+++ The ASTON MARTIN VALRYRIE isn’t just another hypercar: it’s basically an F1 car that somehow convinced the ‘RDW’ to hand over a license plate. With a screaming naturally aspirated V12, hybrid wizardry, wild aero and a body that weighs less than your average lunch order, this thing was built for one thing: going fast. Aston Martin has been practically begging its wealthy Valkyrie owners to stop treating their cars like garage art and actually drive them. But for some unlucky US customers, it might be wise to skip the next track day invite. The recent recall targets a tiny club: just 7 of the 51 Valkyries sold in the United States in 2024, all rocking the track suspension package, are in the crosshairs. The main issue is a brake master cylinder that can throw a tantrum under a bizarre set of track conditions. If you’re really pushing it, a seal inside can warp, which means brake fluid doesn’t make its way back to the reservoir when you let off the pedal. That leaves brake pressure stuck in one corner, so the brakes start dragging and cooking themselves. Keep hammering around the track and things can get hot enough near the rear brake cooling duct to actually catch fire. Not exactly the kind of hot lap you want. Aston Martin insists this is a freak occurrence. You’d need the track suspension, a racetrack and to be driving like you’re auditioning for a Fast & Furious sequel, with all the electronic nannies working overtime. In other words, you won’t trigger this on your Sunday coffee run. The British automaker first caught the problem over 3 years ago, when engineers slammed on the brakes during a traction-control test. Turns out, the original master cylinder design didn’t play nice with the Valkyrie’s electronic systems in those high-impact but rare moments. The fix is simple: Aston Martin will swap in new master cylinders with updated guts that actually get along with the Valkyrie’s electronics. If you’re 1 of the 7, expect a call from Aston Martin telling you to bring your car in. The fix takes about 5 hours and, yes, it’s on the house. +++
+++ The BMW i3 is a huge step forward for the brand as it takes the 3-Series into fully electric territory. According to a new report, the automaker couldn’t be happier with the response. Rather than open up orders later this year, it’s going to do so this week. Production won’t ramp up sooner, but BMW will take customers’ orders starting Thursday. BMW will begin taking orders for a special “1st Edition” version of the i3 starting June 18. The move is notable because the original plan reportedly called for orders to open sometime this fall. BMW hasn’t publicly confirmed the change, but strong customer interest following the car’s March debut in Munich prompted the decision. That enthusiasm shouldn’t come as a complete surprise. BMW executives were already hinting at an unusually strong response shortly after the i3’s reveal. Sales chief Jochen Goller reportedly said interest in the sedan surpassed even the positive reaction generated by the upcoming iX3. That’s a significant benchmark considering the electric SUV is said to have accumulated around 50.000 orders just months after its unveiling, plus more than 10.000 sales in Europe in only 2 months. The i3’s appeal also appears to stretch well beyond BMW’s home market. The report indicates the sedan has received positive feedback from Europe and China alike, with its appearance at the Beijing Auto Show helping raise its profile in one of the world’s most important EV markets. BMW has even suggested the i3 could help breathe new life into the midsize sedan segment. That’s an ambitious claim, but the specifications certainly give the company something to talk about. The version shown so far, the i3 50 xDrive, delivers 469 hp from a dual-motor all-wheel-drive setup and is claimed to offer up to 900 kilometers of range under the applicable test cycle. Despite the accelerated ordering timeline, production plans reportedly remain unchanged. BMW is expected to begin series production of the i3 at its Munich plant in August. If customer demand is truly as strong as reported, the bigger question may not be when orders open, but if BMW can build enough cars to keep up. +++
+++ LUCID has spent years building some of the most efficient luxury EVs on the road, but its next chapter won’t be written with six-figure sedans and SUVs. New patent drawings appear to reveal, based on the company’s own teasers, the upcoming Lucid Cosmos, one of three more affordable vehicles destined to ride on the company’s new midsize architecture. More importantly, these sketches may offer the clearest look yet at the vehicle Lucid hopes can carry the brand into the mainstream, where the Tesla Model Y and new Rivian R2 are already waiting. The drawings from the patent office show not just the general shape of the Cosmos but potentially different trims and unique details both inside and out. First, let’s focus on the overall car itself and what the drawings reveal. Much like the larger Gravity flagship SUV, the Cosmos appears to share the same front fascia treatment. A large light bar spans the nose above an upturned lower grille. The hood gets angular curves that start near the center and span outward, just as they do on the Gravity. The side profile is where things begin to shift. Two parallel lines along the body are softer and more flowing than on the Gravity. Toward the rear of the crossover, there’s the same dovetailed upper section seen on the larger Lucid. A small roof spoiler will no doubt smooth airflow, and a relatively long horizontal light wraps around to the rear from the side of the SUV. At the back, the Lucid wordmark appears larger than on the Gravity. It seems as though the taillights are also distinct rather than spanning the entire trunk area. I can’t confirm if we’re looking at different trims in these images, but they sure seem to illustrate different features. Take, for example, the front end of the Cosmos. In some drawings, the lower grille area is more pronounced and juts far forward with what appears to be a larger opening than in other drawings. The rear sketches seem to indicate the same thing. At least one ‘trim’ appears to have large, almost triangular vents or perhaps lighting structures akin to what we see on rally-focused trims at other automakers. In other words, expect at least one variant of the Cosmos to have some chunky bodywork on each end. That checks out, given previous information from the brand that it’ll be the performance vehicle in the line-up. Lucid says it’ll do 0-100 kph in just 3.7 seconds.
We’re also getting a look at the inside of the Cosmos with these patents. Unsurprisingly, the dash consists of one lengthy display that appears to serve as the driver information display and the infotainment screen. The center console has what appear to be a couple of dials side by side with storage behind them and beneath them. The console shows rear-seat climate vents and what appears to be a small storage cubby just above those. Altogether, it appears as though the Cosmos is going to take a few design cues from the Gravity but also chart its own path. The Cosmos is supposed to start somewhere in the high $40,000s, possibly stretching into the $70,000s further up the range. That puts it squarely against the Tesla Model Y and the new Rivian R2, the two cars it most needs to beat. It rides on new architecture and new motors aimed at cutting costs for Lucid and its customers. That platform will also underpin the Lucid Earth and a third model due out later.
To see how the patents might translate into sheet metal, we ran them through generative AI and built a couple of renders so you don’t have to in the comments. You will anyway. Still, treat them with the usual caution. They’re extrapolated from a handful of line drawings, not gospel, so if the real Cosmos looks nothing like this, we’ll be the first to pretend this never happened. +++
+++ MERCEDES-AMG has ambitious growth plans and wants to move closer to matching BMW’s M brand’s annual sales. Doing so won’t be easy and will necessitate launching a bunch of new models that should get car enthusiasts very excited. Last year, the performance arm of Mercedes sold roughly 145.000 vehicles globally, while BMW’s M brand moved a touch over 213.000. AMG laid out its plan to reach 200.000 annual sales by 2030 at a recent investor presentation in Los Angeles, and to get there, it will launch more than 27 new models over the next 36 months. “Our plan is definitely to grow”, Mercedes-AMG chief executive Michael Schiebe told. “We have taken many, many decisions. All the products are now in the making, and you just need to stay tuned because we are going to launch more than 27 cars in the next 36 months only for Mercedes-AMG”. One of the brand’s newest models is the all-electric Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door. Running 3 advanced axial-flux motors, it produces up to 1.163 hp and will square off against the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-Tron GT. Sales of both those rivals have been relatively limited, though, and the same can probably be expected of the new AMG GT 4-Door. An all-electric SUV will follow it. More important to the brand are its new engines. The first is a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 with a flat-plane crank, first shown in the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class. We don’t yet know which AMG models will get the engine, but the CLE 63 ‘Mythos’ is shaping up to be the first, and there’s hope the C 63 will adopt it too. The new track-focused Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, and the GT3 race car it will be paired with, will run the same unit. Importantly, AMG won’t be leaning on this V8 alone, either, as it’s also developing a new six-cylinder engine. As part of its growth plans, AMG will target expansion in the United States, where more than a third of its current sales happen. It’s also looking to lift sales across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. +++
+++ Brand new German luxury cars are entering RUSSIA through a scheme that could be layering 2 separate deceptions on top of each other. First, never-driven vehicles are registered as sold in China, reclassifying them as used exports on paper. Then, before shipping, they are temporarily rebadged as domestic Chinese brands like Changan, so customs documentation describes a cheap local car rather than a sanctioned European one. An Instagram user spotted a China-exclusive Audi A6L and a BMW X5, among others parked on trailers, all wearing the Changan badge. An Audi goes in as a used Changan and comes out the other side as an Audi again. The zero-mileage used car trick exploits a specific gap in how automakers enforce their Russia restrictions. Manufacturers can prohibit new car sales to Russia through contractual clauses with dealers, but those restrictions do not follow a vehicle once it has been classified as previously sold. Chinese dealers and traders register brand new cars as sold domestically, which instantly reclassifies them as used exports. A former exporter at a Sichuan-based trading firm told this reclassification exists simply to make exporting easier. In Russia, these zero-mileage cars fetch prices comparable to new ones. Nearly 47.000 BMW, Mercedes, and Volkswagen Group vehicles were registered in Russia in 2025 despite every one of those brands publicly committing to exit the market. Once the paperwork says used, the badge swap handles the rest. Vehicles are temporarily rebranded as Chinese domestic makes before shipping, with customs documentation to match. The heavy import taxes and outright bans that apply to sanctioned brands do not apply to what looks, on paper, like a Chinese car, so border officials wave it through. Inside Russia, the Chinese branding comes off, and the original logos return. One sanctions expert told Reuters there are simply too many ways to work around the restrictions for enforcement to keep pace, and this badge-swap seems like the easiest way to fly under the radar. Until now, that is. +++
+++ TESLA started building its Cybercab earlier this year, a two-seater autonomous vehicle that we’ve learned more about in dribs and drabs over the last few months. Now, thanks to a new document published by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), we have a lot more information about the specifications of this potentially ground breaking vehicle. Unlike Tesla’s existing robottaxi fleet, the Cybercab promises completely autonomous commuting: it doesn’t even have a steering wheel or pedals. The newly shared specs reveal an EV with a lot less power than the average Tesla EV, but also a lot less weight. By seating only 2 occupants and not requiring major driver controls, the Tesla Cybercab’s specification sheet reads a lot differently compared to most other Teslas. Here’s a look at the key figures in the EPA document: Front-wheel drive, 219 horsepower,
48 kWh battery capacity, Electric Range: 470 km, Curb weight: 1.400 kilos . At just 1.400 kilos, the Cybercab is over 330 kilos lighter than the next-lightest Tesla, which is the Model 3 with rear-wheel drive. That likely comes down to a more compact footprint, an extremely minimalist cabin without traditional controls, and the small battery. The output of 219 hp may not sound like much, but it gives the Cybercab a similar power-to-weight ratio as a first-generation Subaru BRZ. We doubt anyone will want to go much quicker in a fully autonomous vehicle, anyway. The other piece of information in the EPA document that caused some confusion is a section that states the “drive mode while tested” was “all-wheel drive,” but it’s widely understood that this is a front-wheel-drive EV. Tesla’s Cybercab achieves a record 165 Wh/mi efficiency. If Tesla can get the Cybercab to customers for the promised $30.000 starting price, it will be a revolutionary mode of transportation for many. While robotaxis from various companies are already on the road, these are not for sale to individuals. The Cybercab could dramatically improve mobility for people who can’t drive, be it due to a disability or simply having no desire to drive a conventional vehicle. However, while the specs look promising, big questions remain over how close the company is to full autonomy. Tesla’s lineup only offers Level 2 self-driving that requires constant driver supervision, and even many of its robotaxis require human supervision. The leap from that to the fully autonomous Cybercab is enormous. The fact that we don’t have an official on-sale date, along with Tesla’s long history of missed production deadlines, leave me reluctant to get too excited about the Cybercab just yet. +++
+++ For the 6th consecutive year, TOYOTA is the world’s best-selling automaker. However, EVs played only a marginal role in defending its crown in the battle against the Volkswagen Group. The Japanese giant has been lagging in the electric race, although recent entries like the C-HR, Urban Cruiser and Highlander show it is intensifying its efforts in an already crowded EV market. However, Toyota’s chairman famously said in early 2024 that EVs will never exceed 30 percent of global sales. Just a few months ago, Akio Toyoda stated there are still many places around the world where people cannot do without petrol-fueled cars because charging infrastructure remains underdeveloped. But while he has a strong believe in combustion engines, the former president and CEO of Toyota says he now feels in the minority. In a candid interview, Akio Toyoda revealed he feels “very alone” in continuing to show appreciation for cars powered by combustion engines. At the same time, he is under the impression that everyone else is gravitating toward EVs. “Everybody is shifting to EVs, this is the biggest fear for me. Three or four years ago, I was the only one to say to the media that I love smell, I love sound and I love engines, and I want to keep the jobs for engine suppliers. But it seems to me that I’m the only one. I feel very alone”. In 2026, it is fair to say Toyota still hasn’t embraced EVs with the same aplomb it showed with hybrids following the revolution kick-started by the Prius in the late 1990s. Akio’s skepticism doesn’t stem only from his passion for combustion engines, though. Last year, he made a rough estimate that the 27 million hybrids the company had sold up to that point had a carbon footprint similar to that of 9 million EVs when factoring in battery and vehicle production. It is worth noting that in his calculations, he assumed all electric cars would be made in Japan, where thermal power plants do much of the heavy lifting in energy production. In that scenario, a single EV was as dirty as 3 hybrids, but the reality is far more nuanced, with many variables at play. Having set up Gazoo Racing (GR) as a standalone sub-brand, Toyota continues to support petrol engines in performance applications. It is even working on a completely new turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder unit for future GR-branded products, including the long-awaited Celica revival. At the same time, it has engineered a new V8 for the GR GT hybrid supercar, and possibly other types of models as well. Toyota is also trying to extend the shelf life of conventional engines by making them compatible with carbon-neutral fuels. Over the past few years, it has experimented with hydrogen-powered combustion engines. Its newest effort is the TR LH2 Racing, which will be showcased later this week at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. +++
+++ VOLKSWAGEN only recently unveiled the heavily updated ID.3 Neo, but one important version was conspicuously absent. While buyers can currently choose from 3 sensible powertrains, there’s still no replacement for the departed ID.3 GTX. That now looks set to change. Spy photographers have caught what they’re calling the first ID.3 Neo GTX prototype testing on public roads. Whether it actually reaches production wearing a GTX badge is another matter entirely. At first glance, the prototype doesn’t look dramatically different from the standard ID.3 Neo. But that’s partly because VW appears to be hiding its work. The lower front intake is disguised though we can still make out it has the same mouth-like shape as the new ID.Polo GTi. And the rear bumper features camouflage covering what looks like a redesigned diffuser section. The fact that VW gave the hot electric Polo the GTI name is a strong indicator that the most performance-focused ID.3 Neo will get the same honor. Either way, the recipe is likely to remain familiar. Unlike the front-wheel-drive ID.Polo GTI, the ID.3 sits on VW’s older MEB architecture with a rear-mounted motor driving the back wheels. That would give it a layout no GTI has ever enjoyed before if it really does get that badge. The most likely outcome is a carryover of the old electric GTX hardware. That would mean up to 326 hp and 545 Nm, and a 5.6-seconds 0-to-100 kph time. The old GTX achieved 600 km range from its 79 kWh battery, but VW might squeeze a few more km out for the refresh. The standard ID.3 Neo currently tops out at 231 hp and offers up to 630 km of range. It also introduced sharper styling, a redesigned dashboard, improved materials, larger screens, and, perhaps most importantly, a return to physical buttons after years of complaints about touch controls. That interior overhaul should carry straight across to the hot version, but hopefully with plenty of plaid upholstery and red detailing. Look for a debut later this year. +++