Mercedes went head-to-head with BMW at September’s Munich Auto Show, with both companies revealing compact electric SUVs, and the Bavarian iX3 definitely looked more dynamic in our view, despite the best efforts of the GLC’s huge new grille.

But AMG is working on its own GLC version that could deliver the stage presence the stock model lacked.

Related: Mercedes Is Preparing A 40-Car Blitz To Reshape Its Future

Our spy photo team caught a Mercedes-AMG GLC EQ prototype testing in Germany, managing to fire off shots of both the exterior and interior and, thus, highlighting some important details.

One is the wider track versus the non-AMG version, the fat forged alloy wheels being pushed to the outer edges of the bodywork to improve both the handling and the visual swagger.

What Visual Changes Will AMG Bring?

Helping push those wheels into the pavement is another AMG-specific detail, a pop-up rear spoiler mounted at the top of the rear hatch. It’s also likely that the spoiler will be paired with a rear diffuser in the production version, even if we can’t see one on this prototype.

SH Proshots

Also not fully visible on this test car is the AMG grille. We know it’ll be massive, probably carrying over the same basic outline as the new full-height grille that got its first outing on the regular GLC EQ in September, and has since been seen again on the gorgeous Vision Iconic GT concept that broke cover a few weeks after.

However, we’re still waiting to see what AMG has in mind for the grille’s center section and whether it will integrate its now-traditional vertical vanes.

Sporty Cabin, Supercar-Rivaling Power

Less mystery shrouds the interior after spy photographers snuck up close to a parked GLC and fired off some shots revealing the presence of a set of heavily bolstered black and red bucket seats. Expect the door panels and center armrest to be trimmed to match by the time production starts, probably midway through 2026.

Of course, no AMG model would be complete without a gigantic injection of horsepower. Mercedes has so far only revealed one powertrain for the GLC, a 483 hp (490 PS / 360 kW) dual-motor setup for the GLC 400 4Matic that draws juice from a 94 kWh battery to deliver up to 443 miles (713 km) of WLTP range.

Not bad, but the AMG version will leave it for dust if (as rumored) it rocks up with three Yasa axial flux motors and as much as 938 hp (952 PS / 700 kW).

SH Proshots

Tesla CEO Elon Musk made history last week after securing a pay deal that could result in him making a staggering $1 trillion over the next decade. Now the boss of rival Rivian has bagged a similar performance-related package, though the $$$ numbers aren’t anything like as epic.

Also: Elon Musk’s Trillion Dollar Pay Hinges On A Bet That Could Break Tesla

Not that Rivian CEO JR Scaringe won’t be an extremely wealthy man if he hits the targets the company has set for him. His basic salary doubles to $2 million under the terms of the new package, and he stands to make around $4.6 billion if he’s ticked every box a decade from now.

As with Tesla’s offering to Musk, Rivian won’t hand out that thank you in cash, but instead as share options. Scaringe is receiving options to buy up to 36.5 million shares of Class A stock at $15.22 per share, but the award depends on Rivian’s stock price hitting milestones between $40 and $140 over the next 10 years.

What Needs To Happen First?

When you consider that Rivian’s share price is currently hovering around $15, having once been as high as $129 after its 2021 IPO, you can see that this is not going to be a walk in the park for Scaringe. He is also required to smash various operating income and cash flow targets, Reuters reports.

Unlike Tesla’s Musk deal, this one didn’t require shareholder approval and was decided by a Rivian board that wants to keep Scaringe focused on growing the company and ensuring the smooth development and rollout of next year’s Model Y rival, the R2.

More: Rivian Tore Apart A Xiaomi EV And Discovered What America Can’t Match

This isn’t the Rivian CEO’s first performance-related pay deal. A previous package inked in 2021depended on the automaker’s share price reaching $110-295, but this new contract recognizes that Scaringe had little chance of hitting even the lowest of those targets.

Rivian is currently dealing with the loss of federal EV tax credits and recently showed 600 employees the door in a cost-cutting drive.

It’s been three years since Renault bravely reinvented its Megane and Scenic family models as EVs, and in another three years or so, the pair will shake things up again – this time by going back to petrol power.

More: The 4 And 5 Are Eating Megane Sales, But Renault Is Cooking Something

The next generation of both family EVs, due before the end of the decade, could offer a mix of fully-electric and hybrid powertrains, according to comments new Renault Group CEO Francois Provost made to media at last week’s Twingo launch.

What’s Next For Megane And Scenic?

“Bigger cars are one of our priorities,” new Provost told Auto Express magazine, subtly acknowledging that Renault’s electric push has worked well for the little 4 and 5, but less so on grown-up models like the Megane, which is struggling to find buyers.

“In the next mid-term plan we propose a new platform and solutions to continue our ambition to grow in the [compact] C-segment in the heart of Europe.”

That new platform will bring the next generations of the Megane and Scenic together with the next Austral, Espace, and Rafale, which are currently only available as hybrids.

Renault has no plans to abandon electric power for the Megane and Scenic, but will instead strengthen their appeal with more powertrain options to snare buyers still suspicious of anything without a gas tank.

“We also think that if [adoption] is not as rapid as expected, perhaps you can complete this…with some extensions like range extender or plug-in hybrid, and that’s what we are working on,” Renault brand CEO Fabrice Cambolive told the magazine.

Of those two options, a Nissan E-Force-style range-extender solution – where the engine only charges the battery rather than drive the wheels – looks likely to get the nod, Cambolive said.

Refresh In The Meantime

But with combustion power still years away, Renault needs an intermediate plan to boost sales of the Megane and has a couple of ideas up its sleeve. One is an imminent facelift, and we’ve already seen a camouflaged prototype of this revised hatch on test.

The other, likely to arrive at the same time, is a bigger battery. The largest battery currently available is a 60 kWh unit that gives a feeble 285 miles (459 km) of range, but the bigger 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 that provides a 303-mile (488 km) range.

Sources: Auto Express

Sometimes the best ideas are born out of failure. That is exactly what happened with the Dashaway eCT, a clever little camping trailer from British company Wheelhome. It started life as a sleek roof tent designed specifically for the Tesla Model 3.

More: This $3M Space-Age Motorhome Looks Like It’s From Another Planet

The original goal was simple enough: create a low-drag, space-age camping capsule that blended seamlessly with the Model 3’s curves. It was meant to be the ultimate companion for electric road trips. The snag? No one actually wanted to buy one.

And that’s a shame, because the eRC roof-camper prototype was far more sophisticated than your average roof tent.

What Happened Next?

Molded to fit the contours of the Model 3’s body, it featured a two-seat rear-facing sofa that converted into a double bed, and shelves and partitions to take a power bank, cooking equipment and even a toilet.

Wheelhome’s owner Stephen Wheeler tested it out on his own facelifted Model 3, taking it on a 3,500-mile (5,630 km) tour of Iceland this summer, and got a great reaction when he displayed it at EV shows with plans to put it into production, But that reaction didn’t translate into firm sales.

Rather than give up, Wheeler turned the prototype into something smarter. He took the same teardrop-style pod and placed it on a lightweight single-axle trailer chassis.

From Roof To Road

Suddenly the quirky Tesla roof tent became the Dashaway eCT, a tiny camper that almost any car can tow. Instead of being a niche curiosity for a small subset of EV owners, it’s a fully fledged mini trailer with broad appeal.

More: Daihatsu’s Microvan Camper Might Be The Only One That Actually Gets It

At just under 3,800 mm (150 inches) long, the eCT weighs only about 340 kg (750 lbs), which makes it easy to pull even with small hatchbacks. And because it’s so low and sleek when folded down, it shouldn’t ruin your mpg. But park up and the top extends so high you can stand up inside.

The eCT’s design still carries the DNA of the original concept, but has the added benefit of not getting in the way of trunk opening and offering an additional underfloor storage area because it now rides on a trailer chassis.

Wheelhome

Each camper has a sink with electrically-pumped 10-liter (2.64 US gallon) water supply and there’s room for a Porta Potti that can be accessed with the bed in place. In fact, it’s so close you can almost use it without leaving the bed.

A campsite mains hook-up and large lithium battery pack and 2,600 W inverter let you plug in electrical devices like air fryers, microwaves and kettles, and together with a 200 W solar panel provide power for at least two days of off-grid camping.

Bigger batteries are available if you’re planning longer escapes, though that’ll bump up the £26,225 ($34,600) price.

Wheelhome

In 1969, the automotive world was a study in contrasts. Two concept cars, each wearing the same 512 badge yet conceived on opposite sides of the globe, were redefining what “experimental” could mean.

One was the competition-inspired V12-powered Ferrari 512 S Berlinetta Speciale, a supercar wedge that pre-dated the Lamborghini Countach concept by two years and looked like it could break the sound barrier. The other was a tiny orange ball of an EV from GM that could barely break the speed limit outside a school.

Related: GM Quietly Plots A Family Of Low-Cost EVs After New Bolt

We’ve taken a look at GM’s 512 Electric Experimental before, but the automaker has really jumped on the modern EV trend since then and has a new Chevy Bolt out for 2027, so the time feels right to throw the spotlight on it again.

How Small Is Small?

Designed strictly for urban duties and part of an entire family of experimental GM microcars displayed at the Transpo ’72 trade show that used a mix of electric, petrol and hybrid engines, the 512E was every bit as tiny as it looks in these pictures.

Measuring just 86.3 inches (2,190 mm) long and 56 inches (1,420 mm) wide, it was an incredible foot (300 mm) shorter than an original Smart ForTwo and 3 inches (75 mm) narrower.

Access to its two seats was through a weird combination of a lift-up canopy that makes it look like a helmet with the visor up and side-hinged front door that reminds us of one of those grandma bathtubs for the mobility impaired.

Tiny wheels are pushed into each corner and wear fat rubber, like the kind of thing you’d see on tuned Mini in 1969.

The wraparound canopy must make for excellent visibility, though even if it had A-pillars like elephants legs you’d have plenty of time to look around them.

Slow And Steady Power

The top speed is just 30 mph and it takes 12 seconds to get there, which sounds terrible until you remember that the Citroen Ami, the modern incarnation of this very idea, is also restricted to a similar speed (28 mph / 45 kmh).

More: Secret Corvette Prototype GM Never Wanted You To See Is Going To Auction

Citroen quotes a 47-mile range, which the 512E beats by 11 miles (though certainly measured differently), but the Ami can be fully charged in four hours compared with seven hours for the GM satsuma.

Where they differ most, of course, is in the design of the batteries providing those range miles. Like all modern EVs, the Ami uses lithium ion batteries, whereas the 512E relies on old-fashioned lead-acid packs from Delco-Remy.

The fiberglass-bodied GM car is still surprisingly light at 1,250 lbs (567 kg), though the Ami is lighter still at 1,065 lbs (483 kg).

The 512E project didn’t put a tiny EV in Chevy showrooms during the 1970s or 1980s, but the fact that GM unveiled the Impact EV concept, and put it into production as the EV1 six years later, proved that it hadn’t given up on the idea of small electric cars.

Half a century later, GM is still in that game, this time with the upcoming 2027 Bolt, though one can’t help but wonder how much more fun it’d be with a flip-up canopy and a hint of that 1970s optimism.

GM

Feeling smug about that 2 percent pay rise you just squeezed out of your boss? You won’t be when you hear that Tesla shareholders have voted to pay CEO Elon Musk up to $1 trillion over the next decade if the company hits a series of extremely ambitious market-value and performance milestones.

Around 75 percent of investors voted in favor of the award, which ties Musk’s payout to Tesla hitting long-term valuation goals rather than fixed salary or bonuses.

To access the full $1 trillion, Musk will need to boost the automaker’s market value from $1.4 trillion to $8.5 trillion and push it to make 20 million cars, a big jump from the 8.5 million it has produced in its lifetime.

Related: Yale Economists Quantify Exactly How Many Sales Musk’s Politics Cost Tesla

Other stipulations include achieving 10 million FSD subscriptions, putting 1 million Robotaxis on the street and delivering 1 million Optimus robots, CNBC reports.

The payout will happen in stages and won’t come in the form of giant check or pile of bills. Instead Musk will be awarded “hundreds of millions” of additional Tesla shares, which could lift his stake in the firm form 13 percent today – already making him the biggest single shareholder – to as much as 29 percent in a decade’s time.

The vote comes after senior Tesla’s board members publicly warned that without the deal, Musk might shift his focus elsewhere. This is a man, after all, with plenty of other gigs on the go, including SpaceX, Neuralink, and xAI, an OpenAI rival some Tesla shareholders want the automaker to invest in.

A controversial CEO

But the approval arrives at a delicate time for Tesla. Sales have been weaker than expected in key markets, despite the company recently giving the Model Y and Model 3 major updates meant to boost demand.

Prices have been cut repeatedly, margins have thinned, and both legacy Western brands and younger Chinese ones are now producing their own EVs and eating into Tesla’s pie.

And then there’s the Cybertruck. The stainless steel truck generated a ton of media coverage, but demand has failed to live up to the hype.

On top of that Tesla has been hit by multiple lawsuits about crashes allegedly related to its cars’ driver assistance tech, US regulators are also investigating the safety of those same systems and a recent study showed Musk’s right-wing affiliations have cost the company billions of dollars in lost sales.

Banking on AI

So why are shareholders still willing to back a jaw-dropping compensation deal? Two words: Robotaxi and AI. Musk has repeatedly said Tesla is on the brink of full self-driving automation and many investors believe only Elon Musk can lead that transformation.

If Musk can turn that vision into reality, the trillion-dollar pay plan suddenly stops sounding theoretical. But that’s a big if, and here’s another slightly smaller one: if you were a shareholder, would you have voted to approve Musk’s mega-pay package? Leave a comment and let us know.

Electric car owners in the UK may soon find their zero-emissions glow dimmed slightly by the Labour government. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is reportedly preparing a pay-per-mile tax for EVs to help plug the giant hole left by declining fuel duty receipts.

Related: UK Brings Back EV Discounts But Only If You Don’t Spend Too Much

With more drivers ditching petrol pumps for charging cables, the Treasury suddenly finds itself missing billions in the “please drive somewhere so we can tax you for it” department.

The reported figure being floated? Around 3 pence ($0.04) per mile, which at 8,000 miles (12,900 km) a year would equate to a £240 ($315) bill. T

he government is expected to argue that while UK EV drivers might be disappointed by the new charge, they’ll still get a better deal than drivers of petrol and diesel-engined vehicles who pay around £600 ($784) per year in fuel duty.

But there’s no doubt the news first reported by The Daily Telegraph, if true – and these kinds of stories are usually leaked from within government – will be another blow to EV drivers, who from this year have been forced to pay the annual Vehicle Excise Duty previously only payable by petrol and diesel drivers.

Factor in that £195 ($255) annual VED bill, and an EV owner covering 8k miles a year could be asked to pay £435 more to drive their car in 2028, when the scheme is alleged to go live, than they did in 2024.

On the positive side, the new Labour government did introduce grants of up to £3,750 for buyers of new electric cars three years after the previous government axed the original scheme.

It’s not clear how such a scheme would be monitored; reports suggest that it would be up to drivers to volunteer their own mileage estimate figures for the coming year, rather than the government electronically tracking them. If they were later found to have driven more or fewer miles than estimated, they could either get a rebate or a bill.

EV drivers aren’t the only ones left dismayed by the still-unofficial news. The UK’s Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it recognized the need for a rethink over vehicle taxation.

However, it described pay-per-mile as “entirely the wrong measure at the wrong time,” one that would end up “deterring consumers and further undermining industry’s ability to meet ZEV mandate targets, with significant ramifications for perceptions of the UK as a place to invest.”

Low-resolution images of Renault’s new Twingo E-Tech leaked earlier this week, proving that the production car delivers almost all of the want-one factor that made the 2023 concept such a hit. But that leak only gave us half the story.

Today Renault gave its new baby EV a proper debut and filled us in on all the technical details that reveal whether the Twingo has some substance to go with that style.

Related: The New Renault Twingo Just Leaked And It’s Every Bit As Cute As You Hoped

We’ll not dwell too much on the exterior in light of the earlier leak and the fact that you can make up your own mind about the appeal of the cartoonish DRLs and whether you prefer the finished Twingo’s conventional door handles to the concept’s flush-fit versions.

However, we can probably all agree that the design works whether or not you remember the 1993 original it clearly apes, and to our eyes, it kicks BYD’s Dolphin Surf into next week.

The platform

So what is under the skin? Renault’s kept things simple, using a shortened version of the AmpR Small platform found under the 4, 5 and the 5’s Nissan Micra cousin. But where the 5 gives buyers the choice of 40 or 52 kWh batteries, the Twingo E-Tech makes do with a much smaller 27.5 kWh LFP battery to keep costs down and reflect its urban intent.

Small battery, solid city range

Renault says the pack has a new type of chemistry that is less dependent on cobalt and nickel and gives a WLTP range of 163 miles (262 km), versus 155 miles (250 km) for VW’s ID. Every1 concept, a thinly disguised preview of next year’s ID. Up.

DC charging is capped at a slothful 50 kW in the Twingo, but that should be viewed in the context of the battery size. Because it’s so tiny a 10-80 percent fill takes around 30 minutes.

How Quick Is It?

Power and performance figures follow a similar trend: they’re acceptable, but nothing special. We’re willing to bet Renault will add more powertrain options in time, but the sole setup available from launch consists of a single, front-mounted motor that makes 81 hp (82 PS / 60 kW) and a marginally more impressive 129 lb-ft (175 Nm). A Model 3 Plaid, it is not.

Zero to 62 mph takes 12.1 seconds, but let’s be honest, the Twingo’s natural habitat is the supermarket car park, not Silverstone. 

Tiny, but only on the outside

The party trick here isn’t the drivetrain anyway – it’s the packaging. At just 3,790 mm (149 inches) long, with a 2,490 mm (98 inches) wheelbase and weighing only 1,200 kg (2,650 lbs), the Twingo squeezes in what Renault says is proper adult space that rivals the roominess of cars from the segment above.

And the two independently sliding rear seats that can move up to 170 mm (6.7 inches) to trade legroom for the luggage kind.

And there’s a ton of it. Up to 360 liters (12.7 cu-ft) or over 1,000 liters (35.3 cu-ft) if you fold the rear seats. Now those are impressive stats – a Fiat 500e has half the carrying capacity, the supposedly bigger Renault 5 only provides 326 liters (11.5 cu-ft), and even a bigger-again VW Golf only gives you 381 liters (13.5 cu-ft).

Renault says you can also access the 50-liter (1.8 cu-ft) underfloor storage area even when you’ve already got stuff in the trunk.

Inside, Renault has tried hard to retain as much of the concept’s pizazz as possible while also cutting out enough cost to bring the Twingo to the street for “less than £20,000,” according to the UK PR team.

The final bill could be much lower because earlier reports suggested Renault was targeting €20,000, which is only £18k/$23k, and what Renault needs to reach to compete with BYD’s Dolphin Surf.

Lipstick gearstick

The dashboard features color-coordinated trim, the roof lining hides a “Twingo alphabet” pattern, and the gear selector is a customizable “e-pop shifter” shaped like lipstick. Because why shouldn’t your car be allowed to have personality, eh VW?

Tech is handled by a 7-inch digital cluster and a 10-inch central screen, with Google Maps and Google Assistant on top trims.

The Twingo even has its own avatar sidekick named Reno, who can help with charging info or answer questions like a tiny electric French Jeeves, and delivers an electronic welcome fanfare courtesy of Jean-Michel Jarre.

Is Renault Onto Something?

To sum up then, the Twingo looks great and has a freakishly large trunk but won’t set any records for range or acceleration. But if Renault can keep that price low enough – we’ll find out in the coming months – it has all the makings of a massive hit, and one that could potentially steal more than a few sales from the more expensive 5 E-Tech.

We’re looking forward to seeing how VW’s ID.Up compares when the two go head to head in 2026.

Renault

Bentley has shared new details about its upcoming electric SUV, the brand’s first, while also suggesting that its petrol engines, which were once set for retirement by 2030, may now continue beyond 2035.

Related: This Is Bentley’s First EV And It’s Built To Haul More Than Just Your Ego

The British company claims their upcoming EV, working title: Luxury Urban SUV, will offer “industry-leading” charge speeds that will enable it to add 100 miles (161 km) of range in just seven minutes.

The posh electric utility, which at just under 5 m (197 inches) long is smaller than a Bentayga, is due to make its world debut in late 2026 before arriving in dealerships the following year.

Teasing the Shape

A teaser image of the EV covered by a black sheet and parked inside Bentley’s Crewe factory shows an SUV with a Range Rover Velar-style sporty profile.

It has a dramatic windshield rake, narrow glass area and a tapering roofline that drops into rear window with a slant that says the designers were definitely prioritizing glitz over cargo capacity. The links to Bentley’s recent EXP15 concept are clear, even if the production EV is more SUV than coupe.

Shared DNA With Porsche

Under the skin it will likely share plenty with Porsche’s Cayenne Electric, and could get the same 108 kWh battery. 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, and Bentley could cherry pick the more potent two of those three.

“Our first fully electric Bentley, the world’s first true Luxury Urban SUV, represents a bold step forward, it embodies our vision for sustainable luxury and technological excellence,” said Chairman and CEO, Dr. Frank-Steffen Walliser while offering an update on Bentley’s Beyond100+ electrification strategy.

“With industry-leading charging capability and unmistakable Bentley character and design, it marks the beginning of an exciting new era for our brand – a future defined by innovation, craftsmanship, and sustainability,” Walliser added.

But behind the scenes Walliser knows that the market for electric luxury cars hasn’t exploded with anything like the force experienced by mass market brands.

How Long Will Gas Survive?

Bentley, which once planned to go EV-only by 2030, and later extended the deadline to 2035, now says it will continue to sell hybrid-engined cars until “at least” that date, hinting that it is prepared to push the switchover date back again depending on customer demand and legislation.

And that wasn’t the only good news for combustion fans. Bentley confirmed it’s developing a limited-production ICE model with no hybrid technology, due to make its first appearance next week.

Wearing the Supersports badge, the car will be a stripped-out, rear-wheel-drive GT powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 producing around 640 horsepower. Perhaps more importantly, it’s expected to lose several hundred pounds over the GT Speed.

The automaker also recently revealed a new Bentayga Speed whose 641 hp (650 PS / 478 kW) comes from a non-hybrid V8.

Baldauf

If you thought Peugeot planned to just tweak its designs for the next chapter, think again. The French brand has dropped a single teaser image of its new “Polygon” concept, a strong preview not just of the coming generation of its big-selling 208, but of an entire reinvention of its design language.

Related: Hypersquare Steering On Road Cars By 2026, Peugeot CEO Says

There’s no half-measure here. Peugeot’s current lineup of cars and SUVs is already distinctive, but the company’s designers seem to have no qualms about moving on with an even more futuristic theme.

Hints of the Past, Vision of the Future

However, you can still see echoes of the classic 205 in the triangular-shaped B-pillar and its pill-shaped badges. That’s about where the retro cues end, though.

The Polygon’s long, near-horizontal windshield looks like the kind of thing you’d expect to see on a mid-engined exotic, not a humble subcompact, and the wheels are pushed so far out you can almost feel the tension in the doorskin, which is pinched to exaggerate a lean, muscular look.

The grille-less nose tells us this is an EV and could be carried over to production mostly intact, though we doubt the partially-glazed roof will manage the same kind of transition.

Steer-by-Wire Takes Center Stage

One aspect that definitely will, though, is the steer-by-wire system, which Peugeot says is “central to the driving pleasure of future Peugeot vehicles and the Polygon concept itself.”

The high-tech steering system – Lexus uses something similar on the RZ – gets a suitably futuristic new steering wheel, that we can’t really see on this teaser image, but were introduced to on a previous Peugeot concept in 2023.

Called Hypersquare (though actually rectangular), the wheel has four holes, a design echoed in the four road wheels.

Shared DNA Across Stellantis Brands

Like its Stellantis cousin, the next Vauxhall/Opel Corsa, which was previewed in August by the 789 hp (800 PS / 588 kW) GSE Vision Gran Turismo concept, the production 208 is expected to ride on the new STLA Small platform when its unveiled late in 2026.

We’ll have to wait for the full Polygon reveal next week to get our hands on any tech spec, but don’t be surprised if it’s packing the same 82 kWh battery the GSE promised, something that would represent a big step up over the 52 kWh pack in the current e-208.

Peugeot’s 2023 Inception concept teased the Hypersquare steering wheel

Hyundai’s next big (or rather, small) electric debut is edging closer to reality and this time photographers haven’t only captured the upcoming Ioniq 3 testing without heavy disguise, but they got to peek inside and check out a very different interior layout.

Related: Hyundai Gives Its Smallest N Line SUV Sharper Looks And Smarter Tech

The Ioniq 3, a production version of the Three concept Hyundai revealed in September at the Munich motor show, is positioned below the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, being smaller and slightly less sophisticated.

Styling

Where those models ride on the high-spec 800-volt E-GMP platform, the new 3 will use a simplified version of the same architecture running on 400-volt electrics.

That means slightly slower charging and potentially smaller motors, but also a more affordable entry point for Hyundai’s EV lineup, and an internal competitor for the closely related Kia EV4. But their very different designs means the casual buyer will never guess the connection.

These latest images show a clean, confident shape with a sporty low nose, but also a raised ride height that gives the little hatch a more crossover-y stance than the concept had.

The door handles – recessed, not pop-out – and tapering roofline hint at good aerodynamics, and the high-set tail means the silhouette (but not the rising waistline) reminds us of Alfa Romeo’s classic Sud sedan.

New Infotainment System

Inside, the Ioniq 3 looks very different from its Ioniq 5 and 9 brothers, junking their conjoined gauge cluster and infotainment displays for for a super-slim digital instrument pack directly under the windshield and a large, Tesla-style tablet touchscreen mounted above the console.

Also: Hyundai’s New Pleos Infotainment System Looks Like A Tesla Knockoff

Speaking of that tablet-style display, as you can see from the pictures, it appears to be running Hyundai’s new Pleos Connect infotainment system set to launches in 2026.

Built on Android Automotive OS, it adopts a smartphone-like interface with customizable menus and cloud-based user profiles known as Pleos ID, allowing drivers to load their preferences in any Pleos-equipped vehicle.

The system integrates Gleo AI, an intelligent voice assistant designed to handle navigation, media, and vehicle functions through natural conversation.

There’s no sign of the concept’s moveable digital widget blocks, but it’s good to see some hard keys and rotary knobs fitted below the main display.

SH Proshots

Powertrain

Detailed specs are still under wraps, but based on what we know about the Kia EV4 (which is no longer coming to the US) it could comes with 58.kWh and 81.4kWh battery options, and might launch with a single 201 hp (204 PS / 150 kW) motor driving the front wheels.

That setup would give a zero to 62 mph (100 kmh) time of just over 7 seconds and a range of close to 400 miles (644 km).

With the camouflage now lighter and the design details nearly finalized, it looks like the Ioniq 3 is entering the final stretch of development.

Hyundai is expected to pull the covers off the production model midway through 2026. It may be the smallest Ioniq yet, but it could turn out to be Hyundai’s most important.

SH Proshots

Once hailed as a maverick genius we could all get behind, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has earned plenty of haters over the last few years as a result of his controversial political stances and affiliations.

Moreover, a new study has just confirmed what we all suspected all along: that those politics have cost Tesla billions of dollars in lost sales revenue.

How Bad Is the Damage?

Tesla US vehicle sales dropped by between 1 million and 1.26 million between October 2022 and April 2025, according to The National Bureau of Economic Research, a group of economists based at Yale University.

Related: Musk’s Tesla Payday Is So Absurd Even The Pope Had Something To Say

The authors estimate Teslas sales during that period should have been 67-83 percent higher. Some of those disaffected would-be buyers were pushed into the arms of rival carmakers, whose electric and hybrid vehicle sales grew by roughly 17-22 percent as a result, the study claims.

Among the actions that Tesla’s traditionally Democrat-voting customer base found offensive were his donation of $300 million to Republican candidates in the run up to the 2024 presidential election. The move marked a clear political shift that unsettled parts of his core audience.

Further controversy followed when Musk accepted a position with Donald Trump’s newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and voiced support for far-right political parties abroad, including Germany’s AfD.

Together, these choices reshaped his public image and deepened the divide between his business ventures and their once-loyal fan base.

The study suggests Musk’s behavior and its effect on sales negatively impacted California’s work towards achieving net zero emissions, derailing its plans to meet 2026 targets.

A Partial Rebound?

Even so, the researchers note that public sentiment toward the Tesla CEO had improved since Musk shifted his attention away from Donald Trump and back toward technology, namely robotaxis, self-driving cars and its fledgling robot business.

Tesla’s global sales are still projected to fall by about 10 percent this year, but that hasn’t slowed Musk’s ambitions. He’s now pushing for a $1 trillion pay package, which shareholders are set to vote on next month.

If approved, it would be by far the largest compensation deal ever granted to a corporate executive. Tesla chairman Robyn Denholm has written to shareholders warning that Musk could walk away if the cash doesn’t come through.

Seven years after Canadian leaders last met their Chinese opposite numbers, Prime Minister Mark Carney is sitting down with Chinese President Xi Jinping. At stake are billions of dollars worth of trade, but Carney hinted that the trade agreement many are hoping for might not materialise, at least not from this first face-to-face.

The two leaders are getting together at the summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation in Gyeongju, South Korea, and in the run-up to the meeting, some news reports suggested that Canada could be ready to axe the 100 percent tariff on imported Chinese EVs put in place in 2024.

Related: China Turns Up The Pressure As Canada Reconsiders Its EV Tariffs

Canada is under pressure to hit eco targets, and giving access to more affordable EVs could help. But the real pressure to cancel the EV tariffs is coming from Canada’s farmers.

The country’s Canola industry is worth billions of dollars, with a healthy chunk of that revenue coming from China. But exports to China have tanked since the Chinese placed a 75.8 percent tariff on canola seed in response to EV tariffs.

So a simple “you drop your tariffs and I’ll drop mine” handshake could sort everything, right? It’s not that easy, and Carney was careful not to suggest that he expected to come back from this initial meeting with an oven-baked trade agreement.

“We will explore what we can build on. This is our second largest trading partner. This is the second largest economy in the world,” Carney told the media in the build-up to the meet, as reported by CTV News.

“[But] there’s no preset offer. This is the difference between relationship and transaction,” he added, explaining that the relationship between the two countries needed to “deepen” and that there were many other topics up for discussion besides EVs.

Another reason Carney might hesitate before lifting EV tariffs is concern over the welfare of Canada’s own auto industry, which is already taking a beating from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and the current US-Canada tensions aren’t likely to ease those problems soon.

The last thing it needs is an influx of bargain-priced competitors from China.

Canada could soon open the floodgates for a wave of inexpensive Chinese EVs, and you can practically hear the sound of Donald Trump grinding his teeth from across the border. The prospect alone has already stirred political tension, economic speculation, and a fair bit of cross-border irritation.

Prime Minister Mark Carney is reportedly preparing to roll back Canada’s 100 percent tariffs on imported Chinese electric vehicles, a policy originally put in place in 2024 under previous top Canadian Justin Trudeau.

Related: Canada Retaliates Against Two Major US Automakers

The move, according to The Wire China, a Boston-based outlet founded by former New York Times Shanghai correspondent David Barboza, could be announced at any moment.

That tariff was originally intended to align Canada with its Western partners and shield both domestic and US auto industries from what were described as state-subsidized imports. But time moves on, alliances shift, and so do economic priorities.

Reset or Risk?

According to Ottawa insiders, Carney wants to “reset” Canada’s relationship with Beijing as he heads to this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, where he’s expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The outcome of that meeting could be a thawing of frosty trade ties and better access for Canadian exports while easing restrictions on Chinese EVs that are already proving irresistible in Europe.

“Relationships rebuild over time when they have been … when they have changed, when they’ve changed for the worse,” Carney said in comments reported by CBC. “And so we have a lot of areas on which we can build.”

If the 100 percent tariffs go, dropping import duty to the previous 6.1 percent, it would be a dramatic pivot that could reshape Canada’s electric vehicle market almost overnight.

Brands like BYD, NIO, XPeng, and Zeekr could swoop in with wallet-friendly options that would make even the most patriotic Canadian EV buyer think twice before spending Tesla or Rivian money.

What Happens to the Home Team?

The move would also leave Washington, and President Trump, fuming. The US itself still maintains a tough stance on Chinese EV imports, despite the fallout causing misery for American farmers who can no longer sell soy beans to China.

But Carney’s government may see things differently. Canada’s EV adoption targets are ambitious despite a recent softening, and affordable models are in short supply.

More: Canada Retaliates Against Two Major US Automakers

Chinese automakers, with their cost-efficient tech and fast-evolving battery platforms, could provide the shot in the arm Canada’s market needs.

Still, domestic automakers and unions, who are already bruised and battered from Trump’s tariffs, won’t be thrilled. Expect plenty of fretting from Ontario’s manufacturing belt, where many already fear competing with low-cost imports.

Diesel car sales are way down, but the stinky stuff is still the fuel of choice for many van operators due to a diesel engine’s durability, efficiency and long range. Maybe not for long though.

Kia’s new PV5 Cargo electric van has just set a Guinness World Record after traveling 430.84 miles (693.38 km) on a single charge.

Related: This PV5 Is VW’s Idea Of A VW ID. Buzz

That would be a solid, though hardly newsworthy feat in a car, but it’s more impressive in a brick-shaped van (albeit a slippery one) whose official range is only 258 miles (415 km). And it borders on a miracle when you learn that it was achieved while carrying the PV5’s maximum payload of 1,740 lbs, or 790 kg.

The record wasn’t a lab test or a hypermiling stunt. This was a real-world endurance run, conducted north of Frankfurt, Germany, under the same urban and extra-urban conditions any delivery van might face on a long working day – or two.

Behind the wheel of the PV5 were commercial vehicle journalist George Barrow, and Christian Nigemeier, a senior engineer at Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre.

Over the course of the 22.5-hour challenge, the duo completed 12 loops of a 36.2-mile (58.2 km) route, complete with traffic lights, roundabouts, and an elevation gain of 1,210 ft (370 m).

The record-breaking PV5 was in stock form, but fitted with a 71.2 kWh battery, the larger of the two available power packs.

A smaller 51.5 kWh battery is also available for businesses who don’t cover a ton of miles in a day or want to get anywhere in a hurry – it’s only rated for 184 miles (296 km) and takes 16.2 seconds to reach 62mph versus 12.4 seconds for the 71.2 kWh version.

The PV5 is the first member of Kia’s Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) family, built on the brand’s new E-GMP.S architecture, the commercial vehicle version of the platform used in passenger cars like the EV6 and EV9.

Like combustion commercials it’s designed for modular flexibility and can be ordered as a panel van, chassis cab or minivan.

Kia

Alpine’s featherweight A110 sports coupe has the sort of steering feel and balance that can make even a Cayman sweat. So when the French brand confirmed that the next-generation A110 would be all-electric, purists sighed in unison.

But all hope is not be lost, because developments elsewhere in the Renault empire could potentially result in a hybrid A110.

Hybrid Rumblings

Horse, a company formed in 2023 as a joint venture between Renault and China’s Geely, has developed two petrol-electric engines that are designed to help automakers hybridize EV platforms.

Both are 1.5-liter transverse units with four cylinders (though Horse says a three-pot may follow) and are incredibly compact, the base version with one electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission measuring just 25.6 inches (650 mm) end to end.

Related: Porsche Is Sneaking Gas Power Back Into The Next 718

But it’s the second version that should be of more interest to A110 fans. It gets an additional motor on the end of the transmission, which adds 3.5 inches (89 mm) to the length.

Motor Trend says it pumps out 349 hp (354 PS) and 380 lb-ft (515 Nm), which would makes it less muscular than a top-spec electric A110, but punchy enough for a car carrying so little weight.

Alpine says even the EV version will weigh less than 3,200 lbs (1,450 kg), and a hybrid would almost certainly weigh less. The current ICE A110, which does just fine with 249 hp (252 PS), weighs just 2,425 lbs (1,100 kg).

How Real Is the Hybrid A110?

Just to be clear, none of this A110 hybrid stuff has been confirmed by Alpine or Horse, but for enthusiasts who feared the sweet-handling coupe would be silenced forever it’s a tantalizing glimmer of hope. And given the Renault connection and what’s just happened at Porsche, entirely believable.

After planning to make the next-generation 718 Cayman and Boxster purely electric, Porsche announced that combustion-engine models would continue – a decision driven largely by customer demand.

Sports-car fans simply haven’t warmed to the idea of heavy, quiet EVs that trade mechanical emotion for range and instant torque.

Where Does Alpine Go From Here?

Alpine, like Porsche, has been trying to navigate this tricky middle ground between environmental responsibility and emotional appeal. Its parent company Renault is heavily invested in electrification, but Alpine’s identity is built on agility, something battery packs tend to smother.

Sure, most buyers would probably prefer a straight combustion setup, but emissions regs rule that out. A hybrid A110 could be an appealing compromise, combining low-speed EV running with the throttle response and sound that enthusiasts crave.

And while Porsche is reserving combustion power in the next 718s for high-end models, using Horse tech could enable Alpine to bring the hybrid in at the affordable end of the range.

Sadly for American fans, this is all moot. The A110 isn’t sold in the US, and that’s unlikely to change no matter what’s under the hood or floorpan.

In fact, Alpine has put its entire America plans on hold due to President Trump’s tariffs, having previously vowed to bring a couple of crossovers and SUVs to North America starting in 2027.

Electric motors may not look like much, as they’re mostly lumps of metal and wires, but the right one can transform how a n EV feels, just like the right set of boring-looking tires can. And Yasa’s new record-busting motor could revolutionize EV performance.

The UK-based firm, which is owned by Mercedes-Benz that plans to use these motors on its next-gen vehicles like the AMG super sedan, has shattered its own world record for power density, pushing output to an astonishing 59 kW (79 hp) per kilogram.

Don’t speak metric? That’s 35 hp (29 kW) per pound, and represents a big jump over the previous record of 26 hp (19 kW) per pound or 42 kW (56 hp) per kg set by Yasa earlier in the summer.

Related: The Baby AMG EV Just Got Real With Three Motors And A Secret Weapon

Small Motor, Massive Output

Specific output is one thing, but what about the total possible output? The new motor weighs a tiny 12.7 kg (28 lb) yet produces a short-term peak rating of 750 kW, or 1,006 hp (1,020 PS). That’s pretty amazing.

And though continuous output is said to be much lower it’s still big by conventional single-motor standards and achievable with a much smaller weight penalty. Yasa talks about a steady 350-400 kW (469-604 hp / 476-612 PS), and from one 28 lb motor, remember.

What’s even more exciting is this isn’t a theoretical computer model. Yasa says the record-breaker is a fully functional prototype generating power on the test bench right now, and built using scalable manufacturing technology and no exotic materials.

That’s critical, because it means this is technology that could one day find its way into production cars rather than staying locked away in a lab.

Founder and CTO Tim Woolmer called the achievement “a major validation” of Yasa’s next-generation axial-flux motor design, which differs from conventional radial units by using thinner, disc-shaped rotors that can deliver more torque and power for a given mass.

“This isn’t a concept on a screen,” Woolmer said. “It’s running, right now, on the dynos.”

Mercedes bought out Yasa in 2021 and will use the Oxfordshire company’s axial flux electric motor technology on its upcoming flagship super-sedan and SUV.

You’d expect Germany’s own automakers to dominate the German Car of the Year (GCOTY) awards and not necessarily because the judges are partisan. BMW, VW and Mercedes cars work well on German roads because they’re developed both for them and on them.

It’s a home-field advantage that usually shows. Yet like a WWII GI cutting in on a beaten German soldier’s dance to steal his girl, two American cars have just walked away with major wins in the 2026 competition.

Related: Cadillac Confirms New Gas-Powered Sedan

The awards, which group contenders into five categories, including Budget, Compact, Premium, Luxury and Performance, are voted on by a panel of 40 German and international motor journalists. While the overall winner won’t be revealed until November 17, we already know the victors in each category.

American Upset

The Lucid Air Sapphire, America’s electric interpretation of a luxurious hyper-sedan, took home the crown in the Performance segment. That’s hardly a shock once you’ve looked at its numbers.

With 1,234 hp (1,251 PS / 920 kW) and an ability to break 2 seconds to 60 mph (97 kmh; with rollout) the Sapphire is like a four-seat physics experiment. One that makes German heavy-hitters like the BMW M5 and Porsche Taycan Turbo GT look slow.

Meanwhile, over in the Luxury category, Cadillac’s 615 hp (624 PS / 459 kW) Vistiq took top honors. Cadillac only recently returned to Europe, but the sleek Vistiq is proof that Cadillac’s EV push isn’t just resonating in the States.

And this isn’t the first time GCOTY judges have had their heads turned by a Caddy. This year’s Luxury win follows last year’s success for the Cadillac Lyriq, which won the same class, but was beaten to the overall GCOTY title by the BMW 5-series and i5. Maybe the Vistiq can do better.

To take outright gold, Cadillac’s three-row EV will have to beat not only the Air, but three strong European and Asian entries. Dacia’s Bigster is the 2026 GCOTY Budget Car of the Year, the electric Skoda Elroq scooped the Compact award and Hyundai’s Ioniq 9 was named best Premium car.

Changing Currents

In case you hadn’t noticed, that means four out of the five class winners are EVs, and it’s that shift to electric power that has helped American cars up their relevance game in Europe.

Perhaps most telling of all, not a single German brand made the winners’ list this year, with the nearest contender being Skoda, a Czech marque under the VW Group umbrella.

The federal gravy train for EV buyers has reached the end of the line. As of September 30, 2025, Uncle Sam officially stopped footing the bill for your next electric car, causing concern among automakers about plummeting demand.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s no help available. Depending on where you live, your state might still have you covered with its own tax credits scheme.

Who’s Still Paying Up?

But some states are downright stingy with their cash, meaning there’s no one-size-fits-all discount like the old $7,500 federal aid. According to new data from the Tax Foundation, the state-level landscape is a messy patchwork of perks, penalties, and paperwork.

While some states are still rolling out the red carpet for EVs, others are quietly slapping owners with new registration fees to make up for lost gas-tax revenue, highlighting how different attitudes are to green policies across the country.

More: Ford And GM Drop EV Tax Credit Loophole After Being Accused Of Bilking Taxpayers

A few states remain firmly on the side of the buyer, including Colorado, which from this November will provide rebates of up to $9,000 to low and middle-income families trading in an old gas car for a new electric vehicle, and as much as $6,000 on a used one.

Oregon and Maine both offer $7,500 of credits, Oklahoma gives up to $5,500, and Connecticut and Vermont will cut the price of your EV by $5,000. Illinois, Kansas and New Jersey make $4,000 available and various other states will throw in between $1,500 and $3,500 to encourage you to go electric.

Where EVs Cost You More

Then there are the less friendly states. Georgia has no EV incentives at all and charges drivers $235 per year just to register their electric vehicle. Indiana is arguably even worse: it also has no EV incentives, charges $230 to register one, and $77 to register a hybrid.

Perhaps surprisingly, given its history of leading on green matters, California no longer offers state help for EV buyers. Governor Gavin Newsom recently claimed it wasn’t economically viable to offer aid right now, though his office has since suggested a scheme might be introduced next year.

Some states don’t simply rely on EV registration fees to help offset lost gas revenue, but also add tax to the cost of charging at public charging stations. Those states include Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky and Oklahoma, the Tax Foundation reports, while also noting the flaw in their plan: drivers who charge at home escape the duty.

The takeaway here is that the government taking federal tax credits off the table doesn’t necessarily mean you can no longer afford that EV. You just need to check out where your state stands on the issue.

EV Tax Credits By State (Tax Foundation)

Tax Foundation

We’ve simplified this table from the Tax Foundation. To check out the original, which contains notes about which states offer other help, like an exemption from sales tax or the option of choosing to be taxed on miles driven instead of paying registration tax, click here.

Despite delays and setbacks, Porsche’s next-generation 718 Cayman is creeping closer to reality. So close, in fact, that in these latest spy shots you could almost reach out and touch it. Our photo team got up close to the first-ever electric Cayman outside the Nürburgring, capturing key design details for the first time.

Previous prototypes always hid the shape of the rear-quarter window line with false bodywork and heavy vinyl, but now we can finally see how the real thing will look. The test car still wears fake chrome trim to disguise the outline, as if trying to fool us into thinking we’re looking at a 911.

Even so, it’s clear that the next-generation 718 will have a much more pronounced kick-up in the window line behind the door than its bigger brother does.

Related: Porsche Is Sneaking Gas Power Back Into The Next 718

The kick isn’t as extreme as the one on the current Cayman, though. Looking back at the 2021 Mission R electric racecar concept that gave us our first taste of how a next generation Cayman could look, you can see the exact same line, along with headlights that appear very similar to the trick LED Matrix units fitted to this prototype.

Active Aero

The front and rear bumpers remain covered, but enough is visible to confirm some version of the vertical aero slats seen on the new 911 GTS and Turbo models. That detail, along with a set of optional carbon-ceramic brakes, shows Porsche isn’t letting the switch to electric dull its performance focus.

Expect the active aero elements and clever airflow management to play a major role in both battery cooling and aerodynamic efficiency.

Underneath, the Cayman EV rides on a dedicated electric architecture with the batteries mounted vertically behind the driver.

Power figures remain secret, but Porsche insiders have hinted at dual-motor all-wheel drive setups and sub-4-second 0-62 mph times for the higher trims. Base cars will get a single motor and rear-wheel drive.

Baldauf

An ICE Comeback

For anyone mourning the end of the flat-six era, there’s a glimmer of hope. Porsche recently confirmed that, due to strong customer demand, combustion-powered versions of this next-generation 718 are also in development.

The petrol models will sit at the very top of the range, likely limited-production specials aimed at purists who still crave a manual gearbox and exhaust noise.

They’re some years away though, meaning all eyes will be on the electric Cayman and its convertible Boxster sibling when they debut next year.

If Porsche knew five years ago what it knows now about the health of the electric market, it probably wouldn’t have gone all-in on electric power for the 718s, and it’s true some Porsche fans will be turned off by the idea of them being EVs.

However, having sampled the electric Taycan sports sedan, we’re in no doubt that it’ll still be great to drive. We’ll find out for sure in 2026.

Baldauf