Two engines, one solution? European car makers divided on PHEV and REx tech

Some manufacturers are going electric-only while others hedge their bets – but decision deadline loomsCar makers in Europe are divided on whether upcoming replacements for big-selling family cars should come with the option of a plug-in hybrid drivetrain or not.
The arguments are compelling on both sides. Offering a car with both an electric motor and a combustion engine hedges your bets and keeps hold of customers sceptical of going electric. On the other hand, going all-el

Most automakers reporting May sales had reason to celebrate, but Ford isn’t one of them, revealing its results were down 13.6 percent compared to year ago numbers. The Michigan-based automaker saw is numbers fall in every category: trucks, cars, and SUVs, which endured the biggest decline of 20.9 percent. Trucks were down 8.4 percent and cars, better known as the Mustang, were down 1.8 percent.Ford brand vehicles fell 13.3 percent and its Lincoln luxury unit dropped further: 20.5 percent.

Scout!!!!! Coming as an EREV first but BEV (fully EV) is still coming too. Side note: I’m 5’1” for reference. I got A LOT of comments on my social videos/shorts about how big these look next to me. Yes, they do, they both have huge all-terrain tires on them as well! This is a quick walkaround of the two prototype Scouts: Traveler SUV and Terra pick-up. I love them both — which is your favorite? Personally, the bench seat doesn’t do for me! Friend of the site Connie

A new bill aims to ban Chinese-made connected vehicles from ever even driving across the border into the United States via Canada or Mexico.
Representative Haley Stevens and Senator Elissa Slotkin, both Michigan Democrats, announced the Protecting America from Chinese Cars Act last week. The legislation would prohibit connected vehicles from China and other adversarial nations from entering the U.S., whether they are imported for sale or simply driven across the border by bored boomers from the

Today the US president uses The Beast; a century ago, steam-powered Pullmans proved their worthWe recently mused on the idea of British luxury car makers collaborating on a bespoke, Trump-branded gift for the US president. Of course, there's a long tradition of special vehicles for state leaders, and indeed many of them have been true petrolheads.
'The Donald' may favour big V8s, but the first official car of any US president was powered by steam. It seems it was secretary of war William Ta

Welcome back to the VW ID Talk podcast! In this episode, Harley from Peace Vans joins the show to discuss the newly announced 2027 Volkswagen model lineup, with a focus on the highly anticipated return of the ID. Buzz. Jan Lubiewski and Harley Pasternak explore the upcoming features for the 2027 Volkswagen lineup, focusing on the ID. Buzz Tourer. 
Key topics covered in this episode: The 2027 ID. Buzz Tourer: A breakdown of the new trim, including the built-in sleeping platform, mattre

Toyota has previewed even hotter versions of its already piping-hot hatchback. For 2027, the world will be receiving the track-focused GRMN Corolla, which the manufacturer dubbed the “ultimate” version of the GR Corolla.The company is likewise showcasing the GR Corolla Morizo RR concept, which retains many of the track-focused alternations without sacrificing everyday drivability. While the standard GR Corolla is the kind of vehicle that most enthusiasts could live with as their dail

Official pictures reveal new family SUV, following teaser shown in recent investor conferenceFiat has pulled the wraps off its new Grizzly – a larger version of the Grande Panda aimed to give it a footing in Europe's crucial C-segment – after first showing it in parent company Stellantis' recent strategy update.
It will go on sale later this year with two bodystyles: a straight-edged SUV and a more rakish Fastback. It's an affordable family crossover "designed for the

When an Audi A5 gets a four-cylinder and the S5 gets a V6, you know what's what, but what about EVs?If you long for the good old days when BMW model numbers referred to the engine capacity (just don't mention the 3.2-litre 745i, the 1.8-litre 316 or countless others that didn't), I've got bad news for you: the car industry's product planners are hard at work devising new and arcane naming schemes in an effort to not make EVs sound like inkjet printers.
These systems need to be designed, with rou

The industry's brightest minds and best cars will be announced on 10 JuneAutocar is delighted to announce the return of Siemens as our partner for the 2026 Autocar Awards, continuing a highly successful collaboration that began last year.
The partnership unites the world’s oldest automotive publication with a global leader in industrial software, automation, infrastructure and digital transformation. Together, we will celebrate the finest cars and the visionary industry leaders shaping the

New mid-sized electric hatchback is a value-focused Cupra Born rival – but is it up to the task?The Leapmotor B05 electric hatchback will arrive in UK showrooms in July, priced from £28,995.
Undercutting the rival Cupra Born and Renault Megane, it offers an official range of 300 miles and can be charged at up to 174kW, giving a 30-80% refill time of 17 minutes. 
It sends 215bhp and 177lb ft through its rear wheels for a competitive 0-62mph sprint time of 6.7sec. 
The B

Dutch-German track day operator Driving-Fun will move sports car specialist's production out of BritainWestfield, the sports and kit car manufacturer founded in the Midlands 44 years ago as a rival to Caterham, has been sold to a Dutch-German company after going into voluntary liquidation.
Driving-Fun, one of Europe’s largest track day organisers, plans to continue building existing Westfield models and develop new road and racing models for what it sees as a strong and active body of

Stellantis' partnership with JLR came as a shock, but there are many reasons why it makes sensePerhaps the most eye-popping news coming out of the Stellantis investor day on 21 May was that the 14-brand company is working with JLR to “create synergies across product and technology development”, focused on the US.
After dropping that bombshell, executives firmly sealed their lips, leaving a void to be filled by fevered theories. What are we talking here? Land Rovers based on Jeep

Rear-biased 4WD system comes alongside new pre-combustion tech for M division's straight-six engineThe BMW M2 is now available with the option of four-wheel drive for the first time, meaning every M car can now be had with two driven axles.
The M2 xDrive has been revealed ahead of it going on sale in late summer, priced from £74,255 - around £4000 more than the standard rear-driven M2. 
That's also around £12,000 more than its closest comparable rival, the five-cylind

For the first time in 2026, more automakers reported sales gains than losses, led by consumers ongoing interest in hybrid vehicles.  Kia, Honda, Hyundai, Subaru, and Mazda all reported year-over-year sales jumps in May while Toyota Motor North America — which includes Toyota and Lexus — was down slightly compared to a year ago.By percentage, the big winner was Mazda, scoring a 35 percent increase compared to May 2025. It was the brand’s best total sales month since July 2

The Honda Civic has shaped the U.S. compact‑car scene for over 50 years, evolving from a lightweight commuter into a performance icon. The 2026 Civic Si brings an aggressive front fascia, LED lighting, and Si‑exclusive black accents that give it a more planted, modern stance. The signature 18‑inch wheels and sporty grille design reinforce its clean, athletic look without drifting into Type R territory. Inside, the Si stays true to its driver‑focused roots. 
Dee

Styling update brings luxury saloon in line with the Continental GT – and an option costing £25,000Bentley has updated the Flying Spur to bring its styling into line with the Continental GT, as well as reprising the sporting S model.
Chief among the design tweaks is the move from the signature quad-light front fascia to a more conventional twin-lamp arrangement.
That makes the new Spur the first Bentley saloon with two headlights since production of the S2 ended 64 years ag

New BMW battery cells boost Rolls EV's range by 18%, while max power nudges towards 700bhpRolls-Royce has updated its Spectre electric coupé, giving the 'Series II' a longer range, a raft of new personalisation options and more power than any previous Rolls.
This comes four years after the British luxury brand introduced its debut EV, which has since surpassed the V12-powered Ghost saloon and Phantom limo to become its second-best-seller, after the Cullinan SUV.
The Series II brings

As SUVs continue their rise in global sales charts, we take a look at where the story started for all the most important manufacturersIn the year 2000, sport utility vehicles, or SUVs, still occupied a relatively small niche in the global car industry.
Today they commonplace, and only highly specialised manufacturers can get away without having at least one SUV in their ranges. In this gallery we're going to see which manufacturers have been in the SUV business for decades, and which have recent

Perchance to dream… Had Shakespeare been around today, chances are he might have been referring to his next car rather than to the next life.
After all, who doesn’t spend half their waking hours scrolling through car ads, imagining themselves at the wheel of something they can’t afford, such as a Ferrari or a Lamborghini?
It passes the time but leads nowhere – so instead, scroll through these 30 choice motors no dearer than £30,000. Agreed, it’s a significant

Sim racing is the most accessible and tangible way to revel in cars when the real thing is beyond your meansBy the age of 14, I had driven a Group C Jaguar XJR-9 around the Nordschleife, conquered the Col de Turini in Colin McRae's Impreza and crashed a Veyron at 250mph. At least that's what I told my mum. 
Sim racing is, quite simply, the most accessible and tangible way to revel in cars when the real thing is beyond your means. I'll spare you the sob story but, as the middle of three chil

Stellantis will invest first in a Peugeot, which will then spawn other brands' related cars
Multinational giant will refocus on four key 'global' brands yet promises more individualism for the other 10 it ownsFuture models from the 14 brands that make up the Stellantis empire will be more differentiated, despite the increasing use of common platforms and technology, according to its European boss.
The multinational giant recently announced a £52 billion transformation plan that will i

New designer Holger Hampf is shaping Mini's future
New designer is "almost finished" with a range of significant facelifts that will kick off design refreshMini has “almost finished” work on a range of significant facelifts that will herald a new era for the brand under design chief Holger Hampf. 
The German joined Mini from Designworks, BMW’s Californian design consultancy, in October 2024 but has yet to have an opportunity to make his mark, given how new the British marq

New vehicle sales have been steadily declining since 2025 and the industry sentiment appears to be that this is fine. Despite there formerly being a push to return to the production volumes considered normal prior to 2020, automakers haven’t seemed terribly concerned that they’re still about a million customers shy of what was formerly considered normal. But that could change as the industry is assumed to continue shrinking into next year.
Viewed on a strictly annual basis, things lo

Lexus may have created a new acronym: DBA or dead before arrival with the cancellation of its long awaited LF-ZC all-electric sedan.  It’s been shown as a concept for years, most recently at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show, but with electric vehicle sales on the decline — or at least, in a state of flux — parent company Toyota’s been reviewing what EVs need to go on and what needs to be cut. “We decided to cancel the LF-ZC development project as part of a co

Despite consistent reports that basically every automaker in existence is moving further away from manual transmissions, Nissan has offered a nugget of hope. The brand has suggested that demand for the formerly standard transmission type was slowly coming back.
News comes by way of Australia’sCar Expert, which spoke to the head of Nissan’s performance division during an announcement that the company would be building a new facility in Melbourne that’s slated to open by the end

I'm always happy to find obscure special-edition vehicles during my junkyard travels, the rarer the better. Today, our Junkyard Find is one of just 2,821 Freedom Edition XJ Cherokees sold for the 2000-2001 model years, now residing in a car graveyard near the Tesla factory.This truck isn't as rare as, say, a Datsun 280ZX Black Red Edition, an Olds Cutlass Calais Wyoming Centennial Edition, or a VW Golf Etienne Agnier Edition. It appears that American Jeep shoppers during the XJ's final two years

A lot of supermini for the money - and there's petrol, diesel, hybrid and EV to choose fromIn 2021 the Vauxhall Corsa finally became Britain's best-selling car after more than 30 years of trying, and it remains a consistent fixture of the top five to this day.
It thoroughly deserves its commercial success too, because it's well-rounded, pleasant to drive, decently equipped and available with a broad mix of powertrains.
Its popularity also means there is an abundance of current, 'F'- generation C

EV4, pictured, gets a bigger grant than the EV3 because it is built in Slovakia
Larger car has secured the full £3750 Electric Car Grant from the UK government, meaning it now starts at £30,995The Kia EV4 hatchback has qualified for the upper tier of the UK government’s Electric Car Grant (ECG), making it cheaper than the smaller EV3.
The upgrade to the full Band 1 grant of £3750, up from the previous Band 2 grant of £1500, means the EV4 in entry-level Air

Civil engineer Dave Collins tells us how he built a superb recreation of the Renault 5 Turbo 3EDave Collins' superb Lego recreation of the Renault 5 Turbo 3E could soon be headed to a shop shelf near you, having passed a vital stage in its approval by the plastic brick maker. 
Collins' model was submitted to Lego Ideas – the platform on which fans of the bricks can post their own models, with the potential for them to become a real set – in April, soon receiving t