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The RivianR2 configurator is now officially live, and amongst the possible options and features, one particular line-item stands out: the option of a space-saving spare tire is a $755 optional extra. Being positioned as a premium electric adventure brand, Rivian has a reputation for rugged, tech-forward, and luxurious design, setting itself apart from the curvaceous and sleek appearance of most other EV manufacturers. Rivian also stands out as being one of the few manufacturers offering a spare

50 Years of Honda Accord While the Civic expanded Honda's horizons worldwide, it was the Accord that helped the brand make a huge impact on America. It made its world premiere on May 7, 1976, as a compact hatchback, with the sedan added in 1977. Since then, it has become a firm favorite, even becoming America's best-selling car from 1989 to 1991, and again in 2001. 11 generations have been built since then, and even if midsize sedan sales are no longer as strong as they once were, it's impossibl

Photos by Brian Losness and Kim Fuller) (Words by Darr Hawthorne) • When a racetrack carries the legacy of the 55th NAPA Ignitor, Idaho’s first 2026 NHRA Hot Rod Heritage Series Nitro Funny Car event at Firebird Raceway, it naturally attracts the sport’s top racers. This year’s edition is no exception, once again bringing the best in nitro funny car racing to Boise. As the Northwest’s longest-running major drag race, the Ignitor is rich in history and tradition. The event debuted in 1971,

The Crown Jewel Test Drive Monaco is known as a small country with no personal income tax, making it a magnet for the ultra-wealthy. For car enthusiasts, it is also home to the Monaco Grand Prix, one of Formula 1’s most historic races. That is why Jaguar’s visit to the country to build hype for the Type 01 seems appropriate, especially as the upcoming model is touted as a car that will drive “like no other electric car.” For the uninitiated, the Type 01 will be Jaguar’s first car under its renew

The International Hot Rod Association’s Offshore Racing Series 2026 season is in Cocoa Beach today, 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: Thunder on Cocoa Beach brings the IHRA Offshore Racing Series to Florida’s iconic Space Co

The BMW S55 Usually Has a Pretty Good Reputation The BMW S55 engine has earned its fans, and it’s easy to see why. This twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six, found in the F80 M3 and F82 M4, is often called one of BMW M’s more reliable modern engines – if you keep up with maintenance. Out of the box, it puts down 425 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. Even better, it can take a fair bit of tuning abuse before your wallet starts sweating. That said, the S55 is a tuner’s dream. Bolt-ons, bigger turbos,

It Started as a Joke Dubbed as the fan-favorite on the Nordschleife, BMW's 2025 April Fools' Joke has just entered into the history books as probably one of the best jokes ever made – and raced. Fans asked, BMW delivered, and M Motorsport should be extremely satisfied with the result. This year's 24h of Nürburgring was rather star-studded with four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on the grid. He did well, leading the pack for most of the 24 hours and racing alongside a fellow Mercedes te

In the stratosphere of ultra-high-net-worth luxury, true exclusivity is no longer defined by six-digit price tags or bespoke paint samples. It is defined by permission. With the introduction of the 2027 Mercedes-Benz S-Class S680 Guard, the German automaker is shifting from a traditional luxury manufacturer to an elite, geopolitical gatekeeper. Money alone will no longer get you the goods; you now have to pass a background check.

Lexus Has Reimagined What the LS Means At the 2025 Japan Mobility Show, Lexus made it obvious they weren’t just planning another four-door LS sedan. Instead, they showed off two concepts that looked nothing like the LS we’ve known for decades: one was a huge six-wheeled luxury van, the other a coupe-inspired crossover. Neither concept could be farther from the LS that’s been around since 1989, but Lexus made it clear there’s a bigger change coming. CALTY president Ian Cartabiano called the LS a

Porsche may revisit one of the most beloved chapters in its history. A recently uncovered patent reveals a new engine cooling concept that takes inspiration from the air-cooled era of the 911, before water-cooled engines took over in the late 1990s. Albeit not entirely air-cooled, it combines the old-school design with a dash of modern engineering in a way only Porsche really can. Reviving The Spirit Of The Air-Cooled 911

Hot Off the Presses Mazda has come under fire in a class-action lawsuit alleging that the brand's seat heaters in its Mazda6, CX-9, CX-30, CX-50, and CX-5 models are defective, causing occupants to get burned when in use. Five owners have come together to file this lawsuit against the Japanese automaker. Car Complaints picked up on the story and said that the class action provides a "reasonable estimate" of the cost to repair, which could mean Mazda will have to pay at least $662,492,128.17 to

Storm Clouds Over JLR Land Rover has long been associated with reliability concerns, and those issues appear to be weighing on Jaguar Land Rover’s finances. For the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026, JLR reported higher warranty costs, which, along with U.S. tariffs on imported vehicles and last year’s cyberattack, pushed the company to target £1.7 billion, or about $2.3 billion at current exchange rates, in spending cuts over the next two years. Automotive News reported that JLR posted an annua

2027 Will be Big for Brabus Founded by Bodo Buschmann and Klaus Brackmann in 1977, Brabus started out as a tuner primarily for Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Today, it's a manufacturer of high-performance vehicles, building some of the wildest and fastest cars ever made. By next year, the company will celebrate its 50th anniversary, and the party is already getting started this year. Brabus has revealed the Bodo, and it's named after its late co-founder, who passed away in 2018. Had Buschman been aroun

Fuel Economy Flex With electrification ramping up, several automakers have expanded not only their battery-electric vehicle lineups, but also their hybrid offerings, many of which deliver significantly better fuel economy than their gasoline-only counterparts. The Toyota Prius remains the benchmark in the non-plug-in hybrid segment with up to 57 mpg, with popular models such as the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Corolla Hybrid not far behind. But over at Brigham Young University in Utah, a team o

After Two Years Price increases across the industry as several factors affect automakers' bottom line. Tesla chimed in with a price increase for the Model Y, the first time in two years. Reuters picked up on the story after the company posted its new prices on its website. Prospective buyers looking to buy a new Model Y will need to review the latest prices from Tesla. The company posted a price increase across all variants of the Model Y, including Premium Rear-Wheel Drive, Premium All-Wheel D

A late-season Pacific trough is dropping operational Winter Storm Warnings across southern Wyoming and Winter Storm Watches across the Colorado high country today, Sunday May 17, 2026, with up to 2 feet of snow forecast for the Snowy Range and gusts to 40 mph stacking against the I-80 Summit between Cheyenne and Laramie. NWS Cheyenne upgraded its Watches to Warnings at 150 AM MDT this morning, and NWS Boulder is expected to follow with operational Warning text for the Colorado high country befor

The Green Hell Turns 100 The Nürburgring turns 100 this year. Known for its punishing 12.9-mile Nordschleife layout, dramatic elevation changes, and unpredictable weather, the famous German circuit has earned a reputation as one of the world's toughest proving grounds. Caterham’s tribute comes in the form of the Seven Nürburgring Edition – a lightweight sports car shaped by the legendary circuit itself. The goal: channel the spirit of the Green Hell, keeping the Seven’s pure formula but adding t

For nearly six decades, the Ford plant at Broadmeadows in Victoria was the beating heart of Australian car manufacturing. Ford Australia opened the Broadmeadows plant in August 1959, before introducing the first locally-made Ford Falcon the following year. Now, Singapore-based Zerra DC has lodged a planning permit with the Victorian government proposing a six-building data centre campus on the historic site. Australia's auto manufacturing legacy is being rewritten, one server rack at a time.

A Billion-Dollar Agreement Jeep's parent company, Stellantis, and Chinese automaker Dongfeng signed a strategic cooperation agreement on May 15, 2026, to expand production capacity for brands like Peugeot and Jeep's new energy vehicles (NEVs) in China. The partnership will start in 2027, according to a report by a Chinese news source, CLS. So what will Jeep do with the $1.18 billion investment? According to the agreement, Jeep-branded off-road vehicles will be produced at the Dongfeng Wuhan plan

If you find the BMW XM Label challenging to look at, you may want to avert your gaze. The German automaker has just revealed the XM Label Soundmachine, turning its wildest SUV into a rolling DJ stage for the likes of Carl Cox to perform from. Built by five apprentices at the BMW Group plant in Dingolfing, the monstrous creation is fully functional and makes its world premiere at the Electric Mountain Festival in Sölden, Austria, with a fully functional Pioneer DJ deck and a dBTechnologies sound

Historical Significance Brands with as rich a history as Maserati have produced some truly iconic race cars and sports cars over the many decades. In modern times, Maserati has acknowledged these iconic cars by introducing the Maserati Classiche heritage department. Not just a restorer or preserver of Maserati classics, Classiche is also there to certify some of the forgotten icons that are slowly making their way back to the limelight. One very rare model has just been certified, joining an exc

Out of the Blue Whenever Kimera is brought up in conversation, the usual topics are its classic Lancia-inspired designs, like the K-37 and K-38. The brand is no stranger to improvement and iteration, as is the case with the Kimera EVO38, whichfeatures a lightweight body, at just over 2,400 lbs, and up to just 650 horsepower. Now I say "just" because Kimera has one-upped itself again with the new Kimera K-39 - Powered by Koenigsegg. Coming in at just under 2,500 pounds and fitted with a Koenigs

A late-season Pacific trough is hammering the Western United States today, Saturday May 16, 2026, with up to 20 inches of snow forecast for the highest elevations of the Wyoming mountains and damaging wind gusts to 70 mph stacking against I-5, US 395, and the Mojave Desert highway grid. NWS Riverton has issued five Winter Storm Warnings for Sunday night into Monday, and the Weather Prediction Center extended discussion flags the trough delivering a round of late-season snow across the higher ele

JaguarLand Rover (JLR) has nothing against the new Freelander brand coming to the UK, the carmaker’s new CEO has said. PB Balaji told Autocar that the Chinese-built SUV that features signature Land Rover design cues won’t affect sales of current Land Rover products if they are sold in the UK and Europe. Longer, wider and taller than the standard wheelbase Range Rover, the Freelander 8 production luxury SUV was unveiled in early May in China as the first in a series of new Freelander-badged vehic

A Long-Running Mercedes-Benz Hub Near the Port of Long Beach Mercedes-Benz is getting ready to close its Long Beach R&D facility, marking the end of almost 30 years at the California site. Tucked away on Via Oro Avenue near the Port of Long Beach, the facility opened in 1997 and quietly became a key engineering hub for the brand in the US. Over the years, this spot helped create nearly 100 patents, covering everything from powertrains to autonomous driving and in-car tech. The 32,100-square-