Day: February 8, 2021

Truck Trend

Mazda Announces Refreshed 2016 BT-50 Production

Mazda hasn’t sold a pickup in the U.S. since 2010, when the Ford Ranger–turned–B-Series was discontinued amid flagging sales. That’s not the case for international markets, however, the inhabitants of which have enjoyed the midsize Mazda BT-50 since its debut for the 2006 model year. This little slice of midsize-truck pie will be getting some cosmetic attention this year, receiving an updated appearance to bring it in line with Mazda’s current Kodo design language.

New for the BT-50 is a newly designed front fascia, rear lamps, and aluminum wheels, while the interior was refreshed with higher-quality materials and a backup camera. The refreshed BT-50 goes into production at its Thailand manufacturing plant today;. we presume South African production isn’t far behind, as the two facilities built the pre-facelift version for global consumption. Thailand and Australia will be the first two markets to sample the updated pickup.

“The BT-50 defied the

Motor Authority

Cadillac’s most powerful engine ever

By Michael J. Moody 3 weeks ago

The 2022 Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing is the most powerful production car ever from General Motors’ luxury brand. “Engineering Explained” host Jason Fenske has all of the details on the new performance sedan’s monster engine.

Blackwing is the name of both an engine and the highest tier of Cadillac’s performance models. But the CT5-V Blackwing doesn’t use the Blackwing engine, which was a 4.2-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 that debuted in the discontinued CT6-V sedan. Instead, Cadillac chose the supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 from the CT5-V Blackwing’s predecessor, the CTS-V. However, the engine is now tuned for 668 horsepower and 659 pound-feet of torque, compared to the previous 640 hp and 630 lb-ft.

The 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 is in turn based on the LT4 engine that debuted in the C7-generation Chevrolet Corvette Z06 for the 2015 model year. It’s also a pushrod engine, while the 4.2-liter twin-turbo V-8 boasted dual overhead cams. Its turbos

Motor Trend

Proof a Round Steering Wheel Option Might Exist!

By Michael J. Moody 3 weeks ago

We found some images of the new Model S with a regular steering wheel buried within the source code of Tesla’s website, which suggests to us that even the automaker is hedging that the new wheel shape may go unloved by customers or, more critically, be banished by regulators.

Wait, Can Tesla Even Sell Cars With a Steering “Yoke?”

The law isn’t totally clear on whether or not the new Teslas’ steering yokes are fair game, although, in recently proposed rule changes to primary vehicle controls amidst the rise of self-driving cars, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) noted it has never fully defined the necessary shape of a steering wheel—i.e., that it must be a complete circle or at least mostly round. It’s only written that the control must satisfy crash standards. In fact, in seeking to clarify definitions of driver controls (and explicitly

Car Sales

New car sales fall 26.5% on back of latest lockdown

By Michael J. Moody 3 weeks ago

New car sales were down 26.5 per cent over the first 10 days of this year, hit by Covid restrictions and delays due to the administration of new Brexit rules.

In what is traditionally the busiest sales month of the year, 9,765 new cars were registered in the Republic by January 10th, down 3,523 on the same period last year.

The latest Covid-19 lockdown means dealer showrooms are closed, with sales restricted to click-and-deliver operations, although servicing departments remain open. Most of the new cars registered would have been on order by customers from the end of last year.

On top of the Covid restrictions, increased administration due to Brexit has caused some delays in deliveries. In particular, dealers are reporting that parts supplies have been impacted, though many had built up stock levels prior to January 1st.

According to Robert Guy, director aftersales for Volkswagen Group Ireland, their planning

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