Thursday, 03 July 2025
Matt M. Myftiu

Matt M. Myftiu

Matt Myftiu has been a journalist for two decades with a focus on technology, NASCAR and autos.

Faster Horses Festival will ride into its fifth anniversary year with a star-studded lineup in tow as Dierks Bentley, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert and more will descend on Brooklyn, MI for the "Party Of The Summer” on July 21-23

 

From the moment the first year shot out of the gate, a special vibe was created running through the festival and out into the unrivaled, spirited nature of the campsites. Known as a summer calendar staple, with fans continuing to fiercely return in the thousands, passes for the three-day, two-stage camping festival will go on sale on Feb. 27 at 10am ET at fasterhorsesfestival.com.

The return of the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series will take the green flag in March in Monterrey, and the 2017 champion will be crowned in November at Mexico City, as part of a 12-race calendar announced today.

 

The schedule for the top racing series in Latin America features a challenging mix of six oval and six road-courses events, and includes stops at nine different venues throughout Mexico.

 

The NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series will open the season at Autódromo Monterrey, a 3.4 km (2.1-mile) road course in Apodaca, Nuevo León, on March 26. Daniel Suárez, a Monterrey native and the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series champion, is a two-time winner on the oval layout at his home track. The championship race for the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series will take place on the 1.63 km (1.013-mile) road-course circuit at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City on Nov. 12. The track has been a staple of the series since its inaugural season under the NASCAR banner in 2007.

 

“As we enter a new era in the NASCAR PEAK Mexico Series, the 2017 schedule is a terrific blend of the top venues throughout the country,” said George Silbermann, NASCAR vice president of weekly & touring series. “The fans will be treated with the exciting action that is the trademark of NASCAR racing, whether the drivers are speeding down the straightaways on the ovals or fighting for positions heading into the twists and turns of the road courses.”

 

Claude Molinari, general manager of SMG/Cobo Center, has announced that more than 3,500 people were employed during the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Cobo Center.

Included in that total are all of the union employees that come into Cobo Center to work during major events for security, janitorial, food and beverage and the construction of the exhibits and displays.


“We have doubled the annual number of stagehands hired to set up theatrical displays in event exhibits,” said Molinari. “And I had a representative from another union tell me rather recently that for the first time in many years, none of their members had to file for unemployment during the summer because of the work available in Cobo.”

-- Press release courtesy of Cobo Center

Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), Inc., today reported its U.S. January 2017 sales of 143,048 vehicles, a decrease of 11.3 percent from January 2016 on a volume basis. With the same number of selling days in January 2017 compared to January 2016, sales were down 11.3 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis. 

Toyota division posted January sales of 127,476 units, down 9.2 percent on a volume basis and DSR basis.

“Coming off a record December and year in 2016, the industry in January took a bit of a pause with volume down slightly vs. a year ago,” said Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division.  “Much improved Light Truck availability helped RAV4 and Highlander begin the year with record January sales.”

I have high expectations of Audi vehicles.

From the time I first stepped into one years ago, they have impressed me highly, so any step down in new models will be noticed. As the saying goes, getting to the top is hard, but staying up there is harder once the standard is set.

I recently tested a 2017 Audi A6, the luxury automaker’s mid-size sedan entry, and I’m back with a full report on my experience.

Compact cars may be a smaller part of the sales pie than they used to be, but they’re not going away. Chevy knows this, and are doing what they can to keep the Cruze up-to-date in this extremely competitive segment.


One thing they were lacking was a hatchback option on the Cruze. While they long ago offered a hatch overseas on the Cruze, it’s just now coming to the U.S., having debuted with the 2017 model. I recently tested one out and I’m back with a full report.

“Car guys” dislike vehicles like the Honda Civic for the most part, because they are pretty boring in the grand scheme of things, unless you go for the tricked-out versions.


But boring is safe, and boring is reliable, and boring is fuel-efficient. So boring is very attractive to the masses who don’t care about super-sporty motors and flashy colors and designs -- as evidenced by the countless grandmas and neighbors and cousins of yours who probably own a Civic.

I recently spent some time in 2017 Civic sedan, and I’m back with a report about which side of that argument I fall on.

While it was gone from the market for a couple of years, the Honda Ridgeline wasn’t quite about to disappear. Instead, it got a major revamp, and the result is the 2017 Ridgeline -- a freshly updated and strong competitor in the newly resurgent category of small trucks.


I recently spent some time in a Ridgeline and here's my take on the experience.

 

Volkswagen is primarily known for its cars -- the Jetta, Passat, Beetle, etc. -- and that’s the first image of a VW most people will get in your head.

But the folks in the front office are thinking about SUVs and how to boost their stake in that ever-growing segment of the auto industry. Later this spring, the three-row VW Atlas will debut, and will be the largest SUV in the lineup. Until the Atlas debuts, the two-row luxury-lite Touareg SUV is the largest VW has to offer, and I recently spent some time in one.

 

Dodge shocked the performance world when it launched the most powerful and fastest muscle cars in the world – the Challenger SRT Hellcat and Charger SRT Hellcat. Now, two years later, Dodge is raising the bar again with the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon.

“Most cars attempt to be everything to everybody. Then there are the rare few that revel in a single objective, rendering them totally irresistible to a subculture," said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT – FCA North America. "The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is conceived, designed and engineered for a subculture of enthusiasts who know that a tenth is a car and a half second is your reputation."

Page 67 of 101

Search Reviews by Make

AutoTechReviews  is your home for In-depth reviews of the latest cars, trucks, and SUVs; information on all the emerging vehicle technology; and breaking news from the world of NASCAR and other motorsports.