Street News

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Consumer Reports have collaborated to find the best and safest new vehicles for teenagers. As teens have a higher driver risk profile due to inexperience, the two authorities only selected vehicles with lower horsepower relative to weight, and those with good safety ratings. Hyundai and Mazda have the most models in the recommended list, but cars from Toyota, Ford, Honda, Kia, Nissan, Subaru, and Volkswagen also made an appearance. Here's a l

Import Tariffs Tariffs have been the center of the automotive world for the past year. The current administration, in a bid to protect American-made cars and production facilities that give more jobs, raised tariffs on cars imported into the country. While the "Trump Tariffs" have eventually been accepted and worked around, there are still looming threats to certain brands stemming from new decisions and production plans.

Revamped Seltos Arriving Soon The 2027 Kia Seltos is arriving this summer with a boxier design, more tech, and a step up in overall feel compared to the outgoing model. Autoblog had the chance to drive it in South Korea, and it was clear that the Seltos has grown up. The cabin materials are better, the back seat is more practical, and the hybrid quietly stands out if you care about efficiency. However, we still don’t know how much the 2027 Seltos will cost. Fortunately, CarsDirect got a hold of

As the best-selling three-row SUV in America, the Explorer is a key model in Ford’s lineup, outselling even more modern rivals like the Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade. The 2027 version of the vehicle is expected to be officially announced later this year, but the order guide has been shared online, giving us an early look at what to expect. Along with some new packages and colors, Ford will also be expanding availability of the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 engine. Here’s everything we know about up

The day after Ferrari unveiled its first-ever electric vehicle, it is becoming quite clear that the Luce is the most controversial production car in Maranello’s history. It’s not just the fact that it’s battery electric; the design is also very uncharacteristic for the brand. It looks so unlike any other Ferrari in history that you’d be hard pressed to recognize it as a Ferrari if you stripped away the prancing horse badges. What’s more, the starting price of around $640,000—much higher than th

Smoke Show At Triple-Digit Speeds Remember Hennessey Performance’s Dodge Challenger Demon 1700 project, which, as the name suggests, is claimed to produce a staggering 1,700 horsepower? Well, the car recently underwent its final validation test drive, and according to driver and company president Alex Roys, it laid down a rolling burnout at 100 mph. Doing a burnout from a standstill already puts a lot of stress on components like the engine and transmission, so pulling one off at 100 mph takes e

Muscle car fans want one thing and one thing only from Dodge: to bring back the HEMI V8-powered Charger. It looks like their wish is about to be granted as Dodge’s parent company Stellantis last week showed no fewer than 20 new cars to select U.S. media outlets, and a HEMI V8 Charger was among these models that are slated to debut by 2030. While Dodge has hinted several times at the return of the HEMI Charger, this is the first concrete evidence that the new Charger is indeed getting the automak

Fans of the Tesla Model 3 were offered more excitement when the Model 3 Performance launched, but they've never been given a full-on Plaid variant like the Model S. That may soon change if Tesla Vice President of Vehicle Engineering, Lars Moravy, gets his way. Speaking on the Ride the Lightning podcast recently, he said that a tri-motor Model 3, or Model 3 Plaid, effectively, is something that he's constantly turning over in his head. "I think about it all the time," he said when asked if a thir

Giga Texas Confirmed For Roadster Production The Roadster 2.0 has fresh rumors nearly a decade after its announcement. It debuted alongside the Tesla Semi, a truck still missing after eight years of delays while rivals race ahead. In an interview with the Ride The Lightning podcast, Tesla executives recently confirmed Giga Texas will handle Roadster manufacturing. However, the actual start date remains a mystery. Elon Musk promised an April re-unveiling, but June approaches with no prototypes in

The first-ever all-electric Ferrari has debuted as the Luce, and its design is somehow even more controversial than the electric powertrain. The online configurator is already live, and to see if we could find a spec that isn't egregious, we looked at all the options, of which there are several. In fact, there are 35 colors on offer, several carbon fiber additions, and two wheel designs (23-inch in front and 24-inch at the rear, the largest ever fitted to a Ferrari). You can also choose to add F

The latest Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe was revealed last week, and it's become an EV with wonky styling. Larte Design has been hard at work on its predecessor, which still has a V8, and the tuning outfit has made it look just as wild, albeit in a completely different manner. The company has unveiled its new Signature 12-piece dry carbon body kit for the 2024-2026 AMG GT 4-Door, and because the hardware mounts where Mercedes has already created holes, the entire kit not only fits well but can al

The Lotus Emira has received rave reviews from all over the world so far, helping solidify the British brand’s reputation as a maker of ultra lightweight, fun-to-drive sports cars at a time when the company was on a path to an all-electric future. As you probably know, things have changed and earlier this month Lotus backtracked on its EV-only focus, announcing a multi-powertrain strategy where plug-in hybrid powertrains will play a big role going forward. As part of its new strategy called Focu

A Dying Breed? Once the world's most common transmission, the manual faces a cloudy future. It's not just because fewer and fewer people are opting for it, as other parts of the world still offer a good number of vehicles with it. Rather, electrification is making it increasingly difficult to integrate. That said, several automakers are trying to find ways to keep three-pedal driving alive. For instance, Subarufiled a patent for EVs, and possibly, hybrids, and more recently, Hyundai is having a

The Cummins Generation That Comes with Baggage Cummins is a trusted name in diesel engines. Its oil-burner motos run everything from Ram HD trucks to buses, generators, and heavy equipment. The 6.7-liter Cummins, in particular, built its name on durability and torque that keep owners coming back, especially those who require a reliable workhorse. But the fifth-generation 6.7-liter Cummins, launched in 2019 Ram HD trucks, has picked up some baggage. Owners and diesel specialists have flagged issu

The Citroen 2CV – the storied mobiliser of post-war France is set to return, this time as a low-cost electric vehicle aimed squarely at Europe’s growing demand for affordable EVs. According to reports, the reborn 2CV will sit below the upcoming Citroën ë-C3 in pricing, potentially targeting a sub-$17,000 price point. Unlike retro-inspired EVs that chase premium buyers, the new 2CV is expected to stay true to the original’s utilitarian ethos: lightweight, simple, practical, and inexpensive to run

Two-door hatchbacks may be exceedingly rare today, but one of the coolest examples of the kind was the Honda CRX. The second-generation model is particularly loved and still looks fantastic today, while its VTEC engine and double-wishbone suspension made it a lot more fun than the average hatch back then. Two independent designers have now shown us what a modern CRX could look like, and the result is stunning. In fact, it makes me wish this was the car Honda revived instead of the Prelude or eve

Personalization For All In a highly competitive automotive industry, brands are trying new ways to entice buyers and gain an edge by offering something the competition doesn't. While dealerships compete on pricing and promos, the brand itself can offer unique products that might sway people to buy from them. Mazda's approach has always been different from most people's, and in Japan, they're offering something pretty cool to buyers of the all-new CX-5. Something they needed help from an exclusiv

Porsche Never Wanted a Pickup, But Someone Else Did European luxury brands and pickups usually feel like an awkward combination. Mercedes-Benz tried with the X-Class, a premium truck that struggled to shake the perception that it was essentially a dressed-up Nissan before disappearing after only a few years. BMW, oddly enough, once built an E30 M3 pickup for internal factory use and quietly kept it for more than two decades, but it was never meant for public sale. Meanwhile, Porsche has always k

Gas Changes The Math The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has pushed gas prices higher, has put electrified vehicles such as hybrids in the spotlight due to their improved fuel efficiency. At the same time, because hybrids are usually more expensive than their gas-only counterparts, it has also raised questions about the break-even point between the two powertrain options. A study from JATO provides insight into how rising gas prices affect the break-even point of hybrids, at least in

Late last year, Nissan announced plans to expand the Nismo performance brand. This initiative aims to boost the number of Nismo vehicle shipments and take advantage of the booming restoration market; for Nissan, this would involve icons like the Skyline GT-R. Living up to this promise, Nissan has now announced the establishment of one the first Nismo Performance Centers outside Japan. Australia, which has a passionate GT-R community, is the chosen market for these new centers. The development ra

Last week, Mercedes revealed the bonkers AMG GT 4-Door EV, but all-electric power isn't the only path the German brand is taking to performance. As reported by Motor Trend, AMG CEO Michael Schiebe has confirmed that a new V8 engine will arrive by the end of 2026, with Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius revealing it will be produced in three forms: "the Mercedes-Benz [version], the AMG [version], and the 'go crazy' AMG [version]." In other words, the 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged flat-plane crank V8 t

Stellantis dominated the news last week with its Investor Day 2026 event, announcing 60 new launches and 50 model refreshes by 2030 across its entire 14-brand global portfolio as part of its Fastlane 2030 plan. While the automaker announced a focus on four global brands—Jeep, Ram, Fiat and Peugeot—it will continue to bring new products to its five regional brands (Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroën, Dodge, and Opel/Vauxhall), as well as the Maserati luxury brand. We’ve already covered the new product

Automotive recalls are meant to provide a fix for a safety issue, but it doesn’t always work out that way. For Kia, its legal troubles have just escalated after complaints that a 2025 piston oil ring recall was ineffective. The case will now go to court after a judge denied Kia’s motion to dismiss, and over 100,000 Seltos and Soul crossovers allegedly remain plagued by a defect that could cause their engines to fail entirely. Here’s a closer look at what’s happening. What’s Wrong With These Kias

The Futuristic Ioniq 3 Hyundai is clearly focusing its future design on software, integrated screens, and a cleaner cabin. The Ioniq 3 is a clear example of this, especially inside, where a large infotainment system runs on the Pleos Connect platform. Not everything is moving to touchscreens, though. Hyundai says the frequently used controls will still be physical. Even so, the main display is set to take center stage, handling navigation, media, connectivity, and other key functions. The next K

Ferrari Quebec Under Fire Following reports of a Montreal man suing Ferrari Quebec for $20.8 million after suffering second- and third-degree burns at the dealership, CTV News obtained surveillance footage of the fiery incident. The footage showed how quickly the Ferrari became engulfed in flames, with the lawsuit alleging the incident was caused not by mechanical failure, but by negligence on the part of the dealership. The car previously believed to be involved was a Ferrari 360 Spider, the co

A late-season Pacific upper-level low is dropping into the West, and California's Eastern Sierra is back in the Weather Prediction Center's sights. WPC ensemble guidance shows up to ~14 inches of snow possible at the highest crest in the worst case scenario, with accumulating snow reaching into western Nevada. The official NWS Reno forecast issued at 235 AM PDT this morning projects more modest 4 to 8 inch totals across Mono County, Sonora Pass, Tioga Pass, and Mammoth Mountain, with higher amou

New Models from Subaru? It's only recently that Subaru has been introducing new nameplates in its lineup. That's largely in part to its expanding EV lineup, but the hybrid and combustion-powered models have remained largely the same. With that, the company's latest trademark filings are a bit of a mystery. Earlier this year, Subaru filed for the trademarks ACX and VPX. It's not the typical nomenclature from the brand, as it tends to use actual words to name its vehicles, save for the BRZ. More i