Autos

Ford continues its run of firing filing to trademark the names of national parks for possible use on its vehicles. Following its submissions for marks such as Big Bend and Badlands—which are among the expected trims for both the 2021 Bronco and the 2021 Bronco Sport—the Blue Oval recently filed for the Everglades name with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. What exactly Ford plans to do with the Everglades name is unknown. That said, the filing does list the company’s desire to use it for, “[m]otor vehicles, namely, automobiles, pick-up trucks, electric vehicles, sport-utility vehicles, off-road vehicles, and their structural parts. “ Admittedly, that’s a rather broad statement. Still, the inclusion of “electric” and “off-road vehicles&...

Whatever your feelings are on Ford’s decision to graft its upcoming all-electric crossover SUV to the iconic Mustang‘s brand, you may be interested in knowing the 2021 Mustang Mach-E will now be available in this crazy bright orange color. Apparently, orange is a popular color on the real Mustang—you know, the gas-fed coupe and convertible models—so Ford has gone and added the hue to the Mach-E’s palette. Cyber Orange Tri-Coat, as Ford calls it, indeed renders the somewhat tall Mach-E with a more exotic appearance. (We maintain that the electric SUV is best appreciated in person, where its powerful rear haunches, fastback roofline, and various cherry-picked Mustang styling cues come together far better than in photos.) Even though it’s not available on the Mustang, ...

The redesigned BMW X5 has been out for well more than a year, and now, the plug-in hybrid version is finally arriving. It might be worth the wait, considering it’ll deliver more power and achieve significantly better EV-only range than its predecessor. Oh, and when the 2021 BMW X5 xDrive45e arrives in U.S. dealerships this July, it won’t be cheap, either. The big news under the X5 hybrid’s hood is an engine swap. In place of the previous X5 PHEV’s 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine sits a 3.0-liter six-cylinder. That move helps the new X5 xDrive45e push out a total of 389 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque between its gas engine and electric assist motor, increases of 81 ponies and 111 lb-ft from the old four-cylinder version. BMW also installs a larger battery, wh...

It’s no secret Porsche is working on a wagon variant of its battery-electric Taycan sedan. When the German brand plans to unveil the long-roof Taycan model officially remains a mystery. Thanks to a well-placed source within the company, though, we now have a general idea of the forthcoming Taycan Cross Turismo‘s unveil date, and it’s sooner than we expected. While we do not know an exact day or time, we are told the Taycan EV wagon will officially debut toward the end of the year. Frankly, we figured Porsche would wait until 2021 to show off the model. Nevertheless, the fact the brand plans to take the wraps off of the Taycan Cross Turismo before the calendar turns over gives us hope the car will reach our shores by the middle of 2021, perhaps as a 2022 model.  As sp...

Do you love to travel the world with a full bathroom, a comfy bedroom, and a decent kitchen? Then look no further than this impressive expedition truck—the EarthCruiser. The formidable 4×4 is designed to take its occupants from the city streets to sand dunes or anywhere you want to go on the planet. The 2020 EarthCruiser overland camper sleeps four and has a 140-inch wheelbase with exterior dimensions similar to a midsize pickup truck. An optional Dual Cab body style with a 169-inch wheelbase is also available, and just recently became available to order. In the Dual Cab configuration the EarthCruiser measures 289 inches long from bumper to bumper, but both versions offer 11.3 inches of ground clearance and a reasonably good approach angle thanks to the short front overhang that comes...

An anonymous source provided the publication with these revealing photos, which show a manual transmission with six speeds and a “C” gear. Presumably, that “C” stands for “crawl.” There are also new photos that give us a closer look at the Bronco’s engine, suspension, and dash setup. The seven-speed manual seems perfect for the soon-to-be-revealed Ford Bronco SUV. Getrag’s own information points to the transmission being aimed at large rear-wheel-drive vehicles—implying a longitudinal engine configuration, which the new Bronco is sure to have—and being configurable for five-, six-, and seven-speed setups. The transmission can handle up to 443 lb-ft of torque and supports all-wheel-drive applications. The optional ultra-low crawler gear would ...

The Toyota Mirai is one of the most polarizing cars on sale, and that fact it’s a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) has surprisingly little to do with that. Call us shallow, but just look at the thing. Even though the word “mirai” means “the future” in Japanese, the current ‘Yota FCV looks like it was inspired by some kind of prehistoric fish monster and then partially chewed up by that very same creature. Luckily, Toyota is giving the futuristic, hydrogen-fueled car a full clean-sheet redesign, as previewed by the Lexus-like 2021 Mirai concept—and we’ve now gathered proof that the production model will hew closely to that show car’s knockout styling. MotorTrend features editor Scott Evans was driving through downtown Los Angele...

Admittedly, it’s possible that these images show the already revealed GLB 35. A handful of distinct cues, however, give us reason to believe that’s not the case. Go on, give the illustrations a look and see if you spot the telltale signs of a 45-badged Mercedes-AMG model. See it? Those four exhaust pipes poking out of the rear bumper are a detail missing from the GLB 35, which features just two exhaust tips. Furthermore, the front bumper includes slight alterations to the lower fascia, including additional detail work within the stylized cooling ducts at the left and right corners of the crossover. Yes, the changes are subtle, but is that really surprising? Consider the GLA 35 and GLA 45 look largely the same, save for the models’ mildly massaged front fascias, different ...

Domagoj Dukec, head of BMW design, recently assured us the BMW 4 Series coupe’s tall and narrow grille will not serve as the new face of all upcoming BMW models. Still, Dukec noted that BMW has no immediate plans to ditch the 4’s massive maw, either. In fact, it’s due to spread to other 4 Series models, including the forthcoming i4 battery-electric vehicle and the M4 sports coupe. Just see for yourself—that photo above shows the high-performance M4, caught undisguised well ahead of its official debut. Posted to Reddit, the image reveals that, much like the mugs of the 430i and M440i coupes, the M4’s face stands out for its massive nostrils. (Or buck teeth, if you prefer.) Although it’s far from beautiful, the M4 arguably pulls off the design detail better than...

We’ve always liked the plucky Subaru Crosstrek. The lifted, all-wheel-drive hatchback a great mix of utility, off-roadability, and relative space and fuel efficiency. But there is one thing we’ve always wanted from it: More power. Thankfully, that’s finally happening. Officially. Subaru is dangling the 2021 Subaru Crosstrek Sport in front of our noses, promising more information to come next week. Best of all, the 2.5-liter’s fuel economy numbers would be just as good as the smaller 2.0-liter engine’s figures. The new engine choice will return 27 mpg city, 34 mpg highway, and 29 mpg combined per the EPA. We also know that the 2.5-liter will only be offered with Subaru’s CVT automatic. We have our fingers crossed that the base six-speed man...