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Sam Abuelsamid

Infiniti Adds Coupe-ified QX65 Midsize Crossover

Infiniti is a brand that has long struggled to find its place in the automotive landscape. Is it just a more luxurious Nissan? A sportier Nissan? It’s still not entirely clear what the brand is actually going to be in the coming years as parent company Nissan tries to get itself back on a firm footing. But in the meantime, Infiniti is launching a new model in its lineup that draws heavily on what it’s already doing, the new 2027 QX65.  From the front, the QX65 will look familiar to anyone familiar with the Infiniti lineup since this is essentially a coupe-ified version of the QX60 three-row crossover. It rides on the same 114.2-inch wheelbase and is about 0.4-inch longer overall thanks to the reprofiled fascias. The big difference is the roofline which goes from the traditional long roof SUV layout and instead slopes down… Read More »Infiniti Adds Coupe-ified QX65 Midsize Crossover

The Ram Promaster City is Back and Bigger for 2027

Just over a decade ago, Ram joined Ford in offering a compact commercial van for the North American market. At the time, Ram was part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles before its parent company merged with PSA to form what we now know as Stellantis. Like its big brother the full-size Promaster, the Ram Promaster City was a rebadged version of a European Fiat van, in this case the Doblo. Ram discontinued the Promaster City after the 2022 model year but the name is back for model year 2027, although it has now moved up to a midsize van platform. Instead of the compact Doblo, the new Promaster City is now based on the Scudo (also sold as the Peugeot Expert and Citroen Dispatch) and will likely find more appeal in the North American market. Like most vans, the base platform is actually offered in several… Read More »The Ram Promaster City is Back and Bigger for 2027

No, Toyota’s Upcoming Reveal Isn’t A Truck

Last week Toyota released a teaser image of a new vehicle that it’s going be revealing on February 10, 2026. In a post here on Wheel Bearings, I speculated that this was probably a new crossover and provided some rationale for what it might be, perhaps a production version of an electric crossover that was first shown as a concept in December 2021. However, commenters said I was wrong and that this was a new pickup truck, potentially the long speculated Stout compact pickup to compete with the Ford Maverick. Toyota has now released a second teaser image and this time it shows the interior of the vehicle and it’s absolutely clear that unless Toyota is building a truck with a large 3-row cab, this is indeed an SUV/crossover. What do you think? Also new with this teaser is a tag line — “Big Energy,… Read More »No, Toyota’s Upcoming Reveal Isn’t A Truck

Something New Coming From Toyota

Toyota has just dropped a teaser image for a new vehicle it’s going to be revealing soon. They haven’t given us any information at all on exactly what it is, but we can make an educated guess based on what little we can see and the cadence of Toyota’s product lineup. First off, the rear view that we have based on the red taillights has a pretty squared off roofline and wide hips which implies that this isn’t a car, but is an SUV/crossover of some sort. The spacing of the headrest shadows in the window implies that this is a larger vehicle. Since we’ve already got the new Rav4 and the 4Runner, Grand Highlander and Sequioa have all been released in the last three years, it’s probably not any of them. The current generation Highlander is now in is seventh year on sale and… Read More »Something New Coming From Toyota

Ford Hypercar Endurance Racer Gets 5.4-liter V8, Veteran Drivers

A decade ago, Ford entered the World Endurance Championship and returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since the 1980s. At the time they evaluated competing in the top LMP1 prototype class against Audi, Porsche and Toyota, but decided the cost was just too high and opted to build a new GT instead. That car won the GTE class in 2016, but Ford wanted to take another run at overall victory for the first time since 1969. The emergence of the current Le Mans Hypercar rules including the LMDh specification has given them that opportunity. After announcing plans to enter an LMDh machine last year, we are finally getting some details on the car that will compete in 2027.  At the Ford Racing 2026 launch event in Detroit today, the automaker revealed what will power its new Le Mans challenger… Read More »Ford Hypercar Endurance Racer Gets 5.4-liter V8, Veteran Drivers

Ford’s GT500 Successor Arrives As The 2027 Mustang Dark Horse SC

When Ford launched the current S650 generation of the Mustang in 2023, one name was notably absent from all of the discussion – Shelby. Ford has had an on-off relationship with Shelby American ever since the original Mustang debuted more than six decades ago. During the S197 (5th-gen) and S550 (6th-gen) eras, the highest performance factory built Mustangs were the supercharged Shelby GT500s. Today, the highest performance Mustang is the $400,000 GTD that is practically a race car but that’s not really a GT500 substitute. That role is set to be filled this summer by the new Dark Horse SC (as in supercharged).  Starting with the 2024 model year, Dark Horse took the place of Shelby with the standard 500-hp naturally aspirated Mustang Dark Horse effectively taking the place of the former GT350 in the slot above the GT. The Dark Horse R is a… Read More »Ford’s GT500 Successor Arrives As The 2027 Mustang Dark Horse SC

The Ram TRX Is Back For 2027, One-Trick Pony?

Stellantis and in particular its Ram Trucks brand have had some struggles in recent years. Quality issues and high prices put a significant hit on sales and then the model year 2025 update dropped all of the V8 engines from the lineup including the supercharged off-road TRX. When former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was shown the door a year ago, one of the first orders of business was to bring former Ram brand CEO Tim Kuniskis back from his brief retirement. Kuniskis immediately pulled his old play book out of the drawer and within 8 months, the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 was back in the Ram 1500. That announcement immediately launched speculation that it was only a matter of time before the Hellcat-powered TRX was revived. Well, that dinosaur is officially back. When the V8-powered Ram 1500s were discontinued for 2025, the bones of the TRX… Read More »The Ram TRX Is Back For 2027, One-Trick Pony?

Getting A Kick Out Of Kicks

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Getting A Kick Out Of Kicks
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This week Nicole has 2 “SUVs”, the Nissan Kicks and Ford Expedition King Ranch while Sam discusses the Toyota Tacoma Trailhunter and Subaru Forester Hybrid. Ford announced plans to build low cost EVs in Louisville Kentucky, Cadillac announced a new custom build program and we have a first look at the Hyundai Ioniq 2. At Monterey Car Week, debuts included the Acura RSX, the Lexus Sport Concept, the Cadillac Elevated Velocity, Karma Gyesera and Infiniti QX65 and QX80 concepts. Links Ford to build $30K electric pickup in LouisvilleMore thoughts on the Ford electric truckCurated by CadillacHyundai Ioniq 2Lexus Sport ConceptAcura RSX PrototypeCadillac Elevated VelocityKarma GyeseraInfiniti QX65 MonographInfiniti QX80 concepts Wheel Bearings has launched a Patreon. If you like the show and would like to chip in toward the cost of producing and hosting it you can join at https://www.patreon.com/wheelbearingsmedia

Hyundai Steps Up Its Big SUV Game With 2026 Palisade

Since debuting for the 2020 model year, the Hyundai Palisade has really become established as the flagship of the brand. Unlike many flagship models that tend to sell in relatively modest volumes, the Palisade sold more than 100,000 units in 2024 and has sold more than 70,000 units through July of this year. At the New York Auto Show in April, Hyundai unveiled the second generation model and we’ve now had the chance to drive it. It should come as no surprise that the Palisade has grown a bit larger, but not by a huge amount. The length and wheelbase are up by 2.5 and 2.7-inches respectively while width and height are up by 0.2 and 0.6 inches. Despite those modest increases, the new Palisade has much more presence on the road thanks to some key changes in the design. The grille and the whole… Read More »Hyundai Steps Up Its Big SUV Game With 2026 Palisade

Genesis Debuts Racer and Off-Roader in New York

The Genesis brand, originally part of Hyundai, became a standalone luxury brand focusing on sedans and SUVs. Recently, Genesis has unveiled the X Gran Equator Concept SUV and the GMR-001 race car, marking its entry into competitive motorsports. The brand is evolving with distinctive designs and aims to attract new customers while expanding its portfolio.