Car news

The Mercedes-Benz EQC is the first all-electric model part of the EQ family, Mercedes’ range of vehicles designed from the get-go with electrification in mind. The EQC hasn’t yet reached third-party crash testers such as the EURO NCAP or the NHTSA, but the car apparently passed with flying colors the German automaker’s own internal crash tests.

Unveiled publically at this year’s Paris Motor Show, the EQC is Mercedes’ first bet for the new-generation EV market. It’s a compact luxury SUV, similar to the gas-powered GLC-Class, that will be on the market next year. Mercedes-Benz revealed that it already put the EQC up against a few rigid structures for some in-house evaluatory crash tests at the Mercedes-Benz Technology Center for Vehicle Safety (TFS).

As is often the case, Ferrari doesn’t expect to have much of a presence at the 2019 North American International Auto Show this January. But two months later, in Geneva? That’s a completely different story. Information filtering through the FerrariChat forum puts the spotlight on the Italian automaker potentially having a number of debuts in Geneva, including the successor to the 488 GTB. None of the chatter is verified, but a number of members claim that the 488’s successor is coming sooner than later, possibly as soon as Geneva. The supercar’s timeline fits in with the claims as the 488 has been around since 2015 after replacing the 458 Italia. A four- to five-year run would be enough for the 488 GTB and would be enough for Ferrari to start thinking about what comes next after the model rides off into the sunset.

McLaren, the car company founded by Bruce McLaren of New Zealand in the ’60s as a racing car manufacturer and motorsports outfit, continues to celebrate its storied past with six evocative McLaren 570S models - three coupes and three cabriolets. These cars, commisioned by Mclaren of Beverly Hills and built by McLaren Special Operations, showcase three key periods in McLaren’s racing history.

Each of the three periods is presented on a 570S Coupe and a570S Spider that share the same exterior color. There’s the ’Muriwai Theme’ that harkens back to Bruce McLaren’s early racing exploits, the ’Papaya Spark Theme’ which recalls the days of the orange racing McLarens in the ’60s and ’70s, and the ’Sarthe Gray Theme’ that’s a tribute to McLaren’s overall victory at Le Mans back in 1995.

Understandably, the Toyota Supra is all that everyone’s talking about these days. It’s scheduled to make its long-awaited debut at the 2019 North American International Auto Show and just yesterday, leaked photos of the production version made their way to the Internet. But don’t focus all of your attention on the Supra just yet because it appears that it’s not the only retro Toyota sports car that’s making a comeback. Brace yourselves for months, maybe even years, of anticipation, folks. Word has it that Toyota is bringing back the MR2 as part of a joint development with Subaru. Neither Toyota nor Subaru have confirmed these plans, but if it’s true, our dreams of reviving the nostalgia of Toyota’s trinity of sports cars is two-thirds of the way from becoming reality.

Volkswagen is really doubling down on its electrified offerings as of late, adding a range of battery-powered models to a variety of segments and previewing each with a series of concepts tagged with the I.D. sub-branding. Now, we’re getting some info on what the production I.D. models will bring to the table, including a new SUV rumored to be called the I.D. Lounge.

Hypercars are getting crazier and crazier with every successive generation, and the new Aston Martin Valkyrie is a perfect example of just how wild the current crop of top-shelf performers truly are. A lot of the Aston’s insanity comes down to the beating mid-ship heart of the machine, and now we’re getting a fresh take on what makes it tick.

For those living in areas with rough winters or simply refusing the lure of indoor binge-watching when the temperatures drop and the elements go all crazy, the Ram 1500 North Edition might just be the present you write Santa for.

Persuaded by the high interest in SUVs and crossovers in Europe, Ford decided to rough up the 2019 Ford Focus a bit and give it an Active badge. The Focus is the third model in Ford’s lineup to be offered in Active trim after the likes of Fiesta and KA+. The Focus Active can be had in both hatchback or wagon body styles, and Ford says its engineers tweaked the springs, dampers, and stabilizer bars, while also lifting the ride by 30 mm up front and 34 mm at the rear.

Chevy is in a tough spot. Well, GM as a whole is in a tough spot. News has recently circulated that GM was closing several plants, and put five others on watch. 15,000 people are now out of work, and many more have little job security. Along with the three closures in Oshawa, Ontario, Detroit, and, Youngstown Ohio, GM will also cease production of the Chevy Cruze, Chevy Volt, Cadillac CT6, and the Buick Lacrosse. The Warren powertrain plant and Baltimore powertrain plants are also in danger of shutting down after next year as well. Things are getting ugly, but how bad is it?

The Audi RS5, built between 2010 and 2015, was powered by a screaming, high-revving, V-8 engine and was widely acknowledged as being one of the best of its kind. However, what do you do when your car doesn’t have an engine or its engine is junk and you need to replace it with something else? How about you slot in a Tesla motor and battery pack to see how that transforms the car.

If you think that you only really need winter tires on the driven axle of your vehicle, since it does all the pulling or pushing, then think again. Doing something like that can pose a serious safety hazard. Different grip levels for the front and rear can result in a very unsafe handling experience on snow, and the vehicle can go into a snap oversteer maneuver, careening into oncoming traffic.

Journalists have tried out the all-new, seventh-gen, 2019 BMW 3-Series G20 at its official launch event in Portugal, and first impressions of the car are really good. You’d expect BMW to want to pull out all the stops in order to get its smallest and most popular sedan right and, apparently, it did.