel-drive BMW M2. The M2 was BMW M's best-seller last year, and for the 2027 model year, BMW is finally able to turn its compact sports car into an all-year-round companion that gives the driver confidence in the snow and ice, engaging the front axle when the rear wheels start to slip. The M xDrive system, with its electronically controlled multi-plate clutch, wor

The Workforce Automotive production has largely become automated in the past few years; this has streamlined processes and efficiency across plants all over the world. However, some things still require a human touch; thus, in the U.S., the human workforce remains a vital group for carmakers in production. Keeping the workforce happy is essential, as it ensures production lines run smoothly and on schedule; after all, any delay could disrupt car supply, which no brand wants. GM is under the spot

A Testarossa Like No Other The Ferrari Luce is taking flak for its design, so perhaps it needs a break for now, and let's turn our attention to another uniquely designed car: this one-of-one Testarossa 6x6. This is, however, not an in-house Ferrari build, but rather a project from Gas Monkey Garage, with Supercar Blondie visiting the shop for its first road test. Car builder Richard Rawlings and the team gave the Testarossa 6x6 the name F6, which is not far removed from Ferrari’s own naming styl

The Man, The Hypercar, and The Surprise Horacio Pagani is the undisputed maestro behind Pagani Automobili and the visionary creator of the legendary Zonda. A recent video features former racing driver Ben Collins wringing out the magnificent Pagani Huayra R Evo Roadster on the track. This highly exclusive track toy is a masterpiece of carbon fiber and titanium. It produces a staggering 900 horsepower and generates massive downforce for unbelievable cornering speeds. It represents the absolute pi