Latest auto news, reviews, editorials and podcasts
Watch A Corvette Prototype Burn
Last week, we told you about a Corvette test mule that burned.
Well now you can see it happen.

Rare Rides: The 1996 Toyota Classic, Truck-based Throwback
Today’s Rare Ride is brought to you by a Tweet that featured today’s subject and was the exact moment your author became aware of its existence. Released in the Nineties prior to the American retro styling craze, the Classic was a limited edition sedan sold only to Japanese customers. Curious yet?

Chevrolet Offers Bolt Owners Money If They Waive the Right to Sue
With the Chevrolet Bolt gradually losing its competitive edge as more all-electric vehicles take the field, and the car on the hook for a high-profile recall relating to battery fires, General Motors opted to reduce its price by six grand this year in a bid to make the 2023 model year more appetizing to consumers. Prior to the Biden administration pushing to renew EV tax credits as part of the "Inflation Reduction Act of 2022" (basically a tweaked version of Build Back Better), GM had little hope of its vehicles benefiting from continued government incentives that it had already exceeded its sales quota for and needed a remedy. However the sudden price cut didn't sit well with customers who had just purchased a Bolt EV (or EUV) at the earlier price point, so the automaker attempted to cut them a semi-Faustian bargain.

Is That a Hemi? No, It's Electric. Dodge Muscle Cars Will Go Full EV
A few days ago, MotorTrend reported that even as the overall market makes a shift towards electrification, the big fuel-sucking V8s that supply so many grins in the Challenger and Charger weren't going anywhere.
A story in MotorAuthority begs to differ.

California Cops Apparently Used to Settle Batmobile Business Dispute
This is a weird one. And a bit confusing. Stay with us as we try to explain.
ABC7 in the San Francisco area has quite the story.
It involves a Batmobile replica, law enforcement, and cross-country travel. Oh, and taxpayer dollars.

Rare Rides Icons: The History of Stutz, Stop and Go Fast (Part XVIII)
We return to our historical Stutz coverage once more today and continue reveling in the four-door sides the neoclassical entity offered alongside the Blackhawk, its sole entree. In our past two installments, we covered the first two sedans offered by Stutz, the Duplex and the IV-Porte.
While the Duplex was a one-off and based on either a Cadillac Fleetwood or a Pontiac Grand Prix (it’s unclear), the IV-Porte traced its lineage very clearly to the B-body Pontiac Bonneville. Offered from 1979 to 1981, the IV-Porte found around 50 customers for its GM-adjacent and gold-plated styling. At the time of the Bonneville’s demise, Stutz was happy with the decent sales clip of the IV-Porte and was not about to go without a sedan offering. Enter Victoria.

Mazda in Wellies: CX-50 Adds Meridian Trim
Chasing the active lifestyle crowd, or perhaps cluing in that the CX-5 is an excellent machine but there’s room on the lot for a variant with a smidgen of off-road cred, Mazda introduced the CX-50 earlier this year. Think of it as a CX-5 in hiking boots and an L.L. Bean coat.
Now, the brand is taking it a step further with the CX-50 Meridian, a trim that brings all-terrain tires and a smattering of exterior accents to imply it’s ready for the trail – or at least that gravel patch at the mall.

Report: Tesla Owners and Buyers Sour on Elon Musk
New reporting from Bloomberg suggests that potential Tesla buyers, as well as current Tesla owners, are souring on the brand because of the antics of Tesla boss Elon Musk.

TTAC Throwback: Here’s Why You Should Buy This 1985 Ford Bronco II
Today we're talking about Ford's Bronco II SUV. Take a trip back in time with us.

The Great Pacific Road Trip Part 3
As the reader may discern from the previous installments of this tale, a fair amount of planning and preparation had been undertaken to get to the point where your author could set forth on California’s roads in one slightly time-worn 1975 Ford LTD.

Tremor Time: Ford Adds Another Trim to Maverick
It’s not unusual for an automaker to begin mining a successful sub-brand for every shred of credibility it has managed to accrue. Witness the rapid expansion of the Denali line at GMC, for example. Across town, Ford has seen the Tremor trim on its pickup trucks secure a decent take rate in this wonky market, so they’ve decided to hurl it at the little Maverick as well.

Junkyard Find: 2006 Toyota Camry With Manual Transmission
When I walk the rows of a big Ewe Pullet-style self-service car graveyard, I always take a look inside every 2000s Toyota Camry I see. I do this because I wish to document one of the most elusive of all junkyard inmates: One of the final Camrys sold in the United States with a factory-installed manual transmission. Prior to today's Junkyard Find, the newest discarded three-pedal Camry I'd found was a 2001 model in California. We're pushing the record another five years forward today because I've found this five-on-the-floor-equipped 2006 Camry in the very same yard.

Decades-Old Grudge Leads to Torched Cars at Indiana Dealership
We've heard of holding grudges, but what happened at an Indiana car dealership recently has set our minds on fire.

Rivian Suffers Job Cuts, Factory Exempted
I mentioned that Rivian was facing job cuts during today's QOTD, and here's the skinny.

U.S. Senate Preps More Money for Auto Industry
Senate Democrats have settled on how to funnel more money into the automotive sector using all-electric vehicles and environmentalism. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and West Virginia's Joe Manchin have reportedly agreed on a proposal that would expand the $7,500 tax credit for EVs while also introducing a new $4,000 subsidy for used models.
But that's just to kick things off. The legislative package is likewise said to include $369 billion that's been earmarked for climate and energy spending. For automakers, that means massive financial help from the government whenever they want to convert their existing factories into the kind that build all-electric vehicles. Though it may not be limited to EVs, as the updated language now makes fuel cell vehicles similarly eligible for the proposed industry subsidization.

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