The battle of the luxury performance SUVs is heating up. Maserati has had the Levante out for a little while. Not to be forgotten, by the end of this year, the folks over in England are joining the category with the Aston Martin DBX. There are others as well. Lamborghini has the Urus SUV, and speculation indicates Ferrari will be …
Yesterday we discussed the fact that many people look for a fun, two-seater weekend car. Often times they have a limited budget and will look for something they fondly remember. So, we listed two-seat vehicles that were available during the 1990s that are often forgotten but are affordable at under $20,000. Today, we continue the …
The new 2021 Aston Martin DBX, the first SUV for the British brand, was planned to roll out this year slowly. But the global COVID-19 variable has had a negative financial impact on many manufacturers worldwide. Resultantly, manufacturers are delaying new product reveals. Aston Martin is no different. It also has taken a hit to the bottom line. …
Virtual racing has been all the rage since the world went into lockdown over the COVID-19 pandemic. Indeed, for weeks all the major racing series have had their races and schedules suspended. In the meantime, many of those major racing series have taken to televised virtual racing with the actual star drivers manning their various …
Many households have more than one car. Sometimes that additional car or two is for fun weekend driving or events. For those, often, a two-seater fits the “fun” requirement. Inevitably, the search will begin for an affordable one to purchase that is fondly remembered from the recent past. So, what two-seaters are out there from …
Rental company Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., has been weathering the COVID-19 storm as best as it can. But there have been fewer people traveling during the global lockdown. Consequently, the car rental company has seen its revenue deflate in recent weeks. The lack of incoming funds it has put the company in a possible bankruptcy situation if things continue for too …
When Jerry Seinfeld’s comedy television show, appropriately called Seinfeld, ended in 1998, many wondered what he would do next. As a stand-up comedian, many figured he would go on to do other television shows, get into movies, or continue to do stand up tours. Well, somewhere along the way of doing all of that, he also …
Bob Lutz is a former executive at Ford, Chrysler, General Motors, and BMW. As such, he has a lot of industry knowledge and experience that he offers to those who would like a little insight into the workings of major automotive manufacturers. In short, he is an expert. So, when he spoke as a guest …
In 2012 a company called Carvana launched a dealership network with the aim of providing consumers the opportunity to purchase their next used vehicle through a totally online experience. During the global COVID-19 pandemic, the company has done better than most, proving that people are increasingly open to the online sales business model. When Carvana launched, they did …
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, known as FCA, recently held a design competition to sketch the Ram truck of the future. It is a competition that has run every year since 2013. The most recent ten-week competition just wrapped up. FCA’s design team, with a little input from guest judge Josh Welton, reviewed the submitted designs. Three winning submissions were announced this morning. The winning …
Today the exotic car automaker, Lamborghini, launched a new model. But, it is almost like they have run out of ideas since the launch of their Urus SUV. Nothing really new has been coming out lately. Today was no exception. The reveal was just another version of an already existing vehicle. I’m not usually critical …
Sitting around the breakfast table this morning sparked a conversation about the pioneer days. It was a time when people were heading west to discover lands beyond the east coast. But the conversation then turned to the question, how did those pioneers get supplies once their original stash was depleted. That’s when we meandered into the topic …
The Ford GT is a vehicle that many have seen in magazines and on the internet, but few have actually seen in person. There are only a few of them produced, and because of several factors, their resale values have gone through the roof. A quick backstory is needed to understand why those resale values for the GT are high. …
Car camping for a weekend is a fun experience. But, what if you want to travel for more than a weekend adventure. Let us say that you want to go on a cross country trip and want to experience the great outdoors wherever you go. The #vanlife movement has done a lot in recent years to elevate the …
There is no age restriction for becoming an automotive enthusiast. Heck, professional racecar drivers often start their race careers in go-karts when they are still single-digits years old. Now imagine being an automotive enthusiast that is five-years-old and being told by your mother that she won’t buy you a Lamborghini. One child decided to make Lamborghini ownership happen on …
Many high school seniors this year have had the misfortune of missing most of their school year in exchange for a lockdown due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Also, due to regional lockdown, many of those same seniors are not going to be able to have a normal timely graduation. But, the folks at NASCAR …
Back in 2015, Hyundai began teasing the public and motoring press with a pickup. At that time, the new Sante Cruz pickup concept was a slab-sided unibody vehicle based upon the Santa Fe structure. Since then, the project has been on-again, off-again a few times. Now we have proof that the project has gone forward. Proof the project is moving …
Beginning in mid-March, dealerships in the Winston-Salem area and Kernersville area of North Carolina began to notice vehicles disappearing from their lots. Unfortunately, they weren’t disappearing because of sales. In all, over forty vehicles were stolen from multiple dealerships. The losses amount to over one million dollars of inventory. The suspects According to Winston-Salem police, children …
Imagine you are minding your own business during your commute from work. Imagine someone switches lanes in front of you kind of quickly. Not hard to imagine, right? It happens every day for some of us. Now imagine that the person that switched lanes in front of you is a motorcyclist that, for whatever reason, got distracted in performing …
2020 is still young. But, the global economic collapse due to the COVID-19 pandemic has many auto enthusiasts debating whether it is a good time to buy or sell a car right now. Yet, the strange thing about car auctions is that historic and rare cars will always remain historic and rare. So, those types of cars will always command a …
It is no surprise that south of the United States border, there are a lot of people trying to find ways to get Americans to part with their cash. Sometimes that means smuggling illegal substances across the border to them. Everyday US Border Patrol agents and their K9 partners inspect untold numbers of vehicles to prevent this illegal smuggling. …
Dale Earnhardt Sr. is a NASCAR racing legend. It did not matter if a fan liked him or hated him. There was certainly a lot of respect in both camps for the way Earnhardt could drive. He became a top competitor week in and week out until his tragic during a race on February 18, 2001. Richard Childress owns …
In a recent call with investors to discuss updates of plans going forward, Tim Stone, Ford’s Chief Financial Officer, and Jim Hackett, Ford’s Chief Executive Officer, had a lot to say. The covered restarting production and the roll-out of expected new vehicles. This also included news of possible delays for the Bronco, Bronco Sport, and Mustang Mach-E. The “off” switch …
Lamborghini is a favorite brand for those that follow Italian exotic car makers. The manufacturer produces a lot of the beautiful, carefully crafted sheet metal out the Sant’ Agata area in Northern Italy. In fact, some might say that the automaker puts out drool-worthy, and powerful, exclusive automobiles. So, whenever there is news that Lamborghini is planning on announcing something, …
If you have been in a Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, or Ram in the last ten years, then you have seen the interior handiwork of Klaus Busse. Together with his team of designers, Mr. Busse would overhaul the interior cabins of most of the line-ups in those brands and also created some Easter Eggs that Jeep …
The virtual NASCAR races of recent weeks have been fun to watch, but real racing is back, sorta. Announced in a press release today, NASCAR will return to racing beginning May 17th. So there are still three weeks until the in real-life race day greets us again. After that, the schedule is accelerated. In a …
Some of you may recall a commercial during the Superbowl in February announcing the return of Hummer in an all-electric form. What has trickled out since then is that Hummer will be a vehicle or two under the GMC umbrella. Now we have word that the reveal of the first vehicle, originally scheduled for May, 20th has been delayed. COVID-19 Delays and cancellations …
For those that may be unaware, Tesla, Ford, and Hummer are not the only manufacturers that have shown their intent to produce electric pickups. There have also been entrants from Rivian, Lordstown, and Bollinger, to name a few. However, Bollinger is going a step further. They have introduced a path for fleets to take advantage of their vehicles through a chassis …
In 1993 Jeep launched the Grand Cherokee model. Its launch was the spark the industry received that ignited the SUV craze of the 1990s. At that time, gas was inexpensive, and the economy was stable enough that people started purchasing every available SUV as quickly as the industry could produce them. In fact, it seemed like each manufacturer was …
Mention a minivan, and many people roll their eyes. But the truth is that minivans are great people-haulers. In many cases, they even achieve better fuel efficiency when compared to popular SUVs. So, they can move the family and do well at the gas pump. It is not a surprise then the minivans often get evaluated against each other. Manufacturers …
In the YouTube universe, there are a lot of channels anyone can follow for any topic. For auto enthusiasts, there are channels about crafting upholstery, building stronger V8 engines, lifting trucks, racing, restorations, electric conversions, and so on. Often, there will be a channel that has a large enough following that giving away a vehicle …
Lotus’s parent company, Geely, has experience in many market segments. So, when news appeared today saying the Lotus is considering an entry model for its portfolio of offerings, the inclination is to think that a sedan or SUV would be added to the stable of coupes Lotus currently has. But, after searching around on the internet for bits and pieces …
In days gone by, if a buyer wanted a two-seat sports car, the most common top-of-mind thoughts were either Italian, British, or American manufactured vehicles. However, in this day in age, 3D printing, plentiful venture capitalists, and developing nations in the world taking their place have all led to a lot more offerings of two-seaters. That’s where W …
For the last ten years, the Ford Raptor has been the “King of The Hill” for off-road streetable trucks. For the 2021 model year, Ram’s Rebel TRX is going to give the Ford Raptor a run for its money. However, not content to let Ford and Ram play in the sandbox alone, Chevrolet may be prepping a legit contender as we …
Auto enthusiasts tend to go to car shows, or at least follow the happenings of car shows from recap articles posted online, or printed in magazines. After a while of following the car show scene, it becomes obvious that some of the car shows on the regular schedule are more prestigious than others. The Pebble …
The awesome Ram 1500 Rebel TRX reveal was delayed due to the Coronavirus. It had been scheduled for its debut at the canceled Detroit Auto Show. So, many thought the reveal would instead come at the New York International Auto Show in August. Now, it seems that Ram’s parent company, FCA, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will not wait that long to …
Back in 2016, Peugeot announced its intention to explore the return of the brand to the United States. The brand had previously shuttered US operations in 1991. However, the American market is just too large to ignore for too long. So, in February 2019, Peugeot announced they would return by 2026. Since then, its parent company merged with FCA, …
Operating margins help manufacturers keep the lights on. In markets where many manufacturers are competing, the margins get thinner. But, in ultra-exclusive markets, the reverse is true. For example, Ferrari closed 2019 with some serious cash from each unit the company sold. According to a report from Fiat Group World, “With 10,131 cars sold last year, …
I recently posted about how Ferrari switched from the production of cars to the production of parts to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, they fired up their production lines to create pieces for scuba masks to be converted into respirators. But, manufacturers across the automotive industry have begun talking about resuming vehicle production, as has Ferrari. In fact, Ferrari …
Many motoring enthusiasts may recall that the trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May began an Amazon Prime show called, The Grand Tour. That show is now in its fourth season. However, production was suspended during the COVID-19 lockdown. Only the first episode was released. As a result, fans that have been binging everything they …
COVID-19 has caused the world to pause, including car designers. What they have realized is that now more than ever, a swelling amount of people are viewing their car as their sanctuary. Consequently, designers are rethinking how that sanctuary will look in the future, and how to make it more sanctuary-like. In the words of the designers In …
Every driver has at one time, or another fantasized about flooring the throttle on an open road. Reality keeps us from doing it. There are other people on the roads, some roadways that aren’t built for speed, maintenance of roadways could be questionable, the maintenance of our own cars or even our own questionable skills …
If you do not follow the different racing leagues, then you might find it surprising to know that the COVID-19 has not slowed the drivers down. Racing is still happening. But it is happening virtually. Tonight there will be another race, but this one will not be to hone driver skills as much as it will be for utter ridiculous …
Animals have taken over the streets during the worldwide COVID-19 lockdown. Morning commutes have changed during the human absence in recent weeks. The roads have, for the most part, been devoid of vehicles. But the interesting thing is that animals that once stayed away from humans are now finding their boundaries removed, and are themselves taking to the empty roads. …
In the history of cars, the Ford Model T is iconic. When it rolled out onto the streets in 1908, it shared the roads with horses, carriages, bicycles, steam-powered cars, and electric cars. But the Model T was the first affordable car, a car for the masses. For that, it made history, and those streets and industrial manufacturing have not been …
Today is Earth Day. In an effort to help provide information on how the transportation industry is making efforts to create, and some cases repurpose traditional infrastructure into cleaner alternatives, today I will focus on the concept of Greener Highways. Traditionally a highway was built to provide a transportation benefit for community growth. In times past, that was a matter of acquiring …
The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of stress on the automotive industry. Dealing with production shutdowns, working with unions to protect as many jobs as possible during the shutdowns, canceling major product reveals at industry car shows, and retooling plants to make emergency medical equipment are just a few of the things they have …
Factory Five Racing has been around since 1995. They are a kit car manufacturer that caters to the home-built market. They have been steadily adding additional kit models to their portfolio of offerings. It seems, now, that they’ve gone and done it again. A video started to float around the internet that shows a crazy beautiful carbon fiber shell for a …
ECD Automotive Design restores and modifies Land Rover Defender SUVs. They take Land Rover Defenders and rebuild and modernize them from the ground up with better than new components. Their newest build combines the Land Rover Defender body with a Tesla all-electric powertrain. But, how does it compare with the soon-coming Bollinger electric truck? A little history ECD Automotive Design built its …
Several years ago, I wrote a series of articles profiling automotive artists. Each article highlighted a particular artist and what it was about their work that I found fascinating. I recently came back across those articles, and they inspired me to revisit some of those artists, and to highlight some additional ones that have gained …
