Tesla’s facelift of the Model Y SUV hasn’t proved enough to halt a decline in sales, but from this week, there’s a fresh reason to give the automaker’s showrooms some of your time. The range-topping Model Y Performance is officially on sale in the US, and at just $57,490, it looks like a seriously good value for what it puts on the table.

If you’d rather lease the flagship Model Y Performance, Tesla’s current terms start with a $4,300 down payment and $635 per month for 36 months with a 10,000-mile annual limit. Opting for a shorter 24-month lease bumps the payment to $745 per month. The down payment is flexible, however, and can drop as low as $1,427 depending on how you structure the deal.

Related: Tesla’s Budget Model Y Is So Stripped Down It’s Begging For Tips

For that money, you get a bi-motor, all-wheel drive, five-seat SUV that can explode from zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) in just 3.3 seconds, tops out at 155 mph (250 kmh), and has a 308-mile (496 km) range. That compares with 4.6 seconds, 125 mph (201 kmh), and 327 miles (526 km) for the next Model Y down, the $48,990 Long Range All-Wheel Drive.

If you don’t care about the more explosive performance and a selection of other goodies like the body-hugging front sport seats and the improved suspension with adaptive damping that promises to offer a better handling and ride, you’re better off pocketing the $8,500 difference and opting for the Long Range AWD instead.

Options? What Options

Tesla doesn’t offer many options for the Performance, giving buyers the choice of six colors at no extra cost and no alternative wheel selections other than the standard 21-inch Arachnid 2.0 rims. The only really pricey available add-on is the over-promising Full Self-Driving package for $8,000, though buyers can inflate their bill with stuff like a roof rack and air mattress.

We already knew some of the Performance tech details, plus how much it cost in Europe, but until now, US prices remained an unknown quantity. At $57.5k, the Performance massively undercuts Hyundai’s Ioniq 5N, which costs $66,200, but not Ford’s Mustang Mach-E in GT trim. One of those is only $54,495, but it is also half a second slower to 60 mph and has a poor 280-mile range. Then again, the 5N, which does match the Y against the clock, is rated at a pathetic 221 miles (356 km).

Though various states, such as Colorado, offer EV incentives that can bring the price of a Performance lower, the federal EV tax credit program finished at the end of September, having been axed by President Trump. That means no opportunity for a chunky $7,500 discount. And it also means leasing a Tesla just got more expensive.

Lease Prices Jump

Although Tesla so far hasn’t changed the MSRPs of its other cars, it did raise leasing prices when the tax credit availability expired, Reuters reports. Lease deals for the Model Y RWD and AWD jumped from a range of $479-$529 to $529-$599 a month. Meanwhile, Model 3 lease prices, including the Performance, jumped from a range of $349 to $699 to $429 to $759 per month.

Tesla

We’ve heard a lot about VW’s next generation of ID. electric models and their new MEB+ platform. But today we get our first look at what sister company Audi plans to do with the same DNA to create its dinkiest ever EV .

This little monobox electric SUV is designed to slot below the existing ID.4-sized Q4 e-tron in Audi’s lineup starting in 2027, and it would seem logical for it to get the Q2 e-tron name. But some people have suggested it could be called A2, and we can certainly see some similarity between the classic aluminium-bodied A2 subcompact of the early 2000s and this prototype in the profile view.

Related: Audi To Launch An Entry-Level EV In 2027

But the Q2/A2 looks wider, lower, and sportier than the old A2 with a more aggressive windshield rake and roofline that plunges even harder after the C-pillars.

We can also see that the pint-sized EV has a split-headlight treatment and the same style of door handles we’ve seen on prototypes of the upcoming Q7, which look very much like the ones on the front doors of a Ford Mustang Mach-E. And also, strangely, like the little chest-height cigarette shelves you used to get above public urinals in the 1980s, though I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the inspiration here.

There seems to be more A2-inspired detailing at the back though, where a high-level spoiler appears to bisect the rear window. But this being 2025 and not 2000, we also get a transverse LED light bar instead of a stack of vertically-arranged lights in each corner.

Not visible, but almost certainly present beneath the “brake test” sticker on the prototype, is an illuminated four-ring Audi badge.

While the bigger Q4 e-tron uses the older MEB platform shared with cars like the ID.4 and ID. Buzz, the Q2/A2 adopts the newer MEB+ architecture. It places a single motor at the front, driving the front wheels (single-motor MEB cars are rear-mounted, RWD) and, based on what we know of MEB+ VW models like the ID. Polo, could deliver around 280 miles (450 km) of range and 223 hp (226 PS / 166 kW) for sub-7-second zero to 62 mph (100 kmh) sprints.

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Xiaomi has already proved its SU7 mettle at the Nurburging, demolishing the fastest times set by its Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S rivals. But what happens when you take those corners out of the equation? That’s what we find out in a new Carwow video pitting the the top-spec SU7, the Ultra, against a Model S Plaid.

Also: Xiaomi Boss Admits They Bought Teslas And Tore Them Down To Learn Every Secret

It’s no understatement to say things don’t look good for the Tesla going into this fight. We now live in a world so crazy that even the Plaid’s once outrageous four-figure power output seems kind of ordinary.

Its 1,006 hp (1,020 PS) and 1,047 lb-ft (1,420 Nm) stats are dwarfed by the SU7 Ultra’s 1,527 hp (1,548 PS) and 1,306 lb-ft (1,770 Nm), and though the Tesla fights back with a 375 lbs (170 kg) advantage you don’t need to reach for a calculator to know it’s on the backfoot.

Launch Control Drama

But when the flag drops it’s the Plaid that drops the SU7, again and again. Carwow host Matt Watson has spent more time on runways than most pilots and is obviously a dab hand at launching cars, both in terms of reacting to the flag and managing wheelspin – and the more powerful SU7 obviously has more wheelspin to manage. But it’s still a shock to see how long it take the Xiaomi to even begin to start reeling the Tesla in.

But once it gets going, it makes the Plaid look like it’d struggle to outrun a Dacia Spring. The in-car shot from the Tesla looking across Watson to the SU7 streaking by is mind blowing. However, the resulting quarter-mile times are pretty close.

That’s because the Xiaomi takes so long to hit its stride – 9.3 seconds for the SU7, 9.5 seconds for the Model S – and based on this evidence the Chinese car might not have the space to make up the ground in your average stoplight grudge match.

US-based Plaid owners don’t have to worry about finding out because Xiaomi doesn’t offer cars in America yet (though European sales are on the horizon). And that’s just as well for Tesla, because in China, the Ultra sells for the equivalent of $74,300, while the Plaid is almost $100k in the US.

Lead image Carwow

Overall car sales in Europe grew by 5 percent to 790,000 last month, buoyed by continuing enthusiasm for electric cars across the continent. Plug-in hybrids saw particularly strong momentum, with registrations climbing to 83,900 in August, a 59 percent increase on the previous year that lifted their market share to 10.6 percent.

Related: Global Electric Car Sales Jumped 25 Percent While Canada Dropped By A Third

According to Jato Dynamics figures, battery-electric cars (BEVs) also posted gains, up 27 percent compared with August 2024, giving them a record 20.2 percent market share, up 3.6 percentage points year on year. That brings Europe’s total for fully electric registrations in 2025 to 1.54 million so far. Analysts caution, however, that the headline growth figures for BEVs may not tell the full story

Numbers With Caveats

“The data shows that there was strong demand for BEVs in August, however a 27 percent increase is less significant than it looks when you consider how widely they are being promoted across Europe,” said Felipe Munoz, Global Analyst at JATO Dynamics. “The new record market share for BEVs achieved last month has been partly distorted by the fact that Italy – typically a less enthusiastic adopter of BEVs – is usually quiet during August,” Munoz added.

Europe Car Sales

Jato Dynamics

China’s Growing Momentum

Yet Europe’s traditional manufacturers may find little comfort in these results. The bad news for Europe’s carmakers is that interest in Chinese brands is growing at an even faster rate, and it’s coming at the expense of some very big household names.

Audi shifted 41,300 units in August, and Renault moved 37,800. Both are major players in the market but were outmaneuvered by Chinese brands who registered 43,500 sales, up a massive 121 percent versus August 2024, Jato reports.

Granted, that ‘Chinese brands’ figure is made up of 40 different automakers, but Jato points out that 84 percent of the total was achieved by only five of them, namely MG, BYD, Jaecoo, Omoda and Leapmotor. Whichever way you cut it it’s bad news for Europe’s legacy brands, and is only going to get worse, though at least Stellantis’s deal with Leapmotor means it gets to celebrate the win.

Even on their own, the Chinese brands took some big scalps. MG registered more cars than Tesla and Fiat, BYD beat Suzuki and Jeep, and Jaecoo and Omoda outsold Alfa Romeo and Mitsubishi.

“European consumers are responding positively to the growing, competitive line-up from China’s car brands,” Jato analyst Felipe Munoz said. “It appears that these brands have successfully tackled the perception and awareness issues they have experienced.”

Hybrids, not just EVs

It’s not only in the EV segment that Chinese brands are making gains. They’re also doing great in the PHEV space, where they’re not hobbled by the same tariffs applied to their fully electric vehicles.

More than 11,000 Chinese-brand plug-ins were sold this August compared with only 779 in the same month last year, BYD is now the eighth most popular PHEV brand overall and the BYD Seal U, Jaecoo J7 and MG HS bagged three spots in the top 10 best-selling models list.

However, if you simply looked at the table of 10 most-registered models, you’d never guess how quickly China was moving forward. The list contains no names from the People’s Republic and continues to be dominated by Volkswagen and Renault.

The VW T-Roc (which has since been facelifted) was the region’s biggest seller, with the Dacia Sandero scooping second spot and Toyota’s Yaris Cross bagging third. Tesla’s updated Model Y was the best-selling EV, but its sales were down 37 percent and it was nowhere to be seen in the overall top 10 cars table.

JLR’s masterful reinvention of the Defender proved the doubters wrong and added millions to the automakers’ balance sheet. Now it’s hoping that a baby version powered purely by batteries due in 2027 will enjoy the same success, but it might need some major surgery to fully realize its potential.

The bonsai EV, which will effectively replace the ancient Discovery Sport and could be called the Defender Sport, was spied testing again this week. While the final name might be unclear at this point, what’s under the skin isn’t. The baby SUV’s blanked grille and lack of exhaust pipes tell us its an EV and confirm it’s running on the same EMA electric architecture that will also underpin the upcoming Range Rover Evoque EV.

Also: Shrunken Land Rover Defender Is Coming For The Baby G-Class

It’ll be thoroughly modern platform with 800-volt charging and JLR has invested huge sums to make it happen, including a £500 million ($668 million) refit of its Halewood plant in north west England and the construction of a brand new battery site in the south west.

But with electric sales having failed to take off as expected in key markets like the US, is JLR really prepared to leave sales on the table by failing to offer customers the combustion powertrains many of them still want in their new cars? Could the company change its plans and adapt the EV-only EMA platform to also accept hybrid power?

It wouldn’t be the first automaker to do it. Fiat responded to weak sales of its electric 500e by slotting a 1.0-liter mild-hybrid petrol engine from the discontinued combustion 500 in the nose, and Porsche recently confirmed it would add ICE power hero models to the top of the new 718 EV lineup, and has scrapped plans to make its super-SUV an EV. The pricey utility will now get straight combustion and hybrid engines instead, and Porsche is also building a new ICE Macan to sell alongside the new Macan Electric.

JLR hasn’t made any specific comments about that kind of rethink regarding the EMA platform, but it did announce last year that it, like many other automakers, was taking a more measured pace when it came to electrification than it had planned.

“What you have seen from other OEMs is that the race to BEV is starting to stutter a little,” then-CEO Adrian Mardell said at the time. “PHEV acceptance has been quite a surprise. We are working hard in the interim time to make more PHEVs available to the marketplace.”

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We now know that combustion engines won’t completely disappear from automakers’ European lineups in 2035, as some previously feared, because some hybrids will live on. But according to one senior BMW suit, ICE hasn’t just been given a 10-year reprieve. It’s immortal.

“ICE and combustion engines will never disappear. Never!” So said Jochen Goller, BMW’s head of customer, brand and sales in a recent roundtable interview at the Munich Motor Show. This is the same show, remember, where BMW unveiled the electric iX3, the first of the Neue Klasse vehicles that will guide the brand forward for the next decade or more.

How Serious Was He?

Was Goller serious? He obviously didn’t mean that gasoline power will be around when cars can fly, but humans don’t need them because they’ve mastered teleportation (BMW’s pod will naturally deliver ultimate teleportation pleasure) and half of us are living on Mars. No one with half a brain believes that. But was he suggesting that combustion engines will still be around 40, 50, or 60 years from now?

Related: ‘We’ll Be Driving Full Speed Into The Wall’ Warns Mercedes Chief On Europe’s EV Future

BMW’s press team was quick to temper any excitement over Goller’s Braveheart-like pro-petrol stance. According to AMS magazine, a BMW spokesperson explained that the comments were made in a “humorous context. They added that the sales chief was trying to highlight that the take-up of new drive technology varies dramatically between different countries and regions.

Numbers Tell the Story

Unfortunately for those of us in Europe and the US, that take-up is happening more quickly than in some other markets, even if in some cases it’s not happening as fast as automakers like BMW once hoped. Electric cars now account for a fifth of all new car sales in Europe, and though their share in the US is smaller, mass acceptance in America (and maybe regulatory change ensuring it) is still going to happen sooner than in India or some remote part of Africa or Asia.

The good news for us Westerners not keen on moving to Chad just so we can avoid buying an EV from our BMW dealer is that BMW seems committed to a multi-energy strategy worldwide, at least for a while yet. The company’s older CLAR platform is being updated to ensure combustion and hybrid options, like the new X7 seen in the spy shot below, live on alongside the Neue Klasse EV models.

A Multi-Platform Future

Autocar India, which first reported Goller’s comments, claims BMW will eventually have three platforms: the Neue Klasse for EVs, a new multi-energy version for hybrids (and presumably hydrogen), and a basic platform for entry-level ICE machines.

So will combustion engines never die? Of course they’ll die eventually, but with hybrid help, customer demand, and maybe e-fuels, they’ve got years left in the tank.

Bentley last year opted to dial back its goal to become an all-electric brand by 2030, delaying the switchover by several years. But its first EV is scheduled to debut next year, and these spy shots are the first images of a prototype out in the wild.

Related: Bentley Isn’t Porsching Around With Its First EV

Dubbed the Urban SUV, the posh electric utility is smaller than Bentley’s existing combustion Bentayga and rides on entirely different architecture. While the Benytayga shares its MLB platform with Porsche’s petrol-powered Cayenne, the Urban SUV uses the VW Group PPE platform found under the new Cayenne Electric that’s due to debut in the coming months.

What Does It Look Like?

Slotting under Bentayga in Bentley’s growing line-up, the Urban SUV should be similar in size to the Cayenne Electric at just under 5 meters (196.9 inches) long. For context, the Bentayga measures 5,125 mm (201.8 inches), while the Extended Wheelbase version stretches to 5,305 mm (208.9 inches).

As we can see from these pics of the prototype, it’ll look very different from the Cayenne EV. It has a squared nose, flat hood, and flared rear fenders, much like other Bentleys, but it might be best not to put too much store into the quad headlight setup and oval-shaped taillights.

Why? Because this summer Bentley revealed its EXP15 concept to showcase its radical future design direction, and it’s very possible some of the design details from that fastback SUV, like the vertical headlights, huge square grille, and hairpin-shaped taillights, could make an appearance on the Urban SUV in some form.

Though this prototype’s roofline isn’t quite as coupe-like as the EXP15’s, it has a much more pronounced slope after the B-pillar than the Bentayga does, giving it a sportier vibe. The rear doors are also clearly shorter than the Bentayga’s.

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Power and Performance

Under the skin, there’s sure to be some crossover with sister company Porsche’s Cayenne Electric. Though we’re still waiting to get full details on that, reports suggest the Porsche will come with three powertrain options delivering 394 hp (400 PS / 294 kW) for the base Cayenne, 592 hp (600 PS / 441 kW) in S trim, and 794 hp (805 PS / 592 kW) as a Turbo.

Given Bentley’s position in the VW Group hierarchy it seems logical that the Urban SUV – or whatever it’s called when it arrives – will skip at least the first rung on that electric ladder. But it could get the same circa-108 kWh battery as the Cayenne, should still be good for around 350 miles (563 km) of WLTP range, and will be able to charge at 400 kW.

We’ll get a full look at the Urban SUV in mid-2026, but deliveries won’t start until the second quarter of 2027. Prices are still an unknown quantity, but should come in below the $207k starting price for a Bentayga. While the larger SUV continues as Bentley’s only ICE offering, the Urban SUV will launch solely as an electric model. Check out the EXP15 images below to get an idea of how the Urban SUV might look.

Bentley

The 2026 iX3 unveiled at this month’s Munich Motor Show is just the first of several electric models BMW will drop in the next five years. And this biggest of them all is the new iX7, which our spy photo team has snapped on test maneuvers for the first time.

We published scoop images of the regular next-generation X7 a few months back, but that model’s quad exhausts left us in no doubt that we were looking at a combustion version, almost certainly powered by a hybrid-assisted 4.4-liter V8.

No Pipes, No Noise

But the prototype in these fresh images has no tailpipes or large transverse silencer beneath the rear bumper. And our photo guys say it remained near-silent even when the driver gave it a serious bootfull of throttle right in front of them, meaning it wasn’t a PHEV.

Related: Is BMW Teasing The Next i4 With This Mysterious Sedan?

BMW has never offered electric iX versions of the X5 and X7 before, but that’s about to change. The iX5 is scheduled to arrive next year, with the iX7 arriving in 2027. Both will adopt the Neue Klasse design language already seen on the iX3 and coming to the all-new electric 3-Series within the next 12 months. But unlike those cars, the X5/iX5 and X7/iX7 will roll on updated versions of the older CLAR architecture found on the current X5 and X7 SUVs.

Shared Looks, Different Power

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Because petrol and electric versions of the G67-code X7 use the same platform, styling differences between the two are unlikely to be significant. And neither will fully embrace the Neue Klasse look by switching to a visor-style front end. Based on what we can see from the spy shots the next X7 retains both a large grille and the two-level lighting setup, reflecting the fact that its customer demographic is older and more conservative than the iX3’s.

But the iX7 will get some of the same clever infotainment and electrical hardware featured on its baby brother. BMW’s clever cylindrical battery cells are around 20 percent more energy-dense than conventional versions, and allow more driving range and – together with 800-volt electrics – shorter charge times. The iX3 is rated at 400 EPA miles (644 km) and it’s possible the iX7 could be equally suitable for long journeys with an even bigger battery measuring well over 110 kWh.

Horsepower with Headroom

The first iX3 to launch is the 50 xDrive, which delivers 463 hp (345 kW / 469 PS) from dual motors, but mid- and top-spec versions of the iX7 will need and get more muscle than that. We wouldn’t be surprised to see an M70 performance trim with over 800 hp (811 PS / 597 kW), while there’s also been talk about the iX7 getting an Alpina version too packing an extra 100 horsepower on top of that.

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No state buys more electric vehicles than California, but some drivers might now think twice after Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed he won’t offer financial incentives to replace the soon-to-disappear tax credits program.

Related: Would You Buy An EV After The Tax Credit Expires?

President Trump’s decision to axe the previous Biden administration’s $7,500 of tax credits against an EV purchase means the nationwide subsidies will cease at the end of this month. Some Californians, clean air campaigners, and several automakers had hoped Newsom would step in to offer state aid to replace the federal incentives, something he himself had previously pledged. But last week, he told reporters it was unaffordable.

No Safety Net from Sacramento

“We can’t make up for the federal vandalism of those tax credits [by the Trump administration],” Newsom said at a press conference when asked what he was planning to do about replacing the expiring credits.

“But we can continue to make the unprecedented investments in infrastructure,” he continued, highlighting that the state now has over 200,000 public chargers compared with only 120,000 gas pump nozzles.

Newsom claimed in 2024 that he would step in to replace the federal EV aid if it was ever eliminated, but following through on that promise has proved impossible due to California’s growing budget deficit. An earlier state subsidy program ended there in 2023, though after Newsom’s latest speech, his office reportedly said it could be reintroduced next year, potentially by using cash generated by California’s carbon-trading scheme.

A Broader Fight Over Clean Air

In addition to railing against Trump’s work to sabotage California’s nearly 60-year fight to clean up automobile pollution, Newsom slammed GM and other automakers. He accused them of being complicit in the push to block California’s ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered vehicles set to take effect in 2035.

“GM sold us out, Mary Barra sold us out,” he said, tying the dispute over incentives to a larger battle about California’s right to set environmental standards.

Meanwhile, EV sales have heated up in recent weeks as automakers and buyers rush to take advantage of the closing tax credit window. Hyundai recorded a 72 percent rise in US sales of electric cars last month compared with August 2024.

Porsche has made a few goofs in its time, including thinking it could replace the 911 with the 928 and dropping combustion power from the 718 lineup. It wisely U-turned on the first of those decades ago, and it’s just confirmed it has backtracked on the second. The next Boxster and Cayman, originally planned as EVs only, will now get an ICE option, but only a small portion of buyers will be able to access it.

The rethink was confirmed late last week by Porsche on an investor call, where CEO Oliver Blume acknowledged that the EV market was no longer growing fast enough for the company to carry on with the electric-focused product strategy it conceived years earlier.

As a result of the slide, Porsche is refining its plans to incorporate more combustion models, some of which will be “highly emotional” derivatives appearing at the “top” of the 718 lineup.

Related: Porsche Might Give Manual Fans More Of What They Want

No major details were released, but a likely explanation is that replacements for the Cayman GT4 and GT4 RS, and 718 Spyder, could carry on with six-cylinder petrol power. The regular 718 cars will stick with the single and dual-motor electric drivetrains Porsche has been developing since it conceived the next-generation sports cars purely as EVs.

Adapting the electric platform to take a combustion engine isn’t the work of a moment, however. The 718 EVs will debut in 2026, but a presentation slide confirmed we’ll have to wait until later in the model cycle to see the combustion halo cars.

Porsche

Porsche will obviously pitch them as the enthusiast’s pick, and it sounds like they’ll be the most expensive versions you can buy. The combustion cars might also be quicker around a track – we reported earlier this year that Porsche was struggling to get the new EV prototypes to handle as well as the outgoing ICE cars – but they’ll almost certainly be annihilated in a straight line by one of the dual-motor, all-wheel drive EVs.

Similarly, Porsche also confirmed at the same time that it was backtracking on its electric SUV plans. The Macan will no longer switch to an EV-only lineup and will now get a new ICE/PHEV model range before the end of the decade. And the SUV flagship, codenamed K1, which was also planned as an EV, now won’t get a BEV version at all, and will instead be offered with a choice of combustion and hybrid engines.

Porsche 718 Cayman Electric

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Porsche 718 Boxster Electric

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In only a handful of years, Kia has gone from a brand struggling to find its design identity and having no EVs in its lineup, to one with some of the most distinctive-looking models around and a four-strong EV range with more on the way. Latest to land is the Golf-sized EV4, and Kia’s latest photo drop shows exactly why VW, Tesla, and every other major automaker should be worried.

More: Kia’s Most Important EV Is Finally Getting The Sporty Edge It Needs

Kia gave us a cursory look at the Euro-market EV4 in February of this year, and then added a more comprehensive breakdown of the US-built, US-market sedan in April. But that doesn’t arrive in America until early in 2026, so the focus now swings back to the European EV4, which goes on sale this autumn in both Slovakian-built hatchback and Korean-built Fastback sedan forms.

One Motor For Now

Both versions are limited to just one powertrain option. Dual-motor versions are on the way, but for now, buyers are restricted to a single 201 hp (204 PS / 150 kW) motor that powers the front wheels and gets the EV4 to 62 mph (100 kmh) in 7.4 seconds. That time is for a car with the entry-level 58.3 kWh battery – upgrade to the heavier 81.4 kWh pack that’s the only one available on UK Fastbacks and the sprint requires 7.7 seconds.

The big battery payoff is, of course, a longer range. The hatch with the small battery is good for just 255 miles (410 km), and the sedan 267 miles (430 km), while the 81.4 kWh versions of the hatch and sedan are rated at 380 miles (612 km) and 391 miles (630 km). Strangely, the sedan’s more slippery shape makes it more efficient than the hatch with the small battery, but it’s worse with the larger one; that’s what Kia’s figures say.

EV4 hatch

Charging Trade-Off

Like the closely related EV3 SUV, neither EV4 gets the high-tech 800-volt electrics fitted to the EV6 and EV9. They make do with 400-volt hardware instead, and so charge much more slowly as a result. A 10-80 percent fill of the bigger battery takes around 31 minutes, getting on for double the time an EV6 driver might expect to spend waiting to charge up.

Both models ride on the same 2,820 mm (111 inches) wheelbase, but the 300 mm (11.8 inches) longer sedan serves up a more useful 490 litres (17.3 cu-ft) of luggage space, whereas the hatch can only swallow 435 liters (15.4 cu-ft). Unfortunately, the sedan, like its Tesla Model 3 rival, has an old-fashioned and less practical trunk lid, rather than a liftback.

Kia EV4 GT-Line hatch

Subtle Differences Inside And Out

As far as passengers are concerned, the two EV4s will feel almost identical. Inside each is the same combined digital instrument cluster and infotainment touchscreen. GT Line models are marked out by sports seats and three- rather than two-spoke steering wheels, but from the outside, there’s surprisingly little to set them apart, the base hatch in Blue in these pictures, looking barely less dynamic to our eyes than the gray GT Line, despite its smaller wheels and supposedly less aggressive bumpers.

The EV4 Fastback’s unusual design might prevent some buyers from defecting from their Tesla Model 3s, but Europe is a continent of hatchback lovers, and Tesla has no answer for the EV4 hatch that’s sure to cause even VW and its ID.3 a headache. We’ll find out exactly how much of a headache when prices are revealed in the coming weeks and when we get a chance to get behind the wheel.

Kia EV4 GT-Line Fastback

Kia

Mercedes-AMG has made no secret of the fact that it’s getting ready to unleash some extremely powerful electric vehicles. It’s already shown us the upcoming four-door electric GT and teased the super-SUV that will share its platform and electrical hardware. But now we hear AMG could put that same know-how into a real sports car, one with the Porsche 911 in its crosshairs.

AMG is confident that it has the technical ability to pull off the project, but has hesitated over giving it the green light. The sticking point isn’t any kind of doubt over whether it could make a great electric sports coupe, but whether there are enough customers around who would want to buy it.

Passion Versus Pragmatism

“There is an emotional discussion and a rational discussion,” AMG boss Michael Schiebe told Autocar during the Munich motor show. “Emotionally, yes, we should do that. The question is whether there is a market that is big enough to justify the investment that is necessary. At least from a technology point of view, we know how to do that.”

Related: This Concept EV Will Morph Into An AMG Super Sedan You Can Buy

If AMG did press the go button, the EV wouldn’t replace the current two-door combustion GT, which was only launched in 2023. Instead it would be sold alongside it, though the EV would be built around an entirely different platform, presumably with parts borrowed from the SUV and sedan halo cars.

The Porsche Taycan rival – a production version of the AMG GTXX concept – has a tri-motor setup that uses compact, lightweight axial flux motors from Yas that will give the top-spec version up to 1,341 hp (1,360 PS / 1,000 kW).

Timing Still a Question

As to when we could see a two-door EV, Schiebe wouldn’t say, but given the current slowdown in the electric market in some countries and luxury buyers’ general disinterest in pricey EVs, it won’t be any time soon. Porsche now sells two hybrid versions of the 911 (the GTS and new Turbo), but won’t deliver a fully electric version until well into the 2030s.

“I would say we are very successful with our combustion-engined GT two-door,” Schiebe said. “So we will focus on that first, and then let’s see when the right point and time is there to launch a two-door EV.”

But he did also suggest that AMG might still launch an EV even if it wasn’t projected to be a major cash cow. “Sometimes you make a car which is not the most profitable one, but you do it because it’s so important for the brand, and you need to do it because it’s a brand-shaper,” he added.

Honda revolutionized the motorcycle industry in the 1960s and ’70s, but so far it’s stayed out of the growing market for electric two-wheelers, restricting its offerings to a couple of electric scooters. That changes this year with the launch of Honda’s first real EV bike, the WN7.

The streetfighter-style naked is a production version of the EV Fun concept Honda first showed in 2024, and has the same angular muscularity with plenty of modern, flat surfaces and an expensive looking frame. There’s a 5.1-inch LCD display bolted behind the LED two-deck headlights and a classic single-sided swingarm at the back, just like Honda’s legendary RC30 from 1987.

Electric Power with Bite

The W in its name comes the development concept of ‘Be the Wind,’ N is for naked and 7 refers to its power class. British bike bike MCN quotes 67 hp (68 PS / 50 kW) and 74 lb-ft (100 Nm), which ties with Honda’s claims of the WN7 matching 600cc combustion bikes for power and full-on bonkers liter machines for torque.

Also: Harley’s $6K Motorcycle Could Be The Cheapest Way Into The Club

It’s sure to feel eager, though the 217 kg (478 lbs) curb weight means it’s 25 kg (55 lbs) or 9 percent heavier than an ICE Honda CB750 Hornet. A power-restricted version compatible with Europe’s A1 license for newbie riders is also on the cards.

Charging and Range

No battery capacity has been made public, but Honda says the power pack provided more than 81 miles (130 km) of riding on one charge, which should be enough for most commuter riders, even if it is half the miles you’d get from a combustion motorcycle. CCS2 rapid charging capability allows 20-80 percent top-ups in 30 minutes and a full 0-100 percent charge via a home wall box takes three hours.

How Much Does it Cost?

What’s likely to put riders off isn’t so much the range, but the price. Honda has put the WN7 on sale in the UK ahead of deliveries starting early in 2026 for £12,999 (equivalent to $17,700). That would seem like a bargain price if this was a Honda electric car we were talking about, but not so much a bargain in the motorcycle world where Honda’s existing electric scooters look affordable at £3,299-3,800, and combustion bikes are also very attainable.

A gas-powered CB750 Hornet is just £7,449, and even the sporty CB1000 Hornet SP is only £10,099. Troubled Harley Davidson offshoot LiveWire will also sell you an electric S2 with up to 120 miles (193 km) of range for between £8,799 and £10,599, meaning the WN7 looks like an indulgence for tech-heads.

Honda

Using an EV’s regenerative braking power to slow down can make driving in traffic easier because you don’t have to constantly jump between pedals. But judging by one teen’s experience, it can actually make passing your driving test harder.

A student in North Bay, Ontario, failed her full (G) road test after relying on the Tesla Model Y’s regen function to slow the car. Because the system reduced speed without her pressing the brake pedal, the examiner marked her down.

When Tech Meets Tradition

Eric Simard told CBC News that his daughter was driving his Tesla and didn’t know how to deactivate the brake regeneration. The Drive Test Ontario examiner allegedly told her that she couldn’t pause the test to call her dad how to switch it out, and checked a box on the test report to say the vehicle was “out of order,” though it was only performing as intended. They also penalized the learner for the Tesla chiming to indicate a stop light had turned green.

Related: This Controversial EV Braking Feature Will Be Illegal In China By 2027

“I find it pretty frustrating because even though it’s regenerative braking and you’re not using the brake pedal, you’re clearly the one that is in full control of making the vehicle come to a stop or to slow down,” Simard said.

Inconsistent Standards

Even more frustrating, when Simard posted about his experience on Facebook he learned that some Ontario learners had been allowed to use the regenerative braking effect on their G practical test, though others had been asked by their examiners to deactivate it.

The mixed response appears to be due to Drive Test Ontario and Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation not having a clear stance on the tech.

“Applicants are expected to understand how their vehicle’s system – including lane centering, regenerative braking, adaptive cruise control and automated parking – may affect handling and performance during a road test,” Julia Caslin, a spokesperson for the MoT, told Canada‘s CBC via email. But she made no mention of drivers being required to push the brake pedal to bring a car to a stop, and nor is there any reference to regenerative braking on their websites.

Thanks to DB for the tip!

Chinese vacuum maker Dreame Technology is doubling down on its promise to build an EV that’s the spitting image of a Bugatti Chiron. The company’s car division, Dreame Auto, has just released another image of its creation, and like the handful of renders shown last week, this one also appears to have been generated, at least in part, with the help of AI.

More: Chinese Vacuum Giant Aims To Beat Bugatti With The World’s Fastest Hypercar

More importantly, company insiders have also shared some technical details, as well as news of a second luxury brand aiming to rival the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

Spot the Differences

The single new image, still a rendering, rather than a photo of a real vehicle, shows the car that’s apparently (and unashamedly) codenamed “Dreame Bugatti,” with its doors open this time. We already knew it had four doors, but now we can see the rear pair are rear hinged, that all four open upwards like a McLaren’s, and that there’s no B-pillar.

Close comparison of the old and new pictures reveals some detail differences. The new images of the white model show two vents in the hood, one behind each headlight, and the grille is slightly broader and less rounded, looking slightly less Bugatti-like, and more Jaguar-ish. The changes are, however, unlikely to placate Bugatti. The company never replied when we asked it for comment last week, but we doubt it’s thrilled at the news.

Both pure EV and range-extender hybrid versions will be offered when the finished car enters production in 2027 at a site next door to Tesla’s Gigafactory in Berlin, according to Weixin, which cites a company insider it spoke to. But we’ll get our first look at a physical car in January next year when the company brings a pre-production prototype to CES – yes, that CES in Las Vegas.

Second Luxury Brand Modeled After Bentley and Rolls-Royce

The company’s automotive ambitions stretch further than a Bugatti lookalike. The same insider told the Chinese outlet that Dreame Tech is splitting its car operations into two divisions. Dream Auto is focused exclusively on building the Chiron-a-like, which founder Yu Hao hopes will go on to break hypercar speed records. The other division we learned about today, Starry Sky Auto, has been benchmarking cars such as the Rolls Royce Cullinan and various Bentley models in preparation for the development of four vehicles built from the same basic components.

Citing a recent internal communication meeting, the Chinese outlet reports that the company’s founder told his team the Starry Sky Auto premium models will be built on wheelbases of 3.2 meters (126 inches) and 3.3 meters (130 inches) long. He also “put forward the requirements that the former should be larger in length, width, and height than the Li Auto L9 and M9, and the latter should have a domineering and tough appearance, with all dimensions no smaller than those of the Cullinan.”

According to the report, Dreame Auto has ” assembled a cross-industry team covering R&D, manufacturing, and quality control. The team includes core R&D personnel from its original smart hardware business, as well as experts from traditional vehicle manufacturing.”

Budget Meets Ambition

With prices allegedly ranging from $38,000 to $83,000, Starry Sky Auto’s models will certainly not be in Bentley and Rolls Royce territory, and are instead designed to take on EVs from smartphone-maker Xiaomi, whose expansion from electronics giant to automaker Dreame wants to replicate.

Dreame Auto

Volkswagen has already confirmed that it’s bringing the Polo name back on the artist formerly known as the ID. 2 electric hatch, adding that an ID. Golf, ID. Tiguan and ID. Roc are all in development, though running behind schedule. But now we hear another long-running combustion name is leaping into electric power as the ID. Touareg.

The Touareg, VW’s flagship SUV in Europe, which is scheduled to die next year, has been around for almost 25 years across three generations, each one sharing a platform with the Porsche Cayenne. But while the new Cayenne Electric, set to debut this winter, is based around VW’s PPE platform, which is the same one used in the Macan Electric and Audi A6 and Q6 e-trons, the Touareg isn’t due to arrive until 2029. That delay allows it to leap straight to VW’s upcoming SSP architecture.

Related: VW Is Killing Its Flagship SUV As It Bets On Cheaper Models

Germany’s Automobilwoche reports that the ID. Touareg will, in fact, be the first VW model to benefit from the new platform. That honor was supposed to go to the ID. Roc, the electric counterpart to the combustion T-Roc, but the launch of both that SUV and the ID. Golf has reportedly been pushed back to 2030.

Worries over costs and complications with shifting ICE Golf production from Germany to Mexico, intended to free up space for SSP models, are behind the delay, a report claimed this week.

Rivian Code, VW Badge

SSP-based models, including the ID. Touareg, will feature zonal architecture and software developed by Rivian, as will the Scout SUV that the Volkswagen Group is developing for sale in North America. But the German publication’s sources say Scout-branded EVs won’t come to Europe, and the ID. Touareg won’t be sold in the US.

That decision reflects history as much as strategy. America did get the Touareg during its initial launch in 2003, but pulled it from sale in 2017, effectively replacing it with the locally-built Atlas, which has a third row of seats that the Touareg has always strangely lacked. Volkswagen seems content to keep those roles divided.

The use of simulations is nothing new in the car industry. Automakers regularly use them to speed up testing and add extra trials that they can’t afford (in time and/or money) to carry out with real cars. But with the upcoming Cayenne Electric, Porsche used computer power to skip an entire process in the traditional car development program.

“This project was the first in which we moved directly from digital whole-vehicle testing to pre-series production,” says Dr. Michael Steiner, Porsche’s deputy chairman and a big cheese on the R&D team.

From Pixels to Prototypes

Instead of moving from the design to the construction phase and then to pre-production prototypes, Porsche managed to skip the construction phase altogether. It says its engineers were sending virtual prototypes on digital test drives as early as the design phase as a result.

Related: The Cayenne EV Coupe Shows Porsche Isn’t Done With Surprises

Porsche hasn’t put a price on how much money this digital-focused strategy saved, but it must be tons. It claims the virtual testing program eliminated the need to build around 120 actual test vehicles, which are not only expensive, but time consuming to produce. As a result, development time was cut by 20 percent.

The virtual test drives included, of course, laps of the Nurburgring, but also took in everyday traffic situations to simulate real world use. Because components like tires, dampers and bushes can be modified in the computer program, it’s relatively quick and simple to work out which spec works best. And each of the approved virtual components is then tested in the real world to provide validation.

Testing Without Drivers

Not all of the simulations require a human to be behind the wheel Gran Turismo-style. Many are run by the computers alone. Porsche developed a brand new test bench to put the motors, battery management and charging systems through their paces under realistic conditions. 

Also: Someone Dropped $125,000 For A 2014 Cayenne V6 And Nobody Can Explain Why

“The machines are so sophisticated that we can even display different asphalt surfaces or tyre slip,” says engineer Marcus Junige, who says one clear goal was that the Cayenne’s powertrain always deliver full power when the driver calls for it, something that demands seriously good thermal management.

Humans Still Required

Naturally Porsche’s AI experiment doesn’t entirely remove the need for physical testing, which fully kicked in at the pre-series prototype stage. A fleet of SUVs was still driven everywhere from the blazing 122 degree (50 C) heat of Death Valley to the freezing -31-degree (-35 C) expanses of Scandinavia, each vehicle covering around 93,000 miles (150,000 km).

Other Western carmakers are sure to employ the same digital tricks to speed up their development, if they aren’t already. One of the major threats posed by the Chinese isn’t simply their aggressive prices, but how much faster they are at getting cars to market, and AI tech will be crucial in helping other nations keep pace.

The Hardware

The Cayenne Electric debuts this winter, and should go on sale early in 2026. Built around a stretched version of the 800-volt PPE platform used in the Macan Electric, it features a 108 kWh battery for a 373-mile (600 km) WLTP range and Porsche’s Active ride suspension. It emits V8-like noises in track mode and will reportedly come in three tunes: 394 hp (400 PS / 294 kW) for the base Cayenne, 592 hp (600 PS / 441 kW) in S trim and 794 hp (805 PS / 592 kW) as a Turbo.

Porsche

A blend of punishing acceleration, all-wheel-drive confidence, sharp-suited styling, and everyday versatility has made the Audi RS6 super wagon a dream daily driver for enthusiasts for more than two decades. Audi originally intended to give buyers two flavors of the next RS6, one as a plug-in hybrid and the other as a fully electric e-tron. Yet a new report this week, citing unnamed company insiders, suggests those plans have changed, with the all-electric RS6 e-tron allegedly canceled.

Also: Audi Cancels Its RS6 Avant e-tron Because No One Wants Electric Performance Cars

Nothing is official, and Audi hasn’t confirmed the news. What muddies the waters is that RS6 e-tron prototypes are still being spotted on public roads, with our spies having photographed them on two separate occasions the past few days. This could mean the project is still alive, or that Audi is using the prototypes to test other systems before ultimately shelving the car.

Platform Divide

Though both combustion and electric models are (or at least were if the cancellation rumors are true) expected to wear RS6 badges and share a similar sporty wagon silhouette, their foundations are quite different. The ICE version rides on a conventional combustion platform, now for the first time on an RS6 paired with plug-in hybrid technology. The EV seen testing, meanwhile, is built on the VW Group’s PPE platform, which also underpins the A6 and S6 e-tron, Q6 e-tron, and Porsche Macan Electric.

Baldauf

Audi hasn’t dropped any tech-spec nuggets, but considering the S6 e-tron makes 543 hp (405 kW / 551 PS), an RS6 e-tron, if it remains in development, could land around 805 hp (600 kW / 816 PS). Even that figure, though, would look modest next to the extremes of today’s electric sedans, with the Xiaomi SU7 and Porsche Taycan delivering as much as 1,527 hp (1,139 kW / 1,548 PS). BMW doesn’t offer an electric M5 yet, and the i5 M60 tops out at 593 hp (442 kW / 601 PS).

We expect the gasoline-powered RS6 to generate less power than its electric brother, perhaps 750 hp (760 PS / 560 kW) or so, but it won’t necessarily have a performance disadvantage because it will weigh several hundred pounds less than the e-tron, which could tip the scales at around 2,500 kg (5,510 lbs) due to its hefty battery pack.

Electrifying Looks

Both prototypes seen here get wider fender flares than their regular A6/S6 brothers, and the fronts on each appear to have a vent ahead of the doors. But there are some major design differences that aren’t simply limited to the EV missing out on the ICE model’s huge twin oval tailpipes.

The EV has a split headlight treatment and blanked grille, whereas the combustion RS6 has a conventional grille and lights, but much bigger outer air intakes, which of course the e-tron doesn’t need. But at the back, the combustion car’s moustache-shaped taillights make it more distinctive.

Baldauf

Early expectations suggested the RS6 e-tron would arrive first, with the plug-in hybrid following in 2026, both offered in liftback sedan and wagon forms. With reports of cancellation now in play, however, that timeline is up in the air. Until Audi clarifies, the RS6 e-tron remains in limbo, caught between public road testing and rumors of an early exit.

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include reports claiming the RS6 e-tron may be canceled, though Audi has not officially confirmed this.

SHProshots

The presence of Chinese automakers added some international flavor to this week’s Munich Motor Show, but in reality the event was more about familiar German brands and their new, and in some cases unfamiliar, faces.

Related: Star-Stricken Mercedes GLC EV Has A Grille Big Enough To Swallow A BMW iX3

All of the big German automakers were on hand with fresh concept cars and production models that showcased new stylistic directions. It feels like we’re at one of those moments where car design is changing across the industry for premium European brands after a period during which the big players have struggled to reinvent themselves and work out how to differentiate EV and combustion cars, or whether to even differentiate them at all. But have the Germans really rediscovered their design mojo?

Photos Stefan Baldauf & Guido ten Brink

Let’s start with BMW and the iX3, arguably the biggest story from the show because it’s about so much more than a new SUV. The iX3 is the first of the Neue Klasse cars and brings a fresh design language that will shape the brand’s entire lineup for the next decade, as well as a crucial new EV platform.

There was some murmuring here at Carscoops that the iX3’s profile deviated too far from Munich’s conventions, but overall this has to be viewed as a massive hit. BMW designs have mostly either been butt ugly or blandly handsome over the last 20 years, but finally here’s a fresh, modern-looking car with real presence, and one that brilliantly manages to riff on the classic face of old-timers without looking like a lazy retro rip-off.

Photos Stefan Baldauf & Guido ten Brink

To our eyes, the iX3’s key rival, the electric Mercedes GLC, is far less successful. The body looks flabby and dull next to the BMW’s and while we’re all for the three-pointed star marque borrowing some classic inspiration to put new energy into its famous grille, the light-up nose on the GLC, which will find its way onto other future models as well, looks like an afterthought here.

Photos Stefan Baldauf & Guido ten Brink

Audi’s Concept C looked far more confident. Previewing an electric TT successor that will share tech with the upcoming Porsche 718 Boxster and Cayman EVs, it takes inspiration from both the TT and Auto Union’s 1930s Type C racers.

We’re reminded of the string of uber-strong Bauhaus-infused concept cars Audi delivered in the late 1990s and early 2000s, many of which made production, as well as Jaguar’s Type 00 concept, though we think Audi did a better job.

Photos Stefan Baldauf & Guido ten Brink

Volkswagen’s ID. Polo and Polo GTI, the near-production versions of the car we previously knew as the ID.2, looked less radical in comparison, but they still represent a shift in the automaker’s design that hearkens back to the solid shapes and surfaces that made some of the brand’s biggest sellers so enduring.

Think about how fresh the Mk4 Golf still looks almost 30 years after we first met it, or the Mk1 does more than 50 years after it debuted. That’s the kind of self-assured, non-faddy style the ID. Polo embraces, but at the same time the ID. Cross showed VW could also have some fun with the same design language.

Photos Stefan Baldauf & Guido ten Brink

And now it’s time for our question of the day: do you think the German automakers have got their design act together, or do some of them need to get back to the drawing board? And in the battle of the grilles, who did it best – BMW, Audi or Mercedes? Leave a comment below and let us know your opinions and the reasoning behind them.

Audi/BMW/Mercedes

Renault’s recent run of nostalgia-driven EVs, the retro-inspired 4 and 5, has struck a chord with buyers. The downside is that their popularity has left the Megane E-Tech feeling a little overlooked, prompting Renault to rethink how it can make the car stand out again.

Related: Renault’s Megane EV Will Get A Refresh Following Its Nissan Cousin

The French automaker’s plan to boost the Megane’s appeal involves leveraging another classic Renault skill: building hot hatches. Speaking to the media at the Munich Motor Show, CEO Fabrice Cambolive revealed the Megane will soon get a sporty makeover that will ensure it turns more heads while also lasting longer between charges.

Going Down The Sporty Road

“What we are looking for is a hot hatch, that is the direction we want to go in,” Auto Express reports Cambolive telling journalists. “We want a sporty hatch.”

Though he declined to discuss any technical improvements coming to the upgraded Megane we expect to see next spring, Cambolive confirmed that a bigger battery is part of the package. The biggest battery currently available in the E-Tech is a 60 kWh unit that gives an unimpressive 285 miles (459 km) of range. However, the larger Scenic has an 87 kWh pack which lasts 382 miles (615 km) between fills and the Megane’s new Nissan Leaf cousin has a 75 kWh battery good for 303 miles (488 km).

All three cars use the same 215 hp (218 PS) single front-mounted motor that’s also utilized by the Renault 5-based Alpine A290, but it’s unclear if the sportier Megane would also get more power to become a real hot hatch.

VW’s equivalent ID.3 GTX has a single motor that puts out up to 322 hp (326 PS / 240 kW) and gets to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 5.7 seconds, 1.8 seconds faster than the Megane. We do know, however, that the made-over French model will at least look like a hot hatch.

“If you put a new battery in a car, which is expensive, and you don’t change the car, then it’s really hard to seduce people to pay more for it,” Renault’s chief design officer Laurens van den Acker, told reporters. “So we need to do justice to the changes under the skin by showing something on the skin.”

Is Renaultsport Making A Comeback?

The design upgrades are expected to focus on more aggressive bumpers and possibly bigger wheels, though the mid-spec Megane E-Tech techno esprit Alpine and iconic esprit Alpine already feature 20-inch wheels that do a great job of filling the arches and don’t shortchange on grip. Spy shots published earlier this summer also suggest the mid-life refresh will bring slimmer LED lights.

Cambolive hinted to Autocar that he was looking at reviving the Renaultsport badge applied to a succession of acclaimed hot hatches for over 20 years before it was retired in 2023, but didn’t elaborate on whether the Megane hot hatch plan was related to that rebirth.

“We are exploring some [options],” the CEO said. “We will come to you with some proposals in the next 12 months.”

Renault