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2025-05-13

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Releases & Reviews

2026 Aston Martin Vantage Roadster First Drive: Open-Top Monster (13 minute read)

The topless Vantage keeps its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 at 656 hp (490 kW) and 590 lb-ft (799 Nm), gains only 132 lb (60 kg), and still hits 202 mph (325 km/h). Quick 6.8-second roof operation and tweaked Bilstein damping maintain the coupe’s poise despite a 49/51 weight split.

It Looks Like Toyota Will Reveal the New RAV4 Before May Ends (2 minute read)

Toyota’s May 20 reveal should debut the sixth-gen RAV4, rumored to swap to a 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain making 225 hp (168 kW) FWD or 232 hp (173 kW) AWD. Sharper lines, a black roof option, and pricing starting around $30,000 are expected before year-end sales.

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Technology, Market Data & Analysis

The head of the EPA wants to change car engine start / stop technology. (1 minute read)

EPA head Lee Zeldin reportedly wants automakers to re-map start-stop systems after widespread driver complaints about rough restarts and delayed accessory functions. The agency is drafting guidance aimed at smoother engagement and possible exemptions for cold climates, potentially influencing 2027-model fuel-economy certification.

The Factory Secrets Helping Chinese EV Startup Nio Offer High Tech For Less Money (4 minute read)

Inside Nio’s 4.4-square-mile (7.1 km²) NeoPark, Factory 2 uses nearly fully robotic lines that output one vehicle per minute, yet built only 120,000 units last year on a single shift. Solar panels generating 53 GWh and AGV-fed assembly islands help the 284-acre plant build high-spec EVs at mainstream prices.

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Car Culture

$10 Million Barnfind: Jay Leno Reveals the Rarest Mercedes Gullwing Ever Discovered (18 minute watch)

Jay Leno’s Garage uncovers an unrestored 1956 Mercedes-Benz 300SL alloy Gullwing—one of just 29—bought for $30,000 in 1976 and recently bid to $9.6 million. Leno marvels at its intact Rudge wheels, 73,000 km odometer, and the 3.0-liter fuel-injected straight-six that still turns after decades in a Los Angeles junkyard.

1955 Chevrolet Corvette Test Bed Is Our Auction Pick of the Day (3 minute read)

Chassis EX87, the first V-8 Corvette, is on Bring a Trailer wearing 1955 bodywork but still carrying test fixtures and provenance from Zora Arkus-Duntov’s 160 mph (257 km/h) desert runs. The once-experimental frame, stored 57 years by one owner, underpins today’s 1,064 hp (794 kW) ZR1 lineage.

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Miscellaneous

This Million-Dollar AirCar will Take Off in 2026 (2 minute read)

Slovakia’s Klein Vision will sell its composite AirCar in 2026 for about $1 million, promising road-to-flight conversion in two minutes as wings and a tailplane deploy. The two-seat craft uses a 280 hp (209 kW) engine, has logged 500 flights, and targets twin-engine and amphibious variants.

GM Says You Can Just Forget About a New Cadillac XLR (2 minute read)

GM president Mark Reuss quashed rumors of a C8-based Cadillac XLR, saying the convertible would share too much with the Corvette to meet Cadillac’s new exclusivity strategy. Instead, the brand will focus on bespoke halo projects like the $340,000 Celestiq EV rather than badge-engineering sports cars.

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Quick Links

2025 VW Golf R vs GR Corolla | Not Even Close (27 minute watch)

savagegeese finds the updated Golf R’s 334 hp (249 kW) dual-clutch drivetrain and adaptive dampers overpower the GR Corolla’s 227 hp (169 kW) auto despite Toyota’s purer diffs during four-lap dyno-verified track runs.

Ariel Atom 4R Review // How Is This Even Street Legal (27 minute watch)

Throttle House flings the 400 hp (298 kW) Ariel Atom 4R—just 1,323 lb (600 kg) with a sequential box—up a Welsh peak before pitting it against a 310 hp (231 kW) supercharged Caterham 620 on circuit.

Slate Auto Has Raised $700M for Its $20K Electric Truck. Is That Enough? (2 minute read)

Slate’s Bezos-backed $700 million funding still lags Rivian-scale financing and may barely cover tooling, certification and plant costs before its promised $20,000 battery-electric pickup reaches showrooms.

Study Reveals Over Half Of Americans Are Open To A Car Subscription Instead Of Purchasing (4 minute read)

58 % of Americans would consider an all-inclusive vehicle subscription, yet most won’t exceed $600 monthly and expect the flexibility to swap models frequently if tariffs push purchase prices higher.

Carlos Ghosn Says Nissan Is in a 'Desperate Situation' (3 minute read)

Fugitive ex-boss Carlos Ghosn says slow, inconsistent leadership has left Nissan ‘in the doldrums,’ scuttling its Honda merger bid and weakening the once-dominant Renault alliance.

The Recon Will Be Jeep's 'New Defender,' Says Exec (2 minute read)

Jeep’s UK chief touts the electric Recon—Wrangler size, STLA Large bones, electronic lockers and adjustable ride height—for 2025 launch at roughly $60,000, calling it the brand’s Land Rover Defender moment.

Volvo EX90’s Lidar Sensor Will Fry Your Phone’s Camera (4 minute read)

The Drive cautions that the EX90’s roof-mounted 1,550 nm lidar can fry phone camera sensors, prompting Volvo to advise keeping a safe distance or using protective filters even though the beam is eye-safe to humans.

Question of the Week: what was the best ever F1 race at Silverstone? (3 minute read)

Marking 75 years since F1’s first championship race, Top Gear invites readers to crown Silverstone’s greatest Grand Prix—from Mansell’s 1987 comeback to Hamilton’s three-wheeled 2020 finish—before publishing results on Friday.