The Fenomeno Roadster is the latest entry in that lineage, and it is the most powerful one yet.

Lamborghini calls these models its "Few Off" programme. The tradition started with the Reventón in 2007, extended to an open top Reventón Roadster in 2009, and has since produced open versions of the Veneno, Centenario and Sian. Each one arrived in numbers small enough to be sold out before the public reveal. The Fenomeno Roadster caps production at 15 examples, making it less than half as numerous as the Fenomeno Coupe unveiled at Monterey Car Week in 2025, which was limited to 29 units.

The powertrain

The engine is a 6.5 litre naturally aspirated V12, which produces 835 CV at 9,250 rpm and 725 Nm of torque at 6,750 rpm on its own. Three electric motors supplement it: two sitting on the front axle providing torque vectoring and regenerative braking, and a third positioned above the eight speed twin clutch gearbox. Combined system output is 1,080 CV. The specific output of the V12 alone exceeds 128 CV per litre, a record for any Lamborghini V12 programme.

Performance figures are: 0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 seconds. 0 to 200 km/h in 6.8 seconds. Top speed above 340 km/h, which is 211 miles per hour.

The 7 kWh lithium ion battery also enables a fully electric driving mode, though Lamborghini is wisely quiet about how far that takes you. The standard Revuelto, which underpins the Fenomeno, is rated by the EPA for approximately eight kilometres of emissions free driving. Pure electric range is not why you buy this car.

What makes it a Roadster and not just a Coupe with the roof cut off

Removing the roof from any performance car creates aerodynamic problems that need to be solved, not ignored. The Fenomeno Coupe uses a air scoop mounted on the roof to feed cooling air to the V12 at high speed. Without a roof, that scoop disappears. Lamborghini redesigned the entire upper aerodynamic package.

A carbon spoiler integrated into the windshield header now channels air over the open cockpit and directly into a redesigned engine bay, replacing the Coupe's air scoop. The rear clamshell was reshaped. The active rear wing was reprofiled for the open configuration. A revised diffuser was added. According to Lamborghini, the Roadster matches the Coupe for downforce, stability and brake cooling despite the open structure.

The rollover protection required by safety regulations sits behind the seats, integrated into what Lamborghini calls Speedster humps. These are not decorative. The structures are structural, aerodynamically shaped to reduce turbulence at high speed, and cover the rollover arches without the aesthetic compromise that solutions in less considered cars produce.

The monocoque is a carbon fibre monofuselage, the same inspired by aerospace structure used in the Revuelto. The front structure uses Lamborghini's Forged Composite, integrating crash structures, windshield frame, rear bulkhead and side sills into a single bonded carbon assembly. Adding the open top structure required only a few kilograms of additional weight over the Coupe. Lamborghini attributes this to a patented combination of long and short carbon fibres bonded with a fluid mixture, used here for the first time in a hybrid configuration on any production Lamborghini.

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The design

The reveal car wears Blu Cepheus over Rosso Mars, chosen as a tribute to the city of Bologna and a visual reference to the 1968 Miura Roadster. The hexagonal motif that runs through Lamborghini's current design language appears everywhere: in the side skirts, wheel arches, air intakes, LED light signatures and the tall hexagonal exhaust outlet at the rear.

The side windows drop low in the middle, a shape that Autoblog compared to the Veneno Roadster. The effect is part fighter jet, part architecture firm's concept sketch. Design director Mitja Borkert described the objective as placing the powertrain at the centre of visual attention, with the driver placed inside rather than on top of the car.

Tyres are Bridgestone Potenza Sport, developed specifically for this model in 265/30 ZRF21 at the front and 355/25 ZRF22 at the rear. A semi slick next generation Potenza on smaller wheels is available as the track alternative, homologated for public roads.

The interior is built around carbon fibre, Corsatex fabric based on Dinamica, and Lamborghini's patented Carbon Skin material. Three digital displays with hexagonal graphics combine with haptic controls and aviation style switches in what Lamborghini calls its Pilot Interaction layout.

Price and availability

Lamborghini has not disclosed a price. The Fenomeno Coupe started at approximately €3.5 million. Independent estimates from HotHardware and GTSpirit place the Roadster in a range of €3 million to more than €5 million per car. All 15 examples are understood to have been sold ahead of the public reveal. If you have not already been offered one, you were not on the list.

CEO Stephan Winkelmann described the car in the terms Lamborghini reserves for occasions like this: "Fenomeno Roadster represents the purest expression of our brand values: visionary design, uncompromising performance, and absolute exclusivity. Each example is conceived as a collectible masterpiece, where engineering excellence meets true bespoke craftsmanship."

That sentence has been said before, about the Veneno and the Centenario and the Sian. It will be said again about whatever comes after the Fenomeno Roadster. It keeps being true.

Sources:

• Lamborghini official press release — Fenomeno Roadster: Lamborghini's most powerful open-top
• Motor1 — Lamborghini Fenomeno Roadster Revealed: Details, Specs, Photos
• Autoblog — Lamborghini Fenomeno Roadster Revealed with 1,065-HP V12 and Weird Side Windows
• GTSpirit — Lamborghini Fenomeno Roadster: Wilder Than Ever
• The EV Report — Lamborghini Fenomeno Roadster: 1,080 CV V12 Hybrid Limited to 15 Units
• DriveSpark — Lamborghini Fenomeno Roadster: 1,065bhp Hybrid V12, 15 Units Only

Now, with a reimagined, all-electric Renault 4 in town, the company has revisited the idea – but only as a concept for now. It’s called the Renault 4 JP4x4  (that’s a lot of fours), and revives the spirit of those original beachfront 4s in brilliant fashion.

It’s based on last year’s 4 Savane concept, which saw ground clearance upped by 15mm and a small second electric motor added to the rear axle for full-time all-wheel drive. That car is rumoured for production, but the JP4x4 feels like it has less of a shout of reaching showrooms.

It loses the regular 4’s greenhouse for an open-roof arrangement, albeit one that incorporates proper rollover protection and an X-frame arrangement for stiffness. It’s now a two-door rather than a four, and said doors are little more than flaps designed to stop occupants falling out on corners. Oh, and Renault's whacked a surfboard on top, because of course it has. The whole thing’s finished off in a new shade, Emerald Green, that nods to a colour available on the original 4.

Renault 4 JP4x4 concept - interior

Inside, the back seats are gone, and the fronts are a new bucket design trimmed in a mixture of mesh and crepe fabric. Several other bits of the interior get a new textile covering, too.

Read More

Stop What You’re Doing: Lotus is Building a New 1,000bhp V8 Supercar Sanrivatti is a New Hypercar Maker Designing Cars Around the Human Body

Frankly, with so few new cars in existence for the sole purpose of having fun, we really hope Renault finds a way to offer a limited run of JP4x4s. The company’s already shown its willingness to give niche products like the 5 Turbo 3E the green light, so maybe there’s a chance that in a couple of years, you might spot one of these on your holiday to the Med, silently whizzing around some people who are inevitably far more glamorous than you.

Renault 4 JP4x4 concept - side

Until then, the JP4X4 concept is making its public debut later this week at the Roland-Garros French Open tennis tournament, which seems a bit weird until you learn that Renault is a major sponsor and is also launching a Roland-Garros Edition of the regular 4 there.

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It's been over 20 years since Lotus had a V8 under the hood of one of its cars. Since then, it's messed around with four cylinders, six cylinders and even electrification, but at long last, it looks like the V8 is back. The equal parts storied and troubled British automaker has teased a new V8 hybrid supercar that's set to hit the streets in 2028, and I'll give you exactly one guess as to what it's going to be called.

Right now, Lotus simply refers to the car, which will sits above the mid-engined Emira, as the Type 135, but we don't expect that name to stick, because there's little doubt in our minds that this 1,000-horsepower beast is going to be called anything other than Esprit. There's no word on exactly what motor is going to power the Type 135 when it goes into production. After all, it's been a hell of a long time since Lotus has built its own engine. Currently, its only combustion-powered car, the Emira, uses either a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder from Mercedes-AMG or a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 from Toyota. I wouldn't be shocked if the Type 135 employs the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 found in other Mercedes-AMG products, but Lotus says it will use its propriety X-Hybrid system we recently saw on a new Eletre variant. I suppose time will tell in that regard, as well as where it'll be built. Lotus says production is "expected" to take place in Europe, but it remains to be seen if that'll happen at its home factory in Norfolk, England, or somewhere else.

Oddly, Lotus has touted the Type 135 as the company's first supercar, which it just, well, isn't. I mean, you could argue the Esprit V8 was a supercar for its time, and even if you don't count that, the all-electric Evija definitely is one. I mean, yes, Lotus is only planning to build 130 of them, and it may have only made a dozen or two by now, but it has over 2,000 horsepower and can hit 217 mph. That's absolutely a supercar (or, I guess it's more of a hypercar). Whatever, I don't make the rules.

At least we know the new supercar won't just be a hopped-up Emira, as Lotus says it's an "all-new car." Right now, there's just one teaser image to go off, showing the awesome-looking rear end. It seems to take a hell of a lot of inspiration from the Theory 1 concept vehicle that we first saw back in September of 2024, pictured below.

Lotus

The Type 135 is part of a wider shift away from battery-electric vehicles at Lotus after the company badly fumbled the all-electric plans it previously announced. Lotus said it was going to be all-electric by 2028, and that's very much not happening anymore. In 2025, it suffered a $371 million operating loss and deliveries fell a worrying 46% to just 6,520 vehicles, according to Automotive News.

This car is part of a wider company reset that it's calling "Focus 2030." It's meant to emphasize hybrids in an effort to return to profitability, and it sets a long-term goal for the company to return annual sales to 30,000 vehicles by that year. Its breakeven point would be at 20,000, AutoNews says.

"Lotus was born from the rebellious spirit of Colin Chapman, and that is not lost today. Focus 2030 will reset both the brand and the business to keep us true to our DNA," Qingfeng Feng, Lotus Group CEO, said in a statement. "We are obsessed with engineering, obsessed with performance and obsessed with building drivers' cars, and that is what will grow this business."

The company says it wants to get back to its roots in many ways (believe it or not, the electric Eletre crossover may not be it) by focusing on lightness, aerodynamics, engineering and driver engagement. We'll learn more details about the Type 135 later this year.

• The concept car will be unveiled at the 2026 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este.
• Although a showcar, we wouldn't necessarily rule out a production version.
• It's likely going to have a combustion engine.

BMW is setting the Internet ablaze with the first teaser image of an all-new Alpina product since it took control of the brand name at the beginning of the year. Although the image has terrible resolution, the shadowy photo clearly shows a grand tourer-type vehicle with a dramatic coupe roofline, a long wheelbase, and possibly only two doors.

The “Vision” part of its name suggests it’s not a production model but rather a show car. It’s headed to the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, where BMW has built a healthy tradition of unveiling spectacular concept cars. Most never made it to production, but that trend has started to change in recent years. The targa-topped Skytop has since entered production, and the Speedtop shooting brake will follow, both based on the now-discontinued M8 Coupe.

It’s too soon to say which BMW this Alpina concept is based on. However, it appears closer in size to the 8 Series Coupe than to the 4 Series Coupe. If a production version follows, it’s unlikely to be a completely bespoke product since that wouldn’t make financial sense for a low-volume car. A stately coupe with a 2+2 layout seems logical now that the 8er has gone out of production.

The new luxury brand under the BMW Group umbrella will cater to the “discerning few,” which can only mean a limited production run. These models will be assembled at existing factories where the German automaker is investing to prepare them for Alpina-badged vehicles. If this coupe gets the green light, it’ll cost significantly more than a typical BMW, though without encroaching on Rolls-Royce territory.

Although reports suggest an electric Alpina is a matter of when rather than if, we strongly believe this concept hides a combustion engine beneath that imposingly long hood. The company’s Instagram account is filled with hints about what lies ahead, and one photo shows the traditional elliptical four-pipe exhaust setup. Our money is on a V8, as the mighty V12 could remain exclusive to Rolls-Royce.

BMW Alpina will also update the signature 20-spoke wheel design and the iconic side stripes, which will be hand-painted going forward. Expect a retro-flavored blue paint job paired with a matching leather interior. Whatever this turns out to be, it’s shaping up to be a real looker, and we’re genuinely glad it’s not an SUV.

Motor1's Take: BMW must tread carefully with such a revered brand, but we’re confident that even diehard fans of the Bovensiepen-era Alpina will appreciate the new direction. This Vision concept is the first sign of that shift, transforming Alpina into a Mercedes-Maybach rival.

Because Alpina will sit somewhere between high-end BMWs and Rolls-Royce, it’ll likely focus exclusively on large, expensive vehicles. Consequently, we wouldn’t hold our breath for the return of the 3 Series or even the 5 Series with an Alpina badge. Instead, the first models will likely be based on the recently facelifted 7 Series and next year’s second-generation X7.

Hopefully, this lavish coupe also gets the green light. It would be a great way to make a statement: Alpina has arrived.

• Kia has set its sights on developing a production version of the Vision Meta Turismo.
• It'll be fully electric, yet still offer an emotional connection.
• High costs are slowing down development, but the car will eventually go on sale.

Even though Kia’s lineup has expanded in recent years with a myriad of models, a true Stinger successor is still nowhere to be seen. However, a sports sedan is in the works, minus the combustion engine. The company’s design boss has revealed that a production version of last year’s Vision Meta Turismo is in development and will serve as a “sports sedan for the gamer generation.”

In an interview with Autocar magazine, Karim Habib said Kia wants to explore segments beyond SUVs, and a sedan would fit the bill. Interestingly, a fastback version is apparently “90-percent production-ready,” meaning it too has a real shot at reaching production one day.

Neither model will have an engine, as Kia believes younger buyers aren’t as interested in ICE vehicles as older generations, according to the company’s head of interior design. On the same note, Jochen Paesen reckons younger buyers also don’t care much for EVs with artificial engine noises, adding that the same applies to simulated gear shifts. These characteristics are gaining traction among other automakers, including sister brand Hyundai, with the Ioniq 6 N sedan.

Kia Aims To Make An Emotional Electric Sports Car

Even without artificial elements meant to replicate the experience of an ICE car, Kia is confident it can forge an emotional connection between drivers and EVs. The concept foreshadows a Stinger-like GT developed from the ground up as a performance vehicle. But Habib admitted that the vehicle’s nature is “slowing us down” in terms of the pace of development due to high costs. Rather than being a sporty version of an existing model, the production-ready Vision Meta Turismo will be a dedicated performance EV.

“We have a small history of doing cars like the Stinger and that's something we don't want to give up on. The Vision Meta Turismo is our idea of a sports sedan for the gamer generation.”

When the concept made its first public appearance last month during Milan Design Week, Kia didn’t go into technical specifications, but it did make some bold claims. The company promised “a more dynamic, engaging, and visceral driving experience” in an edgy sedan with a lounge-like interior.

Since Kia isn’t providing a firm timeline for the car’s launch, the sporty electric sedan is unlikely to go on sale within the next couple of years.

Motor1's Take: It’s refreshing to hear that not everything will be an SUV, and a Stinger-like sedan is exactly what the company needs to add more variety to its lineup.

The production model will obviously be toned down, and hopefully the buttonless interior will make way for a more functional layout with at least some physical controls. Likewise, the razor-sharp bodywork will probably be softened a bit, as the concept looks almost too futuristic for its own good.

If Kia wants to convince Stinger fans to switch to electric power, the driving experience will matter most. Without a twin-turbo V6 under the hood, luring customers back into showrooms won’t be easy. Then again, the goal is to attract younger buyers who apparently aren’t all that interested in ICE vehicles. Instead, the Korean brand believes design and technology are what will persuade the so-called “gamer generation” to take the plunge and buy cars.

The striking GT concept was revealed in Korea last year to mark Kia's 80th birthday. It sits on a new platform and showcases a bold new era of design for Kia called Opposites United: Evolution.

The current design language, Opposites United, started with the EV6 in 2021 and defined every model up until the EV2, unveiled last month.

Asked what was stopping Kia from putting the electric four-door super-GT into production today, design chief Karim Habib told Autocar: "At this point, it is more strategic. It's a pure EV and the price of doing a high-performance EV is what is slowing us down. Hopefully, the upward movement of EVs keeps going. I think there will be more openness to this [type of] car. At least that's what we're betting on."

He added: "We have a small history of doing cars like the Stinger and that's something we don't want to give up on. The Meta Turismo is our idea of a sports sedan for the gamer generation. A few years ago, we started thinking about what could we do beyond SUVs? We do produce and sell a lot of SUVs, which is good, but we also believe that there's more than that."

Autocar was recently invited to see the concept, alongside a proposed fastback variant that is a close match in profile to the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and has yet to be shown publicly. Habib said the team had already created a "90% production-ready" model, suggesting it could also be in Kia's plans.

Europe design boss Oliver Samson said: "We wanted to answer that question to ourselves: is that something we could do or how would that look like? In order for us to answer the question, we needed to prove that it would work. And, yeah, [we found that] it would be physically possible."

Compared with today's cars, the next generation of Kias won't look drastically different, which is why the new Opposites United: Evolution design language has been named to sound like a sequel.

Instead, the key changes will be in how the new cars feel to use.

Habib explained: "We design purposely futuristic looking cars because we want them again to promise a better future and we want people to follow us on that. The idea of finding new ways is not just to find new ways, because something new for the sake of new really doesn't bring anything. The point is that it needs to bring progress. It needs to bring something positive to the experience.

"And obviously with EVs and all the technology that has come with it - the difference in the architecture, the difference in the usability, the user experience - we believe it is progress for the automotive world. That is what we would like people to feel when they step into our cars."

The first model expected to be influenced by the new design language is a recently confirmed electric city car. Potentially positioned as an EV alternative to the Picanto, it could take the EV1 badge when it is unveiled later this year. It is expected to go on sale by the end of 2027.

The Opposites United: Evolution design language is intended to make electric cars more emotionally engaging, head of interior design Jochen Paesen told Autocar.

The Vision Meta Turismo is key to this, he said, and a vital requirement for meeting the brief is to ensure that when people "see the car, they think: 'Cool, I want to give that a go.'"

However, it isn't as easy as just making it sporty, giving it a virtual gearbox and pumping out fake engine noise because new-generation buyers aren't engaged by that, according to Paesen.

He said: "We're car people. We grew up on the side of a race track hearing V8s, but those are not the things that the younger generation care as much about. It actually doesn't trigger them. It triggered us, but we're living in a different age, so understanding what triggers the younger generation and gets them emotionally tied in and emotionally interested, that's important."

The emotional connection to electric cars will be crucial going forward, said Paesen, as "that's where, ultimately, differentiation will come in. That's where brands can stand out from each other, and that's where you can make a difference."

The interior will be a pivotal factor in this. While the Vision Meta Turismo's cabin features nothing that is immediately bound for production, its radically minimalist, functional and tech-led approach is being considered for the next-generation cars.

Modern Kias have always placed an importance on being functional. They have featured numerous physical buttons to control essential functions rather than putting everything behind a screen - and Paesen said the next stage is to make functionality its own aesthetic.

He explained: "We are not a premium brand. We design with our cost targets and we have to be very smart in how we do that. So we always try to look at how we can make the experience, how we make the usability, how we make the emotion, the smiles, come out in everything we do."

Kia won't look to differentiate its models based on their powertrain, but neither will it make all of its cars look the same, said Habib.

"We just want to be authentic," he explained. "So if there's a [need for a] grille, we're gonna have a grille... but it is not fixed in stone. You can speak [on this point] about exterior as well as interior. If you take a Seltos interior and an EV3 interior, there's a lot of things that overlap."

This approach has already started, according to Habib. He said: "One example: the Stonic facelift we just did actually looks more like an EV, because it had a fake grille before. [The air intakes are at the bottom.] So we found out that we can do something that looks like [electric] Kias but just looks the way it does, not because we want it to look EV."

This was a point also made by Pasen. He said: “EVs have given us the opportunity to do things in a new way. They have influenced the ICE cars and they've sort of driven ideas and thinking forward in the ICE world. But we're not trying to make an ICE [car] look like something else: it is still authentically an ICE [car], but they [ICE cars and EVs] influence each other.”

The next challenge is taking that forward to the generation beyond the next, said Pasen: “From an interior perspective, our interiors are quite minimal, quite simple, quite reduced. There is a trend towards reduction, simplification. What's interesting is: where does that go next? How do you keep that fresh? How do you keep that going? And how do you make sure that you're relevant?

"I think that's the key in making sure that people actually value what you do and how you've designed it. And it feels very personal. That's the key.”

They have long been a nice way for manufacturers to stoke a bit of excitement among their fans; to show off shiny new technologies or simply to test the reception to what they've got in the pipeline.

But for the first half a century of motoring, such machines simply didn't exist. Sure, prototypes were built to test engineering developments, but something purely aesthetic? How bourgeois.

The genesis came about in the 1930s when, having recovered from the devastation of the Great Depression, Detroit began plotting a new wave of more optimistic cars. Products devised to fulfil a spiritual need, rather than a rational one: to capture a nation's appetite for individualism after so many years as a starved collective.

Out went the engine-and-boxcarriage design that had slowly evolved from the seminal 1885 Benz and in came unibodies with more organic cues.

The Chrysler Airflow of 1934 was the first car developed using a wind tunnel and, although a commercial failure, sparked a new trend in streamlining. Swooping curves and bold noses became the look of the moment, perhaps best exemplified by Graham-Paige's Model 97, better known as the Sharknose.

Meanwhile, Detroit bosses got into hot-rodding. Edsel Ford commissioned designer Bob Gregorie to build his own custom Model 40 speedster.

Harley Earl, head of General Motors' Art and Colour division, wanted in on the action, and so set to work on his own showboat.

It was to be badged a Buick, and it was to be named Y-Job, because it was a step forward compared with previous experiments. X-periments – geddit?

It was never meant to be sold to the public, simply to imagine cars that could exist in the future. This must have seemed plain odd at the time, and certainly Autocar didn't foresee the importance of what we called a "laboratory": in thinking not about the next car in the Buick lineage but those beyond it and the brand's defining cues as a whole, Earl became a pioneer of car design as we know it today.

Yet it also made the task of actually creating the thing more difficult. Paper sketches can't realistically capture the way a car looks and producing full-size metal models would have been prohibitively costly.

So Earl gathered a haul of clay and began rendering his ideas in three dimensions. In doing so, he established a practice that still forms a critical part of any car designer's repertoire.

The Y-Job was finished in 1938, but it didn't see the light of day until 5 April 1940.

"The modern trend toward speedy appearance is carried to an extreme by means of body lines closely resembling those of racing cars," we reported that July.

"Most ingenious of all and interesting, however, is the automatic hood: an electrically operated mechanism controlled by a push button on the instrument panel lifts the deck lid on hinges, raises the folding top and lowers the deck lid into normal position again."

We continued: "Also noteworthy is an unusual arrangement of the instrument panel, with a radio unit inset at the middle and its controls mounted on top. Speedometer and gauges are placed in front of the steering wheel with the large speedometer dial high on the panel for best visibility."

This all seems elementary now, yet we only perceive it as so because Earl looked into his crystal ball and laid the foundations for the future of motoring.

He had also succeeded in his ambition to build the ultimate company car: he drove the Y-Job daily until 1951. Earl retired seven years later, ending an illustrious career in which he had introduced Cadillac's iconic tail fins, penned the first Chevrolet Corvette and almost single-handedly turned car design into a business in its own right.

And in the decades that followed, every manufacturer came to view concepts as regular necessities.

A prototype has been caught testing with alterations including new front and rear bumpers and daytime running lights, plus the addition of a small lip spoiler on its roof.

Inside, it looks to swap the three-seat rear bench for the two individual 'captain's chairs' that were previously exclusive to the stretched Defender 130.

The Defender’s previous refresh, revealed in May last year, brought a revised headlight design with a smaller projector section, plus an array of new safety systems mandated by the EU's GSR2 legislation.

The new revisions are likely hoped to improve the Defender’s competitiveness against an onslaught of fresh rivals, such as the forthcoming BMW X5 and updated Mercedes-Benz GLE, plus Chinese newcomers including the Denza B5.

JLR has enjoyed significant success with the Defender, which is its best-selling model. During the first three quarters of the firm’s 2025-26 financial year, it sold 107,132 Defenders at retail (ie to actual buyers rather than dealers), compared with 110,296 by the same point in the year prior.

It's notable that the year-on-year dip in sales measured only 2.9%, despite the cyber attack that hampered JLR's ability to build and register new cars between September and October 2025. 

For reference, JLR sold 66,993 examples of the Range Rover during the same period in 2025-26 and 74,059 Range Rover Sports.

It promises unrivalled off-road performance with on-road niceties. But does it deliver?

The brand has released a rear-end shot of the car (see below) that shows inspiration from 2024's Theory 1 electric supercar concept but features two massive exhaust pipes.

It last sold a V8 in 2004, when it finally axed the Esprit, and the new supercar will inevitably draw comparisons with one of the most famous models in its back catalogue.

The Geely-owned company also promised that the new model will be informed by processes of the Lotus of old, suggesting a return to extreme lightweighting.

“Lotus was born from the rebellious spirit of [founder] Colin Chapman, and that is not lost today,” CEO Feng Qingfeng said in a statement.

Indeed, the new supercar will be a hybrid rather than a plug-in hybrid in order to save weight, Lotus said. 

PHEV drivetrains deliver more power yet are also seen as more emissions-friendly. As such, many supercar makers have pivoted towards PHEV power, resulting in the Aston Martin Valhalla, Lamborghini Temerario and Ferrari 296 GTB.

Lotus didn’t confirm which V8 engine its new supercar would use, but the company currently buys in a turbo four from Mercedes-AMG for its Emira sports car and could extend that deal to include the AMG V8 used by Aston Martin. 

Indeed, the German company has just reworked that 'M177' 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged engine for a new wave of models, giving it a motorsport-derived flat-plane crank. 

How Autocar imagines the new Lotus supercar could look

In the recently refreshed Mercedes S-Class, the V8 develops 530bhp and 553lb ft of torque, and Autocar understands that work is being done to push it beyond 650bhp and 590lb ft for more performance-focused models, suggesting a 0-62mph time comfortably under 4.0sec.

Lotus said its new supercar is “likely” to be built in Europe, without specifying that it will definitely be produced alongside the Emira and Eviya hypercar at its long-time home in Hethel, Norfolk. 

The supercar has been created at Lotus’s design centre in Coventry, as was the Theory 1 concept. If it carries over more than just the look of that EV, a McLaren F1-style three-seat arrangement could feature.

The 4490mm-long Theory 1 was designed to be an approachable supercar, rather than a hypercar like the wild 2011bhp Evijia. For example, weight was reduced by using a carbonfibre tub. At the time, Lotus said 85% of the technology displayed in the model was ready for production.

The news of the V8 supercar is part of a wider shift within Lotus towards a mixed powertrain strategy after the company abandoned its plan to go all-electric by 2028. 

The new supercar has the codename Type 135, which had originally been applied to the now-cancelled electric replacement for the Emira.

In the next few weeks, Lotus will instead unveil an update to the ICE Emira that will make it “the most powerful and lightest Emira built”. 

The company previously said the Emira could get PHEV power as part of a facelift timed to comply with the Euro 7 emissions regulation change in 2027 for existing models. However, the refreshed model being “lighter” than the current 1.5-tonne pure-ICE car throws this into doubt.

As part of its pivot away from EVs, Lotus said today that it wants to increase PHEV sales to 60% of its global total “in the short term” as it ramps up production of the new Eletre X SUV.

Already reaching customers in China, this new PHEV model will reach Europe in the last three months of this year and the UK in 2027.

Kia's Vision Meta Turismo concept is one cool-ass sedan, meant to actually go into production and take the place of the much-loved and little-appreciated Stinger GT once the economics make a bit more sense. Believe it or not, now is not the best time to start selling a big, powerful, expensive electric sedan.

The futuristic sedan, which was revealed in Korea last year to market the brand's 80th birthday, is apparently a Stinger GT for the "gamer generation," design boss Karim Habib told Autocar. I've got no idea what that means. In all likelihood, it's a play on how the car is meant to appeal to young people, but I'd rather muse about it's actually a car aimed at people with Cheeto-dust fingers, Mountain Dew blood and a penchant for calling their mom "that b*tch.

No matter what form a Stinger successor took — gamer or not — it would be incredibly welcome. I mean, Kia currently sells 12 (including the upcoming EV3) different vehicles, and just two of them are sedans. While the K4 and K5 are very good commuter cars, they're not really in the same league as the mighty Stinger. Maybe that successor is finally coming.

Kia

Habib told Autocar that Kia wants to explore vehicle segments beyond SUVs. After all, Kia sells seven different crossover/SUVs right now, so the market is pretty well saturated. But, do y'all know what isn't an SUV? A sports sedan, and Habib says a fastback version of the Vision Meta Turismo is something like "90% production ready." While nothing is set in stone, he's making it sound like there's a real chance it could go into production at some point.

The only thing holding Kia back, right now, is a very clear lack of demand from the market.

"At this point, it is more strategic. It's a pure EV and the price of doing a high-performance EV is what is slowing us down. Hopefully, the upward movement of EVs keeps going. I think there will be more openness to this [type of] car," Habib told Autocar. "At least that's what we're betting on."

Another thing Kia is betting on, according to Autocar, is that younger buyers aren't as interested in gas-powered vehicles as older generations are.

We're car people. We grew up on the side of a race track hearing V8s, but those are not the things that the younger generation cares as much about. It actually doesn't trigger them. It triggered us, but we're living in a different age, so understanding what triggers the younger generation and gets them emotionally tied in and emotionally interested, that's important," Interior design boss Jochen Paesen said.

He added that young people also don't care much for EVs with fake engine noises, and I can't tell you if that's true or not, but I can tell you that it doesn't really matter. You see, the "gamer generation" doesn't have any money, honey. While it would be cool to see a Stinger revival in the form of the Visiona Meta Turismo or something similar, if its fate depends on the economics working out, I've got a feeling we're going to be waiting for a long, long time.

We’ve already gotten a glimpse of some of what’s coming, like the new RS5 and the updated Q4. But there’s plenty more on the way that we haven’t seen yet—including a few SUVs Audi is hoping will make a real dent in the competitive three-row segment.

Some of these models won’t arrive until later in the year, but the first wave of Audi’s new lineup is just a few weeks away. Here’s what’s coming.

European readers might remember the A2. If not, here’s the quick rundown: the original Audi A2 was a quirky, ultra-efficient compact family car that launched in 2000 and built a loyal following before ending production in 2005. Now, Audi is bringing the name back with a similar focus on efficiency.

This time around, though, the A2 returns as a compact electric vehicle under the E-Tron banner, with design cues inspired by the original’s distinctive look. Like the first model, it’s expected to be a Europe-focused product, so don’t expect to see it in the US. It should ride on Volkswagen Group’s MEB or MEB+ platform, with battery options likely ranging from around 58.0 to 79.0 kilowatt-hours. Look for it to arrive sometime this fall.

Even though the market has cooled a bit, Audi isn’t backing away from China—in fact, it’s doubling down. Or rather, AUDI is, as it’s branded locally. The company launched its first EV there last year, the E5 Sportback, and now a second model is on the way.

The E7X is a fully electric SUV developed through Audi’s joint venture with SAIC. It shares a lot with the E5 Sportback, including its design language and powertrain, using an advanced 900-volt system that delivers up to 670 horsepower and roughly 750 kilometers (466 miles) of range on China’s CLTC cycle. It debuted in April and should hit showrooms before the end of the year.

The new RS5 is finally here, and it’s a big step up from the standard S5, which didn’t exactly set the world on fire. The RS5 gets a serious performance boost thanks to a plug-in hybrid setup built around a twin-turbo 2.9-liter V6 paired with a 25.9-kilowatt-hour battery. Combined, it produces 603 horsepower and 608 pound-feet of torque.

One of the best parts? It comes in two body styles—a sharp sedan and a stunning wagon. Whether the wagon makes it to the US is still up in the air, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed. The RS5 should go on sale in just a few months, though pricing hasn’t been announced yet—and it won’t be cheap.

Even after an unfortunate prototype crash during Nürburgring testing, the next RS6 still looks like it’s shaping up to be something special. It’s expected to stick with Audi’s iconic twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, likely paired with some form of hybrid assistance. Output could push past 700 horsepower.

And just like the RS5, there’s a chance we’ll see multiple body styles, possibly including a sedan alongside the traditional wagon—especially with the S7 and RS7 being phased out. Expect a debut in the coming months.

The Q4 E-Tron quietly lives on, now updated for the 2027 model year. It’s still a Europe-only model, but it remains one of Audi’s more popular compact EVs there.

Updates include a larger battery, now up to 185.0 kilowatt-hour battery, along with faster charging—going from 10 to 80 percent in about 27 minutes. Both the standard SUV and Sportback versions are getting the refresh, with sales in Europe starting later this month.

One of Audi’s most important models in the US, the Q7, is finally gearing up for a proper overhaul. Given that the current generation has been around since 2015, a new model is long overdue.

The next Q7 is expected to keep the formula that’s made it successful—multiple engine choices, clean styling, and a practical three-row layout—but with a much more modern take. Full details aren’t out yet, but big changes are clearly on the way when it arrives later this year.

If the Q7 isn’t big enough, Audi has something even larger coming: the Q9. The German automaker has confirmed that the new SUV will sit above the Q7 and serve as the brand’s flagship SUV.

Expect a more upscale design, upgraded tech, and a noticeably larger interior. Engine options will likely include V6 and possibly V8 choices, as Volkswagen Group still isn’t ready to fully step away from bigger combustion engines. Details are still scarce, but it should debut later this year.

Audi’s longer-term plans are just as busy. As early as 2027, we could see a production version of its "TT successor," previewed by the Concept C. It’s expected to use an 800-volt architecture shared with the upcoming electric Porsche 718.

And even beyond that, Audi hasn’t ruled out a true successor to the A8 sedan before the end of the decade. There are also ongoing rumors of a potential new supercar somewhere down the line. Nothing confirmed yet—but clearly, Audi isn’t slowing down anytime soon.

That changes now, and the Furia is making a credible case for its inclusion.

Adamastor was founded in 2010 and spent its early years in composite manufacturing and motorsport engineering before pivoting to road cars in 2018. Five years of development followed. What emerged is a genuine, testable, machine that has been proven in prototype testing that has recently completed an intensive round of track sessions at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão without a single reliability issue. Test driver Diogo Matos has been putting Prototype 001 through its paces, and Autoblog reports the feedback has been consistently positive.

This is not a digital render with a press release attached. The Furia exists, it has been driven hard, and Adamastor is now moving toward production.

What it is built from

The Furia is a carbon fibre monocoque with a centrally mounted engine driving the rear wheels, and a layout designed from the ground up around aerodynamic performance. The body is entirely carbon fibre. The underbody uses two Venturi channels to generate a significant proportion of the downforce without relying heavily on wing elements above the body. Adamastor quotes over 1,000 kilograms of downforce at 155 miles per hour. The circuit focused version they have also developed pushes that figure to approximately 1,800 kilograms at the same speed.

Fully adjustable double wishbone suspension at both ends allows the car to be configured for either road or circuit use. The braking system is AP Racing with six piston aluminium calipers at the front and four piston units at the rear. ABS and traction control are fitted.

The gearbox is a Hewland sequential unit operated via paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Hewland is the same company whose gearboxes appear in a large proportion of serious single seater racing cars. Fitting it to a road car is an emphatic statement about what the Furia is designed to do.

Dry weight is approximately 1,100 kilograms. By comparison, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS weighs 1,450 kilograms. The Furia is 350 kilograms lighter than that.

The engine

The power unit is the 3.5 litre twin turbo V6 developed by Ford Performance for the Ford GT. It produces more than 650 horsepower and 421 pound feet of torque available from low in the rev range. This is not a modified road car engine with a new exhaust note. It is the same bespoke racing unit that powered the Ford GT to its Le Mans class victory in 2016 in a car that beat Ferrari at the most famous endurance race in the world.

The claimed figures are 0 to 62 miles per hour in around 3.5 seconds and a top speed exceeding 186 miles per hour in the road legal configuration. Top Gear described those as respectable but not groundbreaking by modern standards. What the numbers do not fully capture is the significance of 650 horsepower in a car weighing 1,100 kilograms: that is a power to weight ratio of 590 horsepower per tonne, comparable to the McLaren Senna and significantly above the Porsche GT3 RS.

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The price and the ambition

Sixty examples will be built. Each costs €1.6 million before Portuguese VAT at 23 percent, which takes the figure to just under €2 million. In US dollars at current exchange rates, that is approximately $2.3 million. In context: an Aston Martin Valkyrie starts at around $3 million. A Pagani Utopia opens at $2.6 million. A Koenigsegg Jesko Absolut was listed at $3 million before production sold out. The Furia is expensive by any standard except the one it has chosen to compete in.

The company name comes from Adamastor, the sea monster in Luis de Camões' epic poem Os Lusíadas, the defining work of Portuguese literature, written to celebrate Vasco da Gama's voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. The car's name, Furia, means rage. The naming decisions are deliberate: this is a project built around Portuguese identity in a way that few startup supercar companies attempt.

Adamastor has stated its broader ambition publicly. The Furia platform is intended as the foundation for a racing programme aimed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The engine that powers the road car already has a Le Mans class win on its record. The aerodynamics were developed to generate circuit level downforce. The gearbox is a racing unit. The path to Le Mans is not a marketing fantasy built on a road car that happens to look sporty. It is a logical engineering progression from what Adamastor has already built.

The honest question

Every startup supercar company carries the same risk. Koenigsegg made it. Pagani made it. Czinger is making it. For every one that reaches production, a dozen announce ambitions and disappear. The question for Adamastor is whether 60 buyers at €1.6 million each will materialise for a brand nobody has heard of.

The answer depends partly on the car and partly on the people. The car is evidently real, technically credible, and impressive in its specifics. Adamastor has been working with carbon composites since 2014, which means the manufacturing expertise exists. Prototype 001 has completed serious circuit testing without breaking. The Le Mans aspiration gives the project a narrative that pure road car startups often lack.

The honest question the Carscoops review posed still stands: is €1.6 million a rational price for a first car from an unknown Portuguese brand? The answer depends entirely on whether you are buying performance per euro or buying rarity, story and national pride alongside it. Sixty people in the world will decide Adamastor's answer to that question.

Sources:

• Motor1 — This New Supercar Packs A Powerful Ford Engine
• Autoblog — Adamastor Furia Hypercar Moves Closer to Production as 60 Units Planned
• Carscoops — Portugal's Furia Borrows The Valkyrie's Look And Detroit's V6 For $1.9M
• Top Gear — Portugal's first supercar is the Ford V6-engined Adamastor Furia
• The Supercar Blog — Adamastor Furia: This Portuguese supercar is quietly getting very serious
• The News Wheel — Adamastor Unveils a 650-HP Machine Powered by a Ford GT Engine

The Type 00 concept, unveiled at Miami Art Week in December 2024, represented Jaguar's complete departure from everything the brand once stood for. No traditional grille. Flush door handles. Proportions that challenge every assumption about what a Jaguar should look like. The automotive world responded with equal measures of fascination and horror.

According to Autocar, the production name reveal comes as Jaguar prepares to transform itself into an all electric luxury brand under its new "Copy Nothing" philosophy. The company has made clear this is not just another model launch but a complete brand reinvention that will either save or sink the storied British marque.

The concept's radical design language sparked immediate debate when it first appeared. Industry analysts questioned whether any production car could maintain such extreme styling while meeting regulatory requirements and customer expectations. The lack of a traditional Jaguar grille alone challenged decades of brand identity.

What makes Monday's announcement particularly significant is the implication that this car will actually reach production. Concept cars typically serve as design exercises or future vision statements. The Type 00 appears destined for customer driveways, assuming Jaguar can navigate the engineering challenges of translating such radical design into reality.

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The naming decision carries enormous weight for Jaguar's future positioning. Traditional model names like XK, XF, and F Type connected directly to the company's racing heritage and luxury legacy. Whatever name Jaguar chooses for the Type 00 production version will signal how dramatically the brand intends to break from its past.

Early speculation suggests the production car will compete in the ultra luxury electric GT segment, potentially challenging established players like the Porsche Taycan and Mercedes EQS. The pricing and positioning strategy remains unclear, but Jaguar has indicated this will represent the premium end of their electric lineup.

The timing of the announcement also reflects broader industry pressures. Luxury automakers face increasing pressure to establish credible electric alternatives as traditional combustion engines face regulatory and consumer preference challenges. Jaguar's survival may depend on executing this transition flawlessly.

Production specifications and final design details remain closely guarded secrets. Images of camouflaged test vehicles suggest some elements of the concept's extreme styling will survive the transition to production, though regulatory requirements and manufacturing constraints typically force compromises.

The automotive press and Jaguar enthusiasts have spent months analyzing every detail of spy photographs and official statements for clues about the final product. Monday's announcement should provide the first definitive answers about whether this electric experiment represents genuine innovation or expensive folly.

GaukMotorBuzz.com will be covering the announcement as it happens, because this name reveal could define whether Jaguar's electric gamble pays off or becomes one of the automotive industry's most expensive mistakes.

Sources: Autocar - Jaguar Type 00 production name announcement

On February 14 1934, a specially prepared Mercedes racer set a mile record at speed in Hungary at an average of 196.7 mph. Auto Union's engineers went back to their drawing boards.

What they produced became one of the most extraordinary objects visually ever to travel at speed on a public road. They took a 1934 Type A Grand Prix car, bored its 4.4 litre V16 engine out to 5.0 litres, added a supercharger, and enclosed the whole thing in a teardrop aluminium bodyshell that had been developed with the help of Berlin's Adlershof Aeronautical Research Institute a first in European racing car construction, as the contemporary press noted at the time. The cockpit was fully enclosed with a canopy. The rear tapered to a fin. The wheels were covered by smooth fairings.

They called it the Rennlimousine, the racing sedan.

On February 15 1935, with Hans Stuck at the wheel and thousands of Italian spectators lining the autostrada north of Pisa, the Rennlimousine completed two mile runs from a rolling start in opposite directions. The average speed: 199 mph. The measured peak: 203.2 mph, or 326.975 kilometres per hour. Auto Union immediately proclaimed it the fastest racing car in the world.

The record was set on a straight section of road near the Italian city of Lucca. And so the car took its name.

What happened to it

Auto Union continued developing the Lucca and a sister car almost identical through 1935 and 1936, fitting a larger 6.0-litre V16 the following season. Then the war came. Development ceased. The cars were lost destroyed, dispersed or simply never recovered from the chaos of the chaos after the war. Audi Tradition, which has spent decades assembling the historic Silver Arrow collection, found itself without a single car from the early prewar Grand Prix era.

That gap is now filled.

The project began more than three years ago. Audi Tradition commissioned Crosthwaite & Gardiner the same British specialists who recreated the Auto Union Type 52 prototype in 2024 to rebuild the Lucca from scratch using historical photographs, period race reports and whatever archival documentation remained. Every component was made by hand. The streamlined bodywork, with its enclosed cockpit canopy and tapered tail section, was described by Audi as particularly extremely labour intensive complex compound curves formed individually in metal over a wooden frame.

Project manager Timo Witt, who has run Audi Tradition's historic vehicle collection since 2015 and spent more than a decade as a motorsport engineer before that, confirmed the project was completed in early 2026. At the end of April, Audi tested the recreation in its wind tunnel. The drag coefficient came in at 0.43. That number sounds modest by modern standards, but for a car with exposed wheels built using 1935 aerodynamic thinking, it was genuinely remarkable  a contemporary Mercedes-Benz saloon of the same era measured around 0.60.

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What is inside it

The original Lucca ran the Type A's enlarged 5.0-litre V16, producing around 340 to 370 horsepower depending on the tune. The recreation uses the larger 6.0 litre V16 from the later Type C racer, which was the unit Auto Union had already planned to fit before the war ended the programme. Audi quotes output at 520 PS, which equates to approximately 512 horsepower. The car weighs 960 kilograms.

Witt confirmed the engine modifications from the Avus configuration improved ventilation and revised cooling  were incorporated into the recreation to manage thermal stress during modern demonstration runs. Without those changes, he said, the car would be under too much heat stress to run reliably at events.

The fuel is correct to the original prewar specification in spirit: a cocktail of methanol, premium unleaded petrol and toluene. Toluene is a highly flammable, highly toxic compound derived from benzene that was standard in Grand Prix fuel blends of the era. The fact that this car runs on it in 2026 is either thrilling or alarming depending on your relationship with chemistry.

The first public appearance

The Lucca made its static debut this week in Lucca, Italy returning to the city where it set the record more than 90 years ago. It was unveiled at the same site on the autostrada, now a piece of ordinary Italian road that presumably its regular users have no idea is historically significant.

Its first public appearance in motion will be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 9 to 12 2026. It will run up the hill. A car with a 6.0 litre V16, 512 horsepower, 960 kilograms, and the aerodynamic profile of something that arrived from the future in 1935, going up Goodwood's famous climb.

The 2026 Porsche 911 Turbo S has a top speed of 200 mph. The Lucca, in its original form, hit 203. The new version has more power, less weight. Audi has confirmed it has no plans to find out exactly what it is now capable of.

That seems like a missed opportunity. But watching it run at Goodwood will do for a start.

Sources:

• Audi Media Center — Audi Tradition unveils Auto Union Lucca in Italy
• Carscoops — Audi's New V16 Supercar Was Designed 91 Years Before It Was Built
• Motor1 — Audi Has Recreated A 16-Cylinder Record Car
• Car Buzz — Audi Just Built A New 16-Cylinder Supercar That's Actually Very Old
• Robb Report — Audi Has Recreated A Record-Breaking Auto Union Lucca
• MSN via Road and Track — Audi Resurrects the Wild 1935 V16 Streamliner That Hit 203mph

• Finalists for the truck’s name include Orca, Outrider, and Bushwalker.
• Whoever guesses the winning name will get the first example of the ute.
• Chery’s truck launches first as a diesel plug-in hybrid with a 2.5-liter four.

Chery is taking the fight to BYD, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu, and others with its new mid-size pickup truck, previewed earlier this year. The show car was known as the KP31, but that codename is changing for production, and the automaker has whittled down a long list of potential names to a shortlist of nine.

After opening submissions to Australian fans in recent weeks, Chery received more than 20,000 entries. Ultimately, those on the shortlist have been selected because they all have links to Australia, though some are stronger than others.

Read: The Chinese Pickup Taking On Ford’s Ranger Just Got An Interior Worth Talking About

The first name is Outrider, apparently in reference to someone who rides out to scout unknown territory. Another name is Orca, also known as the killer whale to many. Other names include Ironbark, inspired by local eucalyptus trees, Bushwalker, Stockman, Longreach, and Ridgeback.

Another name shortlisted is Terra, which would work well for a vehicle like Chery’s rugged pickup truck. However, that name is already reserved for Scout’s pickup truck, which is due to arrive as a 2028 model and may be offered in Australia. The last finalist is Mate, a popular Aussie term, but not one we’re sure works particularly well for a pickup truck’s name.

What Can We Expect From The New Chery?

Fans can now vote on their favorite of these names. The person who originally submitted the winning name will be handed the keys to the very first Chery pickup when it lands on local shores later this year.

Chery has confirmed the model will initially hit the market as a plug-in hybrid diesel with a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder. Although power figures are being kept under wraps, Chery says the model will have a towing capacity of 3,500 kg (7,716 lbs) and a payload of up to 1,000 kg (2,204 lbs). A petrol-powered plug-in hybrid will be added to the range at a later date.

Okay, in fairness, the canal-and-bicycle-obsessed nation does have a bit of a niche industry for building completely unhinged cars. There’s Donkervoort, whose cars are like Caterhams that exclusively listen to gabber, and Spyker, the maker of beautifully crafted aviation-inspired supercars which has just announced yet another comeback after going bankrupt for a second time.

They’re now going to be joined by Sanrivatti, which is debuting with a currently unnamed, unrevealed hypercar which, based on the few design sketches we’ve got, looks like it’ll draw heavy visual inspiration from the world of Le Mans prototype racers.

Pretty much every one of these upstart hypercar brands claims its products will be ‘driver-focused’, but what Sanrivatti says will set it apart in this area is that it’s taking this quite literally: the starting point of the design is said to be the human body – the driver’s posture, their lines of sight, even their instincts.

Sanrivatti design sketch - top

Sanrivatti’s founder and CEO, Santiago Sanchez, says the car is being built around a world-first “driver-centred vehicle architecture,” and goes on to say: “Our ethos draws from cutting-edge automotive engineering, with inspiration from the world of superbikes, where the connection between rider and road is immediate and physical, but also from something more fundamental: the belief that the most powerful four-wheeled experiences are still deeply analogue.”

Ah yes, analogue, that other word that boutique hypercar manufacturers like to throw around with glee as normal cars get more and more ‘digital’. We’ll admit that its meaning in a car context is starting to get a bit blurry, but what it generally means is a combustion engine, no electrical assistance and a manual gearbox, so we won’t be at all surprised if that’s the recipe Sanrivatti’s first car goes for.

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As easy as it would be to brush this off as yet another hypercar upstart that’ll make a lot of noise before sliding into development hell, Sanrivatti’s already put some proper work in to back up its claims: some form of proof-of-concept prototype is already up and running and putting in the work for this new take on a driver-focused hypercar, and we can apparently expect to find out more on the project in the coming months. We’ll be watching with interest.

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• The Volkswagen Golf R is going endurance racing for the 2027 24h Nürburgring.
• VW is working with Max Kruse Racing to develop the track-only machine.
• 2027 will mark 25 years of R models.

While some enthusiasts are still waiting for a five-cylinder Golf R, Volkswagen has a different idea for a hardcore hot hatch. Wolfsburg’s pocket rocket will race at the Nürburgring next year to mark a quarter century of R models. It’s a tradition that began in 2002 with the Golf R32 and continues today with the eighth-generation Golf and its range-topping R variant.

But this is no ordinary Golf R. Co-developed with Max Kruse Racing, the track-only machine is shaping up to be an entirely different beast. VW remains tight-lipped about the technical specifications, although we can already spot several key changes. The most obvious is a far more aggressive aerodynamic body kit, complete with a prominent front splitter that could easily double as a snowplow.

At the rear, VW has removed the tailgate glass to make way for an opaque panel supporting a gargantuan wing. Boxy wheel arches further distinguish the race car from its road-going counterpart, while a radical diffuser and vented front fenders are clear signs this isn’t a run-of-the-mill Golf R.

The Extreme Golf R Has A Side-Exit Exhaust

The absence of the R’s signature quad exhaust tips might suggest an electric powertrain, but that’s not the case. Hood vents point to a combustion engine requiring extra cooling, and a side exhaust is visible in some press shots. VW says the Golf R 24H is technically a show car for now, but work has already begun on the actual vehicle it intends to race at the Green Hell next year.

In the meantime, Reinhold Ivenz, Head of Volkswagen R, is making a bold claim: “the most spectacular Golf R to date.” We wouldn’t get our hopes up for a road-going version, as the Golf R 24H is strictly a race car. Still, a statement from spokesperson Martin Hube a couple of years ago hinted at the possibility of a “more track-oriented version.” We’ll have to wait and see whether a Golf R Clubsport will follow.

Motor1's Take: Although VW is pressing ahead with development of the ninth-generation, electric-only Golf, it’s encouraging to see the combustion-engine model isn’t being sidelined. A Nürburgring-ready race car is a welcome surprise, and there’s hope a toned-down version could eventually reach showrooms for enthusiasts.

Even with the Golf Mk9 set to launch later this decade, VW has made it clear the current combustion-engine model will continue. That gives the company ample time for a proper ICE send-off with an ultimate Golf. Ideally, lessons learned from the Golf R 24H show car will trickle down to a Clubsport-spec road model, but for now, that remains wishful thinking.

• Toyota’s turbocharged 2.4-liter four-cylinder could fit in the new RAV4.   
• There are no official plans to put the engine in the popular crossover.   
• The RAV4’s chief engineer revealed Toyota might consider it if consumers demand it.   

With the launch of the sixth-generation RAV4, Toyota also introduced a sportier GR variant. It’s not a full-blown GR model, getting the GR Sport badge instead, but a hotter crossover is possible if consumers demand it.   

In an interview with Australia’s Drive, the crossover’s chief engineer, Yoshinori Futonagane, revealed that a larger engine could fit under the hood of the RAV4. He said, "We could actually fit a 2.4-liter turbo in that engine compartment." 

Toyota’s turbocharged 2.4-liter T24A-FTS engine powers an assortment of models, including Lexus. The engine makes 275 horsepower in the RX350 and 366 hp in the RX 500h when paired with the automaker’s electric hybrid system.   

The turbocharged 2.4-liter engine alone wouldn’t be enough to surpass the GR Sport’s plug-in hybrid powertrain. It delivers 320 horsepower and features suspension and steering systems tuned by the GR engineering division.   

Will A GR RAV4 Actually Happen?   

A hot GR RAV4 is not on Toyota’s to-do list right now. Futonagane revealed that the automaker already believes the GR Sport is “powerful enough,” but that could change. He said:   

‘If people started making a noise and saying, 'Yeah, we want a 2.4-liter turbo', it might end up on the agenda.’  

While there are "no official plans at the moment," there appears to be only one remaining hurdle to a GR RAV4—management. Futonagane said, "The only bits that are missing is a corporate appreciation of the market demand and the potential wow factor."  

If Toyota green-lights a GR RAV4, it will likely feature a different powertrain than the T24A-FTS. The automaker is developing a new family of 1.5- and 2.0-liter four-cylinder combustion engines, which will also power Toyota’s future GR models.   

The engine could make up to 600 hp.    

Motor1's Take: We doubt Toyota has plans to put its turbocharged 2.4-liter into the RAV4 anytime soon, especially with a new range of engines in development. That doesn't mean the automaker is not considering a hotter GR variant. If the larger 2.4-liter engine can fit, so can the 600-hp 2.0-liter one, right? 

So, the racing version first: it’s built to the LMDh ruleset, which means it uses one of four spec chassis – McLaren has chosen the one made by Italian constructor Dallara – with the manufacturer’s own powertrain and bodywork. That powertrain, in this case, is a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6, with an MGU electric motor making it a hybrid system. 

McLaren MCL-HY - side

Overall, the system develops 697bhp, all sent to the rear wheels, and the car unsurprisingly runs to the Hypercar class’s 1,030kg minimum weight – although the thorny issue of the WEC’s Balance of Performance calculations could see it run heavier in races.

The looks have evolved a little from last year’s unnamed concept, but it’s still clearly trying to mimic McLaren’s road cars, mostly in those big, Senna-aping headlights. This eye-popping Papaya paint scheme isn’t the final race livery, but the one the MCL-HY will run during testing this year, although McLaren being McLaren, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the actual 2027 livery be just as vivid.

McLaren MCL-HY GTR - front

That race debut will come in the 2027 World Endurance Championship, which is running an as-yet-unannounced schedule but will be headlined by the 95th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the summer. Assuming there are no more manufacturer exits between now and then, McLaren will be competing for honours against Aston Martin, Cadillac, Toyota, Genesis, BMW, Peugeot, reigning Le Mans champs Ferrari, and Ford, which is also joining the fray in 2027. Porsche and Lamborghini, meanwhile, have both exited the Hypercar class in the last couple of years, and 2026 will be Alpine’s final season.

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But wait – what’s this about one you can buy? That’s the silver and orange car in these pictures. Originally announced last year as Project: Endurance, we now know it’ll be called the MCL-HY GTR, and it’ll ditch the hybrid element of the full on race car (the ‘HY’ part of the name refers to the Hypercar class rather than the hybrid system). That’ll not only make it lighter, but because it won’t have to meet racing regulations, the derestricted engine alone will be making more power than the hybrid racer at around 720bhp.

McLaren MCL-HY GTR - rear

McLaren hasn’t said how many GTRs it plans to build, or what the cost of entry will be, but expect the answers to be ‘not many’ and ‘a lot’, respectively. As well as the car itself, GTR buyers will also get behind-the-scenes access to the race car’s development and 2027 race season and a two-year, six-event programme of exclusive track days for them to play with their new toys at.

So, with McLaren back in the top class at Le Mans, as well as running an IndyCar team and, of course, its F1 effort, it’s about to become the only manufacturer with a shot of claiming motorsport’s Monaco-Indianapolis-Le Mans ‘Triple Crown’ in a single season. Reckon it can do it?

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Jalopnik is a transportation blog, where we write about any and all forms of transport from space crafts to submarines, but no form of transportation is quite as occult as the hearse. They are purpose-built vehicles that have a sole mission: transport dead bodies. One car company tends to dominate the American hearse market, and that's Cadillac. If I ask you to envision a hearse, odds are you envision a black Cadillac, and GM's poshest brand is about to introduce a new type of hearse, the 2027 Cadillac Lyriq Coachbuilder Funeral Hearse.

Prior to this, Cadillac supplied coachbuilders with XT5s to convert into hearses, and prior to that, the XTS was the Cadillac of choice for hearse builders. According to GM Authority, the all-electric 2027 Cadillac Lyriq hearse "will be offered in a single rear-wheel-drive configuration, with an equipment package broadly aligned with the Luxury and Sport trims of the consumer-spec Cadillac Lyriq."

Cadillac

Unfortunately photos of the Lyriq hearse are not available at the moment, but we know the spec of these specialized cars will be quite unusual. Lyriqs with this package will not be available with Super Cruise, active noise cancellation, rear cross-traffic braking, or reverse automatic braking, which is fine considering the person in the back will already be dead. I guess Cadillac also thinks any trips a hearse takes will be well thought-out, short trips because Lyriq hearses only come with the 11.5 kW AC onboard charger, and the higher-capacity 19.2 kW charger option available on other models is not offered on the Lyriq Hearse.

They will be showered in sunlight though, since the SkyGlass roof that's only standard on one other Lyriq trim level, the Lyriq-V, is standard on the hearse. And they will be riding in style on 20-inch aluminum alloys that are exclusive to the hearse.

Given the Lyriq's unique rear-end and D-pillar designs, it will be interesting to see how that translates to the elongated design required of hearses, but we'll be left guessing until photos are released. There's no mention of it just yet, shockingly, but we are certainly keeping our fingers crossed in hopes for an enthusiast-focused Lyriq-V hearse.

The electric M3, expected to arrive in 2026, will deliver power figures that dwarf its combustion sibling. Where the current M3 Competition produces 503 horsepower, the electric version targets close to 1000 horsepower through a quad motor setup that puts individual electric motors at each wheel. This configuration promises not just straight line brutality but sophisticated torque vectoring that could redefine how a sports sedan handles.

BMW M division boss Frank van Meel confirmed the pricing strategy during recent media briefings, stating the electric M3 would be priced "in the same ballpark" as the current petrol model. This positions the car at roughly $75,000 to $85,000 in the US market, depending on specification levels. The decision contradicts industry trends where electric performance cars typically command significant premiums over their gasoline counterparts.

The power delivery method separates this M3 from anything BMW has built before. Each wheel receives its own electric motor, creating what amounts to four individual power sources that can be managed independently. This setup allows for precise torque distribution that changes thousands of times per second, potentially making the car faster through corners than any combustion engine could manage through mechanical differentials alone.

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Range remains the critical question for any electric performance car. BMW targets approximately 300 miles of range in normal driving conditions, though that figure will drop significantly under track use or aggressive acceleration runs. The company plans to use its latest generation battery technology, likely sourced from CATL or Samsung SDI, with charging speeds targeting 200kW DC fast charging capability.

The pricing strategy reflects broader industry pressure to make electric vehicles mainstream rather than niche luxury products. Tesla proved this approach with the Model S Plaid, which delivers over 1000 horsepower for around $90,000. BMW appears to be following this playbook, betting that volume sales of high performance electric cars matter more than maintaining artificial price premiums.

Production will take place at BMW's Munich plant, where the company is investing heavily in electric vehicle manufacturing capabilities. The facility already produces the i4 and will be retooled to handle the more complex assembly requirements of the quad motor M3 system. BMW expects initial production volumes of around 15,000 units annually, split between global markets.

The competitive landscape includes the Mercedes AMG EQE 63 S and the upcoming Audi RS e-tron GT variants, but neither matches the BMW's projected power output. Porsche's Taycan Turbo S produces 750 horsepower in overboost mode but costs significantly more than BMW's target price point. The electric M3 could represent the first time buyers can access near supercar performance in a practical four door package without paying supercar prices.

Whether BMW can deliver on these promises while maintaining build quality and reliability remains the ultimate test. The company has struggled with some electric vehicle launches, particularly software integration and charging system reliability. Getting the electric M3 right matters beyond just one model success. It represents BMW's credibility in the electric performance space and their ability to compete with Tesla's performance offerings while maintaining the driving dynamics that made M cars legendary.

Sources: Information compiled from automotive industry reports and BMW official communications. Specific pricing and performance figures subject to final production specifications.

• The Spyker C8 Preliator debuts on August 14 at Pebble Beach.
• Spyker CEO and Founder Victor Muller claims the new model "is not going to be electric in any way."
• It will use a twin-turbo V8 with 800 hp and top out at over 217 mph.

It’s been 100 years since the original Spyker company went out of business. It returned in 1999, but like its forebear, it went bankrupt again, not once, but twice. The first collapse came in 2014, followed by another in 2021. Now, CEO and founder Victor Muller believes the third time’s the charm and is making another attempt to revive the troubled Dutch exotic brand.

Spyker’s resurrection was originally announced last October, and now there’s a promise of a new car. First seen a decade ago at the Geneva Motor Show, the C8 Preliator is making a surprising comeback. Whether it’s an evolution of the 2016 car or an entirely new development remains unclear, but we do know it will feature a twin-turbo V8 engine producing 800 horsepower.

While the original C8 Preliator (Latin for “fighter” or “warrior”) also had a V8, it used a supercharged 4.2-liter unit of Audi origin with 518 hp. Spyker hasn’t said whether the new engine is linked to Audi or another Volkswagen Group brand, such as Porsche or Bentley, but it has confirmed one thing: it will be a pure V8.

'I can reassure a lot of fans and potential customers that this car is not going to be electric in any way, shape or form, not even hybrid.'

The undisclosed V8 will help the new Spyker exceed 217 mph (350 km/h). The first new model in a long time carries chassis number 270, suggesting that only 269 vehicles have been built by Spyker in the modern era. The reborn C8 Preliator is heading to Pebble Beach and will debut on August 14 at Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley.

While previous attempts to revive the brand have failed, Muller insists things will be different this time. Spyker says this will be the first of “many, many new cars we’re going to build in the next few years.” Before reaching the spotlight, the new C8 Preliator is being shipped from the UK to the Netherlands, where final assembly will take place.

Motor1's Take: Spyker interiors have always felt like sitting inside a Rolex watch, and hopefully, that exceptional attention to detail will carry over into this new era. The C8 Preliator will be hand-built, and with a good old-fashioned V8 driving the wheels, it could reignite interest in the nearly forgotten brand.

• The Alfa Romeo coupe concept reimagines the original Alfa Romeo Brera.
• The concept was designed by digital artist Luigi Memola.
• It blends classic Alfa cues like the Trilobo grille with high-tech lighting and performance-focused details.

The last 2+2 coupe Alfa Romeo made was the Brera, built from 2005 to 2010. It actually started as a concept by legendary designer Giorgetto Giugiaro. That car has now inspired designer Luigi Memola, who’s come up with a modern digital take called the Alfa Romeo Brera Concept 2026.

This isn’t meant for production—it’s more of a design study. Basically, it explores how one of Alfa’s most iconic coupes might look if it were reimagined today, mixing classic shapes with more modern styling and aerodynamics.

The 2026 Brera Concept keeps the original silhouette but sharpens it up with a more technical edge. It sits low and wide, giving it that planted, sporty stance you’d expect from a rear-wheel-drive coupe. Up front, you still get Alfa Romeo’s signature "Trilobo" grille, but it’s deeper and more sculpted, and the headlights now feature a three-piece LED design that feels a lot more current.

From the side, it’s instantly recognizable. The sculpted bodywork flows toward the rear, where a big carbon-fiber diffuser stands out. Overall, it balances elegance and aggression really well, holding onto that solid, sculpted look that made the original Brera so distinctive.

Tell us what you think! View Comments

Designed With Performance In Mind

Compared to the 2000s Brera, this version leans more into performance-focused design. You’ll notice things like carbon accents, functional air intakes, and tighter, more defined surfaces. It looks more in line with modern performance coupes, but without losing its style.

Lighting plays a big role, too. Both the front and rear lights have a more high-tech look, helping bring the design into a more modern era while still feeling like an Alfa.

According to Memola, the whole project was created using digital tools—no AI involved. He used programs like Blender, KeyShot, and Photoshop to shape the car and refine the materials and lighting, blending technical precision with creativity.

It’s a good reminder that even with all today’s tech, car design still comes down to human creativity. The Brera Concept shows how you can update an icon without just copying it—keeping what made it special while adapting it for today.

Even though it’s just a concept, it gives a pretty cool glimpse at what future Alfa Romeo designs could look like. What do you think—should Alfa build something like this?

Motor1's Take: Alfa Romeo could use another beautiful coupe—and this fan-made concept gives us a good idea of what that model could look like.

• The electric BMW M3 will likely feature a 1,000-horsepower quad-motor powertrain.
• According to Sylvia Newbauer, VP of Sales for BMW M Division, the EV M3 will 'stay true to BMW M DNA'.
• Price-wise, both the EV and combustion M3 will land in the same ballpark. 

BMW M3 shoppers will soon have a choice: do you keep your combustion powertrain or embrace electrons? The next-generation M3 will arrive as both a full battery-electric super sedan and a gas-powered motoring icon. But don't worry, BMW swears it will keep its soul.

According to a new report from Autocar, both versions will remain true to the M brand DNA. Per Sylbia Neubauer, Vice President of Sales for BMW's M division, the electric M3 is an 'M3 no matter the drivetrain.'

The 2027 BMW M3 EV will arrive wearing the Neue Klasse styling. More importantly, however, the electric M3 will likely boast a quad-motor setup, which should deliver nearly 1,000 horsepower. This will be an incredibly important machine for BMW, as this will be the M division's first production EV.

Still, BMW knows its most hardcore M fans will revolt if there's no combustion-powered version on offer. While this upcoming M3 should boast straight-six power, there's a strong chance that electrification will play some part.

More and more high-performance vehicles benefit from some manner of hybrid setup. The result is gobs of power, no torque gaps, and shockingly strong fuel economy. While there's also a weight penalty, the gargantuan power on tap more than offsets the extra heft.

Motor1's Take: BMW is wise to offer two powertrain choices for the next M3. The car should be quite a looker, shod in its Neue Klasse getup. And while we will likely prefer the gas-powered version, there will be no denying the potential performance capability of a quad-motor-powered electric M3.

The good news is that BMW says both versions will arrive in the same price ballpark. We'll be curious to see if that means the same section... or just the same stadium.

This, naturally, has us feeling a little wistful, and looking back to the 2010s. Back then, Renault’s resurrection of the Alpine brand, dormant for nearly two decades, was one of the biggest ongoing stories in the European car industry, but the car that first teased it – 2012's Renault Alpine A110-50 concept – looked very different to the A110 we'd eventually get.

Renault Alpine A110-50 concept - rear

In the years between Alpine’s demise in 1995 and its eventual return to showrooms in 2017, there were several abandoned efforts to bring it back. Renault touted the brand’s rebirth as early as 2007, but the economic crisis of the following year put paid to those plans. With the economy recovering into the new decade, though, a revival was quickly back on the table, and Renault kicked it up a gear with a 2012 concept celebrating 50 years since the debut of the original A110 – the aptly-named Alpine A110-50.

While the eventual new A110 would be heavily influenced by the original in both styling and philosophy, the A110-50 hinted at a very different direction. For starters, it wasn’t solely an Alpine, but a Renault Alpine – the Renault diamond shared space with the slanted Alpine ‘A’, and the styling was very clearly Renault’s, with an overall language shared with cars like the fourth-gen Clio launched the same year. Arguably only the yellow-tinted LED ring lights up front provided a direct styling link back to the original A110.

Renault Alpine A110-50 concept - side, doors and clamshells open

It was fundamentally different underneath, too. While the A110 we got was based around a bespoke aluminium chassis and launched with a 249bhp four-pot turbo engine, the A110-50 concept was a lot more hardcore – it was, essentially, a racing car.

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Its chassis and engine came wholesale from the Megane Trophy racer, which had about as much to do with an actual Megane as you do with a fish. It had a tubular chassis which cradled a 400bhp, 3.5-litre V6. Renault called this engine the V4Y, but thanks to the Renault-Nissan alliance, this was little more than a rebranding of a Nissan engine – the VQ35 from the 350Z. It sent that power to the rear wheels via a six-speed semi-auto gearbox, while full carbon bodywork helped keep kerbweight down to just 880kg.

Renault Alpine A110-50 concept - front

The A110-50, a fully functioning car, popped up at several events over the summer of 2012, including the Monaco Grand Prix and Goodwood Festival of Speed, but at that point, Renault had yet to fully commit to relaunching the Alpine brand. That finally changed in November that year, when the announcement came that the company was teaming up with Caterham to co-develop a new sports car under the Alpine name.

That deal would sadly fall apart in 2014, robbing us of a Caterham-badged, manual-gearboxed sibling to the Alpine, but happily, Renault saw fit to carry on alone, eventually resulting in the A110 we know and love today hitting production in 2017.

Renault Alpine A110-50 concept - front

Now, nine years on, production of that wonderful car is finally coming to an end, but Alpine’s range and sales have grown exponentially with cars like the A290 and A390. While both the new A110 and the Alpine brand as a whole would ultimately go in a slightly different direction, the A110-50 concept remains a fascinating look at what could have been.

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Citroen is jumping on the retro EV trend by bringing out a new EV inspired by the 2CV - the most famous Citroen of them all. And it will be as cheap as EVs currently get.

Last year we were teased by the French carmaker that a Deux Chevaux-inspired ('two horses') electric car would be on its way in the next two years, but now Citroen is said to be readying a concept version to appear at the Paris Motor Show in October.

Similarly released at the Paris Show in 1948, the original 2CV cost £213 (£5,970 today) - and more than nine million were produced by the time its run ended in 1990. 

Following in these reveal footsteps and affordable tyre tracks, it's expected that the new, 2CV-inspired EV will cost less than €15,000 (£13,100). 

The new city EV will channel the spirit of the original which put rural France on wheels and proved you can make a car cheaply and sell it to buyers cheaply too.

Citroen is reportedly bringing a sub-£15k concept version of a new EV city car to the Paris Motor Show in October which will be inspired by the iconic 2CV. The original was produced 9million times 

Xavier Chardon, chief executive, said the 'e-car ' project will aim to 'bring mobility to the masses', Auto Express and Autocar report.

Chardon said: 'The European market is the only one that has not recovered after Covid.

'The US is back, China is back, even South America is back - and we are still missing three million people buying new cars each year in Europe. 

'And I would say 60 per cent of that is driven by the simple fact that you don't have any cars any more below €15,000 or £15,000.'

What can we expect from the new electric Citroen 2CV?

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Details are light on the ground currently, but we do know that it's supposed to embrace Citroen's history and heritage, and success as a French 'people's car' maker.

Supposedly chief designer Pierre Leclercq is wanting to heavily recreate the original 2CV's design, and make sure it embodies the affordability, spaciousness, comfort and fuel efficiency (or in this case EV efficiency) of the original.

Citroen wants to get a slice of the success that Renault is currently experiencing with its retro-inspired R5 EV; the R5 is the only EV with a waitlist and has accrued 120,000 orders, topping European EV sales charts. 

It will be closer in size to the Renault Twingo EV though than the R5 - the Twingo is 3.8m long - and will be even cheaper than the Twingo's £17,000 price tag.

Range and battery size is not known but the Renault Twingo sets a benchmark of  163 miles.

It's likely the 'neo-retro' 2CV EV will arrive in 2029.

Other rivals around the £15k mark include BYD's Dolphin Surf (£18,675), the Leapmotor T03 (£15,995) and the Dacia Spring (£15,990). Dacia is also bringing out a new £15k city car. 

The 2CV was famous for being designed pre-war to enable a farmer and family to cross a freshly ploughed field with a basket full of eggs without breaking them

Renault is enjoying great success having reimagined its iconic original 5 (left) as an all-electric supermini (right)

Original Citroen 2CV - why is it worth bringing back in electric form?

As Chardon said the original 2CV was made to 'bring mobility to the masses after World War II, even if it started before. It was to carry four farmers under one roof and be able to carry 50kg of potatoes.'

Indeed, the 2CV was famous for being designed pre-war to enable a farmer and family to cross a freshly ploughed field with a basket full of eggs without breaking them.

It was designed to motorize rural France, providing a low-cost, durable alternative to horses and carts for farmers. Conceived as the Toute Petite Voiture (Very Small Car),

It proved such an instant sales success that the Citroën 2CV was strictly rationed when first became available after production began in 1949 

It featured a simple two-cylinder engine, a rollback canvas roof, and unique soft suspension. Originally, it has 9bhp and a top speed of 40mph, but later upgrades took this to a mighty 16bhp in the early 1960s, before reaching a peak of 33bhp in the ‘70s.

It proved such an instant sales success that the Citroen 2CV was strictly rationed when it first became available after production began in 1949.

The new model is considered vital to help Volkswagen claim a share of the fast-growing electric B-segment and will take on rivals including the Renault 5 and Fiat Grande Panda. It should also help Volkswagen to further boost its EV uptake.

The ID Polo is Volkswagen's first model to encompass a new design language under the leadership of Andreas Mindt, which brings the brand's EVs much closer to their long-running petrol counterparts. It closely mirrors the ID 2all concept from 2023, which was created by Mindt and his team in just six weeks.

Following the Cupra Raval, the ID Polo is the second of four entry-level EVs to share a new platform and be unveiled in quick succession by the Volkswagen Group. It will be joined shortly by the Volkswagen ID Cross and Skoda Epiq crossovers. All four will be produced in Spain the ID Polo at Seat's Martorell plant alongside the Raval.

The ID Polo will go on sale this summer. UK pricing has yet to be confirmed, but in Europe it starts at €24,995 (£21,700), which positions it above the Grande Panda (from £20,995) and virtually on a par with the Renault 5 (from £21,495).

The ID Polo is the first Volkswagen EV to be given an established nameplate, eschewing the numbering system used since the ID 3 was introduced in 2019.

The existing and unrelated petrol Polo will continue, with the two cars essentially treated as siblings. The ID Cross will follow later this year, while the ID 4 is set to be rebranded as the ID Tiguan when it receives a major update shortly. Volkswagen says the reason for the shift is to enable buyers to identify linked cars more easily. CEO Thomas Schäfer previously told Autocar: "Names like Polo or Golf are deeply ingrained. They stand for quality, accessible technology and heritage. We want to carry those qualities into the electric era."

At 4.05m long, 1.8m wide and 1.5m tall, the ID Polo is nearly identical in size to the petrol Polo - but its MEB Plus platform makes it "as spacious inside as a Golf", said tech chief Kai Grunitz. Notably, Grunitz pointed to the deep "basement" under the boot, which offers enough room for a stroller and boosts overall boot space to 441 litres. The additional storage capacity "is no coincidence", added Grunitz, who explained that the ID Polo is the first of Volkswagen's EVs to be created with such a prominent focus on how it will be used.

Cupra may have led development of this electric supermini, but Volkswagen insists that it’s a proper Polo

"When developing the ID Polo, we thought a lot about how our customers really use the car in their everyday life," he said. "When I became a father, we also had a Polo and this was basically enough for us because we lived in a city, but fitting a stroller inside was almost impossible. So with the ID Polo, we asked ourselves: can we do this better?"

Indeed, Schäfer said the ID Polo has benefited from a change in development approach at Volkswagen following usability criticism of the previous ID EVs, especially the first ID 3. Instead of engineers creating "long lists of features and requirements" that they think buyers will want, the brand will now "start with people: who's actually driving this car?".

Schäfer said this means the focus of the car "became very clear and that changed everything in the way we did development faster, more focused and much closer to reality".

The ID Polo was previewed in 2023 by the ID 2all concept. The first new VW penned by Mindt, it signalled a new design language for the firm – one focused on practicality and likeability. Much of the concept's look is retained by the ID Polo, including its "friendly" face and "likeable smile", said Grunitz, who added: "A real Volkswagen always needs a face."

All except the entry model will feature a light-up bar on the nose that "gives the car a strong and recognisable look at night". At the rear, the badge lights up. It follows a similar design to the petrol Polo in having a long wheelbase and short overhangs - boosting interior space - while featuring the classic angled Volkswagen C-pillar, which began with the Golf Mk1 ("the first thing you notice", according to Grunitz).

Combined with large, sculpted wheel arches, the car has a "strong and stable look" and a design that is "calm and timeless", said Grunitz. "A Volkswagen should look modern today, but still look good 10 years from now," he added.

Inside, it features Volkswagen's new-age cabin, which made its debut on the facelifted ID 3 Neo last month. Grunitz called it a "big jump forward" that "addresses many of the criticisms our customers had" about past ID models.

The dashboard houses a 10.25in digital information display and a 13in landscape infotainment screen. The latter no longer has the controversial 'slider' controls for the volume and heating. Instead, below the screen is a row of physical controls for the heating, air conditioning and hazard warning lights. There is also a rotary dial that can control the infotainment volume and change tracks or radio stations. A new-shape steering wheel hosts two clusters of physical buttons.

Schäfer said Mindt's new design language "was really an inspiration to the entire team" and has transformed the firm. He added that the "clarity" it has brought has "changed everything" about how decisions are made, "even small ones".

For example, he explained why the ID Polo has physical door handles, rather than flush, touch-sensitive ones like on the ID 4: "You stand in front of the car, you have your shopping bags in your hand, and you do not know how to open the door. And we said: 'Hold on. This is not it at Volkswagen.' It must feel right immediately; it must be intuitive; it must be likeable."

Schäfer added that "this is why we also bring back real buttons, intuitive usability, but also real names" so Volkswagens are cars "you can understand immediately".

From launch, the front-wheel-drive ID Polo will be offered with a choice of three powertrains and two batteries in a bid to give it broad appeal. The entry-level Life cars use a 37kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery for a claimed range of 204 miles. They can be charged at up to 90kW for a 10-80% refill in 27 minutes. Two power levels are offered: 114bhp and 133bhp.

Top-spec Style has a 52kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt pack that increases the range to 283 miles. A maximum charging rate of 130kW cuts the 10-80% refill time to 24 minutes.

Joining the range soon will be the more potent ID Polo GTI - the first time the GTI badge has appeared on an EV. Previewed by the 2023 ID GTI concept, it is expected to be launched later this year with a similar 222bhp output to that of the Raval VZ. Cupra's rival to the Alpine A290 has a host of additions that are also expected to appear on the GTI, such as an electronic limited-slip differential. A similar 0-62mph time to the VZ's 7.0sec is likely.

The ID Polo "comes with technology you would normally expect in much higher classes", said Grunitz. For example, as standard it gets semi-autonomous travel assist, a rear-view camera and smartphone mirroring. The car also features tech that allows it to be parked via an owner's smartphone. Style adds LED matrix headlights, sport comfort seats and two-zone air-con, while kit such as a panoramic sunroof, electronically adjustable front seats and a 10-speaker Harman Kardon sound system are optional.

As previously reported by Autocar, Volkswagen is exploring plans for two other high-performance ID Polo variants: the GTI Clubsport and the R. The latter could be its first model to use in-wheel motors as part of a 400bhp-plus four-wheel drive system.

The new B03 is set to be revealed in China (where it will be known at the A05) in full in May, having first surfaced in government filings last month.

It's likely to reach the UK market in early 2027 as a sibling to the forthcoming B03X crossover, which is due here late this year, and the two will share the Chinese firm’s new entry-level A platform.

Leapmotor’s cars are sold internationally through a joint venture with Western car-making giant Stellantis.

A prototype version of the B03 spotted in China was clothed in camouflage wrap, but the rounded styling and headlights hinted at a clear family resemblance with the B03X. Befitting its supermini brief, it appears slightly shorter and lower than its crossover sibling.

The car we spotted featured lidar sensors so that it could test ‘level two plus plus’ semi-autonomous functionality, which is legal in China but won’t be offered in the UK.

Technically, the B03 is set to be similar to the B03X. It will have a front-mounted motor and two-wheel-drive, with a choice of 94bhp and 121bhp outputs. If it matches the B03X, there will be a choice of 39.8kWh and 53kWh batteries, both using lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry.

The higher-powered B03X can do 250 miles between charges with the larger battery, and the sleeker B03 is likely to exceed that, which could give it one of the longest ranges of any car in its class.

Its interior will also closely match other Leapmotor models', with most of the controls run through a large central touchscreen.

Pricing for the B03 isn't yet finalised but, given Leapmotor’s pricing strategy for other models, it could significantly undercut its Renault and Volkswagen rivals, potentially starting below £20,000.

Usually, mid-cycle refreshes are a fairly subdued affair. A nip here, a tuck there. Maybe there's a new wheel option on the outside and a few different color options on the inside, and some nicer convenience features, but that's about it. That is very much not the case with the recently revealed 2027 BMW 7 Series. Inside and out, the large executive sedan got a major overhaul (BMW's most extensive ever, it says), bringing it perfectly in line with BMW's Neue Klasse design language and interior technology suite.

This is far from the first time an automaker has attempted to graft a new design language onto an old car, but I'm struggling to think of an example where the execution has been cleaner. What BMW's designers pulled off here is pretty damn impressive, because the refreshed 7 Series looks like it was always meant to wear the Neue Klasse design elements. Hell, I'd even argue it looks better than the car it replaces. Inside, front occupants are treated to a dashboard like the ones in the iX3 crossover and i3 sedan, but elevated and enhanced. There's a seamless incorporation of the Panoramic Vision display, 17.9-inch center infotainment rhombus, and BMW's first passenger display; the screens look like they were always meant to be inside this car.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

Contextualizing just how impressive this feat is, all you've gotta do is look at BMW's cross-country rival, Mercedes-Benz. It also gave its flagship sedan, the S-Class, a mid-cycle refresh for 2027. However, unlike BMW, its refresh was far more minimalistic in its design scope, and it leans on older tech like the Superscreen, rather than fitting it with the latest and greatest it has to offer, like the GLC's seamless Hyperscreen.

To find out why BMW decided to go all-out for the 7 Series' facelift, I spoke with Maximilian Missoni, BMW's Vice President of Design, and Maximilian Huber, Product Manager for the new 7 Series. Simply put, I was MaximilianMaxxing at the big sedan's reveal at Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

Making a Neue 7

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

Huber led myself and a group of other journalists around the car, showing off all of the design elements pulled from the Neue Klasse models and grafted onto the 2027 7 Series. Elements like a strong horizontal line across the front, an upright fascia and BMW's redesigned roundel logo placed in a valley in the body work on both the front and back of the car are distinct Neue Klasse features. He also touted the new wheel designs that are more cohesive with the rest of the design language, the re-separated kidney grilles up front, and the much longer taillights, which are very reminiscent of both the i3 and iX3.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

Really, the only parts of the car that don't look terribly different from the one it replaces are the side panels, the greenhouse profile and the rear seats. That's not exactly a bad thing. The 7 Series has a wonderful rear-seat second, and that 31.3-inch rear display isn't going anywhere. Missoni said that, while the new 7 certainly looks very different from the pre-facelift car, its character throughline is still apparent.

Missoni added that the updated 7's presence is a calling card for it. "I think it does a very good job in having a very, very strong and unique character, and that's what I believe creates the presence," he said. "The architecture of the front, I think, is a great combination of the character of the previous 7, but combined with a whole lot of elegance and status."

A really solid statement

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

While speaking with Missoni, he explained that the 7 Series was also a great candidate for getting the Neue Klasse's language because it has always been both a "monolithic and pure statement" in the automaker's lineup. "I think applying the Neue Klasse formula was the most obvious match," Missoni told me. "It works really, really well here, but the extent to which this car has been modernized in this process is quite striking."

He pointed to the redone front fascia and interior tech, saying the changes made the car "basically new," in contrast with other mid-cycle refreshes that don't go nearly as far. "Doing it so seamlessly and so flawlessly integrated, I think it was a relief to everybody to see how well it worked — how much more contemporary and modern it was," Missoni said.

Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik

The designer, who joined BMW in May of 2025 after spending six years at Polestar, said that integrating the design language inside and out wasn't without its challenges, especially since the 7 Series carries both gas, electric, and plug-in-hybrid powertrains in the same body structure and chassis. In an ever-so-slight shot at other automakers, Missoni said that an undertaking like this is really "only something BMW could do."

From where I'm sitting, and based on what I've seen from other automakers, there may be a bit of truth to that. "It is quite a substantial upgrade, but without feeling grafted," Missoni told me. "It's a really solid statement."

• McLaren Racing will unveil its Le Mans hypercar on May 4, which will compete in the World Endurance Championship.  
• It’s called the MCL-HY.   
• McLaren will also launch a GTR track version designed in close collaboration with McLaren Automotive.  

Next week, McLaren Racing unveils its new World Endurance Championship race car. It will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year and will spawn a GTR track variant that a few very lucky customers will actually be able to buy.

The two cars, the McLaren MCL-HY and MCL-HY GTR, will debut on May 4 and were developed in close collaboration between McLaren Racing and McLaren Automotive. Ahead of the car’s debut, McLaren teased the car, revealing its lighting signature.   

The car looks different from the one McLaren revealed when the company announced it would compete in the WEC’s hypercar class. The accent lights are one continuous strip that wraps around the lower elements, and the front end looks rounder.  

The race car will feature a twin-turbocharged V6 from Autotecnica Motori, powering a Dallara chassis. It’s unclear which engine will power the track version, but McLaren will reveal both cars on May 4.   

Motor1’s Take: The last GTR from McLaren, the Senna, debuted nearly a decade ago, so it's exciting to see the automaker ready to offer enthusiasts a new track car. We expect it will have a V8 engine instead of a V6, but McLaren might surprise us. 

► New Freelander 8 SUV revealed
► Range extender SUV with boxy looks
► Could launch in Europe from 2028

This is the first – yes, FIRST – Freelander model to officially launch. Welcome to the Freelander 8.

The new, rather boxy 4×4 made its public debut at the 2026 Beijing motor show, not long after the Concept 97 design study went public at its own event in China at the end of March 2026. It’s the first model to be spun out of the all-new brand that’s been set up by the Chery Jaguar Land Rover joint venture in China, with JLR providing design expertise while Chery sorts the engineering.

Just two official images of the Freelander 8 have been published via the brand’s Weibo account, which shows a very similar look to the concept car – albeit with some typical production car changes. The animated headlights of the concept, for example, have been toned down for more practical ones, plenty of body cladding on the underside and the classic Freelander’s diagonal C-pillar. As well as the original Freelander, the new 8 has plenty of Discovery 4 about its look, too.

Under the bodywork is a Chery architecture, with a range extender powertrain confirmed. This is almost certainly the E0X architecture that supports both REV and battery-electric power, and is used by Chery elsewhere in its group of brands. The Freelander’s iteration of the architecture uses 800-volt electronics and a CATL battery that can charge at up to 350kW. Reports from various sources within the Chinese media also point to the Freelander 8 coming equipped with three locking differentials.

Inside, the Freelander 8 launches with a dual-screen setup; a full-width display that spans the upper edges of the dashboard as well as a large central infotainment display. Crystal-like dials are deployed for some crucial physical controls, and the seats can be folded into multiple configurations.

Naturally, there’s plenty of tech on board. For China, the Freelander 8 launches with Huawei-developed ADAS technology and LIDAR sensors on the roof, as well as Qualcomm processors.

Any European relevance? Well, after the Freelander 8 goes on sale in China goes on sale towards the end of 2026, one or two of the planned six (yes, SIX) Freelander SUVs to launch within the next five years is expected to make it over here, too.

We’ll update this story if we find out more info.

By Jake Groves

• The production-ready Freelander 8 modernizes the original Freelander design.
• Freelander is a standalone brand created by Chery and Jaguar Land Rover.
• The Freelander 8 sits on a platform that supports EVs, PHEVs, and range-extending EV drivetrains.

It’s barely been a few weeks since the Freelander Concept 97 broke cover in China, and now the production version is ready for the limelight. Unveiled at the 2026 Beijing Auto Show, the Freelander 8 is the first product to emerge from a collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover and Chery to form a distinct brand. It revives a familiar nameplate as a standalone marque focused on New Energy Vehicles, which can include plug-in hybrids, EVs, and range-extending EVs.

The Freelander 8 sits on a platform that can accommodate all of these drivetrain types in a boxy SUV with some design cues from the original. The rear pillar reminds us of the first-generation, three-door Freelander with its triangular three-quarter glass. The square headlights also vaguely reference the original.

The closed-off front grille is a common EV trait and features debossed Freelander script. A roof-mounted LiDAR unit has become common on vehicles in China equipped with advanced driver assistance systems. Although full technical specifications have not been released, we do know the Freelander 8 is imposingly large, measuring about 5.1 meters (200.7 inches) long. That puts it somewhere between a Defender 110 and a Defender 130.

At the back, we’re disappointed to see the lack of a rear spare wheel, which would have emphasized the off-road vibe while harking back to the “L134” model sold between 1997 and 2006. Once again, the Freelander lettering is debossed into the tailgate, and there doesn’t appear to be a proper badge for the newly founded company.

The production-intent model is predictably similar to the Concept 97 before it, but it swaps the rear-hinged doors for a conventional setup with B-pillars. Pictured at the bottom, the show car also had completely flush door handles, but those have recently been banned in China. To comply with the new regulations, the final Freelander 8 uses a semi-enclosed setup. BMW had to make a similar design change for the long-wheelbase iX3 and i3, which are also debuting at the Beijing Auto Show.

From the few details shared so far, we do know the production version has three-row seating and CATL batteries with support for 350-kW charging. It’s said to feature air suspension and a rear electronic limited-slip differential. While the interior has yet to be revealed, the concept had a pillar-to-pillar screen and a central infotainment display.

Mind you, the Freelander 8 won’t be exclusive to China. JLR and Chery intend to roll out the electrified SUV in additional markets, including those with right-hand drive. It’s the first of six models launching over the next five years, and to the surprise of no one, all of them will be SUVs.

Motor1's Take: Past Freelander models didn’t exactly excel in terms of reliability, especially the first generation. It’s surprising to see the name return, as JLR and Chery could have started fresh with a completely different moniker. Freelander is a 50:50 joint venture and will seek to find its place in China’s incredibly crowded market, where a new brand seems to appear every other week.

It’s not going to be any easier for the Freelander 8 outside China, given the abundance of large SUVs with electrified drivetrains. The range-extender might make it stand out for a while, but other automakers are also investing in REEVs. Manufactured at a factory in Changshu, the model will be sold through a “distinct retailer network,” so you’re unlikely to find one at a JLR dealer.

The large electric 4x4 is described as a “production-intent” design, with the finished car set to hit Chinese roads later this year with only minimal changes.

It clearly draws on the Concept 97 that was unveiled last month, referencing its Land Rover namesake with a diagonal C-pillar.

The most significant differences from that concept are in the front and rear lights, while the rear-hinged back doors have been swapped for more conventional front-hinged items.

The 8 is based on an 800V electrical architecture and will offer a choice of electric, range-extender and plug-in hybrid powertrains, with charging rates maxing out at 350kW.

It packs twin-chamber air suspension, an electronic limited-slip differential and an all-terrain function that, supported by the roof-mounted lidar sensor, reads changes in the road surface and automatically engages the appropriate drive mode.

Further technical details are expected to be confirmed in the coming months, when the production car goes on sale in China.

Inside, a large display spans across the width of the dashboard, supported by a traditional centrally mounted infotainment touchscreen and a row of physical buttons.

Although the Freelander 8 will initially be launched in China, Chery has already confirmed plans for expansion into other global markets, including in Europe – and a right-hand-drive variant is in the works.

It remains to be seen when it will be put on sale in the UK and by whom. In China, it will be offered by Chery through a network of Freelander-specific showrooms.

The 8 is the first in a wave of new Freelanders destined for sale globally, with the brand to introduce a new model every six months for the next five years.

Freelander CEO Wen Fei previously said that any of the brand’s cars exported to Europe would not be an adapted version of a Chinese-market model but instead a bespoke derivative tailored to each market’s demands.

“International variants are currently in intensive development and shall, after launch in China, make their distinguished entry into the world's foremost markets," said Fei. “We are not exporting a Chinese car to the world but we are building a world car, for the world, from the very beginning."

Teaser images published by the brand showcase the integration of lights into the grille, forming a dotted line between the daytime running lights, in similar fashion to the new Compass.

Each slot in the grille is also now chunker and flush-faced, losing the surrounds of each piece on the current Avenger.

Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles previously said the brief for the new Compass was to “make it more rugged, make it more bold, but at the same time detoxify”, and the updated Avenger looks to follow suit in bringing a chunkier, simpler look.

It remains to be seen how the Avenger will evolve inside, but it's likely to follow the Compass here too, potentially gaining that car’s squared-off steering wheel and stouter switchgear. 

The technical make-up is expected to remain broadly the same, however. The Avenger is currently offered as a 99bhp petrol with a six-speed manual gearbox; a 108bhp front-wheel-drive or 143bhp four-wheel-drive hybrid; and a 154bhp front-driven EV with a range of 249 miles.

The new look will mark the first major update since the Avenger was launched in 2023, with the distinction of being one of only a handful of Jeep models not offered in the US.

The Polish-made crossover won the European Car of the Year Award in 2023 and has since proven a success for Jeep, playing a key role in its return to growth in Europe.

As well as an EV, Jeep's baby is now available as a modest petrol manual, an electrified petrol auto and a 4WD hybrid off-roader

Riversimple, the manufacturer behind the hydrogen-powered Rasa which the monarch drove in 2021, has revealed a new project using nearly 30-year-old Audi models to help develop its next generation of technology.

The company is employing the Audi A2 hatchbacks as “mule cars” to test and refine new systems under the codename Runabout.

The project comes as appetite for alternative fuels grows in the wake of soaring petrol and diesel prices linked to the Iran conflict and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz.

Riversimple is set to receive £1.7 million in grant funding as part of the Labour government’s DRIVE35 (Driving Research & Investment in Vehicle Electrification) programme, reports the Express.

In a statement, the government described DRIVE35 as a “£2.5 billion programme of capital and R&D funding for the automotive industry, including £500 million to 2035 to extend R&D support for 10 years”.

In response, Riversimple founder Hugo Spowers MBE said: “The automotive industry is struggling with a trilemma: zero emission, lightweight, long range… This project is demonstrating that zero-emission vehicles need not be heavy — and that we have all the innovation and expertise we need right here in the UK.”

While hydrogen-powered vehicles remain rare on UK roads due to the limited number of refuelling stations, King Charles is no stranger to alternative fuels. He owns an Aston Martin DB6 Volante, gifted to him as a 21st birthday present by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.

The vintage car has been converted to run on a fuel mixture that is 85% bioethanol and 15% unleaded petrol, with the bioethanol derived from wine and cheese waste.

In the same year he drove the Riversimple, the King told the BBC: “I’ve got electric cars now but it’s been so difficult. My old Aston Martin, which I’ve had for 51 years, runs on — can you believe this — surplus English white wine, and whey from the cheese process.”

He added: “The engineers at Aston said, ‘Oh, it’ll ruin the whole thing.’ I said, ‘Well I won’t drive it then,’ so they got on with it and now they admit that it runs better and is more powerful on that fuel than it is on petrol… and also, it smells delicious as you’re driving along.”

Since then, the monarch has also moved further into electric vehicles. Last year, The Sun reported that he had ordered a £160,000 Lotus Eletre SUV.

On why he chose it, royal biographer Dickie Arbiter told the Express that a number of factors would have influenced the decision. He said: “There are those who will say, well, why go for a Chinese car, why don’t you go for a Jaguar that’s manufactured in this country, it’s a lot cheaper.

“It’s not so much about availability, it’s about what the vehicle can do and what the costs are associated with that vehicle. What’s the battery life like? What’s the mileage ratio? He did have one for a period of time, he had it on trial, he knows what he’s getting.”

• It celebrates the brand’s 10th anniversary and showcases a new direction in design and engineering.
• The sporty grand tourer features dramatic proportions, adaptive aerodynamics, and a tech-focused interior.
• It targets extreme performance, with a 0-62 mph time of around 2.0 seconds.

At the Beijing Auto Show, Chinese automaker Lynk & Co unveiled its first supercar concept: the GT. The sporty concept car is packed with advanced technology and bold design ideas—and it could eventually make it to production.

Marking the brand’s 10th anniversary, the prototype also offers a glimpse into the next chapter in both design and engineering direction for the Chinese automaker. The GT concept has the proportions of a modern grand tourer, measuring 188.2 inches long, 78.7 inches wide, and just 52.4 inches tall. Its 108.3-inch wheelbase gives it a low, muscular stance.

The GT’s exterior focuses on light-reactive surfaces that appear to shift as you move around the car. The Apex Blue paint features a liquid-metal effect that adds depth, while Spark Yellow accents provide a sharp contrast.

Inside, Lynk & Co uses a 2+2 seating layout that blends premium materials with technical details. White "Digital Shimmer" leather creates a bright, modern feel, while hand-finished Textreme 360 carbon fiber reinforces its motorsport-inspired character.

One of the most distinctive features is the "+" button on the center console. When activated, it changes the car’s setup: the suspension drops by 0.6 inches, aerodynamic elements extend at the front and rear—adding 3.9 inches to the overall length—and the rear wing deploys to increase downforce.

Mechanically, the GT concept is rear-wheel drive and built on a chassis influenced by racing, supported by an AI-based motion control system. The performance targets are impressive, with a claimed 0-62 mph time of around 2.0 seconds, signaling a strong focus on extreme performance.

The project was developed jointly by Lynk & Co’s European and Chinese teams, with a significant influence from Swedish design, which remains central to the brand’s identity. The company also received input from a global community of more than 1.7 million users, which helped shape the design and could even yield a real production version in the near future—with enough positive feedback.

Motor1's Take: This is a stunning concept car. Whether or not the Lynk & Co GT actually makes it to production, the concept will at least help shape the design and performance of the Chinese automaker’s future products.

• It’s the end of the road for the Audi A1 and Q2.
• Both will be replaced by the upcoming A2 e-tron.
• Electric sports car goes into production in 2027.

Affordability is in vogue these days, but apparently not at Audi. Quite the opposite as the brand is killing off the entry-level A1 and Q2.

Tucked in an announcement about their assembly network, Audi revealed production of the Q2 will end in Ingolstadt this April. Its death will apparently make room for the upcoming A2 e-tron.

More: Audi Confirms The A2 Is Back, Prays It’ll Sell This Time

While the Q2 was never offered in the United States, the compact crossover was introduced in 2016 and started at €29,000 ($33,862) in Germany, which made it significantly cheaper than the €44,600 ($52,066) Q3. It was relatively popular as consumers snapped up 887,231 units over the past decade. However, sales dropped off in recent years.

The Q2 isn’t the only model going away as A1 production is “winding down” in Martorell, Spain. The entry-level hatchback was introduced in 2010 and generated 1,389,658 sales over two generations.

The latest version started at €22,950 ($26,792) and was offered in Sportback and Allstreet guise. Like the Q2, the A1 proved successful at launch but sales tapered off in the past few years.

It’s not all bad news as the two models will effectively be replaced by the A2 e-tron. The compact EV debuts this fall and is expected to ride on the MEB+ platform that underpins the ID.3 Neo. The mainstream electric hatch recently debuted with 58 and 79 kWh battery packs as well as a WLTP range of up to 391 miles (630 km).

Electric Sports Car Arrives In 2027

Besides announcing the death of the A1 and Q2, Audi confirmed their electric sports car will go into production in 2027. It will be built at their Böllinger Höfe site, which specializes in small-series production.

The model was previewed by the Concept C and will essentially be Audi’s version of the Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman. As you may recall, it was a two-seat sports car with a retractable hardtop, a minimalist interior, and an all-new design language.

Smart discontinued the Fortwo in 2024 after nearly three decades of production. The brand, now jointly owned 50/50 by Mercedes-Benz and China's Geely and headquartered in Ningbo, had moved steadily upmarket through a series of increasingly large electric SUVs. The #1, the #3, the #5 crossovers got bigger with each number. A saloon, the #6, was unveiled at Beijing this week alongside the new concept. Smart, it appeared, was not a small car brand anymore.

And then they announced the #2.

What it is

The Smart Concept #2, unveiled at the Beijing motor show on Wednesday 23 April, is the clearest preview yet of what the production #2 will look like. It is unmistakably a spiritual successor to the Fortwo. The same short overhangs, the same wheels pushed to the corners, the same two door two seat silhouette that made the original so distinctive in a car park full of sensible family hatches.

New elements include more pronounced wheel arches, a cleaner overall surface treatment, and headlights that reference the current Smart family design language. The concept features some details that will not survive to production... leather straps in place of door handles, transparent aero covers over the wheels, a small matrix screen at the rear that can display messages, and a floating roof finished in shiny gold. The production car will be toned down. The core shape, though, is the statement.

The Concept #2 measures 2,792 mm in length, making it the largest interpretation of the two door city car that Smart has ever built. That is still considerably shorter than almost anything else on sale.

According to Carscoops, the production Smart #2 will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, ahead of its market launch. The car is primarily focused on Europe and the UK, though Smart has confirmed it will also launch in China and selected global markets.

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How it is built and what it will cost

The #2 rides on a brand new platform called the Electric Compact Architecture, developed jointly by Geely and Mercedes specifically for this car. This is notable because every other Smart in the current range was engineered entirely by Geely and designed by Mercedes. The ECA is the first platform they have developed together, reflecting that the European city car market has different requirements to the larger SUV segment where Smart has been playing.

Autocar reports that the platform can accommodate a dual motor setup, and Smart has confirmed that the turning circle will match the legendary Fortwo... which could spin around in spaces that baffled larger vehicles.

Production will be in China. The design is by Mercedes-Benz.

Pricing is expected to start at around €20,000 according to InsideEVs, with a battery pack of approximately 30 kilowatt hours. That range figure will be the critical number, given that the final generation electric Fortwo managed just 99 miles on the EPA cycle. Three decades of battery development should have taken care of that... but the short wheelbase of a city car still limits how large a pack can be fitted.

The honest question

€20,000 for a two seater with a small battery is a harder sell in 2026 than it would have been a decade ago. For roughly the same money, a buyer in Europe can now get a BYD Dolphin Surf, a Citroën e-C3 or a Renault 5... all of which seat four or five people and offer more range. The Smart #2's case rests entirely on the one thing those cars cannot replicate: the ability to park in a space nobody else can use.

In cities where parking costs more than petrol ever did and a 2.8 metre car fits where a 4 metre car cannot, that remains a genuine argument. Whether it is a €20,000 argument depends very much on whether you live somewhere with a chronic shortage of parking... or somewhere that does not.

Smart made the city car segment what it is. It walked away from it in 2024. The #2 is the brand admitting that was a gap worth filling.

Production deliveries are expected in 2027.

Sources:

• Smart official press release — Smart Confirms Reinvention of Iconic City Car
• Autocar — Smart #2 Concept previews design for Fortwo successor
• Carscoops — Smart Goes Back To Its City Car Roots With Concept #2
• InsideEVs — The Smart Car Is Coming Back, This Time Fully Electric
• Autocar — Smart #2 Fortwo successor begins testing ahead of 2026 launch

The 2026 C-Class becomes the latest entrant to a growing premium electric saloon sector, following the recent unveiling of the rival BMW i3. 

With 800-volt technology and an eye-catching aerodynamic design, the new C-Class will offer a range of up to 473 miles when fully charged. It should make for a talking point in the company car park, given the new BMW can achieve more than 550 miles…  

However, Mercedes-Benz will look to win over business drivers with an interior packed with technology, plus the promise of an engaging driving experience. 

Ola Källenius, chairman of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, said this will be the “most powerful and sportiest C-Class we’ve ever built, offering pure driving pleasure and outstanding real-world range – all while being the perfect sanctuary for our customer.”

The sportiest C-Class so far

Mercedes has given the new C-Class what is described as a ‘coupe-like’ profile, along with a front grille reminiscent of the latest GLC electric SUV. The latter incorporates no less than 1,050 individual LEDs for illumination.

In C400 4Matic guise, the new C-Class will come with all-wheel drive as standard, along with 483hp and 590lb ft of torque. This sees the new compact saloon accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 130mph.

A new 94kWh battery can be charged at speeds of up to 330kW. This means it can add more than 200 miles of range in 10 minutes, with a charge from 10 to 80 percent requiring 22 minutes.

Air suspension with live predictive damping, along with rear-wheel steering, are said to make the new Mercedes ‘as smooth as an S-Class on long journeys’, while remaining agile on a twisty road.

As seen on screen

The interior of the new C-Class is likely to impress, depending on the options chosen. This includes the ability to specify an enormous 39.1-inch MBUX Hyperscreen.

Spanning the entire width of the dashboard, it’s the largest display ever fitted to a C-Class. More than 1,000 LEDs are used to create it, with individual sections that can be dimmed as required.

A further 162 LEDs are found on the ‘Sky Control’ panoramic roof, which mimics the colour chosen for the ambient lighting throughout the cabin.

Other details include ‘Twisted Nappa’ leather upholstery, a 470-litre luggage capacity combined with a 101-litre ‘frunk’, plus the ability to tow trailers weighing up to 1,800kg.

Production of the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class will begin later this year, with UK prices and specifications to be confirmed in the meantime. Come back to Motoring Research for more details soon.

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• BMW updates the 7 Series with new styling inside and out.
• The luxury sedan features the brand’s latest interior styling and technology.  
• The 2027 BMW 7 Series starts at $101,350 for the 740.  

The seventh-generation BMW 7 Series went on sale in the early 2020s, and now the automaker is refreshing the model inside and out. This isn’t a new generation, but a mid-cycle refresh that tweaks the powertrains and completely updates the cabin with the brand’s latest Neue Klasse flair.  

The sedan features a refreshed exterior with an updated kidney grille, new headlights, and the brand’s subtly redesigned BMW badge. The sedan has new taillights, too, but the most significant change is the interior. 

The 7 Series comes with BMW’s Panoramic iDrive, the pillar-to-pillar screen at the base of the windscreen. In the center of the dash is a 17.9-inch infotainment display, and, in a first for BMW, a passenger screen, which is standard on the model. The 7 Series will launch in the United States with two fully electric models and two combustion ones later this year.  

Combustion And EV Power

A turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six engine still powers the entry-level, rear-wheel-drive 740. It still has a 48-volt hybrid system but comes with a larger turbocharger. Output has increased from 375 horsepower in the 2026 model to 394, while torque remains the same at 398 pound-feet. The 740 xDrive can sprint to 60 miles per hour in less than five seconds and reach a limited top speed of 155 mph.  

The entry point into an electric 7 Series starts with the i7 50 xDrive. The dual-motor powertrain produces the same 449 hp as before, but the torque has increased from 479 to 487 lb-ft. Its 0-60 time is unchanged, too, at 5.3 seconds, but the top speed is 3 mph higher at 130.  

The i7 60 xDrive is similar, with the same output as the outgoing model—536 hp and 549 lb-ft—but the top speed increases from 130 mph to 149. Oddly, the 0-60 falls by 0.1 seconds to 4.6 for the 2027 model.  

Despite the updated i7 models having nearly identical performance stats compared to their outgoing versions, the EVs do feature new battery technology, with a 112.0-kilowatt-hour net capacity. The sedan packs BMW’s sixth-generation eDrive technology and its new cylindrical cells, which launched in the iX3.

The maximum charging speed has increased from 195 to 250 kilowatts, dropping the vehicle's charge time from 10 to 80 percent to just 28 minutes, down from the previous 34. The new pack is also more efficient, increasing the range in the i7 60 from up to 311 miles to over 350.

In 2027, BMW will launch the 750e xDrive, the plug-in hybrid variant. It will feature the inline-six engine making 308 hp, paired with a 194-hp electric motor for a combined 483 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, just like the 2027 model.  

It has the same 0-60 time, too, but BMW has increased the top speed from 130 mph to 155. BMW will begin producing the PHEV in the fourth quarter of 2026. It has not mentioned pricing, but the 2026 version starts at $111,550.  

The BMW 7 Series is only $500 more than before, with the rear-wheel-drive 740 starting at $101,350 (all prices include the $1,550 destination charge, unchanged from 2026). The 740 xDrive will start at $104,350.

The i7 50 xDrive will have a $107,750 starting price, while the i7 60 xDrive will cost $126,250

BMW will begin producing the 7 Series and selling it this July.  

People had a lot of feelings about the G70-generation BMW 7 Series' face (and overall design) when it was revealed in 2022, perhaps even stronger feelings than even for the E65 in 2001. Its looks are controversial, sure, and it's the most technology-forward 7 yet, but the G70's polarizing attributes have only been a good thing: For basically the first time since the Bangle-era car went out of production, this generation of 7 Series has seen sales increases in the U.S., helped in part by the electric i7 model.

That's not just because BMW's customers have been Stockholm Syndrome'd into liking the recent big grilles and weirder styling, but because the current seventh-generation 7 Series is really freaking good. But BMW is already zooming into the future with its new Neue Klasse platform, which has so far spawned the iX3 crossover and i3 sedan. Some of the automaker's model that aren't quite ready for a next-gen redesign yet are getting facelifts that, while not using the Neue Klasse platform, are gaining new styling and other improvements from the Neue Klasse cars.

The first of said facelifts to be revealed is the 7 Series. BMW has given the front end a total overhaul, and while it still has split headlights and huge kidney grilles, it's a very successful redesign that I think looks badass (and I already liked how this 7er looked). But more importantly, the 2027 7 Series has a redesigned interior with BMW's new Panoramic iDrive, and the i7 EV gets new battery chemistry and motors, among a host of other improvements throughout the lineup. BMW says this is the most extensive model update it's ever done, which is the same thing Mercedes-Benz said about its new facelifted S-Class, the 7 Series' biggest competitor.

That's more like it

BMW

Right, let's start with the front end. The 7 Series' kidneys are now taller, narrower, and shaped more like old BMWs' grilles, with more subtle horizontal vanes within. While the chrome surround of the kidneys still meet in the center, luckily the ambient lighting surrounding the kidneys are now fully separated, a big improvement over the blank space of the outgoing model. The upper LED running lights are thinner and connect to the grille surround, and the headlights below are now smaller and more vertically oriented, and thus less noticeable at a glance. Those eyebrow lights are available with 12 diamond-cut crystal glass segments per light, that sparkle in the sun and are backlit by LEDs.

BMW

The front bumpers are also simpler and more angular in design, whether you go for the normal styling (the two-tone car in these photos) or one of the M Sport packages (the silver car) that gives it a blockier look with larger intakes and headlight surrounds. Flowing off the kidneys are more prominent hood bulges that I think look quite cool. It's all very Robocop, but definitely cleaner and more cohesive before. Cameras, radar sensors and washer nozzles are all hidden in the kidneys. In addition to welcome animations, you can get a Ceremonial Light Carpet that uses 194,000 pixels integrated in the door sills to project animated graphics on the ground.

You can get dual-finish paint

BMW

From the front fenders all the way to the rear quarter panels, the 7 Series' body surfacing and greenhouse are exactly the same as before, aside from tweaked side skirts. Okay, there are also new side mirrors and redesigned recessed door handles, but would you have noticed if I didn't say anything? The rear end has undergone big changes, though. Slimmer taillights now stretch nearly to the center of the trunk, with a new twin-line design that incorporates chrome strips and smoked glass. Hidden in the black sections of the lights are the backup camera, its washer nozzle and the lock button for the trunk. The rear bumper designs are new and nicer, as well.

BMW

BMW already offered two-tone paint on the G70 7 Series, but both colors were the same finish, which is still too boring. The new Individual Dual-Finish paint combines matte and metallic paints with "no noticeable transition point" where they meet, and a hand-drawn coach line between them. Here's what BMW says about the paint:

BMW Individual Dual-Finish paintwork represents the pinnacle of what is currently possible in painting techniques. Experts have spent two-and-a-half years developing this innovative technology, which can only be used at BMW Group Plant Dingolfing and is only available for the BMW 7 Series. More than 20 specially trained employees are involved in a complex process in which the car is prepared manually for each of the 12 steps in the painting process. Among the tasks they carry out are taping the car by hand and sanding down the body to prepare it for the manual painting process. These jobs alone account for nearly half of the work time. Each car ordered with a BMW Individual Dual-Finish will spend more than 75 hours – i.e. over three full days – in the paint shop. This is almost six times longer than for a conventional paint finish.

Overhauled inside too

BMW

The Neue Klasse cars debuted the Panoramic iDrive system running BMW's Operating System X, which uses a projected Panoramic Vision display spanning the entire base of the windshield instead of using a gauge cluster, and a 17.9-inch central touchscreen with a rhombus-shaped "free-cut" design. BMW has given the 7 Series a totally new dashboard that gets both of those items, and as standard it's got the first iteration we've seen of a passenger display for this new system, a 14.6-inch unit that also has a free-cut design. Other new design features include a funky steering wheel with spokes at 12 and 6 (there are five different designs in total), a reworked center console that has a crystal shifter, and new door panels with better-organized controls, like the crystal units for the seat adjustment. 

BMW

BMW didn't change much about the 7 Series' back seat, but it didn't need much changing. The optional 31.3-inch 8K Theater Screen that flips down from the ceiling now has a camera so you can make Zoom calls, and an HDMI port to easily plug in computers or gaming consoles. The also-optional 36-speaker Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system now has Dolby Atmos integration and surround speakers built into the headrests, and the touchscreen control displays in the rear door panels have been updated. The front seats come standard with ventilation and nine massage settings, which the rear seats can also get, but you really want the Executive Lounge package that adds an integrated leg rest for the right-rear passenger, a heated armrest and other niceties.

BMW

There's a ton of different ambient lighting effects. A strip that runs the width of the dashboard "in daylight illuminates with a delicate alabaster structure, whereas in darkness it produces a moderately dynamic light effect," and its color and brightness corresponds to the time of day. The front seatbacks have new integrated sconce-like lights, the rear doors' speaker covers are illuminated from the inside, and you can get a Panoramic Skylounge roof that has over 40 LEDs embedded in the glass. Vegan upholstery is standard, but you can get a bunch of leather options in different color schemes, plus the cashmere option is still on offer. There's a few new wood trim options, too.

Four models at launch, more to come

BMW

At launch the 7 Series will be offered in gas-powered 740 guise, which uses a turbocharged inline-6 with 394 horsepower and can be had with either rear- or all-wheel drive. A plug-in-hybrid 740e xDrive model is coming in early 2027 with 483 hp and 516 pound-feet of torque, and BMW says a V8-powered M Performance model will arrive down the line, likely a replacement for the current V8-powered 760i. This facelift is really all about the electric i7, though, which now features BMW's sixth-generation electric drive technology.

Its battery pack uses the Neue Klasse's cylindrical cell design, which increases volumetric energy density by 20%. Though the external dimensions remain the same, the usable capacity has increased by more than 10% to 112.5 kWh, and BMW estimates an EPA range of more than 350 miles, about 40 miles more than the current i7. An NACS charge port is now fitted, and the i7's DC fast-charging capabilities have increased from 195 kW to 250 kW, so it now needs 28 minutes to go from 10% to 80%. BMW also improved the regenerative braking, so the i7 can now come to a complete stop with one-pedal driving, and there's an adaptive recuperation setting that automatically adjusts the level of regen based on vehicles around you, traffic lights, route guidance and other data.

BMW

The base i7 50 xDrive will have 449 hp and 487 lb-ft, reaching 60 mph in 5.3 seconds, but if that's not enough the i7 60 xDrive has 536 hp and 549 lb-ft, with a 4.6-second 0-60 time. The electric motors are new, with more sound isolation, smoother throttle response, and better efficiency. Speaking about the motors, BMW says:

Thanks to a variety of BMW EfficientDynamics measures, such as the use of silicon carbide semiconductor components for the power electronics (SiC inverters) and friction optimized wheel bearings, overall vehicle efficiency has also been increased by up to seven percent. Along with the new high-voltage battery with the latest Gen6 cylindrical cells and the overhauled charging technology, the updated BMW eDrive technology aboard the BMW i7 also comprises the highly integrated drive units at the front and rear axles.

These have been optimized through the integration of an SiC inverter and bring together the electric motor, power electronics and transmission within a single, compact housing. The electric motors in the BMW i7 work according to the principle of an electrically excited synchronous motor, where it is a precisely controllable electrical feed that sets the rotor in motion rather than fixed permanent magnets. This allows the use of critical rare earth metals (required for magnetic components) to be avoided altogether in the manufacture of the rotor

On sale this year

BMW

What else is new? Well, basically all of the computer stuff you can't see:

The new BMW 7 Series benefits from the completely new E/E architecture developed for the Neue Klasse as the basis for a "software-defined vehicle" (SDV). This makes the vehicle more intelligent and efficient overall, with greater capabilities. The centralized high-performance computers together boast 20 times more processing power than the current generation of models. This means the vehicle is prepared for upcoming software and function updates, including interactive AI features. The zonal wiring harness architecture reduces harness weight by around 30 percent while saving around 2,000 feet of wiring. As well as enabling shorter, thinner wiring, it uses digital smart eFuses for intelligent power distribution and makes a significant contribution to improving the vehicle's overall energy efficiency. The new electronics architecture underpins a more advanced software architecture that will keep all future BMW models fully up to date via software updates.

The automatic doors have new sensors and smoother operation, there's a new digital rear-view mirror, you can get a 3D head-up display, the AI virtual assistant is supposedly way better and can do many different new things, there's a lot more entertainment apps, the digital key has new functionality, BMW fitted even more sound-deadening solutions, and the available Adaptive Chassis Control suspension system with 48-volt active anti-roll bars has been improved.

BMW

There are also lots of enhancements for the driver-assist systems, though BMW has discontinued its Level 3 system in favor of better Level 2 setups. It calls the latest safety systems BMW Symbiotic Drive, as they're designed to work unobtrusively in the background, with a safe experience that offers maximum benefit instead of the highest possible level of automation in every situation. For instance, the driver accelerating, braking or steering won't deactivate the highway assist systems. The car uses eye tracking and looks at driver inputs to determine if the driver is attentive, only intervening if it senses they're distracted (or worse).

BMW says the 2027 7 Series will enter production in July of this year, with U.S. deliveries to start soon after. The 740 will start at $101,350 including destination, only $500 more than the pre-facelift. All-wheel drive adds on $3,000 to that. The i7, meanwhile, will cost $107,550 for the 50 xDrive ($500 more than the current rear-drive 50) and $126,250 for the 60 xDrive (also only $500 more). 

The Smart brand is best known for its diminutive Fortwo city car that was so small that people would tip them on their hind-end as a prank, and despite Smart leaving the U.S. market in 2019, it still is a thriving car company with multiple different models in many countries outside the United States. The last Fortwo rolled off the line in 2024, and since then the brand has only produced bigger, four-door cars, but last year it promised a successor for the Fortwo was on the way. Now Smart has pushed out a new concept that previews the next-generation electric city car, called the #2.

Though at first it doesn't look massively different from the old model, it's built on Smart's new self-developed, proprietary Electric Compact Architecture (ECA), which Smart says should achieve a nearly 186-mile range on the European WLTP cycle and charge from 10% to 80% in under 20 minutes. That will be a massive upgrade over the old Fortwo EQ, which had a WLTP range of just 75 miles. And don't worry, it's still quite small, growing just 3.9 inches to 109.9 inches overall.

Smart

As far as concept cars go, the #2's design isn't especially revolutionary, but the devil is in the details. As you get closer to the concept you notice some neat touches like the patterned front "grille" section with straps and gold buckle-like design details that remind me of a Louis Vuitton handbag. 

Kai Sieber, Head of Design at Smart said, "the Concept #2 translates our bold personality into a new era where 'Function becomes Fashion.' It is not only about clever practicality but serves as a true extension of personal identity." The production model of the #2 will debut at the Paris Motor Show later this year, and you can expect it to look very similar to this concept. Smart says it will come to Europe, China, and other select markets, but given the state of our country right now, it's almost certainly not coming to U.S. shores.

Smart

Now co-owned by Mercedes-Benz and Chinese automotive giant Geely, Smart is basically copying Mini's homework as a brand that initially only sold tiny city cars, but has since started selling trendy premium crossovers. Smart's current lineup is comprised of the #1 electric subcompact crossover, the #3 electric fastback crossover, and the #5 crossover, which is sized like a Tesla Model Y and offered with either electric or plug-in powertrains. The company insists their names are pronounced like 'hashtag three' rather than number three. 

Its incredibly petite dimensions - measuring in at just 2.5 metres long - made it the ideal motor for nipping around city centres with consummate ease. 

And it became a comically useful tool for parking, with its diminutive scale meaning it could easily be slotted perpendicularly between two other motors in the tiniest spaces at the roadside. 

It was available across three generations spanning from 2000 until it was eventually scrapped from the Smart line-up in 2024, some four years after Mercedes' parent company Daimler sold half of the business to Chinese giant Geely.

But the laughably compact ForTwo is set to make a return for a fourth series with electric power from next year.

It has been previewed as a concept car debuting at this weekend's Beijing motor show. And while it will continue the ForTwo's tradition of bogglingly small measurements, it will come with a new name...

Smart's hilariously small compact car is making a comeback: The two-seat ForTwo city car will return as the #2 in 2027. And it should still be an abolsute doddle to park...

The first Smart ForTwo arrived in the UK in 2000 and became an instant icon due to its diminutive size, ease of nipping through cities and ability to park at the kerbside at 90 degrees

The new two-seat compact city car is will from 2027 carry the #2 nameplate, in-keeping with the branding system used by Smart under its German-Chinese ownership alliance.

The name is pronounced 'hashtag 2' rather than 'number 2', though Smart is running the risk of introducing a car with questionable connotations. 

Name aside, it will tick all the boxes of the original ForTwo's legendary characteristics, with Smart saying it will 'deliver uncompromised urban capability'.

This includes the 2000 cars signature 'wheels-at-the-corners' layout, maximised interior space, and mega condensed dimensions - though at 2,792mm, the concept is almost 30cm longer than the original and 10cm more than the last third-generation car.

In contrast to today's cars, it is almost a metre shorter than a Fiat 500 (though that does have rear seats) and Honda's recently-unveiled Super-N. 

Only the Citroen Ami and Micro Microline are smaller vehicles with two seats, though they both fall into the 'quadricycle' category, meaning they don't qualify as passenger cars, meaning far smaller ranges and limited top speeds (the Ami's range is just 46 miles and top speed limited to a pedestrian 28mph). 

Smart says the #2 will be the fourth interation of the legendary ForTwo, even if it doesn't carry the same name

The ForTwo's tiny dimensions has made it a favourite for city dwellers with the cars still immensely popular in the capital

Clever packaging meant the ForTwo was also spacious. Pictured: Keith Edwards, a 6ft 7in member of the Tall Persons Club GB & Ireland posing with his Smart ForTwo in 2008

If the production model is around 2.8-metres long, owners are unlikely to get away with parking at 90 degrees to the kerb in a roadside bay as they have done before in the ForTwo.

This is because the average space at the kerbside in the UK is 2.4 metres. 

In 2014, a UK owner of a Smart ForTwo won a year-long battle over a £50 parking ticket given because she parked at a right angle to the kerb with the car slightly over the white lines.

Vanessa Price was ticketed by Gloucestershire County Council in 2013 for breaching road regulations by parking perpendicularly at the roadside. But the fine was overturned by an adjudicator, who said she had not breached any road regulations.

Price was issued the penalty charge because the front of her car breached the parking bay lines in Stroud. But it was overturned because the rule that drivers must park within markings does not apply in limited waiting spaces on highways.

For parking bays wider than the Smart ForTwo is long, historically, has meant drivers have rarely been ticketed when they've parked at a right angle to the kerb. 

The ForTwo's party trick has always been that it can be parked perpendicularly in a kerbside bay, meaning owners can slot into the smallest spaces between other cars

The original was just 2.5-metres long; around the width of kerbside parking bays in town centres. But the new model is expected to be longer and therefore could lose this key attribute

The biggest difference the #2 will have to the debut ForTwo from 26 years ago is its exclusively electric powertrain and move into a more premium segment.

The full technical details of its EV platform won't be unveiled until later this year at the Paris Motor Show in October, but the range is expected to be in the region of 186 miles (300km) and recharges from 10 to 80 per cent should take less than 20 minutes.

For drivers in big cities like London, these figures should be more than acceptable for a compact vehicle, especially with 20mph limits likely extending the range.

It too will feature 'reverse-charging', meaning owners will be able to attach a three-pin adaptor to the charging socket allowing them to plug in their smartphones and laptops - a rare function of smaller, cheaper EV models. 

And while the #2 will be marginally longer than the original ForTwo, it will have the same 6.95-metre turning circle, making it a doddle navigating packed streets and limited parking access.

The Smart #2 will exclusively be electric. The range is expected to be in the region of 186 miles (300km) and recharges from 10 to 80% will take less than 20 minutes

‹ Slide me ›

The original Smart ForTwo (left) arrived in the UK more than a quarter of a century ago. Having been axed from its range in 2024, the fourth generation will arrive next year for around £25k

The name is pronounced 'hashtag 2' rather than 'number 2', though Smart is running the risk of introducing a car with questionable connotations 

Read More

Five affordable small electric cars under £25,000 worth buying in 2026

According to bosses, the styling has been entirely led by Mercedes-Benz rather than Geely, which explains its similarities to ForTwos that have come before it.

But bosses say it will be 'elevate the city car beyond mere utility', with a plusher interior than the relatively sparse original.

Kai Sieber, head of Smart design at Mercedes-Benz, said: 'We believe a city car should be more than a problem solver; it should spark joy. 

'Carrying the heritage of the ForTwo's iconic design, the Concept #2 translates our bold personality into a new era where Function becomes Fashion.'

There's still no indication on pricing ahead of 2027 deliveries, but given its premium shift, we expect it to ring in above the Honda Super-N's £22,000 entry point.

Smart has also not given any indication if it will sell an open-top cabrio or roadster versions like the original, or if it plans to expand the #2's platform to allow for rear seats, in the same way it did with the ForFour variant previously.

Brabus also famously sold tuned versions of the ForTwo, though whether the #2 receives the same treatment, only time will tell. 

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► Charging without cables
► Coming to market this year
► Here’s how it works

Ever wondered why electric cars can’t charge wirelessly like your phone? Anyone who’s entangled themselves in grubby, heavy-duty charging cables when trying to top up their battery will be celebrating Porsche’s imminent launch of inductive charging on the new 2026 Cayenne Electric. The new EV arrives in the UK this June and the company is vowing to launch wireless charging before the end of the year.  

It’s a tempting prospect. Instead of plugging in, drivers merely park over a charging plate attached to the floor of their garage or driveway, glance at the digital display on the dashboard to confirm they have aligned the car correctly and the rest is automatic. Adjustable suspension lowers the car a little, a digital handshake identifies the user and simple science transports electricity over the air from floor to battery. 

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The technology has existed for smartphones and electric toothbrushes for years, but has until now been incapable of efficiently working at higher power outputs required for cars. Inductive charging creates a magnetic field between two coils of copper (one in the floor plate, one in the vehicle) and uses the same principles as an induction hob on your electric oven. 

The base plate, which is 117cm long, 78cm wide and weighs a chunky 50kg, is packed with a transmitter coil made of copper and ferrites for your household alternating current (AC) to flow through, creating a magnetic field; this is the witchcraft which transfers the energy of up to 11 kilowatts to the electric car’s battery embedded in the chassis. It’s clever tech that works over a 12-18cm gap between ground and car and Porsche claims that there’s a 90% efficiency rate. 

The Cayenne Electric has a secondary coil installed in the underside of the body, just behind the front axle. This acts as a receiver unit to take the AC before converting it into direct current (DC), so it can be stored in the vehicle’s 108kWh high-voltage battery. 

Home charging at 11kW is considerably faster than plugging into a regular three-point domestic plug and is akin to the speed of a wallbox typically installed by most EV owners. In the UK charging will be restricted to the grid’s 7.6kW power rating. The charging plate can be installed by your own electrician or dealer, is fully waterproof and meets all European and US safety regulations for electromagnetic compatibility. It even includes sensors to detect the movement of an animal or foreign body, cancelling charge is anything erroneous strays into the magnetic field such as your cat or keys. 

It’s important that you drive your car precisely over the plate to enable charging to take place. Porsche uses ultra-wideband technology to determine the car’s position and shows the driver a green dot and circle on the PCM touchscreen display so they can manoeuvre correctly. When the two are aligned, a password is checked over Wi-Fi and charging commences. The base unit has LTE and WLAN connectivity, allowing for remote software updates.  

If all this sounds too good to be true, there is a catch: inductive charging is an option that will carry a Porsche-spec price tag – estimated to total around £6750 in total. You’ll have to really not want to lug mucky charging cables around to afford this new breakthrough tech, but over time the price is expected to fall significantly, if the technology catches on and scales up. 

The priciest component is the ground plate, which will cost around £4750. The receiver plate in the car is listed at around £1700 while extra wiring and prep in the car will cost around £300 (the UK distributor is making this pre-prep package standard-fit, whereas customers elsewhere will have to stump up the extra). 

‘Ease of use, suitability for everyday use and charging infrastructure are still the decisive factors when it comes to the acceptance of electric mobility,’ said Michael Steiner, Porsche’s R&D chief. ‘We are proud that inductive charging will soon be available in series production at Porsche. Charging an electric car at home has never been so easy and convenient.’ 

Porsche has been building electric cars for seven years now and its internal data proves that three quarters of all charges take place at home, suggesting that wireless charging will be a useful and regular benefit for its customers. It is also developing the tech for use in public car parks and envisages a future in which drivers drop the car at a valet area at a restaurant or shopping centre, letting the vehicle park and charge autonomously. 

‘Porsche is the first car manufacturer in the world to offer contactless charging,’ Marco Schmerbeck, Porsche’s head director of energy systems, told CAR magazine. ‘It’s so simple to use and removes further barriers to going electric. In the morning, you’ll simply head downstairs, get in your Cayenne and drive off. It’s that easy.’ 

He said wireless charging was likely to spread to other ranges of Porsche electric car in the coming years, meaning the Macan and Taycan could follow suit. 

• The Dark Horse SC has 795 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque.
• Ford claims it was developed alongside the Mustang GTD and GT3 for track performance.
• The 5.2-liter V8 is hand assembled in Dearborn, Michigan.

We’re in an era of abundant horsepower. It has never been easier to have horsepower figures that we once only dreamt of—and the upcoming Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC isn’t changing that trend. With an incredible 795 horsepower and 660 pound-feet of torque, the SC is just 20 horsepower shy of the $327,000 Mustang GTD, and a third of the price.

The Dark Horse SC is, of course, Ford’s latest high-performance Mustang. As we revealed last month, it will start at $103,490 before taxes and destination charges. Not cheap, especially for a Mustang, but the promise of the SC is quite strong. Ford says it was developed alongside the GTD and Mustang GT3 as a track-ready weapon, which includes a brace of tech to handle its monstrous output.

Hugely Powerful Engine

The powertrain sounds familiar, especially compared to the GTD. A hand-assembled supercharged 5.2-liter V8 delivers the goods, while a Tremec seven-speed dual-clutch handles the power.

The SC-specific stuff starts with the bodywork, which has been developed to supply sufficient cooling for track use. Its hood is made of aluminum, with a carbon fiber hood vent that generates 2.5 times more downforce than the standard Dark Horse’s hood vent. The rain tray has to be removed, but it’s a nice upgrade nonetheless.

There will also be an optional Track Pack, which adds Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires, carbon-ceramic brakes, a rear seat delete, and carbon fiber wheels, resulting in a total weight loss of 150 pounds. All Dark Horse SCs, however, get the latest generation of Magnetorheological dampers and variable traction control.

But all of that comes at a cost. For a Dark Horse SC with the Track Pack, you'll spend at least $139,990. Add the Special Edition on top, which adds painted hood graphics, Solar Red interior, and a Carbon Fiber Appearance Package, and that will set you back $170,970.

That is much steeper than the base price, and you start getting into some pretty sweet cars for that money. Things like the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, some Porsche 911 variants, and even the Corvette ZR1 are in that price bracket.

But realistically, the ideal Dark Horse SC is the $139,990 Track Pack, which goes up against the $122,795 Corvette Z06 and $140,356 Porsche 911 Carrera. Compared to both, it feels like a performance bargain, but a definite downgrade in interior quality and overall experience. It also has a colossal horsepower advantage over the 911 Carrera’s 388 hp, and a solid bump over the Z06’s 670 hp.

Motor1's Take: With 795 horsepower, the case for the Dark Horse SC only gets stronger. It’s not cheap, but it’s still a relative performance bargain in an increasingly expensive market.

• Ford’s former EV boss shared an image of the company’s canceled three-row electric SUV on his LinkedIn page.  
• Ford canceled the EV in 2024 due to falling demand.  
• Ford says the EV is now a 'research vehicle' that is 'informing' its next generation of EVs.  

It’s been nearly two years since Ford announced it would cancel its three-row electric SUVs. The company was supposed to launch the three-row SUV in 2025, but consumers simply weren't snapping up EVs as the company had hoped. Instead, the Dearborn-based automaker abandoned the project before an official debut, but it didn’t completely disappear.  

Doug Field, Ford’s former head of EVs, posted a photo of the model on his LinkedIn page as the header image, which apparently has been up since sometime last year. It shows the profile of the three-row SUV, which has a Genesis GV60-like front end, an incredibly long, sloping roof, and a truncated rear reminiscent of the 1964 Shelby Cobra Daytona coupe.

Ford first teased the three-row SUV in May 2023. At the time, the company's CEO, Jim Farley, called it "a personal bullet train," and it was supposed to have more than 350 miles of range. Ford never provided much more about the EV beyond that before killing the project.  

The EV now serves as a "research vehicle" that is "informing" its next generation of EVs, according to a Ford spokesperson who confirmed to The Drive that the vehicle is the canceled three-row SUV.  

In late 2025, Ford announced a new strategy that would expand its hybrid offerings, with nearly every model featuring some type of multi-energy powertrain by the end of the decade. It also revealed that the next-generation F-150 Lightning would become a range-extended electric vehicle with an on-board generator.  

This doesn’t mean Ford ditched EVs altogether—the automaker shifted toward a new Universal EV platform designed to underpin several affordable models. The first will be a mid-size pickup, with the architecture flexible enough to accommodate a range of body styles.  

Ford says the new electric truck will go on sale sometime in 2027. That’s when we will know just how much the three-row SUV is influencing Ford’s future.  

Motor1’s Take: Now that we know what the three-row looks like, we think Ford was right to cancel the vehicle. It looks like a squished Hyundai Ioniq 9 and a bit plain.

• GM can create 3D renders of future cars within a day thanks to AI.
• It has also developed a complex AI tool to analyze aerodynamics.
• Engineers, too, are now tapping artificial intelligence to help them.

Creative work has long relied on time, iteration, and instinct, but new tools are starting to compress that process in surprising ways. The rise of artificial intelligence threatens millions of jobs, including many within the creative industries and the automotive sphere. Rather than trying to hide from AI, design studios and engineering labs at GM are embracing it, and say it’s helping to bring ideas from paper to the virtual world faster than ever before.

While there are plenty of tools that can design cars from scratch with a simple prompt, this isn’t what GM is using AI for. New designs still start with designers sketching with a pencil, but from there, artificial intelligence can quickly and easily produce intricate renders and even detailed 3D animations.

Read: GM Imagines Tomorrowland’s EVs And They’re Nothing Like Today

According to one of GM’s creative designers, Daniel Shapiro, it would usually take multiple teams of designers months of work to go from a sketch to a detailed animation. Now, AI-driven visualization tools can do all of this in less than a day.

GM says that thanks to the time AI saves, designers can quickly generate dozens of variations of a single design and then refine them. AI also gives designers the time to flesh out more ideas, pulling from their imagination, putting pencil to paper, and then letting the tools bring these sketches to life.

AI-Driven Aero

“Instead of just going down this one path, we can explore so much more, and you can be a bit less precious with the ideas,” Shapiro says. “I don’t want to exaggerate here, but it’s changed the way we do our work on a daily basis.”

Artificial intelligence also plays an important role for engineers. One of GM’s teams has developed an AI-powered tool that serves as a virtual wind tunnel, predicting a vehicle’s aerodynamic drag from digital renders. In the past, GM relied on CFD and full-scale wind tunnel testing, but this is expensive and takes time, often days or weeks as minor tweaks are made to a vehicle’s design.

By comparison, teams can now tweak the roofline or hood of a future vehicle and, in almost real time, see how it’ll impact the vehicle’s aerodynamics.

• Automakers in the US are taking sharply different paths toward EV adoption.
• Some, like Toyota and Mercedes, continue with a measured approach to new EVs.
• Others, such as Honda and Stellantis, are cutting back on their planned EV launches.

The auto industry is at a crossroads with EVs, and this is becoming increasingly evident. Nearly every automobile manufacturer has been forced into some level of self-reflection as far as electric cars are concerned. Some are forging ahead in hope, while others are slowing down and reassessing their plans as market demand fluctuates and prices rise.

Also: These Are The Best-Selling EVs In America This Year So Far

The recent developments in the industry portray the picture of how fragmented everything has become. Some have already abandoned or delayed EV projects since it has emerged that the growth they were envisaging was not that imminent. Others are in the process of doubling down and are taking this as a chance to leapfrog, as competition takes a breather.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race?

Toyota is one of the companies that continues to go on the offensive. It will launch four electric models in the U.S. towards the end of the year, including the bZ, bZ Woodland, C-HR, and a three-row Highlander EV.

Speaking to Automotive News, analysts from iSeeCars and Edmunds expressed positivity on Toyota’s approach. Toyota had attracted criticism for its slow approach towards EVs, but its measured approach seems to have left it in good standing. The ratio of hybrids, gas cars, and EVs the company has had over the years is finally starting to pay off because it will be able to be flexible as the market readjusts.

Pull Backs And Uncertainty

One of the biggest shifts in EV planning has to have been from Honda. The Japanese company has scrapped a number of future electric models and is shifting to hybrids. This move comes with a financial hit, but the company believes that it is a more prudent short-term decision since EV demand has not yet evened out.

Read: Toyota’s bZ Outsold The Prius, And Now A Second US-Made Electric SUV Is Coming

Stellantis is taking the same route, scrapping its electric Ram pickup and delaying other EV plans in Europe. Ford and General Motors are not giving up on electric vehicles, but instead, they are streamlining their production to suit demand rather than overloading it too soon. It is not about quitting but timing things.

Meanwhile, Volkswagen has canceled its production of the US-made ID4 electric crossover. Besides the ID Buzz minivan, there are no plans to expand the VW EV lineup stateside for the next couple of years. On the other hand, Mercedes-Benz still plans to introduce more EVs to the US, but their approach will continue to incorporate gas and hybrid options too.

See Also: A 96% Sales Collapse Is Why VW Just Killed US ID.4 Production

These different avenues are reduced down to the situation of the firms, according to industry analysts. Some have the financial cushion to keep on investing, but others are choosing to save and avoid incurring more losses.

Tim Mitchell, CEO of Jensen Motors International, unveiled the new machine at the 2023 Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the car's aggressive stance and muscular proportions immediately drew comparisons to the original 1960s and 70s Interceptor that made Jensen famous. The new company, based in Solihull in the West Midlands, has ambitious plans for just 300 examples of the GTX, each carrying a starting price of £250,000.

The heart of the new Interceptor GTX is a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine that pushes the car to a claimed top speed of 200 mph. Unlike the original Interceptor, which relied on Chrysler V8 power, the new car features modern engineering throughout, including a carbon fiber body construction and an 8-speed automatic transmission. Brembo carbon-ceramic brakes and adaptive suspension dampers handle the stopping and cornering duties.

Jensen Motors International revived the dormant marque in 2021, but the path back to production has been anything but straightforward. The original Jensen Motors was a small British manufacturer that gained fame for building fast, luxurious grand tourers in limited numbers. Financial difficulties eventually killed the company, and the Interceptor name disappeared from showrooms in 1976 after a production run that totaled fewer than 7,000 cars across all variants.

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The new Interceptor GTX arrives in a crowded field of high-performance British sports cars, competing directly with established names like Aston Martin and McLaren. Mitchell has positioned the car as something different, telling automotive journalists that "we're not just recreating the past; we're reimagining what Jensen can be for the future." The company plans to expand the lineup beyond the GTX, though specific details about future models remain under wraps.

Production specifications show the GTX riding on Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires as standard equipment, suggesting serious track capability. The independent suspension system with adaptive dampers should provide the kind of adjustable performance that modern supercar buyers expect, switching between comfort and track modes depending on driving conditions.

The pricing puts the Interceptor GTX in direct competition with the Aston Martin Vantage and Porsche 911 Turbo S, both of which offer similar performance figures but with the backing of established dealer networks and proven reliability records. Jensen Motors International faces the classic challenge of any revived marque: convincing buyers to spend serious money on a brand that has been dormant for decades.

First customer deliveries are scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2024, assuming production proceeds as planned. The 300-unit production limit means the Interceptor GTX will remain exclusive, though whether that exclusivity translates into sales success remains to be seen. For a brand that once competed with Jaguar and Aston Martin, the new Jensen represents either a triumphant return or an expensive gamble on automotive nostalgia.

Sources: Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023 coverage, Jensen Motors International press materials

• Nissan has teased two new concepts for Auto China.
• One is a hardcore off-roader with lots of ground clearance.
• Other appears to be a fairly typical electric crossover.

Auto show season got off to a rough start thanks to lackluster events in Detroit and Chicago. However, the New York Auto Show was jam-packed with debuts and that trend will continue at Auto China with unveilings from BMW, Hyundai, and General Motors.

Nissan is joining them as they’ll be showcasing the new NX8 as well as two concepts. The company isn’t saying much about the latter, but described the vehicles as “another important milestone in Nissan’s transformation towards electrification and intelligentization.”

More: Nissan’s New Midsize SUV Costs Less Than A Kicks And Has More Screens Than A Mercedes

Marketing hyperbole aside, one of the concepts is a hardcore off-roader. Details are hard to make out, but we can see slender headlights as well as a front light bar with illuminated “Nissan” lettering as well as five glowing rectangles.

Elsewhere, there’s a rugged front bumper and auxiliary lights mounted on the hood. They’re joined by meaty off-road tires as well as a ton of ground clearance. Rounding out the highlights are an illuminated roof rack and marker lights on the fender flares.

While the concept echoes the upcoming Xterra, it features a unique front end that appears to have a fully enclosed grille. This suggests the model could be fully electric as opposed to having V6 and hybrid V6 engines like the SUV that arrives in late 2028.

The other concept is more mysterious, but it appears to be a fairly typical crossover. There’s not much to see, but the model has lighting units that echo those found on the redesigned Leaf.

We can also get a glimpse of what appears to be a shark nose front end. While there’s some doubt about that, there’s no mistaking the gently sloping roof and liftgate-mounted spoiler.