Cars & Concepts
The Ford Ranger is returning next month as the most fuel-efficient gasoline-powered pickup on the U.S. market. The two-wheel-drive model will achieve 21 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined, according to EPA estimates, slightly above its closest rival.
A roundup of new product, concept and auto show news. Sent each Tuesday.
The redesigned Jeep Wrangler failed one of several crash tests performed by Euro NCAP, the European version of crashworthiness studies performed by NHTSA and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Auto designers today face a difficult task: designing products that are truly distinctive in the growing lineup of SUV's and pickups on the market.
The latest Final Edition of the iconic Volkswagen Beetle will have special colors, badging and wheels as the bug drives into the sunset next year, just as it did 15 years ago.
It seems likely that the much-discussed new Land Rover Defender will be built outside of England.
The redesigned RDX has gotten off to a torrid start, but brand chief Jon Ikeda says Acura isn't planning more crossovers.
Mazda doesn't see the slowing sedan market as an excuse to become complacent about its cars. In fact, it sees this as the perfect time to raise the bar with an artistic approach to design that enhances some of their emotional allure.
The Detroit auto show, seeking to reinvent itself following decades as a January venue, has committed to seven years with its new June date.
The fuel economy on some redesigned Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra models will be worse than the outgoing pickups they're replacing.
Nissan said it will build 50 versions of the GT-R50 by Italdesign, which was unveiled earlier this year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K. The car starts at $1.1 million.
The Aviator is all new for the 2020 model year, slated to go on sale next year after its debut at the LA auto show last month.
General Motors is further differentiating the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado HD from its smaller sibling. The redesigned HD pickup's grille features a flow-through "CHEVROLET" similar to some models of the Silverado 1500.
Bentley will target currently unreachable super-wealthy customers with a future electric vehicle but only when battery technology improves, CEO Adrian Hallmark said.
"This planning round bears a clear signature: We are taking a very systematic approach to electric mobility and will be much more focused in future," Audi's interim CEO, Bram Schot, said.
In a market that's tilted 70-30 toward light trucks, why does Toyota bother to invest in cars? Because in that smaller market, Toyota is a giant. And it has even more elbow room now that the Detroit 3 have decided to vacate several car segments.
Two midsize pickups -- an old school paean to nostalgia and a modern vision of the future -- rolled into the auto show.
In many ways, the story of Byton sounds like so many fledgling automotive companies backed by Chinese investors. The company has outlined grand plans to reinvent traditional business models. It has pinned its fortunes on an electric powertrain.
Bentley has revamped its Continental GT convertable, which debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week.
Toyota, which introduced the world to gasoline-electric hybrids some 15 years ago, is exploring some new branding language for its alternative powertrains to better convey the nuances of the technologies and the vehicles' evolving driving dynamics.
