News

Nissan's refreshing the Z for 2027 with styling updates and suspension refinement, but the real news is the Nismo variant now offering a manual transmission. It's a band-aid on a car that's been treading water since 2023—solid chassis underneath, but without forced induction or significant power gains, you're buying yesterday's formula at today's prices.

The 1998-2002 Navigator represents the sweet spot before Lincoln turned them into bloated cash grabs—you're getting a body-on-frame SUV with the 5.4L Triton V8, available 4WD, and actual interior presence for less than a depreciated Tahoe. Prices have stabilized in the $8-15K range depending on condition. If you want the look without the Range Rover payments, this is the formula that actually works.

Ford's electric crossover keeps beating the actual Mustang in sales, a reality that stings worse than any quarterly report. Even with EV incentives drying up, the market has spoken: SUV practicality trumps pony car romance. The gas Mustang isn't dead, but it's no longer the flagship that defines the brand.

Mazda's betting that people actually care about how a car feels to drive, even in the compact luxury segment. The CX-90's inline-six hybrid setup delivers real efficiency without the Toyota tax—and resale values are climbing because people are starting to notice.

Road & Track finds that the twin-turbo 4.0L V8 AMG engine—now hybridized but still visceral—proves the formula that built the brand's reputation hasn't expired. The GLE 63 S Coupe sits at an uncomfortable intersection: luxury SUV practicality meets the last of AMG's naturally aggressive character before full electrification. It's the kind of thing that moves the needle now because in five years, you won't be able to order this.

Italdesign has reworked the second-gen NSX with styling nods to the 1989 original—adding modern cues while pulling from the Japanese supercar's design language. It's a what-if study that asks the right questions about restraint versus contemporary trends, even if it's ultimately a one-off that won't touch road cars.

Italdesign unveiled a second-gen NSX reimagined as a spiritual successor to the original at Tokyo Auto Salon, replacing the mid-mounted V6 with cleaner lines that echo the NA1's proportions. It's right-hand drive exclusive—a calculated move that acknowledges where the money actually is. This isn't restoration; it's interpretation.

Spy shots show what appears to be HWA's next competition build circulating the Ring, likely in preparation for a full assault on the grueling 24-hour circuit. The Lexus IS platform swap suggests a calculated gamble on balance and reliability over raw horsepower. If this runs, it's worth watching—customer racing budgets are finally getting smart about chassis selection.

Kia's swapping the V6 for a turbocharged four-cylinder in the redesigned 2027 Telluride, promising efficiency gains while base prices jump north of $40K with destination. More trims, new styling, same old question: who asked for less displacement and more money.

A bespoke DS No.4 turned heads at Brussels, built by Taylor Made (yes, that's the actual shop name). The piece highlights how Citroën's modern DS line is attracting serious customizers willing to invest in one-off builds rather than buying stock. This matters because it signals the DS nameplate is finally getting attention from the builder community.

Chrysler's abandoning plug-in hybrids entirely—the Pacifica Hybrid and Wrangler 4xe are getting the axe as the company pivots to traditional hybrids and range-extended setups instead. It's a tacit admission that PHEVs were always a compliance play, not a genuine product strategy. The bean counters finally realized nobody was buying them at the volume they needed.

Readers want what the industry deemed unprofitable—honest, small-footprint runabouts with actual personality. The Fiat 500, MINI Cooper, and Renault Twingo proved the formula worked; bean counters just decided margins on crossovers looked better on quarterly reports.

Italdesign dusted off the mid-engine hybrid formula and designed what Honda should've kept alive—a cleaner, more purposeful update that borrows from the original's DNA without the corporate dilution. The design study suggests what happens when you let designers dream instead of letting product planners play it safe.

The 992-generation 911 now starts at $140K, up $8K alone for 2026. This isn't inflation—it's Porsche testing how much devotion actually costs. When base models approach six figures, you're no longer selling cars; you're selling membership to a club that's priced out everyone who remembers when 911s were attainable.

Honda's racing division is developing a parts catalog for the current Civic Type R and revived Prelude, though specifics remain under wraps. This is HRC doing what HRC does—taking already-capable platforms and squeezing another 10% through suspension geometry, intake flow, and chassis reinforcement. The Type R especially needs it; values are holding but the market's waiting to see if these parts justify keeping them relevant against the next generation.

The Atlas has always been the three-row crossover with actual character—the Peak Edition leans harder into that personality with visual tweaks that actually land. It's not trying to be German precision or American swagger; it's doing its own thing, which in the midsize crossover wasteland is either refreshing or just weird depending on what you want from seven seats.

Cadillac's V8 lineage spans nearly a century of American excess, from the early L-heads that defined luxury to the 6.2L LT4-based Blackwing that finally gave the brand a proper performance engine before they killed it all off. The real story isn't the specs—it's that Cadillac waited until 2023 to build something that mattered, then abandoned it for EVs.

General Motors took a massive writedown on EV operations and China restructuring, and now Jeep is cutting 2026 prices to move inventory. Translation: the company that bet big on electrification is now in damage control mode, which means real discounts on gas-powered models while they last.

Subaru rolled out four STI-badged models at Tokyo Auto Salon 2026, but only one actually carries the STI nameplate worth knowing about: the manual WRX STI Sport#. The rest are race cars and special editions designed to fill booth space. If you're hunting for a real driver, the manual is the last gasp before Subaru fully surrenders to CVTs.

The Fairlady Z facelift arriving in Japan gives us early sight lines on styling tweaks headed stateside. Expect revised front fascia, interior tech updates, and the same 400-hp twin-turbo 3.0L staying put. It's the speed of the refresh cycle that matters here—original launch was 2022, which means Nissan's playing the frequent-update game to keep the model relevant against Supra and Corvette.