Different automakers have very different approaches to disguising their prototypes. While Hyundai loves to hide its upcoming cars under black sheets containing foam blocks to obscure the shapes below, Opel’s Mokka GSE could’t be more desperate to attract attention if it streaked naked across the pitch at last weekend’s Champion’s League soccer final.

The luminous yellow and black wrap and prominent ‘OMG!’ lettering on this sporty crossover tie in with a teaser campaign Opel released earlier this month designed to raise awareness of the brand’s latest GSE model, and also a change of direction for all future GSE cars.

Related: Stellantis Turns Mokka SUV Into An Electric Rally Weapon

Previously offered only with hybrid powertrains, the sporty GSE badge will become an exclusively electric affair, and the first GSE EV is the Mokka seen in these pictures. A range-topping trim for the existing electric Mokka crossover, it’s Opel’s equivalent to the Abarth 600e and Alfa Romeo Junior Veloce, all three being built on the same Stellantis platform.

Though Opel hasn’t confirmed specs for the production GSE, it’s already told us the version it’ll use in rallying has a single, front-mounted motor that makes 278 hp (207 kW / 280 PS) and 345 Nm (255 lb-ft) of torque, which matches exactly the spec of the Abarth and Alfa. Abarth also offers a less potent version of the 600e with 237 hp (240 PS / 175 kW), which takes 6.1 seconds rather than 5.8 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 kmh), though we don’t know whether Opel will give buyers the same option.

Photos Baldauf

Based on what we know of its two Italian cousins, the GSE gets a 54 kWh (51 kWh usable) battery that’s going to prove too small for anyone with an aversion to charging stations because it’ll only be rated for around 200 miles (320 km) of range and the charge rate tops out a miserable 100 kW.

Big wheels shoulder some of the blame for the poor range, but they do fill the arches nicely, giving the GSE a great stance. The bumpers are only slightly more aggressive than the ones on the stock Mokka, and overall, despite the yellow brake calipers, this is definitely a less showy EV than the Alfa Junior, suggesting the ‘OMG’ graphics might be slightly over-egging things. But we can expect to see some GSE graphics and a sportier look to the interior when Opel finally peels back the wrap in the next month or so.

Photos Baldauf

Update: The U.S. Coast Guard has provided additional details about the incident that occurred approximately 300 miles south of Adak, Alaska, on Wednesday. The exact number of vehicles aboard the 600-foot, Liberian-flagged cargo vessel, which is managed by a UK company, has been confirmed at 3,048 total vehicles. Of those, 70 are fully electric vehicles, and 681 are hybrid-electric vehicles.

The Coast Guard also reported that the status of the fire remains uncertain, though smoke is still visibly emanating from the vessel. “As the search and rescue portion of our response concludes, our crews are working closely with the vessel’s manager, Zodiac Maritime, to determine the disposition of the vessel,” said Rear Admiral Megan Dean, commander of the Coast Guard’s Seventeenth District. “We are grateful for the selfless actions of the three nearby vessels who assisted in the response and the crew of motor vessel Cosco Hellas, who helped save 22 lives.”

Original story follows below.

EV sales might not have caught alight in the way automakers hoped, but news of another shipping fire reminds us that electric cars sure are combustible. The cargo ship was on its way from Asia to North America when a fire broke out forcing the crew to abandon the vessel in the middle of the Pacific ocean, leaving thousands of brand new cars onboard.

Also: The Shipping World Isn’t Ready For The Risk EVs Pose, Here’s Why

The Morning Midas departed China for Mexico on May 26, carrying roughly 3,000 vehicles, including around 800 electric cars. But eight days into its 19-day voyage, just after midnight UTC (7:00 p.m. EST) on June 3, smoke was spotted billowing from one of the decks. UK-based shipowner Zodiac Maritime, which manages the vessel, has since confirmed that the fire originated in the section of the ship carrying electric vehicles.

Firefighting Efforts Failed to Contain the Blaze

“The crew immediately initiated emergency firefighting procedures using the vessel’s onboard fire-suppression systems,” said Zodiac Maritime, the car-carrier’s manager, per Lloyd’s List. “However, despite their efforts, the situation could not be brought under control.”

After contacting the US coast guard the 22-man crew decided to abandon ship, jumping into the lifeboat, after which they were picked up by a nearby merchant ship. With the fire still burning at the time of writing the condition of the thousands of cars still onboard is unknown.

This is far from the first time a boat carrying EVs has caught fire at sea. Three years ago another ship, this one loaded with 4,000 cars, including Porsche, Bentley and Lamborghini models went up in flames in the Atlantic. Attempts were made to tow the Felicity Ace to safety but after burning for two weeks the boat capsized and sank near the Azores.

All 22 crew were also saved on that occasion, but VW Group said the Insurance company was looking at a $155 million bill to replace the lost cars. Lamborghini even restarted production of the discontinued Aventador to replace a customer’s car lost in the accident.

Some shipping companies, such as Norway’s Havila Kystruten, now refuse to carry electric vehicles, judging the risk factor too high. But with EVs set to eventually take over the car market those vehicles are going to have to get from one side of the world somehow, and shipping them is the only realistic method.

We’ll update this story as soon as more details emerge.

Photos: U.S. Coast Guard courtesy of Air Station Kodiak

Considering it’s the most premium brand in the Hyundai Group, it’s strange that Genesis has waited so long after Kia and Hyundai delivered their own performance EVs to jump in on the action. But the automaker’s first fast EV is almost ready to drop and thanks to a fresh set of spy shots we now know how it’ll look.

New pics taken in Europe show a GV60 Magma prototype testing minus its usual front-end disguise. In previous spy images the first car from Genesis’s new Magma performance sub-brand was either wearing a full set of black vinyl covers or, as on a recent Nurburgring outing, a swirly camo wrap.

Related: Genesis Cranks The Ioniq 5 N Formula Up To 11

This time it’s mostly covered in the trash bag disguise but the front end is completely uncovered, giving us a clear view of the entire grille and bumper arrangement. The pics confirm that the production Magma will stick close to the design of the 2024 Magma concept, with a big double-deck mesh grille taking up most of the bumper and three additional lozenge-shaped vents mounted above.

Although the GV60 is an EV, and so doesn’t have the same cooling requirements as a combustion car, Genesis’s reason for losing the front camouflage must be cooling-related – particularly since the prototype was towing a trailer.

Like the concept, this test car has small canard aero fins on either side of the bumper. And we wouldn’t pay too much attention to the current location of the license plate – judging from the various slots and subtle cutouts in the bumper, production EVs will have their plates mounted below the three mini vents, not above.

The small 911 GT3 RS-style vertical fins we noticed behind the front wheels during a Nurburgring test are present, though whether they’ll end up body color or black, as seen here, we don’t yet know. The concept’s arch trims were color-coded, but they had a different design featuring two slim vents behind each front and each rear wheel.

The GV60 is built from the same E-GMP component set as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, and will share much of its hardware with the N and GT performance versions of those cars, including an 84 kWh battery.

But intel suggests Genesis will make up for being late to the party by pushing power beyond the 641 hp/650 PS (on overboost) its sister cars generate. The Magma could generate close to 700 hp (710 PS) while still offering the same simulated gearshifts that have helped make the Ioniq 5 N such a hit with enthusiasts. The N is good for zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) in a claimed 3.3 seconds, and the Magma could potentially prove even quicker.

Given that the concept made its debut at last July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed it’s highly likely the production car will be unveiled at the 2025 event, and Genesis has already said it plans to start production in Q3 of this year.

Credit: SHProshots

BMW’s Neue Klasse 3-series sedan is just around the corner, but barrelling up to the next curve down the road, and coming in hot, is its M3 brother. The M3 will be available with both electric and ICE power, and our spy photo team has has papped the EV (possibly named the iM3, following a recent BMW trademark) wearing its fat production fenders and no distracting M-color camouflage for the first time.

Although we’ve seen electric M3 test cars before, they’ve always been fitted with riveted arch extensions or fender graphics that make it hard to see what the shape of the rear quarter panels. But now we get to see the true contours of the real fenders that will add more than 3 inches (76 mm) of girth versus a stock i330 sedan.

Related: BMW M Knows You Don’t Like EVs But They’re Making Them Anyway

The extra width of the front fenders is fairly subtle, though combined with the suspension drop gives the M3 a much lower, wider and meaner look than the i330 prototypes we’ve seen. But there’s no missing the rear-end makeover. Those new swollen fenders are huge, meaning the charging flap on the nearside rear quarter lies almost at 45 degrees.

How do we know this is the electric M3? There’s the lack of tailpipes, of course – we see a diffuser for the first time on a prototype – but that’s not the only clue. Electric versions of the Neue Klasse 3-series, including the M3, have a much shorter gap between the front door and front wheel arch opening, a more sloping windshield and a forward-angled window post in the middle of the rear door. On combustion-powered NK Threes, which get an updated version of today’s 3-series’ CLAR platform, rather than the Neue Klasse architecture, that window post is vertical.

Though this M3 prototype gives us a look at the production fenders, it’s still keeping plenty of secrets – it won’t be launched for at least 18 months, after all. The front and rear bumpers remain literally under wraps and we’re yet to see the final design for the front and rear lights. 

But one shot showing a glimpse of the interior through the passenger window confirms the presence of the same Panoramic iDrive centrally-mounted tablet touchscreen and full-width head-up display at the base of the windshield that BMW showcased at CES in Las Vegas at the beginning of 2025.

Under the skin the electric M3 will have as many as four electric motors delivering just over 700 hp (710 PS) in standard form, while the ICE version will get a mild-hybrid six-cylinder engine.

Credit: SHProshots

It turns out not every icon translates easily to electric power, no matter how much fanfare is involved. Mercedes made a big song and dance about the iconic G-Class going electric, but would-be buyers don’t want to hear it. Sales are so bad the automaker is considering adapting its planned EV-only baby G-Class to work with combustion power to avert disaster, according to a new report out of Germany.

Related: Mercedes Teases Baby G-Class, Electric E-Class, And More, V8 And V12 Live On

The all-electric G580 with EQ Technology was introduced last April, but things haven’t exactly gone to plan. Handelsblatt reports that sales have been dismal in the year since its debut. “The car is sitting like lead at dealers; it’s a complete flop,” one Mercedes executive told the publication. Another internal source added, “It’s a niche model; production numbers are very low.”

The report claims that the terrifyingly pricey ($161,500 in the US) EV had found only 1,450 European buyers by the end of this April based on Dataforce and Marklines figures, 61 in South Korea and just 58 in electric-loving China. The report even suggests Mercedes had failed to sell a single example in the US, which sounds dubious and is something we’ve asked MB USA to check.

Gas G-Class Still Dominates

While the electric G stalls, its combustion counterpart is doing brisk business. The also expensive ICE SUV outsells its electric brother seven to one, Handlesblatt says. And unlike the EQS and EQE, the G EV’s poor showing can’t be blamed on boring design because it looks almost exactly the same as the in-demand combustion model. So what gives?

One possible criticism is that unlike traditional EVs, which have a long wheelbase, flat floor and tons of interior space as a result, the G-Class EQ mirrors the dimensions and roominess of the ICE model. And what it does have a lot more of – weight – means it’s far less useful as a tow vehicle than the petrol G-Class and has a pathetic 239 miles (385 km) of EPA range.

Luxury buyers also remain unconvinced about the merits of electric power, preferring the traditional luxury and status that comes with a big, powerful petrol engine – though the G550 downgraded from a V8 to an inline six for the latest generation.

Mercedes had already confirmed earlier this year in response to slow EV sales that it would invest more in ICE technology while still introducing new EVs. One of those EVs is the upcoming baby G-Class, but Handelsblatt’s sources at Mercedes now say the automaker is seriously considering adapting the SUV to take a combustion  – or more likely, hybrid – powertrain.

Also: This Not-So-Serious Fake G-Class Sold For Seriously Real Money

This switch is apparently still possible late in the game because the the mini G is built on the company’s MMA architecture found under the new CLA in both electric and combustion forms, the report says. This contradicts earlier rumors swirling around the web suggesting Mercedes would use a different platform.

Tesla’s global sales may be slipping, but not every market is turning cold. In a few corners of the world, the brand is still pulling off unexpected wins. In Norway, for example, where a staggering nine out of every 10 new cars sold is an EV, Tesla sales went berserk, jumping 213 percent in May versus the same month in 2024.

A total of 2,600 Tesla EVs were delivered in Norway in May, according to the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council (OFV). Unsurprisingly, the boom was led by the launch of the facelifted Model Y, which debuted this spring. The compact SUV has been the country’s best-selling car for three-years running, and this May it took a chunky 16.5 percent market share.

Also: The Once Unthinkable Has Happened To Tesla’s Brand

That was more than double the 7 percent of the second-place finisher, Toyota’s bZ4X, and four times the VW ID.4’s showing (4.2 percent). Tesla’s overall performance in Norway was way beyond the healthy 39 percent sales uplift for all cars sold in the country last month.

The Norwegian government’s pro-climate stance going back 25 years, despite being a huge oil exporter , has helped switch its population on to electric cars even though the country’s winter weather shows off EVs in their worst light. Strong financial incentives and a huge number of available chargers created sufficient demand that Norway is now close to the 100 percent EV goal in 2025 it set out to reach eight years ago. The last few combustion holdouts will be tough to convert, however.

BEST SELLING MODELS NORWAY MAY 2025

Tesla Sales Plunge 67% In France

But other European nations who also had access to the facelifted Model Y and had previously seen the old model become the best-selling car in their country, didn’t replicate Norway’s numbers. In Sweden, which shares a border with Norway, Tesla sales sank by 54 percent to just 503 vehicles. In France, they were down 67 percent to 721 units, data from AAA says.

European sales of Teslas halved as buyers shunned the brand that once dominated sales charts, becoming the first to outperform not just other EVs, but every combustion-engine car. The arrival of stronger competition, both from legacy brands and also Chinese newcomers like BYD is a factor, as is a certain level of disappointment that Tesla’s facelifts to the Model 3 and Model Y don’t go far enough.

But another major reason for Tesla’s weak sales is its declining brand image and public disgust at Musk’s support for right-wing political parties such as Germany’s AfD. In a March poll 94 percent of Germans said they would never buy a Tesla.

BEST SELLING BRANDS NORWAY MAY 2025

Ball joints are the unsung heroes of the car world. They’re the mechanical glue that holds the various bits of your vehicle’s suspension together and keeps you on the road. But now Ford is recalling thousands of their popular F-150 trucks because of fears that ‘glue’ might come unstuck.

Also: Ford Tells Three Lightning Owners Their EVs Might Be Missing A Nut Or Two

A total of 29,501 Ford F-150 Lightning electric trucks built for the 2024-25 model years are being recalled to check the front upper control arm ball joint nuts. Ford thinks some of the nuts haven’t been correctly tightened and could come loose, even come off altogether. And if that happens, the steering knuckle could potentially part company with the control arm, leading to a loss of control.

A Loose Nut Is More Than Just a Metaphor

Ford has a specified torque setting for the ball joint nuts, but says some might not have been torqued properly due to a variation in alignment between the nut and the fancy wrench. If the nut were to come loose, there’s a good chance owners would have plenty of warning before the suspension components head off in opposite directions. Ford says drivers need to listen out for unusual vibrations, clunks or rattles when crossing bumps and uneven surfaces.

According to Ford, it first became aware of the problem on March 6, 2025, when it received a report about a missing right front upper control arm nut on a 2024 F-150 Lightning built just three days earlier. The truck had roughly 634 miles on the odometer when the customer reported a front wheel failure while driving. It was towed to a dealership, where a technician confirmed the nut was missing and the control arm had detached from the knuckle.

This Isn’t the First Time

Getting a sense of déjà vu? Ford already announced a recall for an identical problem in December 2024 for Lightnings built for the 2023-24 model years. It introduced a secondary torque verification step into the production process, but in March of this year received a field report about a Lightning suffering a major suspension collapse while driving. When the truck was towed to a dealership, technicians discovered that the right front upper control arm nut was completely missing.

Owners of the 20,528 MY24 and 8,973 MY25 Lightnings at risk will be asked to take their trucks to a dealership to let technicians check the torque on their nuts. If the nut passes the test, it’ll be replaced anyway, but if it fails, Ford will pony up for an entirely new knuckle.

Porsche dealers in the UK have been told to hold off from selling some used Taycans while the company works out a software patch for a battery monitoring problem. And for those unlucky enough to already own certain Taycan models, they are being forced to visit their dealer every 60 days to have their cars checked until the update is ready. Porsche told us the new software is currently being tested and should be ready within a few weeks.

Related: Porsche Hit With Class Action Over Taycan Batteries That Could Catch Fire

The story was first reported by Britain’s Car Dealer magazine, whose team had heard from multiple Porsche dealers that they’d been ordered to remove used electric Taycan models from sale until further notice. At least one dealer suggested the edict blocked the sale of every Taycan built between 2019 and 2023. But when we called Porsche a spokesperson told us only a small number of older cars are affected.

“Enhanced battery monitoring software is anticipated to become available for first generation Taycan models towards the end of June,” Porsche said in a statement emailed to Carscoops. “With its imminent arrival, we’ve advised our retail partners not to sell a small, specific batch of first generation Taycan models until the software update is live.”

Last fall Porsche issued a recall campaign for 2019-23 Taycans due to the risk of a short circuit within the cars’ battery modules that could lead to a “thermal event” and eventually a fire in a worst case scenario. Owners were advised not to charge their cars beyond 80 percent to minimise there risk of fire.

As for the owners forced to check-in with their Porsche dealership every 60 days, you just know that however inconvenient it is, there are certainly worse places to while away an afternoon.

Update: While Jeep is still playing the slow-drip teaser game with the 2026 Cherokee, carefully avoiding any full rear shots ahead of the big reveal later this year, the folks at Instagram’s KindelAuto have gone ahead and spoiled the surprise. They’ve shared a photo of the SUV completely undisguised from behind.

The rear end carries over the squared-off design theme from the front, with the taillights and license plate area framed by what appears to be piano black trim surrounds and inserts. The look hints at a subtle Land Rover Discovery influence, though there’s also a whiff of the third-generation Honda Accord from the European market – an unexpected comparison, sure, but not entirely off base.

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And, in case you were holding your breath for a name change, don’t bother. Despite some rumors suggesting the brand might drop “Cherokee” in favor of a new nameplate as a mark of respect to the Cherokee Nation, the brand is sticking with the original. Looks like that debate is settled.

More: Forgotten Jeep Reimagined For 2027 And Now We Kind Of Want It Back

While the camouflaged prototypes gave us a solid idea, the official press photos reveal that the new Cherokee takes a more traditional Jeep approach, moving away from the swoopier design of its 2023 predecessor. Instead, it embraces a boxier look, with a front end that shares styling cues with the upcoming electric Recon 4xe, all while staying true to what Jeep fans expect.

“The all-new Jeep Cherokee headlines our efforts to deliver more product, innovation, choice and standard content to customers than ever before,” said Bob Broderdorf, Jeep CEO. “Jeep Cherokee will boast competitive pricing that strikes at the core of the largest vehicle segment and sits perfectly between Jeep Compass and Jeep Grand Cherokee to bolster our winning mainstream line up.”

In addition to confirming its name, Jeep revealed that the mid-size SUV will debut with a “new, efficient, and powerful hybrid propulsion option.” That said, we could see traditional internal combustion engines and, eventually, an all-electric variant joining the lineup, as the STLA-Large platform supports all types of powertrains.

For more on the new Cherokee, check out our original story below, where you can also get a glimpse of our exclusive interior shots.

John Halas contributed to this report.

Jeep’s lineup has filled out over the past couple of years with the addition of the luxury Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer and all-electric Wagoneer S, which is soon to be joined by the also-electric Recon. But potentially more important than all of them is the 2026 Cherokee, and new spy pics reveal the face and interior for the first time.

Compared with previous prototypes, this one has stripped away much of the front-end disguise, giving us a look at a grille that’s like a mashup of several other Jeep grilles. The five visible vertical grille sections (two are still hidden) are taller than the ones on the Grand Cherokee and seem to stand more proud of the body. But they also don’t have the a piece of trim above them to display the model name like the Wagoneers do.

Related: Here’s What We Know About Jeep’s 2026 Cherokee

But even if it did have a bit of trim with the name on, what would it say? We’re calling this SUV the Cherokee because it’s effectively a replacement for the Cherokee that bowed out in 2023, and will nestle below the Grand Cherokee in the Jeep lineup. But some reports say Jeep will move away from the name it’s used for decades as a mark of respect Cherokee Nation.

Whatever it’s called, this new Cherokee’s dashboard design has more in common with the Wagoneer S EV than it does the existing Grand Cherokee. These first ever interior pics of the Ford Bronco Sport rival show a large digital instrument cluster and a central touchscreen that’s mounted at an angle, just above a bank of touch-sensitive buttons for the climate control.

It’s good to see drivers won’t have to dive into the infotainment to change the temperature, and the switches do look great, but physical push-buttons would be even better. Further down the console is what looks like a rotary controller for the transmission and a toggle to move between the driver modes. The passenger side of this prototype is covered with cloth disguise but it’s possible Jeep could offer a third screen above the glovebox, as it does on the Wagoneer S.

Housed between the shock towers of Stellantis STLA Large platform you’ll find the Cherokee’s first ever hybrid powertrain options, and later, an all-electric variant. Leaked documents suggest production is scheduled to begin this fall for the 2026 model year and we’re sure to find out more – including the name – in the months leading up to that debut.

Images: Baldauf

From the big EV9 SUV to the junior EV3 by way of the EV4 and EV6 sedans, Kia seems to have most electric bases covered. But there are still a few niches to fill and the EV2 will arrive inside a year to help plug one of those gaps.

As its name suggests, the EV2 slots below the relatively new EV3 and replicates most of its features, just on a smaller scale. Although both are B-segment SUVs, the EV3 handles the upper end of the size and price scale and the EV2 targets the lower.

Related: Kia EV2 Concept Previews Small Electric SUV For 2026 With Funky Styling

That means rather than duking it out with the Skoda Elroq and Volvo EX30 and starting at £33k/€36k, the EV2 will battle with the new Renault 4, Citroen e-C3 and Fiat Grande Panda and have to kick off around £27k/€30k. Hitting those price targets while still turning a profit means the EV2, like the EV3 and EV4, will probably make do with simpler 400-volt charging technology rather than the fast-fill 800-volt systems used in pricier Kias such as the EV6 and EV9.

Expect the hardware nestling in the cut-down E-GMP platform to consist of a couple of different single-motor setups driving the front wheels and hooked up to a small electric battery suitable for city work and giving a range of around 200 miles (320 km). The Renault 4, for instance, gives buyers the choice of 40 kWh or 52 kWh batteries whereas the Kia EV3 offers 58.3 and 81.4 kWh power packs.

Credits: SHProshots

Kia hasn’t said much about the EV2’s technical spec, but it did give us some guidance as to what it would look like by unveiling the EV2 concept at Kia EV Day in Barcelona back in February (see gallery below).

New spy shots confirm the production car will stick pretty close to the concept’s overall design, though predictably the ‘real’ EV2 has ditched the show car’s rear-hinged rear doors and has a conventional B pillar instead.

Also: This $11K EV3 Clone Hit China Before Kia Could Launch The Real One

The EV2 goes on sale in Europe in 2026, but it might not be Kia’s smallest EV for long. Bosses have confirmed they’re considering building an even tinier EV1 to replace the Picanto and compete with VW’s ID1. Neither of those baby Kias will make it to US showrooms where the EV3, which lands soon, will remain the first rung on Kia’s electric SUV ladder.

Credits: Kia

Tesla’s Cybertruck is a big silver sales flop and that’s given the company several problems, including working out what to do with all the electric pickups it can’t sell. Some of those trucks ended up stored at a run-down mall in Farmington Hills outside of Detroit in Michigan. Unsurprisingly, local officials are not happy about it.

Dozens of Cybertrucks and some other Tesla models are currently occupying several rows of parking bays at the Hunter’s Square shopping center, Crain’s Detroit Business reports. The lot is home to a now-closed Bed, Bath and Beyond, an also-shuttered Torrid, and a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant that’s still open, and has plenty of space for the EVs. But using the land for vehicle storage is against city code.

Related: Cybertruck Owners Can’t Believe Tesla’s Trade-In Values

The shopping center landlord has already been informed of the violation, according to comments made by Charmaine Kettler-Schmult, director of planning and community development for Farmington Hills, Michigan to CDB. But she admitted to reporters that the enforcement process “takes time.”

The report notes Tesla recently opened a brand new showroom close to the Hunter’s Square shopping center in West Bloomfield, which could be the source of the idled Cybertrucks. Crain’s Detroit Business reached out to both the registered owner of that site and the landlord of Hunter’s Square, which is due to get a major overhaul, but neither responded.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk once bragged of having 1 million reservations for the Cybertruck, but the much-delayed EV has failed to live up to sales expectations since its official debut in late 2023. Only 40,000 were sold last year, well short of the 250,000 Tesla predicted, according to Forbes. And recently the Cybertruck was outperformed by its more conventional-looking Ford F-150 Lightning rival.

More: What Happened To Musk’s 1 Million Cybertruck Reservations?

Tesla has made moves to open up the Cybetruck’s appeal, however. In April it finally unveiled a single-motor, rear-wheel drive, entry-level model for $69,990 and buyers of other grades have been offered discounts, lease deals and free supercharging.

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Lead image: Instagram/@cheapyd

The BMW i4 M50 was M division’s first EV, but it wasn’t a very fast one. A zero to 62 mph (96 km/h) time of 3.9 seconds wasn’t exactly dog slow, but plenty of M cars and plenty of other automakers’ EVs could blow it into the weeds. This summer, M’s most popular car gets a power upgrade to help redress the balance a little.

Out goes the i4 M50 and in comes the i4 M60, which justifies its new number with a boost to its dual-motor drivetrain. Output jumps from 537 hp (544 PS / 400 kW) to 593 hp (601 PS / 442 kW) and drops the 62 mph lunge to 3.7 seconds. That’s still puts it behind other performance EVs like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and Tesla Model 3 Performance, and 0.2 seconds adrift of an M3 Competition xDrive, but it’s nevertheless a step in the right direction.

Related: The Most Driver-Focused M2 Drops The One Thing Real Drivers Care The Most

At the same time, and at the other end of the i4 spectrum, the eDrive35 and eDrive40 now come with silicon carbide semiconductor components that cut consumption by around 4.5 percent. That mod potentially improves the distance achieved on one charge by 14 miles, giving the 35 a still unimpressive range of 266 WLTP miles (428 km) and pushing the 40’s touring endurance to 317 miles (510 km).

BMW’s summer update also improves the standard equipment on the 1-series and 2-series Gran Coupé, adding heated front seats and an alarm, while the optional M Technology Package II available for the M135 xDrive hatch now includes M seat belts with M colors in the weave.

The 7-series and i7 gain laminated safety glass and individual sun/heat protection options for occupants, and the X5M Competition and its X6 sister debut an Ultimate Package. This brings a carbon engine cover and mirror caps, panoramic roof, ventilated massage seats, a Bowers & Wilkins stereo and a pointless (for most of us) increase in the speed limiter from 155 mph (250 km/h) to 180 mph (290 km/h).

And if you were thinking of adding a fancy BMW Individual paint job to your new car, you can now do it inside the regular configurator rather than jumping across to the BMW Individual Visualiser.

BMW

AMG dropped a set of teaser images for its new EV sedan earlier this month, officially starting the countdown to a full reveal later this year. There’s plenty about the still-unnamed four-door to get us excited, including the new AMG.EA architecture and axial flux electric motors from Britain’s Yasa that should deliver a four-figure power output.

Related: AMG’s First Super Sedan Looks Ready To Fire Off Its 1,000-HP

Each of those motors packs a serious punch, cranking out around 480 horsepower and 590 lb-ft (800Nm) of torque, which is pretty impressive given their compact size weighing in at just 53 lbs (24kg). With up to three motors on the table, it’s not hard to imagine a performance version blasting well past 1,000 horsepower.

A Closer Look at the Exterior

But now we’ve got something even better than speculative specs: new spy shots. For the first time, we get to see the EV in daylight without its bulky front-end camouflage. Does the design match the promise of those numbers? Well, sort of.

Though this prototype is still covered from head to toe in a distracting camouflage wrap, we can finally see the shape of the front fenders, hood and headlights, and I can’t help feeling a little disappointed. Mercedes has a bit of form for over-promising and under-delivering when it comes to concept cars and the production vehicles they morph into – think gorgeous Vision EQS and boring soap-bar EQS – and this EV looks to be no different.

It misses out on the sexy peaked fenders of 2022’s Mercedes Vision AMG Concept, which paved the way for way for this year’s Porsche Taycan rivaling production car. Instead, it has a fairly flat hood, though one that does at least reach down towards the road, resulting in a sportily narrow grille area.

And while it has DRLs in the shape of a Mercedes star, it looks like they’re just set into regular light units, not embedded directly into the bodywork, as on the concept. Porsche’s production Taycan wasn’t identical to the original Mission E concept, but the changes were so subtle that no one ever felt short-changed. AMG fans might be on this occasion.

Of course we have to reserve judgment until the full disguise comes off, and we really do hope the finished car is a knockout. What do you think? Does it look like AMG has missed an opportunity to really make its mark in a new segment, or is this EV going to deliver a killer blow to the Porsche Taycan?

Images: Baldauf, Mercedes AMG

Electric scooters have become a go-to option for navigating busy city streets, promising speed and convenience without the hassle of parking or gas. But while they’ve changed the way millions of people move around urban areas, they’ve also turned sidewalks into obstacle courses, and in some cases, landing zones for unexpected ER visits. Now, one U.S. city is drawing a line.

Denver, Colorado, is introducing new rules to control the use of scooters on its streets, and in particular, its sidewalks. The legislation, which passed unanimously, demands all scooters come fitted with technology that can identify when the device is not on a road or cycle lane, and cut all power.

Related: Electric Scooter Explodes In China, Rider Narrowly Escapes

Denver’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure claims it has already started to test sidewalk detection technology, FOX31 Denver reports, but hasn’t revealed exactly how the systems work or how effective they are. They’d need to have some kind of GPS positioning component, but marking out the areas where it’s okay to scoot from those that are no-go zones sounds like a big task.

“This legislation is about more than scooters and bikes, it’s about saving lives, ensuring dignity for all pedestrians and setting national standards for responsible micro mobility,” said District 10 City Councilperson Chris Hinds, per Fox31.

The city’s emergency department and urgent care centers dealt with around 2,000 scooter-related injuries in 2024, many involving broken bones, cuts and concussions resulting from scooters colliding with pedestrians on sidewalks.

New Tech, New Tests

When the rules come into force next year, riders will also be required to pass a short proficiency test before hitting the street on a scooter for the first time. And in 2027 Denver will enact more legislation, this time aimed at preventing people leaving scooters in random places across the city. Riders will have to park them in designated zones such as the ones the DOTI has reportedly been testing near the Denver’s Union Station.

The legality of electric scooters varies across the US, and although Pennsylvania and Delaware are the only states to ban their use, many cities within other states also have their own rules governing the minimum rider age, whether a helmet is required and where they can be ridden. Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Washington and, until 2026, Colorado, are unique in allowing scooters to operate on sidewalks.

America waited what felt like an eternity to get its hands on the electric Volvo EX30 while European reviewers raved about it, but no sooner has it arrived than the EX30 is already at risk of disappearing. Volvo’s CEO has warned that he might be forced to pull the company’s smallest EV from the market because it’s simply not economically viable to import it under current US tariffs.

Hakan Samuelsson, who has returned to head the company after a three-year hiatus, made the revelation as Trump’s 90-day tariff pause nears its end. European carmakers are preparing for the possibility of a June 1 introduction of a 50 percent levy on cars imported to the US from the region.

Also: President Trump Just Dropped A Bomb On European Car Imports

Speaking to Reuters, Samuelsson said a 50 percent tariff would “limit the ability” of Volvo to sell the EX30 in America. Although Volvo builds the bigger EX90 in the US, American-spec EX30s are built in Belgium, with the company having moved export production there from China, which led to a delay in its US arrival. The automaker is believed to be considering moving production of the EX30, and potentially the XC60, to the US.

Buyers Will Feel the Price Hike

Samuelsson was also adamant that customers and not the carmaker itself would have to soak up most of the tariff-related price increases. Unlike high-end brands like Aston Martin or Ferrari, which cater to buyers with deeper pockets and much more tolerance for sticker shock, Volvo plays in a different league. Its buyers are much more sensitive to price increases, which makes tacking on a tariff-induced markup a risky proposition.

Volvo’s expectation that car buyers will have to shoulder the burden disproves Trump’s belief that tariffs will be “eaten up” by the exporting companies and their nations.

Hoping for a Diplomatic Detour

Even so, Samuelsson seems confident that some kind of resolution will be reached between Europe and the US. Under the terms of a deal secured between the UK and the US earlier this month, Land Rover, Mini and other British brands get away with a more manageable 10 percent tariff.

Related: Volvo’s EV Crash Hits Harder Than Expected As Buyers Walk Away From Batteries

“I believe there will be a deal soon,” Samuelsson told Reuters. “It could not be in the interest of Europe or the U.S. to shut down trade between them.”

Time is running out, but the industry is watching closely. If nothing changes by next month, the EX30’s American road trip could be cut painfully short.

Seagulls have a nasty reputation for swooping in and stealing your lunch, and BYD’s Seagull has its eyes on Western carmakers’ slice of the budget EV market pie. Renamed the Dolphin Surf for its launch in Europe, the sub-Dolphin-sized electric city car is nowhere near as cheap as it is in China, where it costs around $10,000, but it’s well priced, well equipped and is sure to cause the likes of Fiat and Citroen a major headache.

The 3,990 mm (157.1 inches) Dolphin Surf is on sale in Germany now priced at €22,990-30,990 ($26,100-35,100), but a launch promotion drops the entry price to €19,990 ($22,700) until June 30, putting it well below the €23,300 ($26,400) starting price of a Citroen e-C3.

More: BYD’s SUV Rips Off Genesis So Hard You’ll Do A Double Take

Even at the discounted price, the BYD is more expensive than Dacia’s base Spring, which starts at €16,900 ($19,200), but you pay a price for saving on the price. The Romanian car is much slower and much stingier on the gadget count, not even featuring a screen and taking 19.1 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h).

All three Dolphin Surf trims – Active, Boost, Comfort – get a 10.1-inch touchscreen and heated and electrically adjustable mirrors. Step up to the €26,990 ($30,600) Comfort and you add rain-sensing wipers, bigger (16-inch) wheels and a power driver’s seat. Top-spec Comfort goes two steps further, bringing a 360-degree camera system, wireless phone charging, heated seats, LED lights and electrically folding mirrors.

Powertrain and Range

Power, range and charging speeds vary between those trims. The Active and Boost get an 87 hp (88 PS / 65 kW) motor, but the cheaper car has a tiny 30 kW LFP battery and slow 65 kW max charge rate. Boost features a 43.2 kW power pack and can charge at 85 kW (both take 30 mins to go from 30-80 percent), but because the Active is lighter it gets to 62 mph in 11.1 seconds instead of 12.1 seconds.

Comfort sticks with the same BYD Blade battery and charge speed as the mid-spec Boost, but pairs it with a 154 hp (156 PS / 115 kW) motor that drops the 62 mph sprint to 9.1 seconds. It also drops the range, but by exactly how much isn’t very clear.

Also: Dacia’s Practically Giving Away The Spring EV At €79 A Month With No Downpayment

BYD is only quoting WLTP urban figures for now rather than the WLTP combined figures that are more useful when making comparisons with other EVs, though UK’s Auto Express reckons the three models return 137, 200 and 193 miles (221, 322, 311 km) combined.

The first cars will be shipped from China, but eventually BYD will build the Dolphin Surf at its new plant in Hungary. Europe’s carmakers, including Stellantis and VW are all working on even more affordable EVs, and looking at what BYD is offering here, they can’t afford to get it wrong.

BYD

Tesla’s engineers have been busy at the Nurburgring recently, and it’s not just the Model Y Performance getting a facelift. The updated version of the Model S Plaid was spotted, making a few laps around the track, with a fresh look that, frankly, doesn’t seem all that groundbreaking.

The Plaid was once the quickest electric production car at the ’Ring, but it’s had its thunder stolen recently by both the Weissach Pack-equipped Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, and Xiaomi’s new SU7 Ultra. There’s no way Tesla was going to take that lying down, and it’s testing an updated Plaid that’s sure to get a big upgrade over the existing car’s 1,006 hp (1,020 PS / 750 kW) triple-motor powertrain.

Related: New Tesla Model Y Performance Breaks Cover, Plaid Wheels And All

The black sedan was spotted putting in some hot laps wearing a bikini camouflage wrap on its nose and tail, though the changes appear to be so minor it was almost a waste of time covering them up. Because if you were hoping Tesla was finally going to make some major visual changes to its ancient sedan, something along the lines of the Model Y Juniper facelift, as imagined in renderings we’ve published before, you’re going to be disappointed.

Minor Updates, Bigger Expectations

Photos Baldauf / Carscoops

The sole change at the front appears to be a tiny lower lip spoiler mounted below the existing bumper. The headlights, DRLs graphic and bumper itself are seemingly identical to the ones on the current car. That means this new Plaid has the same basic face introduced when Tesla refreshed the original 2013 Model S for 2017, though it did some detail revisions in 2021 to help it fight against Porsche’s newer Taycan.

For the track work, however, it was rolling on a new design of alloy wheels that look like they might be bigger than the stock Plaid rims seen in the images of the car driving to and from the circuit. That could give the Plaid a bigger footprint to improve grip and traction, and to help push the rubber into the road Tesla has added a more aggressive diffuser below the rear bumper.

Tesla’s VP of Engineering, Lars Moravy, pretty much confirmed that Tesla would roll out a refreshed Model S this year, and while we weren’t  expecting an all-new car – though after 13 years, we deserve one – we were hoping for some bigger changes than it looks like Tesla will deliver.

Photos Baldauf / Carscoops

Even today, when most populated areas of the US and Europe provide access to at least some EV charging points, it’s all too easy to succumb to the panic of range anxiety when the remaining charge indicator lights up red. Now imagine you’re trying to explore rural Asia and you’ll understand why one EV owner came up with an unusual method of keeping range anxiety at bay.

Related: Cybertruck’s $16K Range Booster Is Dead And Tesla Isn’t Saying Why

The Chinese Tesla owner, who wanted to visit the Mount Everest viewing platform in Lazi County before road-tripping through uninhabited areas of Tibet, decided to turn his fully-electric Model Y into a kind of range-extender hybrid.

A Gasoline-Powered Back-Up Plan

To do it he mounted a gasoline generator to the rear of his SUV, complete with its own license plate to stay within the bounds of the law. The idea wasn’t to rely solely on the ICE power station and to avoid real static EV charging stations, but to help keep the Tesla going in remote areas where those chargers were few and far between.

While hardly capable of cranking out DC fast charging levels of power, the owner found it was still able to produce 3 kW even at the 17,400 ft (5,300 m) of the Everest viewing platform. That was enough to add 12 miles (19 km) of range per hour, though as Car News China points out, it’s not a true range extender because it can’t charge the Model Y on the move,

The owner, who’s known as @Xiaomo, reportedly paid ¥2,800 ($390) for the generator, which swallowed around 22 US cents’ worth of gas for every mile (1.6 km) covered. That makes running on gas more expensive than running on electricity piped in from a cheap mains supply in China, but it’s certainly preferable to finding yourself stranded in the middle of nowhere with a dead EV.

Tesla doesn’t seem interested in offering range extenders for its cars, but we’ve come across plenty more owners who’ve had the same idea, including one who added a turbo-diesel engine to the trunk of his Model S.

Images: @Xiaomo

It’s no secret that Western brands are having a tough time in China after making bank for years. Sales are falling as buyers turn to domestic brands that are gaining ground fast and in some instances overtaking legacy automakers. BMW and Mercedes were comprehensively outsold in 2024 by a brand that didn’t even exist four years earlier.

Also: Aito Gets 70,000 Pre-Orders For New M8 EREV

That brand is Aito, one that you might not have heard of even if you’re familiar with other Chinese automaker like XPeng, Xiaomi and Nio that we frequently cover here at Carscoops. Aito was born in 2021 when smartphone maker Huawei teamed up with Seres Group, a company once known for its basic mini trucks and minivans whose twin kidney grilles were shameless rip-offs of BMW’s.

Two brands, one with no high-end car-building expertise and the other completely new to to car game? It doesn’t sound like the basis for a company that could crush the kings of Western luxury carmaking within a few short years, but that’s exactly what has happened. Seres Group’s total vehicle sales trebled in three years to 427,000 according to figures quoted by Bloomberg, and Aito’s success was a major driver.

Aito’s Breakthrough Year

Atio sold 151,000 luxury cars last year – defined as vehicles costing over ¥500,000 ($69k) – making it the most popular brand in the luxury segment. BMW came second with 145,000 units and Mercedes was a distant third having delivered 127,000 cars. Fourth-placed Land Rover scraped 50,000 sales and Porsche, whose China woes are well known, secured fifth spot with 48,0000 units delivered, ThinkerCar’s data shows.

Because most of Aito’s models fall below the ¥500k luxury threshold, the heavy lifting at the high end was handled by the brand’s M9, an SUV that’s roughly the same size as China’s long-wheelbase BMW X5 and comes with a triple-screen dashboard and a choice of range-extender and full EV powertrains.

Seres 5 Review: Can A Chinese Newcomer Beat Tesla And BMW In The EV Game?

Aito isn’t slowing down. The company launched a slightly smaller version of the M9 this year called the M8, which is just 40 mm (1.6 in) shorter, and it’s set to continue cranking up the heat on Western luxury brands in 2025. However, even Aito has to contend with a general slowdown in luxury car demand and an all-out price war. Still, it’s clear that the brand’s rapid ascent is far from a fluke.

GM’s interest in hydrogen fuel cell technology may seem like a recent endeavor following their work with Honda, but the American automaker has been tinkering with the stuff since the 1960s. While NASA was busy figuring out how fuel cells could help them conquer the space race, GM was busy figuring out how to make hydrogen work on Earth.

Related: GM’s Electrovair Is The Precursor To The Company’s Electric Future

Batteries of the time didn’t have the beans to power the Apollo command module’s communications, drinking water, lighting, and air conditioning systems, so NASA turned to fuel cells, which turn hydrogen into electricity.

And at the same time, GM, having already created two purely battery-powered EVs in the form of a pair of converted Corvairs, Electrovair I and II, was looking to explore the possibilities for hydrogen power back on Earth.

A Fuel Cell System Too Big for the Job

The fuel cell it created with the help of Union Carbide was so massive there was no way it was going to fit into a Corvair, so GM switched to the Handi-Bus, a passenger version of its Handi-Van and a VW Type 2 bus and Ford E-series rival. Even then, the powertrain’s bulk turned the van into a two-seater.

The system, which combines hydrogen and oxygen in an electrochemical reaction that produces water, heat, and electricity, wasn’t only big due its large hydrogen and oxygen tanks, but heavy, too. A total curb weight of 7,100 lbs (3,220 kg) makes most modern EVs – GMC Hummer EV aside – look like lightweights, and 3,900 lbs (1,770 kg) of that was down to the fuel cell equipment.

Predictably, performance was abysmal, zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) taking around 30 seconds, though to to fair ,a stock Handi-Bus with the base 90 hp (91 PS) 2.5-liter four was no fireball either. GM reckoned the range was around 150 miles (240 km) but never tested that on the public road due to safety concerns that turned out to be well-founded. During one test an external fuel tank exploded, shooting debris a quarter mile (400 m) away.

A Test Project, Not a Production Vehicle

This was a true test-bed project and GM never intended to put the Electrovan into production. But it showed that a fuel-cell vehicle could work and paved the way for more efficient, more compact successors that get their oxygen from the air rather than from space-eating tanks of compressed oxygen.

Almost 60 years later, GM is still committed to both BEV and fuel-cell technology, particularly believing that its Hydrotec fuel cell cubes makes more sense in big commercial vehicles like Komatus’s mining trucks than batteries, which are better suited to lighter passenger cars, trucks and SUVs.