+++ The ALFA ROMEO TONALE is a pivotal model for the Italian brand, marking its first electrified offering and its ticket to the high-volume compact SUV segment. However, it appears not everyone is thrilled with the new SUV, as union representatives from the Carabinieri, Italy’s national police force, have recently lodged a complaint about its handling performance. When Alfa Romeo first handed over the Tonale to the police, they promised that the compact SUV would offer a “significant increase in the level of comfort” for officers. Unfortunately, it seems that some officers were more concerned about how it actually drives than how plush it feels. The Carabinieri Trade Union Association (Unarma) has filed a formal complaint with the Rome Public Prosecutor’s Office, citing multiple “operational reports” from officers who have encountered “critical issues” with the vehicle’s road handling. The main complaints focus on the Tonale’s performance at high speeds and on rough road surfaces, conditions that aren’t exactly rare for mobile radio units tasked with rapid responses in various situations. The union expressed “deep concern for the safety of operators”, who are allegedly “forced to use a vehicle that could compromise the effectiveness of interventions and put their safety at risk”. For this reason, the union calls for an official investigation, to see whether the Tonale is truly up to the task. Antonio Nicolosi, Secretary General of Unarma, stated: “We cannot accept that our colleagues operate in potentially dangerous conditions. It is the duty of the administration to guarantee safe, reliable and fully suitable means for operational needs. We will not stop until the situation is clarified”. Alfa Romeo has responded to the accusations and made it clear they’re open to cooperating with authorities. Powering the compact police cruiser is a mild-hybrid 1.5-liter engine, churning out the same 160 hp as the civilian version. It’s unclear whether the lack of any performance upgrades is contributing to the complaints, which seem to focus more on the vehicle’s chassis setup. The added weight of the armour and the Tonale’s lofty ride height could be factors, though to be fair, most SUVs come with these same issues. +++
+++ While the Volkswagen Group produces many vehicles in the United States, every single AUDI sold locally is built in either Europe or Mexico and exported to the United States, meaning they are subject to president Trump’s 25 percent auto tariffs. The premium brand is working hard to avoid these tariffs and could build several of its vehicles locally. A recent report out of Germany suggests that Audi may build the current Q4 e-Tron, or its successor, at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This would be a logical option as the Q4 e-Tron shares the same MEB platform as the ID.4, which is currently built there. At the same time, it could alter production plans for the Q8 e-Tron. This model was originally going to be built in Mexico, but it may now be manufactured in Columbia, South Carolina, which will be home to Scout and handle production of both the EV and EREV versions of the Terra and Traveller. While Volkswagen has been eager to distance itself from Scout to allow the new brand to sell direct-to-consumers, it clearly has enough influence over it to also have the site build an unrelated model from Audi. The VW Group is also eyeing a third potential location for building the Q6 e-Tron, though details are scarce for now. When asked about these plans, an Audi spokesperson didn’t exactly confirm anything but did admit that the U.S. market is one of their top priorities, sitting alongside Europe and China as a core pillar of their global strategy. “We want to increase our presence in the U.S.”, he told. “We are currently examining various scenarios. We are confident that we will be able to decide on the specific details in consultation with the Group before the end of this year”. Either way, the wheels are in motion for Audi to make a more significant push in the States, as it’s imperative for the company to do whatever it takes to dodge those tariffs, whether by relocating production, shifting models, or just flexing the power of the VW Group. +++
+++ BMW has for the first time confirmed that it is developing a second generation of its X7. Releasing its financial results for the first quarter of its 2025 financial year, the BMW Group said it had incurred research and development costs for the Neue Klasse models such as the new iX3, as well as for successors to the X5 and X7. It gave no further indication of when the new models will arrive, but documents sent to US dealers previously suggested the new luxury SUV would arrive in 2027, a year after the new X5. It will be underpinned by an upgraded version of the Cluster Architecture (CLAR) structure that is used for the existing X7, as well as the 7-series and i7. The update will allow the new X7 to offer an electric powertrain for the first time, with the smaller iX5 set to adopt new-generation electric drive units, round-cell batteries and an 800V electrical architecture. “We are in a phase where flexibility is required”, BMW R&D boss Frank Weber previously told. “We have to detach ourselves from how we have perceived platforms up to now. There is an increasing realisation that the art of mastering diversity in your portfolio lies in how you use and network major components. It’s not so much the platform structure itself but the individual components and how you use them”. The new X7 will be but one pillar in a completely revitalised line-up. Starting from the launch of the new iX3 at this year’s Munich motor show, BMW will replace or substantially update every single model in its range, rolling out the Neue Klasse design language and technologies. BMW Group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk told: “We will make sure that the form language that we are developing now, and starting this year at the IAA [Munich show] with the first of the Neue Klasse vehicles, will be rolled out over the entire product portfolio, leaving no car behind. Of course, it would not be good for us or for our customers if there would be a new type of BMW and a ‘classic’ type of BMW. We’re going to change the look and feel of the BMW brand”. However, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the 4 Series and 8 Series. +++
+++ ” BUYING AN AMERICAN CAR ” doesn’t mean what it used to. Long gone are the days when an imported car necessarily meant it’s a foreign car, and no company proves the point more than General Motors. The Detroit stalwart imported more cars into the US last year than any other automaker, even Japan’s Toyota. Nearly half of the vehicles GM sold in the US last year (1.23 million) were built abroad. That includes many of its most affordable models, like the Korean-made Chevrolet Trax and Buick Envista SUVs, whose low prices depend on cheap production. So it can’t be a surprise then that no American automaker stands to lose more in Trump’s trade war. +++
+++ FOXTRON , an automaker partly owned by Taiwan iPhone manufacturer Hon Hai Technology Group, and Mitsubishi said Wednesday they have agreed to develop an electric vehicle to be sold in Australia and New Zealand. Hon Hai, also known as Foxconn, is one of a growing number of technology companies that are leveraging their knowhow in electronics and communications to try to break into the EV market, snapping up links in the automotive supply chain. Foxtron is a joint venture between Hon Hai and Taiwan’s Yulon (which makes Nissan vehicles under license). There was speculation earlier this year, when talks on a possible merger between Nissan and Honda fell through, that Hon Hai might make a bid for Mitsubishi’s alliance partner Nissan. The 2 companies said Wednesday that the EV developed by Foxtron will be produced by Yulon and introduced in Oceania in the second half of 2026. Foxtron and Mitsubishi gave no financial details and said their memorandum of understanding would be followed by further talks. Japanese automakers like Mitsubishi have been stepping up efforts to compete in the EV segment as they contend with intense competition from their Chinese rivals. Mitsubishi has set a target for having all of its product line-up be EVs or hybrids by 2035. Foxtron showcased its Model B, a sleek hatchback, and its automotive electronics at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. Foxconn lists 11 vehicle models on its website, including its Model T bus, Model V pickup truck, Model N van, its Model B, and its “luxury flagship” Model E sedan. +++
+++ MITSUBISHI is stepping up its EV game with not one, but two new electric models on the horizon, both of which are slated to arrive in the second half of 2026, each targeting a different market, First up, there’s an electric crossover inspired by the upcoming Nissan Leaf, which will be offered in North America. Then, Mitsubishi is also teaming up with Foxconn to develop a separate EV aimed at the Australian market. The Leaf-based crossover is expected to hit dealers in the U.S. and Canada by summer 2026. As the official teaser suggests, it will closely resemble the new Nissan, adopting a similar crossover silhouette with a sloping roofline and an identical LED lighting signature. For now, it’s unclear if there will be any other noticeable differences between this Mitsubishi EV and its Nissan counterpart, aside from the Mitsubishi badges. This new EV will sit on the CMF-EV platform, the same one found under the upcoming Nissan Leaf, and will feature a single electric motor. That means, like the slightly larger Nissan Ariya, there won’t be an all-wheel-drive option here. However, Mitsubishi has confirmed that the Leaf-based model will include a NACS charging port and is targeting a range of over 480 km. In return, Mitsubishi is helping Nissan with a plug-in hybrid version of the Rogue (X-Trail), which is expected to arrive in 2026 as a rebadged version of the Outlander PHEV. The Rogue plug-in hybrid will sit alongside gasoline and self-charging hybrid variants, with different styling cues to set them apart. Mitsubishi’s goal, of course, is to “strengthen its partnership with Nissan” through electrified vehicles. In addition to expanding its EV line-up, Mitsubishi’s Momentum 2030 plan also includes a new approach to retail sales and an expanded dealer network in North America. This effort is designed to boost sales across the region. +++
+++ TOYOTA on Thursday forecast a 35 percent year-on-year drop in net profit for 2025-26 citing Donald Trump’s vehicle tariffs among other factors. Carmakers have been among the hardest-hit by the U.S. president’s multi-pronged assault on free trade. On top of a 25 percent tariff already placed on finished imported cars, the Trump administration on Saturday imposed a similar duty on auto parts including engines and transmissions. For the current financial year that began in April, Toyota now forecasts net profit of 3.1 trillion yen ($21.6 billion). “The estimated impact of U.S. tariffs in April and May 2025 have been tentatively factored in”, the world’s top-selling automaker said in a statement. The company logged net profit of nearly 4.8 trillion yen in the 12 months to March, down 3.6 percent year-on-year but beating its forecast issued in February. As of this month, it estimated the tariffs would impact 2025-2026 operating profit to the tune of 180 billion yen. Toyota’s “influence and position” mean its profit forecasts are being closely watched in Japan, said Bloomberg Intelligence auto analyst Tatsuo Yoshida. “My feeling is that Toyota will somehow find a way to calculate the impact of tariffs and have it reflected on its forecast”, he told ahead of the earnings report. “The whole country including suppliers would be left at a loss if Toyota doesn’t issue some kind of benchmark”. Automobiles accounted for around 28 percent of Japanese exports to the United States last year. Trump late last month moved to soften the details of his tariffs on automakers, signing an executive order to limit the impact of overlapping levies on firms. Trump’s new policy means a company would not face the 25 percent levy for an imported vehicle and 25 percent on steel or aluminium; the importer would pay the higher of the two but not both, a U.S. commerce official said. The president also released a proclamation that gives the industry a two-year grace period to move supply chains back to the United States. Toyota sold 10.8 million vehicles worldwide in 2024, holding onto its crown as the world’s top-selling automaker. Takaki Nakanishi of Nakanishi Research Institute (an auto sector consulting firm) told that it is “difficult to predict” the impact of the U.S. tariffs on car firms’ earnings. “Automakers are doing what they can in trying to shift production to the United States, even though there are no huge changes right away as shifting production takes time”, he said. Trump last month hit out at the wide difference between Japanese car exports to the United States and those going the other way. Toyota is the second-top-selling automaker in the United States, where it shifted more than 2.3 million vehicles last year, while U.S. industry leader General Motors sold just 587 Chevrolets and 449 Cadillacs in Japan. Ford pulled out of the tough Japanese market nearly a decade ago. “They don’t take our cars, but we take millions of theirs!”, Trump said in April, accusing Japan of treating its ally “very poorly on trade”. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN entered the electric hot hatch niche about a year ago with the launch of the ID.3 GTX. However, it’s now apparently working on an even spicier version carrying a far more iconic badge: GTI. Much like Porsche’s electric Turbo models lack actual turbochargers, the ID.3 Grand Touring Injection will obviously not have fuel injectors. And while traditional GTIs are front-wheel drive, the ID.3 GTI will be rear-wheel drive. So much for tradition. The inaugural electric GTI will receive a modest power bump over the GTX. It’s believed the zero-emissions GTI will deliver 340 hp, or just 13 hp more than the current flagship version. Rumour has it VW’s engineers are planning significant updates to the chassis, steering and suspension to make the ID.3 GTI more engaging to drive than the GTX. The electric GTI wasn’t part of the original plan. However, VW is now purportedly giving the ID.3 a second facelift to extend its life cycle. The reasoning behind this decision reportedly stems from the delay of its successor, the 9th generation, electric-only Golf. Now due near the end of the decade, the Golf Mk9’s postponement means the aging ID.3 will stick around longer than expected. Indeed, the ID.3 debuted back in 2019 and received an update in 2023. To keep the EV competitive, a second, more comprehensive facelift is allegedly set for 2026, coinciding with the launch of the hotter GTI version. This update will reportedly bring the ID.3’s design and tech more in line with the smaller ID.2. Speaking of which, the ID.2 GTI concept previewed VW’s first electric car with a GTI badge. However, it appears the larger ID.3 GTI will beat it to market. The standard ID.2 is scheduled to go on sale next year in Germany with a base price around €27.000, but the GTI version will, of course, cost more. As for the ID.3 GTI, expect it to carry a premium over the current GTX, which starts at just over €47,000 at home in Deutschland. Several other models have already received the GTX treatment in Europe. The ID.7 and ID.7 Tourer have performance variants, and even the ID. Buzz GTX minivan. It remains unclear whether the GTX branding will eventually be phased out in favor of the GTI name for potent EVs or if it will continue as a more affordable alternative. We’ll have to wait and see if VW will also put an R badge on its electric cars. If it’s determined to launch an EV GTI, possibly with a new GTI logo where the “I” makes way for a lightning bolt, it likely doesn’t have a problem introducing an EV R some years from now. +++