So Long: The Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Is Officially Being Discontinued

 The Shelby GT500 carries on while the limited-edition Mustang Mach 1 waits in the wings.

If you read our test of the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 Heritage Edition, you might have caught a bittersweet note: That special model is effectively the GT350's swan song, at least in the car's current incarnation. We'd speculated this to be the case earlier, but now it's official: 2020 is the final model year for the Shelby GT350 and GT350R, which Ford confirms are being sunset. The automaker's statement, in full, is as follows: "With the 760-hp  Shelby GT500 now in full stride, we will finish production of Shelby GT350 and GT350R this fall as planned. This makes the way for new additions to excite our passionate Mustang fans for 2021 model year—including the limited-edition Mach 1."

So the formidable GT500 carries the Shelby torch into 2021—not such a bad thing. But the delicious flat-plane V-8 found in the GT350 and GT350R, the 5.2-liter Voodoo engine that thrills with a staccato scream, won't have a home, at least for now. Whether this is the end of the line for the Voodoo or merely a hiatus isn't clear.

What is clear is that the GT350 doesn't have a direct successor. The Mustang Mach 1 should be great, given its enthusiast focus and increased output over the regular GT, but it is not a Shelby and it won't pack a flat-plane crank. Rather, it will have the cross-plane 5.0-liter Coyote V-8, good for 480 horsepower and 420 lb-ft. While that will disappoint flat-plane crank enthusiasts, the rest of the Mach 1 package is more than a consolation prize. The GT350's Tremec TR-3160 manual transmission features in the Mach 1, and a 10-speed automatic is also available. Handling and braking bits are a mix of Mustang GT Performance Pack 2 and Shelby GT500. Catch up on all the Mustang Mach 1 details and features here.

The Heritage Edition, while limited in number, is currently available on 2020 GT350 and GT350Rs. Knowing the GT350 is bowing out might increase the desirability or collectability of these last-model-year specials—so you might want to move quickly to secure one.

2021 Acura TLX 2.0T Track Test: It’s Not a Numbers Car

 Consider the TLX’s other advantages.

Appreciate the 2021 Acura TLX for its many strengths, but don't dwell too much on the numbers. Because after spending some time with Acura's sporty-looking new premium sedan, we see its value, even if not much of it shows up on the track.

The TLX makes a good first impression—it's priced closer to the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, but its wheelbase and length put it much closer to the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class. That makes it a bit of a tweener in our book. Does it deliver on its message?

Some of our test team found the TLX's handling splendid, but others felt the racy sheet metal was writing checks that its chassis couldn't cash.

Cars competing in the compact luxury sport sedan price category are asked to meet a near-impossible challenge: deliver sporty dynamics, feel more premium than your neighbor's Camry, not ride too harshly, and accelerate reasonably quickly. Then again, considering the TLX's dimensions, it appears Acura is playing Cadillac's game, delivering a larger car than the competition, and perhaps hoping for consumer consideration across two segments.

2021 Acura TLX 2.0T: Power In Numbers

On paper, it looks like the 2021 TLX has seriously upped its game. With a 272-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder making far more power than the outgoing car's 206-hp base engine, buyers are clearly getting a serious upgrade. Although we found the sound of the engine too guttural in our First Drive review, I kind of like it. Maybe it's the year I spent with a 2019 RDX, which used the same engine. Regardless, the TLX was outperformed at the track.

Acceleration to 60 mph took 7.0 seconds for our intensely blue TLX A-Spec all-wheel-drive test car, which is off the pace of a rear-drive Genesis G70 2.0T (6.2 seconds), all-wheel-drive Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T (5.2 seconds), and all-wheel-drive BMW 330i (5.5 seconds). Moving up a segment in size, our rear-drive 2017 BMW 530i long-term car reached 60 mph in 6.2 seconds. The truth is that many drivers will find the TLX's acceleration perfectly adequate. The issue comes when you know others are quicker in a class with many options.

The same is true with 60-0 mph braking. The Acura came to a stop in 127 feet, well off the performance of the G70 (106 feet), 330i (114 feet), and 530i (103 feet), but about even with the Giulia (130 feet). Better brakes might help, but as associate road test editor Erick Ayapana suggested, a tire upgrade might, too. Models with all-wheel drive and 19-inch wheels ride on 255-mm wide Michelin Primacy all-season tires. Testing director Kim Reynolds echoed Ayapana's comment: "I just wish it had a little more grip and brakes to take this up a notch."

Such an upgrade might have benefitted the TLX A-Spec's performance on the figure-eight course, a MotorTrend test that evaluates braking, cornering, acceleration, and the transitions in between. As it is, our test car completed the course in 26.9 seconds at an average 0.64 g. That's a tad off the all-wheel-drive Giulia and 330i (26.7 and 26.6 seconds, respectively, both at 0.66 g average), 530i (25.9 seconds at 0.69 g average), and rear-drive G70 (25.2 seconds at 0.72 g average).

On the street, the TLX 2.0T continues to feel like a car with potential. A couple of editors who drove our Southern California test car wished the 10-speed automatic transmission was more responsive. Reynolds described the A-Spec's ride as "firm but not harsh." He also noted a delightfully quick turn-in quality to the steering.

We hope future TLXs are more efficient. The 2021 TLX in front-drive form returns 22/31 mpg city/highway (or 30 mpg as an A-Spec model), while all-wheel-drive models are good for 21/29 mpg. That's off the pace of the 2021 Giulia (23-24/31-33 mpg), 2021 330i (25-26/34-36 mpg), and 2020 530i (24-25/31-33), but in line with the less efficient G70 (20-22/27-30 mpg). If your eyes glazed over at the sight of all those numbers, here's another way to think about it: Because these cars all have about the same size fuel tank, you'll stop for gas slightly more often in the Acura and Genesis than you will in the Alfa Romeo and BMWs.

2021 Acura TLX 2.0T: The Inside Story

The rest of the package impresses, so long as you don't take passengers; the rear seat is cozy if you are an optimist, tight if you are a pessimist. Those in front are faced with an interior design that could only come from Acura. A silver drive-mode disc sits at the center of the dash, below a 10.2-inch infotainment screen that's controlled by a dual-action touchpad. Better than the touchpad offered on some Lexus cars, the Acura version takes some time to learn but is decent to use once you master it. Is it better than the touchscreen and scroll-wheel interfaces on other luxury cars? Depends on your personal preference—our staff was split on the love-hate equation. However, we all agreed that the 17-speaker sound system on A-Spec and Advance models is magnificent.

There's a real sense of quality with certain interior details, from the silver start button to the aluminum trim and the A-Spec's thick leather-wrapped steering wheel. Then again, we'd like to see future TLX and RDX models welcome redesigned instrument clusters. One editor found the red backlighting of our A-Spec test car washed out in direct sunlight, while a couple of others are ready to see Acura experiment with a fully digital display.

Maybe all this talk of screens and touchpads makes you want to escape our screen-obsessed world and drive. If so, the Acura might be for you, but the TLX already has a few points we'd like to see improved. Even so, the features-per-dollar value remains an Acura strong point. Except for the Genesis G70 and one or two others, most competitors will cost thousands more when similarly equipped. That can be a game-changer when you enter the real world and start crunching numbers. And while its stopwatch performance can't quite measure up to the competition, pricing may be one number comparison where the TLX really excels.

2021 BMW X2 Edition M Mesh Looks Like a Running Shoe

 BMW’s dress-up package brings some flair to the X2 crossover SUV.

If the BMW X2 doesn't pop enough in any of its available bold colors (such as Galvanic Gold or Sunset Orange), then consider the new 2021 BMW X2 Edition M Mesh. It'll offer a whole bunch of unique and sporty exterior and interior upgrades and accents for a reasonable upcharge. But there's one important caveat: The bold orange decals you see prominently featured in the photos above won't be coming to the United States.

Whether that's a plus or a minus in American buyers' minds is up for debate, but it does take one of the package's most unique features off the table. There's still plenty on offer, however, so let's break it down. For one, the M Sport X exterior package is present, and it includes a sporty front fascia and dark exterior trim pieces. The new BMW M Mesh kidney grille, seemingly cribbed from the M235i Gran Coupe, adds some three-dimensional texture to the X2's maw, as well.

While the decals aren't available, the crossover's intricate and eye-catching 19-inch (and optional 20-inch M Aerodynamic) wheels do offer black or orange highlights. Moving inside, the M Sport seats from the X2 M35i are a welcome upgrade, while "Edition" sill plates, aluminum "hexagon" trim, "Pearl Grey Chrome" accents, and an M Sport steering wheel further liven up the place.

The Edition M Mesh package adds $3,550 to the bottom line of any 2021 X2 sDrive28i or xDrive28i model. While this is a special package, it's not limited in any way and BMW will build as many X2 Edition M Meshes as customers like.

BMW to Pay $18 Million for Inflating Monthly Sales Numbers

 Yet another carmaker gets caught fudging the numbers.

BMW is in hot water for its sales reporting tactics. The Security and Exchange Commission entered into a settlement with the automaker. BMW will pay $18 million for inflating sales numbers in the U.S. from 2015 to 2019.

According to a release sent out by the SEC this week, BMW kept a reserve of unreported retail sales that it used to reach company targets, ignoring when the sales actually happened. The agency also says BMW paid dealers to erroneously label vehicles as loaners or demonstrators so they could count them as sold. BMW reported the misleading sales information while going on to raise $18 billion from investors in corporate bond offerings.

"Companies accessing U.S. markets to raise capital have an obligation to provide accurate information to investors," said Stephanie Avakian, Director of the Division of Enforcement. "Through its repeated disclosure failures, BMW misled investors about its U.S. retail sales performance and customer demand for BMW vehicles in the U.S. market while raising capital in the U.S."

BMW cooperated with the investigation but would not admit or deny the SEC's findings, while agreeing to the settlement. BMW AG, BMW of North America, and BMW US Capital agreed to pay the joint penalty and to refrain from committing the same violations in the future.

Of course, BMW isn't the only carmaker to get caught fudging sales numbers. Last year, FCA agreed to a fine of $40 million for inflating sales figures from 2012 to 2016. A few decades ago, Mitsubishi inflated monthly figures by filing false retail delivery records, reported Automotive News. In a practice called "burning an RDR," vehicles on dealer lots would be erroneously reported as sold. Around the same time, Cadillac apologized to Lincoln for buffing up its sales numbers to maintain its lead in the luxury game, as the Los Angeles Times reported.

Hyundai Reveals 800-HP, Electric Mid-Motor RM20e Sports Car

 It'll be Tesla-quick and laid out like Chevy's Corvette.

It seems like yesterday when we drove the midship Veloster N RM19 prototype around the Nürburgring and closer to home at the California Proving Ground. Now, Hyundai has further refined its mid-engine sports car, with the latest iteration pumping out more than 800 horsepower from an electric powertrain.

Once again based on—and vaguely shaped like—the Veloster N hot hatchback, the Hyundai RM20e features an electric motor with 810 ponies, to be exact. This makes it significantly more potent than the RM19 with its 385-hp 2.0-liter gas engine. Peak torque skyrockets to 708 lb-ft, and Hyundai estimates the rear-wheel-drive prototype will zip from 0-62 mph in less than three seconds and on to 124 mph in 9.88 seconds.

The new model is a follow-up to the Veloster N eTCR, Hyundai's first electric race car. The vehicle was developed for the eTCR electric touring car series and debuted at last year's Frankfurt Motor Show. To optimize aerodynamic performance, the new RM20e features a front splitter and a massive rear air diffuser and wing. Sitting on 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, the sports car maintains a minimum ground clearance of 3.1 inches.

Each of Hyundai N's prototypes undergo exhaustive testing on the hair-raising Nürburgring Nordschleife. They lap the track up to 480 times in wet and dry conditions, logging over 100,000 miles of severe driving in the span of just four weeks.

Hyundai says it will continue to fine-tune its RM platform for high-performance vehicles. We could see more electrification from this architecture, since it's compatible with various electrified powertrains. The car is part of the Hyundai Motor Group's bigger push toward clean vehicles. By 2025, it hopes to introduce 44 "eco-friendly" models across the lineup—some of which we can only hope are as aspirational and bonkers as this RM20e, which is making its first appearance at the Beijing auto show this month.