2020

In its continuous pursuit of excitement that started sometime with the introduction of the latest Camry, Toyota revealed two cool cars - the Toyota Avalon TRD and the Toyota Camry TRD. These may be some of the most important products Toyota has ever unveiled. Not per se in terms of sales or market, but in terms of something far more important for us - car enthusiasts. The Avalon TRD and the Camry TRD are what the company wants to show the world - audaciousness.

See, before the latest 2018 Camry, Toyota’s car development process was always led by the engineer. The engineer was at the top of that imaginary car development food chain. For the latest Camry, it was the designer.

"We actually started with that 2-inch doodle," Ian Cartabiano, Toyota California Chief Designer said, "And it became sketch, bigger sketch, bigger sketch, model. But that original intention followed all the way through to the cars. It was totally new for us. There’s always been a designer, but the chief engineer has been the top guy. It was always just 100 percent engineering."

Obviously, not for the latest Camry.

Well, the Avalon TRD and the Camry TRD are basically an ultimate expression of the flamboyance Toyota wanted to express with the latest line of its cars. That was the main idea behind Akio Toyoda’s, Toyota CEO, comment back in January 2017. He said,

“Until now, there were times when Toyota’s cars were called ‘boring’ or were said to be lacking in character,” Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda told reporters of USA Today. “But I now feel that, in terms of driving and design, our customers have begun to favorably evaluate our cars.”

He said it just months after the unveiling of the latest Toyota Camry, a bold design exercise that seemed kinda risky compared with the Toyota styling habits of the past.

So, what do the tricked-out Avalon and Camry TRD bring to the table then?

Mercedes-Benz is busy testing the new GLB-Class compact crossover SUV which is a boxlike alternative to the coupe-bodied GLA with which it shares the platform. The new model will arrive in the U.S. in the last few months of next year for the 2020 model year.

The GLB-Class is the one to have if you are the kind of person to look at the GLS-Class full-size SUV and think it’s too hefty for your needs but you dig the proportions. In other words, the GLB-Class is a compact SUV, smaller than the GLC-Class, that harkens back to the rugged styling of classic SUVs - like the G-Wagon - but is sized to be a practical city commuter.

Mercedes-Benz is almost ready to unveil the GLB-Class but, before it comes clean, the German automaker decided that another run at the Nurburgring is mandatory. Indeed, this crossover SUV isn’t one that would feel at home on a race track but manufacturers still learn a lot from pushing just about any car to its limits on a road course and the GLB-Class is no exception.

Keep reading to learn more about the GLB-Class’ latest trip to the Eifel Mountains

Audi is in the final stages of testing and refining its upcoming A3 hatchback, as well as the hot S3 version of it. It’s not clear when the new S3 may debut, but it will probably be at a major motor show sometime in 2019 - we’ve heard rumors that Audi is ditching the three-door model and will only sell its hatch as either a five-door or sedan.

The model, in true Audi fashion, looks like an evolution of the current model, and the only real giveaway that the vehicle spotted by our spies is the spiced up S3 is the fact that it has those quad exhausts in the back; it also looks as if its fenders are wider than what we saw in previous spy shots of the regular A3, but we can’t say for sure due to the use of psychedelic camo.

Power for the next S3 will most likely come from a development of the same four-cylinder turbo that motivates the current model which may get a modest horsepower increase. Electrification of some kind is not out of the question either, as Audi has announced its commitment to bringing it more models - maybe even performance models.

One of the great things about car renderings is the ability to let your imagination go crazy. You can use an existing car model and re-imagine it without a roof, or you can get really creative and redesign it in a different body type altogether. There’s something to be said, then, for renderings that take two models from two different automakers and combine them to create an entirely new model. It’s the kind of Transformers-like job that we should be seeing more often in the real world. Or should we? The truth is, BudgetsDirect undertook this very exercise, and the results are all “interesting,” to say the least. As an added bonus, we’re doing our own part and renaming these creations in the best way we can.

The BMW 8 Series Convertible has arrived, and with its arrival comes a lot of questions regarding how it compares to the model it’s effectively replacing: the departed 6 Series Convertible. To be clear, the 8 Series Convertible isn’t a direct-line successor to the 6 Series Convertible. It’s packaged as a true-born flagship, developed to compete against the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet and, in some ways, the Aston Martin DB11 Volante. You can’t say the same thing about the 6 Series Cabriolet. Still, even if there’s no direct connection between the two, it’s hard not to think of one without thinking of the other. So, we lined them up together to see how the 8 Series Convertible and the 6 Series Convertible compare to each other.

Formula One has announced a new race for the 2020 F1 season that will be held, for the very first time, in Vietnam. The 3.5-mile long circuit will run partly on a race track and on the streets of the country’s capital city of Hanoi. The race will take place in April 2020, and it’s the first new race to be announced since American owners Liberty Media bought Formula in 2016.

Volkswagen’s I.D. lineup of electric vehicles keeps growing. The German automaker has already greenlit production versions of the I.D., I.D. Buzz, I.D. Crozz, and I.D. Vizzion concepts. Now, a new report indicates that Volkswagen isn’t done adding new models to the fold. A new subcompact crossover is under consideration for the all-electric I.D. range. The model is pegged as an entry-level vehicle that will cost a little over $21,000. If it gets approved, it could go on sale sometime after 2020.

The first prototype of the Mercedes-Maybach GLS has been spotted testing in Germany prior to its debut at the Los Angeles motor show. This is the top-of-the-line Maybach model. Mercedes is planning to expand the Maybach line-up with lavish models, and what better way to do that than to add the GLS to a portfolio known mainly for stretched limos!

Meet the first ever Aston Martin SUV, the DBX, which is set to make its market debut in the fourth quarter of 2019 - it’s exactly one year away. It will be built in a new facility located St Athan, in South Wales, a plant which Aston Martin aims to make its “home of electrification.”

Since there’s already a fully working pre-production prototype, it means work on the Aston DBX is quite advanced and, from under the camo, we can see what it’s going to end up looking like. It’s obviously going to be quite a departure for the brand, but since the Aston Martin badge is one of the most prestigious and desirable in the world, it will undeniably prove popular among luxury SUV buyers.

Aston Martin announced its intention to make a high rider with the DBX concept it showed back in 2015, but the production incarnation looks nothing like the sleek two-door concept. The production Aston Martin DBX is a more conventional five-door design, since it not only needs to look good but also cater for practical needs as well.

Hyundai is working on a more upmarket and larger three-row crossover to sit above its Santa Fe, a model that it’s going to call Palisade. The automaker has already confirmed the name, and the model will negate the need for and ultimately replace the still new Santa Fe XL, which is a stretched three-row version of the regular Santa Fe.

The Palisade is also going to be a more luxurious vehicle that, in the current (SUV crazy) market context, will end up being the flagship model sitting at the very top of Hyundai’s range. It’s not the first time Hyundai has pushed an SUV to the top of its range, as it first did that with the not very successful Veracruz.

That’s probably why it ditched the Veracruz nameplate, as some of the people who still remember it (it was discontinued in 2012) will associate it with its poor market performance. The new Palisade will take on the Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, and Honda Pilot, and it’s set to be unveiled to the public at the 2018 Los Angeles auto show which takes place at the end of November.

Volkswagen will introduce the cheapest model of its upcoming I.D. family of electric models in 2022, and it will cost no more than $23,000. For that money, you get a five-door compact crossover that will probably spawn similar versions in the Seat and Skoda lineup which will probably come at an even cheaper MSRP.

We already know that Volkswagen’s I.D. family, which will take the electric car market by storm hopes the German manufacturer, is set to feature production versions of the Buzz, Crozz and Vizzion concepts as well as the Neo. Now, sources within VW confirm that the manufacturer has approved the production of another model that will sit at the bottom of the range, price wise.

Nikola was founded in early 2016 and announced plans to make a production version of the big rig concept they showed at the time, one which they planned to make and sell for North America. Two years later and the company has come out with this futuristic looking concept for a truck destined to exclusively operate in Europe, although it uses the same hydrogen-electric setup as the original concept.

Just before its official unveiling at the L.A. Auto Show, BMW released the first specifications about the best G20 3 Series revealed so far - the M340i xDrive. It is not an M3, but it is really, really close to being one. Actually, the M340i is the most powerful 3 Series ever revealed. Save for previous two generations of the M3.

Taking the G20 3 Series architecture to a level unachieved by any BMW 340i of before, the 2020 BMW M340i xDrive comes with a standard, electronically controlled, mechanical limited slip differential, a 382 horsepower engine, and specially tuned eight-speed transmission with Launch Control.

The 992-generation Porsche 911 is about to go official. We’ve seen it without camouflage and we know a thing or two about its drivetrain options. It should break cover in just a few months, but Porsche is using this remaining time for extensive testing all over the world.

More than 50 years after going out of business, Hispano Suiza is poised to make a comeback in the auto industry with a new electric car that’s scheduled to debut at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show. Not much is known about the model, at least except for shadowy teaser that showcases retro-styled arches that harken back to some of the brand’s most famous works in the early part of the previous century. More details about the new Hispano Suiza electric supercar should come to light in the days and weeks leading up to the Geneva Motor Show this coming March.

The current BMW 3 Series, otherwise known as the F30, is up for replacement this year, giving way to the upcoming seventh-generation model. Also known as the G20, the fresh Bimmer ‘3 is expected to appear in full production form at the 2018 Paris Motor Show, and with it, a selection of body styles and powertrain configurations will follow. Chief among these will be the Touring model, otherwise known as the “estate” body style. Over here in the U.S., we know it as the Sports Wagon. The new 2020 3 Series Touring was recently spied out and about, undergoing testing in real-world conditions to shake down any possible problems ahead of its debut, so read on for our full speculative review.

Update 11.12.2018 - Our paparazzi spotted the German wagon on a trailer with less camouflage than usual. Check it out in the gallery section.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2020 BMW 3 Series Touring.

Subaru is one of the most revered names in rallying history and, along with archrival Mitsubishi, has been absent from top-level WRC competition for a decade. Now, however, Japanese sources point to a possible resurgence of the Subaru WRC program.

Subaru built its reputation in rallying over a relatively short period of time. the Subaru World Rally Team was formed in 1989 and was active for less than two decades from that point on. But, in those two decades, Subaru put forth some of the most amazing machines ever seen on the WRC scene and promoted some of the sport’s most beloved drivers with names like Colin McRae, Richard Burns and Petter Solberg immediately springing to mind.

Sadly, Subaru isn’t part of the WRC anymore, although a no-limit rally car based on the Impreza has been seen competing to this day, however, it’s mainly racing in Asia and the Rally U.S.A. series, not in Europe. This is all about to change if rumors regarding a return of the Subaru World Rally Team in 2020 turn out to be legitimate.

Arguably the hottest and most discussed car to be unveiled in 2019, the Chevy Corvette C8 remains a mystery, with very little official information to run by as of November. Thankfully, the rumor has provided us some data in recent months and now it’s back with pricing information, placing the mid-engined sports car at $169,900 before options.