Good morning! It’s Wednesday, April 17, 2024, and this is The Morning Shift, your daily roundup of the top automotive headlines from around the world, in one place. Here are the important stories you need to know. The Toyota CH-R Is Dead in America 1st Gear: Ports Are Filling With Unsold Cars, Mostly From China … Read more
Most American cars of the 1970s were underpowered, unfortunate-looking four-wheeled lumps of disappointment, but this 1975 Pontiac Astre has one, maybe two redeeming qualities. It’s currently listed on Bring A Trailer for auction, and despite hiding a little 140 cubic-inch inline four cylinder that produced a paltry Pontiac-claimed 87 horsepower when new, this little hatchback … Read more
Toyota doesn’t sell the Yaris hatchback here in America anymore, instead offering the Corolla as its smallest model that you can buy stateside, which is a shame for small car fans like me. But with the 2024 European market Yaris now offering more power, an updated interior and a GR Sport trim that makes it … Read more
Photo: Jalopnik/Andy Kalmowitz Hyundai may have only introduced the compact Santa Cruz pickup truck three years ago as a 2022 model, but it’s already being refreshed. It isn’t a major overhaul that makes the truck completely unrecognizable, but it still comes with several updates that make the 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz more desirable and enjoyable … Read more
Screenshot: Kia America/ YouTube Kia just announced its new compact sedan and Forte replacement, the head-turning K4, which comes as a bit of a surprise given that crossovers are the current hot topic. What’s even more surprising was the quick preview of a five door K4 hatchback during Kia’s press conference, which was confirmed to … Read more
Truly small new cars are a rarity in the U.S., even those marketed as crossovers, and the ones that still exist typically have designs that are either boring and forgettable or ugly and chintzy. The first-generation Nissan Kicks fell into the former category; the subcompact crossover was handsome but nothing to write home about. Nissan … Read more
Photo: Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik The all-new Santa Fe just went through a super-extreme redesign. The soft curved lines of the previous car are gone in favor of a more traditional, SUV-like exterior. It gives the Santa Fe a much more brawny look, which is what Hyundai tells me consumers are looking for. It makes … Read more
Image: Manufacturer Provided The state of affordable new automobiles right now is bleak, y’all. Back in 2020, I did a rundown of all the cars left in the U.S. market under $20,000, and there were seventeen. I did another one last fall, and there were six. Now, because the Kia Soul has crept above the … Read more
The Toyota Prius Prime has beat out the latest EVs for the title of greenest car. Despite more EVs coming to market, none of the latest fully-electric vehicles in the U.S. managed to outdo the efficiency of the humble Prius plug-in, according to the Washing Post and recent findings in the 2024 GreenerCars report. Andy … Read more
The Renault 5 E-Tech Electric is bringing style and fun back to the European auto market with a retro design that looks just as good in 2024 as it did in 1972, when the original Renault 5 came out. The 5, also known as the R5 and Le Car, was a huge success for Renault, spawning … Read more
