2020 Mazda MX-5 Miata: turn off the news and escape

It seems just a little wrong – slightly off-putting – to immerse yourself in a rare indulgence while the world churns and burns with an expanding health crisis and an unfolding economic catastrophe. As such, I’m feeling guilty. Not overwhelmed, mind you, but with hospitals overflowing in Arizona and a traumatized Canada doubling the national …

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The luxurious 2020 Toyota RAV4 — how did this happen?

During my son’s lifetime (just turned 26), Toyota’s RAV4 went from tinny, mini SUV (sport-utility vehicle) to a gold-plated, flexed-biceps rig with leather upholstery, an ear-busting sound system and a bundle of technology.  There’s even a top-of-the-line hybrid version for $42,750, plus extra, fees and taxes, though a basic RAV lists for $28,090 and the …

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Will JLR become a COVID-19 casualty?

Apparently, the wheels have come off Jaguar Land Rover’s comeback. Apparently. In the latest fiscal year, Tata Motors-owned JLR lost about $710 million, although that was a substantial improvement over the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019, with its staggering loss of about $6.0 billion. The turnaround plan has shown results, to date. But going …

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Despite tainted history, the hydrogen economy lives on with Toyota in driver’s seat

The most abundant element in the universe is the next big thing in zero-emissions transportation, and has been for about a quarter of a century. Indeed, in the mid-1990s, Burnaby, B.C.-based Ballard Power Systems began aggressively touting hydrogen fuel cells as the “green” solution for the 21st century. Ballard. Remember Ballard? Looking back, many believe …

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