GM V8s Beat Ford, $570B Car Handoff, Robotaxi Narc
PLUS: 630-HP RS5, Volvo Wagons Return, Civic vs Prelude
Releases & Reviews
New GM Truck V8s Beat Ford and Ram on Horsepower: Here’s the Full Spec Download
The 6.6-liter version of the sixth-generation small-block makes 481 horsepower and 501 lb-ft with no forced induction. The smaller 5.7-liter makes 402 horsepower and 428 lb-ft, ahead of Ford's Coyote and Ram's Hemi. Both engines keep cylinder deactivation and drop the oil dipstick.
Mercedes-AMG CLE 646 Spezialanfertigung First Look: A 637-HP, Rear-Drive Track Weapon
Only 30 will be built, all already sold, as the second car in Mercedes' Mythos series. The flat-plane-crank 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 makes 637 horsepower and 627 lb-ft, driving the rear wheels only. Mercedes claims 0 to 124 mph in 11.4 seconds and deletes the rear seats.
Technology, Market Data & Analysis
The Great Car Transfer Has Begun. Here’s How it Will Impact the Market—and You
Hagerty projects that Baby Boomer collectors will sell about 12 million cars worth roughly $570 billion over the next 15 years. Owners 60 and older hold over 60% of its insured vehicles. Its analysts expect younger buyers to absorb the supply, with 1960s halo cars holding value best.
Hyundai and Kia Facing More Than $1 Billion in Court Claims Over Cars That Were Easy to Steal
A federal appeals court this week reinstated a suit by roughly 200 insurers who allege the automakers deliberately omitted engine immobilizers from U.S.-bound cars. A district judge had dismissed it for lack of jurisdiction over the Korean parents. A UCLA study projects Los Angeles thefts will stay elevated through 2042.
Car Culture
I'm Selling My Porsche 993 Turbo on Cars & Bids!
Doug DeMuro is selling his 1996 911 Turbo at no reserve after a year and about 3,200 miles. The two-owner car retains every document back to its original order form. DeMuro spent about $25K on a catch-up service and calls it the most rewarding daily driver he has owned.
Why Buy A Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk? It's A 707-HP Family SUV For Around $60,000
Every Trackhawk shares the same 707-horsepower supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi, so Motor1 advises buying on condition rather than model year. Kelley Blue Book values run from about $52K for early cars to about $65K for the final 2021. The outlet flags tuned or drag-raced examples as the biggest risk.
Miscellaneous
Your robotaxi might be a narc
Waymo says interior cameras and automated detection enforce its terms of service, and that it may call police when the system flags a firearm. It has not said what human review sits between an alert and a call. The Electronic Frontier Foundation wants that possibility disclosed before riders get in.
We Were Promised Flying Cars. They’re Finally Almost Here. Really.
Alef Aeronautics has started limited production of an ultralight that needs no pilot's license, ahead of its $300,000 Model A with 200 miles of driving range and 110 in flight. Xpeng plans to build its Land Aircraft Carrier, a van carrying a detachable two-seat electric aircraft, starting next year.
Quick Links
2027 Audi RS5 Review
The hybrid RS5 pairs a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 with an electric motor for 630 horsepower and about 40 miles of electric range, and Throttle House finds it flatter in corners than an M5 Touring and no quicker than an M3.
Volvo’s Huge Product Offensive Could Include New Station Wagons
Volvo plans 13 new models globally by 2030, and its promise of "new low & high body types" lines up with a reported electric sedan and wagon due in the U.S. in 2028.
This Rolls-Royce Is Decorated with a Hummingbird Made from Shells
The one-off Phantom, commissioned through Rolls-Royce's Dubai office as a tribute to the client's wife, is the brand's first use of abalone shell in marquetry, with each picnic-table hummingbird assembled from 53 pieces after nine months of development.
Honda Civic Hybrid vs. Honda Prelude Showdown: No, They’re Not the Same
MotorTrend's long-term Civic Hybrid driver finds the Prelude more upmarket inside, with better headroom and visibility, and counts manual seats, a push-button shifter and a rear seat too tight for adults against it.
Range Anxiety? 2027 Chevy Silverado 3.0L Duramax Can Go 900-Plus Miles on a Tank of Diesel
A new 34-gallon tank pairs with the 3.0-liter Duramax, which GM estimates at 27 mpg highway in two-wheel-drive form and which is now the only diesel offered in a half-ton pickup.
Alfa Romeo's New Concept Car Will Give Us A Glimpse Of Future Models In Paris
The concept debuts at the Paris Motor Show on October 12, teased with a single rear-three-quarter image that Motor1 reads as a sports car, as Alfa's U.S. sales run down 45% through the first half of 2026.
Owning a Subaru Forester Hybrid, Is It Worth It?
After a year and about 13,000 miles, Edmunds rates the Forester Hybrid 6.3 out of 10, citing a slow touchscreen, wind noise and fuel economy that trailed the EPA rating, and prefers the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid at the same price.