Mazda’s attempt at electrification hasn’t been great so far. The MX-30 BEV was criticized for its tiny driving range, and the CX-60 PHEV we ran for six months was as refined as crude oil. But Mazda could become a serious contender for EV buyers when the CX-6e arrives in the next 18 months to take on the Tesla Model Y.

These spy shots show the compact electric SUV, which Mazda teased last week, on test for the first time, and from what we can see, it looks very close to the Arata concept Mazda debuted in 2024. It’s got the same deep bumper design with an almost Cadillac-like grille treatment and a two-deck lighting arrangement, in which ultra-slim DRLs peak menacingly from beneath the leading edge of the hood.

Related: Here’s Everything We Know About the Mazda CX-6e

The rising waistline and relatively low roofline create shallow windows, which won’t be much fun for kids trying to see out but, together with the aggressively sloped rear window, do give the CX-6e an almost coupe-like appearance, particularly with the supercar-style openings in the C-pillar.

With the heavy disguise in place, there’s no way to see if this prototype has illuminated ‘Mazda’ lettering across its tail as the concept did, but since Porsche, VW, and others are already lighting up their brand marks, we doubt Mazda will want to miss out. Whether the production SUV also gets the concept’s illuminated lettering in the door sills remains to be seen. But the show car’s camera-based door mirrors have definitely made the cut, even if the street versions are a little chunkier.

Mazda can take credit for the way the CX-6e and its 6e sedan brother look, but not large portions of what’s going on under the skin. The duo has been developed around the EPA1 platform from China’s Changan, the same hardware already used by machines like the Deepal S07, a sporty SUV that went on sale in its home market in 2023.

If the CX’s dimensions match up with the S07’s, Mazda’s Model Y fighter will come in around 4,750 mm (187 inches) long and ride on a 2,900 mm (114.2-inch) wheelbase. Based on the S07’s spec, it could be offered with 68.8 kWh and 80 kWh battery options and a single, rear-mounted electric motor producing between 215-255 hp (160-190 kW / 218-255 PS). We’ll have to wait to see exactly what outputs and range Mazda’s version delivers.

Mazda has never revealed any interior images of the Atara but it’s safe to assume it will borrow heavily from the 6e sedan, which has already been unveiled in production form and features a high-quality cabin with a big 14.6-inch central touchscreen.

The CX-6e will be offered in Europe by 2027 and could cause more trouble for Tesla’s Model Y, whose moment in the spotlight appears to be over. But the fact that it’s made in China means this stylish electric SUV will be off limits to US buyers, who’ll have to wait for the electric SUV Mazda is developing by itself.

Images: SHProshots

Remember the outcry from enthusiasts when Ford unveiled the Mach-E in November 2019? They were worried Ford wanted to replace the iconic pony car with an EV but the automaker assured them that wasn’t going to happen. Five and half years later, however, fresh data from Ford shows it’s now the Mach-E that’s the sales winner and the gas-powered car that’s the niche proposition. Are we looking at the end of the road for the ‘real’ Mustang?

Ford’s registration figures reveal Mach-E sales grew 21 percent in Q1 2025 versus Q1 2024, the total number of deliveries jumping from 9,589 to 11,607, no doubt helped by incentives and the threat of federal tax credits going away. Still, that’s a healthy gain. While that was happening sales of the classic Mustang slid by 31.6 percent, dropping from 13,707 to 9,377. That means the Mustang EV is now more popular than the gas car, and by a wide margin.

Related: Ford Mach-E Sales 62% Up This Year, Mustang Keeps Losing To Itself

So modern electric vehicles good, retro-style gas cars bad, right? It’s not quite that simple, because sales of Ford’s F-150 Lightning EV dropped 7.2 percent in Q1 to 7,187 units, and Bronco registrations blew up by 35.4 percent to 32,595 units. The Bronco is now almost as popular as the more affordable Bronco Sport (33,363; up 5.7 percent) and Escape (37,357; up 2.1 percent).

Ford’s (combustion) F-series trucks also increased their sales by a whopping 24.5 percent to 190,389, helping Ford truck deliveries boom by 15 percent. But that wasn’t enough to prevent total sales of Ford-branded vehicles dropping 1.2 percent to 477,560 in the first quarter. Lincoln sales, by the way, dropped 4.7 percent to 23,731.

It’s said that the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and again and hoping for a different result. And it’s looking like Ford’s new-for-’24 Mustang didn’t really offer anything meaningfully new to help keep interest high. Sure, the $325k GTD is entering new territory, but the regular models didn’t.

Which isn’t to say they’re bad cars. We just drove a Mustang GT and found it great fun. But the sales figures prove buyers are looking elsewhere for their kicks at a time when the Mustang has almost no direct opposition, its Dodge (ICE) and Chevy rivals having both been axed.

What do you think is the answer to Ford’s Mustang sales crisis? Is it more power for the base cars, more frugal engines, a four-door coupe or maybe a lifted crossover body? Or should Ford have retired the Mustang at its 50th birthday and focused exclusively on improving the Mach-E and extending its family?

Ford sales Q1 2024 vs Q1 2025

Porsche already has one electric SUV in its lineup – the Macan Electric – but it’s about to give it a big brother in the form of the 2026 Cayenne Electric, which debuts late this year. Our spy photographers have captured a pair of prototypes testing, but far from being identical twins, they feature some important differences.

Both models are still wearing the fairly heavy camouflage we’ve seen on previous prototypes over the past 12 months. The disguise covers parts of the front and rear bumpers and the lower sections of the doors. But it doesn’t prevent us noticing that only one of the SUVs has what appears to be active aero flaps in the lower bumper, just like the ones seen on the new 911 GTS T-Hybrid. It also has a splitter attached to the lowest point of the bumper, suggesting it’s a performance version, perhaps a GTS.

Related: 2027 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Goes Electric In New Spy Shots

The other Cayenne doesn’t have the lower lip spoiler or the same active aero slats (though it’s possible they could still move). Instead it has a less macho bumper with horizontal bars and the ADAS sensor stands proud of the bumper surface, rather than being recessed, as on the other SUV.

This less performance-focused bumper appears to provide a better approach angle, so we could be looking at an off-road-themed Cayenne. That idea is backed up by the slightly flared rear arch lips on this Cayenne, which aren’t present on the one with the GTS aero flaps. Further confusing matters, only the non-flap SUV has boxy vents below its taillights.

When the full bumper disguise comes off we’re expecting to see a split headlight arrangement, just like the one on the Macan Electric and Audi’s Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron. Those three are based around the same VW Group PPE platform that will also be used for the Cayenne EV in both standard and Coupe forms.

Entry-level Cayennes will probably also share their powertrains with mid- or high-spec Macans, which feature a 509 hp (516 PS / 380 kW) bi-motor setup in 4S trim and 630 hp (639 PS / 470 kW) in Turbo guise. And given the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S serve up 872 hp (884 PS / 650 kW) and 939 hp (700 kW / 952 PS), we imagine the hot Cayennes will be similarly potent.

The Cayenne Electric isn’t the only EV Porsche is working on. All-new, all-electric 718 Boxster and Cayman sports cars are on the way, and were set to debut this year, but that launch could be pushed back to 2026 as Porsche grapples with a performance EV market that hasn’t matured the way it hoped when it began planning these models more than five years ago.

Images: SHProshots

Another Tesla Cybertruck has been wrecked, and this time it’s not because it’s been attacked by vandals angry at the automaker’s CEO Elon Musk, or due to some alleged failure of the driver-assist systems. Instead, a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen was the culprit after its driver reportedly suffered a medical emergency, plowing into no fewer than seven vehicles. The Cybertruck took the worst of it, with its bed ripped clean off in the chaos.

Footage and images from the scene show a dark-colored Cybertruck brandishing promotional graphics for Keane Landscaping (they say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?) cut in half in the road outside the Dallas Cowboys HQ.

Related: Someone Egged A Cybertruck And Wiped Dog Poop On It

The front end of the truck appears untouched, but everything behind the rear seats is gone, including the bed, frame, and the suspension, motor, and wheels, which can all be seen lying several feet away. Of the eight vehicles involved in the smash, the Cybertruck definitely came off worst, but that doesn’t mean the other cars which, like the Tesla, were all parked and unoccupied, didn’t take some serious hits.

A Ford Mustang, F-series truck, Hyundai Santa Fe, Tesla sedan, and others received major panel damage, but spare a thought for the Mercedes G-wagon, which was given such a smack it was flipped onto its roof and can be seen being righted in CBS’s video.

Police say the accident in Frisco, Texas, was the result of the Mercedes G-Wagen driver suffering a medical episode while behind the wheel last Friday, driving at the intersection of Avenue of the Champions and Cowboys Way. The driver was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to news reports, and won’t be charged with any driving offenses.

Looking at the amount of damage caused, he must have really hoofed that right pedal, with disastrous, but thankfully not fatal consequences. We imagine that in the future, car safety systems might be able to spot and prevent accidents like this, but until that happens, you might want to stay clear of powerful trucks with super-fast acceleration and curb weights flirting with the 6,000-pound mark, especially if you’re on foot.

Image credit: Dianne Everett/CBS News

Modern solar panels are vastly more efficient than those 20 or 30 years ago, but they’re still prevented from operating at peak performance 24/7 by bad weather and nighttime darkness. Just imagine if you could collect all that solar energy uninterrupted from space. Well, China thinks it can.

Chinese scientists plan to build a huge solar power station that will sit more than 20,000 miles (32,000 km) above the surface of the Earth, measuring around 0.6 miles (1 km) across when fully built. In addition to getting access to constant sunlight, space-based solar stations enjoy energy density that’s 10 times greater than what you might get from the roof-mounted solar panels on your house because the sunlight in space is that much more intense.

More: Electric Fiat 500 Drives At Highway Speeds Without Running Down The Battery Thanks to Inductive Charging

Wondering how all those lovely clean Watts are pumped back to Earth? It’s done by converting the electricity into microwave radiation, which is then beamed to a fixed antenna on terra firma, Popular Mechanics explains. And the man behind the technology says it’s no, er, flight of fancy.

“We are working on this project now,” Long Lehao, a rocket scientist and member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), told SMCP. “It is as significant as moving the Three Gorges Dam to a geostationary orbit 36,000km (22,370 miles) above the Earth.”

Three Gorges Dam on Yangtze River (credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Big Ambitions, Even Bigger Engineering

China’s Three Gorges Dam (pictured above) is a hydroelectric power station that opened in 2012 and whose 100 billion kWh annual power generation capacity makes the Hoover Dam look like a dripping tap. Long claims the energy collected in one year from the space station would be “equivalent to the total amount of oil that can be extracted from the Earth.”

More: World’s First Permanently Electrified Road For EV Charging On The Move

The Three Gorges was such a mammoth project that it took 18 years to complete, and there would be no quick turnaround on the solar space station project, either. The massively complex build process required to get all of the solar station’s parts into orbit – including developing a heavy-lift rocket for the job – means it’ll be years before it’s powering our lights and electric cars.

But if it works? It could light up cities, power EVs, and quietly reshape how we think about renewable energy—without ever casting a shadow.

Opening image is a rendering

Some Tesla owners disgusted at CEO Elon Musk’s DOGE work for the US government, are selling their EVs, and some non-Tesla drivers are vandalizing the automaker’s EVs and property to show their displeasure. Now New York lawmakers are planning their own attack on Musk by attempting to remove Tesla’s right to sell directly to customers in the state.

Democrat senators are pushing to rescind permits granted in 2014 that allow Tesla to sell directly to consumers. Like several other US states, New York normally forbids direct sales, requiring automakers to sell through dealers. Even other EV makers such as Lucid and Rivian, which sell directly in other states, are not allowed to in New York.

Related: Trump Supporter Pulls Taser At Tesla Protesters, But Grandma Isn’t Having It

State Sen. Pat Fahy is leading the charge to rip up Tesla’s right to operate at five locations, but the five permits wouldn’t disappear altogether. Instead, they could be offered to rival brands, though some lawmakers and dealer groups believe the permits should be axed because they give too much power to a small number of people.

A similar bill designed to end Tesla’s direct-sales freedoms has been introduced in Washington state, and a bill proposing sales limits be raised for direct-to-consumer outlets has stalled, Politico reports. And none of this is rooted in hatred for Tesla itself, but for the man at the head of the company.

Since President Trump moved back into the White House, Musk has focused his energy on the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), whose federal cost-cutting drive has left thousands of people unemployed. He has also caused outrage by attempting to win DOGE employees access to sensitive tax information of millions of Americans.

And restricting Tesla’s sales isn’t the only way lawmakers could hit Musk in the pocket. Fahy – an EV advocate – and other senators have written to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, asking him to sell off Tesla shares owned by the New York State pension fund.

Automakers take all kinds of prototypes to the Nurburgring, including SUVs and minivans, because the 12.8-mile (20.6 km) track is as useful for testing a car’s endurance and its handling balance. But some cars absolutely need to work at the Ring because their reputation depends on it, and the 2028 BMW M3 EV is one of them.

The M3 going electric is a big deal, the biggest since BMW replaced the original lightweight four-cylinder homologation special E30 for the fatter, six-cylinder E36 that seemed more like a GT car in comparison. M bosses know the M3 EV will be scrutinized like no M car before it, putting M’s credibility on the line.

Related: This Is What BMW’s First Electric M3 Sounds Like

We’ll have to wait until next year at the earliest to know for sure how good or bad the electric M3 is, but things are looking positive so far. For one, the EV rides on BMW’s Neue Klasse architecture, which debuts on the iX3 SUV later this year and will be rolled out to the 3-series in 2027 and the M3 a year later.

The M3 could also get a four-motor electric drivetrain with up to 700 hp (710 PS), an output that’s way down on both the 1,341+ hp (1,360 PS / 1,000 kW) BMW previously claimed its could squeeze from a future performance EV, never mind the 1,527 hp (1,547 hp / 1,138 kW) of Xiaomi’s record-breaking SU7 Ultra.

However, it’s probably going to feel ample just about everywhere except the looong final straight on the Ring, where you can never have too much power. A Hyundai Ioniq 5 N only has 641 hp (650 PS / 478 kW), and I never climb out of one of those feeling shortchanged.

And with torque vectoring capabilities and a new central control unit keeping the motors and chassis in sync, it might end up being one of the most fun EVs on sale, regardless of price and power. Mind you, it’s going to have some stiff competition in that regard from Alpine’s next A110 and the upcoming Porsche Cayman EV.

Disgusted that BMW is taking the M3 down the electric route? Don’t worry, the ICE M3 isn’t going anywhere, at least not for a while. Today’s CLAR-platform car will be made over with Neue Klasse styling to closely resemble the EV, and its inline six will gain mild-hybrid assistance to boost mpg and push power beyond the 543 hp (550 PS) of the current M3 daddy, the CS. Both will wear simple M3 badges, despite BMW having trademarked the iM3 name.

Images: Baldauf

What a difference a year makes. Rewind the clock to early 2024 and Tesla’s European arm was basking in the glory of becoming the best-selling electric brand in the region for the whole of 2023, and the first company to put an EV – the Model Y – on top of the the overall sales chart.

Now, fresh sales data from 28 key markets, including the EU, the UK, Norway, and Switzerland, shows that not only are Tesla’s sales down, but the American EV brand is also being collectively outperformed by Chinese-owned automakers.

Related: Tesla’s European Sales Have Collapsed, Down 45% As EV Market Surges 31%

Figures from Jato Dynamics reveal Tesla sold 15,700 cars in February 2025, down from 28,100 a year earlier, a drop of 44 percent against an EV market that was up by 26 percent to 164,100 units. Chinese-owned brands clocked up 19,800 sales this February, throwing serious shade in Tesla’s direction and leaving us in no doubt that China is making serious inroads into the European car market. And it’s only just started.

Tesla’s Market Share Takes a Hit

Tesla’s poor performance cut its market share to 9.6 percent, its worst February showing for five years, and the automaker’s year-to-date market share is down from 18.4 percent to 7.7 percent compared with 2024’s numbers. One partial explanation for that is the arrival of the facelifted Model Y ‘Juniper,’ which was revealed in January of this year, but wasn’t immediately available in Europe. It’s only natural that buyers would want to wait for the new-look SUV.

Model Y sales fell 56 percent to 8,800 units, while Model 3 sales fell by a less extreme (but still worrying) 14 percent to 6,800 units, which Jato says indicates Tesla’s overall slide is less to do with anti-Elon Musk sentiment than the imminent arrival of the the new Y.

EV Sales by Brand, Feb 25

VW, Chinese Brands, and the New Wave

Whether the new model can fully reverse the slide remains to be seen, but we doubt it. The Juniper changes aren’t that comprehensive and Chinese brands (and legacy Western ones) are only increasing their attack on Tesla. BYD’s sales grew 94 percent to 4,436, Polestar was up 84 percent to 2,405, and newcomer XPeng logged 1,034 sales, representing an increase of 259 percent from February 2024.

The best-performing brand in terms of EV sales, however, was VW, whose registrations boomed 180 percent to 19,600. The German brand’s ID.4 was the third-best-selling EV behind the Model 3 and Model Y, and VW,’s ID.7 and ID.3 were in fifth and sixth spot, separated from the ID.4 by Renault’s Car of the Year-winning 5.

EV Sales by Model, Feb 25

In a sign of how serious attacks on Tesla vehicles and Tesla-related property has now got, the FBI has waded into the furore. The Bureau this week issued a public alert over the violence, which the government says counts as domestic terrorism.

In an announcement titled ‘Individuals Target Tesla Vehicles and Dealerships Nationwide with Arson, Gunfire, and Vandalism,’ the FBI warns the American public about recent incidents that have occurred in at least nine states these past few months.

Related: Tesla Owners Are Selling Their Cars In Record Numbers Over Musk’s Politics

“These incidents have involved arson, gunfire, and vandalism, including graffiti expressing grievances against those the perpetrators perceive to be racists, fascists, or political opponents,” the alert says. “These criminal actions appear to have been conducted by lone offenders, and all known incidents occurred at night.”

The bureau gives no weight to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s claim that the attackers are being funded by leftist organizations and says the vandals are operating alone, not in coordinated groups. It warns members of the public to ‘exercise vigilance’ and be on the lookout for suspicious activity in areas where Tesla dealerships or facilities, such as depots, charging stations, and plants, are located. The alert asks anyone aware of a threat against Tesla to contact their local FBI field office.

For the past two months, we’ve become used to seeing and hearing media coverage of people spraying graffiti on Tesla cars, shooting them, and setting them on fire. Some of the automaker’s dealerships have also come in for similar treatment.

The attacks aren’t specifically related to Tesla itself but are the result of anger at CEO Elon Musk’s work for the new Trump administration. As head of the newly-created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Musk has been responsible for thousands of federal employees losing their jobs.

Last week US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced charges against three people for the “violent destruction of Tesla properties” using Molotov cocktails. Around the same time, Musk revealed that Tesla was activating the camera-based Sentry Mode security system on all its parked cars in an effort to identify vandals.

This year, there’s hope we’ll get a look at Tesla’s long-awaited affordable EV, which some sources claim will be a “shorter” Model Y, costing at least 20 percent less to build and promising to shake up the industry all over again.You won’t find any trace of it on the automaker’s website right now, but at the same time they’re more than happy to take $50,000 off you to reserve another mythical EV that’s been even longer in the making.

More: Musk Says Tesla Roadster Isn’t A Priority, But Thanks “Long-Suffering Deposit Holders”

That car is the second-generation Roadster, which Elon Musk unveiled way back in November 2017. Almost eight years on Tesla is still taking deposits even though the website contains no information on when reservation holders might expect to have their sports cars delivered.

Production Deadlines Keep Slipping

Musk originally claimed it would enter production in 2020, but that date slipped to 2021, then 2022, 2023, and now 2024. You can see a pattern here, right? Last fall, some months after suggesting a 2025 build date, Musk thanked Roadster deposit holders for their patience and said the company was close to finalizing the design, but warned that mainstream models would always take priority in terms of development.

Of course, this doesn’t even scratch the surface of the more colorful claims made over the years. We’re talking about promises of sub-one-second 0-60 mph times and a SpaceX-branded option package featuring ten rocket thrusters allegedly capable of improving acceleration, top speed, braking, cornering, and maybe even allowing the thing to fly At this point, it feels like the only limit is the imagination… or physics.

Although the Roadster doesn’t appear on the website alongside cars like the Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck in Tesla’s drop-down menu when you click the ‘vehicles’ tab, it is listed in a separate menu to the right, along with the Semi electric commercial truck.

$50,000 For A Placeholder

Click that link and a page opens up containing various CGI images of a red Roadster both with and without its targa top in place, as well as a video of the presentation Elon Musk made years ago. Text on the page promises zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 1.9 seconds, an 8.8-second quarter mile (400 m) time, 250+ mph (402 km/h) top speed and 620-mile range. It also says the Roadster will be all-wheel drive and, unlike most rivals, have seating for four.

More: Musk’s Inner Circle Claims DOGE Obsession Trumps Tesla Crisis No Matter How Bad It Gets

A ‘Reserve Now’ button takes you to a simple reservation page on the Tesla US website that features a single profile image of a red Roadster and offers no configuration, color or trim options. Tesla doesn’t even give a ballpark estimate on price, though years earlier it listed the EV at $200,000-250,000.

But Tesla fans not put off by the lack of concrete info are invited to place an initial $5,000 deposit using a credit card, and are told they’ll need to send an additional $45,000 the brand’s way via wire transfer in 10 days’ time. It also warns that reservations are not confirmed until the hefty wire transfer part of the deal has been completed.

It’s now almost eight years since we first saw the Roadster, an entire life cycle in car terms, so it’s unknown whether when the car does finally arrive this year or the next (or the year after that…) it will be the same one that was promised in 2017 – and what’s still promised on the retail website.

More: T-Online Pulls Tesla Survey After 253,000 Votes Cast From Just 2 IPs In The US

That being said, do you think the Roadster would still make a splash if it debuted with that design and those specs, or is it now looking a bit stale? Leave a comment and let us know.

Roadster 2
0-60 in 1.9s
0-100 in 4.2s
250+mph
620-mile range
0 regrets
You got me, @Tesla @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/MrxdbK3zLa

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) November 18, 2017

0-60mph < 1 sec

And that is the least interesting part

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 28, 2024

Tesla was accused by the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) of cheating legitimate car dealers and buyers in Canada out of iZEV subsidies earlier this month. Critics have now grown even more suspicious after footage emerged of hundreds of new Tesla EVs left in disused parking lots.

Canadian media discovered huge fleets of brand new Model 3s and Model Ys languishing in the lot of an old strip mall in Toronto, conveniently located across the street from a Tesla dealership. Hundreds of miles away in Laval, Quebec, reporters founds scores more Teslas jammed into parking bays in another lot.

Related: Tesla Accused Of Gaming Canada’s EV Rebate Program After 4 Stores Sold 2 Cars Per Minute Wiping Out $43M In Grants

A staggering 8,600 cars were registered in just three days at four Tesla retail outlets in Canada, which breaks down as one car every minute, 24 hours a day for three straight days, even when the stores were closed. That kind of activity is highly unusual, but what really raised eyebrows was the timing of the sales flurry.

The sales came during a period when demand for Teslas in Canada had tanked, in part due to CEO Elon Musk’s association with President Trump, who has threatened to impose significant import tariffs and repeatedly suggested that Canada could become the USA’s 51st state. But the sales also occurred right before the country paused its iZEV electric vehicle subsidy program, leading some to suggests Tesla had gamed the system.

Tesla filed for C$43.1 million (US$30M) in rebates, which represented more than half of the remaining C$71.8 million (US$50M) allocated for EV rebates, and has left many Canadian car dealers out of pocket. They had fronted the discount themselves for each car they’d sold on the understanding that they’d be able to recoup the money from the Canadian government, but that might not now happen.

One dealer CTV News spoke to said he was C$400k ($279k) down because Tesla’s sales rush meant he hadn’t had chance to claim before the program was shut down.

More: Over 80 Tesla Cars Vandalized At Canadian Dealership In Possibly The Largest Attack Yet

Tesla better hope the vandals behind recent attacks on its cars and showrooms don’t watch the news, because hundreds of Model 3s and Model Ys parked up together sounds like a dream come true for protestors. We’ve asked Tesla—who famously disbanded its press team in the US—about the lots full of cars, but so far, we haven’t received a response.

Lead image Google Maps

Sometimes the smartest products aren’t the most radical. They’re the ones that take an existing idea and make it better, like this new Smart #5, which makes its European debut this week, seven months after launching in China.

The third and biggest of the new Smart company’s three electric SUVs and crossovers, the #5 isn’t clever like the original ForTwo, which crammed space for two passengers into an impossibly small package. But going after the Tesla Model Y, which remains the best-selling EV in Europe and America even after a sales slowdown, is definitely a Smart move.

More: You Can Buy A New 470 HP Family Car That Out-Runs Most Sports Cars For $32K

At 4,695 mm (184.8 inches) long and riding on a 2,900 mm (114.2 inches) wheelbase, the #5 is almost exactly the same size as the recently facelifted Model Y. But it’s far more visually appealing to our eyes, with a strong chin and just enough rounding at the corners to give the boxy silhouette a friendly vibe. Neat design details include Rolls Royce-style floating center caps for the wheels, frameless door glass and, on the rugged Summit Edition, an electric trailer hitch, roof rack and side ladder.

Under the skin is PMA2+ architecture from China’s Geely, which now co-owns Smart with Mercedes, and is also found under other Geely products like the Zeekr 7X. This sets the #5 apart from its little brothers who rely on the smaller SEA platform and make do with 400-volt electrics, whereas the #5 features 800-volt tech for faster fills.

Up to 366 miles of range

Basic #5 Pro versions of the biggest Smart get a 76 kWh LFP battery, but pricier Pro+ trims and above upgrade to a meaty 100 kWh NCM power pack. Smart isn’t saying how far the little guy will get you on a charge, but it’s probably less than 300 miles (483 km) given that the big battery needs juicing after 366 WLTP miles (589 km).

Hooked-up to a fast enough charger, it’ll refill from 10-80 percent in 18 minutes and, like Hyundai-Kia EVs, the #5 has a vehicle-to-load power outlet to help you make the most of trips to the great outdoors.

Smart hasn’t released all the tech specs, though it does say the more expensive bi-motor Pulse and Summit Edition models can get from zero to 62 mph (100 kmh) in 4.9 seconds. We learned from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology last year that AWD versions mate a 221 hp (165 kW / 224 PS) front-mounted electric motor with either a 358 hp (267 kW / 363 PS) or 416 hp (310 kW / 422 PS) rear motor.

That same China MIIT info drop revealed cheaper single-motor, rear-wheel drive #5s come with outputs of 335 hp (250 kW / 340 PS) or 358 hp (267 kW / 363 PS), though it’s not clear if both of those fairly similar power options will be offered in Europe. But it looks like you can get a single-motor setup with the 100 kWh battery, and we’re guessing that’s the one with the 366-mile range.

Three screens and slumber seats

Open the door and the cabin looks a whole lot more welcoming and less stark than the inside of a Tesla Model Y. Smart brags about the heated rear seats, electric sunshade, airplane-style LED reading lights, 256-color ambient lighting, 20-speaker Sennheiser hifi and 25.6-inch Augmented Reality head-up display.

More: We Compare The New And Old Tesla Model Y Side-By-Side

You also get a triple-display dashboard consisting of a 10.25-inch digital gauge pack and two 13-inch OLED touchscreens whose video streaming and gaming talents are boosted by an Unreal 3D engine. It’s not all about the gadgets though. The #5’s seats can be adjusted to let you and tour passengers soon during charging stops and there’s a handy 72-liter (2.54 cu-ft) frunk to handle anything you can’t fit a trunk that is smaller than a Model Y’s. The Tesla also offers a small third row of seats, something the #5 doesn’t.

When Does It Go On Sale?

Though the #5 first appeared in China a year ago, European buyers won’t be able to place their orders until Q4 2025, with prices expected to be announced closer to that time. But at least it’s coming. We can’t help but think this chunky SUV would do well in the US, but Smart has no plans to bring it or the brand to America, and Trump’s tough import tariffs mean that stance is unlikely to change any time soon.

Tesla owners across America are living in fear of having their EVs trashed by activists lashing out at CEO Elon Musk’s controversial DOGE efficiency drive that has cost thousands of federal jobs. But even drivers whose Teslas aren’t targeted by vandals could find themselves with a nasty shock further down the line.

Insurers are warning that the attacks could raise premiums for all Tesla drivers and potentially even lead to cars like the Model 3, Model Y and Cybertruck being blacklisted by insurance companies.

Related: Tesla Angel Investor Fed Up With Musk Wants to Let People Sledgehammer Her Model S

Although Teslas have been the victim of vandalism before, with the actions often captured on the cars’ own cameras, these new widespread attacks are far more numerous and more serious. The EVs are getting shot at, set on fire and spray painted – the kind of thing that costs thousands to put right, if it can even be put right at all. In some cases owners will be expecting their insurance companies to shell out for brand new cars.

And it’s only logical that, on their part, insurance companies will want to modify their risk data and increase their premiums to avoid losing millions of dollars if the attacks continue. That’s a situation some in the insurance industry have already envisioned.

“If vandalism involving Tesla vehicles continues to rise and doesn’t go back down, we could see rates rise for comprehensive coverage in the future,” Matt Brannon, a data journalist at Insurify, told Newsweek.

This is bad news for Tesla owners, who already pay more to insure their cars than owners of rival EVs do – around $800 more for a Model 3, according to Newsweek’s investigation. And things could get even more expensive if fewer insurance companies are willing to even entertain offering cover, deeming the risk too high.

More: Tesla Owners’ Personal Info Leaked On DOGEQuest Site, Musk Responds

“As we have learned from the 2023 TikTok theft trend targeting certain model Kias and Hyundais, if these types of losses continue, carriers could refuse to offer coverage for Tesla vehicles altogether,” Bankrate’s insurance expert, Shannon Martin, suggested to Newsweek’s reporters.

The latest crop of EVs have almost combustion-like driving ranges, and now BYD is attempting to remove one of the other major barriers preventing some ICE car drivers from making the switch. Electric vehicles built around its new Super E-Platform are able to ‘fill up’ as quickly as you can tank-up your petrol vehicle.

Launched this week in China the new architecture and matching chargers use their 1,000-volt technology to pump out/accept a peak of 1,000 kW. That enables EV drivers to add 249 miles (400 km) of additional driving miles in only 5 minutes.

Related: Xpeng’s New G6 Can Add 280 Miles Of Range In Just 10 Minutes

Even those with only as passing interest in EVs will know that is insanely rapid. In the West most EVs still rely on 400-volt tech and can’t handle more than 200 kW of juice. The few that can, like cars using Hyundai-Kia’s E-GMP platform, have 800-volt electrics, and are able to make sense of of 350 kW chargers, though they never actually draw that many watts.

The announcement came during a livestream event held at BYD’s Shenzen HQ when founder Wang Chuanfu committed to the rollout of more than 4,000 megawatt charging units across China, without giving any kind of timeframe.

Drivers of 350 kW cars in the West will be aware that you can’t always make use of your 800-volt EV’s maximum charging capabilities so BYD will need to get those chargers out quickly, which is easier said than done. Dropping in 1 MW chargers is a lot more complicated than adding a 50 kW unit, and costs a ton more money due to the infrastructure upgrades needed. 

BYD also debuted the Han L and Tang L EVs, which make use of the Super E-Platform. The Han sedan and Tang SUV lineups both start with a single rear motor making 500 kW (670 hp / 680 PS) for less than $40k, while dual-motor AWD versions generate 810 kW (1,086 hp / 1,101 PS), Car News China reports.

Images: BYD

A flurry of orders, rave reviews and a Car of the Year gong proved Renault made the right decision bringing the 5 back as an EV, and now it’s taken the retro-electric idea a step further. The 5 Turbo 3E is a 535 hp (540 PS) tribute to the nutty 1980s Renault 5 Turbo rally car that reaches showrooms in 2027.

Related: Renault 5 Turbo 3E Is An Electric Hyper Hatch With Over 500 HP

Though it looks like a regular front-wheel drive 5 EV with a wide-arch kit (and you can bet plenty will be converted), the Turbo 3E is built around a bespoke aluminium platform and carries over only a few details like the rear lights and door mirrors. At 1,450 kg (3,200 lbs) VW Golf GTi.

Dual Motors, Drift Mode, and Serious Speed

It features two in-wheel motors at the back making 200 kW (268 hp / 272 PS) each and Renault promises it’ll be capable of pulling off some epic slides with the help of a drift-assist function and rally-style vertical handbrake. A sub-3.5-second zero to 62 mph (100 kmh) time is quoted, which means performance should be on a par with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

A 70 kWh battery housed under the floor provides up to 248 miles (400 km) of range when driven sensibly, and unlike the everyday 5 EV, this one has 800-volt electrics, meaning it can handle 350 kW charging and fill from 15-80 percent in 15 minutes.

Compared with the stock 5 the two-seat Turbo’s 2,570 mm (101.2 inches) wheelbase is 30 mm (1.2 inches) longer and the windscreen moved back to alter the proportions. Renault says the platform was developed by Alpine so we’d be amazed if this isn’t the same architecture we’ll find under the skin of the new A110 electric sports car due very soon.

Twenty-inch wheels tucked under each distended arch appear much bigger than that and upper vents cut into each rear quarter panel send air exiting through the rear bodywork. Their lower counterparts, meanwhile are used to cool the brakes. We don’t get to see much of the interior in Renault’s picture gallery but it tells us to expect six-point harnesses, carbon trim, Alcantara coverings and 10.1-inch and 10.25-inch OpenR screens.

Retro Colors, Price TBD

Renault launched the 3E in colors that tip a hat to the 1982 Tour de Corse livery of the original Turbo, but other colors and graphics will be available, some retro and others contemporary. There’ll also be plenty of personalization options to help part wealthy buyers from even more money.

Exactly how much money they’ll need to spend to get their hands on one of the 1,980 Turbos (that number a reference to the rally car’s launch date), Renault isn’t saying. But we’re expecting it to be in the junior supercar category. American sales aren’t planned, but fans in Europe, the Middle East, Japan and Australia will get the chance to place an order in the next few weeks with first deliveries scheduled for 2027.

Tesla’s modernist dealership in San Francisco has had plenty of visitors lately, most of them protesting at Elon Musk’s DOGE activities that have put thousands of federal employees out of work. But there’s one guy who really out to have stopped by but didn’t: the building inspector.

City officials never got around to signing off on a $2.3 million refit that took place in 2015 and 2016, the San Francisco Chronicle reports, meaning the showroom has been operating without a permit for close to a decade.

Related: Tesla Dealership Hit By Gunfire For The Second Time

Tesla acquired the 1937 building on the corner of Van Ness Ave. in late 2015 and set about renovating the former Bentley showroom, updating its mechanical and electrical systems ready for a 2016 opening, the SFC says. The Department of Building Inspection did make several trips to the site during the refit, giving the nod to the plumbing, electrical and heating systems and the ceiling.

However, the paper’s investigative team found out that the inspectors failed to give the showroom the final sign-off. It looks like one official did try to carry out the final inspection in August 2016, but for some reason couldn’t follow through and no one returned to finish the job.

When asked about the missing paperwork, a DBI spokesperson said the whole situation was an “oversight” and they would issue a notice of violation and demand Tesla renew the permit and pass an inspection to make it legal. We asked Tesla for a comment but, unsurprisingly, have yet to hear back (Tesla offered no comment to SFC’s reporters either). Another official told SFC that the City’s antiquated permit tracking system was to blame.

The revelation that the showroom has been operating illegally for nearly 10 years isn’t a trivial matter, but it’s probably not at the top of Musk’s to-do list right now. The company’s sales have plummeted this year, as has Tesla’s stock price, and the wave of protests, vandal attacks and Musk’s close relationship with President Trump and support for far-right political groups in Europe isn’t the best for the brand’s public image – nor, so far, its sales.

If you thought Donald Trump only let (unelected) Elon Musk hang around the Oval Office because he’s handy with a chain saw, this news might reveal his other appeal. The Tesla CEO has reportedly indicated he wants to donate $100 million to groups controlled by Trump.

The donation – a record for someone working close to a president – could go to Trump’s political action committees (PACs), according to the New York Times, and will be used to help secure GOP control of the House and Senate in coming mid-term elections. Musk already spent around $290 million through his own PAC helping Trump win the election last year.

Related: Tesla’s Letter Warns Trump Admin That Tariffs Will Skyrocket Prices, But No One’s Owning It

The timing of the news was certainly interesting. Only hours before the NYT story broke, Musk and Trump took part in a surreal Tesla promo in the grounds of The White House shortly after Tesla’s shares tanked. Against a backdrop of five Tesla EVs, including a Model S and a Cybertruck, Trump told reporters that Musk was being unfairly attacked and boycotted by critics, and said he was going to buy a Tesla for himself.

“I’m going to buy one because, number one, it’s a great product, as good as it gets, and number two because [Elon Musk] has donated his energy and his life to doing this and I think he’s being treated very unfairly,” Trump said, referring to recent protests against Tesla.

We do our best to remain apolitical at Carscoops, mindful that we’re united by a shared love for cars, but might not all hold the same political views. And that’s fine: whichever way you voted last November, you’re welcome here. But I suspect plenty of people from both sides of the divide find something distasteful about the highest office in the land being used to promote a bunch of EVs as if it was an ad spot in the Super Bowl.

We’ve seen presidents say broadly positive things about automakers’ products before, such as when Joe Biden drove the Ford F-150 Lightning. But this Tesla love-in felt grubby when we first heard about it on Tuesday and looks even worse in the light of the story about Musk’s planned donation.

Lead image: Daniel Torok, Whitehouse.gov, Tesla

Skoda had its best financial year ever in 2024 and the Czech company isn’t about to take its foot off the accelerator. On the same day Skoda revealed its record-breaking €2.3 billion ($2.51 bn) profit, it released teaser images of a range-topping electric SUV coming next year.

Sure to be the most expensive Skoda ever, the SUV – potentially called ‘Space’ – is expected to be a production version of the 2022 Vision 7S, a concept that introduced us to the Modern Solid design language that has since made its way onto the new Epiq.

Related: Everything We Know About the Skoda ‘Space’ Electric SUV

But the new model will be much larger than that little SUV, probably around the same size as the current combustion-powered Kodiaq, which is the brand’s biggest, most expensive model. Offering room for seven passengers, the new EV will take on the likes of the Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9. 

The three teaser images are darkened shots of the front and rear, plus a close-up of the rear quarter, and don’t reveal the side profile or the grille details. But from what we can see of the hood, rear hatch, D-pillar, and T-shaped front and rear LED lights, it looks very much like an upsized Epiq. We’ve previously spied the SUV on test dressed in full camouflage; we’ve included those pics at the bottom of this post along with a Carscoops rendering suggesting how the SUV could look when it hits the street.

Skoda is expected to rely on the tried-and-tested VW MEB EV platform for the new SUV, and based on previous comments from Skoda, it should measure around 192.9 inches (4.9 meters) long, or 9.8 inches (250 mm) longer than the company’s five-seat Enyaq.

MEB tech would allow Skoda to offer single and dual-motor powertrains to keep the entry price low enough to stay true to the brand’s value ethos – the EV9 lineup also starts with a single-motor, RWD model. The 7S concept promised a WLTP range of 373 miles (600 km), which is far better than the 293 miles (472 km) VW promises for the ID.Buzz, which is based on the same MEB platform.

Skoda delivered 936,600 cars in 2024, up 6.9 percent year-on-year and the arrival of this large electric SUV in 2026 could help push the brand over the million-unit mark for the first time in its history.

Volkswagen’s ID.4 sales have rocketed in the first part of 2025 and now the automaker is redoubling its electric efforts and readying a new family of smaller EVs. But while European VW fans will get access to all members of that family, it sounds like their American counterparts won’t get the chance to put the smallest of them, the ID.1, in their garages.

Earlier this week, VW revealed the ID.Every1 concept, a thinly disguised preview of the ID.1 (name TBC) production EV that goes on sale in Europe in 2027. But a year before that lands in showrooms, the German carmaker will launch the production version of 2023’s ID.2all concept, and this fall we’ll get a look at an SUV spinoff of that model, the ID.2X.

Will the USA Get Any of VW’s New Small and Affordable EVs?

However, when we asked VW North America if it had any plans to offer the ID.1 or larger ID.2 in the US, it was quick to tell us not to get our hopes up for the little guy making the cut. A spokesperson told Carscoops it was “highly unlikely” that the ID.1, which is sized between the now-dead Up! and Polo subcompacts, would be sold in the US.

The prospects for the ID.2, on the other hand, look rather better. The VW rep told us they “can’t confirm anything about the ID.2,” which isn’t the same thing as saying it’s definitely coming, but it’s no denial either.

Related: ID.Every1 Previews VW’s Cheapest EV

Which version of the ID.2 they were not confirming anything about, they didn’t say. The crossover model seems the most likely to get the nod given America’s love for utilities and general lack of enthusiasm for hatchbacks. But then the ID.2 hatch would be no ordinary hatch because it could tap into the love for the Golf, which has been a part of the US auto landscape for almost 50 years.

What Do These Small EVs Bring to the Table?

All three junior ID cars share the same new MEB platform, which, unlike the current MEB architecture found in EVs like the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.Buzz, features a motor at the front of the car driving the front wheels. The 3,880 mm (152.8 inches) ID.Every1, whose production version is expected to cost just €20,000 (£17k / $21k), is powered by a tiny 94 hp (95 PS / 70 kW) motor and can only travel 155 miles (250 km) on a charge.

The ID.2all hatch concept unveiled two years ago measured 4,050 mm (159.4 in), had a 223 hp (225 PS / 166 kW) motor and was claimed to be capable of 280 miles (450 km) – stats that would be fare more palatable to an American audience. VW is targeting a €25,000 (£21k / $26k) price for the production car.

So, if VW were to bring one of these smaller EVs stateside, which would you want to see?

Electric cars contain fewer moving parts than combustion cars so, theoretically, should be less likely to go wrong, but Tesla’s Model 3 seems to be turning that logic on its head. That’s because close to one in every four examples of the electric sedan failed safety tests in Denmark last year.

MY2020 Model 3s became old enough to require an inspection by the Danish Road Traffic Authority in 2024, and of the 4,668 examples tested, 1,051 failed. That’s a 23 percent failure rate and compares badly with a 9 percent rate witnessed in rival EVs, the Federation of Danish Motorists (FDM) reports.

More: Tesla Model 3 Ranks Dead Last In German Reliability Tests For Newer Cars

Inspectors logged 1,392 defects on the Teslas, three times as many as they discovered on other EVs. Frequently noted problems concern the lights, braking, steering and suspension. Testers at Germany’s TÜV carrying out similar safety checks uncovered the same kind of issues with Model 3s sold in their market. In both 2023 and 2024, the Model 3 ranked last in the TÜV reliability study.

Will Newer Model 3 Highlands Be Any Better?

The new Danish data only covers MY2020 Model 3s, but FDM’s Lone Otto predicts owners of newer models are in line for some of the same pain.

“We have no reason to believe that younger generations of the Tesla Model 3 will differ significantly from the 2020 generation when it comes to defects and the failure rate,” the technical advisory team’s manager said. “It will be more exciting to see how the Tesla Model Y fares.”

The Model Y has been a big seller in Denmark topping the nation’s list of most popular EVs, which means they’ll make up a big proportion of the cars on the test ramps during 2025. In total, 62,000 electric cars will be subjected to the test, and 45,000 of them will get the treatment for the first time, illustrating just how rapidly the EV market grew between 2020 and 2021.

Last month in the US, Tesla was forced to recall 380,000 cars after some Model 3 and Model Y owners reported losing steering assistance. The automaker sent out an an over-the-air (OTA) update to address the problem.