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2026 Mitsubishi Outlander Gets 5G—and That Might Be Its Most Important Upgrade Yet

If the modern SUV has a secret weapon, it isn’t horsepower or ground clearance—it’s bandwidth. And for 2026, Mitsubishi is finally giving its flagship Outlander the kind of digital backbone it needs to compete in an increasingly software-defined automotive world.

Mitsubishi Motors North America has confirmed that the 2026 Outlander will arrive with built-in AT&T 5G connectivity, bringing the compact-SUV stalwart into the era of ultra-fast data, over-the-air updates, and always-on infotainment. It’s not just about better Spotify buffering; it’s about turning the Outlander into something closer to a rolling smart device.

More Than Just Faster Wi-Fi

5G in a vehicle isn’t just a party trick for passengers streaming TikTok on the highway. The big story here is what Mitsubishi can now do to the vehicle after it leaves the dealership.

With AT&T’s 5G network onboard, the 2026 Outlander gains full over-the-air (OTA) update capability for select systems. That means Mitsubishi can push software upgrades, feature enhancements, and security patches remotely—no dealership visit required.

In practical terms, that could mean:

  • Improved infotainment performance over time
  • Bug fixes and system stability upgrades
  • New features added months or years after purchase

In a market where Tesla and Rivian have conditioned buyers to expect their cars to get better with age, Mitsubishi’s move feels less like a luxury and more like a necessity.

Turning the Outlander Into a Rolling Data Hub

AT&T’s 5G brings low latency, high bandwidth, and massive capacity, which opens the door to more advanced connected-car services down the road. Think cloud-based navigation that reacts in real time, richer voice assistants, faster app loading, and more sophisticated driver-assistance systems that rely on live data.

Mitsubishi says the goal is to make every drive a “connected and entertaining experience,” which in automaker-speak usually translates to fewer frozen screens, quicker responses, and a system that doesn’t feel like it’s running on 2016 smartphone hardware.

Bryan Arnett, Mitsubishi’s Director of Digital Product Strategy, put it more diplomatically, saying the company wants to deliver a “transformative, personalized experience for every driver.” Translation: your Outlander should feel more like a modern tech product and less like a DVD player on wheels.

Why AT&T Matters Here

Automakers can’t just slap a SIM card into a dashboard and call it a day. Network reliability is everything, and AT&T is one of the biggest players in the connected-car space, covering more roads in the U.S. than any other carrier.

That matters when your vehicle depends on constant connectivity to deliver navigation, entertainment, and system updates. According to AT&T Connected Solutions VP Matt Harden, the partnership is designed to be “future-ready,” meaning Mitsubishi can scale services and features as vehicles—and customer expectations—evolve.

In other words, this isn’t just a one-model experiment. It’s infrastructure for Mitsubishi’s next generation of vehicles.

What It Means for the Outlander

The Outlander has always been Mitsubishi’s most important model in North America, but it’s traditionally competed more on value than on cutting-edge tech. With 5G and OTA updates, the 2026 model suddenly looks a lot more like a serious player in the digital arms race that defines today’s compact-SUV segment.

Mitsubishi has confirmed that additional models and trim levels will follow, but the Outlander gets to be first—and that’s fitting for a vehicle that’s supposed to represent the brand’s future.

In a world where your phone updates overnight and your car doesn’t, Mitsubishi is finally fixing the disconnect. And if 5G is the foundation for smarter, faster, and more capable vehicles, the 2026 Outlander just plugged itself into the right network.

Source: Mitsubishi

Auctions

This 1966 Ford Bronco Was Built to Fly Over Sand, Not Crawl Over Rocks

Classic Ford Broncos are everywhere right now. They’re being reborn as six-figure restomods, lifted into Instagram-ready off-roaders, and polished into weekend cruisers that will never see a dirt road. But this 1966 example doesn’t care about any of that. It was never meant to crawl over boulders or idle through Cars and Coffee. This Bronco was built for one thing: going as fast as possible in a straight line across loose sand—and it looks like it still wants to do exactly that.

What makes this truck especially fascinating is that it didn’t start life as a normal Bronco at all. This was a pre-production model, later handed over to off-road legends Charlie Erickson and Bill Stroppe in the mid-1960s. Their goal wasn’t refinement or utility—it was domination. The result was a one-off sand drag racer that competed in desert events at a time when off-road racing was still being invented on the fly.

The first rule of racing is simple: add power and remove weight. This Bronco did both. Anything that didn’t make it faster was stripped off. Doors? Gone. Windows? Useless. Comfort? A luxury for people who aren’t trying to win. What remains is a skeletal, purposeful machine that looks more like a homemade missile than a vintage SUV.

Power comes from Ford’s humble 170-cubic-inch inline-six, but don’t let the displacement fool you. This one is force-fed by a Paxton supercharger and breathes through dual Stromberg two-barrel carburetors sitting on a custom intake manifold. Add revised intake and exhaust lobes, and you’ve got a recipe for a six-cylinder that’s working far harder than Ford ever intended. No one seems to know the exact output—and that somehow makes it even better. It’s paired with a modified three-speed manual, because of course it is.

The Bronco was fully restored in 2011, and Mecum notes that while its wild appearance was preserved, everything underneath was gone through properly. The suspension was revised, traction bars were added, and both axles now feature limited-slip differentials. Heavy-duty front shocks and custom 15-inch wheels help keep it pointed in the right direction, wrapped in Goodyear tires with hand-cut grooves specifically designed for sand.

And then there’s the braking system—or rather, the lack of one. In a move that perfectly captures the spirit of this machine, the front brakes were deleted entirely to save weight. In sand drag racing, slowing down is someone else’s problem. Preferably after the finish line. Hopefully on flat ground.

Inside, the Bronco is just as uncompromising. There’s a single bucket seat, a steering wheel, and a handful of gauges mounted into a wooden dash. That’s it. No insulation. No trim. No creature comforts of any kind. There aren’t even doors or windows, so driving it is less like piloting a truck and more like strapping yourself to a mechanical projectile. A helmet and goggles wouldn’t be overkill—they’d be smart.

Mecum will auction this Bronco on March 21, though no estimate has been released yet. Whatever it sells for, it won’t just be another classic SUV with a shiny paint job. It’s a rolling artifact from the wild early days of off-road racing, when builders made things up as they went along and weight reduction meant simply unbolting anything that looked unnecessary.

If you’re the kind of enthusiast who thinks doors, windows, and front brakes are optional, this Bronco isn’t just appealing—it’s perfect.

Source: Mecum Auctions

News

GM Refuses to Let the V8 Die

Not long ago, it felt like the V8 was being quietly escorted out of the building. Stricter emissions rules, turbocharged fours, and electrification all seemed to be writing the obituary for the eight-cylinder. But General Motors, never one to give up on horsepower without a fight, is doing the opposite—doubling down with an all-new generation of small-block V8 engines that will power Chevrolets, GMCs, and Cadillacs well into the next decade.

This sixth-generation V8 family isn’t just a mild update. GM is retooling multiple plants to support it, confirming production at facilities in Flint, Michigan, and Buffalo, New York, and now adding St. Catharines, Ontario, to the mix. That Canadian plant has already returned to two shifts as it ramps up for V8 production, underscoring just how serious GM is about keeping the internal-combustion flame alive.

The investment behind it is massive. GM says it has poured more than CA$2.6 billion into its Canadian operations over the past five years, including $280 million specifically allocated to support next-generation full-size pickups—vehicles that will be among the first to benefit from these new engines.

While GM hasn’t yet released official specs, the rumor mill is already running hot. The new V8 may revive the storied LS6 name and is expected to come in several flavors, including 5.7-liter and 6.6-liter variants. Sitting at the top of the food chain could be a 6.7-liter flagship, reportedly using an aluminum block and a dual fuel-injection setup that combines both direct and port injection—an arrangement that typically improves both power delivery and emissions performance.

And no, these engines aren’t just for work trucks and big SUVs. GM plans to drop them into sports cars too, starting with the Corvette lineup. That includes the long-awaited return of the Grand Sport, which has already been spotted during an official photoshoot wearing a familiar Admiral Blue paint job and red quarter-panel stripes, a visual callback to the beloved C7-era model.

If the rumors are accurate, the Grand Sport’s 6.7-liter V8 could make around 550 horsepower. That would slot it neatly between the standard Stingray and the more extreme E-Ray and Z06, creating a true sweet spot for buyers who want big power without stepping into full-blown track-weapon territory.

In an era when many automakers are shrinking engines or eliminating them altogether, GM’s new V8 push feels almost rebellious. It’s a reminder that while the future may be electric, the present still has room for thunderous exhaust notes, tire-shredding torque, and the kind of engines that made Detroit famous in the first place.

And if this new small-block delivers on its promise, the V8 won’t just survive—it might just be getting started again.

Source: GM

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