280 HP, 32 Valves, Rear-Wheel Drive: The Dirt-Cheap V8 Coupe Detroit Wish You'd Forget

Evan Williams is an automotive journalist and mechanical engineering technologist with more than a decade of experience in the industry. He has written for the Toronto Star and AutoTrader Canada and previously served as editor of Wheelscene.ca. A four-time Canadian Automotive Journalism Award winner, he is the current President of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada, where he oversees the Canadian Car of the Year Awards program. At CarBuzz for the last year, Evan uses his engineering background to analyze vehicle tech and patents, with a focus on the details that defines great cars. Tired of a steering wheel that's too big or too small? Mercedes-Benz is working on an answer. The CarBuzz research team has just found a new patent for a steering wheel that can shrink and grow, making it perfect for nearly every driver. It's tough picking a steering wheel for a new model of vehicle. Forget about buttons for the horn, radio, and cruise control, or airbags and all of that technical stuff. Just the design of the wheel can be a challenge. Finding a diameter that balances comfort, effort, and interior space is no easy prospect.

This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new e-bikes from Gazelle, Ride1Up, and SixThreeZero, a solar-powered electric seated scooter, LiveWire Honcho approved for MSF motorcycle training courses, and more. The Wheel-E podcast returns every two weeks on Electrek’s YouTube channel, Facebook, Linkedin, and Twitter.

A pre-production Tesla Cybercab was spotted parked on a street in Berkeley, California, and it gives us the clearest look yet at how Tesla puts a steering wheel into a car it designed to have none. The photos, shared with Electrek by reader Adam Machacek, show a Cybertruck steering wheel mounted on an exposed steering column that has been bolted into the two-seat robotaxi. more…

This week on  Electrek ’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes a new $900…

Acura announced that it's working on several new models last week, and thanks to some trademarks filed just three days later, we now have an idea of what they'll be called. On October 16, the Honda Motor Co. filed four trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office: TDX, LDX, TYPE-TRAIL, and TYPE T, all under "Automobiles and structural parts therefor. " These line up with both Acura's existing SUV nomenclature (ADX, RDX, and MDX are the current ones in ascending size) and those just-announced product plans. New models include an off-road "adventure-ready" SUV very likely based on the Honda Passport, plus a new eight-passenger three-row SUV to slot above the MDX and serve as Acura's biggest car ever. Based on vibes and word association, we can totally see the former being named TDX –- for, y'know, "trail" DX –- and the latter being christened LDX for, uh, "large" DX. Both models are scheduled to drop in 2028, with the off-road-y one set for "the first part" of that year.

Tesla and SpaceX have both formed special committees within their corporate boards to explore the possibility of merging the two companies according to Elon Musk, who is CEO of both companies. The merger could have big consequences not just for Tesla and SpaceX shareholders, but could dilute the retirement savings of everyone with exposure to major stock indices.