The Hummer SUV brand petered out of existence after General Motors’ bankruptcy proceedings, in 2010, after failing to find a suitable buyer. Nobody, even cash-rich Chinese automakers, wanted anything to do with a brand that embodied the hulking, conspicuously inefficient SUVs that had become toxic the world over. Gas prices were still high, Toyota Priuses were seemingly taking over the road—General Motors even introduced hybrid versions of its Chevy Tahoe and Cadillac Escalade. A decade later, gas prices have stayed cheap amidst an economic boom, and guess what Americans are buying again in droves? S-U-Vs. It’s just the opening GM needs to resurrect Hummer.
Rumors have begun circulating that General Motors plans to bring back Hummer, this time as an all-electric SUV brand. It isn’t as crazy as it sounds. Hummer, when it still existed, was a premium brand within GM’s hierarchy. With electric-vehicle tech still pricey, GM could launch a long-range SUV under the [...]
Here’s all you need to know about our long weekend with the Rolls-Royce Cullinan SUV: We parked it in front of a thrift store. A thrift store. And we walked in and bought $18 worth of secondhand stuff. We couldn’t have been more obnoxiously privileged if we tipped the restaurant valet a quarter.
Perhaps we weren’t the right demographic for this vehicle. We hadn’t won the lottery. We hadn’t made an embarrassing fortune by developing a hookup app for ferret owners, or by seizing the natural resources of Bolivia. We’re just a quartet of Gen X writers, sufficiently old enough to look like we might actually own this thing.
Of course, the first question we got every time we stepped out of the Cullinan was, “How much does that thing cost?”
You know that look of bemusement, curiosity, and mild disgust from the driver of the not-inexpensive SUV that pulls alongside at a stoplight? That [...]
Our new long-term 2020 Mazda3 hatchback proves we’re not quite ready to accept the automaker’s change of course. In case you’ve missed the news, Mazda is looking to focus less on its sporty and fun image and more on its new path to becoming a legit luxury brand. The new Mazda3 is the first official effort from the automaker’s pivot. That said, we’re having a tough time completely erasing away Mazda’s fun, zoom-zoomy image. Which is why we ordered our Polymetal Gray Metallic hatchback with the fancy Premium package—and a six-speed manual transmission. We think it’s a fair compromise.
The manual gearbox’s take rate will be low—about 3 percent, by Mazda’s estimates. But those brave few will be rewarded with a much more engaging driving experience that only three pedals can provide. A 2.5-liter four-cylinder rated at 186 hp and 186 lb-ft of torque is the sole engine choice for the Mazda3, and it feels [...]
High-speed vehicle testing is serious business, which makes McLaren’s claim that its new Speedtail hypercar achieved 250 mph at the Kennedy Space Center all the more remarkable. The Speedtail prototype, dubbed XP2, was tested on Kennedy’s extra-long runway where NASA’s Space Shuttle used to land. According to McLaren, the Speedtail hit 250 mph more than 30 times during the testing.
Whereas the Shuttle used the 15,000-foot-long runway to slow down, McLaren’s Speedtail prototype used it to repeatedly accelerate to its top speed (which, you probably guessed by now, is 250 mph—the highest of any production McLaren ever). Per McLaren, the XP2 was able to reach 186 mph in just 13 seconds. It isn’t clear whether McLaren changed the Speedtail’s tires at all during its testing. High speeds generate a lot of heat in tires, which is why the Bugatti Chiron and its Veyron predecessor use very expensive, very special tires capable of not exploding at [...]
Fire season in California will have ended by the time you read this, and it was another nasty one. An unusually dry fall season kept first responders busier than they’d like to be, including truck-driving volunteers who rescue livestock from ranches and farms in harm’s way.
When I got the call that Friday afternoon from Automobile’s Aaron Gold, throwing him the keys to our long-term Ram 1500 was the least I could do. What follows is his account of evacuating horses, pigs, and other livestock from areas under threat of massive, growing wildfires with a little help from my truck.
“When wildfires sweep through southern California, they displace thousands of people as well as their animals. My wife and I are part of a group of volunteers that helps city and county officials move horses and other livestock out of harm’s way and return them home when the danger has passed. We load up the [...]
