Browsing: Automobiles

While Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport have long abandoned manuals, BMW M has vowed to hang on to the clutch pedal. Still, keeping manuals alive is becoming increasingly difficult as ever more sophisticated driver-assistance systems tend to work best with automatics. Declining interest in performance cars with a manual gearbox only adds to the challenge.A nearly forgotten fact about the BMW Z4 is that a manual transmission has been available since 2019. That said, it was limited to the four-cylinder sDrive20i, an entry-level variant never offered in the United States. As a result, three pedals didn’t reach American buyers until a…

Formula 1 has long been a European affair. Cars were revealed under rain clouds hanging over Silverstone or on Italy’s famous Fiorano asphalt. But on 15 January, the F1 world will look to the birthplace of the muscle car, Detroit, for Red Bull’s unveiling of its 2026 challenger.  Ford and Red Bull Racing will reveal their 2026 car at the former’s world headquarters alongside sister team Visa Cash App RB. While this will prove to be a great opportunity to market to a growing American viewership, it’s also a promise from the partnership between the brands: Ford’s input is much…

A total of 19 vehicles have been impounded by police during the annual Summernats festival in Canberra, with 85 defect notices issued.ACT Policing says 22 drivers were found to be impaired in the week of the event, with almost 20 vehicles seized during a high-visibility operation in the nation’s capital.With temperatures reaching 35 degrees, the 38th running of Summernats attracted approximately 130,000 attendees from across the country, with 3000 vehicles entered into the car show, according to ABC News.One yellow Holden VN Commodore with expired Victoria club permit number plates was impounded in the lead-up to the event, after police…

When you think of BMW engines, “six cylinders” is probably one of the first identifying characteristics called to mind. And even if you’re not a dyed-in-the-wool Bimmer head, you might know enough to assume that those six cylinders would be aligned in a straight line, rather than in a “V” arrangement found under the hood of some other automakers. But BMW M actually gave serious thought to throwing a V6 under the hood of one of its most iconic models — the BMW M5.V6 Power in a BMW M5? It Was PossibleBMW M is, as its single-letter designation suggests, the…

The Ford Mustang was America’s best-selling sports car last year, with sales up 3.0 percent to 45,333 units   Sales for the Nissan Z, Toyota Supra, and Mazda MX-5 Miata increased last year.    Subaru WRX sales fell by 41.1 percent, while Volkswagen Golf GTI and Golf R sales dropped by over 20 percent.  Sports cars have never been big sellers. They serve a niche segment of the market willing to live with certain compromises in order to enjoy a specific driving experience. Still, fewer customers than are making that choice as sports car sales largely cratered last year—even as some…

Ford CEO Jim Farley says winning the Dakar Rally isn’t just another trophy – it’s Ford’s 21st-century Le Mans moment, and beating Toyota would be nothing short of spiritual.The Dakar Rally occupies a similar emotional and strategic territory that Le Mans once did for Ford.It’s the race the company believes can define an era – and the one it feels it must win to cement its ambition of becoming the world’s dominant off-road performance brand.“If you want to be the Porsche of off-road, you’ve got to win Dakar,” Mr Farley told CarExpert at the 2026 Dakar Rally, which he visited…

Let’s just start with the design. Just look at it. The ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe is bite-the-back-of-your-fist beautiful. The shape, the subtle body lines, the ALPINA-specific bumpers, and — of course — the always-gorgeous iconic ALPINA wheels create a visual masterpiece that reminds us what BMW design can achieve when it’s firing on all cylinders.The 8 Series Gran Coupe already represents BMW design at its absolute peak — arguably the last truly beautiful car to emerge from Munich before the controversial design direction of recent years. The proportions are flawless: long hood, sweeping roofline, muscular haunches. It’s classic BMW GT…

Angeles Crest often makes headlines. Whether it’s idiots flying off cliffs, rogue influencers driving recklessly for internet clout, or horrifying crashes, it is an unfortunate hotspot for well-publicized incidents. As a local, I’ve always wondered: Just how bad is the situation on Crest? Well, someone made a map of nearly every incident on Crest in the last 10 years. Thanks to Instagram user @bluturt, who compiled data from the California Highway Patrol, we can see a heat map of crashes broken down by crash type. Each data point also includes the original report, which describes the incident and the vehicles…

In latest recall news, Rivian has announced a recall for over 19,641 of their R1 models which were earlier been serviced for an issue with the rear suspension.  The documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stated that the previous serviced rear suspension may have resulted in a toe link joint separating increasing chances of an accident. The recall covers certain models of the R1 built between 2022 to 2025, this is about 7031 R1 SUVS are affected according to reports by NHTSA, For the R1T pickup trucks, about 12,610 of them are affected with the recall.…

With little fanfare, the Nissan Z — known as the Fairlady Z in its homeland — has been revealed at the 2026 Tokyo Auto Salon.Externally, the major components of the facelift are the new front bumper, alloy wheels, and the Unryu Green hero paint option.The new bumper dispenses with the current car’s confronting slab-like rectangular grille opening in favour a wider design broken up by a body colour bar. The bumper itself is more sculpted and more cleanly continues the creases established by the bonnet.It’s not only a more cohesive design, but it decreases front lift by 3.3 per cent…