Drew Dowdell

The current generation Toyota Mirai has never been a "looker". It seemed like some sort of Prius with a glandular problem. Toyota hopes to change that and make the fuel cell vehicle sexy with the new 2021 Toyota Mirai Sedan Concept. The new concept sits on a rear-wheel drive platform and sports an new, more powerful fuel cell powertrain. Toyota claims a 30-percent increase in driving range with increased hydrogen capacity. Most importantly thought, Toyota un-weirded the Mirai so that it now looks like something that might sit in a Lexus showroom rather than Toyota. The next generation Toyota Mirai will go on sale in late 2020. View full article

Fun trip. I've been to Oshawa before when they were building the Camaro.

Toyota has announced that they will be bringing a new Toyota RAV4 Hybrid to the Los Angeles Auto Show this year. The difference for this hybrid is that it will be a plug-in and it will also be more powerful. Toyota promises "spirited acceleration" in their press release. As we get closer to the show, we'll get more details on range, power, battery size, etc. The RAV4 is already the best selling crossover in the segment and that could mean that the RAV4 PHEV could end up being the most popular PHEV for sale. Globally that title currently belongs to the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Toyota has twice previously made full EV versions of the RAV4, but limited their sales primarily to California where they enjoyed limited success as "compliance vehicles" with 1,484 sold of the first generation and 2,600 copies of the 3rd generation. There was no second generation RAV4 EV. View full article

Well, I'm officially 100% work from home for at least the next 4 months.They're renovating the offices and a bunch of us who work from home regularly were told not to come in anymore.

I would have camped out there for hours waiting.

Vintage VW bus in great shape. Red with a white upper half. And a 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco

I drove the A-Class yesterday... I would call the power "sufficient", not not for the price they're asking.

Volkswagen unveiled one of the loosest kept secrets in the automotive industry, the Atlas Cross Sport. The 5-seater mid-size features a more rakish back glass to give a coupe like appearance. While the Atlas Cross Sport is 2.8 inches shorter, it still rides on the same 117.3 inch wheelbase and boasts almost as much cargo space (77.8 cu. ft.) as the bigger Atlas (96.8 cu. ft.) with the seats folded. The Cross Sport is also 2.3 inches lower to the ground adding to its racier profile. Inside there are a few upgrades over the Atlas with a new steering wheel with more intuitive controls, available stitching accents on the doors and seats, and available wireless charging for mobile devices. The Atlas already comes with a suite of safety technology including Forward Collision Warning with Autonomous Braking, Blind Spot Monitoring, and Rear Traffic alert. Available on upper trims are Adaptive Cruise control and Park Distance Control. The Cross Sport also adds available Traffic Jam Assist that helps maintain distances front and back, and on Cross Sports with Navigation, the system will display relevant traffic signs like speed limits, no passing zones, school zones, and work zones. Powering the Cross Sport will be a selection of two engines. The 267 horsepower V6 and a 235 horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder. Either engine routes power to the wheels through an 8-speed automatic and available 4-motion All-Wheel Drive. When equipped with the V6, the Cross Sport can tow up to a rated 5,000 lbs when equipped with the towing package. There will be eight trim levels: S, SE, SE w/Tech, SE w/Tech R-Line, SEL, SEL R-Line, SEL Premium, and SEL Premium R-Line. More details and pricing will be announced ahead of the launch in the Spring of 2020. View full article