Germany’s car-check watchdog has crunched the reliability numbers and once again, Tesla finds itself parked at the very bottom of the heap. The 2026 TÜV-Report, covering annual roadworthiness inspections of approximately 9.5 million vehicles between July 2024 and June 2025, found that Tesla EVs occupied the two bottom spots in the league table.

The Model 3, which was the worst-ranked car for the two previous years was found to have a defect rate of 13.1 percent, meaning one in every 7.6 cars in the two-to-three-year-old ages group failed the Hauptuntersuchung safety check.

Why Is The Model Y So Troubled?

But the Model Y was even worse. It had a defect rate of 17.3 percent, versus 3.5 percent for a Mini Cooper SE, making it the worst TÜV has seen in this age group in a decade. The biggest defect culprits were the axle assembly, suspension, brakes and lighting.

Related: Tesla Is Now The World’s Most Avoided EV Brand And It’s Probably Musk’s Fault

Pulling back to look at the bigger picture covering cars of all ages reveals that 21.5 percent, or one in five cars failed the inspection due to a “significant” or “dangerous” defect, an increase of 0.9 percent on last year, ADAC reported. And the proportion with minor defects rose 0.8 percent to 12.3 percent.

Other reliability villains include the BMW 5-series and 6-series in both the 4-5-year-old and 8-9-year-old age groups, the Dacia Duster in the 6-7 and 10-11 age groups and the Renault Clio among 12-13-year-old cars.

Electric Cars Defect Rate, 2-3 Years Old

Pop the Champagne for VW

But with every list of losers there has to be a list of winners, and for cars that have passed their fourth birthday, this one is headed by Volkswagen.

The VW Golf wagon and T-Roc scored well in the 4-7-year-old categories and the automaker’s Touareg was top of the oldies. The Mazda CX-3 and Mercedes B-Class were also commended.

Looking at the 2-3-year-old group, Fiat’s 500e toped the small car category, proving to Tesla that EVs can be reliable, the Mazda 2 and BMW 1-series were the top-rated small car and compact, and the C-class took the mid-range award (if you’re reading from the US, those classifications will look kinda messed up).

The T-Roc popped up again to take best SUV, and the B-class bagged most reliable nearly-new minivan.

Rate of Serious Inspection Defects

One big change in this year’s study is the introduction of an award for long-term quality, handed out to brands whose vehicles, aged 10+ exhibit the lowest average defect rate for safety-related faults and stand for quality, durability, and good service.

Mercedes took gold with an 18.5 percent defect rate – almost matching that of a 2-3-year-old Model Y – Audi was second with 19.2 percent and Toyota snuck onto the podium’s last step with a 22 percent defect rate.

Winners By Segment, 2-3 Years Old

Winners In Other Age Groups

Volkswagen’s smallest electric SUV has crawled out of the concept studio and onto public roads. Our spy photographers just snagged the very first shots of the ID.Cross prototype, giving us an early look at the subcompact EV that VW previewed with the ID.Cross concept at last September’s Munich Auto Show.

It’s still wrapped in camouflage, but even through the swirls, the production version looks remarkably close to the original concept.

Related: VW Revives Classic Nameplates With A New Mission To Fight Off China’s EV Surge

The proportions look almost copy-and-paste. The ID.Cross sits has short overhangs, a rounded nose and a slightly pinched tail that mirrors the concept’s “urban-friendly” footprint.

Expect the real thing to land close to the concept’s numbers, which were designed to squeeze maximum cabin space from a small footprint: roughly 4,160 mm (163.8 inches) in length, making it shorter than America’s Taos and right in the heart of the subcompact EV class.

Even under wrap, the headlight and taillight outlines look familiar from the Munich show, hinting at VW’s newest light-bar family face. And though we can’t see them, we’re sure the three illuminated rectangles embedded in the concept’s black C-pillar have also made the cut.

The concept’s whimsical yoga-studio-on-wheels interior probably won’t survive 100 percent unchanged, though, so don’t expect pastel mood lighting or Zen-garden textures in the base model.

But VW’s latest compact cabin architecture, with a bigger infotainment screen and improved physical switchgear, should appear here.

What Powers It?

SH Proshots

Under the skin, the ID.Cross rides on the latest evolution of the MEB platform, tweaked for a new front-wheel-drive generation of small EVs including the ID.Polo.

The concept was pitched with a single-motor setup producing around 208 hp (211 PS / 155 kW), and that’s a believable target for the production version, though we expect to also see less powerful versions join the lineup to improve accessibility.

VW didn’t give a battery size for the concept but claimed it could deliver a 261-mile (420 km) WLTP electric range, and again, that’s a solid indicator about the kind of touring ability we’ll get from the real thing when it makes its global debut next year.

Will The US Get It?

US sales are yet to be confirmed, but in Europe the ID.Cross will cost from around £25k/€28k ($32k) when it goes head to head with other electric crossovers like the Kia EV2, Toyota Urban Cruiser, and its VW Group cousins, the Skoda Epiq and Cupra Raval.

Stefan Baldauf, Guido ten Brink, VW

Electric car buyers have always been an opinionated bunch. Ask 10 EV drivers why they went electric, and you’ll hear everything from saving the planet, to saving money, to “I just like torque.” But a new global study suggests many are now choosing and avoiding brands for a different reason entirely: politics.

Related: Tesla Drivers Say Musk Makes Them Look Like Fascists So They’re Suing

Global EV Alliance surveyed more than 26,000 electric-vehicle owners across 30 countries and discovered that a large proportion of EV drivers avoid certain brands or countries specifically because of political factors.

Tesla is the most-avoided brand, while China, perhaps predictably, is the most-avoided country of production.

What Shapes an EV Buyer’s Loyalty?

Of those who said they avoid specific brands, 41 percent named Tesla, a stunning figure for a company that essentially invented the modern mass-market EV segment. China was called out as a country of origin to avoid by 12 percent, while 5 percent of respondents said they avoid US-built EVs altogether.

The study didn’t spell out which political issues were driving the Tesla aversion, but it isn’t exactly hard to imagine respondents’ grievances.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has spent the last few years ping-ponging between political controversies, online fights, and eyebrow-raising hand gestures that have sparked everything from newspaper op-eds to calls for boycotts.

Some Tesla owners seem willing to separate the car from the CEO, but for others, Musk’s extracurricular activities have made the brand a no-go. A recent report suggested the CEO’s antics had cost the company more than a million sales.

What brands/countries would you avoid for political reasons?

The survey reveals interesting regional quirks. In the US, Germany, the UK, Australia, and even electric-loving Norway, more than 45 percent of EV drivers said they would avoid Tesla, suggesting that the brand’s home market and the world’s biggest EV adopters are among the least forgiving.

But in India and Hungary, just 2 percent and 6 percent of EV owners said they would avoid the brand.

The Cost of Country of Origin

China-built EVs also face wildly different levels of acceptance, ranging from a 2-percent avoid rating (Italy, Poland) to 43 percent (Lithuania). This may come down to availability and affordability. In developing markets, Chinese EVs dominate the lower-cost end of the spectrum, which means political preferences sometimes take a back seat to price and practicality.

But generally, as EV sales continue to rise globally and drivers have more choice, brand identity and origin are becoming more important. It’s no longer just about range and charging speed. Drivers are paying attention to who builds the cars, where they come from, and even who posts what on social media.

If automakers weren’t already watching their public image, this survey gives them another reason to tread carefully. In the EV world, it turns out politics can be just as important as performance. You can check out the full study here.

The original Cayenne supercharged Porsche’s sales, and 23 years later, the third-generation car is still the brand’s best-seller. But now the nameplate is heading into new territory with the launch of the 2026 Cayenne Electric, a battery-powered twist on the formula using lessons learned from the smaller Macan EV.

Related: Porsche’s Next Hybrids Could Get A Trick New Electric Motor

This isn’t just an electrified version of the familiar Cayenne. The new electric models ride on an entirely different platform, a version of the PPE architecture used in the Macan Electric, but stretched 5.1 inches (130 mm) to give a 119-inch (3,020 mm) wheelbase.

That wheelbase is also longer than the combustion Cayenne’s by the same amount, resulting in a healthy increase in rear legroom for passengers.

But enough about what the ruler says. Does the Cayenne Electric rule over its ICE brother when the light turns green? Damn right, it does.

There are two flavors at launch: the Cayenne Electric and the mighty Cayenne Turbo Electric. Both are all-wheel-drive, both are loaded with tech, and both are clearly designed to make you question why you ever cared about cylinders.

Most Powerful Porsche Ever

Let’s start with the showstopper. The $163,000 (plus $2,350 dest) Cayenne Turbo Electric’s dual-motor powertrain generates 844 hp (857 PS / 630 kW) in normal driving, but the Push-to-Pass boost, activated by a button on the steering wheel, throws in an additional 173 hp (177 PS / 130 kW) for 10 seconds at a time.

And the madness doesn’t end there, because with Launch Control activated, you can unleash up to 850 kW, which translates to 1,139 hp (1,155 PS) and 1,106 lb-ft (1,500 Nm) of torque.

Porsche says its most powerful production car ever goes zero to 60 mph (97 kmh) in 2.4 seconds – versus 3.1 seconds for the fastest combustion Cayenne, the Turbo GT – and gobbles up the standing quarter-mile in 9.9 seconds. Top speed? An ample 162 mph (260 km/h). Welcome to Porsche’s new performance reality.

The ‘regular’ $109,000 Cayenne Electric is plenty slower, but hardly tame. It produces 402 hp (408 PS / 300 kW) in normal driving and up to 435 hp (441 PS / 324 kW) when Launch Control is engaged. That output, and the 615 lb-ft (834 Nm) that goes with it, delivers you to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and a top speed of 143 mph (230 km/h).

Brakes Optional

Both trims also deliver serious energy recuperation, with braking that can feed up to 600 kW back into the battery. Porsche claims that about 97 percent of routine braking situations never need to involve the physical brakes, though you can still opt for PCCB carbon rotors if you feel inclined.

Adaptive air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management is standard, and the Turbo adds a torque-vectoring rear differential. Both variants can be optioned with rear-axle steering and Porsche Active Ride, using active anti-roll bars, as on the Taycan, is also available.

The new 113 kWh battery pack is the heart of both models and is 13 kWh bigger than the one in the Macan Electric. Thanks to 800-volt architecture and improved cooling, the Cayenne Electric can charge at up to 400 kW under ideal conditions. A jump from 10 to 80 percent takes less than 16 minutes.

Porsche is also introducing optional inductive charging, becoming the first automaker to offer the tech on an EV in the US. Pull into your garage, park over the floor pad, and the SUV starts charging by itself at up to 11 kW.

Like A Scaled-Up Macan Electric

On the styling front, Porsche resisted the temptation to reinvent the Cayenne silhouette too radically. Instead, it sharpened it, bringing in some tricks from the Macan EV. The bonnet sits lower, the headlights are slimmer, the body lines crisper, and the doors feature frameless glass.

Out back, a 3D-effect light bar and illuminated Porsche lettering add nighttime pizzazz. Turbo Electric models get extra contrasting bits in a color called Turbonite, which sounds like something a Marvel villain would wear.

The Cayenne Electric’s new shape isn’t just for show. A drag coefficient of 0.25 makes it one of the most slippery SUVs in its class. Hidden aero flaps, a smart roof spoiler, and trick aero blades help it slice through the air and squeeze out more range. Porsche says the system constantly adjusts to changing speeds and loads, adding grip when needed and cutting drag when it’s not.

And if you’re more interested in cutting through rock trails than cutting through the air, an Off-Road Design package brings different front and rear bumpers to improve the approach and departure angles.

Related: New Cayenne Electric Packs More Screens Than A Vegas Buffet Of LEDs

Inside, rear passengers get more legroom and electric seat adjustment as standard, interior surface heating, and a panoramic roof that uses liquid-crystal tech to alter its opacity.

Then there’s the digital experience. The new Flow Display stretches across the dash with two large OLED screens for gauge cluster and infotainment duties. A 14.9-inch passenger display is optional.

There’s also an epic 87-inch head-up display with augmented reality guidance available, a new AI-driven Voice Pilot, and an upgraded app system with streaming and gaming baked in. That’s a lot of tech, but at least Porsche kept physical buttons for things like climate and volume.

A Long Wait

US deliveries of the 2026 Cayenne Electric start in late summer 2026, by which time we’ll be able to fill in blanks that include those all-important EPA range figures and maybe confirmation of the rumored mid-ranking Cayenne S with around 592 hp (600 PS / 441 kW), designed to bridge the gap between the two launch models. We’re also expecting to see the GTS badge appear at some point, as it has recently on the Macan Electric.

But don’t worry, if you’re a committed ICE fan, the combustion and plug-in hybrid versions of the Cayenne aren’t going anywhere, as they will live on well into the 2030s.

All the pictures above show the Cayenne Turbo Electric. The images in the gallery below are of the regular Cayenne Electric.

Porsche

Jeep is taking another swing at zero emissions adventure with the 2026 Recon, the first fully electric, Trail Rated Jeep, one that packs sports car-level acceleration, and promises real off-road ability. But the timing might raise eyebrows.

With EV sales slowing, companies like Ram scrapping planned electric utilities and Jeep’s first EV, the Wagoneer S struggling for sales, is this the right moment to launch a $65,000 electric off-roader?

Also: The 2026 Grand Cherokee’s Biggest Surprise Is Hiding Under The Hood

The Recon range will expand in time but for now Jeep is launching with just one trim, the dirt-lovin’ Moab. It comes with a single motor mounted at each end of the 112.9-inch (2,870 mm) wheelbase platform, the pair together pushing out numbers that are strong, even if they don’t set any EV records.

What Powers Jeep’s Electric Trail Machine?

The Recon delivers 650 hp (659 PS) and 620 lb-ft (841 Nm) of torque, which is 50 hp (51 PS) and 3 lb-ft (4 Nm) more than the priciest version of Jeep’s first US EV, the road-biased Wagoneer S that rides on the same STLA Large platform.

It also hits 60 mph (97 kmh) in a speedy 3.6 seconds and claims a 250-mile (155 km) range from its 100 kWh battery, compared with 3.4 seconds and 294 miles (473 km) for the Launch Edition Wagoneer S. But that inconsequential difference in acceleration, and rather more worrying range gap is the price you pay for genuine off-road chops.

Only the Recon gets Jeep’s Trail Rated stamp of approval, the one you’ll have seen on vehicles like the Wrangler, meaning it’s passed a series of tough tests to prove its ability to ford water and clear obstacles that would make a crossover cry.

Mud or Midtown?

To earn that Trail Rated badge the Moab features 33-inch tires and a 15:1 final drive at the rear for extra torque multiplication when things get messy. It has selectable locking differentials Selec-Terrain driving modes, including a Rock mode that’s exclusive to the Moab, and Selec-Speed Control to make light work of steep inclines or rocks.

The 100-kWh battery is protected by a full set of steel skid plates, and suspension components like large CV joints and half shafts have been beefed up to handle all that torque.

Unlike the solid-axle Wrangler, the Recon’s suspension is independent via short-long arm (SLA) at the front and integral link at the back. And it skips the combustion SUV’s vague recirculating ball steering for a modern rack and pinion setup.

That bodes well for on-road comfort, where the Recon operates mostly as a RWD vehicle, but what about those all important off-road angles? A 33.8-degree approach, 23.3-degree ramp and 33.1-degree departure angle are no match for the new V8-powered Wrangler Moab 392’s 46.7, 24.5 and 39.8-degree stats.

Some of that can be chalked up to the 193.3-inch (4,911 mm) Recon being almost exactly the same length as a Wrangler, but riding on a 5.5-inch (140 mm) shorter wheelbase, and having far less daylight beneath its floorpan.

The Recon loses the ground clearance battle by a big margin, 9.1 (231 mm) inches playing 11.1 inches (282 mm) in the Wrangler Moab, and up to 12.9 inches/328 mm on other Wranglers.

Classic Jeep Design With a Modern Edge

Still, that’s more trail ability than 99 percent of people will ever need, and at least the Recon looks the part. The design stays true to Jeep’s roots with a boxy stance, upright grille and four-square proportions.

The illuminated grille rings, flush door handles, and contrast roof options give it a modern edge without losing the heritage feel, buyers also getting the option to replace the standard dual-plane sunroof for an optional Sky One-Touch power top.

And yes, you can remove the doors, the swing gate glass and the quarter windows, for those really hardcore adventures without needing any special tools.

Try that in your Rivian R1S. Moab trim brings a few design tricks of its own, including tough-looking black coloring for the front and rear fascias, the fender flares, uniquer badge and an anti-glare hood graphic.

Jeep’s Biggest Screen

The cabin sticks to the adventure theme, blending durable materials with forward-looking tech and looking nothing like the inside of a Wagoneer S. A horizontal dashboard layout and grab handle nod to classic Jeep interiors, but a 26-inch digital display area stretches across the dash made up of a 12.3-inch digital cluster and 14.5-inch touchscreen – the biggest in any Jeep – running Uconnect 5.

That screen’s generous dimensions should make it easier to see the pitch and roll mapping on the automaker’s Trails App, as well as checking out the camera views. And if you want to bring your own camera, a modular accessory rail is ready for your GoPro.

Related: Stellantis Spends $13 Billion To Revive Jeep And Dodge In America

Audio comes from a standard Alpine system, and Jeep has even relocated the speakers under the seats so the sound doesn’t vanish when you pop the doors off.

How Much Does It Cost?

The 2026 Jeep Recon EV will be built at Jeep’s Toluca Assembly Plant starting early next year, priced at $65,000 for the Moab trim. But expect that price to fall later as other trims, and less powerful motor setups become available – or just through massive discounts if the Recon proves as tricky to sell as the Wagoneer S.

No doubt, Jeep is taking a bold bet on a market that’s still figuring out what it wants. How do you rate the Recon’s chances?

Audi is stepping up its assault on the North American market by finally doing something its BMW and Mercedes rivals have been doing for years: building vehicles inside the US.

Related: Audi’s New 4×4 Could Blend Scout DNA With G-Class Swagger

The VW-owned luxury brand already lagged behind its opposition in terms of stateside sales, but its lack of a US plant means it’s been particularly hard-hit by the tariffs, since it relies on imports from Europe and Mexico. Now it plans to tackle that problem with a new luxury SUV aimed at the Land Rover Defender and produced in the US.

Built by Scout

The secret SUV will be a range extender hybrid designed specifically for the US market and will be built locally. But that doesn’t mean Audi is about to commission a new factory of its own on American soil, German website Automobilewoche reports.

Instead, it will build the SUV at the Blythewood, South Carolina, plant currently being constructed by VW-owned Scout Motors, which hopes to begin rolling out Scout trucks and SUVs by late 2027.

Scout, a utility brand launched by International Harvester in the late 1950s but dormant since 1980, was resurrected by VW in 2022 and plans to launch with two vehicles, the Scout Traveler SUV and Scout Terra truck.

Scout’s new models have ladder-frame chassis, which would be a first for Audi, and four-wheel drive systems with proper locking differentials. Although Scout offers both fully electric and range-extender powertrains, over 80 percent of reservations are for the range-extender, CEO Scott Keogh told Bloomberg recently.

While the full EVs can travel for 350 miles (563 km) on their 120 kWh batteries, the range-extenders offer around 500 miles (800 km) of range, only 150 miles (240 km) of which comes from their smaller battery.

What Could it Look Like?

Although Audi hasn’t revealed any images of its tough new SUV, and we’ve yet to see it in spy shots, we have had strong hints from the automaker that one is on the way.

Earlier in 2025, Audi debuted the Q6 e-tron Offroad Concept, which featured portal axles and a massively increased ride height to underline how serious Audi is about building a more off-road-focused machine.

Though Audi used the Q6 as a base for that concept, the real SUV, probably due in 2028, will be much bigger and almost certainly boxier, as imagined in these images below from @theottle.

@theottle

A new British company with bluechip supercar connections reckons it’s cracked one of the biggest bottlenecks in electric car tech: how to keep batteries cool enough to charge at full speed.

Hydrohertz, a UK startup led by an engineer whose resumé includes work for McLaren, Singer Design and Land Rover, has created hardware that could make long charging stops a thing of the past.

Smarter Thermal Control

It’s called the Dectravalve, and it’s a smart, compact control unit that precisely manages the temperature of each section of an EV battery, instead of treating the whole pack as one big lump. That means every cell stays at the same optimum temperature – no hot spots, no wasted cooling, and no thermal throttling.

Also: Chinese Brand Reveals Game-Changing 808-Mile Solid-State Battery

The result? A 10–80 percent charge, which typically takes around 30 minutes on a 400-volt EV even when hooked up to the fastest available DC charger, could drop to just 10 minutes.

That’s still a bit longer than it takes to fill up a petrol car, but it’s not far off. And faster fills aren’t the only promised benefit. Because the Dectravalve keeps the whole pack at its sweet spot all the time, and not just during charging, Hydrohertz says it can boost real-world range by up to 10 percent, which could be worth 30 or even 40 miles (48-64 km).

Other bonuses include extended battery life, a reduced risk of thermal runaway, and probably more consistent maximum-attack acceleration for performance EVs used in anger.

What The Data Shows

Hydrohertz tested its setup using a 100 kWh LFP battery, and the results are impressive. The hottest cell stayed under 44.5°C (112 F), with just a 2.6°C (37 F) variation across the entire pack. Most current systems see swings of 12°C (54 F) or more, forcing chargers to slow down once things heat up past 50°C (122 F).

Keep the temperature perfectly balanced, though, and the battery can safely accept maximum power right to the end.

A Shortcut To Better EVs

The system is also “chemistry agnostic,” meaning it’ll work with any current or future battery tech. That means it’s far cheaper than developing an all-new pack from scratch, which could make it a tempting upgrade for carmakers looking to squeeze more performance out of existing designs rather then spend big on solid-state packs.

“The automotive industry has been waiting for battery technology to catch up with consumer expectations, but progress has been slow and expensive,” says Hydrohertz CEO Paul Arkesden.

“A new chemistry can take a decade to develop and require billions in investment. What we’ve done is take a different approach. For OEMs, this means better, more useable EVs now, without waiting for the next generation of battery technology.”

Peugeot has followed up on last week’s tease of its Polygon concept by giving us a proper look at the futuristic hatch, and now we’re even more pumped for the arrival of the next 208.

Though the French brand doesn’t specifically mention the 208 in its concept blurb, it’s clear that what we’re looking at gives us some strong pointers to both the design and technical makeup of the next-generation supermini due in 2027.

Related: Peugeot’s Next 208 Wants To Reinvent The Wheel

Sure, the extra-long gullwing doors will be swapped for four conventional ones by the time the production 208 appears. But the overall design language, the pinched waist, broad shoulders, large glass area and focus on recycled materials all hint at where the big-selling supermini – and all future Peugeots – are heading.

Details like charging port and LED charge status indicator in the C-pillar (which reference the classic 205’s design) seem like strong candidates for the production treatment, as are the horizontally oriented reimagining of the brand’s now familiar three-claw light signature.

But it’s the Polygon’s interior that Peugeot really wants us to focus on. It gets a next-generation take on the i-Cockpit interior, which for a decade has been placing the instruments above the steering wheel to make them more visible to drivers.

Here, the entire windshield becomes a gauge cluster and infotainment screen that’s equivalent to having a 31-inch display.

The focal point, though, is the Hypersquare rectangular steering wheel, something Peugeot began teasing on concepts a couple of years ago.

Each of the four circles within the wheel is a pod containing key controls, and steer-by-wire tech means the wheel’s gearing can be increased at parking speeds, reducing the number of turns to less than one.

Peugeot says it’s no mere show-car fantasy, either. Both the wheel and the steer-by-wire tech that “connects” it to the driving wheels will be on a production Peugeot by 2027, the company says, meaning the next 208.

Peugeot

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

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

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

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

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

What Visual Changes Will AMG Bring?

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

SH Proshots

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

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

Sporty Cabin, Supercar-Rivaling Power

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

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

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

SH Proshots

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

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

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

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

What Needs To Happen First?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What’s Next For Megane And Scenic?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Refresh In The Meantime

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

The other, likely to arrive at the same time, is a bigger battery. The largest battery currently available is a 60 kWh unit that gives a feeble 285 miles (459 km) of range, but the bigger Scenic has an 87 kWh pack which lasts 382 miles (615 km) between fills, and the Megane’s new Nissan Leaf cousin has a 75 kWh battery that provides a 303-mile (488 km) range.

Sources: Auto Express

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

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

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

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

What Happened Next?

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

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

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

From Roof To Road

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

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

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

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

Wheelhome

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

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

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

Wheelhome

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

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

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

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

How Small Is Small?

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

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

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

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

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

Slow And Steady Power

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GM

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A controversial CEO

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

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

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

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

Banking on AI

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The platform

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

Small battery, solid city range

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

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

How Quick Is It?

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

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

Tiny, but only on the outside

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lipstick gearstick

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

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

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

Is Renault Onto Something?

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

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

Renault

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

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

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

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

Teasing the Shape

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

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

Shared DNA With Porsche

Under the skin it will likely share plenty with Porsche’s Cayenne Electric, and could get the same 108 kWh battery. The Porsche will come with three powertrain options delivering 394 hp (400 PS / 294 kW) for the base Cayenne, 592 hp (600 PS / 441 kW) in S trim, and 794 hp (805 PS / 592 kW) as a Turbo, and Bentley could cherry pick the more potent two of those three.

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

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

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

How Long Will Gas Survive?

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

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

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

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

Baldauf

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

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

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

Hints of the Past, Vision of the Future

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

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

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

Steer-by-Wire Takes Center Stage

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

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

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

Shared DNA Across Stellantis Brands

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

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

Peugeot’s 2023 Inception concept teased the Hypersquare steering wheel

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

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

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

Styling

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

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

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

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

New Infotainment System

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

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

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

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

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

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

SH Proshots

Powertrain

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

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

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

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

SH Proshots

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

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

How Bad Is the Damage?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Partial Rebound?

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

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

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