Street News

Tesla has launched its unsupervised robotaxi service in Dallas and Houston over the weekend, but catching a ride wasn’t a walk in the park for some users—and the few that did were in for some unwanted surprises. First off, the problem is the service area in each city is small—30 square miles in Dallas and 25 square miles in Houston. That means Tesla’s self-driving car service covers less than 10 percent of Dallas, which has an area of 385 square miles, and less than 4 percent of Houston (approxi

The Future Is More Than Four Wheels Cars have long been seen as a means of getting from point A to point B. But as technology advances, vehicles are becoming more capable than ever, and a report from Automotive News suggests that the adoption of AI agents could push that even further, particularly in voice recognition. AI agents are expected to let users handle not only in-vehicle functions, such as adjusting the climate settings, but also tasks outside the car, including scheduling meetings or

When Toyota opened orders for its new bZ7 electric sedan in China, the response was almost violent. Over 3,100 reservations came in within the first hour. That kind of demand happens when a company builds something extraordinary, prices it aggressively, and drops it into one of the most cutthroat EV markets on the planet. The bZ7 is Toyota's flagship electric vehicle in China, developed through its GAC-Toyota joint venture. It is, by any measure, a big deal, and it is almost certainly never comi

Gas theft is back again, and it has gotten meaner. With gasoline prices at their highest in four years, thieves have moved on from siphoning off gas to making holes in fuel tanks on parked cars. The method is simple and especially brutal in its aftereffects. A thief needs only an electric drill or a punch in both plastic or metal gas tanks, a few minutes, and something to catch the fuel. The driver, meanwhile, is left with a ruined tank and a repair bill that can run up to $3,000 for a replaceme

After an extended period of turmoil, Nissan is finally showing signs of a comeback, cutting underperforming models and launching new ones that should hold strong appeal. Among them is a new Xterra SUV, and Nissan has confirmed it will cost less than $40,000, making it a serious contender in the space occupied by the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler. According to CarBuzz, Nissan Americas boss Christian Meunier said, "We're at a time when the average transaction price in the U.S. is $48,000, and it's

A Virginia driver stared death in the face as her minivan exploded after she attempted to light a cigarette while driving with a propane tank in the vehicle. As if that did not constitute a major red flag in of itself, the propane tank had a small leak, which led to gas buildup in the Chrysler Pacifica minivan and an inevitable explosion that shook up the entire neighborhood in Burke, Virginia, in the morning of April 9. It's a Miracle That the Driver Escaped with Minor Injuries Miraculously, th

The Timeline Takes Shape With the next-generation Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 reportedly arriving for the 2027 model year, production is also nearing. A report from GM Authority claims that, citing sources familiar with the matter, the two new full-size pickup trucks are expected to enter production in October 2026. This claim could prove useful for shoppers looking for a fresh truck on the market. However, despite production reportedly starting in about six months, not much is

RAV4 EV? Not Anytime Soon Toyota has transformed the RAV4 into a hybrid-only vehicle for the 2026 model year, signaling the possibility of a fully electric version in the future. However, new RAV4 chief engineer Yoshinori Futonagane told Australia’s Drive through an interpreter that going fully electric is not expected to happen, at least in the coming years. Instead, Futonagane-san pointed to Toyota’s multi-powertrain approach, which may have helped the brand deal with changing EV policies, a c

A month after BMW revealed the new i3—essentially an electric 3 Series—its great rival has responded with the electric Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It marks an all-new era for the iconic compact sedans, and the new C-Class has been completely redesigned for the challenge. From its coupe-like profile to a jaw-dropping amount of tech inside and the bold claim that it rides as well as an S-Class, it’s a complete departure from the current gas-powered C-Class. But in order to edge its rival, the C-Class w

The Pacifica Hybrid's Sudden Engine Shutdown Recall Back in 2023, Chrysler announced a recall for its Pacifica Hybrid. The reason for that was the minivan's risk of shutting down the engine while in motion, potentially leading to an accident. It affects over 67,000 vehicles for the model years 2017 to 2023. Models from 2024 and later are not included. The main issues revolved around an internal transmission wiring connector. That part suffered a short, resulting in an unexpected engine shutdown.

A Tiny Dent, A Massive Bill A Reddit post has highlighted how a seemingly simple fender bender on a Rivian R1T turned into a $14,000 repair. What appears to be a simple parking-lot mishap quickly escalated because Rivian’s one-piece bedside construction integrates multiple structural elements into a single panel. Instead of a quick fix, the job required extensive teardown, transforming minor damage into a major repair operation. At a Rivian-certified facility, labor rates reportedly reached $125

Winter is making one more run at the country this weekend, with active Winter Storm Warnings in Alaska, accumulating snow across the Rockies and a sharp temperature crash heading for the eastern half of the United States. Alaska Bracing for Up to 5 Feet of Snow The National Weather Service has issued Winter Storm Warnings across large stretches of Alaska, where snow totals could reach 58 inches by Monday. In the Eastern Alaska Range south of Trims Camp, the forecast calls for 8 to 16 inches of s

If you're driving across the Sierra on Tuesday or Wednesday this week, the trip is going to look very different from the clear roads of the past ten days. A Pacific trough is dropping snow levels to pass elevation from Tuesday morning onward, and by Tuesday night I-80 and Highway 50 are likely to be in chain controls at the same time, with no practical alternative through the central range. If your timing is flexible, Monday or Thursday are the two clean windows. The National Weather Service off

Building Out a Robotaxi Map Tesla has expanded its unsupervised Robotaxi service to two additional cities, Dallas and Houston, bringing its total to three locations in Texas. The company also operates in the San Francisco Bay Area, though that deployment still requires a safety driver. The move could prove pivotal for Tesla, as the company looks to evolve beyond electric vehicles and lean into robotaxis and even a humanoid robot known as Optimus. But the trade-off is ending production of the Mod

A (Literal) Touchy Topic I was never a fan of software buttons. While they do have their place in certain car functions, the basics need to be covered. The industry finally seems to have gotten the message, with major players starting to move back into the physical realm. Yes, it's cheaper to simply have a screen that controls everything, and no, it's not going to be as ergonomic, and (at least some) brands are coming to their senses. In an Autocar interview with Luke Miles, founder of NewTerrit

Rock Creek All the Things Nissan currently has two off-road-oriented lines in its range. For the more rugged, body-on-frame models, those get the Pro-4X label, while the crossovers get the Rock Creek Edition tag. Currently, there's the Armada and Frontier Pro-4X, along with the Pathfinder and Rogue Rock Creek Edition. Now it seems there will be another model that will receive the latter treatment. Instagram spy photog kindelauto snapped a shot of a covered-up Kicks sporting a roof rack, among ot

Legendary Ingenuity Race cars aren't often remembered unless they mean something special; usually, it's the team or the driver that holds the recognition, the car is but a mere tool to achieve the desired result. However, the very few iconic race cars tell a story that transcends the team and driver, where the car stands on its own. Mazda's 787 Le Mans racer is unique for two very good reasons: it was the first Japanese-manufactured car and brand to win the grueling 24-hour race, and, most impo

Ford has officially mapped out the timeline for the overhaul of its most popular vehicles: the F-150 and F-Series Super Duty trucks. Said to arrive in 2029, the next-generation trucks represent far more than a cyclical product update. They will be the culmination of a significant internal restructuring aimed at optimizing Ford's manufacturing economics and pivot the automaker's powertrain strategy toward scalable, high-margin technologies.

A Shortage of Mechanics Likely due to its aging population, Japan faces a shortage of new talent across various fields, and the automotive maintenance business is no exception. According to Kuruma News, the job-to-applicant ratio currently exceeds 5:1. The thing is, not everyone wants to be a mechanic, so the job isn't filled with people lining up at the gates. In an effort to curb the issue, Mazda has opened its technical school for those who want to get in on the craft. The center is called th

No Fix Required Two of General Motors’ most affordable vehicles, the Chevrolet Trax and Trailblazer, may exhibit vibrations when parked facing downhill. However, the Michigan automaker says the condition is ‘normal’ and has instructed dealers not to take any further action. The condition is outlined in GM’s dealer service bulletin PIC6553B, as shared by GM Authority. The vibration stems from the engine mount snubber contacting the mount housing when the vehicles are parked facing downhill. For r

Early ADAS When advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) features first became mainstream, many manufacturers jumped in and made these safety suites compulsory on most models. Some systems were more advanced than the others, but generally speaking, all performed as advertised and intended. One issue in the early days of ADAS is the learning curve that comes with the system, especially with features that take over. Collision Mitigation Braking became a big deal for Honda, with a lawsuit filed a

A Comeback That Actually Matters Nissan is bringing back the Xterra, but this isn’t just about nostalgia. The new Xterra is part of a bigger shift in Nissan’s body-on-frame lineup. It will be built in the US and is meant to lead a new group of rugged vehicles, showing that Nissan is serious about this segment. There have already been a few teasers. The first showed a thin amber light bar across the front and a stamped NISSAN wordmark. Then Nissan Americas Chairman Christian Meunier shared a side

Mazda’s Volume Player Gets a Boost The Mazda CX-5 is the brand’s best-selling model in the current lineup, though that isn’t as strongly felt in the U.S., where buyers continue to favor nameplates like the Ford F-150 and Toyota RAV4. For the 2026 model year, however, the Japanese marque introduced a long-awaited update to its compact crossover after nearly a decade, which may have helped it attract more shoppers. According to Consumer Reports, the CX-5 has been the most popular model among shopp

A Manufacturing Fault We’ve said this before, and it’s worth repeating: Not every recall is about a design flaw or bad engineering. Sometimes, the problem starts on the factory floor. That’s what’s happening here: Kia and Genesis – both part of Hyundai Motor Group – are recalling over 235,000 vehicles in the US because of a detail in how a part was installed. At first, it looks like a big problem affecting two brands. But look closer, and you’ll see it’s really about how the part was installed,

UPDATE, Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9 AM MDT: The system delivered up to 6 inches across the Colorado foothills overnight, with Denver International Airport officially recording 3.5 inches, the city's first snowfall in more than a month. A hard freeze is now hitting the Front Range Saturday morning, with temperatures dropping into the 20s across Cheyenne, Denver, and Colorado Springs. -- Up to two feet of snow and temperatures plunging 25 degrees below the mid-April average are slamming 11 western

The US electric vehicle market has had a rough stretch. Federal EV tax credits disappeared, supportive policies were rolled back, and overall EV sales dropped by around 27 percent year-over-year in the first quarter of 2026, according to Cox Automotive estimates. Then the conflict with Iran hit, and geopolitical tensions pushed oil prices higher. That single shift in what people pay at the pump appears to be influencing buyer behavior—at least in the short term. Hyundai Motor Company CEO José Mu

What in the World is a Boschert? If you take a look at the European tuning scene in the '80s, there was definitely no shortage of outrageous, expensive, and unashamedly polarizing custom jobs. Call it imaginative, expressive, or straight-up tacky, those cars perfectly captured the excesses enjoyed by the rich during that decade. One man wanted to try his luck in that scene, and his name is Hartmut Boschert. In essence, he drummed up the idea of creating a modern (for the '80s) interpretation of