Mark Phelan
Auto Critic and Columnist at Detroit Free Press
Auto columnist for the Detroit Free Press. MSU Spartan. I own two dogs, love music and grew up in the American South, Ireland and Michigan.
Articles
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2 weeks ago |
tennessean.com | Mark Phelan
The 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz has a rugged-looking new XRT trim package. AWD is standard for the Santa Cruz pickup and its 48.4-inch long bed. I'm sharing my impressions of vehicles after living with them for a few days or as a make or model evolves. The car this week: 2025 Hyundai Santa Cruz Limited AWD. What is it? Sporty compact pickup. Imagine replacing the rear third of Hyundai’s popular Tucson compact SUV with a short pickup bed. How much: $42,720 as tested. Limited is the highest trim level.
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2 weeks ago |
usatoday.com | Mark Phelan
I'm sharing my impressions of vehicles after living with them for a few days or as a make or model evolves. What is it? Sporty compact pickup. Imagine replacing the rear third of Hyundai’s popular Tucson compact SUV with a short pickup bed.
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3 weeks ago |
usatoday.com | Mark Phelan
Critics who believed Toyota would remain a perpetual EV laggard are about to be proven wrong. The world’s largest automaker was slow to begin its deployment of electric vehicles, but it’s a legendarily fast follower. Toyota measures twice and cuts once, and the cutting just began. Toyota and Lexus brands will make up for lost ground with three new EVs slated for sale in the United States this year and next ― Lexus ES, Toyota bZ Woodland and Toyota CH-R.
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3 weeks ago |
tennessean.com | Mark Phelan
The vehicles are an overdue response to critics who said Toyota was hostile to electric vehicles. 3 new EVs are the Lexus ES, the Toyota bZ Woodland and the Toyota CH-R. Toyota showcased the upcoming vehicles in May at its North American HQ in Plano, Texas. Critics who believed Toyota would remain a perpetual EV laggard are about to be proven wrong. The world’s largest automaker was slow to begin its deployment of electric vehicles, but it’s a legendarily fast follower.
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3 weeks ago |
usatoday.com | Mark Phelan
• Improvements to the ’26 bZ start at the EV’s heart: battery, charging and motors. • The Toyota bZ goes on sale in second half of 2025. The 2026 Toyota bZ makes a leap forward with improvements for everything from the subcompact EV's name to its charging system. The 2022 bZ4X was an uncharacteristic disappointment from the world’s largest automaker. Overpriced and under-equipped, it was hamstrung by everything from uncompetitive technology to a ludicrous name.
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RT @edmunds: Dodge says our Charger EV had a fault that triggered a "Drive by Brake" feature after we found it to be accelerating on its own
Bet you didn;t know this. Neither did I. https://t.co/EhioNwWWdH via @freep
A big move, and probably a good one, by Ram and Stellantis management. https://t.co/wkgvWV164M via @freep