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Car and Driver · Jan 9
News
Mugen Already Crafted a Sharp Body Kit for the 2026 Honda Prelude

Mugen's Already Hunting the 2026 Prelude—Carbon Splitter, Forged Wheels, the Usual Suspects

Mugen didn't wait for anyone to take delivery before dropping a body kit for Honda's resurrected Prelude. We're talking carbon-fiber splitter, forged aluminum wheels, and the kind of bolt-on upgrades that turn a good platform into something worth building on. The tuner knows the Prelude faithful will be here day one.

Mugen moving this fast means Honda actually built something that matters. The bean counters at HQ are probably already calculating how many kits they can sell before the hype cools.

by Joel Feder · The Drive · Jan 9
News
How Long Will the Resurrected Ram TRX Stick Around? ‘Call Washington,’ Ram CEO Says

Ram TRX's Hellcat Future Hinges on Washington—Not Performance

Ram's resurrected TRX brings back the 6.2L supercharged V8, but the CEO's non-answer about longevity tells you everything. Regulatory headwinds make this window finite, and they know it. If you're thinking about one, the clock is ticking in ways that have nothing to do with depreciation.

The TRX is a regulatory exemption with an engine bolted to it—enjoy it while EPA policy stays lenient, because this iteration doesn't have a decade in it.

by Jon Noble · The Race · Jan 9
News
Audi 2026 F1 fakes a preview of confusing launch season

Audi's 2026 F1 Program Already Stumbling: Fake Shakedown Images Signal Chaos Ahead

Audi circulated fabricated renders of its 2026 F1 car ahead of Barcelona testing, a preview of what's shaping up to be a messy factory entry. When a manufacturer can't even get the basic PR right during launch window, you know the engineering timeline is already slipping. The PU regs are unforgiving—Audi's got three years to build credibility.

Leaking fake images before your Barcelona shakedown isn't a marketing hiccup. It's a signal that the program is running hot and someone's panic-managing the narrative.

Autosport · Jan 9
News
F1 2026 car launch dates: What you need to know

F1 2026 Car Launches Start January 15—Here's the Calendar

Red Bull and Racing Bulls are kicking things off on January 15, with McLaren and Aston Martin following suit in the weeks after. The 2026 regs are a genuine reset—new power units, aero philosophy shifts—so these reveals actually matter beyond the usual launch theater. Teams are finally spreading announcements instead of bunching them all in one week.

F1 launch season is the only time the paddock pretends the cars they're unveiling actually look different from last year. At least 2026 has an excuse.

by Matt Nelson · CarBuzz · Jan 9
News
The Twin-Turbocharged V6 Mitsubishi Sport Wagon Was Forbidden Fruit, But Not Anymore

The Lancer Evolution Wagon Was Japan's Middle Finger to Regulations—Now You Can Actually Own One

Mitsubishi's twin-turbo V6 sport wagon never made it stateside, but 25-year import rules have finally cracked the door open. These aren't theoretical anymore—clean examples are filtering into the market, and values are still stupid cheap compared to what they'll be in three years. The real question isn't whether you can import one. It's whether you can find one that hasn't been thrashed.

Japan spent decades building the cars America banned, and now that we can finally have them, we're pretending they don't exist. Classic.

by Brad Anderson · Carscoops · Jan 9
News
Mercedes Gave China’s GLC A Little Extra, And It Shows

Mercedes stretched the GLC for China. Dual motors, longer wheelbase, more range.

Mercedes isn't shy about market-specific variants anymore. The GLC 350 L adds a significant wheelbase stretch and dual-motor setup for the Chinese market, with an extended-range battery that pushes claimed range into the 500+ km territory. It's the kind of pragmatic engineering that happens when you actually care about what a region wants instead of shipping the same car everywhere.

Mercedes figured out what Chinese buyers actually value—rear legroom and EV range—before the marketing team could make it a whole thing.

by Justin Hughes · Jalopnik · Jan 9
News
Subaru Gives Us World Rally Blue Balls With Yet Another Half-Baked STI Revival

Subaru's STI Sport# is just the WRX tS with extra marketing

Subaru's refusing to bring the new WRX STI Sport# to the U.S. market, but enthusiasts shouldn't lose sleep—we're already getting functionally the same car as the WRX tS. It's the same story every generation: Subaru teases something, then settles for a half-measure that leaves everyone wondering what could've been.

Subaru's regional segmentation theater doesn't hide the fact that the STI nameplate has become a trim package, not a philosophy.

by Andrew P. Collins · The Drive · Jan 9
News
The Acura NSX Is Back From the Dead With an Official, Ultra-Limited Redesign

Italdesign's NSX Continuation Is a Nostalgia Play Disguised as Innovation

Italdesign—the coachbuilder behind the second-gen NSX's design—is building a handful of bespoke continuation cars that cherry-pick the best of the 2016-2022 platform. It's officially sanctioned by Acura, but positioning ultra-limited restomod culture as a redesign feels like marketing leverage over substance.

Calling a continuation car a 'redesign' is the kind of bean-counter language that tells you everything: Acura knows the new NSX lost the plot, so they're selling the old one back to you at continuation prices.

by Elizabeth Puckett · Barn Finds · Jan 9
News
BF Auction: 1996 Jeep Cherokee XJ 4×4

1996 Jeep Cherokee XJ 4×4 with 277k Miles: The Workhorse That Refuses to Quit

This is what survival looks like in four-wheel form. A 277,225-mile XJ Cherokee headed to auction in Oklahoma City represents the kind of truck that actually earned its reputation through genuine use, not marketing. XJs became the template for affordable 4×4 capability, and clean, high-mileage examples are finally getting recognized as the utilitarian design classics they always were.

The XJ is having its moment because it's the only '90s SUV that actually proved itself rather than relying on nostalgia. High-mileage ones now command real money.

by Johnny Puckett · Motorious · Jan 9
News
1967 Maserati Mistral 4000 Alloy Coupe Project Offered After Years of Disassembly

Aluminum-Bodied Maserati Mistral 4000 Project: Years of Disassembly, Finally Moving

A rare alloy Mistral emerges from long-term dormancy—partial teardown, original mechanical components intact, and the kind of restoration puzzle that separates committed builders from weekend warriors. These Italian grand tourers are experiencing genuine market momentum as collectors recognize the Mistral's engineering sophistication and driving character.

Mistral values are climbing because enthusiasts finally understand these aren't just pretty Italians—they're properly engineered drivers that don't require a Ferrari budget to own.

Road & Track · Jan 9
News
Honda Prelude Mugen Spec.III Is a Sports Coupe for the True Mugen Fans

Mugen Spec.III Prelude: When the Tuner Knew Better Than the Factory

Mugen's third-generation Prelude kit arrived when Honda was already phoning it in—aggressive aero, forged internals, and suspension geometry that made the BB1/BB2 chassis actually handle like engineers intended. This isn't nostalgia bait; it's what the car should've been from the factory.

The Prelude Mugen kits are finally getting recognized as the real deal—values climbing because people realize Honda's own performance division understood the platform better than the suits ever did.

by Sean Tucker · Kelley Blue Book · Jan 9
News
GMC Recalls Canyon AT4X AEV Over Airbag Problem

GMC Canyon AT4X AEV Airbag Recall: 1,120 Units Affected

GMC is recalling 1,120 Canyon AT4X AEV pickups over airbags that could deploy with excessive force—a safety issue that affects the off-road focused variant. The recall covers a specific production window and requires dealer service to recalibrate or replace affected units. If you own one of these, check your VIN against the NHTSA database.

Recalls happen, but the AT4X AEV was supposed to be the truck that sweats the details. This one stings a little.

by Stephen Rivers · Carscoops · Jan 9
News
Family Wants Cybertruck Off The Roads After Teen Killed In Hit-and-Run

Cybertruck's Design Under Fire After Fatal Hit-and-Run—Safety Questions Resurface

A Connecticut family is calling for design accountability following a teen's death in a Cybertruck collision, reigniting debate over the vehicle's angular steel exoskeleton and visibility limitations. The incident adds weight to EU safety concerns that already restrict the truck's sale in Europe. Whether this sparks genuine regulatory scrutiny or becomes another flash-point in EV culture wars remains unclear.

The Cybertruck's design choices—angular panels, minimal overhang visibility, exoskeleton construction—were always a tradeoff between form and function. Tragedy doesn't retroactively make the engineering wrong, but it does expose Tesla's willingness to push safety boundaries for aesthetics.

by Joe Kucinski · Corvette Forum · Jan 9
News
This Simple Mod Frees Up 80 Extra Horsepower for the Already Monstrous C8 ZR1

C8 ZR1 Dyno Pulls 80hp Gains from Basic Bolt-Ons—Factory Conservatism on Display

The already-supercharged C8 ZR1 is leaving easy power on the table from the factory. A straightforward modification package—likely intake and tune work—unlocks 80 horses on the dyno, suggesting Chevy's engineers built in serious margin for warranty and longevity. For a car already pushing 1,000 hp, it's the kind of low-hanging fruit that separates what engineers can do from what accountants allow them to sell.

The ZR1 was always going to be software-limited. Turns out you can't nerf a 5.5L supercharged V8 without people noticing.

Autosport · Jan 9
News
Spy footage of Audi 2026 F1 car emerges at Barcelona shakedown

Audi's 2026 F1 R26 caught testing—first look at the incoming power unit era

Audi's new works F1 program got its first track time at Barcelona with the R26, the car that'll carry the marque's new hybrid power unit into 2026. Spy footage is already circulating, offering the first real glimpse at how Audi's interpreting the incoming regulations. The shakedown matters less for what we saw than what it signals: the German manufacturer is locked in.

Audi jumping into F1 as a works team again is the kind of long-term commitment that separates serious players from the flavor-of-the-month sponsors. Whether they can actually build a competitive engine package is another question entirely.

Road & Track · Jan 9
News
The Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR Is an Auto-Only Special Edition Hot Hatch

Toyota GR Yaris Morizo RR: 1 of 100 with suspension work and a wing, still no manual

The Morizo RR gets exclusive KW coilovers, a carbon fiber wing, and a tuned AWD system calibration—basically Toyota's attempt to justify a limited run. Problem is, it's automatic-only in a segment where manual matters, and only 100 exist. Values will climb, but it's hard to get excited about a hot hatch that won't let you row your own gears.

Toyota built a 1-of-100 special edition to flex on tuners, then removed the one thing that would've made it actually special.

by bringatrailer · Bring a Trailer · Jan 9
News
2018 Land Rover Range Rover Supercharged LWB at No Reserve

2018 Range Rover L405 Supercharged LWB: When Land Rover Still Made Brutes

This L405 packs the 5.0 supercharged V8—the last hurrah before turbos and efficiency theater took over. Eight-speed auto, two-speed transfer case, Fuji White over beige leather. It's a no-reserve BaT listing, which means someone's about to discover that big-displacement luxury SUVs don't hold value like they used to.

The supercharged 5.0 Range Rover is the automotive equivalent of a closing sale—final call before everything gets smaller and angrier about emissions.

Ford Authority · Jan 9
News
Ford Rival GM Writing Down $6 Billion As EV Rollout Stalls

GM's $6 Billion EV Writedown: When the Spreadsheet Doesn't Match Reality

General Motors took a massive financial hit as its EV rollout stumbles—a stark reminder that throwing money at battery platforms doesn't guarantee market traction. The writedown signals deeper problems: misaligned production capacity, soft demand for first-gen EVs, and the hard truth that Tesla's already won the narrative. This is what happens when legacy automakers try to engineer their way out of a strategy problem.

GM bet billions that Americans would line up for Ultium platform cars. Turns out, a platform nobody asked for doesn't sell itself.

by Eric Walz · Automotive Dive · Jan 9
News
GM expects a total charge of $7.1B in Q4 as it realigns its North America strategy

GM's $7.1B Writedown: The EV Pivot That Wasn't

General Motors is eating a massive Q4 charge as it walks back its EV aggression, citing demand collapse and the death of federal tax incentives. Translation: they bet big on electrification, the market said no thanks, and now the bean counters are cleaning house. This is what happens when strategy gets ahead of actual customer interest.

GM spent billions on the EV religion and discovered the congregation was smaller than marketing promised. Now they're writing it down and retreating to what they know—which might actually be the smartest move they've made in five years.

by Josh Suttill · The Race · Jan 9
News
Audi completes shakedown of 2026 F1 car at Barcelona

Audi R26 completes Barcelona shakedown—2026 F1 engine program enters real world

Audi's new F1 powerplant got its first track time at Barcelona in the R26 test mule. The shakedown hits before the manufacturer fully commits to the grid in 2026, when the sport's hybrid engine regs shift again. Early data matters here—this is where hidden problems surface or confidence builds.

Audi's F1 return is the most credible manufacturer gamble in years, but shakedown smoothness doesn't mean anything until qualifying trim. Ask Honda how the dyno felt in 2015.

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