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Dodge could enter Peugeot's Le Mans-bound 9x8 hypercar in IMSA races

Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Group merged under the Stellantis umbrella in early 2021 to achieve economies of scale, and this benefit could surprisingly extend to racing. Executives are debating whether to give Dodge its own version of Peugeot's recently-unveiled 9x8 hypercar to race in America, according to a recent report. "While we only heard [the new rules] confirmed a week ago, it has certainly led to some very open discussion, not only about whether Peugeot might add races in the United States, but also about whether the spine of this car might have opportunities with other brands in the Stellantis Group. There are no conclusions yet, but there are now open discussions," affirmed Jean-Marc Finot, the Senior Vice President of Stellantis, in an interview with Racer. His comments refer to an agreement signed in July 2021 by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA). They chose to align their technical regulations to let manufacturers compete in different events on both sides of the pond without going through the resource-consuming process of developing a specific car for each series. As of writing, the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) and Le Mans Daytona h (LMDh) categories fall under the newly-announced common set of rules. On the surface, this means Peugeot could enter its 9X8 (pictured) in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as soon as the 2023 season. While this is seemingly under consideration, Peugeot has little to gain from winning a major race in the United States. It hasn't sold cars here since 1991, and its long-mooted comeback was canned after PSA merged with FCA. Giving a variant of the 9X8 to Dodge is a more credible possibility, according to Racer. If not Dodge, then who else? Chrysler hasn't been linked to racing or performance for decades. Jeep is no stranger to performance vehicles, but IMSA would be pushing it. Ram is Ram, while Fiat, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati are rooted in Europe. The rest of the Stellantis brands (like Opel, Lancia, and Citroen) are not distributed in America. Nothing is official, and the publication stressed it's unclear whether Dodge will commit part- or full-time to the series (assuming the program receives the green light). Finot underlined the parallel car would use the 9X8's "spine," so don't expect to see a Peugeot hypercar with a Dodge emblem driving flat-out on the Sebring International Raceway.

Leno recalls '90s showdown with Tim Allen and his mullet

Not many of us have buddies with garages full of classic cars, but that isn't the case for Jay Leno and Tim Allen. Of course, one of the advantages for two guys with such vast collections is occasionally getting to pit their cars against each other. The two comedians did just that in the mid-'90s with a burnout battle on The Tonight Show between Allen in a race-prepped Mustang and Leno in a drag racer. After some time away from regular television, Leno is returning to the airwaves with a Jay Leno's Garage series premiering on Oct. 7 (tonight) at 10:00 p.m. ET on CNBC. Let this clip serve as another taste of what to expect for the new TV show's mix of comedy and cars. After reminiscing about the old days in a gorgeous garage, the comedians get into two modern machines to reprise the classic challenge – after a little trash talk anyway. Don't worry because the YouTube series isn't going anywhere, though.

2021 L.A. Auto Show roundup | All the reveals, reviews, pictures

The L.A. Auto Show took place this week for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. It was a show packed with news and reveals, which hasn't really been the case with other shows we've seen this year, and Autoblog was on the floor covering every minute of it. Well, Riswick and Stocksdale were, anyway. The rest of us were sitting at home in our sweatpants, but hey, we'll take credit anyway. Let's get to it. Hyundai Seven Concept This is the Hyundai Seven Concept, and it’s meant to act as a preview for an incoming electric SUV for the Ioniq brand. It leans more toward the concept side of the spectrum than a production car, but expect the final SUV to take design cues from the Seven Concept. Kia Concept EV9 The Hyundai Seven counterpart isn't the only big, bold electric SUV at L.A. this year. Kia has its own take, and it's a modernized version of the traditional boxy utility vehicle called the Concept EV9. It also previews one of the next production electric cars for the brand, which should look right at home next to things like the Telluride. 2023 Kia Sportage HEV As promised, the 2023 Kia Sportage HEV has been revealed. The hybrid powertrain makes the compact SUV the most powerful version available, and it goes on sale next year. The engine is a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder paired with a 44-kW electric motor. Total output is 226 horsepower. The company didn't give a torque number, but it should basically be the same as the Sorento HEV that has the same basic powertrain: 258 pound-feet. Those numbers are a healthy step up from the 187 horsepower of the base 2.5-liter engine. 2022 Range Rover If you noticed how extra smooth and suave the new Range Rover looked during its recent reveal, Autoblog's James Riswick got a design tour that revealed some of the technological secrets to its success. "Less is more" is harder to achieve than it looks. Fisker Ocean Fisker has brought the new Ocean EV to the L.A. Auto Show, with a public preview at Manhattan Beach and a presence at the show itself. You can watch the public show reveal above, and see more shots from the show floor below. Fisker says the Ocean will start at $37,499 before incentives. That entry model would be the Sport trim with a single, 275-horsepower motor driving the front wheels and 250 miles of estimated range. It also has a 0-60 time of 6.9 seconds. 2023 Toyota bZ4X This is the 2023 Toyota bZ4X, due to hit U.S.