Car News

Toyota USA has released a single teaser image and preview video of a new off-road model it plans to reveal on February 7. "A new TRD Pro off-road beast will be unleashed at this year’s Chicago Auto Show, leading the charge for a host of updates across the TRD Pro lineup," the company said in its press release. Not much else is known about this new model, though it will be shown alongside the updated 2020 Tacoma pick-up truck at the Chicago event.

Volvo Car Australia has issued a recall for the 2018 and 2019 model-year XC60 SUV over concerns the optional power tailgate mightn't operate as intended in cold weather conditions. The manufacturer reports the tailgate lifting arms may freeze "under certain conditions in cold climates", which could also lead to an unusual noise, loss of function, or even the complete separation of the tailgate lifting arms.

Dieter Zetsche, outgoing CEO of Daimler, parent company of Mercedes-Benz and Smart, has said talks regarding electric commercial vehicles "are happening" with Tesla The two carmakers have been in contact since November, when Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, tweeted: "Maybe interesting to work with Daimler/Mercedes on an electric Sprinter. That’s a great van. We will inquire." Speaking to Automotive News, Zetsche stated the "outcome [of the talks] is open".

On this week's episode of CarAdvice, Trent Nikolic and Paul Maric compare muscle cars, talk performance wagons, and ask when we're going to see the latest Land Rover Defender. First up, Kia has revealed pricing and specifications for the new Cerato GT, its entry to the burgeoning warm hatch market.

Initially there will be two Kinto plans to choose from: Kinto One for Toyota vehicles, and Kinto Select offering only Lexus cars. At launch only five Toyota vehicles will be available through Kinto One: Prius, Corolla Sport, Alphard, Vellfire, and Crown. Prices for 36 month subscription vary depending on the vehicle, with the Prius starting at ¥49,788 ($626) per month, and topping out at ¥106,920 ($1345) for the Crown.