Ferrari’s controversial Luce debut got plenty of attention, though perhaps not the kind Maranello was hoping for. Rather than have cross-town rival Lamborghini feeling like it’s behind the times, it appears as though the brand’s CEO is even more content now that the Lanzador didn’t remain on schedule for an earlier debut. He’s openly doubling down on the idea that Lamborghini was right to delay the brand’s first EV.

In a round table with journalists, asked about the reaction to the Luce, Lamborghini CEO Stephan Winkelmann said his company made the “right decision” in postponing its first fully electric car, arguing that customer demand for electric supercars simply hasn’t materialized the way much of the industry assumed it would.

Read: EV Plans Wait As Lamborghini Expands V8 And V12 Lineup

According to Handelsblatt, Winkelmann said Lamborghini has spent years monitoring demand in the luxury segment. To no one’s surprise who’s been paying attention, the company found that acceptance of electric vehicles hasn’t climbed at anything close to the pace many had forecast.

The automaker had planned to launch the all-electric Lanzador before the end of the decade. Initially, production was simply delayed. Now, it won’t happen until at least 2030, if not later, because acceptance for EVs within the brand’s target demographic was “close to zero.” For now, Lamborghini has scrapped it and is looking at a new hybrid model to join the lineup in the near future.

Importantly, European regulations currently call for a ban on the sale of new combustion-powered vehicles beginning in 2035, although exemptions for e-fuels and certain low-volume manufacturers remain under discussion. While many exotic-car makers spent the last several years announcing ambitious EV programs, Lamborghini now appears content to let others test the waters first.

That’s probably a wise move considering its positioning. While nowhere near as successful as Ferrari, Lamborghini has its position underneath Volkswagen Group going for it. It’s currently one of the most profitable divisions. In 2025, it generated €3.2 billion ($3.7 billion) in revenue. Even though operating profit slipped from €835 million ($970 million) to €768 million ($892 million), the company still posted a remarkable 24 percent operating margin.

For years, automakers, including Lexus that once pledged to go EV-only by 2035, told us the future would be electric. Now that EV growth has cooled in several key markets, many of those same companies are quietly changing course, often at a huge cost. Lexus, however, thinks it has found a smarter, less financially painful way forward.

Related: The 2027 Lexus TZ Borrows The Highlander’s Bones And The LFA’s V10 Voice

Instead of betting everything on dedicated EV platforms, or U-turning in favor of old-fashioned gas cars, Toyota’s luxury division is developing vehicles that can be built as either hybrids or fully electric models using much of the same underlying architecture. It’s a strategy designed to give Lexus maximum flexibility while competitors wrestle with expensive shifts in demand.

One Platform, Two Powertrains

Future products will be designed so the two brands can install either a battery pack or a hybrid powertrain within essentially the same vehicle structure, according to Lexus and Toyota executives who presented the plan to Handelsblatt and other media at the Shimoyama development center in Japan. That means Lexus can react faster if customer demand swings toward EVs, hybrids, or somewhere in between. Or if the next US president reinstates tax credits for cleaner vehicles.

Toyota CTO Hiroki Nakajima told reporters that Lexus’s upcoming TZ electric SUV is expected to be profitable from launch in North America. That’s a claim many automakers would love to make right now, because some, like Honda/Acura and Porsche, are hurting badly from having written off billions of dollars in EV development, and US EV sales are dire.

Christopher Richter, an automotive analyst at CLSA in Tokyo, traces that edge to Lexus’s lower cost base. Toyota doesn’t break out Lexus financials, but Richter told the German outlet he figures the brand’s margins sit well into the double digits. By comparison, Mercedes posted a return on sales of 5% last year and BMW managed 5.3%. The trick, Richter says, is that Lexus can charge BMW money while leaning on the purchasing volume and development resources of the world’s largest carmaker.

The TZ isn’t the first Lexus or only Lexus to benefit from common-platform thinking. The new ES sedan is already available as a hybrid or EV, both versions built from the same basic architecture. It’s not a strategy peculiar to Lexus. BMW and Mercedes also build some EVs and hybrid cars on shared platforms, including the X1 and iX1, 5-series and i5, and CLA.

But the two German brands also have EV-specific platforms. BMW’s new ICE 3-series sedan, for instance, will look almost identical to the i3 electric 3-series, yet they’ll ride on totally different architectures.

Profit Over Volume

BMW and Mercedes both sell more than twice as many cars as Lexus, which moved 882,291 vehicles worldwide in 2025, nearly half of them in North America. In particular, Mercedes shifted around 1.8 million that year and BMW close to 2.2 million under its core brand. But in the luxury game it’s profit, not registrations, that counts, and Toyota’s upscale division seems convinced it holds the better hand.

Lexus, Rivers/Carscoops

One of VW’s most influential board members believes that once automakers actually convince buyers to go electric, internal combustion cars could end up viewed the same way we now see horses, an outdated form of transportation.

According to Martin Sander, VW’s board member for sales, marketing, and aftersales, more needs to be done to persuade people to buy an EV, rather than simply talking about ICE bans, such as the 2030 deadline in the UK.

More: VW’s Cheapest Golf Left America In 2021, Mexico Could Bring It Back

“[Today] I look out of the window: not many horses – it’s predominantly cars,” he told Auto Express. “This is why I hate the discussion about the ICE (internal combustion engine) ban. Everyone is just talking about the ICE ban. How do you convince customers about a new technology if you’re only talking about when there will be a date when you are not allowed to use these vehicles – vehicles you have got used to over the last decades – anymore?”

Sander believes that “over time, more and more customers will be convinced” to buy an EV if barriers to ownership, such as improvements to charging infrastructure, are removed. “Let’s talk about what we need to do to actually convince customers: the charging infrastructure; talk positively about the advantages of electric vehicles, and possibly do something around the energy prices,” he noted.

Read: VW Kills Its Last Manual Gearbox Model In America

The board member suggested that if these conditions are met, the number of customers interested in owning an ICE-powered vehicle could drop to as little as “three, four, five percent” by 2035.

No EREVs For Europe

Interestingly, while VW transitions towards electrification in Europe, it doesn’t plan to introduce any of the range-extender EVs it offers in China, suggesting that demand for this powertrain won’t be strong enough in Europe.

Read: VW’s New $16,200 EV Sedan Is Longer Than A Jetta And Runs On Xpeng Tech

Despite this, Sander notes that the lessons VW is taking from its expansion of electrified vehicles in China will help it overseas.

“Everything we are learning in China will help us to be competitive in all the other markets around the globe where we are competing with the Chinese,” he said. “On our end it’s very much about scale, efficiency and cost, and this is what we are working on diligently. We have to be competitive. There’s no alternative.”

Jason Momoa has developed an electromod habit that would make most petrol-loving classic car purists break out in hives. First came an electric 1929 Rolls-Royce Phantom II. Then a one-off miniature Bentley Blower EV. Now Hollywood’s Aquaman has handed a pair of rare Land Rovers and a trio of century-old Harley-Davidsons to an EV conversion company.

The latest chapter in Momoa’s increasingly eclectic garage comes courtesy of British EV specialist Electrogenic, which features prominently in the second season of his HBO Max documentary series On The Roam. This time, the company tackled five classic conversions, while also creating a battery-packed adventure trailer for extended off-grid expeditions.

Related: Jason Momoa Put A 666 Badge On His Tiny Bentley, But It’s Not What It Looks Like

Let’s start with the motorcycles, because they put a really different spin on the whole idea of converting old ICE machines to electricity. Rather than removing the original engines, Electrogenic transformed a pair of Harley-Davidson Model JDs from the 1920s into plug-in hybrids.

Choose Your Power

Momoa can choose the bikes to be propelled by 15 hp (15 PS / 11 kW) of electric power, the original 20 hp (20 PS / 15 kW) gasoline power, or both at once on his 1924 and 1927 model JD plug-ins. There’s even enough electric assistance from the 190 lb-ft (260 Nm) electric motor to eliminate the traditional kick starter.

A third bike, a 1921 Harley-Davidson Model FD, went fully electric after its original engine was deemed beyond repair. All three use discreet 2.7 kWh battery packs hidden inside period-style panniers good for more than 50 miles (80 km) of electric riding, and feature modern braking upgrades.

Photos Electrogenic

The Land Rover conversions are definitely more conventional. A 1949 Series I and a highly collectible 1961 Series IIA 109 Dormobile camper have both been converted to full electric power. Electrogenic retained the Landies’ original four-wheel-drive systems and transfer cases, meaning they should still be every bit as capable off-road, only much faster and quieter on it.

The Series I gets a 48 kWh battery and a 201 hp (204 PS / 150 kW) motor, while the Dormobile uses a larger 62 kWh pack paired with a 161 hp (163 PS / 120 kW) motor. Both offer around 150 miles (240 km) of real-world range and CCS fast charging. The Dormobile even swaps its original gas cooking setup for an induction hob, creating what is effectively a fully electric classic camper.

And finally, Electrogenic also kitted out Momoa’s Schutt Industries XVENTURE XV-2 camping trailer with a massive 93 kWh battery pack for those long, wilderness getaways. It can reportedly power camping equipment for up to a month while also serving as a mobile charging station. What do you think Momoa’s next EV commission should be?

Photos Electrogenic

The Honda Prelude continues to kick the Subaru BRZ’s butt as the former sold 318 hybrid coupes in May. That outpaced their more traditional rival, which only moved 255 units.

Thankfully, it wasn’t all bad news for sporty Subies as WRX sales soared 147.9% to 1,195 units. The company didn’t bother mentioning the low-volume sedan in their sales release, but the increase is hardly surprising given the fact that they slashed prices and brought back the entry-level variant.

More: WRX Sales Fell Off A Cliff, So Subaru Brings Back The Cheap One

Thanks to the changes, the 2026 WRX begins at $32,495 and that’s $5,255 less than last year’s model. Subaru also lowered the price of the WRX Premium by $3,755, while the WRX Limited was slashed by $3,685. Even the WRX GT and WRX tS got a $2,710 reduction.

Putting the fun stuff aside, overall Subaru sales were up 10.4% last month to 57,748 units. This was largely due to strong demand for the Crosstrek and Forester.

Subaru noted the Crosstrek achieved its best May ever, while hybrid sales hit a new monthly record. The Japanese automaker also posted its best-ever EV monthly sales of 3,094 units.

While the Solterra dropped 39.8%, the decline in sales was more than offset by the new Trailseeker and Uncharted. It’s worth noting the latter EV even outsold the aforementioned WRX.

As for the rest of the lineup, it wasn’t pretty and we’re not talking about the Outback. Sales of the aging Ascent continued their descent, while the Impreza plunged 35.8%. The zombie Legacy found 90 takers, but sales should fade quickly as a quick search suggests less than 100 new units remain in inventory.

Subaru May US Sales

Fiat has handed over fresh photos of the Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback, both due in global markets before the year is out. These compact SUVs now sit at the top of the range, larger and more practical than the Grande Panda beneath them. Affordability stays part of the pitch, and buyers get a spread of powertrain choices to pick from.

The Italian company calls the Grizzly a versatile, spacious and approachable SUV, naturally suited to family use. Read between the lines and the target is obvious. This is aimed squarely at the Dacia Bigster, itself a stretched take on the popular Duster.

More: Stellantis Puts Cheap Cars Under $30,000 Back On America’s Menu

The styling leans boxy, with sculpted surfaces and modern detailing throughout. The sharp LED headlights run down into the bumper, the grille is illuminated, the wheel arches are squared off, and the greenhouse borrows a Citroen flavor. The alloys finish the look with a futuristic edge.

The Grizzly Fastback gets a sloped roofline toward the rear and drops the roof rails of the standard version. The coupe-SUV tail brings full-width LED lights, a subtle ducktail spoiler, a recess across the bumper and tailgate, and plenty of plastic cladding.

More: Stellantis Swears Its Rebadges Won’t Be Lazy, But Only Four Brands Get 70% Of The Cash

Fiat designers seem to have found the right balance between visual separation and cost-cutting, since the two SUVs appear to share most of their body panels. On size, the company says the Grizzly duo comes in under 4.5 meters (177.2 inches) long.

While we have yet to see photos of the interior, Fiat says that the Grizzly and the Grizzly Fastback will “elevate the in-car experience through refined interiors, attention to detail, and technologies designed to simplify everyday life”. They also promise “exceptional interior space” and segment-leading cargo capacity with the latter being a strong selling point.

The new models ride on Stellantis’ Smart Car architecture, the same platform already underpinning the Fiat Grande Panda, Citroen C3, C3 Aircross, and Opel Frontera. Fiat has confirmed the Grizzly family will arrive with a full powertrain offer, from petrol to BEV. That points to the 1.2-liter engine in regular and mild-hybrid forms, plus the fully electric setup borrowed from its Stellantis stablemates.

More: Fiat’s Pandina Replacement Has Three Seats And The Driver Sits In The Middle

The Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback will be sold across several regions, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America. Depending on the market, they could act as an indirect replacement for the discontinued Fiat Tipo and the smaller Pulse and Fastback. The rollout starts in the second half of 2026, beginning with Europe and the Middle East and Africa.

Fiat CEO Olivier Francois said: “[The] Grande Panda marked the return of Fiat to affordable family movers. With Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback, we’re completing this lineup with two vehicles designed around different needs, different lifestyles, but sharing the same idea: smart, accessible and rooted in Fiat’s design DNA. Together, they bring Fiat back at the heart of the family mobility market with a complete and coherent line-up”.

Stellantis

The national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.29 and that’s up nearly $1.15 from a year ago. However, some states like California are paying over $6 per gallon.

Given the sky-high prices, it’s no surprise that customers are embracing hybrids and even showing renewed interest in EVs. That’s certainly the case over at Hyundai, where hybrid sales soared 90% compared to last year. Sonata Hybrid sales were up 250%, while the Santa Fe (30%), Elantra (29%), and Tucson (10%) hybrids also experienced gains.

More: Hyundai’s Best-Seller Gets Cheaper Hybrids And A New Blackout Model

Electric vehicles also bounced back following the elimination of the federal tax credit last year. In fact, the Ioniq 5 celebrated its best May ever as sales jumped 28% to 5,002 units. The model is now up 16% year-to-date as customers have snapped up 18,395 electric hatchbacks.

The Ioniq 9 is also doing okay as customers bought 1,145 last month. That’s not great, but it’s still a 279% increase from this time last year.

Overall, Hyundai sales were up 3% to 87,468 units. This was largely due to the Tucson, which found 20,581 buyers in May. The crossover was followed by the affordable Elantra, which was up 7% to 16,819 units. The Palisade is also proving popular as consumers snapped up 13,089 of them.

As for the losers, they’re not much of a surprise as Ioniq 6 sales fell 85% to 176 units. Of course, that’s hardly shocking as the company dropped the mainstream model and the high-performance N variant isn’t on sale in America yet.

The Santa Cruz plunged 41%, while the Venue fell 27%. The latter feels like a relic from a bygone era, while the unibody truck is expected to be living on borrowed time.

Hyundai May 2026 US Sales

Mitsubishi has confirmed the return of the Pajero, previously sold as the Montero in markets like North America, reborn as a flagship cross-country SUV on ladder-frame underpinnings. That alone would be news. It is also just one of thirteen model debuts the Japanese firm has promised over the next six years.

One of the more important details to emerge is that the Pajero name will spread across a family of vehicles, led by that flagship SUV based on the Triton pickup, joined by a compact SUV and a small one that could slot into the kei car segment. The baby Pajero looks to be a different animal from the existing Delica Mini, itself one of the most rugged-looking kei cars Japan has to offer.

More: This Strange Off-Road Minivan Keeps Getting Facelifts After Nearly 19 Years And Still Sells Out

There is also a minivan coming under what Mitsubishi calls its off-road product group, which reads like a successor to the aging, but still popular in Japan, Delica D:5. That van has soldiered on since 2007 with two facelifts to its name. Rounding out the off-road push are two more SUVs Mitsubishi is staying quiet about, plus a pickup that may well turn out to be the facelifted Triton.

Over in ASEAN markets, Mitsubishi will roll out a new generation of the Xpander, the hybrid crossover minivan that first appeared in 2017 and was facelifted in 2022.

More: Mitsubishi’s New 400HP Compact Comes From The Same Factory As Your iPhone

The other five launches will be the fruit of collaboration with other brands. There is a fully electric coupe-SUV built on the Nissan Leaf, another electric SUV developed with Foxconn, a pair of Nissan-sourced kei wagons offered in combustion and EV forms, and a new pickup.

Two Pickup Projects With Nissan, Maybe Three

Speaking of trucks, another slide in the presentation mentions a new “pickup collaboration project with Nissan” for North America. A separate global pickup project is also under consideration, again with Nissan, alongside an updated Triton that is likely already in development

More: Mitsubishi’s New Triton Raider Got Everything Except The One Thing It Needed

Worth untangling the web here. The Australian-spec Nissan Navara is based on the current Mitsubishi Triton, while the electrified Nissan Frontier Pro draws on the Chinese Dongfeng Z9. That second one could feed into the global project, since it is rumored to reach Europe wearing Navara badges and could just as easily put on a Mitsubishi suit for markets with strict emissions rules.

HEVs, PHEVs, and BEVs

In terms of powertrains, Mitsubishi’s future relies heavily on electrification. The company announced that five of the 13 upcoming models will be self-charging hybrids, and another five will be plug-in hybrids.

Since three models are listed as BEVs in the official teaser, there is no room for any non-electrified offering. That is a little puzzling, since the Pajero was thought to use the 2.4-liter turbodiesel from the Triton, though that engine could presumably gain hybrid assistance.

More: Mitsubishi Is Still Selling A New 4WD Pickup For Used Corolla Money

In fact, Mitsubishi explicitly states they are developing in-house PHEV/HEV-dedicated engines boasting a world-class 48% thermal efficiency, confirming their deployment across all models – including those riding on ladder-frame underpinnings.

To fight off rapid-fire releases from new competitors, the brand is using AI and digital transformation to slash development lead times by 20%. They are shrinking the timeline from the current 45 months down to 36 months to get these 13 models to market faster.

Mitsubishi

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In 2024, a sheriff’s deputy working for the Outagamie County Sheriff’s Department was forced out for being lousy at his job. But even though the deputy, Cristian Morales, was flagged in the state’s negative separation database, he ended up being hired a few months later by the Menasha Police Department. 

Earlier this year, Morales was arrested and accused of stalking an ex-girlfriend using the city’s Flock camera system. He’s now facing criminal charges.

While some folks are suited for the difficult work of being a law enforcement officer, many are not. It’s hardly a controversial statement to say that police, who can arrest people and use force when necessary, should be held to a higher standard than the rest of us.

And yet our reporting at The Badger Project has found that police chiefs and sheriffs in Wisconsin often give these “wandering officers” second or third chances, despite research saying that officers fired or forced out for misconduct are more likely than other cops to reoffend.

At our last count, more than 300 active officers in Wisconsin had been fired or forced out of previous law enforcement jobs. Many of these separations involved novices who couldn’t cut it in a tough job during their probationary period, when the bar for termination is low. But some, we’ve found, lost jobs for misconduct, including drunk driving, writing misleading reports and using sexist and racist language.

In Wisconsin, law enforcement agencies can report to the state DOJ when they fire or force out an officer, so we can track when that cop goes on to get hired by another policing agency. But we are currently unable to track these wandering officers who have been fired or forced out in other states and come to work here because we don’t have a list of all law enforcement officers here.

That’s why The Badger Project, along with our partners at the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit journalism organization, requested the full list of names and work histories from the Wisconsin Department of Justice and sued when it refused.

In April, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Rhonda Lanford ruled in our favor and ordered the DOJ to release the records. She cited a previous state appeals court ruling that said law enforcement officers “necessarily relinquish certain privacy and reputational rights by virtue of the amount of trust society places in them and must be subject to public scrutiny.”

Prominent members of Wisconsin’s law enforcement community have criticized the judge’s ruling, saying it goes too far. An appeal could be coming.

Jim Palmer, executive director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association, wrote an op-ed saying the release of these records could put officers at “risk of harassment, doxxing and worse.” He said officers’ birthdates are part of the records whose release we are seeking. Not so: While our initial records request asked for birthdates or birth years (to distinguish between officers with the same name), our lawsuit only asked for birth years, not months and days.

The state DOJ raised another objection, saying release of the names would jeopardize undercover officers. But what cop uses his or her real name when working undercover? We did not request photos of the officers.

I salute and thank the men and women in law enforcement who are serving their communities. I don’t envy the chiefs and sheriffs who must staff their agencies at a time when finding good job applicants for law enforcement jobs is as hard as ever.

And you know what? We at The Badger Project are not against second chances for cops who screwed up. Perhaps an officer who made a fireable mistake has learned from it. Whether that officer should continue in law enforcement is not for us to decide. Our job, as journalists, is to shine a light on those in power and get facts to the public who are being policed by these folks.

If chiefs or sheriffs want to hire an officer with problems in the past, they should say so publicly and defend their decision. They just can’t make these decisions in secret.

Your Right to Know is a monthly column distributed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (wisfoic.org), a nonprofit, nonpartisan group dedicated to open government. Peter Cameron is managing editor of The Badger Project, a nonprofit news outlet.

Your Right to Know: Names of police should be public is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Chinese automakers have spent the last few years steamrolling into Europe with bargain prices, generous equipment, and monthly lease deals looking almost too good to ignore. But there’s a growing catch buyers are starting to notice. Those bargain EVs can lose value frighteningly quickly once they leave the showroom. 

Fresh figures from Germany’s DAT vehicle valuation group show Chinese EVs and plug-in hybrids are depreciating twice as fast as the industry average. And the rate of depreciation is only getting worse.

Related: They Nicknamed It The Temu Range Rover, Car Insurers Are Pricing It Like The Real One

That creates headaches for almost everyone involved. Owners face painful trade-in figures, manufacturers risk swallowing losses through guaranteed buyback schemes, and leasing companies suddenly discover the cars returning are worth far less than expected.

Martin Weiss from DAT told Autonews Europe that “it is not enough to launch a good product.” Brands also need strong support systems behind the scenes if they want used buyers to remain confident years later. Part of the problem is uncertainty. Plenty of European buyers wonder whether some Chinese brands will actually stick around long term. Concerns about servicing, replacement parts, and dealer networks continue making cautious used buyers think twice.

Not Just Chinese EVs Suffering

But it’s not only Chinese brands feeling the pressure. Britain’s EV market is also watching residual values tumble across the board, in part due to the influx of cars from China, the Financial Times reported recently. Quoting figures from Indicata, it claimed the average three-year-old EV as of last month was worth 38 percent of its original value, compared with 46 percent in Germany, France and Spain. In contrast, a same-age petrol car in the UK retained 45 percent of its value, and a hybrid, 51 percent.

Carmakers are under huge pressure to increase EV sales, so many are throwing massive discounts at new models to hit UK government targets. That’s pushed a Chinese car, the Jaecoo 7, to the top of the UK sales chart for the first time ever, but it leaves nearly-new EVs looking overpriced beside heavily incentivized factory-fresh cars.

Ironically, rapid technological progress is also hurting values. Chinese brands especially release updates at breakneck speed, meaning today’s cutting-edge EV can suddenly feel old-fashioned months later. Great for innovation perhaps, but brutal if you’re trying to protect resale values.

Aiways, Porsche, Audi

For decades, the Lexus ES has existed in a comfortable little bubble. Buyers loved it because it was quiet, reliable, spacious, and almost aggressively committed to not upsetting anyone. It wasn’t sporty, it wasn’t especially daring, and if you asked enthusiasts about it, many would respond with a shrug and a comment about retirement communities.

That wasn’t really criticism either. Lexus knew exactly what the ES was and, more importantly, who it was for. The formula worked so well that the brand had little reason to mess with it. Why reinvent a luxury sedan that’s spent years quietly printing money? Now Lexus says it’s broadened the ES formula.

Read: The First Electric Lexus ES Actually Costs Less Than The Hybrid

After driving the all-new 2026 ES lineup around San Diego, including the ES 350h AWD hybrid, ES 350e, and range-topping ES 500e AWD, there’s evidence the company wasn’t just tossing around marketing jargon. The eighth-generation ES is a big change. It’s literally larger in every direction, rides on a new multi-pathway architecture supporting both hybrid and EV variants, and, for the first time ever, gets fully electric versions.

That also created an unusual challenge for this review. The new ES is really two different cars wearing nearly identical sheet metal. One relies on Lexus’ latest hybrid system while the other embraces full electrification, and they deliver very different experiences from behind the wheel. So rather than force them into one giant blended driving section, we’re splitting that section of this review into two. One set of impressions for the hybrid and another for the EVs.

QUICK FACTS

Because after spending a day hopping between all three variants, one thing became clear: they may look nearly identical, and sitting in them produces the same vibe… but they absolutely don’t feel identical once you’re moving. So did Lexus finally build an ES with some personality? Or is this just a modernized appliance for those who don’t really love driving to begin with? Read on to find out.

Styling

Aside from actual ES owners and sincere fans, most folks probably couldn’t provide many details about what the ES generations look like from one to the next. Most blended into traffic so effectively that you could probably lose one in a Costco parking lot within minutes. Not this one.

The new ES genuinely looks striking. During our drive, it repeatedly turned heads and, at one point, one distracted Mazda driver seemed more interested in staring at the Lexus than the road ahead. That’s anecdotal, sure, but the point stands. People noticed it.

The side profile is dominated by an enormous character strake that feels very Lexus. It very much reminds me of the Maxwell tape ad “Blown Away Guy.” Some people are going to hate it. Others will love it. That’s okay. Lexus has spent years pushing design further than Toyota, and it continues doing exactly that here.

The hood itself is wild too. There are creases and surfacing details piled on top of more creases and surfacing details. Exhibit should pop out any moment, asking if we wanted creases on our creases. Depending on your taste, it’ll either feel bold or overworked. It’s probably one of the many touches Lexus is using to make this look as far afield from a Toyota product as it can.

The rear, meanwhile, is where things come together best. The Blade-style taillight treatment works, the proportions are cleaner than before, and the trunk opens surprisingly wide. Useful details still matter in a sedan like this. Dimensionally, this thing has grown significantly too. Wheelbase stretches to 116.1 inches, while total length swells to 202.4 inches.

Cabin Appointments

The cabin immediately creates a strong first impression. The seats are excellent. Bolstering is good, thigh support is good, visibility is good, and the seating position doesn’t leave you perched awkwardly high like some modern luxury vehicles (especially electrified ones). Add in the massage functionality, and long highway drives should be easy work.

Fit and finish are generally impressive, too. This isn’t a flagship, but that doesn’t mean that Lexus suddenly abandoned quality. Panel fit felt mature and well-sorted. The available bamboo trim also deserves praise. It looks genuinely interesting and, importantly, it’s real material rather than some totally fake printed substitute. Luxury trims get illuminated bamboo layering integrated into the cabin design as well.

Of course, then you start touching things, and a few cracks begin to appear.

For example, the look of the HVAC controls is nice. It’s uniform, simple, and most importantly, we’re talking about physical buttons. But Lexus hid them all under a long rubberized panel. It feels a lot like (and I realize very few ES buyers will get this reference) the texture of gaming controller stalks. That’s all well and good, but only to a point.

Since everything lives on one strip and relies almost entirely on symbols, you still glance down to make sure you’re pressing the right thing. Worse, if one switch fails, replacing it means replacing or, at very least, removing a much larger assembly. Plenty of buyers won’t care because they’ll sell before the warranty runs out, but it’s worth considering for second or third buyers and especially beyond.

The steering wheel buttons don’t help. Some feel oddly cheap for a Lexus, and the infotainment volume knob looks expensive while somehow feeling… not expensive.

Thankfully, the infotainment system itself provides no real reason for anything but praise. Every ES gets a 14-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital driver display. The screen is bright, responsive, and fairly intuitive once you learn your way around it. The Mark Levinson 17-speaker system absolutely rips, too.

Rear seat buyers get interesting options too. The Executive Package adds heated, ventilated, and massaging rear seats plus a deployable ottoman on the passenger side. That’s delightfully weird and surprisingly cool. Lexus says buyers get 13.3 cubic feet of cargo space, which is fine for the class. The extra length of this car really goes toward rear-seat comfort over all else. From that standpoint, it’s a clear winner, as at 6’6”, my head only grazed the roof and my legs had space for days.

Driving Impressions

ES 350h

First and foremost, let’s focus on the ES 350h. The hybrids will no doubt be the volume sellers here. Lexus imagines that 80 percent of buyers will pick the hybrid, and it’s easy to see why. It’s the tech that most are familiar with, and the two versions couldn’t be much more different when it comes to range and performance.

The ES 350h uses a 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid setup producing 244 hp (182 kW), a CVT, and offers up to 46 mpg combined in FWD form. Lexus also says the range exceeds 600 miles. Our test car started the day with 629 miles of predicted range. That’s outstanding and makes this a genuine highway mile crusher for those who regularly take longer drives.

Those who opt for the AWD version won’t give up much in fuel economy either. It gets up to 44 mpg, but keep in mind that performance doesn’t really change. The FWD version does 0-60 mph in 7.3 seconds, while the AWD gets an electric motor for the rear axle and does the same sprint in 7.1 seconds. Those figures are acceptable, but far from what the average enthusiast will consider reasonable.

First Look: Lexus’ New TZ Trades Fake Ruggedness For Quiet Luxury

Around town, the ES is dialed in. It’s comfortable, quiet, composed, and just a pleasant place to spend time. I’d stop short of saying that it feels particularly nimble or playful, but it doesn’t feel clumsy, dopey, or disappointing. While the steering verges on overly light, the pedal feedback deserves real praise. It’s easy to get hybrid braking systems wrong, but Lexus absolutely nailed it here. Modulating the brakes on what starts out as a harder braking event is easy enough that you can finish that same event with a deft and subtle touch easily.

There’s only one problem that really stands out, but it only pops up under one circumstance, and to solve it, there’s a simple fix. Never ever drive the EV.

ES 350e / ES 500e

Back when we tested the BMW i5 and its gas-powered counterparts, we noted something unique. The gas-burners felt decidedly more fun to drive because, while they weren’t as quick, they were so much lighter that chucking them around was more engaging. Somehow, Lexus has done the exact opposite here. If anything, the EVs feel more playful, but that’s not why hybrid buyers need to stay away.

The problem is that the EVs are so quiet that the hybrid feels abnoxiously loud after driving them back to back. Don’t get us wrong. The hybrids aren’t actually loud in the grand scheme of things. But adding a relatively unrefined efficiency-focused four-cylinder to a CVT and lengthy acceleration times for things like getting on the highway, and these two are in different leagues when it comes to interior noise.

Recentering on the driving experience itself, the ES 350e starts with 221 hp (167 kW), front-wheel drive, and up to 307 miles of range. It reaches 60 mph in 7.4 seconds. That’s right, a modern automaker just built an EV that’s slower than its hybrid equivalent. Leave it to Lexus, I guess. From behind the wheel, though, it’s surprisingly good. Obviously, the throttle response is far more direct.

The steering and braking are similar to the hybrid, but it’s worth noting that there’s no simple one-pedal driving setting. Instead, Lexus allows drivers to increase or decrease regenerative braking via pedals. That’s nice, but one-pedal driving is even nicer for those who prefer it.

The ES 500e is the real winner here. Its dual-motor setup pumps out 338 hp (252 kW) and launches to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. This is the one for drivers. Acceleration hits hard down low. It feels punchy, nimble in traffic, and more premium because it actually feels like Lexus wanted to compete dynamically.

Even then, this still feels slightly conservative. Like Lexus got halfway toward building a true German sports sedan rival and then eased off. Still, if I had to choose? Easy. I’d charge at home and buy the ES 500e. NACS charging capability only sweetens the deal.

Competition

Pricing is where the new ES starts making a strong argument. The hybrid lineup begins at just over $51,000, while the EV range spans from roughly $49,000 for the ES 350e to just over $60,000 for a loaded ES 500e AWD Luxury. That’s notable because key rivals often start much higher. A BMW i5 begins around $68,500, while the Mercedes E-Class starts in the mid-$60,000 range before options begin their inevitable attack on your wallet.

Then there are the numbers. The ES 350h offers up to 46 mpg combined and over 600 miles of estimated range, while the EVs deliver between 272 and 307 miles depending on trim and wheel choice. The ES 500e also puts down 338 hp (252 kW) and reaches 60 mph in 5.1 seconds, making it quick enough to stay in the conversation even if it won’t embarrass German rivals at a stoplight.

The difference is philosophy. BMW and Mercedes still prioritize performance and prestige. Lexus seems content offering a quieter, less complicated luxury experience that also happens to cost thousands less. Whether that’s enough depends entirely on what you want out of a luxury sedan.

The Verdict

The old ES formula worked because Lexus understood exactly what its buyers wanted. It wasn’t a big flagship sedan, and it wasn’t a tight compact sports sedan either. This new one adds a little more spice without completely abandoning the script. The hybrid remains the rational choice.

But the EVs, especially the ES 500e, finally inject some personality into a sedan that spent years avoiding it. Lexus broadened the ES. I just wish it had gone a little further. Thankfully, this is just the start of the generation. There’s plenty of time left for an ES 500e F. Note that we didn’t say “F-Sport.” Hope Lexus is listening.

Credit: Stephen Rivers for Carscoops / Lexus

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• Dane County ended a four-year program that distributed pipes and smoking supplies to reduce overdose deaths and disease transmission among people who use drugs.
• Public health officials said the program increased visits from people seeking overdose reversal medication, fentanyl test strips and other harm reduction resources.
• County officials halted the program in March after questions arose about whether distributing pipes violated Wisconsin paraphernalia law.
• People who relied on the free supplies say they may now buy pipes elsewhere, use makeshift devices or inject drugs they previously smoked.

Dane County has ended an initiative to prevent overdose deaths by giving out pipes. 

Four years ago, public health officials started giving people pipes and other supplies to reduce health risks associated with smoking drugs. 

The program was part of the department’s broader efforts to reduce harms of drug use. For decades, syringe service programs across the country have provided harm reduction supplies to people who inject drugs. Though controversial, these programs reduce hospitalizations and overdose deaths while increasing participation in drug treatment.

But in recent years people have increasingly smoked drugs rather than injecting them. Adapting to that trend, harm reduction providers, including Public Health Madison and Dane County, began offering smoking supplies.

The pipe handouts worked. More people visited health officials to receive overdose reversal medication and other resources to prevent drug-related illnesses and injuries. 

But the program was likely illegal under Wisconsin law, which allows injection supplies, not smoking materials. 

Staff stopped offering smoking supplies in March. Spokesperson Morgan Finke cited a need to re-evaluate the program after the risk of COVID-19 transmission from shared pipes sharply declined and federal guidance on harm reduction shifted.

The department still offers injection supplies and other harm reduction items not intended for smoking.

“While syringes are classified as disease prevention materials under state law, smoking supplies have less clear protections,” Finke wrote in an email to Wisconsin Watch.

Halting the distribution of smoking supplies is already having an impact.  

People who previously received pipes from the health office said they will buy similar supplies at smoke shops and gas stations, use makeshift pipes made from foil and soda cans or inject drugs they would have smoked, according to records and interviews obtained by Wisconsin Watch. 

Others said they would likely stop visiting public health altogether. 

Why did health officials hand out pipes?

Wisconsin opioid overdose deaths hit a record high in 2022, topping 1,450.

Officials found more evidence of smoking than injecting at fatal overdose scenes across the U.S. in 2022, a shift from years prior, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Although it still carries overdose risks, evidence shows smoking instead of injecting reduces the spread of diseases like hepatitis, HIV and bacterial infections and abscesses. It may also lower overdose risks. Regular access to new pipes can reduce how often people share pipes or use broken and unsafe materials, according to a national research study that included 2024 survey data from Public Health Madison and Dane County.

Public Health Madison and Dane County offered evidence-based resources to prevent disease and overdoses, including sterile needles, fentanyl test strips and overdose reversal medication. But the office primarily served people who inject drugs, the department’s medical director, Dr. Jonathan Temte, wrote in a 2022 letter explaining why the office would start ordering smoking supplies.

“People who use drugs by means other than injection have no reason to visit,” Temte wrote.

Temte is a family medicine physician and University of Wisconsin-Madison associate dean of public health and community engagement. He advises the health department on a limited basis.

When staff asked Temte to approve adding smoking supplies to the department’s syringe service programs, they told him Wisconsin law allowed it, Temte recalled. He focused on whether medical evidence supported the initiative. 

Health research overwhelmingly supports harm reduction, he said.

Adding smoking supplies addressed two major issues: Health officials needed to get life-saving resources to people who smoked drugs. And without access to safer smoking supplies, people were more likely to share pipes or use materials that cause cuts, burns and infections.

Monthly visits jumped nearly 30% once department offices began regularly offering filters, mouthpieces and two kinds of pipes.

Even with increased visits, the department distributed 3.7% fewer syringes between 2021 and 2023.

But despite the public health benefits, Wisconsin paraphernalia laws criminalizes smoking materials.

A woman visited a public health office and asked for a pipe in early April. When she found the office no longer distributed them, she asked for syringes, according to emails obtained by Wisconsin Watch. Staff asked if she would inject the drugs she usually smokes. She said yes. Without a pipe she would dissolve powdered drugs in water and inject them.

Why did the program end? 

The city-county agency was likely the state’s only syringe service provider that publicized pipes online, according to a 211 list of syringe service programs.

While reporting a feature highlighting the seemingly unique initiative, Wisconsin Watch emailed Madison City Attorney Michael Haas on March 23 to ask how the department could legally distribute pipes. 

The email was forwarded to public health staff, records obtained by Wisconsin Watch show. The public health agency redacted correspondence related to the email, citing attorney client privilege. 

The next day, a public health supervisor instructed a staff member to remove smoking supplies from an internal tracking system. By the end of the week the department’s website no longer mentioned safer smoking supplies.

Wisconsin’s paraphernalia law bans equipment used, designed or intended for inhaling a controlled substance. Possessing paraphernalia carries a penalty up to a $500 fine and 30 days in jail. 

Dane County lowered local penalties for drug paraphernalia citations in 2023. County sheriffs and local police have continued to fine and charge people for possessing smoking materials similar to those health officials distributed.

Madison police cited paraphernalia possession in around 350 arrests in 2025, department records show.

“Public health programs must follow federal, state and local law,” Finke told Wisconsin Watch. “While we continue to evaluate disease transmissions within the community and evolving guidance from federal agencies, we have currently removed smoking supplies from our offerings.”

But the medical evidence supporting the service has not changed “one iota,” Temte said. “It’s just one more (example) of the politicization of public health.” 

The smoking supply rollback came as harm reduction lost support from federal leaders.

The Biden administration spent millions on harm reduction efforts but prohibited spending grant dollars on pipes after reporting on the potential distribution of safer smoking kits went viral and drew criticism.

The Trump administration announced in 2025 a “clear shift away from harm reduction and practices that facilitate illicit drug use and are incompatible with Federal laws.”

Federal health leaders wrote in April that federal dollars cannot be used to buy “drug paraphernalia or supplies that promote or facilitate drug use” including pipes, injection supplies and fentanyl test strips.

The city-county’s harm reduction program focuses on reducing overdose deaths and preventing disease transmission, Finke said. 

“We will continue to engage with and educate policy makers to ensure that federal and state policy evolves consistent(ly) alongside the growing evidence base supporting effective substance use prevention and harm reduction strategies.” 

Opioid overdoses have dramatically declined since 2023, but overdose deaths involving stimulants have increased. People who smoke stimulants, like methamphetamine and cocaine, are at a growing risk for overdose, said Giavana Margo, Wisconsin program manager for Vital Strategies, a national nonprofit working to reduce overdose deaths.

“There’s a lot to be celebrated, and we’re still losing way too many lives to overdose,” Margo said.

What happens now?

Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and 15 other states allow syringe service programs to distribute pipes, according to a comprehensive review of paraphernalia laws. 

Wisconsin’s paraphernalia laws only exempt smoking supplies associated with tobacco consumption. 

But Wisconsinites can still buy pipes typically used to smoke illegal drugs, several advocates and people using drugs told Wisconsin Watch. Gas stations, local shops and online sellers advertise the glassware as tobacco products, decorations or household items.

Standing outside the department’s East Madison location in late-April a woman who identified herself as Ashley said she received pipes from the office for years. Without the free pipes, people will buy them at nearby stores for around $8 or “improvise” makeshift supplies, the 39-year-old said.

She visited public health for pipes whenever one broke, usually about twice a month. Staff asked whether she had enough fentanyl test strips and wanted to help her “stay as safe as possible,” she said. She can still go to the office to get things like condoms, bandages, injection supplies and tampons. 

“It helps when you’re homeless like I am,” she said. 

Most people who received harm reduction supplies from health officials in 2024 left with fentanyl test strips and overdose reversal medication, a survey of more than 250 program participants shows. Respondents reported feeling safer and no longer needing to steal smoking supplies after the visits.

Still, a quarter of respondents said they weren’t sure or would likely stop visiting the offices if smoking supplies vanished.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story included captions that misidentified the source of screenshots from a harm reduction pamphlet. The pamphlet was produced in response to a public records request submitted to Public Health Madison and Dane County.

Dane County ends safer smoking program that conflicted with Wisconsin law is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Honda may have bonfired its original North American EV strategy, but it hasn’t stopped believing electric cars matter. Instead, the company’s preparing a different kind of future that gives it a bit more wriggle room if things don’t go to plan.

Fresh from writing off $15.7 billion in EV investment over the scrapped 0 Series North American EV program, the Japanese automaker is developing a next-generation electric vehicle platform. But this one will be capable of supporting both hybrid and fully electric powertrains, Automotive News reports.

Related: Acura Is Going All-In On Hybrids, Honda Is Keeping Gas Cars Affordable

That flexibility is a key attribute, and signals a major shift in how Honda views the industry’s transition toward electrification. Rather than locking itself into a single solution, Honda wants options. After changing market conditions, weakening policy support from the US government, and mounting political uncertainty, the company now appears far more cautious about committing exclusively to fully-electric vehicles.

That doesn’t mean Honda thinks EVs are dead. Far from it, actually. Company president Toshihiro Mibe reportedly said Honda still expects electric adoption to accelerate after 2030, even if hybrid demand remains stronger than previously predicted throughout the remainder of this decade.

“The market could change depending on the Trump administration over the next two and a half years and the outcome of the November midterm elections,” Mibe said, according to Auto News. “We are studying systems and next-generation EV concepts that would work no matter which way things evolve.”

Series 0 Too Inflexible

That philosophy explains why Honda’s future platform needs to handle multiple powertrain types, rather than just fully electric, as the Series 0 sedan and SUV (above) would have done. The company reportedly believes the balance between hybrids and EVs could continue shifting depending on regulations, incentives, charging infrastructure, and trade policies. A flexible architecture would allow Honda to react far quicker than manufacturers tied to expensive EV-only platforms.

In the short term, Honda’s strategy focuses on hybrids, and not EVs at all. The automaker recently revealed plans to launch 15 hybrid models by 2029 on a platform that’s different from the combined EV/hybrid one revealed this week. And it has mapped slightly different courses for Honda and Acura. The premium brand will push hybrids to its customers, while Honda will offer ICE and hybrid options to attract more cost-conscious buyers.

The report also says Honda will wait to learn the outcome of trade negotiations between the US, Canada, and Mexico before deciding whether to reactivate its plans for an EV production hub in Canada, which it put on hold earlier in May.

Honda

Stellantis is not letting Monday’s Alfa Romeo Giulietta news take the week. Less than 24 hours after confirming a replacement for the Giulietta compact hatch, the group has rolled out the first official images and details of the incoming Lancia Gamma, in advance of its Paris Motor Show debut in October. The new Gamma is being pitched as a crossover fastback, with hybrid and fully electric powertrains both on the menu.

The styling picks up where the new Ypsilon subcompact hatchback left off. Up front, split LED headlights and DRLs lean into the Mandalorian-helmet look the brand seems committed to, with active shutters cut into the lower bumper for cooling and aero duty.

Read: Stellantis Puts Cheap Cars Under $30,000 Back On America’s Menu

Down the sides, the surfacing is clean, the door handles sit flush in the lift from DS Automobiles, and a thin band of gloss-black cladding wraps the wheel arches. The roofline is not as aggressively raked as the Peugeot 408 or the DS No8, both of which sit on related Stellantis bones, but the Gamma still carries the coupe-SUV stance the segment now expects.

There is a deeper cut for Lancia fans too. The black trim running down the C-pillars is a subtle callback to the original Gamma Berlina fastback saloon.

Lancia

The crossover measures 4.67 m (183.9 inches) long, 1.89 m (74.4 inches) wide, and 1.66 m (65.4 inches) tall, which makes it roughly 15 cm (5.9 inches) shorter and 80mm (3.2 inches) taller than the DS No8. We keep mentioning the French fastback because the two models share the STLA Medium architecture, and both are built at the Melfi plant in Italy.

One Hybrid, Three EVs

Stellantis has confirmed an entry-level hybrid producing 143 hp (107 kW / 145 PS) with a claimed range north of 1,000 km (621 miles). It is almost certainly an electrified take on the turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder used across the group, in everything from the Peugeot 208 to the Jeep Compass.

Read: Fiat’s Pandina Replacement Has Three Seats And The Driver Sits In The Middle

The rest of the Gamma lineup goes fully electric, with three outputs and battery sizes to pick from. The base EV opens the range with 227 hp (169 kW / 230 PS) and over 540 km (335 miles) of range. A step up brings 242 hp (180 kW / 245 PS) and more than 740 km (460 miles). At the top sits a dual-motor all-wheel-drive flagship producing a combined 370 hp (276 kW / 375 PS), with up to 675 km (419 miles) on a single charge.

Big Screens And A Coffee-Table Console

The interior has a similar layout to the DS No8, including what appears to be a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 16-inch infotainment display. The bigger display runs Lancia’s SALA system and absorbs the climate controls into the touch interface.

Where Lancia separates itself is the center console, anchored by the brand’s signature “tavolino” tray that takes its cues from a small coffee table. The Italian crossover also gets its own ambient lighting setup and different door cards than its French cousin, along with a three-spoke steering wheel with integrated controls.

Also: The Plant That Built Dodge’s Last Hellcat Muscle Cars Could Make Chinese EVs Next

Given where Lancia is trying to position itself, the cabin should lean upscale, and the pictured example mixes black fabric with white synthetic leather and a handful of metal-look accents. The edge of a panoramic roof peeks into the photo, and the overall shape suggests this could be the most family-friendly Lancia since the long-gone Phedra minivan.

Order books open after the summer, with pricing yet to be confirmed and more details promised over the coming months.

Lancia

The purists can exhale. Porsche has no intention of building a fully electric 911 for the foreseeable future, sticking with combustion and hybrid power for the model that more or less defines the brand.

The experimentation will happen elsewhere. The next-generation 718 Cayman and Boxster are still on track for battery power, even after internal reviews and program delays threatened to muddy that plan. Both cars will be sold as EVs alongside combustion variants that will sit higher in the range.

More: The 911 Turbo S Sadu Edition Pairs 701 HP With A Craft Older Than Porsche Itself

Daniel Schmollinger, CEO of Porsche Cars Australia, spoke to local media CarSales about electrification plans in the sports car segment:

“We will go with the 718 electric as the first two-door electric sports car. The 911 for the moment stays what it is. With the T-hybrid technology, it shows what is possible without a full battery but still making use of this amazing technology.”

Porsche has always positioned the 911 as the last combustion model standing, even in a future where the rest of the lineup went electric. The plan has not changed, though the context around it has. Weaker EV demand has forced Zuffenhausen to walk back its electrification timeline, which only pushes a battery-powered 911 further into the realm of the hypothetical.

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

The T-Hybrid system used in the GTS and Turbo S trims of the 992.2 generation leverages electrification to boost performance without taking on the weight penalty of a battery electric setup. Expect Porsche to follow a similar path for other members of the lineup, while sticking to non-hybrid solutions for iconic models like the GT3 RS.

The Macan Case

Schmollinger touched upon the subject of the Macan EV, admitting that initial sales volumes are no match for those of its aging petrol-powered predecessor. The latter will soon bow out of production in Germany, with Porsche stockpiling examples to meet market-specific demand.

Nevertheless, the CEO of Porsche Australia attributes the lack of interest for the EV to consumer readiness rather than the vehicle itself: “It’s not a decision against the car, or the Macan as such, it’s a decision against not being ready for electric. That’s totally fine. Everyone needs to choose the technology and the car they’re comfortable with.”

Hedging Across The Lineup

The response across the rest of the range is to offer everything. The Cayenne is sold with gasoline, plug-in hybrid, and full electric powertrains, and a hybrid version of the next Macan is in development to run in parallel with the EV. It is a portfolio built to absorb whichever direction the market actually moves.

More: Porsche’s EV Gamble Is Going So Well It’s Even Closing Its Ebike Arm And 500 Jobs

Synthetic fuel, the other lever Porsche has been pulling, remains a long way from relevance. Schmollinger admits the technology is “far from mainstream.” He also notes that he drives an EV himself, and that Porsche always expected EV adoption to move at different speeds in different markets, depending on charging networks, policy, and consumer appetite.

Cupra’s aggressive-looking Tindaya concept is officially heading for production, the automaker’s boss says, meaning Europe’s premium SUV crowd is about to get a new headache. The dramatic electric crossover will sit above the Tavascan and Terramar in Cupra’s lineup and target established players like the new BMW iX3, Volvo EX60, and Mercedes-Benz GLC EV.

And with a design we described last fall as looking like it was whipped up by Lamborghini on a wild night out, we can imagine it grabbing sales from drivers who think those other premium SUVs are just too dull.

Related: ABT’s Cupra Formentor Has More Power Than A Lambo Huracan From Audi’s Dying 5-Cylinder

The concept first appeared at last year’s Munich motor show looking more like a sci-fi prop than a realistic production model. At the time, Cupra played it mostly as a design and technology statement. Now, though, Seat-Cupra boss Markus Haupt has confirmed the company is deadly serious about bringing it to showrooms.

“It looks fantastic. Why should we not build the Tindaya?” Haupt told Autocar in a recent interview. “We are indeed looking at our plans for when we could build the Tindaya, but it’s something I can promise. This car will see the streets in some years.”

Premium-Sized, Premium-Priced

At 4,720 mm (185.8 inches) long, the Tindaya is sized right for Europe’s lucrative premium SUV segment. That’s a crowded neighborhood packed with familiar badges from Germany, plus challengers from brands like Genesis, Lexus and Volvo. Cupra clearly believes buyers want something less conservative than another neatly tailored executive crossover.

Pricing is expected to start around £60,000, making it much more expensive than the cars in Cupra’s current lineup, but again, right for the segment. While neither Haubt or Autocar said as much, we suspect the Tindaya is the bigger of the two models that would have led Cupra’s plan to expand to North America. That expansion is no longer happening due to tariffs and weak US demand for EVs.

Electric Or Range Extender

The Tindaya will ride on Volkswagen Group’s upcoming SSP electric platform, which is set to replace today’s MEB architecture across multiple brands, the magazine says. But the report claims Cupra still hasn’t locked down the final powertrain setup. The original concept used a 489 hp (496 PS / 365 kW) range-extender arrangement combining electric power with combustion support, but Haupt suggested everything remains on the table while the company watches market trends evolve.

“All this discussion is changing by the day, very fast,” he said. “Which powertrains will we have in the end? It’s a decision we have not taken now.”

That flexibility is one advantage of belonging to the sprawling Volkswagen empire. SSP reportedly supports everything from pure EVs to electrified combustion-assisted setups, depending on regional demand.

Cupra, Baldauf

Performance and electrification spent years looking like reluctant roommates. Enthusiasts rolled their eyes, automakers talked about efficiency, and every new hybrid sports car seemed to come with a warning that excitement wasn’t the priority. Fast forward to now, and electrification has infiltrated nearly everything, from economy cars to six-figure exotics with varying degrees of success.

Increasingly, performance brands aren’t asking if electricity belongs in the conversation, but how much of it should be involved. According to the engineer behind the all-new Lexus ES, electrification may end up shaping the future of F-Sport too.

Chief Engineer Makes The Case For Batteries

While speaking with ES chief engineer Kohei Chiashi during the new ES first-drive launch event, we asked which powertrain made more sense if Lexus ever wanted to build a more performance-focused F-Sport variant: hybrid or battery-electric. His answer was revealing.

Also: Lexus ES Chief Engineer Is ‘Not Happy’ About SUVs Taking Over

“Personally, I think the BEV is well-suited because electrification has raw power and we can manipulate the powertrain more granularly to produce different types of performance within that envelope,” Chiashi told us.

That line may sound like standard EV talking points at first, but Chiashi followed it with something more interesting. According to him, the ES500e’s system can send 100 percent of available torque to the rear wheels in certain situations. Drivers don’t control that behavior directly, though, so before anyone starts imagining a drift button hidden in a submenu, Lexus isn’t going there.

Why An F-Sport ES Isn’t Here Yet

The answer also helps explain why Lexus isn’t rushing to add an F-Sport model to the ES lineup immediately. According to Chiashi, the ES500e already checks many of the boxes that F-Sport traditionally represented, and introducing another trim at launch would have complicated things.

Read: The First Electric Lexus ES Actually Costs Less Than The Hybrid

That doesn’t mean Lexus has abandoned the idea. Chiashi made clear the company is still considering future possibilities. If nothing else, the comments offer an interesting glimpse into where Lexus performance thinking may be headed. F once stood for naturally aspirated V8s and high-revving theatrics. The next chapter might involve software, instant torque, and a whole lot more electricity.

Gas prices have a way of fading into the background when they’re stable. Then they spike, and suddenly every fill-up feels like a minor financial crisis. Drivers of thirsty trucks and body-on-frame SUVs know the feeling all too well. A new study suggests 2026 has turned into one of those years where fuel costs go from annoyance to budget item almost overnight.

According to a new study from iSeeCars, gasoline prices climbed nearly 46 percent between January and April, moving from $2.81 to $4.10 per gallon. The picture has only worsened since. At the time of publishing on May 24, the national average sits at $4.52 for regular, $5.01 for mid-grade, $5.39 for premium, and $5.62 for diesel.

Even working from the smaller January-to-April window the study covers, the math is ugly: an average annual fuel-cost increase of $706 for traditional gas-powered vehicles. EV drivers, meanwhile, barely felt it, with annual charging costs up just $11.

Fuel Cost Increase By Drivetrain: Jan vs. Apr 2026

iSeeCars

The data comes from an analysis of more than 2.1 million three-year-old used vehicles sold in 2025. Researchers looked at average annual mileage and paired it with fuel costs in January and April to estimate how much ownership costs changed in just four months.

Read: As Gas Prices Soar, Here’s How To Cut Your Fuel Bill Now

The hit landed unevenly across powertrains. Internal-combustion vehicles were hit the hardest, jumping from $1,533 to $2,240 in annual fuel costs. Hybrids took a smaller hit, rising $486. Plug-in hybrids landed in the middle with a $291 increase. EVs barely moved at all, increasing from $714 to $725 annually, and that’s even more impressive when you consider that the study didn’t just sample drivers who can charge at home.

Fuel Cost Increase for Major Gas Vehicle Segments: Jan vs. Apr 2026

iSeeCars

Here’s the kicker. Efficiency alone wasn’t the whole story. Mileage played a huge role, too. Minivans, surprisingly, took the biggest hit of any segment. Annual fuel costs rose by $1,139, climbing to $3,610. Of course, a big piece of that is how much most minivans (save for the VW ID.Buzz) are built for lots of miles. Trucks with their comical fuel economy and brick-like drag coefficient weren’t far behind with a $992 jump.

SUV owners were almost karmically hit the hardest, with the Toyota Sequoia topping the charts at an average $1,623 increase. The Chevrolet Suburban came in second with $1,542, and the top three rounded out with the Nissan Armada at $1,513. Zoom out, and this may explain why hybrids continue gaining traction. They avoid the range anxiety and charging headaches some buyers still worry about, while taking a lot of the sting out of gas-price roulette.

Top 10 Vehicles With the Biggest Fuel Cost Increases

iSeeCars

Immigrants seeking green cards will have to return first to their home countries and wait despite years of potential backlogs, the Trump administration announced Friday. 

“An alien who is in the U.S. temporarily and wants a Green Card must return to their home country to apply,” Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said in a statement. 

The change would apply to workers on temporary visas, as well as to people living here illegally but hoping for legal status through sponsorship by relatives such as spouses or children who are U.S. citizens.

The immigration advocacy group FWD.us said the new policy “will create chaos and impose massive costs on immigrants who have lived and worked legally in the United States for many years” in a statement to Stateline. 

Business leaders said the move is disruptive to tech industries that rely on foreign workers who have temporary visas and sometimes hope for a green card and eventual citizenship.  

Andrew Ng, co-founder of Coursera and an adjunct professor of computer science at Stanford University, in an X post called the change “a capricious attack on legal immigration” that will “hurt families, leave us with fewer doctors, teachers and scientists, and hurt American competitiveness in AI.” 

“This is the worst imaginable way to disrupt important work for the country and pretend you’re fighting some loophole,” Silicon Valley venture capitalist Nick Davidov wrote on X, saying at least three large startups in his portfolio would be hurt by the policy. 

The so-called green cards represent a status called lawful permanent residence, a legal immigration status that can lead to citizenship. 

The administration’s intent, Kahler said in the statement, is to prevent temporary visitors from seeking permanent legal status while they’re in the United States. 

“Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose,” Kahler wrote. “Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the Green Card process.”

Those affected include many tech workers on temporary visas that might lead to green cards. 

“This includes top scientists in our universities, founders of billion dollar companies,” Davidov wrote in his post, referring to temporary visas such as O-1 (extraordinary ability) and H-1B (highly skilled specialties) visas that can lead to citizenship with employer sponsorship. FWD.us estimates H-1B visa holders and their families in the United States number about 1.3 million. 

People from India would have to wait through years of backlogs if they stopped working and went home to apply for green cards, and people from Russia would be unable to apply at all because there’s no U.S. embassy there, he noted. 

The USCIS announcement did refer to “extraordinary” circumstances that might allow continued processing of green cards in the United States but did not elaborate. 

According to a policy memo issued Friday, USCIS agents “must consider and weigh all the relevant evidence” and determine “if approval of the alien’s adjustment of status application is in the best interest of the United States.” 

Stateline reporter Tim Henderson can be reached at thenderson@stateline.org.

SUVs are absolutely everywhere these days. No matter where you look, they’re not just present, they’re getting bigger, taller, and selling in greater numbers than ever. Most automakers have pushed that reality harder than they’ll admit. SUVs are great for profit margins, and they also benefit from looser emissions rules tied to vehicle footprint. Despite all of that, the Lexus ES is bucking the trend with an all-new generation.

More: The First Electric Lexus ES Actually Costs Less Than The Hybrid

During our time at the brand’s first-drive launch event, we asked ES chief engineer Kohei Chiashi a simple question. Why do luxury sedans still matter in an SUV world? His answer wasn’t the sort of carefully polished corporate response we’ve come to expect from so many others.

“For me personally, I love sedans,” Chiashi told us. “This situation with SUVs everywhere is something I’m not personally happy with. I was very passionate about not giving up on the ES. For us, we poured everything we could into the ES because we care about it so much.”

The Sedans Lexus Has Already Lost

That comment carries extra weight when viewed against Lexus’ recent history. The company has already watched parts of its sedan lineup disappear or shrink in importance. The GS was discontinued in 2020, the LS has become increasingly niche with Lexus even contemplating a six-wheel minivan replacement, and the future of traditional luxury sedans has looked less certain as SUVs continue to dominate nearly every segment.

Against that backdrop, keeping the ES relevant meant doing more than simply refreshing an existing formula. Lexus expanded the sedan’s role dramatically. The new generation now supports both hybrid and battery-electric powertrains while growing larger and more spacious in the process.

Interestingly, Chiashi also made it clear that Lexus didn’t approach the ES as some kind of reluctant compromise or farewell tour. Instead, the focus stayed on protecting the model’s identity: comfort, cabin space, and effortless long-distance driving. The funny thing is that the ES may now matter more than ever. Fighting for it seems to have been the right choice for everyone involved.

Credit: Stephen Rivers for Carscoops