Autos

The automotive world was treated to a rare look inside the politics of the American auto industry last fall when General Motors filed a racketeering lawsuit against Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) for allegedly bribing UAW officials in a bid to undercut it. But, with the automotive world being a complex place, that was not the only legal action FCA saw this past holiday season: On behalf of the Jeep brand, it won an interim victory in its International Trade Commission infringement case against Mahindra’s Roxor, which we can all agree looks a lot like an old Jeep. This week, the victory was made final, with the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) issuing orders to force Mahindra to stop production and sales of the Roxor as currently designed. The interim finding issued by the...

Good racing films don’t happen very often, and rarely do they receive as much critical acclaim as 2019’s Ford v Ferrari. Propelled by the real-life drama behind Ford’s historic 1-2-3 sweep at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, the movie brings the adrenaline and danger of racing in the 1960s to life, carefully weaving that action into a character-driven origin story of the Blue Oval’s most iconic race car: the Ford GT40. Though the film gets a good majority of the facts straight, it presents the viewer with a condensed version of Ford’s road to victory at Le Mans. And even at a bladder-busting two and a half hours, there just wasn’t time to mention the GT40-based road car Ford was considering from the outset of the program. Wait, a GT40-based road car? That&#...

Millennial car nuts are right in their sweet spot for vehicle nostalgia, and for many of said nuts, Micro Machines were the toy of choice for a few years. The fast-talking pitchman made the tiny cars, trucks, and planes stand out from the larger Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys. As those have become collectible, spawning renewed interest (and, yes, even full-size, drivable recreations like you can see in our MotorTrend App show Hot Wheels Life Size), it was maybe inevitable that Micro Machines would get their second day in the sun. That time seems to be now. This big, glossy book from Bitmap is called “Micro But Many: An Unofficial Micro Machines Collection.” As you can tell from the title, it’s a work that’s not authorized by current owner Hasbro, nor is it related to ...

Automotive News reports that a group of owners of 2011 and newer Ford Mustangs is suing the company over alleged defects in the sports car’s Getrag MT82 six-speed manual transmission. The suit alleges that Ford knows of the issue but has not taken adequate steps to prevent it, despite a series of technical service bulletins (TSBs) and other guidance to dealerships about various transmission problems. The TSBs address a number of issues, all related to shift quality: Grinding, higher-than-expected shift effort, delayed clutch re-engagement, and notchiness. A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) investigation found there was no safety risk associated with the issues, and Ford provided a few fixes that are claimed to address these complaints. You can check out the NHTS...

David Freiburger has been a busy (rumble) bee while working from home, and he’s uncovered even more automotive treasures. The lifelong hot rodder and off-roader has amassed such an impressive collection automobilia, parts, tools, and cars that it was all too much to show you in one installment! Dive in for another journey with Freiburger through the mini-Mecca that is his garage! Vintage Stickers and Decals on David Freiburger’s Toolbox Most of us car nuts have collected many a sticker and decal in our travels, and Freiburger is no different. They come with speed parts, they get handed out at events, sometimes we even pay for them because they’re just too cool to pass up, but the collection on the side of Freiburger’s toolbox is more than just a random hodgepodge of...

We all know that Tesla can update its cars “over the air,” meaning via a wireless internet data connection. Even though the tech is getting standardized across the industry, Tesla is one of the few companies that can do things like add driving range or power via a software update, unlocking electronically cordoned-off battery capacity or energy distribution. Your Tesla can always get better, it seems, but not only by Tesla’s hand. That’s right—a Canadian company is now offering its own squirts of extra performance for the Model 3 sedan by way of software updates of its own, and for less than half the price Tesla charges its customers for a similar boost. According to Elektrek, a Canadian company called Ingenext has found a way to unlock an extra 50 horsepower from a...

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...