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When I was younger, customs like the MOD ROD didn’t really do anything for me, but as I’ve gotten older I dig them a bit more. In fact, at Holley’s Moparty in 2024 I ran into a guy with one of those acrylic bubble cars that he had built from scratch and everyone was slack jawed over it. Nobody could believe he had actually made the acrylic bubble in his own shop, and seeing everything else on it that looked like it had come from the Jetson’s was pretty cool. It gave me a different kind of apprec

The International Hot Rod Association’s Offshore Racing Series kicks off their 2026 season today in St. Petersburg Florida, and features big speed from giant offshore boats and more. You can watch all the action LIVE right here thanks to the IHRA YouTube channel livestream. So pull up a chair, get yourself something nice to drink, and check out all the racing action that is going on Saturday and Sunday! Video Description: The The Monster Energy 6th Annual, St. Pete Powerboat Grand Prix Present

The International Hot Rod Association’s Offshore Racing Series kicks off their 2026 season today in St. Petersburg Florida, and features big speed from giant offshore boats and more. You can watch all the Day 2 action LIVE right here thanks to the IHRA YouTube channel livestream. So pull up a chair, get yourself something nice to drink, and check out all the racing action that is going on Saturday and Sunday! Video Description: The The Monster Energy 6th Annual, St. Pete Powerboat Grand Prix P

2026 Toyota RAV4's Online Configurator Goes Live The 2026 Toyota RAV4 continues to play it safe in the best possible way. It’s still one of the most well-rounded compact SUVs on sale, balancing efficiency, practicality, and everyday comfort without chasing trends. In Limited Hybrid form, the RAV4 leans heavily into refinement, pairing its proven 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain with standard all-wheel drive for confident all-weather driving. Power delivery is smooth rather than exciting, but that’s p

Chevy’s Affordable EV Reenters the Market The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt is reportedly beginning to arrive at dealerships, with build configurations visible for buyers considering the returning all-electric hatchback. What immediately stands out about the new Bolt is its pricing position. It is currently among the cheapest electric vehicles available in the U.S., carrying a starting sticker price of $28,995 (including destination fees). As standard, the Bolt delivers an EPA-estimated driving range of 2

A Different Kind of Grenadier for a Different Kind of Buyer Ineos may be struggling, but it's not stopping from offering something special to fans of rugged 4x4 machines with BMW engines and Defender personality. In fact, its latest offering caters to a more hardcore crowd – those who don't want a window, let alone a windshield. The Grenadier Game Viewer is a purpose-built safari vehicle developed by Ineos Kavango, the company's in-house conversion arm based in Botswana. First shown publicly as

It's tough to imagine where BMW might have been had it not launched its first SUV, the E53 X5, back in 1999. In 2026, the German automaker will once again show boldness with the debut of the first Neue Klasse-based X5, and based on these new spy shots captured by our photographers in northern Sweden, the G65 BMW X5 won't simply exaggerate the styling of the smaller iX3 revealed in 2025. Shot during winter testing near, the images show the X5 with its production headlights, but also its finalized

The Big Picture The 2027 Subaru Getaway is the brand’s first proper three-row electric SUV, unveiled at the New York International Auto Show, and we got the chance to see it in the metal. As Subaru’s most ambitious EV yet, it has the proportions to back that: it’s big, unapologetically family-focused, and clearly designed to replace the role of the Subaru Ascent in an electrified future, only now with far more power and tech baked in. This is Subaru leaning hard into electrification without aban

What a Tease  Volkswagen is – once again – teasing a photo of its 2027 Atlas. Set to debut at the 2026 New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) in early April, more details of the new three-row SUV from VW have been sent to our inboxes.  The 2027 Atlas was already teased once before, with a close-up of the LED taillights, and VW seems to be pretty fond of its LED setup with the Atlas for the North American market. We even got to see the prototype of the three-row SUV.

A Lifeline for the Flagship Quadrifoglio Models The most powerful versions of the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio almost reached the end of their production run. For a moment, it seemed like the Quadrifoglio badge would quietly slip away as the brand transitions toward electrification. Thankfully, Alfa Romeo reconsidered and extended the life of its combustion Quadrifoglios a little longer. Even better, the automaker has confirmed that the Giulia Quadrifoglio and Stelvio Quadrifoglio are getting t

The Nürburgring testing season is beggining, and the facelifted BMW 7 Series is one of the first cars to take advantage. BMW may have just revealed two new cars on its Neue Klasse platform in the iX3 crossover and i3 sedan, but the CLAR architecture isn't going anywhere yet, and the facelifted BMW 7 Series is one of the cars that will aim to bridge the stylistic gap. 2027 G70 7 Series LCI (Life Cylce Impulse) development mules are still completely covered in camouflage, but this one spotted outs

Filling a Need When it comes to rethinking the game, the new-generation Dodge Charger comes to mind. It's a pioneer in offering a legendary muscle car nameplate as either an all-electric Daytona model or the recently introduced combustion-powered turbocharged SIXPACK. The market has come around to the new Charger, but there was still an issue that needed to be addressed: aftermarket support and parts are few and far between, which means if you want to dress up your new Charger, your choices are

Last week’s reveal of the reinvented Freelander brand in China was quite intriguing, not only because it was done rather quietly and without prior notice, but also because it involved a popular entry-level Land Rover nameplate that is being brought back as something quite different from before. Since not much information transpired from the official event, we searched the web and came across a Chinese car influencer who not only attended the launch in Beijing but also got up close and personal w

Mercedes-Benz and V8 engines used to go hand in hand. The brand may have dabbled with hybrid four-cylinders, but the eight-cylinder isn’t dead just yet. A recent Instagram reel by @investmentvehicles shows a V8-powered facelifted Mercedes-Benz CLE test car roaming public roads, but its soundtrack couldn’t be further from the thunderous AMG we hoped for. In fact, we think the CLE 53 AMG might sound better in comparison, and it seems the internet agrees. A V8 Lives On, Just a Lot Quieter The head

Not Quite STIs Over the years, Subaru has been releasing STI Sport versions of its WRX in Japan. In other parts of the world, it's called the tS or Tuned by STI, and it gets a sharper suspension package, bigger brakes, and larger wheels. It also comes with unique interior touches that include deeper Recaro seats and a generous amount of blue trim. There are no power upgrades, though. Then, back in January 2025, the WRX S210 was previewed in prototype form during the Tokyo Auto Salon. It was then

When BMW revealed its new 2027 7 Series luxury sedan, one sentence from the press release stood out: "The new BMW 7 Series embodies the specific interpretation of the new BMW design language for the luxury segment." In other words, BMW was saying that the looks of its biggest, most prestigious, and costliest models would have a specific look, one that would differ from but still be related to the styling of the all-new iX3 crossover and i3 sedan. Basically, the way the 7 Series looks would not b

Incessant car bloat is an enemy that every new car battles and typically loses to, with additional safety equipment and the advent of electrification adding hundreds or even thousands of pounds to the curb weight with each new generation—just look at the new Audi RS 5, which now tips the scales at almost 5,200 pounds in sedan form, compared to under 4,100 lbs for its B9 Sportback non-hybrid predecessor. A notable exception to this trend is the Mazda MX-5 Miata, which is lighter in current ND for

A Familiar Future, With a Twist We’ve known for a while that Nissan is working on the next GT-R, even as earlier plans hinted at an all-electric future for the badge. That idea hasn’t completely disappeared, but it’s clearly not the full story anymore. Now, there’s a bit more clarity thanks to comments from Ponz Pandikuthira, Senior Vice President and Chief Planning Officer for Nissan North America. The update paints a picture that feels both reassuring and slightly complicated, depending on wha

A Worthy Successor Say what you will about Nissan being in a precarious spot, but an injection of excitement might be just what the doctor ordered to get the brand back on track. Obsessed with its heritage and with a desire to relive its glory days, the Silvia is the only car that's left from the golden era of Japanese performance that got stuck in time. News of the next-generation Silvia has been going around, and it appears that Nissan's current President, Ivan Espinosa, can't stop talking a

The writing has been on the wall for the naturally aspirated engine that makes the Porsche 911 GT3 so exciting for some time now. When the 992.2 facelift appeared, Porsche had to take extreme measures, such as two particulate filters and four catalytic converters, just to maintain the same horsepower output without falling afoul of emissions regulations, and the 4.0-liter boxer lost torque on the way. For the next generation, however, Zuffenhausen's finest may not be able to maintain the pure ch

The Bigger Picture  The Chief Design Officer for Stellantis, Ralph Gilles, shared a moment with Car Design News, sharing how automobiles are getting commoditized – think about how there is a section of the automotive industry that’s getting turned into appliances, or as he put it, “point A to point B.”  As the head design honcho at Stellantis, he and his team deliver compelling work to brands like Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Jeep, and Dodge, among many others. Fourteen brands are under him, and I can

The Timeline Takes Shape With the next-generation Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 reportedly arriving for the 2027 model year, production is also nearing. A report from GM Authority claims that, citing sources familiar with the matter, the two new full-size pickup trucks are expected to enter production in October 2026. This claim could prove useful for shoppers looking for a fresh truck on the market. However, despite production reportedly starting in about six months, not much is

Aging Gracefully But Ready for a Change Even as it approaches the end of its lifecycle, the current Tucson is still one of Hyundai’s most popular SUVs. Its sharp, parametric looks still stand out in traffic, its hybrid options stay competitive, and its cabin continues to punch above its class. But with newer rivals adopting tougher, more outdoorsy styling, the Tucson’s sleek, tech-focused design is beginning to feel a bit long in the tooth. That is why we're excited for the next-generation model

An Iffy Image To say that the Nissan Altima doesn't have a stellar image is an understatement, especially for the fourth and fifth-generation models. Admittedly, it's not entirely the car's fault, as certain, er, people with a particular driving style haven't done the Altima's reputation any favors. Reliability hasn't been great, though it's hard to tell whether it's mainly due to a lack of maintenance or the cars were genuinely faulty. Outside of America, however, Nissan's midsize sedan has a f

Nissan Rebuilds Its SUV Identity Nissan is making a bold push into the U.S. body-on-frame SUV market with the Xterra, which is set to compete against staple nameplates like the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler. In an interview with Automotive News, Nissan CEO Ivan Espinosa said that the V6 hybrid expected in the Xterra will feature a parallel hybrid setup. Espinosa claims a parallel hybrid system will be “very competitive,” citing improved towing capability and more consistent power delivery under