Autos

Just over 150 cars are stolen per day in the United States. Vehicle theft may be (relatively) uncommon, but it’s very inconvenient and invasive—and altogether more familiar to Dodge Charger sedan and Challenger coupe owners than most. Why? These powerful American muscle cars are popular among thieves, and are often stolen for parts and plain old joyrides. Dodge has responded with a new security feature that limits the vehicles’ speed to just 3 mph by restricting engine performance to idle provided owners can set the car into “Security Mode.” Activating and (more importantly) deactivating this mode requires the use of a four-digit security code. Should someone hop behind the wheel and get the car started without this code, the would-be thief would be kept f...

Shout “enhance!” a few times at your computer like you’re in some kind of CSI-type show, or just peer more closely, and you might notice something odd in this 2021 Lexus IS‘ glove box. An arm, a needle, a vinyl record … yup, that’s a turntable. In the glovebox. In 2021. And if you aren’t a turntablist, or a vinyl enthusiast, you might not recall that records skip. See all 7 photos Before even the eight-track player, a few companies experimented with in-car record players, and it was a goofy extravagance that never really worked all that well. Because, well, records skip, even with specialized spring-isolated enclosures—especially when installed by indifferent dealers back in the day. See all 7 photos But these early systems were state-of-...

But thanks to a massive leak—more like a water main break—on enthusiast forum 400ZClub, we now have a ton of new unofficially released information to pour over. According to poster Houston.z35, the next Nissan Z car won’t be called the 400Z. The name is just “Nissan Z.” This, despite the fact that there will be a 400-hp version of the 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 VR30DDTT engine under the hood, and most of us anticipated a numerical upgrade from the current 370Z nomenclature to something 400-ish. As we suspected earlier, the next Z’s underpinnings will be largely carryover from the current 370Z. That means the chassis, hard points, and cutlines will all be the same, but the bodywork is obviously quite different and eye-catching. There will be two transmissions availab...

In conjunction with the 2021 Easter Jeep Safari, Jeep is announcing a Jeep-branded EV charging network for its new 2021 Jeep Wrangler 4xe plug-in hybrid. The Jeep 4xe Charging Network, operated by Electrify America, will provide Level 2 (240-volt) charging that’ll fully recharge the 4xe’s 17 kilowatt-hour battery pack in about two hours. The chargers will be connected directly to the power grid or use solar power. A full charge allows for 21 miles of electric range, and with 49 MPGe Wrangler 4xe adventurers should be able to tackle more miles on the trail using electrons rather than dino juice. See all 36 photos Jeep 4xe Charging Network stations won’t be in the middle of the city. Rather, they’ll be installed at or near trailheads, ideal for a quick top-off be...

It is a strategic, long-term partnership, Ford CEO Jim Farley says. Ford will look for forms of co-development or sharing of technology or platforms in the future. “But we’re not just running over to Plymouth [the Michigan town, where Rivian Engineering and Design Center is located] and giving them assignments.” RJ Scaringe, CEO of Rivian, is equally bullish. “We have a very good relationship with Ford,” he tells MotorTrend. “We haven’t announced anything with Ford in terms of what we might do together,” he says. “We’re just being very thoughtful of the discussions that are going on.” When there is something to announce, “we would announce together.” See all 38 photos Ford is More Than an Investor in Rivian Ford ...

Let’s get this straight—the Honda City is not one of those forbidden fruit cars that we wish we had here. The reason the City is never coming to America is because it was specifically developed for emerging markets—such as Mexico and Thailand. It doesn’t drive as well as the Civic, it has cheaper interior materials and low-spec technology, and it lacks the safety features and standards for a country like the U.S., where safety is a priority for the customer and the government alike. But when the new City broke cover last year, we were surprised to see how much it had changed compared to the outgoing generation, which we drove in Mexico City at the end of 2019. The new 2021 Honda City is finally making its way into the Mexican market, as Honda announced it will be positioned bet...