Mike Austin

Five-cylinder compact sedan combines performance and personality.

"It does feel like, in the internal-combustion-engine age, we are getting very close to the limits of its performance. And if we go out on this one, you know, what a mic drop. It’s just incredible.”

The new M5, but with more room for your stuff and a prettier profile. Just don't mention the curb weight.

Tony Matthews, one of the world’s most accomplished cutaway artists, on his early black- and-white work.

The two-time champion on how his custom Valour turned into a whole new car, and what he plans to do when he steps out of the F1 limelight.

The Chevrolet Equinox EV stands out in the market for, well, not standing out. It looks nice, handsome even, but it will never catch glances in the way that a Hyunai Ioniq 5 does. It is possible, though, that this is a fully intentional aspect of Chevy’s approach. By looking normal but putting up big range estimates – 319 miles in front-wheel-drive form and 285 with all-wheel drive – and at a gas-powered price the electric Equinox is positioned to nudge mainstream crossover buyers toward the pl…

If history has taught us anything it’s that when General Motors shows up early to a party, things rarely work out. Be it turbocharging, passenger-car diesels, cylinder deactivation, touchscreens, electric cars, even plug-in hybrids, GM’s track record with cutting-edge technology is rife with examples that didn’t prove viable until much later. So if the Chevrolet Silverado EV is a little late to the electric truck festivities, maybe that’s a good thing. By letting other automakers test the waters…

It turns out the $10,000 pickup truck is actually too good to be true. But only by a little bit. The production version of the Toyota IMV 0 concept, now known as the Hilux Champ in Thailand, starts at 459,000 Thai Baht, or just over $13,000 at the current exchange rate. On the one hand, that’s 30 percent higher than the price we heard from Toyota engineers during a brief test drive in Japan. On the other hand, it’s a brand new truck with a full bed capable of hauling 2,200 pounds that’s almost a…

No screens, no radio. Heck, it doesn’t even have a tachometer. The Toyota IMV 0 is like other modern cars in that it doesn’t have many switches on the interior, but in this case, it’s because there’s almost nothing to turn on and off. Based on the same platform as the Hilux, Toyota’s global market pickup, the IMV 0 starts as a blank template of four wheels, flatbed, and two-door cab. Of course, if you want to add some amenities, Toyota will be glad to add them on, and it’s likely that, like the…

The manual transmission has all but faded into obscurity here in America, and the transition to electric vehicles devoid of multi-speed gearboxes at all promises to (eventually) put a final nail in the coffin. There is a glimmer of hope, however, coming from Toyota. After filing a patent for a manual transmission simulator for EVs, the Japanese carmaker let us briefly drive the test mule at its Shimoyama RD Center outside Toyota City, Japan. Yes, it’s completely superfluous. It’s also one the mo…