1995 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer 4x4 on 2040-cars

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Ken Block rally cars go blue in the face (and everywhere else)

Well at least we now know why Ken Block "just ain't care" about smashing up his Ford Fiesta rally car recently. It's because he's getting a full brand makeover including a new team name, new paint scheme and even a new headquarters. Formerly known as Monster World Rally Team, Block and his Fiesta will now be competing under the Hoonigan Racing Division name, which is based out of a new 12,000 square foot facility located in Park City, UT.
As you can tell in the image above, Hoonigan Racing will replace the familiar black, white and green paint scheme with a more colorful design featuring plenty of blue, purple and red; the Monster Energy logo retains some of the car's green. The new paint scheme was inspired by Block's love of skateboard graphics from the '80s and early '90s as well as "Miami Vice-era" speedboats.
Block will continue to compete in multiple rally racing series such as Global RallyCross, World Rally Championship and X Games. The new headquarters features office space on one side and a shop for the cars on the other side. The building features plenty of stuff you'd expect from a company designed around Ken Block, including a massive gaming station for racing video games, recycled shipping containers used throughout the facility and a black bear.

2023 Detroit Auto Show Editors' Rankings

The 2023 Detroit Auto Show was back in its traditional location, though in its fall spot in the calendar, and it was another pretty quiet event. By our count, only five new models, or model lines, were revealed and brought to the floor; all of which came from Detroit's own car companies. Still, some of them were quite significant, and the types were diverse. Naturally, we also had our favorites. So take a look to see how we ranked the reveals of the Detroit Auto Show. 2025 Cadillac CT5 View 15 Photos 5. 2025 Cadillac CT5 The refresh for the 2025 Cadillac CT5 is no great revelation, because it doesn’t have to be. An already solid, attractive design means only light tweaks were made to its appearance, and the new front fascia and redesigned lights just make the CT5 just that much more aggressive. So what was missing from the current model? Apparently, the answer was a gorgeous 33-inch curved LED display serving as both infotainment and instrument cluster. It has touchscreen capability to both the right and left sides of the steering wheel, and provides 9K resolution. Update some of the safety and driver assist tech, and — boom — the CT5 is properly modernized. Now bring on the updated Blackwing. –Senior Editor, Green, John Snyder 2024 Jeep Gladiator Live View 10 Photos 4. 2024 Jeep Gladiator Jeep carved out plenty of time for what is essentially a no-brainer mid-cycle refresh, but thereÂ’s one among us who is easily swayed: Me. I dumped the maximum number of points allotted on the 2024 Gladiator with only three words of explanation: "I like Jeeps." But this is kind of a big deal. The Gladiator pulled a lot of weight for Stellantis during the pandemic by providing an alternative to pickup buyers while Ram dealers were scraping the bottom of the supply barrel. To be fair, we're probably giving the Gladiator a bit of advance credit here for its promise to deliver a 4xe variant in 2025, but who else is talking about their PHEV pickup plans? Your move, Ford. –Associate Editor Byron Hurd. 2024 GMC Acadia AT4 View 17 Photos 3. 2024 GMC Acadia The 2024 GMC Acadia is the one reveal from this yearÂ’s Detroit Auto Show that was actually a totally new vehicle, and as far as three-row SUVs go, GMC aced it. The exterior has its own personality separate from its Chevrolet Traverse twin. Its AT4 trim is legit with more ground clearance, a torque-vectoring rear diff and sweet orange marker lights on the fenders.

Automakers' rush on aluminum may result in shortage

Aluminum is the new buzzword in the automotive industry. The latest Range Rover and Range Rover Sport both take advantage of the lightweight material to shave huge amounts of body fat (only it's called "aluminium" over there). Audi and Jaguar have been using the stuff for years in their A8 and XJ, respectively, and now, aluminum is going mainstream, arriving on the 2015 Ford F-150.
While we're excited to see aluminum make an impact outside the premium market, its widespread adoption apparently won't come without some problems, notably in terms of supply. "There isn't an automotive manufacturer that makes vehicles in North America that we're not talking to," Tom Boney, of Novelis, the largest global supplier of aluminum sheetmetal, told The Detroit News.
According to Boney, Ford's use of aluminum on such a large scale has forced auto manufacturers in "every boardroom" to reconsider their plans following the F-150's unveiling, for one simple reason: there's not exactly enough aluminum to go around, at least in the short term. The auto industry presently only accounts for six percent of the aluminum sheet produced, but as the material is adopted by more and more brands, that figure is expected to swell to 25 percent within the next six years.