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Mustang accelerates Ford’s global icon strategy. Here’s how
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 24, 2026
Ford
Ford announced this week that the Mustang Dark Horse SC makes a staggering 795 horsepower — eclipsing its predecessor, the 2023 Mustang Shelby GT500, by 35 ponies.
But horsepower isn’t the only thing rising in Mustang’s lineup.
At $108,485, the supercharged V-8 Dark Horse SC is well above the $81K ($94K inflation-adjusted) Shelby GT500 when it retired in 2022, much less the entry-level, turbo-4-cylinder, $34K Ecoboost model. And the Dark Horse SC is well shy of the range-topping, estimated-$328,000 Mustang GTD supercar that boasts 815 horsepower.
The massive expansion of the Mustang lineup for its seventh-generation pony car is driven by Ford’s icon strategy, which prioritizes passion products including Mustang, F-series pickups and Bronco SUVs. Indeed, the ‘Stang production lineup’s $300,000-plus price spread dwarfs that of luxury German performance automakers like BMW, with a sedan lineup that ranges from the $43,550 2-series sedan to the $126,850 M5 track beast. That’s a mere $83K price spread.
Payne: Stick-shift Acura Integra is two-wheels shy of perfect
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 24, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Built on the same bones as the terrific, manual-only Honda Civic Si, Integra is the rare vehicle that offers a manual shifter these days. Honda-Acura are brands built on performance: Honda Formula One drivetrains, Acura IMSA Weathertech Sportscar prototypes, Honda Civic Type R IMSA World Challenge.
If the manual is ever retired, Honda-Acura models will surely be some of the last bulls put out to pasture.
The Integra’s manual fits like a glove. Intuitive console placement. Precise shifts. Short throws. It’s the best thing this side of a Porsche 911. Complemented by a standard rev match no matter what mode you’re in — SPORT, NORMAL, COMFORT — it begs to be rowed. Even on M-31 which — unlike my favorite, west side M-32 and Hell, Michigan, roads — is as flat as a board with few twists and turns.
EV winners and losers: Tesla and Chevy gain, VW and startups retreat
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 21, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
After a turbulent 2025, U.S. electric-vehicle market share stabilized in the first three months of 2026 at 5.8% — consistent with Q4 2025, the first quarter without government incentives ended by Congress and President Donald Trump. EV sales swings from the United States to Norway to China have consistently tracked government support, industry analysts say.
Even before the U.S. government pulled the plug on the $7,500 sales subsidy late last year — causing a brief, Q3 run to 10.5% market share — EV sales, as The Detroit News reported, had stabilized at about 8% of the market. Without the Damocles Sword of 2026 government EV mandates overhead, manufacturers are reassessing the EV market — or leaving it altogether.
Absent the threat of billions in state-and-federal fines, brands like Volkswagen, Honda, Ram, and Ford have dropped planned electrics. Meanwhile, mega-brands and luxury makers like Chevy, Toyota, Hyundai, Audi, BMW and Mercedes have stayed the course on parallel ICE/EV lines.
Perhaps a leading indicator of the electric market’s plateau is U.S. EV market leader Tesla, which while still dominating the segment, has canceled its iconic S/X models to focus on robots — whether robotaxi or humanoid.
Ford v Corvette: Mustang GTD retakes American Nürburgring lap record
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 21, 2026
Ford
For good measure, the Mustang lap also eclipsed the fastest Porsche 911 GT2 lap ever recorded at the Nürburgring by three seconds.
More insanity? The non-street-legal, track-focused version of the mid-engine Ford GT supercar, the GT Mk IV, set the outright American lap record of 6:15.9 minutes last month. It’s the third-fastest lap ever recorded round the ‘Ring behind the Porsche 919 Hybrid Evo and VW ID.R race cars.
Auto titans share Pope Francis podium to help the homeless
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 17, 2026
Carlos Osorio, Special To The Detroit News
Detroit — Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley and General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss are ferocious competitors on auto development, dealer showrooms and race tracks. But on Thursday night they came together at Ford Field to affirm their shared passion for Detroit.
And for its favorite adopted son, Roger Penske.
Before 1,000 attendees at the 2026 Building Bridges Gala hosted by the Pope Francis Center, the Big Three of Detroit motorsports — Penske, Reuss, Farley — talked about their commitment to helping the Motor City’s neediest and honored Penske for his decades of community service.
How Nissan plans U.S. comeback with Bronco-fighting Xterra SUV
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 17, 2026
It’s been a rough decade for Nissan Motor Corp. as sales plummeted 40% in the United States, CEO Carlos Ghosn was arrested in Japan, and the brand’s planned EV transformation, beginning with the Ariya SUV, flopped.
So for the 2027 model year, Nissan is going back to basics — beginning with the return of the dirt-chewing, Mississippi-assembled, V6-powered, truck-based Xterra SUV aimed squarely at the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco.
Just three weeks after Hyundai stunned attendees at New York Auto Show media week with the midsized, truck-based Boulder Concept, Nissan announced the Xterra. Based on its midsized Frontier pickup truck, the Xterra was previously produced from 1999-2015. The new model joins an Asian assault on the popular, profit-rich off-road segment as General Motors Co.’s Chevy and GMC brands have focused on new electric vehicles.
Nissan
Payne: Rivian R1T Quad is a tank turnin’, electron burnin’, cargo storin’ hoot
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 16, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Holly — When I was a kid, I’d spin toy tanks in my sandbox, slinging sand while mimicking real tank turns. WHEEE! As I’ve grown older, my sandboxes have gotten bigger.
At Holly Oaks ORV Park, I stopped my 2026 Rivian R1T Quad pickup in the dirt and selected ALL-TERRAIN mode in the 15.6-inch console screen. I selected the KICK TURN icon and swiped PREPARE TO TURN. A Sasquatch-like cartoon character named Gear Guard Gary popped up and performed a break dance. Tank-turn time.
Holding the steering wheel straight, I pushed the RIGHT buttons on each steering spoke simultaneously, engaged the throttle and spun the pickup clockwise — slinging sand like a tank. WHEEE! Stop. Engage the LEFT buttons and spin counterclockwise. WHEEE!
Rivian Quad is a toy for big kids with big piggy banks.
Payne: Corolla FX Hatch brings affordable Toyota X-citement
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 9, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Oakland County — After a couple of somnolent performance decades while it nerded out on hybrid hegemony, Toyota has awakened from its slumber. Formula One partnership with Haas, GR86 sportscar, GR Corolla hot hatch. Huzzah.
The latest espresso shot is the 2026 Corolla Hatchback FX Editon burning a hole in my driveway.
You can see it from space. Orange paint, white wheels, giant aerofoil hanging off the rear hatchback. The FX Edition hatch follows on the limited-edition FX sedan introduced last year and is a more direct homage to the 1986-88 Corolla FX16 hot hatch from a hot decade of ‘80s culture: Top Gun, DeLorean DMC-12, ZZ Top, Audi Quattro, Pac-Man, Ferrari F40. But whereas FX16 was a sleeper hellion to take on the Volkswagen Golf GTI, FX Edition flips the script with its gym bod, and … standard 169-horse Corolla 2-liter under the muscle shirt.
Payne: NY Auto Show touts muscle, off-road challenge to Detroit icons
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 4, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
New York — The New York International Auto Show opened in 1900 at Madison Square Garden and it’s still going strong in the Javits Convention Center 126 years later.
This week the Big Apple’s big show kicked off featuring 32 brands, 10 new model reveals, two outdoor test tracks, an indoor EV track, and the World Car of the Year Awards.
The BMW iX3 won World Car of the Year, the Chinese-made Firefly won Urban Car, and the Corvette E-Ray was a World Luxury Car finalist even as Chevy announced last month it is ceasing the hybrid’s production. The show floor is littered with everything from $3 million Koenigsegg Regera to electric Lucids to a Mustang v Corvette muscle war. In addition to the sheet metal, there’s a Subaru dog pen, racing simulators, and the United States Marine Band.
Here are the new model highlights.
King of the ‘Ring: Ford GT Mark IV sets American Nürburgring lap record
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 3, 2026
Drew Gibson, Ford
There’s a new American king of the ‘Ring.
The Ford GT Mark IV, the last model of the mid-engine GT produced from 2016-2026, has destroyed the American Nürburgring lap record, gas-engine lap record, and Mercedes AMG-One GT-car lap record in one fell swoop.
The Ford GT lapped the storied, 12.9-mile German circuit — nicknamed the Green Hell for its diabolical, high-speed, 170-turn layout — at an astonishing 6.15.9 minutes. Introduced in 2023 as the ultimate expression of the Ford GT, the $1.7 million Mark IV has a lightweight carbon-fiber body, active aerodynamic, spool-valve shock absorber suspension, racing gearbox, and a upgraded, 800-horsepower version of the twin-turbo V-6 in the $700,000 GT.
Payne: In Mustang v ‘Vette, Detroit muscle car war rages at NYC Show
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 3, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
New York — The New York International Auto Show has an international vibe with its exotic European car display, melting pot of attendees, and World Car of the Year awards to kick thigs off.
So, it’s fun to see a good ol’ American muscle fight break out on the show floor.
Located in the adjacent Chevrolet and Ford exhibits on Level 3 of the Javits Convention Center, Corvette and Mustang have brought more firepower to the show than the deck of the USS Nimitz.
Though the industry has been under fire by emissions regulations targeting multi-cylinder engines, the brands have remained committed to their howling, V8-powered icons. Indeed, for the eight-generation ‘Vette and seventh-gen Mustang, the two sub-brands have raised their profiles by expanding sales overseas, introducing new models, and going head-to-head on the global GT3 racing circuit from the streets of Detroit to the 200-mph Mulsanne Straight at France’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Payne: Hyundai Boulder Concept targets Bronco, Wrangler at NY show
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 2, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
New York — Off-road parks are gonna get crowded.
Hyundai stunned the New York Auto Show Wednesday with its brawny Boulder SUV concept. It’s the first body-on-frame, truck-based SUV from the South Korean brand, going after Detroit icons Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco in the off-road space.
With General Motors Co. taking a pass on the affordable, mid-size, off-road SUV space to make the Chevrolet Blazer and six-figure GMC Hummer SUV electric vehicles, Asian makers have rushed in. Toyota has added body-on-frame competitors like the Land Cruiser and Lexus GX in the space where they already sold the popular 4Runner, and now here comes Hyundai which will also offer a U.S.-made pickup on the same platform by 2030.
Detroit GP: CCS student Lee wins annual poster contest
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 2, 2026
Daniel Mears, The Detroit News
The 2026 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear has its first winner.
College for Creative Studies student Reden Lee, 24, took the top step of the podium this week as victor of the 14th annual Detroit Grand Prix Student Poster Competition.
Lee’s striking vertical image in a monochrome orange featured an IndyCar and IMSA Weathertech Hypercar at the center of a vibrant summer landscape of fans, buildings, and billowing clouds.
“I drew it in my cartoony, personal style that I love to work in,” said Lee, an illustration major who takes inspiration from artists like award-winning Detroit illustrator Meredith Lynne Miotke. “I like to see how many people I can bring together in my drawings to create energy.”
Big SUV reveals, Detroit muscle take center stage at New York Auto Show
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 2, 2026
New York — America’s longest-running auto show opens in the Big Apple this week for its 126th year with something on the menu for all tastes.
While America’s Big Three auto shows in Detroit, Los Angeles and New York showcase similar displays as the show circus crosses the country, each has a unique feel as they lean into their region’s strengths. If the Detroit event showcases Detroit automakers and LA electric vehicles, then the New York International Auto Show brings Gotham’s “Capitol of the World” swagger with foreign model world premieres and million-dollar exotics in the Javits Center Convention Center surrounded by skyscrapers.
“We didn’t think the 126th had the same ring about it, so we didn’t go with that, even though it’s still incredible,” said show President Mark Schienberg when asked how he planned to follow last year’s NYIAS-palooza that celebrated its 125th anniversary.
“We’ve been rebuilding after COVID, and this year we’re seeing much more commitment from manufacturers,” he continued. New car reveals are “the strongest we’ve had in quite some time, with 10 press conferences.”
Whereas Detroit has ditched its North American International Show moniker for the more humble Detroit Auto Show, the Greater New York Auto Dealers Association still embraces the “International” in NYIAS. The Big Three Show personalities are telegraphed by the awards that open media week.
Payne: Subaru Outback battleship is a nimble, high-tech SUV below decks
Posted by Talbot Payne on April 2, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Mt. Holly — The 2026 Subaru Outback looks like the Chevy Colorado pickup and Jeep Cherokee had a love child.
Bold, boxy, aggressive vertical grille, mid-mounted headlights. Welcome to Truck Nation, Subaru.
The iconic Outback, of course, was one of the last of the wagons. The fetching 2025 Onyx model’s streamlined roof and scalloped flanks were the last vestiges of a sleek station wagon look shared with Eurowagons. No more. “We sell fashion,” an auto engineer once told me, and trucks are all the rage. Check out Outback competitor Honda Passport, which is flying off the shelves with its new truck-like wardrobe.
Subaru, which makes Outback in the USA and sells 70% of its global product here, has dutifully followed American fashion with one tough-looking cowboy. All that’s missing is beard stubble.
But the seventh-gen, Made-in-Indiana Outback is more than just a muscled all-American fullback. This is a comprehensively remade SUV over the outgoing generation in tech, interior layout — even hands-free driving capability.
I saddled up my Outback Touring XT for a road trip.
Why Honda put the brakes on its all-EV future
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 27, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Honda Motor Co. is having second thoughts about its Second Founding.
Along with General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG, the Japanese automaker has been the most committed major legacy automaker to an all-electric vehicle future. Internally called the “Second Founding,” Honda’s electric vehicle transition was rooted in the company’s moral conviction to head off an existential global warming threat to humanity driven by transportation fossil fuels.
For a 75-year-old Japanese company that made its reputation as maker of some of the highest-performing internal combustion engines in the world from motorbikes to watercraft to Formula One engines, Second Founding required an engineering shift. Honda committed to ending ICE production by 2040 — including an $5 billion investment in its Ohio EV Hub, the company’s international crown jewel for EV production.
But as consumer demand for EVs flat-lined in Honda’s largest market, the United States — and as sales cooled in its second largest market, China — the Second Founding became an existential threat to Honda itself.
Unsheathed: The Corvette Grand Sport is back, badder than ever
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 27, 2026
GM, GM
The mid-engine Corvette didn’t forget about the Grand Sport.
Chevrolet’s eighth-generation supercar has broken the mold since the sheets were taken off the 2020 model year Stingray. First ‘Vette with the engine amidships. First electrified Corvette. First with all-wheel-drive. First 8,000-RPM, screaming, overhead-cam V-8 derived from the Z06 GT3.R race car. First $200,000-plus ZR1X hypercar with over 1,000 horsepower, a sub-2.0-second 0-60 mph run with U.S. production record 233 mph top speed.
Good lord. But in all the ferment, the hot-selling Corvette C8 didn’t forget its roots dating back to the early 1960s. Chevy introduced the Corvette Grand Sport model this week, the supercar’s entry-level, performance model harking back to the five original, 1963 race cars based on the second-generation Corvette (C2) and campaigned by legendary names like Roger Penske and AJ Foyt. Penske gave a sneak peak of the new Grand Sport (next to the first C2 race car) at the 12 Hours of Sebring last weekend.
Q&A: Subaru product lead explains how new EV trio meets buyer needs
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 25, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Laguna Beach, California — Subaru Corp. has established a loyal following in the United States making rugged, go-anywhere, dog-friendly, gas-powered hatchbacks and SUVs.
Though its wanderlusting customer base leans green, Subaru has struggled to sell electric vehicles because of range and charging limitations. For 2026, Subaru thinks it has cracked the code and is offering three EVs in its lineup.
Sharing a battery platform with similar Toyota EVs, the electron-powered Subies are made in Japan, while assembly of its gas-fired vehicles is split between Japan and Lafayette, Indiana. At the media test for the all-new Uncharted and Trailseeker EVs (which join the Solterra EV in the Subaru lineup), Detroit News Auto Critic Henry Payne sat down with Trailseeker product planning manager Garrick Goh.
Payne: Strapped into the insane, 700-horsepower Ford F-150 Super Lobo
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 19, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Richmond, Michigan — The compact Ford Maverick Lobo street truck is a treat. Lowered chassis, Turbofan wheels, four-wheel-drift mode. All that’s missing is a supercharged Coyote V-8 engine.
EEEEEEAHWWWRRGH! Say hello to big brother, Ford F-150 Lobo with Supercharger Kit.
The Dream Cruise is gonna freak over this beast. I exited Rapid Road in Pontiac onto Woodward in my Rapid Red Metallic-painted tester and nailed the throttle. Rapid Red, indeed. Like the bastard child of a coyote and Tasmanian Devil, the 700-horsepower, forced-induction, 5.0-liter V-8 shrieked like a banshee out of Hell. EEEEEEAHWWWRRGH!
Call it Super Lobo.
Rivian unveils R2, a lower‑cost SUV with rugged performance
Posted by Talbot Payne on March 16, 2026
Rivian, Rivian
Rivian Jr. is finally here.
Rivian Automotive Inc. introduced its entry-level, battery-powered R2 SUV this week aimed at the volume compact SUV segment. Prices range from $46,495 for the Standard rear-wheel-drive model to $59,485 for the high-performance, all-wheel-drive Launch edition that will be first to arrive this spring.
The R2, previewed at the 2025 Detroit Auto Show, follows the midsize R1T pickup and R1S SUV that established the Silicon-Valley-based startup as the Tesla of off-road EV makers.
True to its parent, R2 comes with signature vertical headlights, screen-centric interior, face-flattening acceleration, and plenty of ground clearance to go off-road. Like Tesla with the best-selling Model Y compact SUV before it, Rivian hope the R2 will open the luxury EV-maker to a broader sales base just as the Model Y/3 expanded the Model S/X DNA to more buyers last decade.