+++ HONDA has given the Civic a new face in a round of mid-life updates for the hybrid hatchback. The company says its Volkswagen Golf rival has been “refined in response to customer feedback”, with the front end reworked for a “more assertive” look. The upper and lower grilles have been sharpened and accentuated by their contrasting black gloss finishes, while the bumper has been restyled with “bolder character lines”. There’s a new colour-coded front spoiler and the front fog lights have been removed in line with the cleaner treatment. Honda said the Civic’s LED headlights can “ensure optimal visibility is maintained” in foggy conditions, making the separate fog lights redundant.
Elsewhere, there’s a new 18 inch wheel design available on selected trim levels, a new blue paint option and some exterior accessories can be finished in black, silver or bronze.
The Civic’s interior has been largely left untouched, but all trims now come with a “more premium” black finish for the roof and pillars, together with matt chrome air-vent surrounds. Top-spec Advance cars now come with illuminated footwells, while mid-rung Sport now gets a heated steering wheel and 10.2 inch digital display as standard. All versions have a wireless phone charger. +++
+++ HYUNDAI is set to reveal an electric alternative to the Bayon, likely badged Ioniq 2, as it pushes to expand its EV line-up. Understood to be twinned with sibling brand Kia’s incoming EV2, it will plug the gap between the Inster and Kona Electric. Pictures of the car testing this week confirm that it will be close in size to the combustion-powered Bayon, positioning it as a rival to the likes of the Renault 4 and Volvo EX30. It will be revealed “in the next few months”, new Europe CEO Xavier Martinet told in June, which suggests that it is likely to be unveiled at the Munich motor show in September. Hyundai confirmed the car will go on sale in the third quarter of 2026, so deliveries could begin as soon as next July. It is understood that Kia’s EV2, previewed by the EV2 concept, will arrive a few months before it. “We are very much involved with the electrification of our line-up and to increase our electrified mix in the coming years”, said Martinet. Like the EV2, the car will be based on the same scalable E-GMP platform that is used by nearly all EVs in the Hyundai Motor Group, which comprises Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. It’s therefore likely to get a similar set-up to the slightly larger Kia EV3, which is offered with either a 58.3 kWh or an 81.4 kWh battery pack. All versions of the EV3 are powered by a single electric motor that sends 204 hp and 300 Nm to the front wheels. Inside, the new electric car will bring a “step change” in usability for Hyundai. This includes a new infotainment system that will enable elements such as ambient lighting and noise to alter according to driving modes or chosen style. Like the incoming EV2, the new Hyundai is also expected to get a combined instrument and infotainment display set-up that spans roughly half the width of the dashboard. Pricing for the new crossover is likely to start at 29.000 euro. When it arrives next year, it will be the 6th electric car in Hyundai’s growing EV line-up, following the Ioniq 9. +++
+++ JLR boss Adrian Mardell is leaving the British manufacturer after almost 3 years at the helm. Mardell was appointed as CEO in 2023, following the sudden departure of Thierry Bolloré, and has led the Jaguar and Land Rover brands through one of the most transformative periods in their respective histories. A JLR spokesperson said in an official statement: “Adrian Mardell has expressed his desire to retire from JLR after 3 years as CEO and 35 years with the company. His successor will be announced in due course”. Mardell has steered the company through a remarkable financial turnaround, with it going from heavy losses and huge debt in the wake of the pandemic, to posting its best profit figures for a decade last year. The dramatic change in the company’s fortunes was underpinned by the popularity of its highly profitable Defender and Range Rover models, which have put JLR on track to achieve a targeted 10% profit margin by 2026. Mardell has also overseen the formation of JLR’s House of Brands retail strategy, under which Defender, Discovery, Range Rover and Jaguar have each been carved out as distinct brands in their own right, with bespoke marketing strategies centred around the positioning of those model families. But arguably the most significant moment of Mardell’s tenure as boss was the unveiling of the radical Jaguar Type 00 concept, which marked the beginning of the all-out transformation of the marque from a BMW and Mercedes-Benz rival to a purveyor of high-end, high-performance EVs that will do battle with Bentley. The first of these models, a 4-door super-GT in the vein of the Porsche Taycan, is now in the final stages of testing ahead of a production-spec unveiling at the end of the year and a launch in summer 2026, until which time no Jaguar models are being produced. In a recent interview, Mardell revealed that he had driven the new GT and said it was the “most fun I’ve had” in his time as JLR boss. “It was stunning in terms of its speed, its acceleration, its performance, but also how it delivered the power with a real sense of character”, he said. “The chassis team are really excited about the possibilities of the vehicle”. Speaking more generally about Jaguar’s prospects as an all-electric luxury brand, Mardell said he was “certain we will have wait lists which are significant relative to the volumes we aspire for with the first product”. He continued: “In today’s market conditions, I don’t see anything which is going to concern me about the success of the new Jaguar in this new world at all, actually”. Mardell leaves JLR in a position of far greater stability than that it was in when he took the top job, but the company still faces strong headwinds. Chief among those is the imposition of new tariffs on foreign-built cars in the crucial US market, which accounts for a huge proportion of sales of JLR’s most profitable models. The UK recently secured a trade deal that reduced the US import tariff on its exported cars from an initially mooted 25% to 10%, which is good news for the Solihull-built Range Rover models and the Halewood-produced Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport. But that levy only applies to the first 100.000 cars shipped to the US in a year, meaning any JLR models shipped above that number are liable to attract the higher 25% fee. Similarly, while the EU has now struck a deal with the US, cars shipped from the region to North America will still attract a 15% tariff, which will have significant implications for the Defender and Discovery, both built in Slovakia. Mardell’s eventual replacement will also have to negotiate JLR’s inevitable shift to a pure-electric line-up over the coming years, in the face of waning global demand for premium EVs. Only recently it emerged that the long-awaited Range Rover EV, originally planned for showrooms by the end of 2025, had been delayed to next year, in part to allow for demand to pick up. The company has not confirmed a new date for the Range Rover EV, nor said if the electric Jaguar models will still launch on schedule. +++
+++ The MERCEDES S-CLASS has long been the pinnacle of new-age engineering, and despite rivals now matching the flagship saloon punch for punch, company CEO Ola Källenius is confident his team will pull out all the stops for the updated car due early next year. Given that the car has built a reputation for being ahead of the curve in terms of luxurious technology and cutting-edge features, excitement is building for the updated S-Class. But any concerns that the new model might pale in significance compared with the car it’s set to replace, were quelled recently. “There is some inner unrest for what is next”, Källenius told. “But rest assured, nobody has run out of ideas when it comes to S-Class. We will have plenty for you”. During a previous report on the brand’s financial results, the boss stated that the company had “invested a lot more in the model update of the new combustion-engined S-Class than we normally spend on a facelift”. Exactly what form this investment will take remains to be seen, though Källenius did say that “of course it will get MB.OS upgrades”, possibly including a version of the firm’s Hyperscreen infotainment set-up from the EQS electric saloon. He also confirmed the updated car, which was caught testing on numerous occasions in standard, AMG and even Maybach forms, will be revealed “next year”. While the various sets of spy shots keep most of the car’s design hidden, we can pick out a larger grille (still in Mercedes’ ‘Panamericana’ shape), flanked by 2 slightly reshaped headlights that use the brand’s new three-pointed star daytime running-light style already seen on the recently updated EQS and upcoming electric CLA. Changes at the rear include new lights that look to be inspired by the latest E-Class, featuring yet more three-pointed star motifs. These sit above a prominent set of exhaust finishers at the bottom of the lower bumper. The S 63, which we spotted most recently, not only has extra cooling at the front in the form of larger vents, but at the rear the quad-tip exhaust layout has also been retained with a subtle central diffuser. The powertrain line-up is unlikely to change drastically, though minor tweaks should bring improvements to performance and efficiency. For example, we may see the plug-in hybrid S 450e’s 22 kWh usable battery swapped for the GLC and GLE’s slightly larger 25 kWh pack, allowing a small boost to the existing car’s 100 km EV range. I also hope to see similar changes made to the S 63 E Performance variant, which currently makes do with a pitiful 13.1 kWh battery for a miserly 34 km EV range. The upside is that that electrical assistance is backed up by a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8, producing a combined 805 hp and 1.430 Nm of torque. All is not lost, clearly. The current 7th-generation Mercedes S-Class went into production in 2020, with a range of petrol, diesel and hybrid engines, leaving all-electric power to the EQS. That won’t change with the facelifted S-Class, because Mercedes claims it has a range of ‘future-proof’ engines ready to meet Euro 7 emissions guidelines. That line-up spans 6 and 8 cylinder units, with 12 cylinder options still being made for certain markets. Beyond this year, Mercedes has said, investments into combustion-engine technology will remain limited, thanks in part to a “reduction in powertrain complexity” and “modularisation between BEV and electrified hi-tech ICE products”. Further hybridisation should be part of the powertrain strategy. However, the brand’s pragmatic approach to offering diesels in models that fundamentally suit them should mean they remain an option. +++
+++ NISSAN is weighing whether to continue production of combustion versions of the Juke, it’s No. 2 seller in Europe, even after it debuts an electric-only Juke next year. “Given the very different path of the transition to electrification across Europe, keeping the internal combustion Juke in production is an option on the table”, Alexandre Armada, Nissan Europe head of product planning for minicars and small cars, told. The third-generation Juke will use a shortened version of the Renault Nissan alliance’s CM-EV platform. The small crossover will be built at Nissan’s factory in Sunderland, England, alongside two full-electric platform mates, the Ariya and new-generation Leaf. The trio of battery-electric vehicles was announced at a time when BEV sales were on the rise in Europe. They are also needed to lower Nissan’s fleet CO2 emission to avoid EU fines. BEV sales, however, decreased in 2024, causing several automakers to abandon aggressive plans to quickly have electric-only lineups in Europe. Volvo, which aimed to be electric-only by 2030, gave up that goal last year, saying it would keep making its two global bestsellers, the XC60 and XC90 SUVs, with combustion engines, even as it added the EX90 and EX60 BEVs. Porsche made a similar move with the Macan. Mercedes is also following the trend, saying in February that its models will offer both full-electric and combustion-based powertrains.. Nissan offers the second-generation Juke with a 4-cylinder, 114 hp, 1.0-liter gasoline engine with CO2 emissions of 131 grams per kilometer, and a 143-hp, 1.6-liter full-hybrid variant with emissions of 108 grams per kilometer. Although the current Juke is reaching the end of its life cycle (it debuted in Europe in 2019) and first-half sales were flat at 51.592, it remains a crucial member of the automaker’s portfolio. Only the Qashqai, with a 6-month European volume of 78.397, accounted for more sales at Nissan. The Juke was the No. 11-selling model in Europe’s small SUV segment, which is the region’s largest with a half-year volume of 1.16 million, according to preliminary figures from market researcher DataForce. While BEV sales in Europe were up 25 percent to 1.18 million in the first half, demand for models with the powertrain in the small SUV segment fell 4.5 percent to 62.624 in the period. That means the share of BEVs sold in the segment was 5.5 percent while the overall share for BEVs in Europe during the period was 3 times higher at more than 17.3 percent. +++
+++ PORSCHE has reiterated its plans on re-entering the petrol-powered SUV segment with a successor to the Macan, declaring we should expect the new model by 2028. Autointernationaal.nl caught wind of a new SUV in March when Porsche CEO Oliver Blume told me: “We will be developing an SUV, a typical Porsche SUV. The first drawings and concepts are being developed and they’re being enthusiastically received”. Speaking at Porsche’s half-year investor call, Blume recently added the new car will be “differentiated from the BEV Macan”, thanks to “evaluating an independent model line in the SUV segment with combustion and hybrid powertrains”. Despite the Macan EV outselling the Cayenne so far this year, Blume said the new electric SUV had “lower volume than expected”. In response, the fresh combustion-engined SUV will give Porsche “a more balanced drivetrain portfolio from 2028 onward and will enhance market positioning and underpin sustainable long-term growth”, according to the brand. The SUV will sit alongside the Macan EV and I know the newcomer will not use the Macan badge. Porsche has already said the car will be positioned as an “independent model” with a “new design”, although one that’s true to Porsche’s sporty character. Blume, who is also CEO of the wider Volkswagen Group, previously said Porsche is “working with synergies that we have from other models”. With this in mind, we expect the new SUV to use an updated version of the PPC (Premium Platform Combustion) architecture that not only underpins the Macan EV, but also the petrol-powered Audi Q5. The PPC platform would give the Macan replacement the option of petrol, plug-in hybrid or even diesel power, with the latest Q5 being launched this year with all three powertrains offered. The Q5 also comes in SQ5 guise with a 367 hp mild-hybrid 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine, which could be reserved for the higher-end versions of Porsche’s upcoming SUV. +++
+++ SUBARU is considering a European return for the BRZ sports coupe in its third generation and it could be electric. Bosses have told it is part of a wider debate in how to return to the European sports car segment in a bid to cater to the strong enthusiast customer base. The brand has not offered a performance car on the continent since the first-generation BRZ in 2020. While that car’s second generation was launched in markets such as the US and Japan in 2024, only its Toyota GR86 twin came here, and strict European emissions and safety regulations meant it was only sold in limited numbers. But, Subaru’s European boss David Dello Stritto said that the nameplate could return to Europe in the form of an EV. “Our options are open”, he told. His comments were backed by the brand’s global EV product boss Inoue Masahiko. He confirmed that an electric version of the BRZ “was under consideration” and had also been heavily looked at in the past with its long-term partner Toyota. However, he added that the timing needed to be right: “We did consider electrifying the BRZ and GT86, but the win-win relationship is more important, and for the moment we can’t get the kind of benefits for both sides”. The Japanese brand has teased the idea of an electric sports coupé with the chunky, high-riding Subaru Sport Mobility concept of 2023. Subaru is currently on an all-out offensive in the family car market with a line-up that consists of the Crosstrek, Outback and Forester, as well as the new electric Uncharted, E-Outback and updated Solterra. Stritto said for any sports-focussed models to come to Europe, these need to first perform, especially the Uncharted. “We feel very positively about Subaru enthusiasts, but we need to see how Uncharted does first”, he said. Asked if the current BRZ could instead come to Europe with an electrified powertrain, Masahiko said it “would be difficult” due to the car’s packaging limitations, and that an electric version would be “easier” to develop. From a business perspective, Stritto said that bringing “100 examples to Europe” of the current BRZ (following the limited-run GR86) wouldn’t make long term sense. +++
+++ TESLA for years had more repeat US customers than any other major automotive brand but its loyalty has plunged since CEO Elon Musk endorsed Trump last summer, according to data from research firm S&P Global Mobility. The data, which has not been previously reported, shows Tesla’s customer loyalty peaked in June 2024, when 73% of Tesla-owning households in the market for a new car bought another Tesla, according to an S&P analysis of vehicle-registration data in all 50 states. +++