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- Prelude vs GTI, F-150 Hits Europe, CX-5 Tested
Prelude vs GTI, F-150 Hits Europe, CX-5 Tested
PLUS: Radical Vision Alpina, TRX Returns, Ford Employee Deals
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2026-05-18
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Releases & Reviews
The redesigned crossover gains 4.6 inches of wheelbase to share the CX-50's platform, finally fixing rear-legroom complaints. The carryover 187 horsepower (140 kW) inline-four hits 60 mph in 8.0 seconds; prices run $31,485 to $40,485, and a hybrid arrives next year.
The straight-line winner is the GTI, whose 241 horsepower (180 kW) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) post a 5.8-second 0-60 to the hybrid Prelude's 6.4. But the 200 horsepower (149 kW) Prelude flips the script in corners, pulling 0.97 g versus 0.93 and stopping six feet shorter.
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Technology, Market Data & Analysis
Motor vehicles, AI boost US manufacturing production; supply shortages from war loom (5 minute read)
US factory output posted its biggest jump in fourteen months in April, with motor vehicle and parts production surging 3.7 percent and AI-driven tech investment adding another lift. But supplier delivery times hit a four-year high as the war with Iran disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
The legendary Italian design house founded by Giorgetto Giugiaro is pumping $20 million into its Michigan office over five years, hoping to land work with Ford, GM, and Stellantis. Behind the show-car portfolio, Italdesign has helped develop more than 300 production vehicles and can deliver around 500 pre-production cars annually.
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Car Culture
Suzuki's 1983-88 kei-truck oddball, named for the Astro Boy precursor Mighty Atom, just sold on Bring a Trailer for $7,455. The first-generation 543cc three-cylinder makes just 28 horsepower (21 kW) and 31 lb-ft (42 Nm), but its tiny pickup bed and El Camino styling pack outsize charm per dollar.
Of 151,851 Dodges built in 1959, just 23,500 were station wagons—and only 3,437 were the top-trim nine-passenger Custom Sierra. The 305 horsepower (228 kW) Super Ram-Fire V8 was standard, the sticker was $3,389, and survivors rarely made it past the 1970s, making this Aquamarine-and-Pearl example a Forward-Look unicorn.
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Miscellaneous
A New Jersey Toyota dealer filmed a 2023 Escalade with 510,263 miles (821,013 km) coming in as a trade for $2,000 against a new Sequoia. The buyer offered cash, hinted at Panama connections, and asked about acquiring another Sequoia and a Land Cruiser for export.
Hedin US Motor will sell the F-150 XLT in select European markets, bringing the 406 horsepower (303 kW) 5.0 liter Coyote V8 and 7,700 pound (3,488 kg) tow rating to a continent that mostly downsizes its pickups. Pricing starts around €76,500 (~$88,900) at current exchange rates.
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BMW's first concept since acquiring Alpina is a V8 grand tourer with a shark-nose face and 23 inch wheels, slated to fill the price gap between top BMW and cheapest Rolls when production starts in late 2027.
Based on the F8 Spider, this bespoke one-off keeps its non-hybrid twin-turbo 3.9 liter V-8 with 568 lb-ft (770 Nm) of torque and a claimed top speed of 211 mph (340 km/h).
Italy's Kimera Automobili is building the K-39, a Lancia 037-styled hypercar with 885 lb-ft (1,200 Nm) of torque, an 8,250 rpm redline, and a planned Pikes Peak attempt to challenge Audi's 1987 record.
In Honda's just-released business briefing, a slide describes a coming D-segment-or-above SUV powered by a new V6 hybrid—signaling a Pilot-larger model that could compete with the Toyota Land Cruiser.
Most 2025 and 2026 Ford and Lincoln models qualify through July 6, with the carmaker tying the discount to America's 250th-anniversary celebration after using last year's program to offset tariff costs.
The cryptic Instagram clip from UFC president and Ram ambassador Dana White shows burnouts, yellow brake calipers, and a tailgate spoiler before flashing "THINGS ARE ABOUT TO GET LOUD" across the screen.
All five "halo" Ferraris set new auction records in early 2026, with a Bachman Enzo hitting nearly $18 million—triple the prior peak—and a Carrera GT tripling its 2022 record to $6.7 million as AI money chases scarce supply.
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