Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Romulus — With the I-94 interchange underwater, I exited Detroit Metro Airport and waded through the flood waters in my 2026 GMC Acadia Denalia. With a GMC truck-like 7.3 inches of ground clearance and all-wheel drive, the big three-ton, three-row ute shrugged off the hazard while smaller cars turned around.

After churning through the Strait of Romulus unscathed, I scaled the on-ramp to I-94 East. Before activating hands-free Super Cruise for my ride into Detroit, I floored the throttle to merge into traffic. GROOOOOAN! droned the four-cylinder engine with a compact car-like note that sounded like the small sedans I had left behind.

The handsome, high-tech, roomy, rugged Acadia is a welcome injection of luxurious GMC cred into the three-row SUV segment, but for one flaw.

It lacks a V-6 or V-8 engine that GMC cred demands.

GMC has become a sales juggernaut in a portfolio hampered by upscale Cadillac and Buick premium brands that carry a lot of baggage.

Read full article here.

GM, GM

Miami — Cadillac F1 and Ford Racing square off on American soil this weekend at the Miami Grand Prix, Formula One’s first of three U.S. events in 2026.

The historic clash of Detroit-backed teams comes as F1, the world’s premier open-wheel motorsport, struggles to transition to the new 50-50 hybrid powertrain that attracted investment from the Motown brands. Following chaotic opening races in Australia, China and Japan, the series faced an open revolt from drivers and fans over the new, electrified technology’s competitiveness and safety.

After the Iran war precipitated the cancellation of F1’s twin Mideast April events — the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix — the month off allowed the sport to regroup with technical changes as it heads to Miami and May. Host venue? The Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium, owned by another Michiganian giant, billionaire developer Stephen Ross.

Read full article here.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Westlake, California — The electric Chevrolet Bolt was born in 2016 with high expectations, put out to pasture in 2023, and given a second chance for the 2027 model year.

Its rebirth is a microcosm of Detroit electric vehicle learnings over the last 10 years. From its new battery to its new charging port, hands-free driving system and new assembly plant, the upgraded Bolt 2.0 has adapted to a dramatically different EV and manufacturing ecosystem than Bolt 1.0 occupied.

“The industry had a lot of dreams. Now we have a lot of realities,” said auto analyst Rebecca Lindland, managing director of automotive and mobility for HarrisX and Allison Worldwide – and former communications director for kaput EV startup Fisker Inc. “Bolt is coming into a market very different from what manufacturers thought (it would be) 10 years ago. So it’s smart for GM to provide a vehicle that’s different, that’s got a very passionate buyer base, that has distinctive technology.”

The first-gen Bolt hatchback debuted as a 2016 revolutionary with 238-mile range.

It was the first, affordable, non-Tesla EV with 200-plus mile range electric vehicle produced at General Motors Co.’s dedicated small-car Orion Assembly plant north of Detroit. The first-gen Bolt was built alongside the Opel Ampera-e EV bound for Europe and Chevy Sonic subcompact as GM transitioned from its Volt sedan’s plug-in hybrid technology to an all-electric future.

Read full article here.

Ford

Ford announced this week that the Mustang Dark Horse SC makes a staggering 795 horsepower — eclipsing its predecessor, the 2023 Mustang Shelby GT500, by 35 ponies.

But horsepower isn’t the only thing rising in Mustang’s lineup.

At $108,485, the supercharged V-8 Dark Horse SC is well above the $81K ($94K inflation-adjusted) Shelby GT500 when it retired in 2022, much less the entry-level, turbo-4-cylinder, $34K Ecoboost model. And the Dark Horse SC is well shy of the range-topping, estimated-$328,000 Mustang GTD supercar that boasts 815 horsepower.

The massive expansion of the Mustang lineup for its seventh-generation pony car is driven by Ford’s icon strategy, which prioritizes passion products including Mustang, F-series pickups and Bronco SUVs. Indeed, the ‘Stang production lineup’s $300,000-plus price spread dwarfs that of luxury German performance automakers like BMW, with a sedan lineup that ranges from the $43,550 2-series sedan to the $126,850 M5 track beast. That’s a mere $83K price spread.

Read full article here.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Built on the same bones as the terrific, manual-only Honda Civic Si, Integra is the rare vehicle that offers a manual shifter these days. Honda-Acura are brands built on performance: Honda Formula One drivetrains, Acura IMSA Weathertech Sportscar prototypes, Honda Civic Type R IMSA World Challenge.

If the manual is ever retired, Honda-Acura models will surely be some of the last bulls put out to pasture.

The Integra’s manual fits like a glove. Intuitive console placement. Precise shifts. Short throws. It’s the best thing this side of a Porsche 911. Complemented by a standard rev match no matter what mode you’re in — SPORT, NORMAL, COMFORT — it begs to be rowed. Even on M-31 which — unlike my favorite, west side M-32 and Hell, Michigan, roads — is as flat as a board with few twists and turns.

Read full article here.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

After a turbulent 2025, U.S. electric-vehicle market share stabilized in the first three months of 2026 at 5.8% — consistent with Q4 2025, the first quarter without government incentives ended by Congress and President Donald Trump. EV sales swings from the United States to Norway to China have consistently tracked government support, industry analysts say.

Even before the U.S. government pulled the plug on the $7,500 sales subsidy late last year — causing a brief, Q3 run to 10.5% market share — EV sales, as The Detroit News reported, had stabilized at about 8% of the market. Without the Damocles Sword of 2026 government EV mandates overhead, manufacturers are reassessing the EV market — or leaving it altogether.

Absent the threat of billions in state-and-federal fines, brands like Volkswagen, Honda, Ram, and Ford have dropped planned electrics. Meanwhile, mega-brands and luxury makers like Chevy, Toyota, Hyundai, Audi, BMW and Mercedes have stayed the course on parallel ICE/EV lines.

Perhaps a leading indicator of the electric market’s plateau is U.S. EV market leader Tesla, which while still dominating the segment, has canceled its iconic S/X models to focus on robots — whether robotaxi or humanoid.

Read full article here.

Carlos Osorio, Special To The Detroit News

Detroit — Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley and General Motors Co. President Mark Reuss are ferocious competitors on auto development, dealer showrooms and race tracks. But on Thursday night they came together at Ford Field to affirm their shared passion for Detroit.

And for its favorite adopted son, Roger Penske.

Before 1,000 attendees at the 2026 Building Bridges Gala hosted by the Pope Francis Center, the Big Three of Detroit motorsports — Penske, Reuss, Farley — talked about their commitment to helping the Motor City’s neediest and honored Penske for his decades of community service.

Read full article here.

Henry Payne, The Detroit News

Holly — When I was a kid, I’d spin toy tanks in my sandbox, slinging sand while mimicking real tank turns. WHEEE! As I’ve grown older, my sandboxes have gotten bigger.

At Holly Oaks ORV Park, I stopped my 2026 Rivian R1T Quad pickup in the dirt and selected ALL-TERRAIN mode in the 15.6-inch console screen. I selected the KICK TURN icon and swiped PREPARE TO TURN. A Sasquatch-like cartoon character named Gear Guard Gary popped up and performed a break dance. Tank-turn time.

Holding the steering wheel straight, I pushed the RIGHT buttons on each steering spoke simultaneously, engaged the throttle and spun the pickup clockwise — slinging sand like a tank. WHEEE! Stop. Engage the LEFT buttons and spin counterclockwise. WHEEE!

Rivian Quad is a toy for big kids with big piggy banks.

Read full story here.