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The Tonale You Can Buy Today The Alfa Romeo Tonale just got a solid update for 2026. The styling is sharper, the cabin feels more polished, and the lineup is easier to understand. It comes across as more self-assured than before, and true to Alfa form, it brings more personality than most compact premium SUVs. There’s still a limit, though. For 2026, the Tonale only comes with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 268 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, matched to a nine-speed automatic

What NHTSA Data Shows The numbers are in for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) 2025 recall list. While the data highlights which automakers recalled the most vehicles last year, it doesn’t always tell the full story. In many cases, safety campaigns stem from supplier-related issues rather than defects unique to a specific model or brand. Even so, recall data can still serve as a useful reference for consumers seeking to avoid vehicles that may be subject to frequent corr

Korean Brands Performing Well in America Hyundai and Kia tend to appear on recall lists, and 2025 was no different, with both brands making the top 10 for recalls that year. But that’s only part of the picture. While those headlines grab attention, they run alongside a bigger story: both brands have been quietly racking up steady, sometimes record-breaking sales. In the months leading up to the end of 2025, Hyundai and Kia were already posting strong month-over-month numbers, quietly stacking re

Off-Road Expressionist Movement Over the past few years, the off-roading market has seen an increase in the owners' self-expression. From a hobby that used to be biased purely towards function over form, people are now finding ways to show off by looking good and performing well. One of the newest canvas people have been modifying is the new-generation Toyota Land Cruiser 250, also known as the Land Cruiser in the US. Kuhl Racing has shown an interesting build for the Toyota SUV, headed for one

Trump Trade War Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Donald Trump spent much of the past decade warning he was ready to set off a global trade war, insisting it would, among other things, help rebuild American manufacturing. When he finally pulled the trigger, the auto industry found itself at ground zero. How things will shake out remains uncertain, trade talks with key trade pa

The Factory Powering Toyota’s American Success Toyota continues to battle Ford for the top spot on the list of best-selling brands in America, and one factor helping sustain that momentum is its massive manufacturing footprint in Georgetown, Kentucky. Thanks to Car Confections, we get a closer look inside the facility, which plays a central role in producing two of Toyota’s best-selling models in the U.S. – the Camry Hybrid and the RAV4 Hybrid. Spanning roughly 1,300 acres and encompassing aroun

Relentless Pursuit of Lap Time Ferrari is arguably the most race-oriented automotive brand, having been a constant presence in Formula 1 and competing across multiple series, including the World Endurance Championship (WEC). On the track, gains measured in tenths or even hundredths of a second can prove decisive, and the Italian marque’s latest patent could potentially give its future road cars a measurable advantage in lap times. The patent application outlines a technology described as a “pred

The Story Behind the Sale The Ford Fox Body Mustang is often regarded as one of the more polarizing generations in the model’s history, with fans either embracing it or dismissing it. However, most enthusiasts can agree that a well-documented barn find is always compelling – and this particular 1983 Mustang GT convertible, featured by WD Detailing, stood out even more because of the personal story behind its sale. The owner and his wife are staying at a rehabilitation facility, but hope to retur

Opening the Door to Entry-Level Leasing Tesla has expanded its leasing program to include the cheapest Model 3 and Model Y trims. These lower-cost Standard variants were reintroduced in October last year as the automaker responded to softer demand following the expiration of U.S. EV incentives. In theory, adding leasing should help broaden access to its most affordable EVs. However, according to a report from CarsDirect, the newly launched lease offers are “surprisingly bad” when examined more c

Buttons Make a Comeback Volkswagen owners and car reviewers have been vocal about one thing: too many touch controls, not enough real buttons. Simple tasks like changing the temperature meant digging through menus or fiddling with sliders, and those haptic steering wheel controls never really caught on. Volkswagen listened, and now it's showing off what’s next for its interiors. The big news? Physical buttons are making a return. The first car to get this new interior is the Volkswagen ID. Polo,

BANGshifter extraordinaire Joe Grippo was at it again this New Year’s Day for Maple Grove Raceway’s annual New Year’s No Prep where they run both frontside and backside no prep races. The action is always fun, and the folks from the northeast who don’t care if it is cold, as long as they can race, are thrilled to death to be tearing it up at Maple Grove. Track temp is always one of the things people talk about at drag races. If it’s hot outside, everyone is talking about how high the track temp

These people are crazy! Motorcycles and quads are two of the things that are the scariest when it comes to hillclimbs. When things go right, which almost never happens, these are brutal runs up the hill. But when they go wrong, they take brutal to a completely new level. This video highlights some of the gnarliest hillclimb failures of 2025. Did you make the cut?   The post Best of 2025: Motorcycles, Quads, and More FAILING To Get To The Top Of The Hillclimb Hill! Crazy Action! appeared fir

It’s time for some awesome pulling truck action, but this is not what you would normally expect. We’re talking amateurs and their drivers trying not to pitch the drivetrain out of it. It’s like spectator drags but on dirt and stuff. I mean what’s not to like about this? If you want to see IFS front ends so crosseyed you can’t believe they are staying together, then this is the video for you. If you want to see video of a square body Dodge giving its all, then this is the video for you. And if yo

If you are a regular BANGshifter then you know that we are really big fans of the Dakar Rally around here, because I’ve been watching it since the late 1990’s when television coverage was amazing. And while Schlesser buggies and factory teams of cars, SUVs, and even UTVs are pretty awesome, I think there is a special appreciation for big trucks like the one in the video below. These trucks make more than 1,000 horsepower thanks to their FPT engine combos and their shear size and suspension trave

Everyone knows that if you want a car’s paint job to look nice you need to sand every body panel until it is as straight as possible. But what does “straight” actually mean when you are talking about big, long, curved panels? What about big, long, straight panels? Does it mean the same thing? There might be a bit more to this than you think. Watch the video below for more, as Jeremy Bumpus explains what straight really means when it comes to finishing bodywork. Video Description: A panel can f

Calling Shelby's 427 Cobra a legendary car is a huge understatement If there is one person who is regarded as a mythical figure among car enthusiasts in the United States and the world over, it would be none other than the founder and namesake of Shelby American, the late Caroll Shelby. Although key parts of the former racing car driver's automotive story have been dramatized in an Academy Award-winning Hollywood film starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, his legacy lives on in the cars that b

Rolls-Royce CEO promises more electric models, despite slowing EV sales In a recent interview published by Bloomberg on January 2, Rolls-Royce CEO Chris Brownridge stated that, despite waning sales of the Spectre, its first all-electric vehicle, the company will continue to pursue vehicles that its customers want to buy, including electric vehicles. The chief executive also emphasized that, at the same time, the brand will make significant investments in its customer experience, specifically cat

GM’s New Seat Concept Modern car seats have become so advanced that many automakers – such as Lincoln with its Perfect Position Seat feature – offer electronically adjustable settings that allow occupants to fine-tune their seating positions and support preferences. However, a newly uncovered General Motors patent aims to push adjustability even further by enabling seats to physically grow in size. According to the report, the technology – covered under patent 20250376097, filed with the United

BYD Takes the Lead BYD has overtaken Tesla to become the world’s best-selling battery-electric vehicle (BEV) maker, outselling its U.S. rival by roughly 600,000 units in 2025. The Chinese automaker reported a 27.9% year-over-year increase, selling about 2.25 million BEVs, compared with Tesla’s roughly 1.63 million units (down by 9%) over the same period, BBC reports. These figures are based on each company’s respective sales reports, meaning they don’t indicate how individual buyers chose one br

Scotty Buys a New Car For more than a decade, Scotty Kilmer has built an empire on a simple, often blunt message: don’t buy new cars. The veteran mechanic and YouTube personality has repeatedly warned viewers about depreciation, unnecessary tech, and wasted money, instead championing well-maintained used vehicles as the smarter long-term play. That’s why his latest revelation landed like a bombshell. At 72 years old, Kilmer admitted – half joking, half sheepish – that he had finally broken his

Tesla is once again facing legal scrutiny over its safety technology. While the company has dealt with numerous lawsuits in recent years – particularly over its door handle designs – its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems haven’t escaped controversy either. According to Forbes, Tesla’s driver-assistance technology has been linked to at least 51 reported fatalities since the first fatality was reported back in 2016. The latest case centers on a fatal Idaho crash involving a Tesla Model X tha

New-Age HUD? Modern cars are generally dominated by tech, which has become the new barometer for how special, safe, or cool a car is. There are some technological features, though, that are not only cool but also convenient and safe. Head-Up Displays (HUDs) were invented as a means to help drivers keep their vision straight on the road without any impediments to their vision. First used in Fighter jets, HUDs display all the relevant information through a projection in the windscreen that the dri

Louder, More Character for the American Civic Hybrid Don’t get us wrong. The current Honda Civic Hybrid, or Civic e:HEV in other markets, already has a distinct, slightly gruff tone when you push it, especially under hard acceleration. But if you’ve ever thought it sounds a bit too reserved, Honda seems to agree – at least for American buyers. Speaking with CarBuzz at Honda’s Tochigi Proving Ground, an engineer openly acknowledged what many enthusiasts already know: “Americans like loud cars, so

A New Take on an Old Off-Road Trick Jeep and Ford have long offered truck-based vehicles with removable doors, giving passengers an open-air experience that is especially appealing for off-road use. Now, Hyundai Motor Company appears interested in exploring a similar concept, having filed a patent for what it describes as a “Detachable Modular Door.” The Korean automaker filed the patent application (U.S. Patent No. 12502938 B2) in July 2024, published by the United States Patent and Trademark O

Beyond Setting Record Lap Times BYD’s premium sub-brand, Yangwang, is taking a different approach from its parent company’s reputation for rapid growth and electrification. Over the past year, Yangwang has focused on performance and technology of the U9 supercar, producing numbers that rival established luxury brands and drawing attention for more than just its unusual name. However, Yangwang isn’t just chasing Nürburgring lap times or headline-grabbing specs. The brand is also working on luxury