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It could be argued that the decade of Mazdaspeed vehicles represented the high-water mark for the Japanese brand in America, at least from a performance standpoint. The automaker introduced four turbocharged models, starting with the Protegé in 2003, followed by the MX-5 Miata in 2004, the Mazdaspeed6 sedan in 2006, and finally the Mazdaspeed3 hatchback, which arrived in 2007 and stayed much longer than the others, until 2013. 2010_MAZDASPEED3 side at trackMazda Today, we hear from Japan that Mazda might resurrect the Mazdaspeed philosophy by introducing the Mazda Spirit Racing 3, a hot hatchback version of the Mazda3 powered by…

Most hardware prices have soared in 2026, and that includes a variety of Apple laptops, tablets, and smart devices. Thankfully, you can offset some of the increased costs on an Apple TV 4K by buying one refurbished through the company. The 64GB model is selling for $169, $30 lower than the new retail price. The upgraded model, with 128GB of storage and an Ethernet port, is also discounted to $209 at Apple, a $40 discount from the full price. Apple refurbished products are often close to like-new condition, and are covered by the same one year warranty as new products.We…

The Drive 🤝 your inbox. Every weekday The Daily Brief wraps up the biggest stories and our exclusive reporting on the auto industry and car culture. Even though a lot of car companies are doing digital gauges these days, not many do them well. There are a few exceptions, like Ford and its Fox Body-style Mustang cluster, but too many automakers use their blank canvas to create something banal. Not this guy. Tyeler Andersen owns a first-gen Mitsubishi Montero, and rather than inserting a screen to display some sterile speedo, he recreated the original look with special Easter eggs that…

Automotive California classic car owners just scored a long-awaited change to the state’s emissions rules, but anyone expecting an immediate free pass from smog checks will need to temper that excitement. Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Senate Bill 1392, better known among enthusiasts as “Leno’s Law,” creating a new path to smog-check exemptions for certain collector vehicles from the 1976 through 1985 model years. The law, which has been championed by Jay Leno and automotive enthusiast groups, is aimed at cars that are preserved and driven sparingly rather than used as everyday transportation. The biggest thing owners need…

A scale model of Xpeng’s flagship store in the Netherlands, photographed at the company’s Guangzhou headquarters in April 2026. Credit: CnEVPost Xpeng plans to expand its technology offerings beyond Volkswagen to more overseas customers. Xpeng’s revenue from services and other businesses nearly doubled in the second quarter. Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) plans to offer technology solutions to foreign automakers beyond Volkswagen as it seeks new revenue streams, with some potential partners already expressing interest. Reuters reported the plans on Thursday, citing 2 people familiar with the matter. Xpeng has contacted some potential partners that have expressed interest in its technology, 1…

The companies will work together to develop the autonomous vehicle but it’s not clear when it’ll hit the streets. Lucid/Bolt Lucid is making a push into the European robotaxi market and it’s teaming up with Bolt to do so. Bolt plans to deploy at least 25,000 autonomous vehicles based on Lucid’s midsize platform across the continent. The ridesharing company plans to have 100,000 AVs on its platform by 2035, but it hasn’t revealed when these particular robotaxis are likely to go into service. Bolt, which plans to own and operate the Lucid fleet, will work with the…

Samsara’s new Compounding Risk Report says the top 10 per cent of risk‑ranked drivers account for 47 per cent of crashes, based on analysis from the company’s patent‑pending Risk Model. The model evaluates about 50 factors across driving behaviour, exposure, context and driver development to help safety managers prioritize coaching. The research shows risk increases sharply when behaviours appear together. Drivers showing mobile use alone are 2.7 times more likely than the overall population to fall into the highest risk tier. Adding harsh braking raises that to 4.5 times, and combining mobile use, distraction and harsh braking reaches 5.4 times.…

Tesla is going to operate public Megacharger sites at three electric truck depots it doesn’t own. Forum Mobility, one of the largest heavy-duty charging operators in the US, says Tesla will run public Megacharging at three of four new California depots it’s about to break ground on. The move comes as Forum brings another 30 MW of heavy-duty charging online and sits on reservations for more than 330 Tesla Semis. It’s the clearest sign yet that Tesla’s Semi charging network is getting built through partners, not just Tesla-owned stations. Where the new Megachargers are going Tesla will operate the public…

Is Ford’s pickup truck dominance beginning to crumble? After winning the North American Truck of the Year award six times in a row, this year isn’t looking good… for trucks or anything else from the brand. In fact, Ford isn’t even making it to the finals this time around. Ford Out, Slate In On Best Of 2027 List Slate TruckSlate The 2027 North American Car, Truck, and Utility Vehicle of the Year awards are handed out to the best new or largely changed vehicle in each of the three classes. Ford’s different pickups have dominated in recent years, with the…

Super SUVs have never been more expensive — or more capable — than they are right now. Yet hiding in plain sight on used-car listings is a machine that delivers genuine AMG drama for the price of a well-worn economy car: the Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG. Pick up a 2009 example with around 140,000 miles, and you could be looking at roughly $13,000 — less than the cheapest new car on sale in the US, the Hyundai Venue. That’s also half what you’d pay for a Toyota RAV4. For that money you get 510 hp, a naturally aspirated V8 hand-assembled by…