Ferrari has dropped the first details about its maiden EV, next year’s Elettrica crossover, and some people might be wondering if, by doing so, it’s dropped the ball as well. Because while its peak output will be over 986 hp (1,000 PS / 735 kW), Ferrari has confirmed it will not make as much power as the new breed of rapid Chinese electric cars.

“You can see on the market some electric cars that already have 2,000 horsepower,” Ferrari product boss Gianmaria Fulgenzi told media.

Related: Ferrari’s EV Mystery Prototype Teases Breadvan But It’s An Illusion

“It’s very easy and simple to create that power with an electric engine. So you can see in the market a lot of companies that have never done cars, and now they’re able to produce a car with 1,000 horsepower.”

Fulgenzi didn’t mention smartphone firm turned automaker Xiaomi by name, or its 1,526 hp (1,547 PS / 1,138 kW) Xiaomi SU7 Ultra. But it’s the car that most obviously springs to mind, and we know that Ferrari recently had its hands on an SU7 at its Maranello HQ.

He could also have been thinking of the BYD’s 2,977 (3,018 PS / 2,220 kW) YangWang U9 Xtreme, which this month recorded 308 mph (491 km/h) at VW’s Ehra-Lessien test track, beating the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+’s record.

Super-Power EVs Are “Elephants”

“But what is the joke? What do you feel when you drive this kind of car?” he asked journalists, per Auto Express. “They are elephants because you need very big engines and a very big battery.”

Let’s leave aside the elephant in Fulgenzi’s room – the Elettrica’s huge 122 kWh battery dwarfs the ones in the SU7 and U9 – and look at the other figures.

A combination of a 282 hp (210 kW / 286 PS) front axle from the F80 supercar and 831 hp (620 kW / 843 PS) from the rear motors will give “more than” 986 hp, Ferrari says, enough for a 2.5-second zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) time and electronically limited 193 mph (310 km/h) top speed. Those are still impressive numbers in absolute terms, but won’t set the Elettrica apart from the crowd.

It’s kind of funny to hear a company like Ferrari, which for years pushed power outputs, acceleration and top speeds to new highs, talking about how pointless the fastest modern cars are. But Fulgenzi is right: we (and automakers) seem to have crossed a line here in terms of power and performance and don’t know how to stop.

Why? Because horsepower, top speed, and 0-60 times are the metrics by which we’ve judged performance cars for decades. Remove them and we’re kind of lost, unless we actually get a chance to jump behind the wheel and experience them ourselves.

It’d be difficult to explain to a potential customer why they should buy your car if it made less power and was slower than the one they already have (though Detroit had to do that during the emissions-strangled 1970s), so automakers keep pushing. And for years, that was fine.

When you traded in your naturally aspirated E46 330i that required 6.5 seconds to get to 60 mph for a turbocharged E90/92 335i that did the job in 5.5 seconds, you could feel the difference, and that could be fun.

How Much Is Enough?

But when even fairly ordinary electric cars like the $54,990 Tesla Model 3 Performance can get to 60 in 2.9 seconds, you have to wonder how much longer automakers can keep pushing in this direction. Beyond bragging rights, there’s little extra benefit in having a car that accelerates more quickly than that.

And definitely none to insurance companies, because an uptick in accident rates is surely inevitable if we keep going. Rarely mentioned today is that crippling insurance premiums had as much to do with the death of the original American muscle car in the early 1970s as tightening emissions regulations.

Related: Ferrari’s New Playground Might End Maranello’s Favorite Spectator Sport

Anyone who lifts weights for recreation might recognise a parallel in all of this to men’s bodybuilding. From the mid 1990s, partly off the back of the use of new drugs like insulin and growth hormone, the guys competing in the top tier literally exploded in size, shifting the focus from aesthetics to freak-show levels of mass.

It was, and still is, fascinating to see what the body can achieve when pushed to the limit, in the same way that it’s impressive that a BYD can do 308 mph. But more recently we’ve seen a huge boom in the popularity of the Classic Physique division, whose shapes hark back to the “golden era” of bodybuilding, when men like Arnold Schwarzenegger still looked super, but also human.

Stepping Back From The Speed Wars

Andrea Canuri for SHProshots

Is Ferrari (of all people) leading a similar shift in the car world with its Elettrica (seen above, testing)? If it is, it wouldn’t be the first time it’s turned its back on the battle to have the biggest numbers.

Although the F40’s 202 mph (325 kmh) top speed broke new ground, for the past 25 years Ferrari has capped its fastest cars at 217 mph (350 kmh) and was content to let Bugatti build cars that ate up a drag strip in less time. That decision in no way diminished Ferrari’s credibility in the eyes of enthusiasts.

But letting other brands make everyday crossovers that are more powerful, accelerate more quickly, and cost less, while also still not publishing any other metrics like a Nurburgring lap time to show us how the sum of the car, including its chassis and brakes, is more important than the schoolyard stats? Now that’s a bold move.

And it’s one that’ll really test Ferrari’s brand strength, particularly among younger buyers who are less familiar with Maranello’s history – one built in large part on cars that were the fastest and most powerful of their time.

Can you see an end to the performance wars? Do you think legislators might eventually step in to curtail the madness? What is the sweet spot for power and acceleration anyway? And is Ferrari right to take its foot off the gas? Throw a comment down below and let us know your thoughts.

Ferrari hasn’t released any exterior images of the Elettrica yet, but it has given us a peek under the skin at the battery and motors, which you can see in the gallery below.

Ferrari

The all-electric age at Lamborghini might be about to short out before it even starts. After promising the Lanzador as its first-ever dedicated battery-electric model, the Italian marque is now wavering and could instead launch its high-riding GT as a plug-in hybrid.

According to multiple news reports, Sant’Agata will make the call within weeks on whether its sleek 2+2 grand tourer goes full battery or blends volts with V8 thunder in preparation for its production debut at the end of this decade.

Related: Lamborghini’s Next Surprise Might Be A V12 Supercar You Can Take Camping

Unveiled as a concept in 2023 as a rolling preview of Lamborghini’s electric future, the Lanzador looked like a mashup of the Urus SUV and Huracan Sterrato supercar, showcasing sci-fi surfacing and promising more power than a small solar farm.

Lambo claimed over 1 MW (1,350 hp / 1,369 PS) of output and next-gen 980-volt tech, pitching it as a figurehead for its post-gasoline ambitions. But somewhere between the concept stand and the balance sheet, reality hit. Lamborghini boss Stephan Winkelmann now admits the brand is rethinking the plan.

“We could do a BEV, but I think it is a bad offer for the next few years,” he told Autocar, adding that Lambo buyers “don’t see BEVs as an alternative today.”

Photos Lamborghini

If the decision tips hybrid, expect some familiar hardware under the skin. The plug-in systems from the new Temerario and Urus SE are ready-made for the job, combining a twin-turbo V8 with electric assist for both punch and conscience-soothing emissions.

Ironically, the Urus was also meant to go fully electric before Lamborghini quietly changed course earlier this year.

A move to PHEV power for the Lanzador would put Lamborghini slightly out of sync with Ferrari, which is preparing to unveil its first EV, the Elettrica crossover, soon.

But this isn’t exactly a company afraid to be loud or different. And Winkelmann is the kind of level-headed, pragmatic boss who goes where the money takes him.

“‘It’s not important what you can achieve in technology, it’s important what the customer wants,” the Lamborghini boss told Car Magazine recently.

Which powertrain would you give the green light to if you were in Winkelmann’s pointy shoes?

Source: Car Magazine , Autocar

It’s always amusing when we’re writing about collector cars to check the huge sums buyers paid out for optional equipment. Fifty years ago, for example, anyone buying a C3 Corvette had to pay a hilarious $284 ($1,710 in 2025 money) for an AM/FM radio, then a highly desirable and expensive option.

Today, though, it’s something that we expect to see on even the cheapest, most basic modern car. Yet, AM/FM radio is one of the pieces of equipment Tesla has cut from its new entry-level models.

Related: Analog AM Radios In EVs Could Cost Automakers Nearly $4 Billion

Called Standard, the new base Model 3 and Model Y are designed to keep the barrier to entry of Tesla’s EVs low in the wake of federal tax credits disappearing at the end of September.

The Model 3 Standard costs $36,990, against $42,490 for the next trim up, now renamed Model 3 Premium RWD. And the Model Y Standard comes in at $39,990, versus $44,990 for the Y Premium.

The lack of a radio is far from the only difference between the new Standard and Premium Models. Base 3s miss out on the 8-inch second-row touchscreen, ventilated front seats and heated rears, power door mirrors and steering column, Autosteer, and frequency-dependent shocks.

They also downgrade to simple 18-inch steel wheels with covers, need 5.8 seconds instead of 4.9 seconds to reach 60 mph (97 km/h), and the driving range is cut from 363 miles to 321 miles (584-517 km).

Wheels aside (and an upgrade to 19s is available), the Model 3 Standard doesn’t scream “I was too cheap to upgrade!” in the same way its Model Y counterpart does. Because the Y Standard loses the facelifted Y’s front and rear LED light bars, and Tesla covers over the panoramic glass roof (which, in the ultimate insult, is still present) with a conventional headliner.

It also downgrades to textile seat surfaces, loses the adaptive headlights, subwoofer, and HEPA filter, and misses out on various bits of the same kit omitted from the 3 Standard spec.

But performance takes a much bigger hit than it does in the sedan. The boggo Y needs 6.8 seconds to reach 60 mph compared with 5.4 seconds for the Premium, and the range is reduced from 357 to 321 miles (575-517 km).

Test drive reveals more missing features

YouTuber Everyday Chris got his hands on the new Model Y Standard and points out some other differences in his video, including the very basic frunk, trunk, and door pocket liners, lack of electric frunk opener and rear parcel shelf, the single-pane door glass, and the fact that the max charging speed is down from 250 kW to 225 kW. You can also no longer recline the second row of seats from the trunk.

We’re guessing most owners will be more frustrated by that trunk-folding button having disappeared than they are by the radio getting a bullet. Still, according to a 2023 study, cutting the AM unit could save Tesla around $50–70 per car, since it no longer needs to shield radio waves from interference created by the electric motors.

This cost has led several automakers to consider junking radios, though lawmakers want to make AM availability in cars a legal requirement, because it’s viewed as essential for drivers in rural areas. Would you care if your next car didn’t have a radio, or have you never used yours since 2004?

Tesla

Renault is primed to deliver its third mashup of electric power and feelgood retro design. The all-new, fourth-generation Twingo E-Tech makes its debut on November 6, less than a month from now.

The sub £17k/€20k hatch is a size down from the Clio and 5 E-Tech, and a direct rival for the production version of Volkswagen’s ID. Every1 concept, which could be called ID. Lupo. But the VW isn’t due to launch until 2027, meaning Renault, as well as BYD with its new Dolphin Surf, have a big headstart.

Related: This Frog-Faced EV Is The Renault 5’s New Budget Baby Brother

And that might not be the Twingo’s only advantage. While the ID. Every1 looked stylish, grown-up and modern, we can imagine plenty of buyers – particularly the younger ones Renault is targeting – falling for the cute frog-like face of the French model.

As with the 5 EV, the rebooted model takes design inspiration from a decades-old Renault, in this case the 1990s first-generation Twingo. So it’s bound to invoke some nostalgic feelings, among those who remember the original, but it won’t matter if you don’t – the UK never got the gen-one, for instance.

Judging by these fresh teaser shots and last year’s concept, which the production car should mostly replicate, the 2026 Twingo is a great-looking bit of design in its own right.

Renault

Modern LED technology creates a friendly, cartoon-like face, with the same wide-eye signature being repeated at the back. The laid-back windshield once again stretches out towards the nose, compressing the size of the hood, but unlike the two-door original Twingo, this one will be strictly a four-door affair.

We’re still waiting to see the interior, but there’s every reason to believe it will feature a 10.1in infotainment touchscreen and a 7.0in digital instrument cluster, as shown in the concept.

Renault’s base 5 E-Tech makes 94 hp (95 PS / 70 kW) and gives a 194-mile (312 km) range from a 40 kWh battery, but don’t be surprised if the Twingo specs are cut down to help make its sub-€20,000 price a reality.

The group’s newly revised Dacia Spring, for example, is fitted with a 24.3 kWh LFP battery and offers 140 miles (225 km) of range. In any case, we’ll find out the full details on November 6.

We’ve included images below of the 2024 Twingo concept and spy shots of the production car prototype.

Renault

SHProshots

Rivals for decades, BMW and Mercedes largely fish in the same pool. But while one of the big German brands saw its catch rate tumble, the other is soon going to need a bigger boat, judging by sales figures released this week.

Mercedes shifted 441,500 cars in Q3 (plus 83,800 vans), a drop of 12 percent on the same quarter in 2024, while BMW moved 514,620 BMW-branded vehicles, representing a rise of 5.7 percent. Factor in the BMW Group’s other brands, including Rolls Royce, BMW M and Mini, and total sales hit 588,300, or 8.8 percent more than in Jul-Sep last year.

Related: BMW Somehow Sold Fewer Electrified Cars Than Last Year

What’s really interesting is how differently the two brands performed in certain key markets. In the US for instance, which has been impacted by tariffs this year, it’s probably not a surprise to see that Mercedes sales dropped 17 percent to 70,800 units.

But turning that logic on its head, BMW actually grew its US sales by a whopping 24.9 percent in the same period to 297,247.

And even in China, where both brands – like many Western automakers – are having a tough time, Mercedes fared much worse. Benz sales sank by a shocking 27 percent but BMW escaped with an 11 percent drop. Still terrible, but much less so.

BMW vs Mercedes Sales Q3

The electric (and electrified) numbers deepen the divide. For Mercedes, battery-electric vehicle (BEV) deliveries flatlined. The company delivered 42,600 BEVs in Q3, essentially holding steady year-on-year as it battles cost pressures, tariff headwinds, and intensifying EV competition in China.

BMW’s story is more complicated. The BMW Group’s electrified portfolio (including BEV + PHEV) showed healthy growth overall, as it moved 151,282 electrified units in Q3, up 8 percent. But they were down 2.8 percent in the US. Full EV sales in that same period fell by 0.6 percent to 102,864 units globally, though they’re up 10 percent YTD.

Both automakers have some crucial new products coming through including the GLC with EQ Technology and iX3, so it’ll be fascinating to see how those cars impact next year’s numbers.

BMW vs Mercedes sales by region

BMW sales split

The Dacia Spring proved that EVs can be seriously affordable, so long as you can afford the time. The original versions were shockingly slow, but Dacia has replaced both the 46 and 65 models with two new versions that are on a different performance planet, and still shouldn’t cost the earth.

Until now, the Spring has come in a couple of trims and with two different motor options, the 45 and 65. Those numbers referred to the metric horsepower output, which equates to just 44 hp (33 kW) and 64 hp (48 kW).

Clearly, we’re not talking about Tesla-grade go here. The 65 took 13.7 seconds to reach 62 mph (100 km/h), and the 45 required 19.1 seconds, the kind of performance last seen on mainstream cars over 40 years ago.

Related: You Can Buy A New Dacia EV For Just $4,600 In Italy, But It’s Not For Everyone

Dacia hasn’t revealed a zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) time for the new 69 hp (70 PS / 52 kW) Spring 70, but it did provide some in-gear acceleration data to prove what a massive difference the extra muscle makes.

Where the 45 and 65 needed 26.2 and 14 seconds, respectively, to amble from 50-75 mph (80-120 kmh), the 70 can do the job in 10.3 seconds. And the 99 hp (100 PS / 74 kW) Spring 100 cuts it to just 6.9 seconds, while also getting to 62 mph in 9.6 seconds, which is hardly hot hatch performance, but it will certainly feel like one in this company.

Smarter Under The Skin

Helping keep that newfound punch in check is an anti-roll bar, which makes an appearance on the tech sheet for the first time, along with a new 24.3 kWh lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) battery. The electric driving range is unchanged at 140 miles (225 km), but the previously 30 kW on-board charger is upgraded to 40 kW.

That change looks laughable in the context of the latest 400 kW EVs, but the Spring’s battery is tiny, so a 20-80 percent fill takes a bearable 29 minutes when hooked up to a DC charger, and a 20-100 percent fill via a 7kW wallbox is done in 3h 20 minutes.

Price Still Matters

Dacia hasn’t revealed prices for the upgraded Springs, but hopefully, they won’t stray too far from where the outgoing cars were positioned. At just £14,995 ($20,200), the base 45 was one of the cheapest EVs available in the UK.

Dacia

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

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

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

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

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

Options? What Options

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

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

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

Lease Prices Jump

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

Tesla

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SHProshots

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

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

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

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

Launch Control Drama

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

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

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

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

Lead image Carwow

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

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

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

Numbers With Caveats

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

Europe Car Sales

Jato Dynamics

China’s Growing Momentum

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

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

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

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

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

Hybrids, not just EVs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Baldauf

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

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

How Serious Was He?

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

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

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

Numbers Tell the Story

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

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

A Multi-Platform Future

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

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

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

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

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

What Does It Look Like?

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

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

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

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

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Power and Performance

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

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

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

Bentley

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

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

No Pipes, No Noise

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

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

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

Shared Looks, Different Power

SH Proshots

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

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

Horsepower with Headroom

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

SH Proshots

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

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

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

No Safety Net from Sacramento

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

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

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

A Broader Fight Over Clean Air

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Porsche

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

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

Porsche 718 Cayman Electric

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Porsche 718 Boxster Electric

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

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

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

One Motor For Now

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

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

EV4 hatch

Charging Trade-Off

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

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

Kia EV4 GT-Line hatch

Subtle Differences Inside And Out

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

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

Kia EV4 GT-Line Fastback

Kia

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

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

Passion Versus Pragmatism

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

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

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

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

Timing Still a Question

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

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

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

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

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

Electric Power with Bite

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

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

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

Charging and Range

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

How Much Does it Cost?

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

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

Honda

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

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

When Tech Meets Tradition

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

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

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

Inconsistent Standards

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

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

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

Thanks to DB for the tip!