| UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE WEEK
“It doesn’t look like anything else.”
—Tesla CEO Elon Musk at the introduction of the Tesla Cybertruck, seen above
The brand’s first entry into the pickup truck market is a stainless-steel rolling monument to 1980s dystopian films. Will it actually look like this when it hits the road in 2021? Will it actually hit the road at all? Time will tell. LA BUCKS THE TREND If auto shows are dead, no one told the automakers that clamored over each other to try to break news at 2019’s LA Auto Show. There’s far too much to list in one quick paragraph, so check out our LA show wrap-up for a roundup of all the headlines. Key machines to take a look at either online or in person if you’re in SoCal? The Ford Mustang Mach-E, Aston Martin DBX, Genesis G90, Audi RS Q8 and Lexus LC500 convertible. Though not technically a reveal, Land Rover announced pricing for its U.S.-spec Defender SUV. The smaller Defender 90 with a four-cylinder engine launches at $54,375, while the larger Defender 110 gets an opening MSRP of $63,275. If you’re interested—and we expect a lot of folks will be—look for the 110 starting in spring 2020, while the 90 will follow later in the year. RACING LINES NASCAR legend and seven-time Cup champ Jimmie Johnson announced via social media that he’s retiring from full-time racing after the 2020 season. Next year will mark Johnson’s 19th season, and hopefully it’ll be a turnaround year for the 44-year-old driver: He's gone 95 Cup races without a win, and this year failed to make the NASCAR playoffs for the first time since the format began in 2004. If you planned on attending an Americas Rallycross event next year to see what the sport was all about ... you’re too late. The so-called “future of rallycross in America,” formed from the remnants of the Red Bull Global Rallycross series, folded due to financial difficulties and a lack of commitment from domestic manufacturers and sponsors. What happened? Steven Cole Smith breaks down this story of lost opportunities. CAR NEWS AND NOTES In one of the first looks at extremely high-mileage Teslas, a fleet company called Tesloop has released data about its EVs, some of which have more than 300,000 miles. Not surprisingly, the powertrains have proven very durable; some of the other parts, less so. California also announced it’s retaliating against automakers that backed federal emissions regulations over its own stricter standards. The state government won’t buy any cars from GM, FCA or Toyota, except for public safety vehicles. That could mean a boon to VW and Ford, among others, since California also specified new state rules requiring those cars to be hybrid or otherwise electrified. Don’t get too excited yet: Since public safety vehicles are exempt, the CHP is still going to be rolling with serious horsepower. WHAT WE'RE DRIVING The Porsche Macan S proves to Robin Warner that Porsche still does drivers’ cars better than anyone on the planet, even when those cars are actually small SUVs. He’s benefited from quite a bit of time in Porsches lately, so stay tuned for upcoming reviews on members of the 911 and Cayenne families. Jake finds a different path in the Acura MDX A-Spec, which might be the overall best iteration of Acura’s very popular three-row family SUV. Tuning for fuel economy seems to make the V6 engine and nine-speed automatic transmission combo awkward at times, but ride and handling are difficult to fault. MOSTLY ODDS, SOME ENDS Our friend Jason Fenske at Engineering Explained discovered a unique characteristic of the Tesla Model 3 ... and of the Ford Raptor. Towing the former behind the latter not only charges the Tesla, but the combo makes the Raptor more efficient (mathematically speaking). Just go watch, and it’ll make more sense ... Could Hummer come back as an electric truck? That’s the rumor (which may be wishful thinking on the part of H2 fans) stemming from reports that GM’s Hamtramck, Michigan, plant is being repurposed to build large electric vehicles. Expect an electric version of the GMC Sierra and Cadillac Escalade as soon as 2021, one of which may wear the Hummer trim badge if not a separate brand name. LISTEN UP Be sure to check out the “Autoweek Podcast” this week, where the motorsports crew discusses the end of the NASCAR season, Kyle Busch’s championship and the oddball goof that likely cost Martin Truex Jr. the title. We also talk LA Auto Show hits and misses, plus look at a handful of our fleet cars, including the Ram 1500 Ecodiesel and Ford Explorer ST. Finally, Jake and Wesley interview Adam Carolla about his latest documentary, called Shelby American, and why Carolla felt this Shelby story needed to be told. WHAT'S AHEAD We’ll keep cranking out the car news, reviews and car culture posts all next week, but The Autoweek Dispatch will be taking next Friday off to eat turkey sandwiches and peruse cars on Craigslist. Happy Thanksgiving, and we’ll see you on Dec. 6! -- Andrew Stoy, Digital Editor | 
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