News

This is Not Your Typical Affordable Chinese Car For years, coverage around Chinese automakers has centered on value. Brands built momentum by undercutting legacy players with aggressive pricing and solid tech. That narrative is now being challenged at the very top end. According to a report from CarNewsChina, BYD has sold its most expensive production vehicle ever at the Beijing Auto Show 2026. The Yangwang U9 Xtreme commanded a staggering $2.76 million per unit. The U9 Xtreme is a limited prod

New Drip of Details The Mitsubishi Pajero is one of those SUVs that keeps pulling us back in. Official news is scarce, but every so often, a fresh batch of updates drops all at once. Some weeks, there’s nothing. Then suddenly, we get a few new pieces to the puzzle, like leaks and sightings, among others. The latest info comes from Japan, courtesy ofBest Car, so it’s smart to stay a bit skeptical. Even so, it matches what Mitsubishi has been hinting at. The new Pajero is expected to launch with t

More than $2 Billion in Refunds Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis will receive a tariff refund. Auto News reports that import tariff refunds for American automakers total around $2.3 billion. With this, we can expect these brands to have a bit more breathing room and a better financial outlook, given the current global landscape. The tariffs were deemed unconstitutional in February of this year, but the U.S. Supreme Court. The U.S. Government is set to return its collected tariffs to affecte

A Shift in Strategy from Volvo Leadership Last week, I asked Victor Yang, Vice President of Geely Holding Group, whether the company sees an advantage in leveraging its U.S. manufacturing footprint through Volvo Cars and Polestar plants in South Carolina. While he said there are no plans at the moment, the tone from the top is starting to change. In an interview with Business Insider, Håkan Samuelsson of Volvo Cars said the door is open to building Geely-based EVs in the U.S., citing available p

Software Is Now the Product Performance still counts, but these days, what really sets a car apart is the software running underneath. That’s the thinking behind software-defined vehicles – cars that keep changing and adding features long after you’ve bought them. That’s exactly where Hyundai Motor Group is headed with Pleos Connect. Instead of treating cars as finished products, they’re building a platform that lets vehicles keep getting better over time. Pleos Connect rolls out first in the Hy

Kia EV6 Drops Nearly $6K as EV Price War Heats Up With new car prices now averaging around $47,000, it is becoming harder for buyers to find genuinely affordable options. That is why fresh discounts in the EV space are getting attention. According to ordering guides obtained by CarsDirect, the 2026 Kia EV6 is receiving a significant price cut of nearly $6,000. The entry-level EV6 Light is now expected to start at just under $38,000, with some reports pointing to a closer to $37,000 price depend

Nissan Backtracks On U.S. EV Push News of Nissan's EV push around the world is getting the industry buzzing. Despite struggles and restructuring, the Japanese brand was still able to launch new products, such as the improved Leafand a rumored Nismo version of the EV. Apart from that, the brand's also making a few moves around the performance car segment, fielding improvements to the Z and making a bit of noise for upcoming models like the next-generation GT-R and some murmurs about the Silvia.

When Customization Goes All the Way Bugatti’s Sur Mesure division takes customization to a level that goes far beyond the usual. This is the team behind the Hermès Chiron and the lavender W16 Mistral. If an owner has a specific vision, no matter how detailed or unusual, Sur Mesure is set up to make it happen. Its newest project, however, sticks to that approach but shifts from fashion to something more natural. Meet the W16 Mistral “Fly Bug” – the fourth in a series of insect-inspired builds, ea

Chip Foose needs no introduction, but if you don’t recognize Seth Hammond’s name then just look up Bonneville Records and you’ll find him. Seth is a hard core racer, hot rodder, and collector so it’s no wonder that he and Chip are friends. Check out this fun video from Barona, a dragstrip down near San Diego, because this place looks like the set of Lost in Space from the 1960s. It’s a fun little race track that we’ve had some fun at and that still puts on great events. Check it out. Video Desc

Car Launches in a Nutshell Car launches are as straightforward as it gets. The usual program flow starts with speeches from executives, a breakdown of highlights, and eventually, the reveal. From time to time, there are a few gimmicks, but it's really nothing out of the ordinary. We've covered loads of these over the years, and we already know what to expect. But for those who attended the Volkswagen ID. Polo's launch in Germany recently, we can say that those who were there witnessed something

Drag and Drive trailers are one of the more talked about aspects of drag and drive races, and for good reason. Being organized and having the tools and parts you need can be the difference between finishing or not, and winning or losing your class. There are a bunch of ways to do a drag and drive trailer effectively, but some folks have different preferences. I’ve seen a bunch of different drag and drive trailer variations, and the possibilities are endless. In the video below, our friend Bill A

China spent the better part of a decade making the internal combustion engine look obsolete. Government subsidies, aggressive production targets, and a homegrown battery supply chain turned the country into the world's dominant EV force. China now commands roughly 70 percent of the global EV battery market. So, it’s more than a little surprising that two of its biggest automakers, Geely and Chery, are pouring serious money into making the gasoline engine smarter, cleaner, and more competitive th

Prestige Lincoln, for most, is an aspirational brand; it represents the very best of plush American automotive experience. Over the years, it's been a go-to for some of the American elite, especially with models like the Town Car and the enduring Navigator. One of those elites seems to have always preferred the Navigator; tennis legend Serena Williams is a fan and is getting a very special Navigator just for herself. One-Off Navigator Williams Edition Lincoln has chosen to commemorate Serena's b

General Motors has announced $830 million in investments at three key propulsion plants in Michigan and Ohio to support the launch of the company’s next-generation full-size trucks and SUVs. The $830 million investments also include some production work recently started at these sites. In addition to the investment in U.S. production, GM also said it is investing half a billion dollars in a Canadian plant that will make the next-generation small-block V8 engines for the automaker's upcoming full

Industry Nerds McLaren's known as the "nerds" of the industry, and the company has always prided itself on its clinical, precise engineering approach to building dream machines and legendary race cars. This has translated into a long list of achievements for them, including notable wins and championships at Le Mans, the Indy 500, and Formula 1. They are now looking at expanding the business portfolio, not just into cars but into another form of sport altogether.

The automotive industry has quietly ushered in the era of the "beta-tester" consumer. Today, the rush to deploy highly digitized and experimental software-driven platforms has left buyers playing the role of corporate guinea pigs, and they pay for the privilege. The TeslaCybertruck stands tall when we discuss this. Affected by a list of mass recalls since its launch—ranging from separating wheel studs to detaching trim—the stainless-steel truck has consistently delivered disruptive aesthetics ov

Here’s gallery #2, and if you missed the photos we already posted, use the link below to check them out too. (Photos by David Whealon) The PDRA East Coast Nationals at GALOT Motorsports Park were some badass drag races and for good reason. This is one of the coolest dragstrips in the country, and when the PDRA is in town the crowds are always great. With Pro Nitrous, Pro Boost, Pro Street, and more, there is no shortage of great racing action for the fans to see. Lucky for us, David Whealon was

Back to the 48 When you live in Alaska, it's a totally different ballgame. Take, for instance, a Rivian owner who needs warranty work on his 2024 Rivian R1T. To make a warranty claim and to see it through, it used to be free with time and being the principal cost back then. However, some things happened that now necessitate thousands of dollars just to get the car towed to the nearest service center. The Drive picked up on this story, citing that an EV on a commercial barge caught fire while in

Here we go with more awesome vintage F1 action from the streets of Monaco! The Monaco Historic Grand Prix is one hell of an event, and it’s back after a few years off! If you dig old race cars, you are going to love this. And the way that it is organized at Monaco is something special. They organize the F1 races based on years, and they livestream the entire weekend. We shared the livestream already, and if you missed it then use the link below. But if you just want to see the independent races,

Finnegan’s Cadillac is arguably one of the most talked about drag and drive projects in recent years and while he’s been working on building his Lexus LC500 into a genuinely fast drag and drive car, it’s the Caddy that grabs everyone’s attention. We all know the project has had some setbacks and changes over the past couple of years, but Mike is committed to getting this thing on the road and so he’s really working on it. And then he broke his leg. Again. Well a different leg, but his leg none t

Tesla says it has started high-volume production of the Semi Class 8 electric truck at its dedicated 1.7-million-square-foot facility near Gigafactory Nevada. The announcement was made by the official Tesla Semi account on X, and was shared by CEO Elon Musk on his personal page. “First Semi off high volume line,” reads the April 29 post, which includes a photo showing a white Tesla Semi rolling off the production line with hundreds of workers standing in front of it. Tesla did not reveal the exa

Larry Chen is back at it, but this time his Asian adventures have led him to China to check out the car culture in Shenzhen. I used to travel to Shenzen in my previous career and it is the tech capital of China for sure. Not far from Hong Kong, it’s a very busy international city and because of that it has a lot of cars. But what is their car culture like there? You might be surprised as you watch this cool video from Larry, with his buddy Sung Kang, but it is always fun to see how folks around

Honda Sued For Its Idle Stop A feature that's meant to save drivers some dollars at the pump might end up costing Honda dearly, think about $36,000,000 in legal fees and expenses. The lawsuit revolves around Honda's Idle-Stop feature and how it refused to start the engine up again after activating, Car Complaints reports. How Honda's system works is that it shuts off the engine after it comes to a stop and idles for more than two seconds. When the brake pedal is released, the system will restar

Shannon and Jess are moving right along on the FJ40 and things just keep getting better. If you like a Landcruiser, you’ll dig this one. But if restored to factory is your jam, this one might not be quite up your alley. We dig them all, so we are in. Check it out as Shannon gets rolling with winch mount and bumper fabrication, plus race prep! If you missed this FJ40 project that Shannon Campbell is working on, we’ve got a link below, but if you are back for the next installment in this build se

Pain Point There are a lot of things to consider when jumping into the EV lifestyle. Most people will complain about the high prices of EVs and some of the disadvantages in certain situations. One big pain point is the sometimes lack of charging infrastructure in more populated areas, where charging can be a hassle and lines can build up. As we all know, lining up for anything is a bit of a hassle, especially if the line barely moves. Since charging an EV isn't necessarily as quick (yet) as fill