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Driving Civic and Elantra Hybrids, and big Ford Maverick updates | Autoblog Podcast #842

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. They discuss the week in car news first, leading off with the updated 2025 Ford Maverick that adds a Lobo sport truck variant and an AWD hybrid. Next, they chat some Cadillac news with the reveal of the stunning Sollei convertible concept and the refreshed 2025 Escalade. After the news, the two focus on what they've been driving over the past couple of weeks. They start with the Fiat 500e, then move along to a comparison between the refreshed Hyundai Elantra Hybrid and totally-new Honda Civic Hybrid. Lastly, there's a discussion of the new Infiniti QX80 and the STI mods applied to our long-term Subaru WRX. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #842 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown News 2025 Ford Maverick Lobo 2025 Ford Maverick adds AWD hybrid version Cadillac Sollei revealed 2025 Cadillac Escalade refresh What we're driving 2024 Fiat 500e 2025 Honda Civic Hybrid 2024 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid 2025 Infiniti QX80 Long-Term 2023 Subaru WRX Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video:  Cadillac Sollei is an electric convertible concept This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ford taken to task by gov't for Chicken Tax end-around

Ford is in a bit of a pickle for importing and selling Turkey-built Transit Connect cargo vans as passenger vehicles in the US, then converting them to commercial-vehicle specification stateside in an effort to bypass a 25-percent tax imposed on vehicles imported for commercial use. Automakers are required to pay a 2.5-percent tax on imported passenger vehicles.
The Blue Oval got into trouble for this in a January ruling in which U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials asked Ford to stop the practice of importing the Transit Connect vehicles with passenger seats, then removing and shredding them. Now Automotive News reports that Ford is appealing the ruling. The 25-percent "Chicken Tax," as the tariff is often called, is 50 years old and was enacted as a response to a German tariff on chickens. Like Ford, Chrysler bypasses the higher tariff, but it does so in a different manner. It partially disassembles Sprinter cargo vans before shipping them to the US, then rebuilds them at a plant in South Carolina.
But the ruling against Ford's strategy states that it "serves no manufacturing or commercial purpose" and is there to "manipulate the tariff schedule," Automotive News reports. As Ford's appeal goes through, it is importing the Transit Connect and paying the higher tax, hoping for a favorable outcome and planning to build the next-generation Transit Connect, which it plans to launch before the end of the year, in Spain.

2014 Ford Fusion order guide reveals new base Hybrid model, equipment changes

We've gotten our grubby little digits on the dealer order guide for the as-yet-unreleased 2014 Ford Fusion thanks to an anonymous tipster, and while there isn't much that's unexpected, there are some meaningful equipment changes to report after the rakish sedan's first year on the market.
Mechanically, the big news is, of course, the recently confirmed availability of the 1.5-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder paired with a six-speed automatic. The powertrain replaces the 1.6-liter automatic setup of 2013, though if you want a manual transmission, you'll still get the extra .1-liter of displacement.
On the equipment front, there are newly available rear inflatable seatbelts - as seen previously on the Explorer - along with a new heated steering wheel and cooled seat option on Titanium and Titanium Hybrid models (the latter two options will be late availability).