The Auto World

Auto and parts theft jumped 142 percent compared to late 2025. Arkansas and Tennessee have enacted tougher cargo theft penalties. Criminals are increasingly using fake identities to steal legitimate freight loads. Cargo thieves are getting smarter, freight losses are climbing, and states across the country are scrambling to keep up. According to the American Transportation Research Institute, cargo theft now costs the trucking industry roughly $18 million every single day. That’s $208 every second and around $12,500 every minute. Some states are now trying to fight back with harder penalties. A new report from supply chain security company Overhaul found cargo theft incidents averaged nearly seven per day during the first quarter of 2026. One of the fastest-growing tactics is what’s known as a deceptive pickup, where criminals use forged credentials, fake identities, and carrier impersonation schemes to obtain loads legally before ...

Venuum cut the roof off the G-Class to build an open-top off-roader. Nearly every exterior panel was swapped, leaving only the door skins. Production stays limited, and Venuum has not named a price yet. Mercedes-Benz is busy developing an all-new G-Class Cabriolet , but a Middle Eastern tuner just got there first. Say hello to the limited-edition Mastodon V4 from Venuum. While we’ve seen plenty of unhinged G-Class builds in recent years, including drop-top models from Mansory , they usually retain some of the model’s most recognizable features, such as the round headlights. That hasn’t happened here as Venuum looks to have replaced every single exterior part, except for the door skins, in building its ultimate drop-top off-roader. Read: Venuum Turns Ferrari Purosangue Into An Exotic Hot Hatch The front of the kit is particularly dramatic. It features an all-new bumper with plenty of exposed forged carbon fiber, at odd...

Bushwakka transforms Land Cruiser into fully integrated four-sleeper camper. Pop-top design creates sleeping space for families without towing trailers. Built-in kitchen, hot water, and solar options support off-grid adventures. For some people, camping means hitching a trailer and heading to the nearest campsite. For others, it means pointing a truck with a bed full of tent and portable stove at the horizon and seeing what happens. This new camper conversion fits somewhere between and somehow manages to sleep four people without requiring anything to be towed behind it. Also: Nissan’s Tiny $14,100 Camper Van Fits A Double Bed, Japan Gets It, America Doesn’t Developed by South African outfit Bushwakka, the Kamelback 4 transforms a Toyota Land Cruiser 79 Series double cab pickup into a self-contained expedition vehicle. The company is keen to point out that this isn’t a slide-in camper or a bolt-on accessory. Instead, the...

Ford’s secretive EV team is testing a new $30,000 electric pickup ahead of launch. Midsize truck will debut a cost-focused EV platform designed for multiple models. Ford says the new architecture must compete with both EVs and gas-powered vehicles. Ford announced its “Model T Moment” a year ago . With it came the promise of an affordable electric pickup and other models on the same platform. According to a new report, we’re about to see prototypes on the road in Dearborn prior to its release next year. According to Ford CFO Sherry House, prototypes of the automaker’s upcoming electric midsize pickup are already being built and tested as the company pushes toward a planned 2027 launch. While Ford later clarified that the camouflaged trucks aren’t yet driving on Michigan roads, spokesman Dave Tovar confirmed to The Detroit Free Press that they’ll be out in public within the next few weeks. That mean...

Toyota and Lexus are crowned kings of long-term durability in a new study. Together with Honda and Acura they’re most likely to reach 250,000 miles. Tesla ranks surprisingly high, finishing ahead of Mazda, Subaru and Porsche. If you asked a room full of enthusiasts which brands are most likely to build a vehicle capable of lasting 250,000 miles (402,000 km), most would probably guess Toyota, Lexus, Honda, and Acura. They’d be right. But tucked among the usual durability champions is a name that might surprise some buyers, especially those still worried about EV battery life: Tesla. According to a new iSeeCars study covering more than 174 million vehicles, Toyota sits comfortably at the top with a 17.8 percent chance of reaching a quarter-million miles. Lexus follows at 12.8 percent, while Honda and Acura complete a clean sweep for Japanese brands. They’re the only four manufacturers to beat the overall industry average of 4...

It’ll likely take Ford a full year to develop a remedy for leaky brake hoses. While a recall was issued last August, owners are still paying for repairs. A Boston man had to pay over $1,800 to get his Edge’s brake hoses replaced. Ford would like the world to believe it’s tightening up its quality controls to avoid issuing as many recalls . The numbers say otherwise. The automaker is still handing out far more recalls than its rivals, and in at least one case, the lag between announcing a recall and actually sorting it out has left a Boston man staring down a hefty repair bill. Back in August of last year, Ford issued a recall for 497,624 examples of the 2015-2018 Ford Edge and 2016-2018 Lincoln MKX in the US, warning that the flexible rear brake hoses on these vehicles could rupture and leak fluid. Read: Ford’s Recalling 420,000 SUVs Whose Seatbelts Can Lock You In For No Reason Issuing the recall was the right ...