Autos

Lincoln brings the stylish Monochromatic package to its smaller Corsair, Nautilus, and Aviator crossover and SUV models for 2021—2020, in the Nautilus’s case—after originally introducing the kit on its flagship Navigator. As its name implies, the Mono package gives these American luxury vehicles a noir-appropriate look courtesy of black-painted wheels and body-color-painted exterior trim pieces, including the side mirror housings.  See all 37 photos The color these exterior items can take on, however, is limited. Lincoln offers the Monochromatic package with only a handful of paint options. For example, the 2021 Corsair and Aviator models are available in black, white, and gray, while Lincoln restricts the Monochromatic package-equipped 2020 Nautilus to black. (The previous...

It’s hard to put a finger on exactly why driving a car with a manual transmission is so much fun. Is it the control you feel selecting your own gears, that visceral connection formed between human and machine? Is it the satisfaction of knowing you’re doing more work than 90 percent of other drivers on the road? Is it the challenge of gently feathering the clutch with your left foot and modulating the throttle as you creep uphill in bumper-to-bumper traffic with your right, knowing one slip-up could stall your engine and invite ridicule and embarrassment? For the enthusiast, maybe—but for non-enthusiasts wary of the work involved, that last scenario is perhaps most triggering. And Hyundai knows it. The folks at Hyundai Motor India have come up with a solution to the clutch-pedal...

I know. I was there. When Google threw us some money in 2011 to help make YouTube more than just a platform for shaky lo-fi user-generated videos about laughing babies and dancing cats, I decided the MotorTrend Channel would be like a proper automotive TV channel, something I’d dreamed about doing for decades. It would have TV-length, TV-style shows covering everything from new vehicles to hot rods to four-wheel drives to motorcycles. Some shows would be weekly, some monthly, but to keep the channel relevant and interesting, a fresh show would be uploaded every day, five days a week. I came up with a complete slate of programs, outlining the show formats, who the on-screen personalities should be (no pretty-boy TV talking heads reading scripts, but staffers who’d actually know ...

The Dodge brand is a bit of a conundrum, and it doesn’t help that for 2021 it has been reduced to three vehicles: Two aging muscle cars and a large three-row SUV. (The Grand Caravan minivan kinda-sorta lives on—or at least keeps getting stays of execution, but is slated to die.) As FCA heads into a merger with PSA Group, creating the fourth-largest automaker in the world made, the chances of the new entity culling brands from its extensive portfolio seem rather high.  It ultimately begs the question: Will Dodge survive in the long-term? Or even the medium-term? We talked to Tim Kuniskis, who oversees Dodge as part of his role as head of passenger cars for FCA North America, about the future of the American mark. While Dodge is adding ever more trims and high-output variations to...

The Lamborghini Sián Roadster, like its hardtop predecessor, is the sort of Lamborghini that the company describes as coming out of its “laboratory of the future”—experimenting with electrification techniques to figure out how to move the company into its next era of performance. We know some of the broad strokes of this plan, especially that the next Aventador will be a hybrid. But Lamborghini continues to drop hints about the specifics of its plans. Why electrification at all? For one, emissions and noise regulations are forcing the change. That’s nothing new and shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s clear that Lamborghini probably would not electrify its cars if regulations didn’t require it. But the company is making the most of the situation, working c...

Toyota is capitalizing on the growing popularity of crossovers by expanding the global Corolla lineup to include such a model. Meet the Corolla Cross, which Toyota unveiled in Thailand. While the automaker remains mum on the model’s future in the U.S., we see great potential for the Corolla Cross on our shores. In terms of size, the small crossover slots between the subcompact C-HR and the compact RAV4. Oddly enough, it bears little resemblance to the rest of the Corolla family. With sharp headlights and more rounded proportions than the RAV4, the design is pleasing, albeit conventional. See all 16 photos Like the RAV4, the Corolla Cross is designed with practicality in mind. The automaker promises large door openings for easy entry and exit, an elevated driving position, and a ...

Christian von Koenigsegg is clearly in need of a new creative outlet. The founder of the hypercar company that bears his name is seemingly so bored that he’s turned to making films about his cars. No doubt, Koenigsegg makes some stellar automobiles. But what we aren’t too sure of is Koenigsegg’s film-making chops. Still, with so many films on hiatus these days, we’re thankful for any kind of entertainment. Especially the type where super sports cars are burning a little rubber. The entire mini-film hinges on the idea that someone would want to steal the last Regera ever made—a car Koenigsegg the man seems quite protective of. Fearing the worst, the head of the company hides the final Regera away at what is a clearly fake military base and hires some p...

Custom shops often take, shall we say, artistic liberties when building unique cars, and the results aren’t always good (for evidence, take a gander at some of the show cars from the SEMA aftermarket bonanza). This custom Ford Everest is a welcome exception, however, and gives us an idea what a Ford F-150 Raptor pickup could have looked like as an SUV—had Ford decided to build one itself. First off, what’s a Ford Everest? Sold in markets outside the U.S., the Everest is a midsize body-on-frame SUV based on the same T6 truck platform as the global Ford Ranger pickup. The SUV has three rows, offering seating for up to seven passengers. Because it overlaps with the U.S.-market Ford Explorer, the Everest wasn’t brought over when the Ranger returned to our shores. However...

Say you’re out and about in your Buick Regal. It’s stolen, but why let that stop you from taking a little morning post-July-4th cruise? You’re also under the influence of intoxicants—a separate very bad, no-good idea. Suddenly, out of nowhere, your rolling cocktail of felonies comes to a screeching halt when a Toyota Land Cruiser slams into your pilfered Buick. Ruh-roh. If this sounds implausible, well, truth is stranger than fiction—and this story, which is true, is only just warming up. You see, according to the Newberg-Dundee police department out of Oregon, the Toyota Land Cruiser that collided with the stolen Buick was also stolen. The Toyota also was fleeing police at the time, who had attempted to stop the Land Cruiser shortly after it was reported stolen and ...