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Cartoon: Mamdani picks up Netanyahu
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 25, 2026
Tire-smoking Ford-Red Bull Showrun roars into Dearborn
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 25, 2026
Ford, Ford
It’s the third stop of four on a U.S. tour that kicked off with a wild, airborne demonstration on San Francisco’s hills last winter. On February 21st at the intersection of Broadway and Divisadero, American off-road racer Mitch Guthrie Jr. raced up Broadway’s 11-degree incline and launched the Raptor T1 at 45 mph off a 5-degree ramp — soaring over the Red Bull F1 car that was performing smokey donuts on Divisadero.
Don’t expect similar jumps in the flat Dearborn terrain off Hubbard Road north of Ford headquarters. But Baja racer Chris Polvoorde ― who takes Guthrie’s seat in the T1+ this weekend ― promises it will still be wild.
“Really excited. Just went and ran (the course) the first time, and it’s really cool,” said the 2025 Baja 1000 overall race winner. “It’s got a mix of super-big areas, high-speed areas, and then some really tight areas that will be good for the crowd. A little nerve-wracking for the drivers … but I think it’s gonna’ be awesome.”
Cartoon: Iran Meets Trump Bison
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 25, 2026
Payne: The Toyota GR Corolla hellion is a hoot. But is it practical?
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 25, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Memphis ― Is candy food? Is the 2026 Toyota GR Corolla transportation?
Inspired by Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division, the hell-raising hot hatch is a daily sugar high. WAUUUURGH! I nailed the throttle out of my cul-de-sac into the twisties. WAUUUURGH! I nailed it onto the I-75 on-ramp north to Auburn Hills. WAUUUURGH! I stomped on it out of a stoplight onto Telegraph Road. WAUUUURGH! I stomped it out of a turn on M1 Concourse test track.
With an outrageous 100 horsepower per cylinder, the 300-horse GR (that’s pronounced GRRR) is one of the most entertaining cars in the market. All-wheel drive for drifting, front-rear limited-slip differentials, stiff track suspension, stick-shift from the gods.
It’s a go-kart with a license plate. But at nearly $50,000, does my Premium Plus model make any sense as a daily driver?
Cartoon: World Cup Final Unity Cruise
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 21, 2026
Cartoon: NY Shuns Data Centers
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 21, 2026
Cartoon: Canada Fires Climate Excuse
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 21, 2026
2026 Mercedes CLA350 EV
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 21, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit New
Hell — ZOT! Like a greased jellybean, my Mercedes CLA 350 sedan shot onto I-75. Past a line of traffic. Headed to the moon.
Quiet as a mouse.
Nine years after the Tesla Model 3 sedan became an overnight sensation and ushered in a new age of performance electric vehicles, it’s, well … playing second fiddle to the Model Y. Model 3’s SUV doppelganger, introduced in 2019, now outsells the sedan by three-fold in a country ga-ga for utes. From the rugged Rivian R2 to the flashy Mustang Mach-E to the sculpted Hyundai Ioniq 5, automakers are drafting electric Model Y rivals en masse.
The CLA EV (which shares the CLA-Class model lineup with gas/hybrid variants) is one of the few sedans that has dared take on the Model 3.
It does so with trademark luxury, comfort, straight-line speed, style and convenience. Asterisks on style and convenience. Walk up to my $67K, all-wheel-drive CLA (the rear-wheel-drive CLA 250 starts at $48.5K) and you might mistake it for a Hyundai Ioniq 6 — another Model 3 competitor shelved this year (only the coming, estimated-$70K track-focused Ioniq 6 N will remain). Jellybean shape, horizontal rear taillight, ducktail, flush door handles.
Mercedes only comes into focus with its giant star logo planted on a black, plastic grille under a Hyundai Sonta-like monobrow. It’s busy … un-Mercedes like.
Cartoon: Graham Freedom Fighter RIP
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 14, 2026
Cartoon: Clark WNBA Supergirl
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 14, 2026
Cartoon: Mamdani limits NYC
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 8, 2026
Payne: Ram TRX supertruck is a Swiss Army Saber
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 8, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Buchanan — World Cup fans are in awe of America’s retail cornucopia: Buc-ee’s, Walmart, Costco, Waffle House, Cheesecake Factory.
Wait until they get a load of the 777-horsepower, 6’ 9” tall 2027 Ram 1500 TRX SRT pickup with 35-inch all-terrain tires, 14-inch suspension travel and 36 inches of digital displays. TRX for T-Rex.
On a rural road in Berrien County, I punched the dash button to initiate Launch Control. Floor the brake pedal. Floor the accelerator pedal. Wait for the tachometer to steady at 3500 RPM. Release the brake.
Release the Kraken.
EERAWRRGGH! The beast exploded down the road, blowing through 60 mph in 3.5 seconds on the way to (speed withheld to preserve my license). Its four paws clawed at the pavement to put down the power of the shrieking, roaring 6.2-liter V-8 under the hood. The sound will send shivers up your spine.
Cartoon: Trump Goalie US versus Iran Hormuz
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 7, 2026
Cartoon: Founders Celebrate Founders 250 July 4th
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 6, 2026
Cartoon: Obama Center Highlights
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 6, 2026
Q&A: Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe on how AI will transform autos
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 6, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Park City, Utah – If the early 20th-century auto revolution was sparked in Detroit by entrepreneurs like Ford, Dodge, and Sloan, the early 21st century has brought a new, digital auto revolution on America’s West Coast right out of a science fiction novel.
At its forefront are entrepreneurs like Sergei Brin of Google, Tesla’s Elon Musk, and Rivian’s RJ Scaringe.
“I think it’s the most exciting time in human history,” Scaringe said at the media launch of his Tesla Model Y fighter, the electric R2, in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. “We happen to be alive at this moment in human history, where we are creating intelligence that can do tasks humans can do.”
Payne: Wheelin’ the Chevy Trax, Detroit’s most affordable model
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 2, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Stratford, Virginia — With bold styling, peppy performance and more rear legroom than an Audi Q7 for goodness sake, the $23,495 Chevrolet Trax is the most affordable SUV from a Detroit automaker. By a country mile.
But, admit it, the problem we have with entry-level models is the wheels.
Wheels? They look more like they were pulled off the top of a trash can. It doesn’t matter whether they are Detroit, Japanese, Korean or European brands. They’re cheap, tinny, unimaginatively designed. Ugh. How many times have you gone to the online car configurator and blown right by the entry trim?
Or walked right past it in the rental lot?
The entry-level Chevy LS is no different. I walked past it in the Reagan Washington National Airport rental lot and settled on the next, $24,995 LT trim instead. Ahhhhh, now we’re talking. Four cool, 17-inch grey-metallic wheel sculptures worthy of any garage.
Which matters, because Chevy has created a subcompact SUV gem with few compromises.
Indeed, I can think of only two: the LS trash lids — er, wheels — and lack of standard blind-spot assist/or active cruise control safety features (more on that later). Otherwise, my $24,995 LT is a fully baked transportation companion that not only offers the most-compelling entry point for Detroit automakers — but versus European and Asian competition as well.
Entering Westmoreland Couty’s Route 23 in Virginia’s Northern Neck, I put my lead foot to the floor and a healthy 162 pound-feet of torque launched me into the rollercoaster twisties. GRRRRR! growled the ferocious turbocharged three-cylinder engine. WHEEEEE! went my inner child. The LT SUV is LOL fun.
Cartoon: Supremes Birthright Citizenship Trump
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 1, 2026
Cartoon: Rivian R2 – D2
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 29, 2026
Cartoon: Faucistein DNI Monster Report Covid
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 29, 2026
