To celebrate the birth of our nation, the Digital Trends Cars team gathered around for the most American activity we know - a good 'ol fashioned argument. Each of us picked the most American car ever made and had to defend our choice. The (dubious, entirely personal) results are in!

BMW vowed never to release a pickup, but it made an exception to build a one-off concept truck based on the X7. The design study was developed and manufactured by BMW trainees, and it was designed to carry an F 850 GS motorcycle. Carbon fiber makes it lighter than the X7, but it's not headed for production.

The LC Convertible concept Lexus introduced during the 2019 Detroit auto Show is about to spawn a production model. Previewed as a close-to-production prototype, but LC Convertible keeps the coupe's futuristic design while gaining a power-retractable top. It will make its debut before the end of 2019.

Harley-Davidson's announcement that it will sell a small displacement motorcycle in China but not the U.S. is no surprise. The iconic American motorcycle company is following a game plan laid out in April 2017 when Harley management set a goal to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders globally by 2027.

The Ford GT Mk II is a faster, track-only version of Ford's GT supercar. Developed in partnership with Multimatic, which designed the Ford GT race car, the Mk II boasts more power, less weight, and a massive rear wing. Ford and Multimatic will only build 45 copies of the Mk II.

Mercedes-Benz introduced the second-generation CLA during CES 2019, and it expanded the lineup with a 382-horsepower model called CLA 45. Bigger than before, the design-led member of Mercedes' compact car family receives an A.I.-powered MBUX infotainment system and cutting-edge convenience features.

Joining the likes of Airbnb, Facebook, and others, Lyft has revealed how it intends to use its ridesharing operation to assist relief efforts in urban areas hit by a natural disaster. Lyft’s Disaster Relief Access Program includes offering free rides and sharing important information through its social channels.

The Porsche Taycan electric car has indentations in its battery pack called foot garages. They're designed to move rear-seat passengers closer to the floor in order to lower the car's center of gravity. Porsche said this was the only way to fit the battery pack without making the Taycan too tall.

McLaren is returning to the kiddy car segment with an electric, scaled-down version of the 720S. Developed for toddlers, the Ride-On toy is powered by an electric motor, but it growls like the real thing thanks to a sound synthesizer. It even comes with dihedral doors and a functional infotainment system.

Hyundai is launching a new technology called continuously variable valve duration (CVVD) for gasoline engines. The automaker claims it will improve both fuel economy and performance. The first CVVD-equipped car will be the 2020 Hyundai Sonata Turbo, which goes on sale later this year.

Waymo is now allowed to take passengers in its self-driving cars in California as the company takes another step toward launching a robo-taxi service similar to the limited one it already offers in Arizona. Until now only safety drivers and Waymo engineers have been allowed inside its autonomous cars during test rides.

nd itThe 2020 BMW X6 aims to be the best at the SUV coupe concept it invented. The third-generation X6 features more muscular styling, more powerful engines, and several new tech features. Production on the 2020 BMW X6 begins in August and it goes on sale in the United States in November 2019.

The Volkswagen Type 20 concept is a classic 1962 Microbus updated with features like an electric powertrain, facial recognition, and a holographic infotainment system. It was built to celebrate the expansion of Volkswagen's Silicon Valley research center. Volkswagen has been in Silicon Valley since 1998.

Tesla Motors has set two new records during the second quarter of 2019. With the reporting of the company's sales figures today, it was disclosed that Tesla achieved production of 87,048 vehicles, and deliveries of 95,200 vehicles.

BMW invests between six and seven percent of its annual revenues into research and development, and its engineers are developing autonomous technology with ride-sharing programs in mind. Digital Trends took a ride in an autonomous 7 Series-based prototype, and experienced other tech features the firm is working on.

The 2020 Mini Cooper lineup will see a price hike on every model. Notable changes include more powerful engines for the John Cooper Works variants of the Clubman and Countryman, and a new driver-aid package. Mini has some bigger changes in store over the next few months.

Five Japanese automakers -- including Subaru and Mazda -- will each invest in a self-driving car joint venture started by Toyota and SoftBank. The goal of the venture, dubbed Monet, is to develop mobility services around self-driving cars. Other new investors include Suzuki, Isuzu, and Daihatsu.

Tesla sent a team of in-house investigators to Shanghai, China, to determined why an early Model S suddenly exploded and caught fire. It blamed the fire on a defective battery module, and sent an over-the-air software update to remedy the issue. Tesla stressed that no one was hurt during the incident.

Bentley set a new the production-car record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with its Continental GT. Driver Rhys Millen piloted the big Bentley to the 14,115-foot summit in 10:18.4, beating the previous record by 8.4 seconds.

A new EU safety law means that from today, new electric car models must come fitted with a noise generator to alert cyclists, pedestrians, and the visually impaired to their presence. Car models now in production won’t need to fall in line until 2021. A similar law will go into force in the U.S. in 2020.

Autonomous vehicles are quickly becoming a reality and are transporting paying customers in several cities already. As the technology evolves and improves rapidly, it can be difficult to keep up with where we stand today. We’ve got your breakdown of who is in the race, what technologies are winning, and when we can expect fully autonomous vehicles on our streets.

BMW unveiled a concept car named Vision M Next that shows what sports cars could look like in the not-too-distant future. The Vision M Next is a plug-in hybrid model with a 600-horsepower powertrain, and a driver-focused interior packed with futuristic tech features. It could transition into a production model.

BMW is spending millions of dollars on developing EVs that no one will buy. The company's chief engineer explained EVs are far too expensive to merge into the mainstream anytime soon, and demand comes from lawmakers rather than drivers. Plug-in hybrid powertrains with a generous electric range are a better compromise.

Self-driving cars need to do more than obey the speed limit. They need to be able to handle unusual scenarios. Here's how GM's Cruise self-driving cars handle one of the most common of those scenarios: Double-parked cars. Self-driving cars regularly encounter double parking in San Francisco.

The 2020 Chrysler Voyager revives a nameplate from minivan history to replace base versions of the Chrysler Pacifica. The Voyager is identical to the Pacifica, but with less standard equipment and a promised lower price. Chrysler relies heavily on minivan sales, as its only non-minivan is the 300 sedan.

Volkswagen has entered the carsharing market with the launch of its WeShare service in Berlin, Germany. Hoping to appeal to environmentally minded folks, it's the first such service to offer a fleet made up entirely of electric vehicles. WeShare will expand to other European countries in 2020, and possibly beyond.

Among many updates for the new model year, the 2020 Ford F-Series Duty gets a new Tremor off-road package. Additions like 35-inch tires, new dampers, and a locking rear differential add more rock-crawling capability to Ford's heavy-duty trucks. Ford also claims it will out tow the Ram Power Wagon.

The 2020 Audi Q7 gets a handful of updates, incorporating tech from other recent Audi models. Audi's three-row family hauler gets revised styling and an MMI infotainment system from the Q8, as well as 48-volt mild-hybrid tech. The 2020 Audi Q7 goes on sale in Europe in mid-September.

BMW turned a 5 Series sedan into one of the most powerful cars it has ever made, and it's using this prototype to test electric car components. Its drivetrain is made up of regular-production parts, like the motors that will power the iX3 due out in 2020, but the supercar-beating sedan won't reach production.

A big rig recently motored along the Florida Turnpike at 55 mph without anyone behind the wheel. Fortunately, it was supposed to be that way, as the vehicle was part of a carefully controlled test drive involving a remote driver and autonomous technology created by high-tech trucking company Starsky Robotics.

The day when we can hop into a compact, electric, autonomous flying machine to zip across town edged a little closer this week when Boeing announced a new partnership with Kitty Hawk, a California-based startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page that's been working on such an aircraft.

The Audi SQ8 TDI is a sportier version of the Audi Q8 SUV. Its diesel powertrain means the SQ8 TDI won't come to the United States, but it will give European buyers a new performance SUV option. Under the hood sits a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 making 429 hp and 664 pound-feet of torque.

British heavy equipment manufacturer JCB has built the world's fastest tractor, with a little help from the Williams Formula One team. The tractor surpassed 100 mph at a British airfield. It boasts 1,000 horsepower, courtesy of a turbocharged and supercharged diesel engine.

Apple has cracked open its massive war chest to purchase self-driving car startup Drive.ai. The four-year old, California-based company was about to shut down and lay off its 90 employees. There's no word yet on how much Apple paid for Drive A.I., or what it plans to do with it in the coming years.