Cars

The Jeep Gladiator Gravity Concept is perhaps the smartest looking truck of the lot that was presented at the 2019 Easter Jeep Safari. We are not sure if it was the design team that worked on this concept or the marketing team, but knowing that Jeep uses this event to create, innovate, and display new Mopar products, we have to say that this truck will bring in maximum revenue for Jeep. The Gravity concept is basically a table, shaped like a truck, that showcases a plethora of Mopar performance products. This Jeep shows how you can elevate the abilities and capabilities of your Jeep by installing the products from Jeep’s performance brand. On the onset, the car looks absolutely fantastic in the orange shade while maintaining its rugged looks. Just like four other concept trucks, Jeep has based this one on the Gladiator, too. The automaker has made sure that the company’s new pickup truck receives maximum exposure from this event. But, we cannot fathom the fact that not a single concept is based on the Wrangler!

Lincoln’s switch from alphanumeric nameplates to actual names could bring back the iconic Zephyr name in a couple of years. The badge is rumored to return in 2021 and word has it we could see it on the next-generation MKZ.

The compact crossover segmentshows no signs of slowing down, and Mercedes is adding to the momentum with the promise of two new models, one of which is powered by gasoline, the other of which is all-electric. Dubbed the GLB and EQB respectively, the fresh nameplates are set to arrive very, very soon, as confirmed by Board of Management member Britta Seeger at the 2019 New York Auto Show.

Volkswagen brought the Tarok pickup truck concept to the 2019 New York Auto Show before its production debut in South America saying that it has no plans to sell it in the U.S. However, Volkswagen of America CEO Scott Keogh says that the Tarok would make sense in North America with "an extremely smart price point."

The AMG 45 series is an impressive lot, offering high-strung four-cylinder performance and oodles of Mercedes-branded gloss for just over $50,000. Now, word has it the next batch will come with even more heat under the hood.

Maserati didn’t have any new vehicles to showcase at the 2019 New York Auto Show, but it did display a Levante customized by its Centro Stile division through its new One of One program. This time around, the unique Levante was designed for Ray Allen, two-time NBA champion and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee. This One of One model follows the Levante that Maserati built for Allegra Antinori, the vice president of famous Italian wine producer Marchezi Antinori.

The 2019 Porsche 911 Speedster is a really cool sports car that comes with a lot of extras over the regular 911, but you can customize it beyond that by ordering the Heritage Design Package. Crafted by Porsche Exclusive, the division responsible for bespoke features, it adds classic styling elements that link back to the roots of the German company.

If you want the ultimate front-engined Aston Martin experience and your bank accounts are adequately full, you have to go with the DBS Superleggera - the 715 horsepower monster that weighs under 4,000 pounds and can reach 211 mph. If you’re crazy about the brand’s history, then the DBS 59 is the car for you as it looks back at Aston’s first big splash in motorsport.

We’ve talked about the DBS Superleggera 59 before when Aston Martin first released a few pictures of the new limited-edition model commissioned by Aston Martin Cambridge for an occasion like no other in the brand’s history: the 60th anniversary of Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby’s sole overall win at Le Mans aboard the works-backed Aston Martin DBR1/300. We’re talking a lot here about a variety of manufacturers trying to find any sort of reason that could warrant the introduction of a special model, but this one right here is really special.

Why? Because it’s a way at looking back while keeping in mind that Aston Martin might mount an attack on Le Mans with its sights locked on the overall victory with a ’hypercar’ as per the new regulations that are set to be introduced in the World Endurance Championship in little over a year. These new rules, apparently, will allow Aston Martin Valkyrie-type cars to compete in what is currently the LMP1 category.

As one of the most essential Hyundai sedans, the new 2020 Hyundai Sonata debut marks a pivotal moment for the Hyundai brand. With a revolutionary and bold design, new technology on board, and all-new architecture under the metal, some would even say that the Sonata reaches for the premium segment. While completely redesigned, and now inspired by the gorgeous Le Fil Rouge concept, the Sonata features a few bold styling novelties we have never seen before. More importantly, Hyundai stretched its wheelbase and length a little bit, while lowering the car as a whole. This is the trick everyone takes into account when making a clean, planted car. As a final touch, Hyundai reworked the interior to offer significantly more upscale ambiance and equipment.

Just in time for Easter! Eggy car game challenges you to drive an innocent easter egg home without breaking it and while collecting rewards along the way. One cool bonus allows you to freeze the egg on the car, allowing you to accelerate without consequences. But watch out when the egg starts blinking, it will unfreeze soon and may crash and crack open unless you get your car back in check. Have fun driving the easter egg back to your family in one piece. This may be the most fun you will get during the holidays.

Mercedes-Benz came to introduce six new models at the 2019 New York Auto Show, but it also brought us news on the next-generation SL-Class. A brand-new two-door will arrive in 2022, and the German brand has big plans for it as it will, apparently, be built by AMG.

This Jeep is only concept of the lot from this year’s Easter Jeep Safari that is not a 2020 Gladiator dressed in pretty clothes. Moniker’d the ’Five-Quarter,’ this concept truck is actually a resto-mod of the 1968 Kaiser Jeep M-715, Gladiator-based, military vehicle. This concept will surely draw a lot of attention from the die-hard fans and enthusiasts who have followed Jeep with loyalty. Let me stress on this again - this is a resto-mod operation, not a replica. This is the real deal. So, of the 30,000-odd vehicles that were built, and God knows how many have survived to this day, Jeep and Mopar have actually stripped apart a 50-year old truck and garnished it with loads with new parts!

Fun fact - Jeep actually picked this model up off of Craigslist before putting it through the wringer. If this doesn’t grab your attention, I don’t know what will.

Hype around a possible mobile Forza game was extremely high, even though some people in the know warned that the upcoming title wasn’t what people were expecting. In fact, as it turns out, the new Forza Street game is not even a new game, but rather a rebranding of an older game that Microsoft launched last year, one that never really saw much success, called Miami Street.

The 145th Kentucky Derby is coming up on May 4th, and Ram is celebrating with the release of a fresh limited run of its popular Heavy Duty truck. Making its big debut at the 2019 New York Auto Show, the new special-edition workhorse gets a few unique exterior styling bits, extra interior comfort-enhancers, and a raft of standard gear to make hauling your four-legged investments even easier.

The biggest SUV in the Mercedes-Benz lineup is back and it’s now bigger than ever. The wheelbase is longer so all three rows get more room, thus making a six-seater version possible, and if it’s cargo space you’re after, the 2020 GLS delivers up to 95.3 cubic-feet of storage area. Another first is the introduction of the GLS 580 4Matic that features an electrified and twin-turbocharged V-8 with 489 horsepower on tap and the EQ Boost starter-generator.

European manufacturers are again trying to beat Americans at their own game. This time, the name of the game isn’t pick-up trucks, but full-size SUVs. When you think of such elevated land yachts, you’re probably picturing a Cadillac Escalade or a Lincoln Navigator in your head but BMW and, now, Mercedes-Benz are vying to change that image in your head. If BMW is trying to tempt you with the vehicle with the single largest twin kidney grilles in the history of mankind, Mercedes is a little bit more subtle with the 2020 GLS, a car built in Alabama that packs all the luxury features that America likes and then some. Also, it looks less like a bus in comparison to the Navigator.

The Easter Jeep Safari, held at Moab, Utah, is a Mecca for Jeep lovers. Jeep uses these 10-odd days to showcase its concepts that not only bring out the creative side of the designers but also serves as a perfect platform to further market the lineup of highly sought-after Mopar products. One of the six concepts, the J6, is the product that serves this purpose completely. It is filled with Mopar products in and out and will undoubtedly intrigue the interest of the Safari attendees.

The J6 Concept is out there to en’lighten’ the event in all its glory. Didn’t get the reference? Well, that’s because Jeep has added a lot of LED lighting shenanigans to this truck. What makes it all the more interesting is that it has a two-door cab with a six-foot-long bed. A lot of enthusiasts have been vocal about having this same combination for quite some time now. Jeep understands this and will use this Safari as a pedestal to see if it makes a viable business case for itself.

Mazda has officially confirmed that it will start selling its first modern diesel in the U.S., and it will come under the hood of its CX-5 crossover. This, all while the manufacturers that have always been very pro-diesel, the Europeans, are now shunning compression-ignition engines and looking for alternatives.

The Lotus Evora is already ten years old as of 2019, but it’s still going strong. Although Lotus is working on a successor, the current Evora is still being used as a base for special-edition sports cars. The latest model is called the GT410 and was unveiled in China, at the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show. This isn’t the first Evora to sport a "GT410" badge — a one-off was built for the Jim Clark Trust Foundation in 2018 — but it’s the first production run to feature the nameplate.

The Porsche 911 Speedster just broke cover at the 2019 New York Auto Show after months of speculation and a couple of concept cars. It’s the last 911 based on the 991-generation sports car and one of the nameplate’s highlights alongside the GT3- and GT2-badged models. It’s limited to only 1,948 units, and it’s far from cheap: Porsche wants more than $270,000 for one!

Kia’s been on a roll with its concept vehicles lately. A month after unveiling the “Imagine by Kia” Concept and its 21 digital screens at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the Korean automaker took its traveling concept carnival to New York where it unveiled the Habaniro, a concept it claims is the world’s first-ever ECEV, as in “everyday car, electric vehicle.” The Habaniro is a bold concept. It’s also imaginative in terms of Kia’s vision for the future. Kia didn’t explicitly say that the Habaniro will never see the light of production day, but don’t expect it to arrive anytime soon. For now, the Habaniro is a concept that previews the direction Kia wants to take with its electrification and mobility efforts. Whether that future includes a production version of the Habaniro remains to be seen, but it’d be nice to wish for it, right?

Unveiled in late 2018, the Mercedes-Benz EQC is back into the spotlight at the 2019 New York Auto Show as the EQC Edition 1886. This special-edition SUV is offered with unique features inside and out and celebrates a special event in automotive history.

Starting its operations in 2014, Chinese car company Nio already reached the spotlight of the car industry. At the2019 Shanghai Auto Show, it revealed the elegant sedan-coupe called the ET Preview Concept, but you may have heard about it after the Nio EP9 set a Nurburgring lap record for electric cars. While the Nio only sells one electric SUV in China (more than 10,000 of them are on the roads), the ET Preview Concept is a rather surprising proposition for the future. In Shanghai, almost everyone revealed some sort of electric SUV, but Nio went with a fastback sedan. It is the one to compete with the likes of the Tesla Model S and the new Polestar 2. I will go on a limb here and say that it looks better than any one of them.