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On the town in the attractive, redesigned Chrysler Pacifica | Payne
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 29, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Richmond, Michigan — America’s’ most versatile, three-row vehicle finally has an exterior to match its interior talents.
The 2027 Chrysler Pacifica minivan has a new face, and it’s a looker.
Designed by Tajikistan immigrant Irina Zavatski, the original 2017 Pacifica redefined the dowdy minivan segment. Then the minivan took an unfortunate detour to boring in 2021 with an ill-advised nose job. For ‘27, Chrysler is back on the cutting edge.
Behold its embrace of modern lighting tech with headlights moved mid-fascia — freeing designers to frame the front end with a dazzling LED signature that would make a Caddy proud. The rear end? Stylish as ever with a sci-fi rear window (now underlined by a red, horizontal taillight) right out of a Blade Runner movie.
Gone for the 2027 model year is the entry-level Voyager minivan (with throwback 2017 design and only offered in front-wheel-drive), now rebadged as a Pacifica LX staring at $43,590. Confusing, I know. The remade Pacifica is offered in Select, Limited and Pinnacle trims starting at $45,460 and my Select, black-trimmed, red all-wheel-drive model (wrapped in patriotic 250th American birthday stars) is the one to have.
Pacifica, strut your stuff.
Top 10 Q3 auto sales winners and losers. Our picks
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 28, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
At the end of the third quarter, the 2026 Auto Sales Super Bowl is full of story lines.
Entering the fourth, sales are off 2% from a year ago but Cox Automotive sees strength and predicts 2026 will come out ahead 2%, to 16.1 million units. This despite devastation in the electric-vehicle market, which is off 30% from a year ago.
Average gas prices are up 40%, but that couldn’t overcome the absence of $7,500 federal EV subsidies and California sales mandates. EV sales now account for just 6.4% of new vehicle sales versus a record 10% a year ago as buyers rushed to buy EVs before the government gravy ended. The beneficiary of high gas prices appears to be gas-electric hybrid vehicles, with sales up 23% year over year. As in 2008, when gas prices first crested $4 a gallon (inflation-adjusted $6.40 today) buyers are looking to fuel-efficient rides.
On a macro level, that means General Motors Co. — which bet on EVs — lost 0.7 percentage points of U.S. market share. That put Toyota — which bet on hybrids — within 129,194 units of becoming America’s sales champ.
Enough of the macro, on to the micro. Here are our Top 10 highlights of Q3 winners and losers:
Payne: Back to the future in the 2017 Tesla Model X P100D
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 22, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Richmond, Virginia — Before Tesla made the flying Roadster or autonomous Robotaxi or sci-fi Cybertruck, there was the three-row Model X.
With Falcon (gull-wing) doors, self-driving software, Model Xmas dance feature, and Ludicrous Mode acceleration, Tesla’s first SUV was a fun, innovative sensation.
And then it was gone.
As Tesla retools to build Optimus robots in its Fremont, California, factory, the OG Model X and sister Model S sedan have handed in their brand halos to the rad Roadster and gold Robotaxi. But X is still X-traordinary.
And cheap. Really cheap. At $145K new in 2017, my top-trim P100D Turo tester has 92,000 miles and can be found on used car sites for just $25K-35K. With a red key fob in my pocket, I walked up to the red Tesla at Richmond International Airport, and the driver’s door swung open to greet me.
Team Penske and Cadillac could partner for Le Mans glory. Here’s how
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 22, 2026
Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
A Motown Dream Team could be in the offing.
Detroit motorsports powerhouses Team Penske and Cadillac Racing are reported to be discussing a partnership to race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2028 in the top Hypercar class as both organizations are keen to win the world’s greatest sports car race.
With Ford Motor Co. also entering Le Mans and its accompanying World Endurance Championship series in 2027 for the first time in six decades, the French race poses the tantalizing showdown of Penske Cadillac v Ford v Ferrari. Ferrari has won Le Mans in three of the last four years.
Tesla Roadster Hypercar is a vison of the automotive future. Here’s how
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 20, 2026
Tesla, Tesla
In 2017, the same year the Tesla Roadster 2.0 prototype was unveiled, former General Motors Vice Chairman and product guru Bob Lutz shared his prediction for the 21st-century automotive future: autonomous vehicles taking over the roads and consumers giving up individual transportation.
Would people still drive?
“People of means will still drive performance cars for fun on private tracks,” Lutz said. Just as horses — once essential to daily transportation — were reduced to preening at horse shows or circling barrels at rodeos as the automobile took over early 20th-century transit.
With the $250K-plus, flying Tesla Roadster 2.0 production car, Lutz’s sci-fi vision is Elon Musk’s reality.
At its introduction at SpaceX’s sprawling, 4,000-acre Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas, the Roadster production hypercar did barrel rolls over other Tesla vehicles; drove upside down on a Hot Wheels-style loop; and blew plumes of smoke as it rocketed from 0-60 mph in less than one second.
Spectacular, yes, but stunts only possible on a private track secluded from public roads. Roads that Tesla predicts will soon be choked with autonomous cars like the driverless Waymo and Tesla robotaxis currently serving Austin, Texas —with an eye on Metro Detroit in the near future.
“The Roadster will not move the volume or revenue needle, with production likely limited, and investors should not model it as a growth driver,” wrote analyst Dan Ives, partner and managing director of Yorkville Ives & Co. “What it does is restore the brand halo at the top of the market and put a spotlight on the engineering stack” from a company increasingly considered an artificial intelligence platform that happens to own a vehicle business.
Tesla Roadster supercar flies, sucks to wall, hits sub-1 second 0-60 mph
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 20, 2026
Tesla, Via REUTERS
After the introduction of the second-generation Tesla Roadster prototype in 2017, the world had to wait nine years for the production version.
Tesla didn’t disappoint.
In a typically wild, nerdy stage show, Elon Musk introduced Roadster 2.0 hypercar Thursday night, Oct. 15, showing off signature features including rocket-propelled flight, sub-1.0-second 0-60 mph acceleration, and stick-to-the-wall downforce.
“You’re going to see some crazy stuff tonight,” said Musk before a cheering live audience. “We need an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI, so you guys can tell people you saw it with your eyes. What you see with your eyes you will not believe. This is the culmination of incredible work by Tesla and SpaceX engineers working closely together to make something that you haven’t seen in any movie. (It’s) better than any James Bond car.”
Porsche Mission S previews new mid-engine flagship
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 20, 2026
Porsche, Porsche
Porsche is building a new flagship.
In a historic expansion of its traditional sports car lineup, Porsche announced on Thursday, Oct. 15 a permanent, mid-engine hypercar model positioned above the iconic 911 supercar that’s priced from $137,850 to $256,650.
Porsche has produced one-off, mid-engine hypercars in the past like the all-wheel-drive, plug-in V8-powered 918 from 2013-15. But the new car ― inspired by the Mission S Concept revealed in New York on Thursday, Oct. 15 — will be manufactured in continuous model years like the 911 (in production since 1964) and 718 Boxster (in production from 1996-25). The Mission S, with four stout tailpipes out back indicating a high-horsepower internal combustion engine like the 918, draws heavily from Porsche’s storied racing and sports car past.
King Porsche 911 Turbo S goes hybrid to keep its crown | Payne
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 20, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
HELL — Destroying Hell’s twisted roads then cruising topless through Ann Arbor to pick up lunch. Blitzing the back straight at M1 Concourse at 130 mph. Schlepping to the airport on adaptive cruise control in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Just a typical 24 hours in the King of Supercars, the 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S.
But it’s not easy being king.
Setting the engineering standard for decades, the 911 model lineup is now under siege from competitors and governments alike. Half-the-price Motown missiles like the mid-engine Corvette C8 and Ford Mustang Dark Horse — armored with lightning-quick transmissions and eyeball-flattening launch control that the 911 made famous — are now playing in the six-figure supercar space along with international makes McLaren 750S, Aston Martin Vantage and Mercedes GT.
On the left flank is the European Union mandating electric vehicles by 2035 with a steady tightening of electrified regulations. The wailing, gas-drinking, flat-6-cylinder 911 engine can’t hide (even as it prays to the Archangel of Synthetic Fuels for rescue).
To beat back this horde of invaders, King Porsche has called on Stuttgart palace engineers to conjure the latest in electronic sorcery.
Mission Impossible: Dodge may return to NASCAR Cup as soon as 2027
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 20, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
For the first time since 2012, Dodge is planning a return to the NASCAR Cup Series. It could be 2028. Or even earlier.
“It’s no secret we’re exploring the Cup Series” said Stellantis NV spokesperson Tony Sapienza in an interview. “Everyone said it was impossible for us to come back in 2027. So we are targeting 2028.”
Doing the impossible has been the coin of the realm in Stellantis since V-8 muscle-car impresario Tim Kuniskis returned to the struggling company in late 2024 as head of American brands. Since then the Ram 1500 has brought back its Hemi V-8 engine, Kaulig Racing has entered Ram in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and a supercharged V-8 Dodge SRT Hellcat is reportedly due next year.
Jeep unveils final 85th anniversary special edition. Here it is
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 12, 2026
Stellantis, © 2026 Stellantis
The Dirty Dozen is complete.
To cap its 85th anniversary year, Jeep introduced the 2027 Wrangler Switchback on Monday, Oct. 12 — the last of twelve unique builds of the brand’s iconic dirt-kicker. While previous “Twelve 4 Twelve” designs were throwbacks to Wrangler heritage encompassing military vehicles, off-road adventure and retro design, the finale looks forward with Switchback drawing inspiration from modern gaming and digital culture.
Trimmed with eye-burning Gecko accents on the grille, hood, tailgate decal and bead-lock wheel rings, Switchback boasts contrasting hood-and-door colors for a uniquely dissonant take. Like its 11 predecessors, Wrangler Switchback can be ordered through authorized dealers for a limited time. The $2,870 Switchback trim is available in two and four-door versions of the Rubicon X model.
“Twelve 4 Twelve unleashed creativity across the Jeep brand, bringing teams together to reimagine an icon through different perspectives while staying true to what has always defined Wrangler,” said Jeep brand CEO Branden Coté. “Switchback is the perfect finale. It takes Wrangler’s inherent spirit of personalization somewhere unexpected, pairing bold contrasts and interchangeable elements with the legendary 4×4 capability at the heart of every Wrangler.”
The Switchback name echoes modern gaming successes like the Nintendo Switch.
Tour the epic Lingenfelter private car collection
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 12, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
“We’ve helped the Pink Fund by doing an open house here for 13 years,” said Lingenfelter, 73, in an interview. “The Pink Fund was established to help patients who have gotten breast cancer cover their expenses while being treated. I lost my sister to breast cancer and watched her go through all the things that she needed to do, so this is near and dear to my heart.”
The Detroit News got a sneak peak of the collection to whet your appetite.
Ferraris, EVs, ‘Vette appetizers
Pink is the only color missing from the rainbow of liveries in the sprawling collection. Purchase a pink sweatshirt from Lingenfelter’s merchandise shop in Bay No. 1 to benefit cancer victims, then jump into the collection. A blood-red 1990 Ferrari Testarossa welcomes you, a shrieking V12 engine asleep amidships.
It is flanked by a 1972 Chevy El Camino converted to electric power (Lingenfelter Engineering has an exclusive contract with GM to convert old vehicles) and wife Kristen Lingenfelter’s wicked, flat-back, 670-horsepower Corvette Z06 SCCA autocross car. Speed runs in the family.
Along the bay’s left wall is a summation of the progress that Covette has made in just one generation between the front-engine C7 and mid-engine C8 Corvette supercar. Both models are top-shelf, rear-wheel-drive, track-focused ZR1s with white skins, black rear wings like scorpion tails, and sticky Michelin tires.
Ford celebrates historic return to top of Formula One podium
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 8, 2026
Ford, Ford
Ford Motor Co. has made it all the way back in Formula One.
Twenty-three years after it last won an F1 race, the Blue Oval was on the top step of the podium in Sepang, Malaysia, on Oct. 4 with its partner, Red Bull. The winningest F1 engine maker of all time with the famed Cosworth DFV from 1967-84, Ford faded from the world’s biggest motorsport in the early 2000s.
The win — with “The Flying Dutchman” Max Verstappen at the wheel — energized Ford’s Dearborn headquarters on Oct. 5, with race highlights playing on video screens and Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford, CEO Jim Farley and COO Kumar Galhotra holding a conference call with Ford Racing division employees.
“What a weekend!” wrote Bill Ford on LinkedIn. “Building an entirely new power unit from scratch to compete at the pinnacle of motorsport was an extraordinary challenge. So many talented people worked tirelessly to deliver this result. I hope you all enjoy this moment.”
Waymo ditches drivers as fully-autonomous Detroit testing is underway
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 8, 2026
Waymo
If you see Chinese cars rolling on Detroit roads without anyone behind the wheel, don’t freak out. It’s a Waymo.
Waymo LLC’s rideshare service began full autonomous testing in Detroit this week without a human specialist at the wheel as the rideshare company inches closer to public service. The Alphabet Inc.-owned company has been a fixture in Metro Detroit since last November with its Chinese-made Zeekr Ojai vehicles plying the roads. Waymo also uses white Jaguar iPace models.
Waymo Product Communications Manager Chris Bonelli said there is still no timeline for the so-called Waymo Driver service deployment in Detroit. But Waymo is testing in the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, including Corktown, Midtown, Hamtramck and Indian Village, with plans to expand. It will publish a map of its service area before it opens rides to the public via its phone app (similar to the Uber app).
Waymo operates in cities from San Francisco to Atlanta. Detroit, along with Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago and Montreal, is one of the first northern cities that Waymo is exploring as it seeks to expand its service to states with variable climates.
At the helm of the giant, remade VW Atlas | Payne
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 6, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Huntsville, Alabama –— The second-generation, 2027 Volkswagen Atlas is big. How big? My 6-foot-5-inch frame and 6-foot-7-inch Atlas Product Manager Jim Burch both fit easily in the third row.
Together.
We make things big in America. Big people, big attractions, big cars. For years, Volkswagen sent too-small, too-expensive German-made vehicles like the Touareg to the U.S. In 2018, VW finally got the memo and produced the Made-in-America, three-row Atlas large SUV. Not just any large SUV, but one of the biggest in class. Big proportions, big interior, big V-6, big value. It sold big, instantly becoming the second-best-selling V-dub in the lineup after — you guessed it — another roomy SUV, the Tiguan.
For its gen-two sequel, Atlas goes even bigger. Complementing its proportions, it gains a bucket-list of tech, premium appointments and standard features.
This thing has every standard feature in the book.
Twin wireless chargers? Check.
Magnets to hold phones in place? Check.
Adaptive cruise control? Check.
Blind-spot assist? Check.
Wood trim? Check.
Ford wins in F1, expands motorsports footprint
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 6, 2026
LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA, AFP Via Getty Images
Braselton, Georgia — Red Bull Ford Powertrains won its first Formula One race Sunday, Oct. 4, in Sepang, Malaysia, just 16 races into their technical partnership. At Silverstone in England, the Ford Hypercar completed its second track test as the team aims to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since GT40s dominated the French circuit 60 years ago.
And here at Petit Le Mans on Saturday, Oct. 3, two Mustang GT3 race cars (dressed in a special commemorative 1901 tribute livery to 125 years of Ford racing) battled for the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar series championship. But that’s still not enough to satisfy Ford’s global racing ambitions.
The Dearborn-based automaker declared over the weekend that it will enter the World Rally Championship for the first time since 2012. The bombshell announcement came as Ford plans to coordinate the WRC car with the launch of five new production models for Europe by 2026.
Motown storms Atlanta: Cadillac, Penske, Corvette, Mustang seek titles
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 2, 2026
Ford
Atlanta — The IMSA Weathertech Sportscar series roars into its season finale at Road Atlanta this weekend featuring the most-compelling mixed-class racing on the planet.
Detroit brands dominate the story lines.
It will be Cadillac vs. Porsche Penske for the title in the premier GTP prototype class. In the production-based GTD Pro class, Motown muscle-car rivals Mustang and Corvette square off for all the marbles. Mustang has unveiled a special livery for the event to celebrate both the 125th anniversary of Ford racing and the 250th birthday of the United States. To add to the North American drama, eyes will also be on the Meyer Chank Racing Acura GTP team as Los Angeles-based Honda Racing Corp. shoots for one last win before it exits the series.
The Mustang RTR is affordable, rip-roaring fun | Payne
Posted by Talbot Payne on October 2, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
NAPA VALLEY, CALIFORNIA — Before it ditched cars for a lineup of engaging SUVs and trucks like F-150 Raptors, Bronco Sport Sasquatches and Maverick Lobos, Ford made affordable hellions like the Focus RS that you could take big game-hunting with 300-plus turbo-4 horsepower, nimble handling, and drift mode. The Focus RS exited the market in 2018.
It’s been reincarnated in the 2027 Ford Mustang RTR.
Delivered by Formula Drift Racing legend Vaughn Gittin Jr. and his Ready to Rock team, Mustang RTR is the love child of the Focus RS and a Mustang GT. It is a tantalizing, teething, tempestuous, tail-wagging terror.
Over the heaving, 2.0-mile twists-and-turns of Thunderhill West race track (a desert version of Grattan Raceway near Grand Rapids), RTR was, to use Gittin’s favorite term, a fun-haver. In TRACK mode, I crested blind Turn 6 at 90 mph — managing throttle while the turbo stayed spooled up using anti-lag technology from the Ford GT (yeah, that 2016 GT). I stomped the Brembo brakes and flung RTR into Turn 7, a hard, 30-degree hairpin.
Pushing the envelope in the Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC | Payne
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 29, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Napa Valley, California — On twisty, tight Sage Canyon Road, the Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC (for supercharged) is a revelation. With a 795-horsepower, supercharged-V8 boat anchor up front hauling over two tons of mass, my tester should be a heaving, understeering mess turning my hair white.
Instead, I am defying physics.
With magnetic shocks mapping the road, the beast stuck like glue through a series of ess turns. The Predator V-8 devoured straight stretches before massive, 16-inch rotors brought the Ford back to earth, its quad exhaust pipes spitting fire as the cat-quick seven-speed, dual-clutch gearbox downshifted from 4th to 2nd. Back to throttle. Remarkable.
Merriam Webster’s defines “dark horse” as a “usually little known contender (such as a racehorse) that makes an unexpectedly good showing.”
GM’s Heavy Duty trucks bring segment firsts. Here’s what’s changed
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 24, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
The diesel headliner is part of a comprehensive overhaul that includes a 6.6-liter V-8 engine upgrade, rack-and-pinion electronic power steering and eBoost braking
“It changes dramatically the driving experience in these vehicles,” continued Morris. “The diesel is the first we have designed, developed and manufactured completely in-house. It’s the most capable, durable and relentless diesel powerhouse we have ever built.”
The HD reveal comes just days after significant, mid-design cycle powertrain, exterior and interior upgrades to GM’s Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 light duty trucks. Light duties now offer 5.7-liter V-8 (up from 5.3) and 6.6-liter V-8 variants (up from 6.2) for the 2027 model year.
HD upgrades are limited to the driveline, with no changes in exterior and interior design.
Read full article here.
Payne: Road trip in the BMW-Lite, Mazda CX-70
Posted by Talbot Payne on September 24, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Watkins Glen, New York — Atop the hills overlooking Seneca Lake, Watkins Glen International Raceway is one of America’s greatest racetracks with a history of hosting everything from Formula One to endurance sportscar to NASCAR races.
But before the dedicated, 3.5-mile track opened in 1956, sportscars raced on an epic, 6.6-mile road course crafted from local public roads. The road course is now a historic landmark — its byways still traversed by daily commuters. Anyone can take laps in their vehicle, which I did on a recent road trip from Detroit.
In a 2026 Mazda CX-70 SUV.