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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’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

Cupra: A Taste Of Things to Come

Cupra is a brand you’ve probably never heard of, but they have plans to make a big splash in the US by 2030. We had a chance to give two of their European models a spin at a special event in Miami.

3 Months of ExpressVPN Free

Wheel Bearings listeners get an extra 3 months for free when they sign up ExpressVPN at https://www.expressvpn.com/wheelbearings Thanks to ExpressVPN and listeners for supporting Wheel Bearings 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

Walking Through Michigan Central

After more than 36 years of being abandoned and more than 6 years of restoration work, the Michigan Central Station is reopening this week. For years this was my first view of Detroit when crossing the Ambassador Bridge in its seemingly bombed out state. I was lucky enough to get a tour of the ground floor a couple of weeks ago and the place is looking amazing! 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

Lou Rhodes, president of Chrylser's ENVI division in March 2009 with the Dodge Circuit prototype

Throwback: The Last Time Dodge Almost Went For Electric Performance

We’re coming up on a year since Dodge unveiled the Charger Daytona SRT electric muscle car concept and the Hornet plug-in hybrid crossover. In the coming years, the company now known as Stellantis will be introducing a whole range of battery electric vehicle across all of its brands including Dodge. But the electric transition almost happened more than a decade ago. In the late 2000s, Chrysler showed off a variety of plug-in concepts for Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler following its divorce from Daimler. The automaker even established a new division called ENVI to develop these into production. But then the financial melt-down happened in late 2008 and by spring 2009, Chrysler was going through an expedited chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization and emerged under the new ownership of Fiat as Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. FCA’s CEO, the late Sergio Marchionne was not a fan of costly EVs… Read More »Throwback: The Last Time Dodge Almost Went For Electric Performance

Buzz Me

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In the garage this week, Nicole has been driving two very different vehicles from the Hyundai Motor Group stable, the new Genesis G90 and refreshed Kia Telluride. Robbie has car for dog lovers, the Subaru Crosstrek and Sam was pleasantly surprised by what the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid could do with a fully charged battery. In the news, VW revealed the longer 3 row ID Buzz that’s coming to America. Sam spent some time at the track with Honda getting a ride in an Indycar-powered hybrid CR-V, sampling electric racing go-karts and testing the LogR app with the new Civic Type-R. Lordstown’s electric pickup doesn’t have much Endurance and Tesla claims the cheapest Model 3 now qualifies for tax credits. Finally Ford changes its pricing strategy for Blue Cruise. We also answer listener questions Links Honda electric racing cartsHonda CR-V hybrid racerHonda LogR 2.0 appVW… Read More »Buzz Me

ActivityPub Test

testing to see if the activitypub plug-in works 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