Autos

Uncertainty may abound these days, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) shareholders were reassured at their annual meeting that the proposed merger with PSA Group remains on track to be finalized by the end of the first quarter of 2021. PSA Group shareholders were given the same message at their annual meeting this week, as well. After a year of planning, FCA and PSA announced their plans for a 50-50 merger on December 18, 2019. The news followed many years of efforts by FCA’s former head, Sergio Marchionne, to merge the Italian-American company with another automaker. Doing so would achieve the scale he believed was necessary to be successful in an industry reliant on the development of expensive technology to transition to a lineup of electric and autonomous vehicles. See all 36 ph...

The Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class gets a major overhaul for 2021 that sees new technology and fresh looks grace the smallest crossover in the three-pointed star’s model line. It also results in a higher starting price of $37,280—nearly $2,000 more than the 2020 GLA. Despite its price jump, the 2021 GLA 250 boasts a number of new standard features to justify its additional cost. Notably, the model welcomes the brand’s MBUX infotainment system. As in other Mercs, the GLA’s interior features two giant displays: One for cabin infotainment and another serving as a digital gauge cluster. The screens measure in at 7.0 inches, however, buyers can spend more to bump the displays up to 10.3 inches. See all 17 photos Motivating the GLA 250 is a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four that make...

Tesla set a high bar for electric pickups when it debuted the Cybertruck last year. Now, the startup company that took over an old General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio, aims to give Tesla a run for its money. The Lordstown Endurance debuted today, and if all goes as planned, it will be the first fully electric pickup on the market. The company has said fleets will start receiving the truck beginning in January 2021. It may not look as impressive as the Cybertruck, but just like Tesla’s creation, the Endurance is being shown under high expectations. In a presentation today, Lordstown Motors chief executive officer Steve Burns said the truck handles like a sports car and that the company aims to make the Endurance the safest pickup ever. See all 10 photos The truck’s most nota...

Trivia numerologists: We’ve got the numbers, facts and figures that will guarantee your team a big win should a 2021 Ford F-150 round come up on your next Zoom Trivia session. 1,000/18,000/600—These are market research stats Ford racked up while planning the improvements to the 2021 F-150: 1,000 hours spent with customers taking 18,000 photos and 600 hours of video of them working with their trucks. This helped Ford’s team decide what to keep, what to refine, and where to innovate. 33.3—The percentage of customers who regularly use a laptop in the cab of their F-150. Some even engineered their own elaborate laptop stands, but Ford simplifies their life this year with the power-folding console shifter that allows the center armrest to flip over and form a perfectly flat surface ...

On the whole, the automotive media has been enthusiastic—to say the least—about every Mazda MX-5 Miata derivative, no matter the generation. The smiles-per-dollar ratio has always been high across four distinct models, and for most the ability to stow all (or in the case of the MX-5 RF, some) of the roof is at least a bonus if not the major selling point. But there’s always been a small, vocal contingent that has wished for the rigidity or looks of a permanently fixed top. See all 7 photos And Mazda has sometimes fed that fire. The M Coupe Concept of 1996 lit it, and the extremely rare production 2003 MX-5 Coupe fanned it white hot. Just 22 pounds heavier than the roadster, the second-generation NB production Coupe seemed like a car that could become a reality in the States. And...

Here’s a question we’ve never asked ourselves before: What would happen if Chevrolet and Animal Crossing collaborated on Corvette-themed downloadable content? It might sound like a farce, but this question is officially answered, as Chevrolet just announced a Corvette-themed pack for the popular sim game, and it’s actually pretty neat. In case you’re unfamiliar with what Animal Crossing even is, here’s the gist. In the video game world of Animal Crossing, users play a character that mirrors themselves (or whoever else they’d like to be).  Players live in a simulated world—either a small village or a small island—where the goal is to prosper. The avatars grow plants, buy and sell goods, and build a home for themselves (among many, many other opt...