Things are moving quickly in the automotive world
Each day, we’ll bring you the biggest news stories, live on AutoBlog right now. Today’s includes a few big reveals, as well as some new announcements from both the Trump Administration and Tesla.
Tesla announces you can text and drive, but it’s definitely still illegal
Tesla
Elon Musk has confirmed that Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) will allow you to text and drive depending on “the context of surrounding traffic.” In a post on his social media site X (Twitter) yesterday, Musk answered a question about whether the latest v14.2.1 update to the software would allow for it. The problem is, it’s largely illegal in most US states. Likely, Teslas will be relaxing their monitoring of the behavior in some situations, like in stop-and-go traffic or at red lights. Of course, it’s a legally perilous move, not to mention one that will no doubt put drivers and pedestrians alike in danger.
Subaru’s quickest car starts at under $40,000
Speaking of electric cars, Subaru has announced pricing for its Trailseeker EV. The Premium starts at $39,995. Move up to the Limited, and you’ll pay a base price of $43,995. As for the Touring, the top-spec model goes for $46,555. Trailseeker models all come standard with a 14-inch Subaru Multimedia System with wireless phone connectivity, dual wireless charging pads, heated front seats, a power tailgate, EyeSight driver assist tech, and X-Mode Dual-Mode all-wheel drive, among other features.
This is also Subaru’s first large EV, again developed alongside Toyota (the equivalent is the brand’s own BZ Woodland). Toyota and Subaru co-developed the vehicles together, and all Trailseekers use a 74.7-kWh lithium-ion battery pack with all-wheel drive and up to 280 miles of range.
Toyota unveils a new V8 supercar based on a GT3 racer
Toyota
Toyota’s new GR GT is based on its GR GT3 race car, powered by a twin-turbo hybrid V8 making 641 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels via a transaxle gearbox. All the usual racecar tricks are at play here, from limited-slip diffs to conical gearsets and carbon fiber torque tubes. The road car is based on one that’ll go on to compete on track, and the spec sheet backs it up. With a body shaped by aerodynamics alone, the car should rocket to nearly 200 mph, and its massive carbon ceramic brakes are sure to provide plenty of stopping power, helped by grip from the monstrous 325-section rear tires. It’ll go on sale sometime in or beyond 2027.
Trump unveils a plan to gut US fuel economy standards
Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Today, my administration is taking historic action to lower costs for American consumers, protect American auto jobs, and make buying a car much more affordable for countless American families, and also safer,” Trump said in an announcement today. In attempting to roll back CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) requirements for cars and light trucks, the administration says it can save American consumers some $1,000 a year. The administration called them “ridiculously burdensome,” and will no doubt be welcomed by automakers that have reneged on EVs as policy continues to shift away from previous Biden administration standards.
