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Toyota’s Hybrid Bet Continues to Pay Off Right now, no other automaker in the US has a hybrid lineup as deep as Toyota’s. Instead of chasing a fully electric future at full speed, Toyota stuck to its plan: keep building out hybrids, add more plug-in options, and only sprinkle in a few battery electric models. That approach already delivered results in 2024, and the latest numbers show it worked again in 2025. Toyota Motor North America ended the year with 2,518,071 vehicles sold in the US, up 8

The Ford Mustang = Pop Culture The Ford Mustang occupies a unique place in automotive history. Conceived in Detroit, unveiled to the public at the 1964 New York World’s Fair, and endlessly romanticized on the streets and highways of California, the Mustang became more than a car; it became a cultural shorthand for freedom, youth, and pop culture in general. Its long hood and accessible performance helped define the “pony car” segment and embedded the Mustang into decades of American pop culture,

Stellantis has just released its annual sales results for 2025, and while the company with multiple brands under its umbrella saw an overall year-over-year decline of 3%, there were some noteworthy individual model successes. One of these is the Dodge Durango SUV, which achieved its best total sales year since 2005, up by 37% over 2024. Considering that the third-generation Durango first went into production in 2010, that’s an outstanding result for a vehicle on such an old platform, so what wer

Blurred EyeSight In May 2021, a class action suit was filed against Subaru, alleging that some of its cars had faulty EyeSight safety systems. The suit specifically claimed faults with the Pre-Collision Braking, Rear Automatic Braking, and/or Lane Keep Assist systems. The 2021 class action lawsuit alleged that the systems placed in the car didn't operate properly and would sometimes fail to operate when needed (especially in the case of the Pre-Collision Braking). The class action says Subaru wa

Mercedes-Benz has announced that its new self-driving system, MB.Drive Assist Pro, will become available in the United States later this year. This Level 2 system differs from the company’s MB Drive Pilot Level 3 technology, as MB.Drive Assist Pro still requires driver attentiveness. However, like Tesla’s Full Self-Driving suite, Merc’s new Level 2 system allows for point-to-point driving in urban areas. It’s possible to get to your destination without human intervention, even if navigating unex

A Fragile Year That Ended in the Black Nissan went into 2025 with its back against the wall. The company faced tough financial headwinds worldwide, closing factories, selling off its headquarters, and cutting costs wherever possible. With that kind of pressure, hopes for the US market were understandably muted. Even so, Nissan managed to hold its ground by the end of 2025. The brand moved 926,153 vehicles in the US, including Infiniti, a 0.2 percent bump from last year. The real story is that Ni

A New Benchmark for In-Car Voice Assistants BMW is taking a decisive step toward redefining how drivers and passengers interact with their vehicles. Beginning in 2026, the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant will be expanded to include Amazon’s latest Alexa+ AI architecture, marking a major milestone in human-vehicle interaction. The system will debut in the new BMW iX3, making BMW the first automaker to integrate this next-generation conversational AI directly into a production vehicle. BMW see

It's a new year, and Ram is starting it off the right way - by launching a new, more powerful TRX pickup and by extending its highly appreciated 10-year/10,000-mile warranty for 2026. The warranty, launched in June 2025, was originally only meant to be offered until January 2 and came when Ram fell far down new vehicle quality study rankings, but "overwhelming customer and dealer feedback" encouraged Stellantis to keep it going for the 2026 model year. The best-in-segment warranty will surely be

The S650 Mustang family is reportedly set to grow imminently, but how exactly is currently unclear. According to an unconfirmed report from The Supercar Blog, citing insider sources, Ford will use the Detroit Auto Show to reveal not one but two new Ford Racing models, and one of them "might be a Mustang Cobra or Boss." The annual event begins next week, running from January 14-25, and it seems like the perfect place to showcase a new high-performance vehicle since the Blue Oval has already confi

Rewriting The Rules of Speed Enforcement Here's something that'll make most car enthusiasts uncomfortable: a device that won't let you speed at all. The LifeSafer Intelligence Speed Assistance system plugs into your vehicle and uses GPS tracking plus an onboard speed limit database to actively manage your throttle. It knows where you are, what the posted limit is, and it won't let you exceed it. Simple as that. Aimed at teen drivers, installation takes minutes and works across gas cars, EVs, hyb

It’s been a challenging period for Volkswagen in the United States, with declining sales across most of the manufacturer’s lineup for large portions of last year. Now that 2025’s total sales numbers are in, we can take a closer look at the full picture, and it’s not a rosy one. Including both passenger cars and SUVs, VW’s sales declined by 13% relative to 2024, with 329,813 vehicles sold. All but two individual models saw declines last year, and VW’s sedans and hatchbacks put in an especially po

Stellantis has quietly transformed its most ambitious European electric vehicle project into a lesson in caution. According to Italpassion, the company has closed its Cassino plant in Italy and essentially paused three important models after realising that customers, regulators, and its own product plans were no longer aligned.

Market Shifts Spare No One The industry has been shaken by shifting market conditions this year, significantly affecting EV brands like Tesla. Yet despite not selling battery electric vehicles (BEVs) – at least as of this writing – Mitsubishi still posted a 13.7 percent decline in its 2025 sales in the U.S., delivering 94,754 vehicles overall. Mitsubishi’s most popular model, the Outlander, also experienced a noticeable dip. The SUV sold 35,895 units last year, marking a decline of 9,358 vehicle

New Truck, New Ideas Right now, Hyundai’s only truck in the US is the Santa Cruz. But the brand has already said it’s building a proper, full-size pickup for American buyers before the decade is out. Hyundai has been testing out modular features like removable doors, but now there’s another idea in the mix: a midgate. New patent documents show Hyundai is working out how a midgate could fit into a modern pickup, with a focus on something most people only notice when it goes wrong: water managemen

Not an Easy Year for Honda Honda’s 2025 has been plagued by a number of issues, particularly microchip shortages and supply issues, keeping production tight. This resulted in spotty sales and thin dealer inventories during the second half of the year. By the fourth quarter, the strain was clear as sales dipped in multiple crucial segments. Even so, the year-end numbers told a better story. American Honda finished 2025 with 1,430,577 vehicles sold – a 0.5 percent bump over last year and the brand

When Buying American Pays Ford has released a list of models eligible for the annual $10,000 auto loan interest deduction under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which was signed into law in July 2025. The incentive applies exclusively to vehicles assembled in the United States, effectively encouraging consumers to buy domestically built models, while some imported vehicles from brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz continue to face heftier tariffs. According to Ford, the eligible lineup includes t

Timed to coincide with the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week, Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) has premiered a new prototype vehicle under its Afeela brand. Unlike the Afeela 1 electric sedan that entered pre-production back in August, the new Afeela Prototype 2026 (as it’s called for now) takes the form of a coupe-style crossover. The resemblance between the new prototype and the Afeela 1 sedan is obvious, but the crossover’s larger, taller body is likely to appeal to more America

Belltech was one of the most influential name brands in the sport truck market of the 1980s and 1990s. Period. Along with a handful of other companies, they lead a revolution in trucks and created a new market within the hot rodding community. Many have argued that GM’s GMT400, aka C1500/K1500 series, aka OBS platform was the driving force for custom sport trucks and we can’t argue with them. These trucks lit the world on fire thanks to companies like Belltech, Trader’s, Billet Specialties, Boyd

Derek, David, and a Jeep Wagoneer, sounds like a party! I know David has a ton of experience making old crappy Jeeps run, but most of the time they aren’t powered by Buick’s Dauntless V8. I still have faith that between him and Derek they can make anything run and drive if it is possible. Derek doesn’t know what the word quit means, and David has been doing this long enough to not be phased by much either. Plus they’re both smart asses, so it should be a riot. Watch and enjoy.   The post De

Stage 2 action, highlights, and more are below! If you missed the previous video, use the link below. Dakar Rally 2026 is on! The worlds longest, toughest, and most infamous off-road race has started and we couldn’t be more excited! Famous racers and teams, well known for their prowess in the sand and on Dakar in general, have already been struggling which is just more proof of how gnarly this race really is. There are a lot of new cars and new teams mixed in with proven cars and older teams, b

Ever look at an old car and wonder about its history? Every car has a story to tell, but sometimes that story is a mystery. Either the previous owner with the knowledge sold the car, or they have passed away, taking that story with them. We love mysteries and cars with stories, so when we come across a cool car that’s been sitting around a long time, we turn into some kind of automotive version of Sherlock Holmes and start investigating. Scott over at Rebeldryver’s Garage found an interesting c

We already told you that 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. And we shared his video from the frontside races already, but here is the backside racing action video from Joe. If you missed the frontside race video, use the link below to check it out too. The action is always fun, and the folks from the northeast who don’t care if it is cold, as long

The V12 LS based engine that Dave Kindig spec’d for the Kindig-It Designs built TwelveAir Ridler Winning Corvette project turned heads, just like the first ones folks saw nearly a decade ago when Race Cast Engineering out of Australia first debuted them in Las Vegas at the SEMA Show. I mean who doesn’t love an LS based engine anyway, but when you add four more cylinders to the thing it just gets better and better. And despite Race Cast starting to build these things years ago, you just don’t see

Truly scratch built cars are a rarity nowadays, regardless of what some high end builders want you to believe. Bespoke might be the trendy word, but there are differences in levels of design, fabrication, and build quality. And if you have a completely custom 1969 Camaro built, most shops, even the most high end, are going to start with a 1969 Camaro or with a reproduction body. That doesn’t mean they won’t massage each and every part, or that some parts might not be reproduced from scratch, but

Modern problems require modern solutions The steering wheel has been the command center of every car for a very long time. For much of the history of cars, it has been the one constant in automotive interior design; the piece of hardware that connects humans to their machine, drivers to the road. Here’s the thing: as self-driving technology evolves, robotaxis and autonomous vehicles become more of a reality, the traditional steering wheel starts to become less of an essential tool and more like