Air suspension systems offer a unique advantage in modern vehicles, letting drivers adjust ride height on the fly. This makes them especially useful for off-roaders and pickup trucks, where flexibility and ground clearance are key. The Tesla Cybertruck is one of many vehicles to come standard with air suspension, but according to one owner, his truck’s suspension failed dramatically, and with no clear explanation.

Also: Cybertruck Owner Returns To Dead EV After Two Weeks Plugged In

Writing on the Tesla Owners Online forum, a member living in Texas says he was at home when he heard a low “shotgun-like bang” from his Foundation Series Cybertruck parked outside. He looked and noticed “smoke or dust” rising from the Tesla’s bed in his driveway.

Most people who hear a bang from an EV may expect the battery to have spontaneously caught on fire, but that’s not what happened here, or at least according to the owner.

A Sudden Collapse

Following the noise, the right side of the Cybertruck immediately began to sag after the bang. The EV was towed to the nearest Tesla service center in Houston. A technician found that one of the shocks and springs had pushed itself upward and damaged part of the Tesla’s frame.

Despite the unusual nature of the failure, Tesla declined to cover the damage under warranty. According to the service center, the failure was the result of an “outside influence.” They also requested $250 from the owner to release the vehicle in its current condition.

The owner has suggested that the extreme Texas temperatures could have caused the air suspension to blow, noting that the truck hadn’t been driven for over 12 hours when the suspension failed in spectacular fashion.

External Damage, or a Design Flaw?

Not everyone on the forum agrees with the temperature theory. One user suggested that, for the air suspension to fail as described, the casing would likely have had to suffer prior damage, possibly from an off-road excursion. The owner admits to driving his Cybertruck off-road, and it’s certainly possible the suspension could have been damaged without him noticing.

Regardless of what caused the damage, no vehicle should suffer catastrophic suspension failure like this, unless it’s driven off a cliff or something like that. While air suspension systems can occasionally run into issues, a spontaneous failure that impacts the frame raises questions, either about unseen damage, the system’s durability, or both.

Could extreme heat have triggered the failure, or did off-road use quietly weaken the suspension until it finally gave way? The cause remains unclear, but it’s certainly not the kind of bang any EV owner wants to hear.

Electric vehicles don’t drive around with half a bathtub worth of flammable liquid slung beneath the rear seat, but it seems they’re even more likely to present a fire risk. The latest automaker to issue a fire-related recall is Hyundai, which is telling some of its EV owners not to park near other cars or buildings until they’ve had some important repair work done to their cars.

Also: Hyundai’s Fastest Electric Sedan Can Drift And Snarl Like A Gas Car While Hitting 62 In 3.2

The advice – which is easier said than done for people who live anywhere near civilization – applies only to a small number of owners of MY25 Ioniq 5s. Hyundai estimates 10 of the EVs are equipped with batteries whose bus bars weren’t correctly tightened, leading to a risk of a short circuit which could in turn cause a fire.

What Went Wrong

A busbar is a metal strip, usually made from copper or aluminum, that connects the individual cells that make up a battery pack. A neat description from Ennvoi says the battery is the heart of an EV and the busbars are the blood vessels that send electrical current through the car’s various systems.

Hyundai believes a torque tool controller belonging to the Battery System Assembly (BSA) supplier failed, resulting in some bus bars being insufficiently tightened. The error was discovered a routine inspection of battery packs and an audit revealed some of those dodgy batteries has already made their way into delivered cars.

Although no accidents or fires have yet been reported, Hyundai cautions that over time the bus bar retaining bolts could work loose and cause an electrical arcing inside the battery pack. It could also trigger a voltage sensing error that would send the EV into limp mode.

What Affected Owners Should Do

Those 10 rogue Ioniq 5s will need to head back to a dealership to have their bus bar bolts tightened. Hyundai says owners can continue driving until they get the fix, but recommends they think carefully about where they park between now and when they get the all-clear.

Most e-bikes look a little futuristic, but what if you want to ride around on a two-wheeler that looks more like a classic Café Racer, but without spewing harmful toxins into the atmosphere? Well, a company by the name of Beachman has the answer with its new ’64 e-bike, combining modern powertrain technologies with retro looks inspired by some classic motorcycles. By warned, however, this thing isn’t cheap.

Read: City Cracks Down On E-Bikes With Strict New Rules

At first glance, the Beachman ’64 may look like a motorbike, but practically, it’s more similar to an electric bicycle. For starters, it’s only powered by a small 2.88 kWh lithium battery. Secondly, it tops out at 45 mph (72 km/h) and can only travel 55 miles (88 km) on a single charge. So, it’s more of a fun recreational vehicle than the Café Racer motorbikes that have inspired it.

Mode Options for Varied Terrain

Three different driving modes are offered. The first, known simply as E-Bike Mode, caps the top speed to 20 mph (32 km/h) while Mopar Mode unlocks a top speed of 30 mph (48 km/h). The dedicated Off-Road Mode is needed to get to 45 mph (72 km/h).

Shoppers who need a little more than 55 miles of range can opt for a larger 3.6 kWh pack, boosting range to 70 miles (112 km). Both models include regenerative braking, and the battery can be charged to 80 percent in three hours from a normal household plug.

Classic Design

Visually, the Beachman ’64 ticks all the right boxes. It comes equipped with grippy off-road tires, slim motorcycle-style handlebars, and a prominent central headlight. A quilted leather seat adds a touch of vintage charm to the overall design.

In the US, pricing for the ’64 starts at $4,800. That puts it close to the cost of some entry-level gas motorcycles, but if you’re looking for an electric alternative with vintage style, the options are far more limited. While it may not be the most practical electric bike on the market, it’s certainly one of the more stylish.

The Tesla Cybertruck can be called a lot of things, but a smashing sales success isn’t one of them. In fact, even Ford’s F-150 Lightning outsold it in the first half of the year. Despite that, the automaker might not be done with truck models.

Over the weekend, Lars Moravy, the company’s VP of Engineering, shared that a smaller truck could be on the table. That could open the door to bringing the Cybertruck’s distinctive design to a broader, global market.

Read: You’ll Notice What’s Gone From Tesla’s New Budget EV Before You Even Step Inside

At a Tesla owners and investors event in California, Moravy responded to a question about the idea of a smaller, more compact truck, saying, “We always talked about making a smaller pickup.” Specifically, the automaker knows that the Cybertruck, in its current form, is simply too big for some markets.

A Truck That Fits More Markets

Building a smaller truck wouldn’t just help expand Tesla’s footprint in the pickup segment. It could also meet needs the current lineup doesn’t quite address.

“I think in the future, as more and more of the robotaxi comes into the world, we look at those options and we think about, OK, that kind of service is useful not just for people, but also for goods,” said Moravy, according to Business Insider. This could be a signal that Tesla is looking to expand into the medium-truck or even small van segment.

Speaking specifically about the former, Moravy elaborated further, saying, “We’ve definitely been churning in the design studio about what we might do to serve that need for sure.”

Right now, Tesla doesn’t have anything that really fits into the category of ‘delivery vehicle.’ In fact, many of its remote service vehicles are small gas-powered vans. No doubt, it would prefer to service customer vehicles with one of its own.

Practicality could prove a big selling point, too. The Cybertruck isn’t selling the way Tesla hoped it would. Early adopters picked it up, but sales have stalled out. Plenty of folks see it as a lifestyle vehicle more than a tried-and-true pickup in the conventional sense. Perhaps a mid-size truck would be a way to crack back into the practicality market, the same way the Model Y did so where the Model X couldn’t.

It’s been three years since the long-awaited Polestar 5 made its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed as a heavily-disguised prototype. In that time, the Polestar range has grown to include the Polestar 3 and Polestar 4, and yet, we are still waiting for the sleek Polestar 5 sedan to hit the market.

Thankfully, the electric automaker continues to work on this new model. Roughly seven months after our spy photographers snapped it during testing in Scandinavia, a YouTuber and Carscoops reader filmed a Polestar 5 being tested in Germany.

Read: 2025 Polestar 5 Revealed, Aims To Be The New Electric Benchmark With 872 HP

Visually, this prototype resembles the others we’ve seen, except for the addition of a glistening white rear diffuser, rather than the more subtle black one. According to Sascha Pallenberg, who filmed the car, the Polestar 5 was filmed around the training area of Borussia Dortmund, one of Germany’s most decorated soccer teams.

Some players from the team even reportedly sat shotgun in the prototype for some short test rides, prompting speculation that Polestar may soon become one of the team’s sponsors.

Targeting High-Performance Rivals

Polestar will position the 5 as a rival to the Audi e-tron GT, Porsche Taycan, and the upcoming Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door EV, recently previewed with a dramatic concept. In 2022, Polestar said its flagship sedan could deliver 872 hp and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) through a pair of electric motors. It’s possible that power could be lifted slightly, particularly since the latest RS e-tron GT Performance delivers 912 hp, and the AMG could have upwards of 1,000 hp.

Regardless of the car’s final horsepower and torque figures, it should be an absolute straight-line weapon. Think 0-60 mph (100 km/h) in the low 3-second range, if not even slightly quicker.

Visually, the 5 will remain easily identifiable as a Polestar thanks to its aggressive split headlights and dramatic rear end with a full-width light bar. The interior will also remain similarly minimalist to other Polestar models, meaning the 5 will be mostly free of physical buttons and switches, as the vast majority of its controls will be found within the infotainment display.

Baldauf

Tesla sales are in free-fall and the automaker doesn’t have any genuinely new product on the horizon ready to save the day. Instead, as Elon Musk himself hinted, Tesla is stripping features from the existing Model Y to build a more affordable SUV. Today, we got our first look at the no-frills EV that could cost as little as $36,000.

Also: Tesla’s Bigger Model Y Just Leaked And It’s Packing More Than Extra Legroom

The de-contented Model Y was spied in China where Tesla is facing stiff competition from domestic rivals engaged in a fierce price war. Images show a prototype of the budget Y parked next to a regular version of the SUV featuring the facelifted ‘Juniper’ look that was revealed earlier this year.

Scaling Back the Juniper Touches Inside and Out

But Chinese reports and spy shots suggest some of the key Juniper features, the front light bar and full-width rear light strip, have been cut from the entry-level machine.

There are some important omissions inside, too, where rear-seat passengers might find themselves feeling rather more claustrophobic. And that’s not because there’s less rear space, but because it looks much darker in there. Tesla has junked the panoramic roof to cut costs, replacing it with a simple black panel.

Other features missing from the interior include the 8-inch rear compartment touchscreen and the console found on all other facelifted Model Ys. The new EV does have a console, but it’s split, the portion between the seats ending with a pair of open cupholders just after the armrest.

What’s Still Included, and What Might Not Be

The 15.4-inch touchscreen is still present, and another aspect of the new base car that won’t be simplified, China’s Autohome reports, is the ADAS. We expect the budget Y to come equipped with Autopilot, just like other trims, though whether Tesla will reduce the power and range remains to be seen. America’s current entry-level Model Y, the Long Range RWD does zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) in 5.4 seconds and has an EPA range of 357 miles (575 km).

That LR RWD is available for $37,490 in the US right now, but only thanks to a $7,500 tax credit that is being phased out in September – its MSRP is $44,990. By stripping out some of the luxuries Tesla hopes it can deliver a Model Y at a tax-credit price even after the subsidy has disappeared. Some reports have suggested the price could be a low as $36,000 when it goes on sale in the final few months of 2025.

Geek Piggy/Garage 42 / Weibo

It may be small in size, but Honda’s cute N-One e: prototype made a big splash at this month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed even if it didn’t make a lot of noise in the process. Now, the production version of this pint-sized electric car has made its official debut in Japan.

Related: One Cheap Adapter Unlocks A Huge Perk For Acura And Honda EV Owners

An electric kei microcar, the N-One e: is a slab-sided, high-roof, boxy city car with a friendly robot-like face and tiny wheels that make it look cute and gawky at the same time. Unlike the Goodwood car, which featured fender flares, the Japanese version goes without to ensure it complies with the kei rules that govern everything from external dimensions to power outputs.

Built for Kei Compliance

So although Honda hasn’t revealed much in the way of technical spec, we can be sure it measures less than 3,400 mm (133.9inches) long and produces no more than 63 hp (64 PS / 47 kW) from its single electric motor.

Its electric hardware is almost certainly shared with the taller N-Van e: revealed last year, which Honda claimed could travel 152 miles (245 km) on a charge – the N-One will eke out a few more miles than that. The N-Van accepts 50 kW DC charging, which is slow, but the small battery can be charged in around 30 minutes.

Simple, Practical Interior With Smart Touches

The N-One’s interior looks simple, but not totally basic, and we like the fact that there are plenty of physical buttons and a rotary volume dial on the media screen. The transmission selector on the console looks much like the one on Hondas familiar to us in Europe and the US, and a simple button to the right allows the driver to easily engage a one-pedal mode.

A shelf below the touchscreen provides an obvious place to leave your smartphone within easy reach of the charging port (no wireless charging here) and the rear seats fold flat with a 50:50 split to maximize practicality. But the real headline feature is the V2L function that allows owners to use the N-One to power their homes during outages or other devices like electric bikes or laptops.

V2L Capability Adds Real-World Utility

To use V2L, owners will need to purchase an adaptor from Honda’s accessory catalog, which also includes a dash-top LED indicator to let you know how full the battery is and a sporty cosmetic kit with twin Shelby-style stripes running front to back.

Japanese sales of the N-One begin this September, the same month Honda is expected to give the pint-sized EV its European debut at the IAA in Munich. Sadly, there are no plans to bring the car to the US.

Honda

As electric vehicle become more common, the conversation is shifting from how many are being sold to how well they’re being supported. A new study suggests that dealership service departments may not be keeping up.

Also: EV Crash Claims Jump 38%, And Repairs Are Pricier Than Ever

Based on customer survey data, the report reveals that 82 percent of EV buyers are open to purchasing another one. What’s shocking, though, is that this high level of satisfaction comes despite 85 percent needing some form of dealership service within the first year.

In the first half of 2025, more than 607,000 electric vehicles were sold in the United States, setting a new record. That surge may partly reflect a rush to buy before federal incentives begin phasing out. Those growing adoption numbers might make a concerning statistic even more challenging, too. EV owners who were able to get same-day service for their cars dropped from 40 percent in 2023 to just 28 percent in 2024.

Wait Times Are Increasing

That’s one of many data points we’re learning about via a new study from CDK Global. It also tells us that owners who had to wait three days or more jumped from 9 percent to 14 percent between those two years.

Nearly a third of EV owners said servicing their electric vehicle took longer than a gas-powered one, with non-Tesla drivers feeling the wait more acutely. According to CDK, 34 percent of non-Tesla owners reported longer service times, compared to just 23 percent of Tesla owners. On the bright side, 53 percent of non-Tesla drivers said EV service cost less than gas vehicle maintenance, compared to 41 percent of Tesla owners.

“We know dealers are prepared for EV service, but our most recent findings show EV owners are waiting longer to have their cars serviced, and it’s taking multiple visits to have their issue resolved,” David Thomas, director of content marketing and automotive industry analyst at CDK, told Auto News.

How Long Did EV Service Take from Drop-Off to Completion?

While lots of owners had their issues fixed in a single trip, repeat visits to the dealer are on the rise. Just 65 percent of non-Tesla owners reported one-and-done service experiences. A whopping 21 percent needed four or five visits to fix their problem. That certainly sounds familiar, given some of the strange service issues we’ve covered here.

Not All the News Is Bad

The study isn’t without its upsides, though. Only 13 percent of EV owners said they had to pay out of pocket for service. 16 percent of appointments were recall-related, and that figure split evenly between Tesla and other brands.

Mobile service is also expanding, with 19 percent of owners reporting that a technician came to them to work on their car in 2024, up from 14 percent the year before. Dealer pickups are slowly gaining traction as well, climbing from 6 percent in 2023 to 9 percent in 2024.

Finally, it’s important to point out that this study is entirely based on customer surveys. These are electric vehicle owners, so while they do have first-hand experience, the data gathered here isn’t unquestionable. As is the case with any survey, bias is a major concern and almost certainly a factor in the results. That said, some statistics mentioned here, like how long service took, are likely good indicators of the average ownership experience. 

Imagine coming back home after a couple of weeks away to find your six-figure EV dead as a doornail. If it had been unplugged the whole time, slowly draining its battery, the situation might have made more sense. But in this case, the Cybertruck in question was connected to a charger the entire time.

More: Tesla Suddenly Wants You To Buy Now After Years Of Opposing EV Credits

When the owner, AJ Esguerra, returned to his Cybertruck after two weeks away, he realized it had been getting juice for almost two straight weeks. Parked in scorching-hot Arizona, he worried he’d fried something for good. One message to Tesla service ended up being all he needed.

Unexpected Silence After Two Weeks Plugged In

The initial worry for Esguerra was real. He posted to the Cybertruck Owner’s Club on Facebook looking for insight. “Need some help- we were on vacation for 2 weeks and just returned and the CT won’t power on at all. I looked at my app and it says it last connected 11 days ago,” he wrote.

Given the conditions, he thought perhaps the heat waves passing through Arizona might have come together with a constant trickle charge and ruined something on the truck.

“We’ve had record heat the past week. Is it possible it overheated and damaged the battery or can I try a master reset before I set up a service call,” he asked fellow owners. Responses were mostly kind but a few probably weren’t what he wanted to hear.

“It’s bricked bro…” said one person. “An insurance fire is the only solution,” said another. Thankfully, some folks provided reassurance and simply directed him to contact Tesla service. When he did, the ball rolled quickly downhill.

“Tesla service is on the way. Quick response through app and received a call immediately,” Esguerra says. From there, the technicians jumped the truck to life, towed it to a service center, and dug deeper.

The Real Culprit

What they found was that the power converter failed. According to AJ, it had nothing to do with charging the truck or the heat or the combination of the two. In fact, he says that Tesla told him to just leave it plugged in for as long as he wants.

“They recommend to keep it on the charger at all times. It will stop charging when it’s full. He said they have a lot of snowbirds with CTs that leave for months and keep it on the charger with no issues,” he says.

In a world full of cases where cars break and warranty or service work ends up being less than ideal, this is a nice break from that disappointment. AJ says he’s back on the road and that Tesla covered everything. That’s as happy an ending as one could hope for here. 

Electric vehicles have made impressive strides in recent years, but several key design challenges remain. One of the most pressing is how to improve battery packs in a way that enhances both safety and long-term sustainability.

Also: Washington Fire Crews Use Special Blankets To Extinguish EV Fires

We’ve all seen images and videos of EVs being incinerated when their battery packs have caught fire. So if someone tried to tell you that they’d come up with a revolutionary new battery housing that’s made out of wood, well, you’d naturally think they’d inhaled too many combusting lithium cell vapors. But boffins are adamant that, when it comes to EV battery cases, wood is good both for the planet and for safety.

A study carried out at the Technical University of Graz in Austria compared the performance of a conventional underfloor battery housing built with aluminium beams with three different wood-steel hybrid versions. The team wanted to see if it could build a housing that was more environmentally friendly, but required no strength compromises.

Lighter Footprint, Solid Performance

The hybrid beams use sustainable birch, poplar or paulownia cores covered in thin, lightweight steel, giving them a much smaller environmental footprint than those made from aluminium, which is incredibly energy intensive to produce. That much they knew before they’d got to the lab. But it’s the other results that provided the real surprises.

In a critical pile crash test where a vehicle or component is driven into a round steel obstacle at high speed the hybrid Bio!Lib battery housings returned almost exactly the same intrusion values as the aluminum housing of a Tesla Model S. The reason is the wood’s porous cell structure helps it absorb great amounts of energy.

The poplar and birch steel hybrids delivered up to 98 percent more energy absorption than ductile aluminum and 76 percent more than high-strength aluminium under large deformations. All three wood-based versions also showed strong resistance to bending.

Organic fire-resistant material

And with the addition of cork – another renewable material – the study group led by TU Graz’s Florian Feist, was also able to make the housing usefully fire-resistant, returning temperatures on the off-fire side of the unit 100 degrees C (212 F) lower than on a Tesla housing.

“When cork is exposed to very high temperatures, it charses,” explains Florian Feist, who led the study. “The carbonization leads to a sharp drop in the already relatively low thermal conductivity, which protects the structures behind it.”

As electric vehicles become more common, it’s becoming clearer that their environmental impact goes beyond the absence of tailpipe emissions. While a wood-based battery case might seem unlikely, research like this highlights how smarter material choices could help EVs better deliver on their clean energy potential.

Beyond serious mechanical issues, squeaks and rattles rank high amongst the most annoying things one may have to deal with in any car. Imagine, though, if your ride had an incessant rattle or squeak despite it being basically brand new and costing six figures. That’s what one Cybertruck owner is dealing with right now, and Tesla seems incapable of fixing the electric pickup.

Also: Cybertruck Came Back From Tesla Service With 26,000 Miles Less And That’s The Least Of Its Worries

The owner first posted about his experience on Facebook in June: “My Cybertruck is in service for a squeak coming from the front left pillar near the windshield. The service team tried using foam and insulation, but couldn’t fix it,” he said. At that point, the team decided to send the truck to a collision center.

Ongoing Repairs With No Resolution

From there, things haven’t improved. In a newer post, he claims that the center has had the truck for 40 consecutive days without finding a fix. “They’ve replaced parts, added insulation, and tried multiple approaches, but the issue remains,” he says. That appears to include disassembling several components and reworking them to no avail. A message from Tesla service to the owner says it’s a top priority and that they’re working on it.

Interestingly, this doesn’t seem to be an isolated incident, as in the original post from June, several other owners claim to have similar issues.

“My CT has a rattling noise from the same area (front driver’s side dashboard / a-pillar area near front window) when going over bumps,” said another owner. “I have dashboard and pillar rattle and squeak too. This is third attempt to fix,” said another. “I’ve had so many creeks, squeaks, and rattles…. I’ve taken it in 5 times already,” said one more.

From Annoyance to Dealbreaker

Both ironically and sadly, one even admitted that it rattles so much that they just take a different car when they want a quiet ride. It sounds like that’s where the owner in this story is on his journey, too. He now wants Tesla to either buy the truck back altogether or for the automaker to give him a new one. There’s no telling if that one will squeak too though. We’ll follow this story and update you if we hear more.

Credit: Facebook

Τesla is about to widen out its Robotaxi footprint, though that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, seeing as Elon Musk recently said that “half of the population of the US will be covered by Tesla’s Robotaxi by the end of the year.” Well, everyone’s got to start somewhere, and now that the system is alive in Austin, Texas, it apparently is time to expand.

Read: Robotaxis And Roadsters Can’t Save Tesla From This Revenue Crash

According to Business Insider, Tesla is about to roll out a similar, albeit heavily neutered, version of the program in California. Specifically, it’ll begin Robotaxi testing in San Francisco over the weekend. Just like the service in Austin, the shuttles will work within a geo-fenced area.

Testing With a Safety Net

Never a company away from pushing its limits, Tesla isn’t being conventional about this launch. Rather than release driverless Model Ys across all of San Francisco, it has put several caveats into the service. For instance, every ‘Robotaxi’ will come with a human behind the wheel.

That’s markedly different from what it’s doing in Austin and there’s a good reason for it. Tesla doesn’t have the legal ability to offer the kind of driverless service it does in Austin, in San Francisco. Notably, even the cars in Texas have a Tesla employee in the car, albeit in the front passenger seat.

It needs regulatory approval, and since it doesn’t have it, there must be a driver in the driver’s seat. Essentially, the way it sounds is that this is going to be akin to calling your friend who has FSD on a car and then letting him or her ferry you around while hopefully not needing to intervene while the car drives.

Pushing the Boundaries, Carefully

In addition, Tesla doesn’t have the regulatory freedom to offer autonomous rides to the general public in this manner. To that end, it’s only going to allow select members of the public, employees, and family members of employees into the testing program.

Basically, it seems as though it’s skirting the line regarding legality in just about every way that it can. Importantly, it reportedly requested a permit to extend its operations with the California Public Utilities Commission. It hasn’t yet applied to provide a commercial service to the public, though, so it appears as though all of this is in the very early testing phase. 

The Audi TT went out of production in 2023 and we’ve heard countless rumors about its return. Spy photographers have even snapped a possible mule based on the upcoming Porsche 718 Electric.

While the model was believed to be a ways off, Audi CEO Gernot Döllner recently revealed a new car is coming and it will be their TT Moment 2.0. Speaking to Bild, Döllner said the electric concept will debut this fall and that likely means an unveiling during the Munich Motor Show.

More: This Porsche 718 Could Be Hiding Audi’s Next TT

Little is known about the “identity builder,” but an image of the car suggests it will be larger than the TT. In fact, it looks more like a shrunken down version of the A5 Coupe/Convertible. This kind of makes sense as Motor1 noted Döllner said it would be “something in between” a TT and R8.

SHProshots

That certainly sounds like a new model based on the Porsche 718 Electric and the car is slated to go into production in the next two years. If everything turns out as expected, the TT successor could be considerably sportier and offered with an available dual-motor all-wheel drive system.

Details are hazy, but the 718 Electric has been plagued by problems and reports have suggested the car has been pushed back to 2027 due to battery issues. That could be a big problem as Porsche has already confirmed the current 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman will go out of production this October.

Kia has introduced a slew of affordable electric vehicles including the EV3 and EV4. The company has also shown an EV2 concept, which is headed for production.

Hyundai, on the other hand, has been focused on larger and more expensive vehicles such as the Ioniq 6 N and the Ioniq 9. However, an affordable model is on the way as spy photographers have caught what is believed to be the Ioniq 2.

More: Kia EV2 Spied As An Affordable Electric Box

The prototype is heavily disguised, but appears to be roughly the same size as the EV2. Despite the similarities, the Kia is positioned as a crossover while the Ioniq 2 is a more traditional hatchback. It sports an upright front fascia with a wide lower intake. They’re joined by an angular sensor and what appears to be slender lighting units.

The profile screams hatchback and the car features a gently sloping roof. We can also see a compact greenhouse as there’s a curvaceous sweeping beltline, which is contrasted by angular upper window frames. Hyundai also gave the prototype a set of modestly sized wheels, which are wrapped in Hankook iON GT rubber. These are summer tires designed specifically for compact electric vehicles.

shproshots

The rear end isn’t as tall as the camouflage suggests, but it appears the Ioniq 2 will have an upright rump with a relatively plain bumper. We can also get a glimpse of LED taillights and an angular rear window.

Little is known about the car at this point, but it will presumably have a lot in common with the EV2 as well as the EV3. This means it should ride on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) and have a 58.3 kWh battery pack. They could be joined by a front-mounted motor producing 201 hp (150 kW / 204 PS).

shproshots

Mary Kay and their iconic pink Cadillacs are entering the electric era as the company unveiled an Optiq at their annual seminar in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The model features a pink pearl exterior, which is contrasted by black accents and chrome flourishes. We can also see some relatively subtle Mary Kay badging on the front doors.

More: Cadillac’s Baby V-Series Charges At Tesla Stations And Hits 60 In 3.5 Seconds

The crossover is the latest in a long line of pink Cadillacs, which started in 1968, when Mary Kay Ash purchased a Coupe De Ville. A dealer painted it to match Mary Kay’s pale pink lip and eye palette, and the hue would later become known as Mary Kay Pink Pearl.

The Optiq will apparently replace the pink XT5 as part of Mary Kay’s Career Car Program. It rewards top sellers with the use of an eye-catching Cadillac.

Mary Kay described the change as a “significant step forward” and one that reflects their “commitment to innovation, environmental responsibility, and meeting expectations of the next generation.” They added that the “transition from internal combustion to electric symbolizes more than just a vehicle upgrade, it marks a recharged vision for the future of the iconic beauty brand.”

The 2026 Optiq starts at $50,900 and features a host of upgrades, including a native NACS port for access to Tesla’s Supercharger network. Buyers will also find two new powertrains, including a rear-wheel drive variant with 315 hp (235 kW / 319 PS) and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque.

Customers can also opt for an upgraded all-wheel drive model that develops 440 hp (328 kW / 446 PS) and 498 lb-ft (674 Nm) of torque. It’s a huge improvement over the previous rating of 300 hp (224 kW / 304 PS) and 354 lb-ft (479 Nm).

Electric vehicles are evolving quickly, and in Brazil, their trajectory is shaped by more than environmental concerns. With crime and carjackings a part of daily life, demand for armored cars has surged, making Brazil home to the world’s largest civilian fleet of bulletproof vehicles. Even Toyota sells factory-armored Corollas and Hiluxes. Now, one of China’s rising EV brands is entering the market, armor and all.

More: Toyota Now Sells Bulletproof Corolla And Hilux Models In Brazil

It’s not been long since Zeekr burst onto the EV scene, quickly establishing itself as one of the most intriguing new carmakers from China. Alongside growing its local sales, it’s been rapidly expanding around the world, including South America, where a particularly interesting version of one of its EVs was recently spotted.

This particular Zeekr is an example of its first model, the 001. Launched a few years ago and updated in early 2024 with better range and more features, the 001 is a sleek estate that’s both luxurious and very, very quick in flagship FR guise. But this particular 001 isn’t grabbing headlines for speed or design.

An Electric Estate, Now with Ballistic Protection

Instead, this Zeekr 001 is believed to be the first armored example built. Recently spotted on the streets of Brazil, the blacked-out Zeekr looks completely normal from the outside. However, all of its panels have been armored, thick bulletproof windows have been added, and the panoramic glass roof has been strengthened.

Photos Weibo

While there’s no word on what company was responsible for the upgrades, the owner of this Zeekr must be quite important to justify the need to cruise around in a bulletproof EV. We don’t have any photos of the car’s undertray, but presumably, it too has been upgraded to ensure the battery pack can withstand any blasts from underneath.

Underpinning all 001 models is an 800-volt architecture with the option of a basic 95 kWh LFP battery and a larger 100 kW NMC pack. Entry-level models have a 416 hp electric motor driving the rear wheels, while all-wheel drive versions also add a 362 hp motor to the front axle. The flagship 001 FR lifts things to a new level, pumping out a combined 1,248 hp and 944 lb-ft (1,280 Nm), enough to send it to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 2.07 seconds.

Ever since Tesla’s inception, California has been one of its most important markets, thanks to the state’s progressive policies and deep commitment to electric vehicles. While California remains hugely important for Tesla, new registrations continue their decline for the seventh straight quarter. Alarm bells should be ringing at Tesla HQ.

Read: Tesla’s European Sales Bloodbath Continues, But One Country Is Over Hating Musk

Data from the California New Car Dealers Association (CNCDA) shows that 41,138 new Tesla registrations were recorded across the state in the second quarter. That’s a significant 21.1 percent decline from Q2 in 2024 and was no doubt caused in part by Musk’s continued involvement in politics, including forming the new America Party.

Sales Slide Continues Into 2025

The picture doesn’t improve when looking at year-to-date figures. Tesla’s California sales for the first half of 2025 are down 18.3 percent compared to the same timeframe last year. To reverse course, Tesla may need to accelerate the rollout of its rumored budget-friendly, stripped-down Model Y, a move that could help re-engage cost-conscious buyers, especially with the $7,500 federal tax credit set to expire on September 30.

While Tesla’s sales in California continue to fall, the Model Y and Model 3 are still the best-selling new EVs in the state. This year, a total of 44,112 Model Ys have been registered in California, while 31,394 Model 3s have also found new homes. The next best-selling hybrid, PHEV, or ZEV model is the Toyota Camry Hybrid, shifting 30,464 units over the same period.

Behind the Model Y and Model S, the third best-selling EV in California is the Hyundai Ioniq 5, with 7,498 examples sold through the first half. That positioned it ahead of the Honda Prologue with 5,931, the Ford Mustang Mach-E with 5,594, the Chevrolet Equinox at 5,584, and the BMW i4 with 5,396 units registered.

Tesla’s declining numbers stand in contrast to broader industry gains. Toyota, for example, saw its second-quarter sales in California rise 9.8 percent, from 78,964 to 86,683 vehicles. Honda also posted a 9.3 percent increase, jumping from 49,651 to 54,278 registrations over the same period.

In the past three years, David Blenkle has driven his Ford Mustang Mach-E more than 250,000 miles (403,000 km). And, while there are still plenty of EV detractors out there who proudly proclaim that EVs cannot stand the test of time quite like ICE models, Blenkle’s electric Ford proves otherwise.

Read: Ford Warns Buyers Time Is Running Out For America’s Best EV Deals

Blenkle operates a private car service in Santa Cruz, California, and on a typical day, spends 12 hours behind the wheel of his black Mustang Mach-E Premium. Not only does he offer paid rides, but he also offers complimentary rides for military veterans and their families to appointments or national cemeteries. Through it all, his Mach-E has continued to chug along without any serious issues.

A Battery That Keeps Going

Ford’s own internal testing indicates that the Mustang Mach-E’s battery pack is designed to last at least 10 years and retain 90 percent of its capacity at 100,000 miles (160,000 km). Despite Blenkle’s Mustang still using the original battery, he can get up to 290 miles (467 km) per charge.

Most of the time, he plugs in at home overnight to take advantage of lower electricity rates. On longer days, he sometimes supplements with a quick top-up at a DC public fast charger.

Minimal Maintenance, Maximum Use

Any car driven these kinds of distances will need maintenance, and the Mustang Mach-E is no different. However, like other EVs, it can be far easier and cheaper to keep in service than an ICE alternative. Blenkle’s maintenance schedule primarily consists of tire rotations, multipoint inspections, and new cabin filters. He makes good use of the Ford’s regenerative braking system, and as such, his Ford still uses the original brake pads.

“The biggest misconception I encounter is about battery life and range, and then I show them my odometer!” Blenkle said in a recent interview with Ford.

To help preserve the battery’s long-term health, he regularly limits charging to 90 percent, a practice recommended by many manufacturers for daily use. It’s a small habit that, combined with his consistent charging schedule, has helped keep the Mach-E running smoothly despite its demanding workload.

Mercedes EQS sales plunged 52% last year to a dismal 6,963 units. That meant the EQS Sedan and EQS SUV were outsold in the United States by the regular S-Class, which found 8,809 buyers.

The company knows they have a huge problem on their hands and it looks like they’re about to put a band-aid on the situation. As part of this effort, the EQS SUV will follow in the footsteps of the sedan and get a minor facelift.

More: The 2025 EQS Actually Looks Like A Mercedes Now

Recently spied undergoing testing, the prototype has a heavily camouflaged front end with star-infused headlights. Additional details are hard to make out, but the crossover could mimic the sedan by adopting a fully enclosed grille that echoes the one found on ICE-powered models. The updated sedan also gained a hood ornament, but it remains unclear if the SUV will also get one.

The rear end doesn’t reveal much other than a camouflaged bumper, which hints at an updated design. Furthermore, while the taillights carryover from the current model, we wouldn’t be surprised if they’re given a starry makeover.

SHproshots

Spy photographers didn’t get a good look inside, but the cabin appears to eschew disguise. This suggests updates will be relatively minor.

While the extent of the changes remains unclear, we can expect an updated infotainment system running the new Mercedes-Benz Operating System. The AI-infused software features an MBUX Virtual Assistant, which has been billed as a “living avatar” that takes the form of a Mercedes star.

Additional details are limited, but the crossover is rumored to benefit from significant powertrain updates. These are said to include an upgraded battery as well as electric motors that were developed in-house. This could improve range and efficiency, which would likely enable the model to travel more than 323 miles (520 km) between charges.

Plenty of questions remain, but we could get some answers at the Munich Motor Show. If the crossover does indeed debut there, it could be launched in 2026.

Elon Musk may have let the cat out of the bag on Wednesday when he mentioned the Model Y during Tesla’s Q2 earnings call. When asked about the company’s next vehicle, his response led many to believe it could end up being little more than a stripped-down Model Y. Whether that turns out to be the case or not, there’s reason to think the timing might actually work in Tesla’s favor.

Tesla just had an incredibly rough first half of the year. It reported the steepest decline in quarterly revenue (12%) it’s seen in over a decade. That comes despite the recently updated Model Y, the brand’s most popular car. As a result, the stock is down over $30 as of this writing.

Read: Robotaxis And Roadsters Can’t Save Tesla From This Revenue Crash

The company promised that it has high hopes for the future, and one is a new ‘affordable model.’ Set to go into volume production later this year, Tesla is apparently already building it in low numbers. Amid questions at the end of yesterday’s earnings call, someone asked what the new model would look like.

Hints at the Next Model

Elon Musk cut off another executive who was hesitating to answer the question by saying either “It looks like a Model Y,” or “It’s just a Model Y.” The audio from the video just isn’t crisp enough to be certain. That said, it gives us enough information to come up with some additional conclusions. For one thing, don’t expect some jarring, abrasive, futuristic design like a shrunken Cybertruck.

Whatever this turns out to be, it’s likely to look like, if not actually be, a Model Y with significantly fewer features. Tesla could cut back on battery capacity, remove elements like the rear-seat screen, reduce the number of cameras, and scale down on sound-deadening materials. It might also modify the battery chemistry or swap in different motors to lower production costs. Reusing existing Model Y tooling would almost certainly help keep expenses in check as well.

That said, not everyone is stoked about the possibility of a de-contented Model Y. Some called it out for just being disappointing as a new model. Others are worried it’ll be a massive problem for Tesla as a business. “Model S, Model X, CT are all failing, Model 3 was cannibalized by Model Y being such a success. And now the Model Y lite will crush the Model Y sales with lower margin.”

A Well-Timed Launch?

That may or may not be true, but fans of the brand still have reason to hope for good things. Tesla could still come out on top of this entire situation. Whether the cheaper vehicle coming looks exactly like the current Model Y or a scaled-down version, it sounds like it’s coming at the right time. Federal tax credits are about to go away, at least for the next few years, it seems.

That’ll make selling electric vehicles harder for just about every brand. If Tesla can launch this new ‘affordable model’ just as other brands are now having to sell their cars without the tax credit, it could help Tesla dig out of the hole it’s in.

That would be extremely disappointing. If it’s just another trim… why not release it a long time ago? Doesn’t make any sense. A cheaper made Model Y that’s a free thousand dollars cheaper is not going to move the needle. We need a CyberCab with pedals and steering wheel

— Ramy (@TeslaXplored) July 24, 2025